Promise (BakuDeku)

Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The beginning

Tick - Tick.

Tick.

 The slow remic beep echoed in my ear. My blurry vision slowly started to clear as things started to make more sense. Obviously, the usual. The closet door, cabinets, and anime posters, not to mention the ticking clock across me pierced my ears. I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something. I rubbed my eyes, tasting my nasty morning breath which made me want to barf.

I instantly looked up to my door being swung open, mom running in hurriedly. "C'mon wake up honey, we'll be late." She grabbed the bags that were placed beside my bed. 

Something sparked inside me as I jumped out of bed. "Mom, are we really going?"

 She flashed me a soft smile. "Hurry up." And with that, she was gone.  

After quickly washing up and getting in my clothes, I ran out grabbing the smaller suitcase that I wore on my back. It was really the day, the day I get to go back. All the classmates, teachers and friends. All of it back again. After taking a last look at my room, I shut the door walked down the hall then reached the exit door where mom was struggling with the suitcases.

"Leave it, mom, I'll do it!" I ran picking up the suitcases from her hand and into the back of the car.  

Like that, we were all done and in the car, as she drove. Although I was excited to go back, mom was kind of stressed. After all, it had been almost seven years since our last visit. Her only friend there was Mitsuki, even then, mom was scared. Those were the consequences of being an only mother, but I tried to make her way easier.

Excitement mixed with fear, it felt unreal, going back to Japan felt unreal.

***

As we took off, the plane rumbled and shook, and the engines roared to life. The ground below quickly disappeared and I was suddenly flying above the clouds, the endless expanse of blue sky stretching out before me. The views from the window were breathtaking, the world below looked like a detailed miniature. The sensation of soaring through the air is both peaceful and thrilling. The gentle rocking of the plane, the hum of the engines, and the feeling of weightlessness all contribute to the unique experience of flying. I held mom's hand hard until the place reached the clouds and stopped shaking. Although I was 17 and nearly at a legal age, I felt the need to hold my mom's hand, and so did she.

I store out the window, recalling my last experience with planes. That led me to think about why we even flew out in the first place. Well, mom was struggling, a partner would make everything easier in terms of money and raising me. When she finally found a boyfriend in Japan, he then flew away to Korea, which we then followed. To our bad luck, he cheated in less than a month of them together. The following year was hard for us to find a proper place to live in and adjust. With no friends or connections in Korea, we struggled a lot. The memories send a chill down my spine, which led me to be glad we were flying back. Although where we are doesn't make a difference in moms money earnings, we have connections and a place to stay that we don't have to pay rent for.

As for me, going back was like a burst of sunshine after a long rainfall. Everything that I treasured remained there. In Korea, making friends and getting along with classmates was a bit difficult for me, especially since I didn't know Korean, I was sort of left out. There were some sweet people that I really appreciate and made my life in Korea easier, but everyone I had left in Japan felt so much more valuable.

Most have probably changed, and grown up, just like me. Different views, and different personalities, might have even forgotten me. But that didn't matter to me, I felt the need to stay on the positive side rather than the negative.

The sobs beside me broke me out of thought, making me look to my left. Mom's face was buried in her hands, ears colored pink. 

I softly ran my hands through her hair, pulling her into a hug. After sobbing in my chest for a bit, she looked at me with teary eyes. She was always there for me no matter what. I am really grateful for her. She is the best mom I could ever ask for. "Mom...everything is alright. It's just that I am so happy that we're going back!" I said, playing with my mom's long green hair. 

"Phew! You were so deep into the thought that I got a bit worried. I'm just so happy we can start all this over with going back home. Just the feeling of ending everything in Korea feels different and hard to take in." 

"No, Mom. Don't say that. This isn't the ending anything." I pulled away from her and turned my body around facing the window again. My lips curled into a wild smile as I watched the airplane land.

"This is just the beginning."