The Golden Pear [YA - Featured]

♫~Notes 118~♫

 "She knew she may not make it." Mr. Kamini's lips shivered. "Still, she gave it her all to make sure you would be born. No matter what doctors said about her weak heart, she refused to give up on any of you."

"What do you mean?" Rigaku pushed his glasses up, realizing he needed to clean them from all the tears.

"When we learned, we were expecting triplets, her doctor suggested to keep only one baby, or she had run a high risk of dying. Her weak heart couldn't take such an ordeal. Even the Caesarean section was highly dangerous."

Daggers stabbed the brother's hearts. Not a single thought formed inside their minds. They knew about the difficult delivery, but their father had never mentioned their mother could abort two of them.

"You should have seen her." Their father chuckled. "She almost ripped that doctor apart. She screamed, she is going to deliver all of you. That no matter what, she won't let anybody hurt you. And not even Gods could stop her."

Clenching or digging their fingers into their flesh, they needed a lot of time to digest this.

"Don't blame yourself for her departure," he whispered. "She would rather die than letting any of you go."

Blowing their noses and rubbing the never-ending streams of tears, they believed it. In their hearts, their mother's love planted a seed that grew into a wonderful flower.

This was too much to digest. Freya blinked, her eyes playing tricks on her. For a moment, she thought she had seen a translucent woman standing by the bed, smiling. Be it light or her imagination, she smiled too.

'She still lives with them in their hearts.'

Her father and mother too. Every day she could feel their touch, their love, and heartwarming smiles. Genuine love never dissipated no matter how much time could pass or how many scars formed.

Letting everything sink inside them, they didn't exchange a single word. There was no need since their hearts were connected.

Feeling at ease, Rigaku too out his old notebook.

'That one has his story,' Freya thought, watching their father, whose brows lifted in honest curiosity.

"I've also written my own fairy tale."

Mr. Kamini nodded. "You must have inherited it from Kazue. She would be happy for you."

Nodding, Rigaku continued, "I've stopped writing it, but I've resumed my work." He gave Freya a quick glance, but it seemed their father had caught it.

"I've gotten this idea as a kid, but I couldn't continue."

"How so?" Kagetsu asked, leaning forward in his bed. "Did you lose inspiration?"

His oldest brother shook his head. "No. It was burning inside me, but I've remembered Mr. Sattori-san's words. That this is wasting my talent."

"What?" his brothers shouted in unison.

"That jerk said that?" Aiyoku added, clenching his fists. "Sorry, Father." He looked away, ashamed a bit. "I remember he was recommended to you. Just as a kid, I thought he was a bit too strict."

"He came from Hell for sure," Kagetsu mumbled.

Mr. Kamini's face darkened. "I'm sorry about that. I thought he could develop your hidden talents. All references I've gotten were excellent." He straightened in his chair. "If I knew he would push you through hell, I would have never hired him."

"So, you knew?" his oldest son asked.

"Not until I've returned. I've asked my employees since I saw how your eyes dimmed. Those mischievous sparks were gone. When I confronted him with my findings, Mr. Sattori-san even boasted about how he tortured you, Ri, the whole days."

A new tear glittered in his eyes. "I've ended the contract, paid him his time, and I so wish I could have kicked him from my house... literally."

"Is that why he has never returned?" Rigaku asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry all of you had to go through this experience."

"Don't blame yourself, Dad!" Kagetsu almost fell off the bed as he placed his palm on his shoulder. "You couldn't know. You just wanted us to have a fun summer discovering new things!"

The other brothers nodded, encouraging their father to smile. Then they moved their attention to Rigaku, cueing him to continue.

"Well, I... based the main characters on us, brothers. But that wasn't the only similarity." He needed to take a deep breath before he could continue, mustering his strength. "It was my way to tell you—Follow your dreams."

"But... I'm not sure if I have a dream." Kagetsu sat back in his bed, leaning against the pillow.

"But you don't enjoy flexing your muscles, and everybody around you encouraged you to do so."

The youngest brother crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, a lot of people told me to continue training to be strong and aim to be the best in the world."

Aiyoku added, "I remember a lot of women admiring my hair, telling me to never cut them." He patted his head, almost expecting them to regrow.

"I'm at fault as well." Their father nodded. "I strengthened that feeling inside all of you."

"But I don't mind bodybuilding. It came in handy."

"Ka is right. I also enjoyed my long hair. They made me feel special. They just got all tangled up as I grew older."

"I would lie if I said I was never proud of myself acing my tests or seeing my brothers grow under my tutoring."

All the pain seemed to be forgotten. Nobody blamed anybody. There was no need. While they couldn't pick their paths before, now they could broaden their horizons.

Freya closed her eyes, imagining the Golden Pear. Her choice appeared in front of her. She knew who to pick now. There was no doubt about it.

"Hey, Ri, have you written something new?"

"Well, yes." Rigaku blushed as Kagetsu's face shone.

"Please, tell me! I'm dying to know!"