The Red Thread of Destiny

Chapter 1: Rain

"Rain showers my spirit and waters my soul."

"Rain, Rain, come down lukchay! You don't want to be late on the first day of college, do you now?" a deep voice called out. "Coming Pa! I am coming," a sweeter voice floated down the stairs. Type Kirigun glared at Tharn, his lover of 28 years and husband for 21 of those. "Why is it that, despite all my efforts, our son is just like you?" he scowled. Tharn smirked at Type. "Of course he is! He is my son after all," he said, emphasising on the 'my'.

They both watched with complete indulgence as their only son and their source of joy and pride rushed down the stairs. Standing at a delicate height of 5"4', with beautiful brown eyes that he got from his Pa and unruly, slightly long black hair that he got from his dad, Varain Kirigun was the apple of his fathers' eyes. Despite having been spoilt by every single person in the family, including both sets of grandparents, both his dads, uncle and aunt, Rain, as he was called, was the sweetest, most loving little boy.

He was always very polite, pleasant, warm and happy. He loved with his whole heart, and was always ready to lend a helping hand. He was like a little ball of sunshine, spreading brightness and joy wherever he went. His Uncle Thorn always said that he was exactly like his Aunt Thanya, his dad's sister, who had been a very famous actress, and still did a few shows. Having been recently admitted to the Chula Uni for Performing Arts, not only Rain, but the rest of the family agreed too.

His Pa had hoped that Rain would go into the sports department, but when from a young age, Rain had shown an immense love for music and dance, he knew it was better to not even think about any other faculty. By 3, Rain could play the keyboard, by 4, the piano and guitar. He started dancing at age 3 as well, and by the time he was 15, he was considered one of the top contemporary and hip-hop dancers in Thailand, having won several national dancing competitions. Inspite of all that, Rain was a simple, sweet, down-to-earth boy, who just wanted to do what made him happy.

"Pa, Dad," he said, as he twirled around. "What do you think?" Both his fathers smiled. "You look amazing baby boy," Tharn said, smiling again. "Always my beautiful lukchay," Type said, hugging the boy close to him, his eyes filling with tears at the thought of his baby becoming big. "C'mon, let's get him to college na Type," Tharn said, knowing his husband was getting emotional, because he was feeling the same. "I will drop you off at work after that," he added. Rain smiled at the love his parents shared. One day, he wanted to find a love like that. Because, inspite of his bright and happy exterior, inside the deep recesses of his heart, he hid a secret that no one knew about.

He sat in the backseat of his Dad's car, looking pensively out of the window. His fathers continued their discussion about having an evening with friends on the weekend, to celebrate his admission. Rain's thoughts flew back to two years ago, when as a 16 year old, he had gone with his fathers and their friends for a break to Chiang Mai. Surrounded by the beautiful place, Rain had never felt more at peace. He had just taken the decision to go into Performing Arts, and it had been a relief to find immediate acceptance. He had also come out to his parents that day, and having been accepted in every way possible had made this vacation the most special one. Until that one moment.

As he walked along the cliffs, he saw a tall, slim man standing at the edge of it. Dressed in funeral black, his long hair flying in the wind, he had been staring unfocused into the deep abyss. He had jerked at a sound, as if coming out of a trance. He had stepped forward one step towards the cliff and stretched out his arm.

"Phiiiiii, noooo !" Rain heard himself shout as he crashed into the man with such a force that they both tumbled backwards. He kept his arm under his neck and head to pillow his fall, so that the older would not get hurt.

"Phi, however hard life is, it's still beautiful. You can't end it just like that," Rain had admonished him. "Now Phi, could you please get off me, you are heavy!" he cried out, feeling pain in his hands and back.

The older man stood up. "I was not planning to jump off," he turned his face, as if he didn't even want to look at Rain. "Please leave me alone!" He was about to say something when he saw the older wipe his eyes, move towards the cliff and drop a white lily into the abyss.

Rain left without a word, the pain of the older just resonating deep within him, somehow breaking his heart. Later at hotel, he had got the scolding of his life from his Pa, for almost breaking his elbow. Luckily, it had been mostly superficial wounds, which had been treated almost immediately, and he had been good as new. His Pa, who was also a Physical Therapist, made sure he had gone through all the necessary procedures as soon as they had come back, so that there would never be any problem with his dancing or even his instrument playing.

He was jolted out of his reverie when the car stopped. "We are here Rain," his Dad smiled at him. He waiied to both his fathers, and they wished him luck again, after which Rain entered the college, nerves jangling, as he made his way to the area designated for student orientation. To say he was nervous, would be an understatement, but he was nonetheless looking forward to his life there.

He looked around, noticing lot of people milling everywhere. There was so much rush, but Rain stood to the side, smiling softly as he observed the extra enthusiasm of his future classmates. As he watched, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around. "Sky!" he cooed with happiness. "I am so glad to see you," he said, smiling at his best friend. Sky was the son of his fathers' juniors. Although they had not started off on a good note, Tharn and Type had become good friends with Leo and Fiat and had been very happy when their sons had ended up as good friends. Rain had come very late to his fathers. But for Sky, it had been a different story. His fathers had not even realised how quickly he had come along, but he was the fruit of their love and they had never regretted it.

Leo and Fiat had met Tharn and Type again when they ended up with same doctor, which first made Tharn uncomfortable, but with profuse apologies from both Leo and Fiat, the two couples became friendly and eventually ended up close friends. Both Sky and Rain loved hearing about their dads and it was only a matter of time, when they both ended up in the same university as well. "Why are you standing here?" Sky asked. "C'mon, let's go get involved," he added. Usually Sky was a shy boy, keeping to himself in front of everyone, but if Rain was around, Sky gained a confidence that was unbelievable.

Sky had a past trauma that no one but Rain knew about. And Rain had never judged him for that. Which made Rain his safe zone, a person with whom he could share his world. He smiled at his partner in crime. The two boys walked forward and started to mingle with the others, as they waited for their seniors to approach and start orientation.