Tapestry

Right On Time

Author's Note: Hello! Welcome to chapter two. Please don't be a silent reader. If you like this story, please vote or leave comments. It truly is such a motivation for me. It is not the only reason I write, but it is a big reason why I post to this site. Because I hope for feedback. I want to know what you like and what you don't. I am honestly interested in your thoughts. =).

The little boy in this story is named Yuki. For many reasons. One, because I love the name. Two, because I think it fits. It is the Japanese noun for snow. And, for this particular little one, the Kanji is written as tie or bind (結) and precious (貴). You may recognize that first Kanji ;-). You also may have noticed that the main character does not have a name. This is purposeful so that you can fill in the blanks with whatever you want (yourself).

Once again...please remember this is a story and many things are bent to fit into it (Including people, places, and the time itself). And yes, I am aware Keiji did not train in Sendai.

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Chapter Two ('Present Time' 2019)

Your foot tapped impatiently on the ground of the bus. You were late. Really late. And Keiji was going to kill you.

You had sworn to both him and Yuki that you would make it on time. But here you were, yet again, cursing the rush hour traffic. To make matters worse, your cellphone's battery had been dead for hours.

You wished you could say that this was just a one-off, but it wasn't. You couldn't even say it was a rarity. As of late, you barely had enough time to even sleep, between working two different part-time jobs and picking up a ridiculous amount of sporadic ones whenever they came your way. It was a small miracle there were still people that didn't know your name in this large city outside of Sendai because you felt like you had worked everywhere.

However, it certainly wasn't a choice of yours to live this way.

You did it for your son.

Yuki.

The bus jerked as it came to a stop outside of the ice rink you should have been at over an hour ago. Hastily you dug around in your purse looking for the little plastic Suica card that never seemed to be there when you needed it, to pay your bus fare. You paused as your fingers brushed against soft fur in your search and then you smiled.

Yuki must have put his Simba plush in your purse again.

You don't remember exactly when it started, Yuki's obsession with the Lion King, but the only thing that even came close to rivaling his love for the Disney classic was his birthday. Which said a lot, because the kid talked about his birthday all year round. Although, his enthusiasm for his birthday still paled in comparison to his love for his furry friends.

When you both were at home, you could be certain that there was always a member of the animal kingdom within a few feet of the boy. And even when you were away, you would often find a little lion in your belongings.

Sometimes in your backpack. Or your purse. Even in your lunch bag. It was always a surprise where it would show up, but it was always Simba.

'He wanted to be with you,' was all he would say when asked about it. The implication of that one sentence had been as endearing as it was heartbreaking.

Because you were well aware of what was compromised for you to be able to afford these toys.

Time.

Time away from your boy.

And you were pretty certain it wasn't Simba that missed you.

Truly, there was little you wouldn't do to attempt to give your boy what he desired. Watching as he opened up the presents that unveiled his beloved characters were some of your best memories from the past few years. After struggling as a single-mother just to make rent, those were some of the first and only toys you were able to afford for your son.