Bother Me

Prologue

When growing up, Miyuki Kazuya remembered one advice that is father told him.

When Miyuki turned ten, his father decided it was about time for him to tell his only son the secret to life. "Now listen here, Kazuya," Toku sat Kazuya on his lap and twisted his new baseball cap to the side of his head so he could see his glimmering amber eyes. "Now what I'm about to tell you is a family secret kept between men, do you swear you'll keep this secret, son?" His father placed his pinky toward the ten-year-old and Kazuya's tiny pinky somehow wrapped around his father's calloused one.

"I promise, Daddy." His smile grew so wide as if he was a shining diamond.

His father bounced him on his knee and scratched at his five o'clock shadow. "I'm telling you this now because I believe you are old enough to prepare to look for your partner in crime for the rest of your life. A girl who is as pretty as your ma'ma," Kazuya made a face of disgust. He had never found the girls in his school that appealing or interesting. They always gossiped behind cupped hands and laughed and made protective circles around one another.

A hand was placed on top of the young boys head, a large, rough hand. "Don't make that face. I know right now that girls are like the last thing on your mind, but just you wait." His father chuckled.

The young Miyuki stuck his tongue out at his old man and Toku playfully pinched his cheek. "Stooop," Kazuya wined.

The old man's smile grows across his aged face, "But in all seriousness," Toku let go of his son's cheek and grabbed both of his tiny shoulders. "What I'm about to tell you is the key to having a good life," he leans in and Kazuya leans his ear closer because that's how secrets are told. "Find someone who makes you happy but first they have to get your attention. And by that, I mean they get your attention by bothering the heck out of you." Toku leans away and Kazuya looks at his father.

The young Miyuki quirks his eyebrow up, "Why would I want to be with someone who bothers me? Wouldn't that be the opposite of what I want?"

Just then there is a creaking sound and Miyuki turns to see his mother rolling toward them in her squeaky wheelchair. "What are my two handsome men doing in here?" Her smile lights up the room and Kazuya hops off his father's lap and runs to his mom.

Kazuya wraps his arms around her neck and gives a gentle hug since she is so frail these days, he then releases her, "Nothing. Just man talk."

Kazuya's mother lifts him in her arms and cradles him like she did when he was a baby. Her hair was up in a bandana again and the bags under her eyes had gotten worse.

"Is there anything I can get for you, Sumiko?" My father looks at the clock on the kitchen wall, "It's about time for you to take your medication."

Sumiko just nuzzles her nose into her son's hair, "No, I'm okay. I'll take it in a little bit," Kazuya could feel a heaviness in the atmosphere of her unspoken words.

Trying to lift that heaviness, Kazuya asks, "Mama, how did you and Daddy meet?"

She lifts her head up and looks at her husband, her eyes showing a sparkle in them that she hadn't had in about two months. "Is that what you and Kazuya were talking about? You could have included me in the conversation, Toku?" She has a playful tone in her voice. It had been too long since both of the men heard her have so much strength to even joke around as she had done.

Toku shrugged his shoulders and sat up from the kitchen table's chair and walked closer to his wife. "I'm sorry hun, but my father sat me down and told me a secret that I wanted to pass down to Kazuya. I didn't mean to exclude you."

She smiled and patted his cheek and gave him her wicked grin, "Oh really? And just what is this family secret of your, hm?"

It was so good for Kazuya to see his mother in such a great mood, almost to her old playful self. He remembered a time when he was five and she would play Superman and Pirates and Hide and Seek. Those were the times when she would be able to hold him up over her head and twirl him around and give him tickles on the sides and give him blueberries on his stomach and cheeks.

Toku's face started to go pink around his cheeks, "Well, uh..."

Kazuya got up from his mom's lap and twirled around, "Daddy is embarrassed," He teased and giggled when his father's face became even darker.

"I was just telling him about finding the right person. For the future." Mr. Miyuki just hung his head in embarrassment. But his wife just lifted his head and kissed him on the cheek. So carefully. So gently. So lovingly.

Kazuya started to make gagging noises because no one wants to see their parents act all lovey-dovey in front of them.

His mom chuckled and opened her right arm towards her son while her left wrapped around her husband, "Come here my little tanuki."

Kazuya did and entered the circle of love and protection. It felt so warm.

He peeked at his parents and he saw them look at each other that he felt like he was intruding. What his parents had was so pure and real. Even for his ten-year-old self could see that they loved each other dearly.

"How did Mommy bother you, Daddy?"

They smiled at each other and they both leaned over and kissed him, each cheek being pecked. "Your father was actually the one to bother me, but it wasn't until we started dating when he realized that he was with someone with such sass and high energy."

Their son looked surprised, "Why did Daddy bother you, Mommy?"

"Because your Mom was dating someone else at the time that I knew wasn't the right person for her, so I kept trying to persuade her to give me a shot instead." His father smirked at his wife, "And guess who was right?"

She lightly shoves her husband while playfully sticking her tongue out, "You're just lucky that I even gave you a chance. I thought you were just some creep at first."

Suddenly Kazuya was yawning and felt his eyes grow heavy. He didn't realize how late it had gotten and he had practice the next day after school.

His dad looked over and picked up Kazuya, who muttered that he could talk himself to his bedroom. His mother followed them and stopped at the bed after his father had tucked Kazuya in. She wheeled to him and kissed him goodnight.

"I love you, my little tanuki," She whispered as she nuzzled her nose with his.

"How much?" He would ask every time she would start this routine.

"For as many stars as there are in the sky," She would say back.

"But for how long?" Kazuya added.

His mother looked him in the eyes, never wavering from his and kissed his forehead. "Forever and ever and ever."

With that, she kissed him one final time and wheeled out the door as his father shut the door. He slept, feeling the warmth of those words and the excitement that was for tomorrows practice.

Two months later, forever became not a very long time.