Fathers and Sons by Masked Maiden

 

FATHERS AND SONS

By: Masked Maiden

 

 

Perhaps it was best explained as a miraculous, mystical form of meiosis: the very moment the next carrier of the Ginzuishou was conceived, the crystal split into two identical pieces. The first piece remained with its present carrier, and over the years, it gradually lost a portion of its powers. The second piece dissolved and then reformed inside the newly created life. It remained dormant for years, slowly gathering up its strength and its powers, until it was ready to awaken once again.

The same process was true for most sailor crystals, and it was especially true for the Kinzuishou. Usually, it was very simple to tell if a child was a carrier. Everyone knew ChibiUsa would inherit her mother’s crystal, long before she was ever born. As for the Kinzuishou, however, it was a mystery as to who possessed it. Tori and Kazuo were twins, the very first twins ever born into the royal families of the Moon Kingdom and the Golden Kingdom. Since this was the first time, no one knew what to expect.

Endymion and Serenity did their best not to worry over the situation, because they knew it was out of their hands. They left the debating up to their friends, and their friends’ opinions were divided rather evenly. Artemis, Rei, Makoto, and Haruka all suggested the Kinzuishou must have split into three pieces, or that one piece split a second time. Therefore, Tori and Kazuo were both carriers. Luna, Minako, Ami, Michiru, and Hotaru thought the exact opposite. Tori and Kazuo were fraternal twins, so their DNA was no different than two ordinary brothers. It was more likely the Kinzuishou split once, and so only one boy was a carrier.

And as usual, Setsuna said nothing.

No one knew the truth until Tori and Kazuo were twelve years old. It was four years after the Black Moon Clan attacked Crystal Tokyo, and ChibiUsa had returned home from one of her visits to the past. The three siblings found an injured baby bird in the palace gardens; its wing was broken from falling out of its nest. ChibiUsa ran into the palace to tell someone, but what Kazuo saw absolutely astonished him. If he hadn’t witnessed it, he would’ve had a hard time believing it.

Tori cupped the tiny bird in his hands, keeping it warm and protecting it. A few minutes later, when ChibiUsa came back with their father, the bird was flapping around, trying to fly back to its home. The wing was no longer broken.

“How’d you do that?” Kazuo inquired.

Tori could only shrug. He was even more stunned by what he’d just done. “I don’t know,” he said. “I held it and hoped it got better.”

Endymion gingerly picked up the baby bird, and when he did so, he felt the faintest hint of a calm force he knew very well. He stood and watched his children search the gardens for the bird’s nest. He particularly stared at Tori, because that was the moment Endymion realized which of his sons had inherited the crystal, and the kingdom, and the burdens similar to the ones upon his shoulders.

It wasn’t the happiest moment of his life, nor was it the worst. If anything, it was surreal. Endymion knew he would have to accept destiny, no matter which of his sons was chosen. But if the decision had been left up to him, he would have ultimately chosen Tori as well. Tori was the one with the most determination. Even though he never made the top marks in school, even though he could barely tolerate the public and the spotlight, he did his best. He worked harder than Kazuo in many areas, though Kazuo received most of the public’s praise. Because of that, Kazuo had more confidence in himself. So when Endymion thought about it, Tori needed the Kinzuishou almost as much as it needed him.

Six years later, Tori was a senior in high school. The times he felt the most confident were when he was on the football field, playing offense for his school’s team. He considered sports to be the only thing he excelled in, though his father believed the exact opposite.

Endymion saw the growing and the maturing his son had experienced over the years. Tori was more confident around people. Sports opened up the window of opportunity in making friends, ones he shared at least one common interest with. Aside from Yukio, his best friend since kindergarten, and Rei’s oldest son Keitaro, Tori didn’t have any friends. Through football, he met Yoroi and a few other boys on the team, yet the majority of the boys unconsciously ostracized him. His teammates liked him, but while Tori had been known to have a couple of beers, he didn’t party and that seemed to be all most of the guys wanted to do.

On some Saturday nights, when the guys were partying, when Yoroi was on a date, or when Keitaro was studying, or when Kazuo was busy with his cram school assignments, Tori usually invited Yukio over to the palace. They would sit in the family room and either study or watch television.

Tori also trained intensely every day, be it in football, or as a guardian, or as a future king. When it came to the Kinzuishou, he became more attuned to its healing abilities, which came to no surprise. He learned a few offensive and defensive tactics, but when he was alone in the gardens or at the park, he could sense what his planet was feeling. Sometimes it sang in joy. Sometimes it cried out in pain. When it cried, Tori found himself wanting to heal its scars and wounds.

The only thing Endymion never noticed was the admiration Tori felt towards him (which happened to be very obvious to everyone else, especially to Serenity and Hitori). Endymion didn’t realize how much of a role model he was for his sons. He had no idea how much Tori sough his approval with everything he did, and how he wanted to be just like him. Tori thought that if he wasn’t like his father, he would probably become an incompetent king. Worse, he would become a man his father wouldn’t be proud of.

“Why’d I agree to go on this fishing trip?” Tori rhetorically asked. “I’ve never fished before.”

Kazuo was lounging on his brother’s bed with his laptop, looking at the movie listings online. Their exams ended yesterday. While they would have to spend a certain amount of time studying for college entrance exams and completing their assignments, it was still summer vacation and they now had some free time.

“You could still go with me and Kei-kun,” Kazuo offered. “Dad and Grandpa probably wouldn’t mind. It’s usually just the two of them who go on those fishing trips anyway.”

“What movie are you going to see?”

“Mm… Probably that new Italian film.”

Tori made a face. “No thanks. I hate subtitles.”

“Then go fishing. Or say home. It’s up to you.”

Tori finished tucking his shirttail in and grabbed a belt hanging from the hook on his closet door. He turned and stared at his brother, knowing he was acting rather cool towards him.

“What’s up your ass?”

Kazuo looked up and calmly asked back. “What’s up yours?”

“… Nothing.”

“Oh… that’s very convincing.”

“Kazuo, I-“

“I know, I know. You don’t want to talk about it. But whatever that nothing is, it might be the reason why Dad asked you to go with them. He and Mom have been worried about you. Usa’s been worried about you. Grandpa and Grandma have been worried about you… I’ve been worried about you.”

As if ashamed to know he was now worrying his brother, Tori turned his back towards him. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, putting on his belt.

Kazuo now wondered if he should’ve said anything. Whatever was bothering his twin, it was beginning to eat away at him. (He had his suspicions, but he was didn’t want to ask any questions until there was proof, where he knew for certain.) Kazuo set his laptop on the bed and stood up, stepping over to Tori’s side. He placed a hand upon his back and smiled lightly, saying to him, “Hey, it’s okay.”

The brothers directed their attention towards the doorway when they heard a knock. Their father stood just outside the room, in his casual clothes, holding two fishing poles. It was a slightly amusing sight, because Tori and Kazuo never considered their father to be the kind of person who liked to fish. They had come to the conclusion he only fished because their grandpa liked it so much.

“You ready?” asked Endymion.

Tori nodded and turned back to Kazuo, punching him on the arm. “See ya later.”

Kazuo punched him back. “Yeah. Have fun finding Nemo.”

“Oh, we’ll find more than Nemo!” Hitori exclaimed. He purposefully ambled down the hallway with his tackle box and fishing pole in hand. He was even wearing one of those hats with the lures stuck all over it, making him look like some expert fisherman. “We’ll find Dory and Gill and… Hey, what was the father’s name?”

“Marlin,” Endymion answered.

“That’s it! We’ll get ol’ Marlin, too!”

Tori refrained from shaking his head, though he was well aware of the number of fish Endymion and Hitori snagged during their trips: zero. Not a one. So what was the big deal? Tori asked himself that question as he followed his father and grandpa outside, to one of the private cars. What was so special about sitting in a small boat, in the middle of some pond, fishing for fish that were never going to bite? Not only that, but there was only one person to talk to. Tori could think of a number of better places where he could have a private conversation with someone, so… what was so appealing about this trip?

-~-~-~-~-

“You just can’t get this kind of peace and quiet in the city.”

What a sight Tori beheld. Within thirty minutes of pushing the boat into the water and setting up their gear, Endymion and Hitori had given new meaning to the word “relax.” They were actually lying down in the boat, their legs dangling from the sides. Their fishing poles were baited and cast into the waters, yet they were propped up, so the men obviously didn’t really care whether they caught anything or not.

Tori was the only one sitting up, right in-between his father and grandpa, and he was the only one even trying to fish. There was a certain look in his eye, that look all teenagers gave their parents when they were doing something – anything, really – considered crazy or embarrassing. Since there was no one else around, Tori was thinking crazy.

“So is this all you ever do?” he asked.

“Mostly,” said Endymion.

Hitori added, “Sometimes we bring the beer.”

“But we couldn’t do that today.”

Tori quietly snorted. Now the beer would’ve made things a lot more interesting. He had to admit, though: this grandpa was right. It was definitely quiet, and very peaceful. It was also breathtakingly beautiful.

Endymion and Hitori had only one fishing spot: a secluded river on the family’s property in Sakaigawa, a small village in the Yamanashi Prefecture. It was where Hitori was born and raised, along with his two brothers, and there honestly wasn’t much to the village. There was a school, a post office, two koban*, four stoplights, a few privately owned businesses, several small diners, a motor-rail station, and farms. There were especially a lot of farms, and the one belonging to the Chiba family was a seventy-acre peach orchard. From what Tori remembered, from what his grandpa told him, it was started by his great-great-grandfather, who bought fifteen acres from the owner he sharecropped for. Over the years, the farm grew and was handed down to his great-grandfather. Now, his great uncle maintained it, though he and his brothers all owned the land.

Tori had been to the farm many times with his family, but he’d never seen it from this viewpoint. The river was only a mile away from the front gate to the orchard. From his seat in the boat, he could see the thousands of peach trees, all with vibrant green leaves and abundant in the next harvest of fruit. His great aunt’s rough-haired collie was leaping all about the riverbank as she stalked a helpless, yellow butterfly, chomping at it. The crystal clear blue sky was also vibrant in color, unlike anything anyone could see in the city. With how the colors of blue and green touched once another… Tori knew there wasn’t an artist who could replicate that vision of splendor.

“So what’s going on in your exciting life?” Hitori asked his grandson. He used his elbow to nudge him in the side.

In his usual manner, Tori just shrugged. “Nothing much,” he replied, and he considered that a doable answer.

“Oh, come on. There must be at least one interesting thing you could tell us about.”

“No, not really. There’s school, then practice, then studying, and then training… That’s about it.”

Hitori slightly lifted his head and stared at Endymion. “He’s just like you.

Endymion turned and looked at his father. “What does that mean?”

“Neither of you ever say what’s on your mind.”

“And where do you suppose we got that from?”

Hitori stuck out his tongue and then rested his head back onto a towel he’d folded into a makeshift pillow. Tori remained silent as he thought about what Kazuo had told him, how everyone was worried about him. It didn’t surprise him, not the slightest bit. He realized he’d been rather quietly lately, and it was because he was troubled by… Well, he was troubled, and he didn’t want to share anything with anyone. His grandpa was only trying to get him to talk. Tori supposed it didn’t matter what he talked about, as long as he did, so he thought of something small to begin with.

“… I got a B on my language exam.”

Very small.

Endymion smiled. “That’s great. That’s your worse subject, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… though Kazuo got an A.”

“Well, language has always been easy for him. You studied hard for that exam, so you earned that B.”

“Mm… I know.”

“Tori, as long as you do your best, you’ll be fine,” Hitori piped in. “I hated school at your age and I rarely made anything above average. I probably could have, but I just didn’t want to apply myself. So you’re already way ahead of a lot of people in this world.”

Tori merely nodded in response. It was slightly tiring to hear his parents and grandparents say those words to him, repeatedly it seemed. Though if he were to honestly believe those words instead of simply knowing them, then they wouldn’t have to assure him all the time.

“And how did Yukio do?”

At the mentioning of Yukio’s name, Tori felt his heart do a flip and then flop into his stomach. He spun his head to one side and stared at his father. “Why?” he inquired.

It was now Endymion’s turn to shrug his shoulders, a little surprised by his son’s reaction. “I was just curious. I know the two of you studied together for that exam.”

“Oh… I think he did okay. I’m not very sure. He went on a date last night, so I haven’t spoken to him.”

Hitori grinned at the key word. “A date?” he repeated. “Who was the lucky guy?”

“A senior in the art club. He asked Yukio out, though I think he said yes just for the sake of going out with someone. His parents were probably beginning to think he wasn’t gay and it was all a cruel joke or dream.”

At the beginning of the school year, Yukio surprised all of his friends when he announced he was gay. It practically floored Tori, because he and Kazuo were the ones who’d known him the longest. He never once suspected it, though looking back, maybe there was a sign or two that could have tipped him off. Not that it mattered. It didn’t matter to any of their friends, and it certainly didn’t matter to Tori. Yukio was still his best friend. There wasn’t anything that would change that.

The only people who had a problem with Yukio’s sexuality were his parents. The night he told them, his mother cried. His father responded by yelling at him, ranting and raving, to the point Yukio had to flee from his own house. Tori remembered that night very well. He remembered being awakened by his mother at one o’clock in the morning, and being told she just received a phone call from Yukio’s mother. He had yet to return home and she was starting to worry about him. With an idea as to where Yukio could be, Tori agreed to search for him. He got dressed and drove to the park.

Sure enough, he found Yukio sitting on one of the iron benches, staring out into the distance as a few tears slid down his cheeks. Yukio barely noticed him, though he seemed glad for the company. Tori sat down beside his friend and put an arm around his shoulders, and the two of them remained there for nearly an hour before Yukio ever said anything.

“I can’t go home,” he said. “Not tonight.”

And he didn’t have to. Tori called his parents and explained as much of the situation as he could over the phone. When he returned to the palace with Yukio, Serenity already had one of the guest rooms prepared. Yukio stayed with them for nearly two weeks before he even felt it was safe enough to go back home. To this day, there were still some weekends when he spent the night. His parents hadn’t looked at him the same way since. They probably would never accept him, while Endymion and Serenity barely had to bat an eye, which… brought Tori back to what was troubling him.

The sound of his grandpa’s voice distracted him for a moment or two. “I’d like to tell those two idiots a thing or two. They’re a bunch of you-know-whats that need to go you-know-where.”

Endymion tried to sound slightly appalled, but he wasn’t. He ended up laughing. “You do that.”

“I will! You don’t even have to dare me, I’ll do it!”

“But then you’d have Ayami-mama to face.”

“… Yeah, I would, wouldn’t I?”

Tori faintly smiled. He even chuckled, thinking his grandpa would never change. (And honestly, no one wanted him to.) But as he drifted back to his thoughts of Yukio, he realized this moment was the perfect opportunity to tell his father about what was on his mind, what had been troubling him ever since Yukio went back home. And they would listen to him. Both his father and grandpa would listen to him, and gladly at that. In fact, if he told them, they would probably be relieved.

But Tori couldn’t. There was no way he could ever explain it to them, or to anyone, and there was no way he could possibly blurt out the truth. And even though he knew his family was accepting and understanding, and even though he knew the citizens of this neo-modern kingdom were open-minded and also very accepting, it was just like when his family tried assuring him about his grades. It was simply difficult for Tori to believe.

It would be years before Tori ever ascended to the throne. Yet, he was already turning into a king no one was expecting. Perhaps he could eventually live with that, but what gnawed at his stomach and caused fear to course through his veins was what his father could say… because he was also turning into a son his father never expected to have. And it never mattered the kind of father, for the son would always find a reason to worry. 

======
Notes:

* A koban is a police box. The village would be too small for its own police department, so it would have a small building where at least two officers would be on duty to assist the citizens.

* Yes, I am fully aware seventy acres is a lot of land for a small country such as Japan. But just like in America, there is a lot of space once you leave the cities. Also, while it's not mentioned in this ficlet, the family has a contract with a fruit company. So to make (a lot of) money, they have to have a large farm. ;)