Serendipity

I - Hisashiburi (久しぶり)!

 "Alright passengers, within a few minutes we will be landing in the "Land of the Rising Sun" Japan. We hope you had a good time and thank you for choosing Qantas as your airline of choice for this trip." The plane landed safely in Narita Airport and passengers were greeted with Japan's infamous cold weather as they walked through the terminal bridge. One step off the plane and one's face instantly goes numb. It's been so long since Yousuke has been in Japan that everything felt foreign, with a dismal hint of familiarity. It's so clean and proper. Not to say that Brisbane is sloppy, because Australia is ridiculously clean as well, but rather the whole of Japan is unnaturally clean, unblemished with litter. The wheels of their carry-on bags glided across the pearly white tiles of the airport as the family heads to baggage claim.

 Once they've gathered their luggage they stood outside, underneath the covers from the drizzling rain. The smell of gas exhaust and drenched asphalt polluted the air being inhaled as they await for their designated pick up ride. A cherry-red Toyota minivan pulled up to the curb in front of them and from the passenger's seat popped a cheery ball of energy. "Yousuke!" she howled as she lunged at him in a passionate embrace. "Hello, Moa", Yousuke said as he hugged her back. Her mom emerged from the vehicle and greeted the rest of the family: his father Tomoya and twin sisters Miyu and Chihiro. "Hisashiburi nee, Tomoya-kun!" Mrs. Kikuchi said to her brother. "Indeed, it's been a while Tomoko-chan." With all their belongings situated in the trunk they jetted from the airport.

"So," said Moa, "how was Australia? Tell me everything!" Since it was going to be awhile until they're home, Yousuke began to pour her pints of his time in Brisbane. As much as she was interested in the irreplaceable experiences he articulated, all she really wanted to know was how koalas felt. Really, Moa? He's gone for a good decade and that's your primary concern? Well that's Moa for you, ladies and gentlemen. Don't ever change when you grow up. Other than that the rest of the ride was filled with the sound of windshield wipers, cars whizzing by and Anzen Chitai serenading them through the radio with "Wine Red no Kokoro". 

 After what felt like an eternity counting sheep the minivan pulled into the driveway, coming to a complete stop inside a two car garage. From outside, their house doesn't look like it'd be too spacious but once inside, it's another place of it's own! There's so much room that it makes one wonder what a family of three can do with a home that looked like it was designed for a family of eight. Not to mention there are three floors to this behemoth! Although it's big in size, there are still things that are small when compared to houses in Australia. For instance, the hallways are more narrower , the height of the ceiling is shorter and the bathrooms are more compact. Nonetheless it's still pretty amazing. What do her parents do for a living to be able to afford this? Before Yousuke could get a solid answer to this burning question Moa had already dragged him up to his designated room.

 "Here it is!" Moa exclaimed as she opened the door. They entered the room with Yousuke leading the way. "I admit it's a little bland", she giggled nervously, "but it'll do right?" He nodded. "We won't be here for long anyways so this is more than enough. Thank you so much." She smiled, then scurried off to Miyu and Chihiro to show them their rooms. Later that night, as the house was sound asleep, Moa snuck her way to Yousuke's room. As stealthily as she could, she tiptoed to his bedside and tried to wake him up. "Yousuke", she whispered. "Yousuke!" Still he didn't budge. Moa started poking him but that too was to no avail; the deep sleeping, nasal snoring trance Yousuke was in seemed unbreakable. As a last resort she pinched his nose and awaited his reaction. The snoring came to a sudden stop and he flailed his hands over his face to wipe off whatever was on his face. "Who? Huh? What? Moa?!" He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. "What are doing here?" Yousuke asked, half asleep. "I can't sleep in the dark alone so... I was wondering if I can sleep with you." He looked her up and down in her pajamas. " Are you serious?" He asked, raising an eyebrow reminiscent of The Rock. "Serious I'm serious. Look, I even brought my Love Live! pillow and shirotan with me!" Although disinclined to fulfill her plea, Yousuke reluctantly made room for Moa. With a grin on her face she hopped right into bed and made herself comfortable. "Good night Yousuke!", whispered Moa. He groaned. With her head on her pillow and her seal plushy embraced tightly in her bosom she embarked on her journey through the land of dreams.