SAO FB: Scars

Lasts and Firsts

January 2028

Zaskar has its main headquarters near Denver, Colorado, the next tech city in the US. After finishing a semester ahead of schedule, Zaskar had a lucrative offer for Kaito. Since Zaskar wanted to increase their presence in the human-computer interface market, they established a sub-company along with a company called Epsilon. This developmental branch became Consolidated Electronics Company. It took a while for Kaito to get used to the high altitude of Denver, but he believed that he could prosper here. He worked his way through the ladder and started to prosper. He bought himself a comfortable apartment near the outskirts of town along with a BMW M5 and Yamaha motorcycle. After a few months of work, Kaito eventually applied for dual citizenship status in America and Japan.

On the other side of the world, Takamine Momiji finished her undergraduate at Tokyo University. She decided to pursue business as her major. Although many companies in Japan tried to recruit her, she wanted to keep her promise to Kaito. She wanted to stay by his side wherever he went in life.

"You're telling me that you have dual citizenship now?" Takamine asked over the phone.

"Yeah," Kaito answered over the phone. "Theoretically, if we were to get married, you could gain dual citizenship as well."

"That'd be cool."

"It sure would be."

Kaito stepped out of the office building and hopped into his car. As he placed Takamine in the phone holder, she asked about what he was planning to do now. Kaito hadn't given much thought to that question. He had a job and a woman that he loved.

"My life almost feels full," Kaito replied while pushing the clutch pedal for the car, "but I feel like it'd be better if you were here next to me."

"Really?" Taka said. "Maybe I'll ask my parents or something to let me visit you sometime."

Kaito moved the gear select into first gear and asked, "Would you though?"

"Would I what?"

"Would you actually come to America and live your life with me?"

Takamine placed the phone on her desk and saw a photo of Kaito and herself in Boston. They were smiling as they stood on the shores of Cape Cod. She could hear the Atlantic Ocean and smell the salty waters. As she concentrated her memories further, she felt Kaito's hand and warmth.

"Taka," a voice called out to her.

She returned to the present and heard Kaito's voice over the phone. She apologized for spacing out and said she would discuss the possibility with her parents. She ended the call and walked downstairs to find her parents talking over dinner. She sat down across from them and brought down the main question instantly.

"Would it be okay to live with Kaito in the US?" she asked.

Their forks clattered onto the porcelain plates. The moment of silence was loud in Takamine's mind as her parents thought about her question. After a few minutes, her dad cleared his throat and asked, "What made you want to move to the United States?"

"We want what's best for you," her mom added, "and if you do want to move in with Kaito, we need to know that you're sure."

"I'm sure about my decision. I promised him that I would stay by his side."

Her parents looked at each other for a moment before telling Takamine that they needed time to think about it. Kaito called in the evening to talk with Taka's parents. Her parents pestered him with many questions, which Kaito tried to answer to the best of his abilities. After two weeks of deliberation, they eventually let her go for two months. She was ecstatic about the news and told Kaito of the results. He too was excited about the information and said, "I'll be waiting for you here."

February 2028

"Flight 24 from Narita International Airport has arrived. All baggage can be found at carousel four. Once again, all checked-in baggage from Flight 24 is at carousel four," the PA system echoed through the halls.

Takamine removed the headphones and rested them on her neck. She looked down at her phone and saw that she had no service. She sighed before tucking the phone back into her pocket. She made her way through immigration and customs. Although she knew Japanese well, her English was just shy of the national average. Through the assistance of a translator, she managed to get through customs where she found a familiar person holding a sign with her name. She ran up to him and embraced him for as long as she could.

"Kaito," she mumbled while burying her face in his chest.

Kaito moved his arms to hold her. After a few minutes, Kaito grabbed Takamine's stuff and walked to the parking structure. When they stepped out into the frigid Colorado air, a light sprinkle of snow started to fall. Almost immediately, Takamine let out a sneeze. Kaito looked down and saw her nose turning red. He sighed and smiled at Taka for a bit. Takamine rubbed her nose with a tissue. Kaito reached into his sling bag and took out an extra scarf and beanie.

"Yeah, it gets cold here a lot," Kaito mentioned, "but luckily, I took the liberty to buy this for you."

Taka quickly put on the beanie and scarf and thanked Kaito. As they made their way through the parking structure, the two talked about what has changed since they last saw each other. When they finally reached his car, Taka was surprised about the M5's build. It was black with white stripes. When she opened the door, she saw the unique black and blue upholstery.

"Something wrong?" Kato asked while placing her luggage into the trunk.

"Nothing. It's just that everything fits you somehow," Taka responded.

"That's comforting I guess."

Kaito packed the trunk and opened the car doors. They stepped in and the car roared to life. After the drive back to Kaito's apartment, Takamine was shown to the spare room. On the opposite wall was a large window. There was a bed and a desk with a PC and monitor seated next to it. Along the walls was an oak dresser. On the bed was a familiar silver ring. A wire slithered around the pillows before connecting to the wall. Taka loved the simplicity of the room. 

"I've also taken the liberty to get you an Amusphere," Kaito mentioned while rolling in the luggage. "I've also connected the system to a server bypass. You should be able to connect Japanese servers on demand."

"You really did a lot for me," Taka remarked.

"Yeah. It might seem a bit much."

"No. No. I like it."

After Takamine unpacked everything, Kaito took her out to eat. Their first date night in a while went smoothly. They went to the movies and bought food at a nice restaurant. At the end of the night, Kaito drove her through Denver on top of the motorcycle. As they cruised through the streets, there were no words spoken. The only sounds that filled Takamine's ears were the wind's howl and the sound of the motorcycle's engine. The two came to a stoplight and Kaito dropped his right leg onto the pavement. Takamine leaned in and listened to Kaito's heartbeat. After a few minutes, the light turned green and Takamine wrapped her arms around his waist. As they sped away from the intersection, she pressed herself onto his back and said into his ear, "I love you."

Kaito removed his hand from the throttle and held her hands. He responded, "I love you too."