Mother

Junepai stood before a movie poster with a folded paper in hand, eyes examining the man encapsulated in fire. It bent to his will, surrounding him like a gentle tornado, a phoenix soaring far above his head and shining golden. At the bottom, the movie title read “Fire Man.”

“So this is the movie you wanted to see?” Yuya asked, peeking over Junepai's shoulder.

“Yeah, they’ve brought it back to theatres for its tenth anniversary. It’s the first movie in the series and takes place between seasons three and four, so it might be a little hard to follow.”

“I’ve never heard of it before. ‘Fire Man?” Yuya read the title with confusion.

“It's a story about a superhero that’s chosen by an immortal phoenix to protect the world from harm. All sorts of alien creatures try to destroy the earth, but he’s always there to stop them.” Junepai smiled.

“Sounds interesting.” He examined Junepai's appearance with a grin, “I see you’re wearing the outfit I bought for you.” He looked him up and down.

“Huh, oh, yeah. I wore it last time we went out together. I thought it was fitting.”

“Well, you shoulda told me, I would’ve worn my outfit from that day.” Yuya chuckled. He was in a tight-fitting jean jacket, a striped shirt beneath it. His jeans were ripped, beige low-top heels on his feet, and small golden hoop earrings in either ear.
“You look fine as is,” Junepai reassured him.

“So are we going to get the special popcorn buckets?”
“Might as well, there’s not much else I spend my money on.”

The two grabbed their tickets, buying a handful of snacks and the largest popcorn bucket they offered. Then, it was to the movie.

They sat mostly in silence. Junepai never looked away from the screen, even during the previews. The movie was action-packed, and Yuya swore that over half of the movie's run-time was spent on some insane fight scene. Occasionally, he would look over to Junepai, watching as he stared at the screen with a sparkle in his eye, the kind of sparkle you would only find in the most innocent of souls.

The movie was starting to come to an end, Fire Man monologuing. He stood over a crowd of clamoring people, each of them shouting his name with what could only be described as hopefulness.

“...In the palm of my hand, I hold the hope of the world, and so long as there’s fire blazing in my heart, I shall never yield!” He jousted his fist into the air, a blazing phoenix appearing seemingly from nowhere and soaring into the sky. The camera followed the phoenix, panning out as the phoenix burst into a vibrant yellow light, the screen going black and cutting to the credits.

“Wow…” Yuya muttered, turning to Junepai.

Tears were falling down his face, a wide smile on his face, and his nails digging into the armrests at his sides.

“Are you ok, Junepai?” He asked, concerned.

“Yeah, it’s just that…” He paused to sniffle, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen this movie.” He wiped his tears with his sleeve. “It was great. Thank you for coming with me, Yuya.”

The two ventured outside, Junepai with that paper in hand.

“What is that thing you’ve been carrying?”

“Oh, this?” Junepai went silent for a moment, “It's from K-Corp.”

Yuya walked over and looked down at the paper, reading the name marked on it aloud.

“Hana Nakamura.” There was a moment of silence as he put two and two together, “Wait, Nakamura?”

Junepai silently nodded.

“That’s your-”

He nodded again.

“What’s it for?”

“It has her address. I asked K-Corp about my Mom, and they were surprisingly cooperative in helping me find her.” He held the paper tighter, “I haven’t looked at the address yet, I don’t know if I should.”

“Are you afraid?” Yuya questioned.

“To be honest, yeah. Ever since I started remembering things, I’ve had this fear in my heart that she’s living some grand life without me. Something inside me feels that if that were true, I’d have been the result of her unhappiness in the past.” He held a hand to his rapidly beating heart. “And if she has another kid…” He trailed off.

“Why don’t we go together?” Yuya suddenly suggested.

“W-what?”

“Let’s go together. The only way you’ll have any of your questions answered is to go see for yourself.”
“Yeah, but what if it turns out all my thoughts are true?”

“What if they aren’t?”

“You can’t answer my question with a question.”

“I just did.”

Junepai sighed, staring at the ground beneath them and biting his lower lip.

“If you’re there to back me up, then maybe I could go.”

“It’s up to you.”

They stood in silence for a few moments, and Junepai's heart began to beat so fast he swore he’d have a heart attack on the spot.

“I’ll see her.” He finally answered.

|

It had started to rain and darken, the clouds blocking the setting sun from view. Yuya and Junepai approached a house that sat within a quiet and desolate neighborhood. They were in the countryside. Grass fields stretched for miles, trees and flowers decorated them, and they waved in the gentle wind.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be this far out,” Junepai remarked, staring down the house before him. It was a traditional home, made of worn-looking wood, with sliding doors greeting them.

“Is this really the place?” He took another look at the paper.

“It should be,” Yuya stated.

“M-maybe this was a bad idea. I’m sorry for wasting your time, Yuya.”

“You’re backing out? We’ve already come this far, we might as well stay.”

A voice startled the two. “Are you two lost?” The voice was sweet and soothing like a calming melody.

The two turned around, eyes settling on the woman with a clear umbrella, a large smile plastered on her face. Through the umbrella, they could see her long red hair, stretching down to her lower back. She kept most of it out of her face, yet some strands found themselves drooping down the sides of her face.

She raised the umbrella a bit to get a better look at the boys, a puzzled expression falling on her face as Junepai hid behind Yuya.

“Nope, sorry! We mistook this house for someone else's!”

She continued to stare onward with confusion.

“Is something the matter?” She asked 

“I’m not really sure.” Yuya chuckled nervously, trying to get Junepai off his back. “What are you doing?” He hissed.

“We’ll be on our way!” He attempted to move Yuya along with him, but he wouldn’t budge. Junepai stumbled forward ever so slightly as they wrestled against one another, his hair falling over his face as he almost fell. He regained his balance.

The woman fell to silence, eyes studying his long red hair.

Junepai looked over to her, his body burning with intense heat. Their eyes met each other for just a split second, and in that instant, she knew.

“J-Junepai?” Her voice began to waver.

He didn’t answer, his body tensing up.

She dropped the brown grocery bag held in her hand, vegetables and fruits falling onto the ground as she burst forward, enveloping him in the tightest embrace he’d ever felt.

“Tell me, is it really you, Junepai?” She looked up at him with hopeful eyes, and the more she looked into his own, the more certain she became. This is my son, she thought.

“I-it’s me.” He softly spoke, hesitating to hug her back.

“I can’t believe my eyes! I never knew if I’d see you again.” She hugged him tighter, as if he planned to run away.

“What do you mean?” He asked, gently pushing her away. The rain suddenly became heavier, as did the wind.

“We should get inside before we continue talking.”

The two boys helped her pick up the groceries she’d dropped, stepping into her home. They all sat within a small, cozy room. A table sat between them, each of them sitting on comfortable cushions.

“I wasn’t expecting visitors, so I apologize for the lack of hospitality.” She bowed slightly. “I can’t put into words how surprised I was to see your face, Junepai.” That shining smile refused to leave her face. “Although I am confused. Why now of all times?”

“Why now? For the longest time, I didn’t even know you were alive. I’d somehow convinced myself you were dead after you left me with K-Corp for so long. That was the only thing that made sense to me; the thought of my mother abandoning me never once crossed my mind.” There was both rage and sadness in his tone.

“Abandoned? Sweetie, I would have never.” She frowned a bit.

“Then why did you never come back for me?" He asked.

“I-” She paused, looking for the right words. “It is true that I left you in the care of K-Corp. I believed it was the best course of action given our circumstances. It didn’t take long for me to recover physically, but mentally…” She paused, her eyes falling onto Junepai. “It took much longer. I’m not sure how to put this, but the death of your father left me in a deeply conflicted state. We argued all the time, we hardly got along, and the only reason I stayed was to take care of you. After he died, I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way a woman like me is capable of being a mother.’ So when K-Corp returned, I told them I needed more time to recover. I went to therapy for a few years, and by that time, you were soon to be fourteen. I talked to a K-Corp official, and they told me about your performance in the youth program. I thought that you’d be better off with them for a little while longer. I came searching for you by the time you were fifteen, but they told me it was better if I didn’t.” She was on the verge of tears. “I never intended to abandon you, but I did. I gave up so easily, thinking: ‘What if he’s better there than with me, what if I’m still unfit to be a mother?’ You became an adult not much later, and since you weren't a part of the youth program anymore, I no longer had access to information regarding your whereabouts and well-being.” She finished speaking, and for what felt like an eternity, no one spoke after. Only the sound of rain kept them from being cast into total silence.

“I see,” Junepai spoke. “Can I ask about my dad?”

“What do you mean?”

“You said you didn’t know whether to be happy or sad when he died. I want to know why? Was he that terrible of a man? Did you hate him that much? I want to know everything. I’m tired of running away from these questions. I want to know all about him.” His voice began to break.

“What image of that man do you have?” She asked with sincerity.

He was surprised by her questioning, holding back the tears in his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“You were such a small child when you last saw him. I’m just wondering, what version of that man exists in your head?”

Junepai was stunned by her question. “I still don’t understand.”

“I’m asking because I want to protect you. Are you sure you want me to reveal to you his true nature? There’s no doubt in my mind that the version of your father that exists in your mind is much different from the one that actually existed.” She placed her hand atop the table face up, gesturing for him to place his hand in hers. He silently obliged, the two of them interlocking fingers from across the table.

“I don’t really remember much, but I do remember the dream he passed onto me. He told me something about finding the perfect woman for me, a woman who will stand behind me no matter what, and that that was the only way for me to find true happiness. I don’t have any bad memories of my father, but to be honest, I can't recall any good ones either.” His grip tightened around her hand.

“That unfortunately sounds like something he would say.” She chuckled silently.

“Your father was great when we first met during our High school years. He was kind, compassionate, and hard-working, but he was lonely. We became best friends and partners, and we knew everything about each other. I believe that was the reason we got married at such a young age. Not too long after I had you, and that’s when things began to fall apart. As I already said, your father was a very lonely man; he didn’t have friends or family outside of me. The stress of taking care of you amplified his insecurities, and I ultimately ended up quitting my job for the sake of his peace of mind. I thought it would help, but it didn’t. I was stuck taking care of you day in and day out, not that I didn’t love you, but I felt so unfulfilled, like I was missing something. That was usually the topic of our debates; he would always tell me how my place was at home and how a man's job is to provide. So he took on the burden of providing for everyone by himself, which only put more stress on him, and in turn on me as well. It was a never-ending cycle I couldn't escape, which is why I felt so conflicted about his death. It felt wrong to be happy, but in the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but celebrate. I felt so guilty.”

Junepai took everything in, still fighting back tears.

“Is that really the type of man he was?” He asked, voice quivering.

“Unfortunately, yes. He remained that way until the day he died.” She answered with a soothing tone.

“I see. So that dream of his, it’s worthless.” His head hung low, and the feeling of a tender hand cupped the side of his face, lifting his head back up.

“It wasn’t completely worthless. I do believe his heart was in the right place. This life is near meaningless without something to love; it doesn’t have to be a woman, it could simply be an idea, or even a dream.”

“But what dream do I have?” The tears began to fall.

“Why don’t you become a superhero?” She smiled. “That’s what you dreamed of when you were a kid.”

Junepai took her hand as it still cupped his face, allowing himself to bask in her touch.

“Even if that dream doesn’t suffice.” She spoke, “You can simply dream of having bigger dreams.”

Junepai broke down completely.

“Sweetie,” Hana muttered, standing and sitting beside Junepai. She wrapped him in a deep hug, allowing him to rest his head on her chest. She ran her soft hand through his hair until he eventually cried himself to sleep.
Hana turned to Yuya with a curious expression.
“So, are you his girlfriend?”
“What? Me? No! We’re just really good friends, that's all.” He paused for a second, considering what to say, “Also, I’m not a girl.” He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

“I see.” She closed her eyes, placing a peck on Junepai's forehead. “I’m glad my son has a good friend. I regret not being there for him. I feared what might have happened if someone like me were to raise him. But it seems that despite whatever hardship he’s seen, he came out a decent young man. Keep him in line for me, ok?”

Yuya nodded.

When he’d finally woken up, the rain stopped, and the moon started to peek through the clouds.

“Stay safe, you two, and Junepai.” She stepped closer to him, wrapping him in a quick hug, “I really do love you, never forget that. You are loved.” He nodded silently, turning toward the door and stopping suddenly, holding something on the tip of his tongue.

“Mom?” That word felt strange leaving his mouth.

“Yes, sweetie?”
“There are a lot of things I need to take care of. When I’m done with them, I was wondering, could I become your son again?” He looked back at her with hopeful eyes.

“Junepai, you never stopped being my son.”