Keepsakes: The First Marker

For three years, Saomi has agonized over his feelings for his friend. When Kiba finally comes of age to better understand what is transpiring between them and even reciprocates, Saomi is willing to give up everything to make him aware of how deep his love for him runs. Through trial and error, Saomi's only wish is to be the one who takes care of Kiba for the rest of their lives, even if the entire world is set to tear them apart. Welcome to the book of Keepsakes.

A/N: Saomi Usaki is pronounced (Say-oh-me Oo-sock-ee) and Kiba Mitsurugi is pronounced (Key-bah Mitt-soo-roo-gi) Also, ' ' refers to a persons troughts, or the person on the other line of the phone. I hope this helps!


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Mimori did not stir, but she slowly forced her eyes to open. The room she saw felt so familiar to her, as if with every breath she took, an old memory resurfaced.

She remembered being young and healthy once. She also recalled the first time she entered this room with her new husband. They were so happy, and so in love. She couldn’t wait to start a family with the man she promised to love until the end of time.

Uzumaki Mitsurugi had been her knight in shining armor, come to rescue her from a boring and mundane life of a farmer’s daughter. He was everything she had hoped for in a man, charming, romantic, and so attentive of her.

The memories of the day she learned that she was with child were most painful, even after so many years had past, but she remembered them clearly as well. It was in this very room that Mimori have her husband the news. The expression of shock and confusion seemed to odd to her at the time, but she understood it now. After she told him, Uzumaki began to distance himself from his wife. He would leave for work early in the morning, before she woke and he would return much later than he used to. Mimori wrote it off as he was trying hard to get a promotion to support his growing family.

When the child was born, Mimori could no longer excuse her husbands negligence when he refused to show any interest in her or their child. Finally, she had enough and confronted him in the very room she lay ill in now. Uzumaki confessed to her that he was having an affair with a woman at work and he wanted a divorce. She learned that it had been going on for several months before the baby had even been conceived. Shocked and heartbroken, Mimori left him there without saying a word. She left the house to stay at her friends’ down the street. There were tears in her eyes, but she refused to let even one fall.

When she returned to her home the next morning, Uzumaki and his belongings were gone. Angry and hurt, Mimori wanted nothing more than to give the child up for adoption. She did not want the bastard child that had occupied her womb for nine months. But something inside her would not give him up.

From that day forward, her son became her world, and she dedicated eleven years solely to his welfare and happiness. He was more precious to her than anything she could imagine, and she dreamed of watching him grow into a wonderful man, starting a family of his own.

Sadly, things did not go as she had planned. Three days after Kiba’s eleventh birthday, Mimori learned that she had cancer. With her brother being the only living relative in Tokyo, he soon moved in to run the household. When she became bedridden six months ago, they hired a fulltime nursemaid to look after her medical needs. Over the last three years, she had to watch her son grow up through a room window or her sickbed. She watched as his uncle fulfilled the motherly role of taking care of her son.

Mimori smiled as tears gathered in her eyes. Her little boy was growing up so quickly. At fourteen, Kiba was as smart and rebellious as she had been at that age. She could almost feel her heart bursting with pride.

‘And there he lays at the foot of my bed for the third night in a row.’ Mimori thought. She called her son’s name quietly and it only took a moment for him to stir and wake from his slumber. He yawned and stretched his stiff muscles in that very Kiba-like way that never failed to make her smile.

“Silly boy, you’re going to catch a cold sleeping like that.” Mimori chided him in a motherly tone.

“Aww, mom. It’s not my fault you have the most comfortable bed in the whole house.” Kiba said. “I came in to talk to you and I just fell asleep. Really, it should be illegal to own a bed this squishy.” This made his mother laugh and he couldn’t help but smile.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” She asked.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. It’s late and you should get some more sleep. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” Kiba replied as he stood from his seat by his mother’s bed.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Besides, I gotta go call Saomi-san before he goes to bed.” When he turned to leave, his mother’s voice stopped him in the doorway.

“You didn’t tell me that Saomi-san was back.”

“Oh, yeah. He came back this morning. I haven’t seen him yet, but we made plans to meet up tomorrow before school. We talked for a little while on the phone earlier, but he said he had to go so he could unpack.” Kiba explained.

“Well, I’m glad. You make sure you tell that boy to come visit me sometime.”

Kiba laughed and left the room with a “Yes, mom”.

Mimori smiled after her son had disappeared out of the room. Saomi Usagi was an extraordinary boy who her son admired above anyone else. She first met him with news that he was going to be tutoring her son in literature and science, both classed he needed desperate help in to pass the semester. They became fast friends as Kiba’s grades continued to improve. Unfortunately, a mother’s intuition told her that something much deeper than friendship was developing between her son and this boy, and it unsettled her. Saomi was a good boy, but she did not want to see her son hurt. Not that way.

“I just want you to be happy, my son.”

His heart began racing the moment he picked up the cordless phone. His excitement became so tangible that he could barely breath as he climbed the stairs towards his room. How could anyone be this happy about hearing another’s voice?

While he thought of a reason to counter his question, his pace quickened into a run. By the time he slammed his bedroom door shut and threw himself onto his unmade bed, he was out of breath and halfway through dialing his friend’s cell phone number. He waited anxiously through three rings, and held his breath when the phone went silent.

‘Kiba.’

Kiba didn’t know why Saomi always greeted him with his name, but the way he said it never failed to make him blush.

“Hey, Saomi. Did you finish unpacking yet?”

‘Hai, I just finished not too long ago.’

“That’s good. I bet you’re glad to be back in your own room. Have you seen your family much?”

‘Not really. I haven’t seen them since I came home.’

“That sucks. I’m really glad you’re back, though. It’s been a lonely five months, for sure.” Kiba couldn’t help but feel it in the pit of his stomach. That he’d made Saomi smile with those words.

‘I know. I tried all kinds of things to keep my mind off of how lonely I was, but it just made me more miserable. I’m thankful that it’s all over now.’

“So, how many cute girls did you meet in America?”

‘…’

Saomi’s pause confused Kiba, and when an unfamiliar ache settled in his chest, he prompted his friend to answer.

“Saomi?”

‘I didn’t think any of them were cute, to be honest. But the family I was staying with had a daughter. She was pretty cool. She gave me a lot of good advice, and even helped me on my English.’ After saying this, Saomi fell quiet again.

“Saomi?”

‘Stop saying my name like that. You sound like a wanton schoolgirl.’ Though it was a crude remark, Kiba could detect the playfulness in his friend’s voice and he chuckled.

“Same old Saomi.”

‘Have you been studying hard?’

“Huh? Oh, yeah. The entrance exams are next week. Thanks to your tutoring this past winter, I just might make it into the top ten.”

‘That’s good. It’s the kind of news I’m happy to come home to. I’m proud of you Kiba.’ This made Kiba smile.

“Thanks, Saomi. Man, I hate that we have to wait until tomorrow to see each other. I’m so excited I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep at all tonight.”

‘Well, why don’t I come see you now? I have some things I’d like to talk to you about in person, anyway.’

“Saomi, it’s eleven at night! My uncle will kill me if he catches us!”

‘Then don’t get caught. I thought you couldn’t wait to see me?’

“…Fine. How soon can you get here?”

‘Give me fifteen minutes. Meet me in the ally behind your house.’

Kiba hung up the phone and ran to the bathroom to get a quick shower before Saomi got there. After dressing in a pair of faded jeans that were ripped at the knees and a large hooded sweatshirt, he slipped out onto the balcony. Quietly so as not to wake his Uncle in the neighboring bedroom, he jumped down onto the garage roof and then onto the dumpster in the ally behind it.

He blinked in surprise when he noticed that Saomi was already there, leaning against a dark red Mercedes with his arms crossed over his chest. Kiba unconsciously took that moment to look his friend over.

His outfit consisted of tight blue jeans and a white Armani shirt that buttoned up the front. His sandy blond hair was shorter than he remembered it, barely touching his collar now, and his vibrant green eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark blue sunglasses. The white gold loop that adorned his right ear gleamed in the lamplight, as did the cross that rested as his chest, exposed by two unfastened buttons.

Saomi was always the epitome of perfection. Charming and elegant, there wasn’t a girl within a hundred mile radius that didn’t melt at the sight of his smile. Standing at five foot nine, and barely weighing 130 pounds, Saomi was indeed a beautiful boy.

Kiba blushed as that thought entered his mind. He was in no way jealous of Saomi or anything. Every girl in the tri-county considered Kiba himself a bishi, and he never had to compete with Saomi for attention of any kind. But he had to admit that it was the first time he’d ever checked his friend out like that.

“Kiba…” Saomi murmured and unfolded his arms.

Even though Kiba smiled, he could feel the heat rise to his face, painting his cheeks pink. He could never understand why his heart began to beat faster and his face flushed whenever Saomi said his name that way, but it always felt… right.

Kiba leaped down from the dumpster and ran to his friend, his smile never faltering. Before he could even mouth the first syllable of Saomi’s name, though, he found himself pulled into a fierce hug.

TBC


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A/N: So how was the first chapter? It was actually harder than I thought to start off as it would have had it actually been the very beginning of an anime series. But to my surprise, someone that I'm stationed with actually helped me out! She even drew me pictures of Saomi and Kiba so that I could characterize them better. So, props to Dodge (That's her last name). Thanks a bunch. PLEASE REVIEW!