Behind a strong man [Ushiwaka /Oc]

Chapter 60 - A trip beyond

Greetings my little balls of sunshine,

It's been a while. After a year of a pandemic I have to say I've never been so disappointed in my countries politics than now. Work is stressful and worrisome, one close friend got sick so far and there is no end in sight. But I don't want to get politicial here, that's not why we are here.

I hope you're all staying safe and healthy. Where ever you are, I hope that this new chapter cheers you up a little during these hard times. And just so you know, as all things do even this story is slowly coming to end. I am writing on the sequel every now and then but what I recently started is a gaming YouTube channel of all things. If you want to check it out feel free to subscribe. I want to beat my friend in subscriber numbers. And you also get to see my face and laugh at my antics, cause I'm not very good at games xD. I might do some anime content at some point as well but I'm still learning, evolving and finding my content. If you want to follow me, feel free to look for Nightowl Ivy on youtube. 

Chapter 60 - A trip beyond

Ushijima stretched when he finally had the opportunity to do so. He had never flown before and this had been a long and tiring 10 hour flight. It was an experience he would remember for a lifetime, especially the way his body was pressed into the seat when the plane took off. The endless ocean beneath him. The landing that shook the whole plane. As adventurous as it had been, this was only the beginning. He has landed and now he is in a different country. He followed the steady stream of passengers through the airport. There were mainly japanese travelers walking along with him and only a few Americans returning home.

His good grades in English were showing as he followed the signs through the airport. At the luggage return he had to wait for a while to get his belongings. Trying to pass time he checked his phone and scrolled through his photos. His new phone was like a little treasure chest of memories that he could take with him everywhere. It was already filled with images of Tamiko doing random things, smiling into the camera or selfies with them together. After Christmas both had played around with their new phones and taken so many photos. As he scrolled through the pictures a deep sigh escaped him. He glanced up to check if his luggage had arrived. He spotted his bags, took them and went on his way. Now all he had to do was to find his host.

"Wakatoshi," came a call.

Ushijima looked around the cloud until he spotted his father. Takashi was holding up a sign saying "welcome to the USA" and he wasn't alone. There were a few others holding up signs with names or well-wishes. He approached him and received a big bear hug.

"How was the flight?" his father asked, taking some of his luggage.

"Long," he answered.

Takashi laughed, telling him of the time he first came here. While he spoke he led his son to the carpark. There was a lot to see during the car ride. Everything looked so different. The people, the cars, the buildings, the street signs. It was also very warm. When they reached their destination and got out of the car, Ushijima glanced up to the sky. It felt strange being in a foreign country. This was a first for him so far. It wouldn't be that last though, since he wanted to gain enough strength to play for the national team. And then he would travel around the world.

Takashi's home was how nearly all the houses from the American movies looked. The spacious rooms and high ceilings were the first thing that made Ushijima pause. His father laughed and stated he had the same reaction when he bought the house. Then he showed him around. There were many rooms and a few were not in use. One room was a dedicated gym with training equipment and the lot. The living room was grand but Ushijima was drawn to a section of the wall which was covered with photographs. There were many pictures of Ushijima when he was little and the school photos as well. However, there were a few recent ones that stuck out.