Empty Land

Ryouta opened his eyes softly as he woke up from his deep slumber.

He rubbed them drowsily and yawned, stretching out his arms widely into the air. Scratching his elbow, he softly moaned with discomfort as he felt a small itch from something pricking it earlier. He closed his eyes again and dropped his arms; too lazy to get up and see what was bothering him. As his mind slowly became more aware of its body, he brushed his slender, smooth arm against the vast, uneven ground and felt soft grass bend under his weight.

‘This is nice,’ he giddily thought to himself.

He turned to one side as he extended his arm further across the nature’s bed to enjoy the pleasant sensation. But the warm, bright sunlight kissed his eyes open and he winced as his vision was suddenly filled with blinding white light. Immediately, he turned to the other side to enjoy the cool of his own shadow. It was too late. The dawn’s sun had already disturbed his peaceful quiet of sleep.

His eyes fluttered open — a little annoyed, but only to be replaced by wonder. 

It was simply... beautiful. 

Bright pink cherry blossoms filled the small garden as some of them slowly swayed and came to rest upon him as he blinked in awe. Mesmerized, his lips parted in a pleasant sigh, and his eyes grew more focused.

Reaching out to one of the falling pink blossoms, he slowly got up pushing his weight against his arms as he managed to catch it. He felt the smooth, soft texture of the petal against his fingers as he looked at it with amazement. His gaze shifted upward where the vast blue sky stretched across the entire space.

“Whaaa…,” mumbled Ryouta as he started to process where he was.

He looked around to see he was sitting in a clearing surrounded by a grove of cherry trees in full blossom as they susurrated against the cool breeze. Besides the rustling of the trees, he could faintly hear a strong wind blowing strongly somewhere faraway. Curious, he tried to look further beyond the thicket but the undergrowth was heavy near the trees.

Ryouta got up and brushed the grass off his clothes. The grass fell from his striped white and light blue t-shirt and his dark blue denim jeans. Then, barefooted, he walked on his heels to avoid the prickly grass, as he made his way to one of the trees and the clump of bushes near it as the sound of the wind grew fiercer.

“Whoa!”

Ryouta forgot how to breathe.

Peeping beyond the bushes, he saw the vegetation stop abruptly into nothing. There was nothing beyond a few bushes except the vast blue sky that stretched into the horizon where it met the clouds. He edged closer to what seemed like the periphery of the garden as the dirt at the sides slowly crumbled and fell into nothingness. Hugging a tree, he peered below to see a bright white and uneven blanket of clouds spread across the sky. The sound of the wind was much closer and harsher as it blew under the island, keeping it afloat.

He looked at the clouds hesitantly as his instinct tried to control his intrusive thoughts to jump on the seemingly soft and springy clouds. It was, as if, he could almost feel the plumpy clouds calling out to him, beckoning him to take the leap of faith.

Giving in to his desire, he found himself slowly letting go of the tree. His grip got looser as he bent towards the edge almost in a trance. 

Suddenly, he lost his grip. 

And fell face-first towards the paradise of fluff.

In an instant, the air was sucked out of his lungs. He tried to scream but his throat did not comply as he dropped towards the clouds at an alarmingly fast speed. He closed his eyes and braced to breach through the white sheet, however, much to his surprise, he fell on the clouds, bounced lightly on them, and finally came to a stop. He lay very still as he felt his body pushing down the silky clouds, slowly realizing the comfort of the white bed.

“This must be heaven…” he quietly whispered to himself in comfort as he basked in the sunlight, somnolently staring at the floating island where he fell from.

A cool breeze rustled through his hair and clothes as he felt it tingle every nook of his body.

“Haaaaah…” he sighed blissfully.

Out of nowhere, he felt water trickle down his forehead. 

He sprang up in surprise and immediately touched his forehead but, much to his bewilderment, it was quite dry. Puzzled, he looked around.

“Huh?”

A huge vertical wall of clouds had formed some distance away from him. It seemed as if the blanket of clouds had almost risen up towards him.

He made his way to the tall wall bouncing his way through the clouds as his curiosity to know what lay behind it grew. When he was close enough, he stopped short. He discerned a human hand jutting out of the wall and its fingers seemed to stretch outwards as if longing for another hand to hold.

He could feel his heart pounding against his chest as he slowly moved towards the hand.

“Tch!” cried out Ryouta in irritation as he felt more water trickle down his forehead. He rubbed his forehead vigorously only to find it dry again. Frowning, he tried rubbing again but it was of no use.

He decided to ignore it for the time being and focused on the hand once again. He leaned forward to reach for it and just as he was within its reach, he heard a soft whisper in his ear, 

“Good morning, stupid Ryo!”

And then it rained.

Ryouta sprang up in his bed dumbfounded, disturbed and drenched as his wet clothes hung on his skin, dripping with freezing cold water. His breathing turned into gasps of shock as he saw his younger brother Ryuuji dash away with an empty bucket, his devilish laughter echoing throughout the house.

Ryouta sat very still for a moment slowly grasping the situation.

In a low, angry voice, he growled, “Oh, you little...”

He got up carefully to avoid slipping on the wet floor as his soaked pajamas flapped and with a decisive squelch glued to his skin. A sneeze built up in his nose and the open window near his bed wasn’t helping him much.

“Achoo!”

Ryouta rubbed his nose and shut the window. Walking like a penguin, he went to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. Water dripped from his shiny black hair that was slapped across his face down to his favorite white pajamas.

With a deadly smile on his peeved face, he clenched his jaw and cracked his knuckles.

***

The sizzling sound of frying bacon filled the house while the little brother whistled a merry little tune to himself. Using a pair of metal chopsticks, he flipped the bacon revealing its pink fatty surface. A smoky aroma from the salty pan fried meat filled the air as Ryuuji breathed in deeply.

“Mhmm,” hummed the cook in approval as if he could taste the bacon by its smell.

Turning off the gas stove, he whipped his medium-long black-blond hair back and turned his attention towards the rice cooker.

“Peeerrrrfecto!” he exclaimed aloud as the hot blast of steam burst forth when he opened the lid.

 Ryuuji considered himself to be an expert in cooking but he was particularly proud of his dish today. Using a wooden ladle, he carefully shaped the rice into two perfect semi-circular mounds. With utmost sincerity and care, he slid it in two lunchboxes — one gray, looking a little dull and simple in front of the other, an attention seeking purple box with various little flashy stickers of all kinds — and then proceeded to delicately wrap the omelet rolls he had prepared earlier with the bacon. He arranged them neatly alongside the rice and then placed the octopus-shaped sausages behind the egg rolls.

“And… All done!”

Lured by the exquisite smell, the big brother quickly came trotting down the stairs dressed in a plain white shirt with the school logo, tightly fastened dark blue tie with a red pin attached to it and a pair of matching black pants. With his simple school black bag on one shoulder and a black blazer on the other hand, Ryouta was ready to leave for school. Ryuuji handed one of the lunchboxes to him as the big brother smacked him on the head in return.

“Ouch~ that’s where you hit me earlier Ryo!”

Ryouta sniffled loudly and rubbed his nose. With a nasal voice, he scolded, “Serves you right! The last time you threw freezing cold water on me, I almost murdered you. I don't know how, but I'm somehow getting used to these silly pranks of yours.”

Ryuuji grinned mischievously and winked at his brother as he unfastened his apron and hung it on the other side of the kitchen.

“I'll think of new ones which you aren't used to then. ”

As he fixed Ryuuji’s slack tie, the elder brother frowned and retorted, “And I'll find different ways to clobber you, kiddo. Now let's get going, we don’t want to be late for school. Don't forget to say ‘bye’ to mom and dad.”

Ryuuji swatted away his hand and unfixed his tie again with an unimpressed look on his face. He rushed upstairs to quickly pack his school bag as the old wooden stairs creaked under his weight. After shoving his textbooks and notebooks in his bag, Ryuuji walked to the adjacent room. He took off his slippers and kept his bag aside before entering the small, dimly lit room. The familiar, strong aroma of incense was something Ryuuji had to get used to when he was kid. 

It didn’t bother him now. 

In fact, it offered him comfort and almost a sense of encouragement, as if there were two hands on his back pushing him towards every tomorrow. He quietly sat in front of the small altar kept in the room and wordlessly stared at the two pictures kept on it for some time, drowning in memories, nostalgia and a numbing pain that reminds you it will never go away completely. Slowly, he clasped his hands and bowed his head.

“Hey Mom, Hey Dad”

The young adolescent brought his head up and smiled sadly as he looked into the eyes of his parents’ pictures.

“Is Dad trying to play tag with God? When are you gonna tell him that’s just a prank on him by the angels?” he joked, immediately regretting as the hollow sound of silence followed.

With a heavy sigh, he tried again, “I hope you guys are doing good wherever you are. We both miss you a lot, y’know.”

He clasped his hands tighter to stop himself from shaking as a sob built up in his throat.

“Wish me luck for today.”

With those few words, Ryuuji got up wiping the corner of his eyes. He bowed again and left the room without saying anything else.

***

A cold wind blew across the empty streets of Chiba as Ryouta pulled his blazer closer. The early spring cherry trees rustled softly as a few blossoms calmly swayed down. It wouldn’t be long before the streets would be colored with the pink blossoms and spring would settle in. The 17-year old boy tried to reach out to grab a blossom as he remembered his dream from earlier that day. But the pink petal got gusted away from him and he was forced to put his hands back in his pocket.

Hearing the familiar steps of his younger brother, he glanced back to see the smiling boy cheerfully skipping towards him.

“Brr~ it’s still pretty cold… Good that I brought my blazer.”

“Imagine walking in this cold after being showered by freezing cold water by your very own sweet little brother. Couldn’t be me, right?”

Completely ignoring him, Ryuuji asked, “So... guess what Ryo? I am dating a new girl.”

“Huh? Is the month already over?”

“Oh, don't be jealous Ryo! Just because you haven't had any girlfriends… err… or friends for that matter... Ouch, I just said something incredibly sad, didn’t I? Actually, I feel bad for you now so you can go ahead and feel jealous.”

He extended his hand and tried to pat his brother, “There there, it'll be alright.”

Ryouta shot him a nasty look as he brushed his hand away.

Being apart just a year, Ryuuji had started looking at Ryouta as more of a best friend rather than a big brother in their teens. 

Ryouta didn't mind. 

He loved Ryuuji's cheerfulness and resilience during tough times and it was his smile that had saved him from giving up on life when they had lost their parents to a car accident.

Ryuuji’s outgoing nature had earned him good friends in high school. Popularity followed the second-year kid, with his good looks and charming demeanor that strung the hearts of everyone he interacted with. As if his popularity with guys wasn’t enough, but his tall lean frame and an angular face that highlighted his cheekbones had wooed quite a few girls in his school too. A pair of beautiful light green eyes was perfectly jeweled on his face complimenting his wide smile.

Ryuuji’s jovial nature was almost infectious. Wherever he went, he ended up being the life of that place brightening the atmosphere with his childish jokes, cheshire smile and charming talks.

Other than that, his hair attracted a lot of people. It was a mix of blond and black, a trait that had fused his father and mother’s hair onto him. The blond part sprouted right from the middle of his head and slowly blended into the black part which was at the edges.

“So, who's this new girl you're going out with Ryu?” asked Ryouta, trying to steer the conversation away from his social life.

Ryuuji grinned widely as he anticipated Ryouta’s reaction to his answer.

“Futaba Sakamoto.”

Ryouta stopped in his tracks and looked at his brother aghast, “Futaba? Futaba Sakamoto? The girl in my section!”

Ryuuji nodded and smirked, “I even told her about my lovely, lonely brother who is her classmate.”

“You did what now? You know she's one of the most popular girls in the third year, right? You know what is gonna happen to me after you break up with her in a month... right?”

“She's… Uh… Different.”

“I think that's what you said last time too.”

“Don't worry, bro. You have nothing to lose anyway.”

“You little...” Ryouta tried to smack his brother but the quick-footed younger brother managed to escape and ran away, cackling as loudly as he could.

Ryouta sighed deeply as he saw Ryuuji’s figure grow smaller as he ran farther away. After some time, as more students began to appear in the street, Ryouta cast one last long glance towards the blue spring sky and then set his gaze towards the cement underneath his feet and it stuck there as his pace turned faster. On most occasions he would have taken out a book to keep him entertained while the other students talked among themselves but somehow Ryouta had forgotten to bring one, no thanks to Ryuuji’s ice bath prank.

But even a book couldn’t do much to help ease out the noise of others talking about mundane everyday topics, the sound of laughter as a group chortled after hearing the funny one in the group tell a silly joke, or the hushed whispers of a few behind his back — usually the ones who were most likely to spread false rumors.

He quickly reached school, his eyes never leaving the sight of his shoes, as he ghosted past the rest of the students. Swiftly changing his shoes, he tried his best to ignore the sound of the usual chatter, which turned into a deafening noise as they entered the school building.

Ryouta didn’t dare remove his eyes from his locker but he could hear the sound of boys’ high-fiving as they greeted each other and the girls laughing and hugging their friends. In that chaotic moment, Ryouta was aware of every single voice in that building… and the lack of his own. He shrugged off the lonely feeling as he locked his shoe locker and started walking towards his classroom silently.

The worst was over… or so he thought.

The first thing he saw when he entered his classroom 3-A was a girl sitting on his chair, waiting for him. She waved at him excitedly as she saw him enter the room. For a moment, Ryouta just stared back at her as she kept waving. He couldn't help but start devising an escape plan as it dawned on him what was about to happen.

“Oki-doki,” murmured Ryouta to himself before turning back and walking away from his own classroom.

Futaba — clearly confused and flustered — got up and ran after him as she left a flurry of dust behind her. She grabbed his arm and said, “Hey— Phew... Wha— Why did you run away after I waved? That’s so rude!”

Futaba was an attractive girl. 

Her beautiful long hair was tied into a high ponytail that dangled down to her shoulders and her slim and tall figure almost made her reach up to Ryouta’s forehead. She had smallish light hazel eyes, which would turn gold as they shined under sunlight. Her slender arms looked thin and frail from far but were holding onto Ryouta’s arm firmly. 

But more than her physique and looks, her character stood out.

With a bright smile on her face, she would interact with everyone she met in her light and cheerful tone. She made it easy for the other person to open up to her as she listened to them and almost a superhuman skill to join any conversation naturally. Turning the most awkward moments into pleasant ones, she was the most well-loved student by both her peers and teachers. You couldn't hate her even if you wanted to. It was as if she was almost… Flawless.

Ryouta said, “Oh... Hey— uh, Futaba. Ah... I— I was just kinda going to... Uhm... to drink water at the water sink.”

“But… you already have a bottle in your bag?”

“Oh yeah... Uh— That… Ahaha.”

Ryouta chuckled nervously as he calculated how to escape from this awkward situation. He certainly didn’t anticipate Futaba running out to grab him.

She let go of his hand when she saw his face turn into a mix of discomfort and embarrassment. 

“Wait, I'm making you uncomfortable, aren't I? I'm sorry, I was just... I got a little bit excited because Ryuuji told me about you and I realized that I didn't even know you properly even though we are in the same class.”

Ryouta took a deep breath in and decided to be upfront and shut her out. It turned out to be the most effective way for him to avoid other people after lots of trial and error.

“Look, I really don't mind you going out with my brother, and it's fine if you don't know me, I'm usually busy with my part-time jobs and other stuff. I would be happy if you just… Uh, treat me like a ghost or something. Just like you did before you started dating Ryuuji.”

Her lips turned downwards as she bit them and she looked down — with a twinge of sadness and guilt. She morosely replied, “Oh... Ok. I guess if that's what you want, I'll do that. I'm sorry for disturbing you.”

“Much appreciated.”

Ryouta turned back and started walking away from her until he somehow found Futaba holding his hand again.

“Wha—”

“Ryu was right. You— You don't mean what you just said right now, did you? You don't want to be a ghost. You're actually a pretty thoughtful guy, aren’t you?”

Surprised, Ryouta exclaimed, “Huh!? What are you talking about?”

“You still went towards the water sink so that I wouldn't feel awkward going back to the class with you, right? You know what, Ryouta, today you are going to have your very first friend. And that's me, your highness, Futaba Sakamoto herself,” said Futaba in an adamant tone as she stood in the hallway holding his hand proudly, ignoring all the stares they were getting from the onlookers in the hallway.

Ryouta could feel his cheeks color bright as he looked into her stubborn golden eyes. A strange new feeling emerged inside him as he felt his heart beating faster. The feeling of perhaps something new — like an adventure — filled his chest. The words ‘first friend’ resonated inside him for some reason as he tried to hide his smile from escaping.

“I was just gonna go and wash my face at the water sink though.”

“Oh— I thought… Oops!”

Futaba blushed red and started laughing. Ryouta looked at her and finally, a small little smile escaped out of his mouth.

Maybe the day wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.