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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


 

“We have arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Everyone, welcome to New York.” After 14 hours, he had reached his destination. Smiling, he sighed to himself. The sun was beginning to break through the clouds. The visage was still smoky. His body was exhausted but the excitement that coursed through him was enough to keep him up a little longer. The plane came to a complete stop and soon he as well as the other passengers exited the plane. Kiko would arrive in a few days. He wouldn’t be able to stand being on the same plane. He almost left her but decided against it. He was clearing the board so that nothing stood in the way of him getting to his Queen. Even if that meant putting up with her. As he stepped into the main terminal, he saw a sign with his name on it. He nodded at a bulky man who waited. 

“Hello.” 

“Good evening Mr. Iwase. Welcome to New York.” 

“It is a pleasure.” 

“I’ll accompany you to your car. From there you should be escorted to your place of residence.”

“Thank you.” The man grabbed his bags and they walked out into an awaiting limousine. 

 

***** 

He pressed the electronic key to the pad and the door to his new home opened. Everything smelled fresh and new. He took off his shoes before stepping into the open space. Rolling his bags in he looked around. It was quite a spacious room and the pieces of furniture and masculine color scheme created a good balance of the atmosphere. He liked the clean lines. He’d picked quite an appropriate home, one that could be comfortable and entertaining should he need it to be. Sighing, he walked around until he found the bathroom. There was a round bean shaped tub, white on a platform in front of a large window overlooking the city. That was something that had attracted him to this place. The large windows that looked over all of New York it seemed. Even in the living room and kitchen, it was surrounded by windows. So much natural light. 

Further down the platform was a large step in shower. He considered both a shower and soaking in the tub. That would be the perfect conclusion to his travels. Playing with the American knob he figured out how to turn it on until water came out. He left it running until he found the temperature he liked and stepped into the shower. When he got out, he stepped into the tub, the water still hot. He sighed and leaned his head back against the rim of the tub. Closing his eyes, he let the water soothe his tired stiff muscles. He went underneath the water for a while, letting the warmth bathe him in its entirety. 

He lifted, steam rising around him. Smoothing his hair back, he leaned against the side of the tub and looked out at the city below him. There were tiny people who walked in the streets. He wondered if they were laughing, joking and felt happiness. He was sure they talked about family, friends and love. A soft smile came to his face. All things he would someday talk about too. He wondered what Rae was doing at this very moment. Was she getting ready for bed now? He wondered how her day had gone. Closing his eyes, he pressed his cheek against his forearm and felt himself drift to sleep. 

 

*****

 

“Mr. Iwase! Mr. Iwase!” He jolted awake, gripping the edge of the tub. 

“What is it?” 

“Your neice has called.” A voice came on over the intercom. He yawned and lifted up. The water had grown lukewarm. He got out of the tub and grabbed a towel. Wrapping it around himself, he came out into the hallway to see a man standing outside his door. He recognized the man as his driver. Pressing the button, he spoke. 

“Thank you Daiko. I will take the call from here.” 

“Yes sir.” He came into his bedroom and picked up his phone. Sure enough, there was a missed call from his little princess. Smiling to himself, he redialed the number. On the second ring, a young voice answered. 

“Uncle Hiro?” He grinned. 

“Hello hime.” Her voice grew excited. 

“How are you? Did you make it there safely?” 

“I did. Thank you for asking.” She giggled on the phone. 

“Is it night time there?” He nodded as though she could see him and caught himself with a smile. 

“Mm. It is late here.”

“What time is it?”

“About 11 pm.”

“Ahh. It’s noon here.” 

“I see. Are you at school?”

“Ee.”

“Shouldn’t you be in class young lady?” She sighed. 

“Mm. But I had to know you got to America safely.” 

“Yes I am fine. I am going to go to bed soon. I have a big day tomorrow.”

“You do?”

“Mm.”

“Well I guess then I’ll talk to you when it is day time here.”

“Perhaps I’ll be better rested by then hime.”

“Okay Uncle Hiro. Please take care and rest well!” He laughed softly into the phone. 

“Thank you hime. Do well in your studies!”

“I will.”

“Okay.”

“I love you Uncle Hiro!”

“I love you too.”  They hung up. He fell back against his bed and pressed his phone against his heart. Hisae was such a sweet child. She brightened his days. Now with her worry at ease, he could rest. Curling up, he felt the gentle pull of sleep cast him into a sweet dream land. 

 

*****

 

In the morning, he got dressed. It was right to work. He had an interview with an American program this morning and then it was off to see his building. He opened his many suitcases and grabbed a razor. Shaving his morning shadow, he washed his face and smoothed some moisturizer into his skin. Brushing his teeth and combing his hair, he put on his freshly ironed shirt and pants.  Grabbing his suit jacket and briefcase, he slid his key into the inner most pocket in his suit. He stepped outside after entering a security code. He was ready. 

 

**** 

 

The lights blared down on him and once again, he felt hot. The woman who was putting unasked for makeup on his face dapped the small beads of sweat that had formed at his temple. 

“Not too much please. I don’t want my skin to feel heavy.” She blinked at him, her cheeks already starting to turn red. 

“S-sure. Your skin doesn’t need much of anything anyway.” He gripped the chair as she moved her fingers against his cheek. Whether intentional or not, it was starting to irk him. 

“Miss, I would appreciate it if you didn’t do that.” Her fingers stopped. 

“S-Sorry M-Mr. Iwase. Um, let me comb your hair.”

“I’ve already combed it.”

“I know but it’s apart of my job.” He sighed and let her comb his hair. She gently moved the comb to manipulate the hair to curve to the side of his face, giving him a small bang. 

“All done.” He nodded, his expression calm. 

“Thank you.” She stepped back and watched him get up, nearly towering over her. She cranked her head back to look up at him. 

“Have a good interview M-Mr. Iwase…” 

“Thank you.” He left the poor girl standing there and went to join the host. 

“It is so nice to have you Mr. Iwase.” He gently shook the woman’s hand. 

“It is kind of you to invite me.”

“We’re going to start filming in a few. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” They took their seats. As soon as they were given the cue, they began. 

 

 

****** 

Hours later he got home and unpacked some of his suitcases. He huffed as he sat down on his couch. He had a plethora of things to unload and a lot of things still arriving from Japan. He considered using an American car but decided against it. His Japanese car was just fine. He’d learn about the ways of the American road but was not going to inconvenience himself by purchasing a car that was not needed. His phone rang, interrupting his rest. 

“Mosh Mosh?” 

“Mr. Iwase?” He cleared his throat. 

“Hello.”

“Hi. I know you are probably getting settled. But I wanted to notify you of an upcoming gala in Times Square.” He pressed the phone against his shoulder. 

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I think it would be a great opportunity to introduce yourself and get to know your competition. It will be in November.”

“Ah.” Three months time.

“Yes. It is best to RSVP early to secure seats and travel plans.”

“Agreed.”

“If you are interested, I can send your acceptance.”

“Do so please.”

“Of course. On another note, I’m happy that you have finally arrived sir.” 

“I am excited to begin great things here.”

“Yes sir.”

“I will see you tomorrow.”

“Yes sir.” He hung up and leaned back against the cushions of his couch. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. He had schedules, meetings and visits to keep the rest of this entire week alone. His days were not going to be lax by any means. But in that time, he wanted to find the time to see the new city he would be living in. He had only seen New York in movies and television shows. He had never been outside of Japan before. He smiled. It wasn’t too late. Perhaps he could now. Getting up, he grabbed a coat and his key. Sliding on some shoes, he stepped out into the hallway. Zipping up his coat, he let the lights of the city lead him. 

 

****** 

“Excuse me?” On his way in exploration he was stopped. Turning, he faced a short woman who stared at him. He blinked, staring down at her. 

“Yes?”

“Um…May…may I ask what is your name?” He knit his eyebrows together. 

“Do you know me?” She grew closer and felt her cheeks grow warm. 

“You look like someone…” 

“I’m sorry. I’m not who you are looking for.” He bowed his head and began to walk away from her. Who was that woman? He continued, lured by the lights of the many establishments and the smells of food. He sighed in contentment. He should have brought his camera. It was just as busy at night as it was during the day. With the neon lights and bright glow, it reminded him of mid day. People were out and about as if it were not night. Truly, it was the city that never slept. Everywhere it was motion, colors blurred and fused into a kaleidoscope of movement. 

Food truck vendors called out tasty specials and the sight reminded him of Japan. At the thought of food his stomach growled. 

“Hot footlong dogs 2 for $5! Two pie slices 2 for $4!” His stomach protested and he sighed. He walked up to the man who had hollered out and cleared his throat. 

“I would like the hot dogs please.” The man nodded and prepared them in a hurry. 

“Five dollars.”

“Ah.” He reached into his small wallet and pulled out a bunch of American money. Fives…. Abraham Lincoln. He sorted through the money until he came across the bill that had the face of Lincoln. He handed it to the man and in turn he was provided with his reward. 

 

“Enjoy.” He nodded and bowed his head slightly before continuing on his journey. Taking a big bite out of the long hot dog. Before he knew it, it was gone and he had eaten half of the second one. Full, he headed back to his apartment. Exploring done for the night, he took a bath. All the while his mind drifting to Rae. He was about to begin his search and he only hoped that when the day came, it would begin their future, a future he wanted to seize. He smiled to himself as his eyes closed and his breath grew calm and deep. Rae was not going to make it easy for him but he was ready; ready to reclaim what was his. 







Chapter End Notes:

Evenin! Midterms are over and I am so happy! I have an extended break so I will probably be sleeping lol. I wanted to upload tonight. I am lowkey irritated cause I had typed a whole bunch and had to refresh the page and start over lol -.- I will keep it short this time... Shortest chapter yet... really wanted to get y'all ready for what's comin. I might upload another chapter tonight. If not, soon. I need rest lol. Because I feel like it, I wanted to tease you guys with a picture of Kentaro. Just a visual... that we both don't need but lol. Hey. Y'all probably don't need it and I probably didn't need to look it up but I did so lol. Okay y'all. Good night, good morning, peace! God bless and take care! 

D&L 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S- This is a still from a youtube series called FUROZUKI (The Colors of Japan). It's about traveling through Japan and seeing it through lens not typically known. I love the series and really enjoy it (other than the fine men that are in it lol). Japan is so gorgeous and they do such a beautiful job of documenting the many travels and journeys one can explore in Japan. There are 10 episodes so far and the last one (10th) was uploaded last week so it's pretty recent. I will put the link to the website as well as the first episode for anyone who wants to watch it :) It's a very great series. I hope they continue to make them. <3 In some of the episodes, Kentaro travels to some place that has hot springs. So in this picture I think he's in an indoor one. <3 He's in the first few episodes. 

On the website, there are colorful tabs in English, I'd click each but if you want to see all the episodes, click the 'Movie' tab :)

FUROZUKI Website:

http://www.asahi.com/ad/furozuki/

[FUROZUKI] The Colors of Japan Vol. 1: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oMUD1UYFPQ







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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.