Once Upon A December.

I froze as he wrapped his arms around me, so suddenly it caught me completely
off guard. I could feel my heart palpitate wildly in my chest, and my cheeks burned as
I allowed my body to relax and leaned into his embrace. The tears I thought would not
come again threatened to make a reappearance, but I had learned to fight them back
to to depths where they belonged.

I parted my lips to respond, only to close them once again in an attempt to regain a
steady voice--along with my composure.

"Thank you...I appreciate your kindness," I managed to force out, relieved that my voice
had not betrayed me.

"I can't imagine kindness ever being annoying," I replied with a chuckle as he
pulled away from the embrace.

"Alright, so here we are."

His words hit me like a ton of bricks, and instantly I could feel a lump rising
in my throat and my stomach turn to knots. Why did I feel so nervous all of
a sudden? The door swung open and I cautiously peered inside, inspecting
the entry way as if I expected something to jump out and attack me.

I quickly relaxed, however, at the feeling of familiarity that washed over me
as my eyes scanned my surroundings. Absolutely nothing had changed--the
entry way rug, the sandy hardwood floors, the antique mirror Kai's mother
Yuuka had always been so proud of that still hung perfectly on the cinnamon
colored wall. Everything was exactly the same as I remembered it as a child,
and the wave of memories that followed caused another lump in my throat to
rise. I remembered how much my mom loved that mirror as well, she and
Yuuka would fawn over it every time we came to visit.

"Wish you were here to see it now, Mom..."

His hand on my shoulder startled me--I hadn't realized how deep in thought I
was. Still, I looked up at him and offered up the best smile I could. He'd been
wonderful to me since I'd arrived, and I did not want to cause him or his family
more trouble than I already was.

"Thanks," I whispered, gathering up my strength and stepping into the
entryway hall. The warm, almost festive scent I'd always remembered hit
my nostrils, and it brought back distant, happy memories of the holidays
my family and I used to spend here. My lips pulled back into a pained
smile--all this reminiscing was hard to handle.

"Are your parents here?"

His words brought a smile to my face, and I tucked the hair falling into
my face behind my ear. I had nothing but good memories of my God parents--
they were amazing people. Always had been.

"Well that's nice of them to say," I replied softly, though I had brightened up
a bit. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all...

"Can you show me to the room I'll be staying in?"

I followed after him, running my hand along the rich, wooden hand railings
as we ascended slowly upward. While the first floor remained a clear image
in my mind, the second floor was a bit more vague. I did remember, however,
the room my parents and I stayed in when I was very, very little. It was
only once I grew older I received my own room, which I also remembered
was right across the hall from Kai's.

I held my breath as we reached the top, and the fuzzy images I had been
imagining suddenly came into being.

"Wow..." I mouthed, barely above a whisper. I'd remembered more than I
originally thought.

I smiled as I stepped foot into my old room, slowly taking in all the new details
that had been added since the last time I'd visited--years and years ago. The furniture
had been updated with a more modern, older look, and as I ran my hand along one of
the walls I remembered the old, patterned wallpaper that had now been replaced with
a fresh layer of light blue paint. Had they remembered blue was my favorite color?

I smiled softly, gazing at the brand new comforter that adorned the double posted bed
tucked in the corner of the room. It was also a pretty, sapphire blue.

"Well, it has changed a bit since the last time I visited, huh?" I turned back to Kai and
grinned. "I love it, thank you."

"Too bad, I packed a ball in my suitcase and everything," I chuckled, making
myway over to the bed and leaning back with a sigh of relief. I closed my
eyes for a moment, letting my body relax and the bed support my weight.
Everything here was so familiar to me, and for once since the death of my
parents I felt the void in my chest lessen--if only a tiny bit. Nevertheless,
the difference it made on my heavy, stiff body was nothing short of relief.

"My chest feels a little less heavy...like it's a bit easier to breathe..."

At Kai's voice I smiled and opened my eyes, shifting my attention back to
him and nodding in response to his words.

"Yes, you remembered. Thank you! Blue will always be my absolute
favorite color."

"Wow, would you take a look at that..." I took the picture into my hands and
chuckled, rubbing my thumb across the glass and wiping away the light layer
of dust that had settled over the images of our grinning faces. Our cheeks
and clothes were caked in mud, our hair disheveled and nappy from rolling
around in the dirt.

"Remember those days? When playing in the mud like piglets was acceptable?"
I laughed, moving to my night stand and placing the framed picture gently
upon the surface. "And our mothers would be furious every time...typical us,
it wasn't fun unless we got filthy in the process."

I smiled softly at his words and leaned in, graciously returning his tight hug.
I felt a lump begin to rise in my throat once again, but I had become
accustomed to swallowing it down and ignoring the hot sting behind
my eyes. Now was not the time for tears.

"Thanks, Kai."

I was grateful to have a second family to help me through this tough time--how
could I have ever forgotten about them? It had been years, and although they
popped up in my mind from time to time I had never given much thought to how
they were doing. I hadn't even taken the time to pick up the phone and give
them a call, yet they were still here for me at the drop of a dime.

"I suppose there is something positive that's come out of this nightmare..."

At that moment I heard the front door creak open, and I turned my attentions
toward the hallway as I heard footsteps enter the house. Were they home now?

My heart leapt to my throat as Kai took a hold of my hand and began to

guide me through the hallway and down the stairs. They were anxious

to see me?? Then why did I feel like my chest was going to burst? As we

descended I caught sight of them, and at the sheer delight on their faces

I offered them the warmest smile I could muster. Such good people...

They were both exactly as I remembered them. Mariko, his mother, was

petite and slender with a delicate smile and elegant features. Though

she had aged some, her eyes and skin remained youthful and smooth. 

Shuji, his father, was tall and robust. He held the same toothy grin I had

remembered giggling at as a child, and though he had a few flecks of 

white in his hair his eyes still held the mischievous twinkle that had 

always saved Kai and I from being punished when Mariko took to 

scolding us for continuously getting into trouble. 

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura," I greeted them with a low bow. Although

it was a bit formal, I wanted to show them how much I appreciated their

kindness. As I moved to raise my head I could feel my ankles trembling, 

and I squeezed them together to avoid their nervous movement being 

noticed. "It's nice to see you again, it has been a long time..."