The Academy - Side B

Wishes

Eri's wish at the age of eighteen had been the safety and happiness of her loved ones. So how did it come to this, at the age of twenty-two?

Currently, she was holed up in the Soil Samples Laboratory, hiding under a desk. Facing her were about fifty vials of soil from all around the world, mostly from the far west, well beyond Automatia. The shades of brown reminded her of the many pairs of eyes she'd seen in her life. Dark brown, light brown, honey, hazel, brown to the point that it was almost black...so many different colours of eyes. 

Yet, she had been drawn to red. The single vial standing in the corner of the third shelf from the bottom. Red more than brown.

The quiet boy who liked spending time in the woods and would always put his life on the line for her.

*  *  *  *

It had started about an hour ago, when they were working on the guest list. Eri first wrote down her family's name on the sheet of paper in front of her, and was just about to add Kazu's family to the list when he stopped her.

"I don't want to invite everyone," he said quietly.

"That's no problem." Eri looked up at him and smiled. "Who do you want to leave out?"

"My father."

That wiped the smile off her face. "Why?"

"He still doesn't approve of me marrying you." Kazu wouldn't meet her eyes. "Even after everything we've been through, when I returned home last month, he wasn't too happy to hear about our engagement."

Eri couldn't understand why this argument was still going on. "It's been over four years," she said. "Why does he still not like me? Did I do something wrong?"

"Of course not. I don't understand it either. He doesn't see me as an independent adult, capable of making my own decisions. The same goes for my siblings."

"That's why Aki and Toki moved out, right?"

Kazu nodded.

"I think...this wedding should be a way for you and your father to reconcile," Eri said slowly. "No matter who's in the wrong, the celebration might-"

"It won't. He's too stubborn." Kazu crossed his arms and glared at the wall, not willing to glare at Eri, even in this situation.

"How do you know if you won't try?"

"I know it won't work. You haven't seen my father when he's really angry." Kazu's tone was also becoming angrier by the second, making Eri very nervous. She'd never really seen him like this.

"But-"

"There's no point!" Kazu slammed his hand on the table. "He's just going to make rude comments throughout the wedding about how you're not good enough for me and how I should have married someone else! I'm not having that kind of negativity at our wedding!"

"B-but why won't you at least t-try?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper, and she could feel tears forming in her eyes. Seeing Kazu so angry made her extremely nervous, but she always believed that family members could reconcile somehow, despite their differences. Hadn't it happened with Lila and Marcus?

Clearly, she still didn't know about what had transpired in the deepest dungeons of the Shadowland a little over four years ago, involving the late Alistair Aster.

"I-I'm going to go out for s-some time," Eri said, her voice shaking, but firm in her resolve. "Y-you need to calm down a-and try to g-give your father another chance. Just consider the idea. I-if you don't want to, even after y-you're calmer, then we won't invite him. But I-I'm not going to let you make this d-decision when you're upset."

And so here Eri was, her heart racing at the memory of having walked out on Kazu. Still hiding under the desk, she recalled Kazu calling out to her. But she was fully aware that it was important to make the decision calmly. If it still went badly at the wedding, she was ready to take full responsibility, and maybe even throw her future father-in-law out herself. But the whole point of a wedding was to start afresh, wasn't it?

Am I being too naive? Is it really that bad to want Kazu and his father to try one last time? Is it wrong for me to want them to be happy? 

Perhaps Kazu would be happier if his father didn't attend the wedding. But I don't think it will work out in the long run.

To distract herself and wait for Kazu to calm down, she busied herself looking at the vials again. The Soil Samples Laboratory had always brought her peace. Since she had been shaking while walking out of the house, and there wasn't any option of going to the woods near The Academy, or even at home (they were too far away), the Laboratory was the next best option.

After she stopped shaking, Eri emerged from under the desk and walked around the room, examining the vials. She couldn't help smiling when she saw the label Country of Light. on the top shelf, though that smile was accompanied by an aching neck - Eri's height had barely changed over the last eight years.

"Here." A hand reached out and picked the vial up from the top shelf. "Don't strain yourself."

The other arm wrapped itself around her waist and pulled her closer to the body it belonged to. Eri picked the vial out of Kazu's hand and examined it closely. Light shone through the vial, making the light soil look golden brown. It reminded Eri of Marcus' eyes and Lila's dress. It also reminded her of the way Kazu had once described the way her eyes looked when she was excited or happy.

"Let's invite my father." Kazu's voice broke the silence. Eri could tell he'd been crying. "But I don't want to talk to him beyond the formal greetings. I don't know about you, but I intend to treat him like an ordinary guest there, not as my father."

She nodded. This was the best compromise they could come up with. Eri did feel that he was being excessively harsh, but she was aware that she didn't know much about what had happened between them. 

Truth be told, if he still disapproves of me, I don't want to meet him either...

"I've always wondered why he dislikes you," Kazu murmured that night as they sat on the lawn behind Eri's house. "What's not to love? You're kind, you're brave, and you're an assistant professor at this age."

Eri blushed, hiding her face in her hands.

"All I know is that the Three Terrors are behind this. They told him something, and that's why he's changed."

"We're not inviting them," Eri declared firmly, looking up. 

"Of course we aren't."

"If they try to attend our wedding, I'll send a blasting spell at them." She pouted.

"Good try, but you're too kind to hurt anyone, Eri." He kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you," he whispered in her ear. "I don't know what I would do without you."

"You would never calm down, that's certain. Sometimes, we all need some time to think. And there's nothing wrong in trying to rebuild lost family relationships after a while. If it goes wrong, I'll take responsibility."

"There's no need for that." Kazu couldn't help laughing at Eri's determination. It somehow brought him great joy that she would stand up for him. "But as long as you're by my side, I can handle anything."

A shooting star crossed the night sky, and at that moment, two wishes were made.

I wish to become stronger and stand up for the people I love.

I wish to become kinder, and be more willing to give others a chance.