Poston

Chapter twenty-one : Going Home

The bread basket fell, and he immediately bent down to pick it up. However, when he reached for it, he accidentally overlapped another hand, feeling it's warmth come from the dark skin. He looked up and was immediately struck by how beautiful and calming those two brown eyes were. But more importantly, it made him feel warm and at home. They were astounding and easy to get lost in.

The man suddenly let go of the basket and stood up, already missing the warm touch. "Excuse me," he said. "I was trying to help."

"No, don't apologize," he responded as he stood with him. "The fault is mine."

"Naru! Satoshi!" an elderly woman exclaimed walking in. "I'm glad you could make it. I have a few dozen bread loaves that need delivered."

The man looked back at him. "It was nice to meet you, Ninomiya-san."

He frowned. "Call me Kazunari. I have no pride in being a Ninomiya. It was nice to meet you too...."

"Ohno. Ohno Satoshi."

Kazunari nodded. "Ohno-san."

--

"Kazu! Kazu, wake up! Kazunari, you have to wake up! WHY THE FUCK IS NO ONE GRABBING THE DOCTOR?!"

--

"What did you do?!" he asked, glaring at his father as he went to go help his brother.

"Your brother broke a vase. It happened to be important and worth some money."

"So you hit him?!" Kazunari yelled, inspecting Masaki's face for any bruises or marks. "You have no right to hit him! He's not even your son!"

"Since your whore of a mother Kazuko decided to drop you both off on my doorstep, I am the only family either of you have. I have every right to hit him."

"You ba—"

"Kazu, don't," Masaki spoke up. "It was my fault. Don't do anything to him."

"How could you let that evil man hurt you like that?! He's nothing but rotten rat scum!"

--

It was dark. That much he knew for sure. And he was sore. His entire body ached with bruises and he could feel a big welt on his back from where he was hit before. He could still feel the wooden stick against his skin and he could hear it as it hit him through his thin yukata. Then, before he knew it, he found himself in the back of a rickety old cart under sacks of rice and flour. It seemed like forever before the cart stopped.

He heard voices, but he couldn't make out anything underneath the rice. Suddenly, the sacks came off of him and he was blinded by the light that greeted him. His head throbbed from the sudden exposure, but he still tried to sit up despite it. Before he knew it, he was suddenly lifted up and he was greeted with the smell of fish and takoyaki. When he was able to look up, his heart skipped like it was going to come out of his chest and he felt any sort of pain that he had before disappear. All it took was seeing Satoshi's face and he knew he was finally safe.

"Are you alright, Kazunari?" Satoshi asked, his voice full of fear and concern.

Kazunari gulped. "Remember when you said that I could always come here if I needed a friend?"

Satoshi nodded.

"Can I stay here?"

--

"We got the doctor!"

"I'm holding the wound to try and stop the bleeding."

"We need to get him into surgery now. If he loses any more blood we won't be able to save him."

--

Kazunari had been told to hide, but after Satoshi left him there all alone, he became increasingly paranoid that something bad would happen if he stayed. Instead, he followed Satoshi to the front door and sat in the empty hallway next to the genkan. Satoshi went outside and closed the door behind him before addressing the visitor.

"There's a rumor from the Sakurai household that my two sons escaped here last night," he heard his father say. "I'm here to take them back."

"I can assure you they aren't here," Satoshi said, lying perfectly despite the situation. "It is true that Sakurai-san came to visit last night, but he came with no one but himself."

"Then you won't mind if I looked around your house."

The words made him jump, and Kazunari nearly bolted out of fear that he would be caught.

"I would mind," he heard Satoshi say. "This is not your property, and you have no rights to intrude upon my house."

For a minute, it was silent. No one said anything, but the air was still heavy around them. Suddenly, he heard a loud THUMP! against the walls of the house.

"You listen here, Ohno," Kazunari's father growled. "That boy is a source of goods, and they are not to be wasted on some naïve fisherman. If I find out that you ever laid with my son, I will come after you and kill you. Or better yet, I'll kill him. He's a disappointment anyways."

Kazunari wrapped his arms around him closer, hiding his face in his knees to suppress any sound that could escape. Somehow he always knew it would end like this, but he never wanted anyone else involved. Least of all Satoshi.

--

The only thing that really lit his path was the moonlight. It was pitch black out, and it was hard for Kazunari to be quiet when he couldn't even see where he was going. Of course, he had a general idea as to where he was going, but it didn't seem to help him right now at the moment. Especially when every muscle in his body seemed to hurt from all the blows he had received that night.

He finally made it to the house and was surprised to see the back porch door open. And there he was, sitting there just as perfectly as he did every other time Kazunari saw him. Just looking at him made Kazunari's heart beat like crazy.

"Satoshi?"

The man looked up and was surprised when Kazunari stepped out from the darkness to come over and sit with him. "I'm sorry."

Satoshi looked at him. "What for?"

"I don't want to drag you into my problems," he explained. "It would be better if we didn't see each other."

Satoshi seemed disappointed and frowned. "If that's what you want—"

"I said it would be better, not that I didn't want to. I want to... so badly!"

"Then stay here! Stay here, be safe, and we'll figure out what to do with your father later! Just... please, stay here."

Finally, Kazunari looked up at him. "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Because I love you."

Kazunari couldn't help but laugh out of giddiness, and he had to turn his face away to hide out of embarrassment.

"I'm serious! I love you, Kazunari."

Smiling, Kazunari looked back up. "I love you too, Satoshi." Then slowly and gently, he leaned up and pressed his lips against Satoshi's. Satoshi closed his eyes and put his hand on his cheek to deepen the kiss, and Kazunari responded by winding his hands behind Satoshi's neck. It was like heaven. It was wet and a little sloppy at first, but it was sweet and tender and just perfect.

--

"Ohno-san, I need you out here."

"No! I can't be away from him! If he—"

"We are going to do everything we can to save him. Right now, your job is to pray for him out here."

"Please, doctor. He's all I have left to hold onto in this world."

--

"Do you ever think that our love is immoral?" Kazunari asked, breaking the comfortable silence between him and Satoshi as they sat together in the peacefulness of his porch. "I can't give you a child, and I'm not even sure I can please you in the way that you deserve to be."

Satoshi was quiet for moment. "It's not immoral," he said finally. "I think our love is just as good as Matsumoto-san's is for Inoue-san, or Sho-chan's is for Naru. Love is love."

"Still. If we die, if I die, love doesn't last forever."

"Yes it will. Here," Satoshi said, motioning for Kazunari to sit up as he pointed at the mountains in front of them. "Look at the mountain up there. What do you see that is different than here on regular ground?"

Kazunari looked at the mountain. "The mountains have a lot of rocks to them."

Satoshi laughed. "That's not it. The mountains have snow on the top. While the rest of the world is dry and hot with lots of water in the air, the snow never leaves the peak."

"I don't get it. Why are you telling me about snow on a mountain?"

"Because as long as there is snow on that top, I will always love you."

Kazunari felt his breath hitch as he finally understood what Satoshi was trying to say. He looked over and saw those beautiful eyes looking back at him with the most loving expression he had ever seen. His chest felt warm and felt his stomach jump as he heard those sweet words. "As long as there is snow on the peak, I will always love you."

--

The night before had been the best night of his life. He could hardly believe that it had actually happened, but he didn't want to believe it was a dream either. When he finally woke up from the warm slumber of being in Satoshi's arms, he realized that he was very late to getting home, and he knew his father would be furious.

He had promised to meet his lover at Sho's so that they could practice their kendo together. It was an honest promise.

He didn't expect himself to be dead within the next hour.

He saw rather than felt his father's sword go through him, and he barely had enough conciousness to realize that he didn't actually fall to the hard ground like he expected to. Instead, he found himself staring up at those beautiful eyes that were now clouded in panic, worry, and sheer terror.

"You're going to be okay," Satoshi told him, tears close to falling. "Kazu, do you hear me? You are going to be okay."

Kazunari tried to smile despite himself feeling weaker and weaker with every second. "Of course," he told him. "Reincarnation, remember? You said so yourself."

"NO!" Satoshi yelled. "You are not dying! Do you hear me, Ninomiya Kazunari? You are not dying!"

It broke Kazunari's heart to see Satoshi in so much pain. He was scared for himself, yes, but he was now more terrified for Satoshi's sake than his own. They had become each other's other half, and Kazunari knew that without him there, Satoshi would fade away as well. Trying his best to stay with him, he reached for Satoshi's hand and held it close to his heart. "Snow on the peak," he whispered trying to give Satoshi one last chance of hope.

Satoshi looked surprised. "Eh?"

"Remember? As long as there is snow on the peak...." Blood was now entering his mouth, making it harder to breath with the thick rusty taste in his mouth. "...I will always love you...."

This time, Satoshi couldn't contain it and broke down into tears before kissing Kazunari's fingers one by one. The last thing Kazunari heard was the eternal promise the two of them made together. And he couldn't help but smile as he fell into darkness hearing those words.

"I will always love you."

--

"It almost hit a major vein, but I think we have him all back together."

"Good. Get him sewn closed. He did good."

--

He was not allowed to wait for him. That was not how this works, God explained.

"But," God said when Kazunari tried to protest. "Believe me when I tell you that you will meet him again. It may not be in this next lifetime. It may not be in this next century. I understand how much you love him, and his love for you is just as strong. Keep your faith in me, and you two will be reunited again."

--

"Uh... hi. I need to pick up some meat. I was told to come here. This is the Ohno shop, right?

--

"I'm Kazunari Ninomiya. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Satoshi Ohno. Nice to meet you under the circumstances."

--

"Did you get what you wanted for your birthday?"

"I didn't get what I wanted the most."

--

"Doctor! His blood pressure's dropping!"

"Don't close him yet! Make sure we have an airway for him to breathe and find that tear now!"

--

"Do you love me?"

"Eh?"

"It's a simple question, Satoshi. Do you love me? Because if you don't, then this entire mess—"

"I do! I-I love you, Kazunari. I've tried to deny it since I got here, but I do. And if you'll still take me, I'm willing to lose my relationship with my father if it means I can finally be who I can be with you."

"..."

"Kazu? Are you alright?"

"... If you love me, then don't even think about apologizing for anything!"

--

"I really think I've fallen in love with him."

--

"Do you hear that?"

"Hm?"

"It's Dinah Shore's 'Dearly Beloved'. May I have this dance?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Kazunari, I love you."

"I love you too."

--

"If you want me to be your son again, you have to accept the fact that I am with Kazunari. If I am such a disgrace to you, then why show such love? You don't get to just kick me out and push me away one second and embrace me as if nothing happened the next. I'm either accepted or I'm not."

--

"Sometimes.... Sometimes I just wonder what will happen to us."

"Nothing will happen to us. Unless something drastic happens to me, I have no intentions on leaving you. Especially when we have the chance to go back. I promise."

"I genuinely hope so."

"Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"

"No, but lots of people have before."

"I'm not lots of people, Satoshi, I'm your boyfriend."

"Well, I don't know about that. As many times as we've shared a bed, we might as well be married now."

--

"Found it! Get it closed now and give him a pint of A positive blood. How are his stats?"

"Not getting any better. Doctor, they're still dropping!"

"God dammit Ninomiya!"

"We got the blood hooked up."

"C'mon, Ninomiya-san. Fight!"

--
"How can they ask you to go?! The army and the government are the same people who put you into this camp with no trial, no rights, and took you away from everything you ever had! And you're just going to obey them and go fight for a war you don't believe in?"

"That doesn't mean I don't believe in what we're fighting for!"

"What about you? Is your death going to be necessary to free all those people?"

"I'm not dead. I'm not going to be. Please, Kazunari, don't think the worst."

"I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. I promise you with every fiber of my being that I will come home to you. I promise. I will do whatever it takes to come home. I love you."

--

"As long as there is snow on the peak, I will always love you."

--

The first thing he recognized was the silence. It was quiet, and it took every muscle in Nino's body to open his eyes and find out why. It was dark outside, and aside from his oil lamp next to his bed there was no other light turned on. He looked around, seeing a doctor doing paperwork in one corner and a few other people sleeping in beds next to him. Nino realized he was in the hospital that he hated so much and he tried to piece together why. Rain. Thunder. A robber. Something about a knife?

But it hit him then. He was alive. He was awake. Whatever happened to him, he must have survived it.

Nino tried to sit up but he found he was restricted by a painful IV in his arm and a man who had made Nino's arm his personal pillow. Nino gasped when he realized who it was and immediately tears started falling from his eyes as he gently ran his fingers through the familiar black hair. It was just like he had remembered it being; soft, thin, almost like running his fingers through a cat's fur.

The small action made Satoshi moan in his sleep before he opened his eyes groggily to look at the man who was still running his fingers through his hair. "Sorry," Nino whispered. "Go back to sleep."

Satoshi made an agreeing noise and nodded before closing his eyes again. Nino thought he had fallen back asleep when Satoshi immediately sat up, wide-eyed and gasping as reality set in. "Kazunari!" he exclaimed, leaning forward to cup Nino's face in his palm. "Oh my god, Kazu, you're awake!"

Nino chuckled as he leaned into the warmth of Satoshi's hand. "Of course I am," he answered. "Did you expect me to sleep for a thousand years?"

"The doctors said you may have a hard time waking up," Satoshi explained. "You lost a lot of blood. Are you okay? How are you feeling? Did I wake you up?"

"Even if you did wake me up, I'm not complaining." Nino reached out and gently touched Satoshi's face to make sure it was real. "You're home. You're really home for good."

Satoshi nodded. "I'm home," he said. "And I came just in time. I walked up just as Sho started applying pressure to you. I didn't know if you had seen me or not. I was terrified that you dying would be my last memory of you."

"I didn't see you, but I heard you," Nino said. "I saw you in my dreams. I dreamed we were together a long time ago where we had to keep it a secret about us. You were a fisherman, but you protected me with everything you had. I died in my dreams, but God told me I would come back to you. They were almost like memories. Like... it all seems familiar from a hundred lifetimes ago, but I don't know if they were real memories or not."

Satoshi listen to his story, grabbing onto Nino's hands tighter as he talked. "I've had those same dreams," he said finally. "You died, and I was so devastated. For days I couldn't sleep. You were stabbed then, too, and I think that's what made this so much worse. I was terrified that it was all just a warning. If I hadn't gone to the war—"

"Don't fucking talk like that," Nino snapped. "This is not your fault. There's no way this could have been prevented. Besides, you're here now, right?"

Satoshi looked back up at him and nodded again. He smiled. "Kazunari, I kept my promise. I came home to you."

Nino nodded. "You kept your promise."

Carefully, Satoshi stood up and lay down on the bed next to Nino after he made some room. Satoshi wrapped his arms around Nino's small frame, and Nino lay his head on Satoshi's warm, soft chest. It had been almost two years since Satoshi had been drafted, and both of them had forgotten what it felt like to hold each other again. Satoshi took a deep breath as he wound both hands around Nino to hold him closer, and Nino only wanted to be closer than he already was.

"How long have you been here?" Nino asked.

"About three days."

"And you're still in your army browns?"

Satoshi laughed. "Jun insisted I wash my jacket and my tie, but I felt you were more important than the laundry." Gently, he leaned over and kissed Nino's forehead. "Go to sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."

Nino nodded, closing his eyes and immediately falling asleep to the sound of Satoshi's heartbeat.

--

Waking up in Satoshi's arms again was the greatest feeling in the world to Nino. For once in his life, he didn't give a damn if people knew about the two of them. He didn't care about whispers or rumors. They weren't going to be in Poston for much longer anyway.

He loved Satoshi, and he only realized once he was back home that they didn't need to be ashamed of that.

A few more days in the hospital and finally the doctor allowed Nino to go back to his own barrack. Satoshi helped him walk, but most of it Nino was proud to say that he could do himself. Everyone had been so worried about him and didn't even try to hide it. His mother and sister were in tears and couldn't stop thanking Sho and Satoshi enough for their help, and the kids were just so happy to see him again that they almost knocked him over when he walked in.

"We are so happy to have you back," Jun told the two men. "And there's something me and Mao have been wanting to ask you both, but we wanted to have the two of you together before asking."

"What is it?" Satoshi asked with his arm draped around Nino's shoulders. He practically hadn't let Nino go once since he had been home.

"Me and Mao want to get married before we all leave," Jun explained. "Just so that everyone can be here for it. Masaki will be here in a couple of weeks, and we aren't scheduled to leave for another two months. Sho is going to be one of my groomsmen, but we were hoping Satoshi could be my best man and Nino could give Mao's hand."

Nino was shocked. "Me?" he asked. "But... why?"

"Satoshi is my cousin, and just that alone means a great deal to me. He's the only family here who hasn't left me behind after everything that happened. Nino, you've turned into one of my best friends, and since Mao's father is doing the ceremony and her brother died in the war, she really wanted you to walk her down the aisle. She really treasures you. You've looked after her, and I'll never be able to repay you for that."

Nino just sat there, unable to say anything. Eventually, he nodded and smiled. "I would be honored."

--

The week Masaki came home for good was the week that Jun and Mao decided to get married. Mao's dress had just been finished (she had wanted to use the kimono that Mai used, but Sho had refused saying, "Too many women have been married in that dress and died not long after. You deserve a new dress, not to be tainted with the misfortune of an older one."), and the church had been cleaned out one final time just for the occasion. Mao's dress only went down to her knees and had short sleeves in order to save fabric, but the bright white that shone off of her was blinding against the sun and desert heat that still lingered. She was the most beautiful bride that anyone had ever seen.

Nino gave her away, and Jun looked as if he was seeing her for the first time when she took his hand. He refused to let go of her hands all throughout the ceremony, and Nino swore that seeing the two of them like that together was the happiest he had ever seen either of them. When they were pronounced 'man and wife', as soon as they were done kissing, Charlie and Samantha screamed with delight and joined Jun and their new mother up on the alter jumping up and down in bliss.

The wedding photo was taken right in front of the church with everybody together. Satoshi and Nino stood on one side of Jun with their sisters, and Masaki and Sho stood on the other side of Mao with their children in hand. Jun and Mao stood in the center with Charlie and Samantha, and it was the greatest picture anyone could have asked for. Everyone took turns taking the rest of the candid photos, and for once Satoshi and Nino didn't even bother to hide their relationship from everyone else.

The one photo that everybody had to get before the camera was put away was a commemorative photo of everyone in 6D; Jun and his children, Sho and Yuki, Masaki and the twins, and Satoshi and Nino. They all stood together and smiled as the picture took. "This is one memory I will never forget," Masaki told them. "We all became a family here. It's important to have memories like this."

In November, Poston I was finally being closed down. Everybody packed up whatever they had, leaving the beds, mattresses, and anything else they didn't want. The remaining things would be given to the Mojave Indians on the reservation. The barracks would become homes, and Nino thought of it as an unexpected 'thank you for letting us live here on your land' type of gift. In a way, staying on the reservation had been a good thing for the Mojaves. Internees at Poston were able to help build a successful irrigation system for the reservation that would help provide water for crops and for drinking for years after they had gone.

Everybody was given twenty dollars and a free train ticket anywhere in the United States. Nino's first thought was to go back to Los Angeles, but there was nothing left for him there anymore. Satoshi also felt the same way since his parents no longer considered him their son anymore. Going back to Los Angeles would be considered another shame to the family. Jun felt the same way both of them did, but he really didn't have any family or any ties left for him in Los Angeles. He thought about going back to Seattle with his parents, but his mind quickly changed when he remembered why he moved in the first place.

"Besides," he said. "Mao and I deserve to start somewhere new. We need a fresh place to start."

"Why don't you come back with me to Bakersfield?" Masaki asked. Everyone stopped and looked up at him. "Everyone is welcome. It's a big house, so there's plenty of room for everyone for a while until you all figure out what you want to do for sure."

"Isn't Uncle Tarou and Aunt Betsy coming with though?" Nino asked.

Masaki shook his head. "Papa gave the land to me. He told me that it's mine now to make my living however I wish to do it. He's retiring, so it's just me, Sho-chan, Yuki, Koharu and Katsurou. Mr. Lee should still be there with his family, but there'll be room for everyone until we can build a bigger house or something."

Jun looked at Mao. "What do you think? Want to go to a strawberry farm for a little bit?"

Mao smiled. "I think it sounds like a perfect place to start."

Nino nudged Satoshi, who nudged back. "Let's go with," he said. "Until we know where we want to go."

Satoshi nodded. "Let's do it."

Natsumi, Mama, and Ayumi decided to go back to Los Angeles with Mr. and Mrs. Aiba. Natsumi vowed to stay with Mama until they got their house back from the bank, and she waved Nino off when he offered to go with them. "Go live your life," she smiled. "Out of anyone here, you deserve it more."

The train to Bakersfield left before the final train to Los Angeles did, so everyone in 6D made sure they were on it together. It was scary for everyone to be going back to a city filled with other people. Most people, they were sure, weren't going to be thrilled upon their arrival, but it would an adjustment for everyone. For the children, it was worse because they had been so used to being around only Japanese people that being around white children and Hispanic children was going to be a major change.

At the train station, families were allowed to say goodbye before the train left. Nino hugged his mother and sister and smiled. "Thank you for everything," he told them. "Really. You're my family, and I'll come visit all the time."

Mama smiled back. "Just be safe." Then, she pulled Satoshi into a warm hug as well. "Take care of my son, Satoshi-kun."

Satoshi nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I will."

When everyone was on the train, they were allowed to open up the windows and look outside, which had been much different than when they had first arrived at Poston. Everyone held onto each other, scared of what was to come.

Nino stared out of the window, taking one last look of the land that had been his living space for three years. So much had happened to him here, and he knew that it was always going to be a special place for him no matter what circumstances led him here. Poston had, in a sense, become his home and it was really difficult to leave. The yellow dirt had become familiar, the bushes and cactus had become normal, but the brilliant blue sky shone like nowhere else in the world. When the sun went down, you could see almost every color in the world beaming down, like God had painted it special just for them. It was something that could take your breath away in an instant and became a brilliant image of 'home'. Out of everything else, the sky was going to be something everyone would miss the most.

Satoshi took his hand and squeezed softly. "It'll be okay," he said, not really directed at anyone in particular. "We're together, and that's all that matters."

As if a cloud was suddenly lifted from the group, they all took a deep breath and felt the train car shake as it started to move back to California.