A/N: Well, hello again! I apologize for the wait, but I now present to you the very last chapter of Back to Where It Began. It actually took me a while to finish this because it's the end and being an overly emotional person, I got kinda sad...*littletear* But, nevertheless, thank you to everyone who's been following the story from the beginning and have commented and encouraged me along the way. You are all awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over! Please read, review, and enjoy!
Standard issued disclaimer applies! Thanks for looking! =)
~*~CHAPTER 11~*~
"Oh man, did I sleep well last night! Aya-mom you have got to tell me the secret to your tea! It knocked me out flat!" Gene exclaimed the next morning. Ayako laughed and pulled out the box of SLEEPY TIME tea she had made. Gene was blown-away. Who knew the Japanese could have the same type of tea as Americans?
"What time were you meeting Kaidoh and Momoshiro, Uma?" Ayako asked as she cleared away the dishes. Uma looked at the clock. It was 10:30.
"In about an hour mom," she said as she stood up from the table and stretched. She didn't sleep well last night, her head was still spinning from Rory's resolve, but yet she felt very at peace.
"What are you going to do before then?" Aya asked she started wiping off the counter.
"Could we maybe go shopping?" Rory asked thoughtfully. Gene dropped the spoon he was using and stared. Rory NEVER wanted to go shopping.
"Really, Rory? You want to go shopping!"
"Well, yeah, I mean, we leave in a couple of days anyway…and I just thought it'd be cool to get Mom and Dad some mementoes," he said thoughtfully. Uma smiled. Rory was such a good son.
"That sounds great! I know this cool little shopping center near the station, we could go there," Uma said. Gene jumped from his chair.
"I'm going to go get my bag! We need to get moving!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, Gene," Uma sighed laughing. "What a goof,"
"That's Gene for you," Rory shrugged as he pushed away from the table and stood up. He walked over and gave Aya a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for breakfast, Aya-mom," he said as Ayako giggled.
"You silly kid! Go! Have fun today!" She said shooing them out of the kitchen. Rory laughed as Gene bounded down the stairs, hair flying, clutching his favorite bag.
"Let's go!" he shouted enthusiastically striking a jaunty pose. Uma and Rory looked at each and struck a pose back, imitating Gene. "Let's go!"
"Yo, Mamushi-buchou!" Momo called out when he spotted Kaidoh in the station. Kaidoh was leaning against a pillar near the center, staring at the floor. Kaidoh glanced up in Momo's direction and nodded his head in acknowledgement, his thoughts were elsewhere.
Momo slid up to the pillar and leaned against it as well, glancing about the station, watching people as they scurried past. It was such a nice day and he was so excited to talk with Uma's American friends. "Ready for today?" he asked as he pulled out his iPod and stuck the buds in his ear.
Kaidoh hissed in response. Momo rolled his eyes, how typical. "Well, I hope you're more conversational than that when they get here," he said as he cranked up his music.
"What should I do?"
"Huh?" Momo took out an ear bud and turned towards Kaidoh. He blinked; Kaidoh's eyes were wide and filled with an emotion that he couldn't quite place. "What'd you say?"
"What should I do?" Kaidoh said again. Momo stared blankly at Kaidoh, unsure how to answer. It wasn't very often Kaidoh Kaoru let his guard down, especially to him! Momo shook his and cleared his thoughts. He shrugged and pushed off the pillar. He turned to his captain, his rival, his friend and laughed.
"Do what you always do, Mamushi! Sweep her off her feet, tell her you love her, and give her a big smacker!" Momo suggested lightly. That did the trick. Kaidoh snorted and shook his head. He looked up and laughed.
"I knew you wouldn't be any help,"
"Hey, now! You asked, I helped, so go do it!" Momo encouraged. Kaidoh turned towards him and smiled a very rare Kaidoh smile.
"Thanks, Momoshiro, maybe I will,"
"Maybe you should…hey!" Momo had caught sight of Uma. He started waving wildly. "Uma! Over here, over here!" he called out.
Kaidoh looked up and saw her, the girl of his dreams. He looked her dead in the eyes; God he loved her eyes. She looked hesitant, but then, she was coming toward him. She was quickening her paced until she was there jumping into his arms.
"Kaoru," she whispered as she hugged him tight. He blinked in surprised and then quickly hugged her in return. "I'm back," she said. "Forever."
There his was. He was leaning up against a pillar when they walked into the station. The same pillar he was leaning on when they went on their first date so many years ago. Uma's heart skipped a beat. He looked so good! Momo was standing there next to him chatting away aimlessly when he glanced in their direction.
"Hey! Uma! Over here, over here!" He called out waving dramatically. Kaidoh lifted his head and looked directly into her eyes. Uma felt her breath catch. She clutched Rory's arm.
Rory looked over at her; she was scared. He placed his hand on hers and lifted it off his arm. She looked at him. "Is it really okay?" She asked quickly. Rory blinked, she wasn't scared; she was excited. Her eyes were shining. He smiled and nodded. "Really, it is," he replied.
She let go of his hand. "Thank you," she said softly as she turned towards Kaidoh and Momo who were watching their approach. She quickened her step towards them. As soon as she reached Kaidoh she flung her arms around him and hugged him tight.
Kaidoh blinked in surprised but recovered quickly to return the hug. Momo started grinning ear to ear. Uma was back!
"Whoa, are you okay with that Rory?" Gene asked seriously as the two of them followed up behind Uma. Rory smiled sadly and looked at his long time friend. Gene looked worried.
"Yes, old buddy, it is," he replied. "I went to her last night; I had to let her go." He revealed. Gene's eyes got wide. He couldn't believe it. Rory sighed and watched the exchange in front of them. "She never left really left Japan, you know," he said gesturing towards the group. "She just came back to collect her heart."
"Really?" Rory nodded. Gene whistled, "Wow, Rory, that's so mature of you. I'm sorry, though." Gene flung a sympathetic arm around him. "However," he continued perking up a bit. "I don't ever regret introducing her to you, you know."
Rory laughed. "I know, Gene, I know," he paused. "…And in some way, I think that saved me; from what I could have been."
"So, now what?" Gene asked as they stopped in front of the group. Rory turned to him and laughed.
"Now, we go to lunch!"
"Lunch?" Uma turned back to her two best American friends. "Sounds great! Ready Momo?"
Momo looked at Uma and then at Kaidoh, "Did she mention food?" he asked. Kaidoh nodded, slightly embarrassed. He hissed softly, "Dumb ass…"
Lunch, much to Uma's surprise, was an entertaining affair. They ended up going to Kawaruma Sushi where Taka-san about fell over in excitement when he saw Uma walk in. They were quickly ushered to a special table where Uma ended up sitting between Kaidoh and Gene. Taka-san was now a full-fledged sushi chef like his father and ended up making their group's lunch. Uma was ecstatic since that meant she could eat as much Ootoro as she wanted. Rory had never eaten sushi before and watched in awe as Momo stuffed his face like a speed demon only to come up for air when his plate was empty.
"Does he always eat like this?" he asked nervously as Momo called out for another plate. Uma shrugged and laughed. "It sure seems like it!"
Kaidoh nodded, "Yeah, I don't know if he ever gets full," Rory looked at Kaidoh a bit surprised. He really didn't expect Kaidoh to speak to him.
"Oh my gosh, Uma, this is so good! I love sushi! And I can't believe how Momo-kun is packing it away!" Gene gushed as he scarfed down another roll. He was having so much fun! He didn't even notice the slight tension between Kaidoh and Rory.
After about an hour of eating and light conversation, mostly about Momo's eating habits and the different varieties of sushi, the group headed out back to the streets discussing what they should do next. Uma wanted to go back and shop, but Gene and Momo were pushing for karaoke. Rory and Kaidoh said nothing and lingered behind them as they walked down the sidewalk.
Rory glanced over at Kaidoh who wore a slight scowl. He knew what Kaidoh was thinking, or at least had an inkling. He sighed. He needed to clear the air with Kaidoh. Rory walked over to Kaidoh and started walking in stride with him. "Hey, Kaoru, you speak English pretty well don't you?" he asked.
Kaidoh narrowed his eyes and glanced over at the American boy. "For the most part, yes. Why?"
Rory sighed and scratched his head. It was now or never. He didn't want tension between him and Kaidoh, he didn't want tension between Kaidoh and Uma. He just wanted closure. He wanted everyone to be happy. "Well, I figure I can go ahead and be straight up with you then."
Kaidoh nodded, "Ah,"
"Listen, I just wanted you to know, I'm done. Uma made her decision and she chose you." He said slowly as if he was letting it sink in.
"Oh, I see," Kaidoh replied. Was this boy serious? He looked over at Momoshiro, Uma, and Gene who were consulting a guidebook Gene had bought. Uma was laughing she looked up and caught his eyes in hers. She smiled. Kaidoh smiled back. Rory saw her smile for him and sighed inwardly. Yeah, she really loved him. Taking a deep breath, Rory pivoted on his heel and turned back towards the group.
"Yep, so I guess I only have one request from you," Rory called over his shoulder. Kaidoh gave him a surprised look and stepped up his pace to walk even with Rory.
"Sure, what is it?" He asked as they approached the group.
Rory paused and touched his forearm. He looked at Kaidoh in the eyes and said "Take good care of her,"
Kaidoh smiled, "That, my good man, will not be hard to do."
Rory laughed and shook his. "No, I suspect it won't." He paused. "But you know she won't let you," he added jokingly.
Kaidoh laughed a little and nodded in agreement. "That's what makes it fun,"
"…you're absolutely right," Rory concluded.
Uma watched the boys approach. She wondered why they had been hanging back. Maybe they were embarrassed of Momo and Gene, who, to put it mildly, were embarrassing. She waved over at them, "Hey! Why are you dawdling over there? Come on! Gene and Momo want to go sing karaoke!"
"Karaoke?" They asked in unison. They looked at each other with slight fear on their faces.
Gene bounded over and linked arms with Rory. "Yes, come on Rory! It'll be so much fun!" He gushed dramatically.
"Well…I…"
Momo joined in on the fun, "C'mon Mamushi-buchou! I bet I sing better than you!" he said as he elbowed Kaidoh in the ribs. Kaidoh hissed. If Momo tried to link arms with him, he'd punch his face.
"…no doubt about that…" Kaidoh muttered in English. Rory heard him and laughed out loud. Was that the first time he admitted defeat? Kaidoh turned to Rory and gave him a warning look. "…but you can't tell him I said that…"
"Like I could!" Rory said backing away slightly. Kaidoh was scary when the attention was put on oneself!
"I would!" Uma said brightly linking arms with Kaidoh. He looked at her with mock fear.
"Uma, you wouldn't!" he asked sarcastically. She just laughed and hugged his arm. He smile and adjusted his arm around her shoulders. Yeah, this was definitely the best spot for his arm.
"Hey now!" Momo said frantically looking at the exchange between Uma, Kaidoh and his new American friends. "You're all speaking English, no fair! No fair!" he pouted. In the restaurant, he hadn't really noticed it, but he just realized everyone was speaking English!
"You need to study harder in class, idiot," Kaidoh said plainly in English. Rory and Gene busted up laughing. Uma rolled her eyes.
"What? What did he say, Uma?" Momo asked pulling on Uma's arm. "What did he say?"
The rest of the week passed quickly. On the last day of their visit, Uma, Rory, and Gene went to watch the finals of the tournament, where Seigaku managed to pull out another spectacular win. Rory even managed to get into it and cheered for Seigaku. That night, they even joined the team in celebration even though Rory and Gene had no idea what was really going on. Uma had to interpret all night. But, it was totally worth it.
The next morning Uma escorted the boys back to the airport where Kaidoh joined them to send them off back to America. It was a bittersweet ending, Rory decided, to a long and exciting journey. As they poised to enter the customs gate, Rory turned to Uma and gave her one last good-bye.
"Well, Ito, it was one wild ride," he said lightly as he adjusted the strap on his carry-on. He leaned over and gave Uma a squeeze and quick peck on the cheek.
Uma laughed and hugged him back. "It sure was Rory, thanks for being a part of it," she said as she squeezed his hand. She was going to miss him. But, she knew where her heart really was.
"Thanks for letting me be," he smiled in returned. He turned Kaidoh who was standing nonchalantly beside her. He stuck out his hand, "Kaidoh,"
"Yeah?" Kaidoh asked as he gave his hand back. The boys shook.
"It was nice to finally meet you," Rory said as they let go of their hands. "Good luck with tennis, and if you're ever in the States, be sure to look us up," he offered.
Kaidoh nodded. "Will do, thank you Rory," he replied wholeheartedly. They turned back to watch Gene say goodbye to Uma, who, to put it mildly was putting on an awful display of affection.
"Umaaaaa!" Gene wailed as he picked up Uma into a bone-crunching hug.
"Gennnnneeee!" she squealed in return as he swung her around in circles. They both laughed and laughed as people stared. Rory groaned and covered his face. Kaidoh hissed and turned away; too much overkill.
After Gene sat her back down, he wiped away a few tears that had fallen from his eyes. He grasped her hands tightly. "I love you so much, I'm gonna miss you so much!" he blubbered as more tears began to fall. Uma was his best friend in literally the whole wide world. "I'm so glad I helped you to English class!"
Uma laughed and wiped away her own tears. "Gene, I love you too!" she replied back and gave him one more hug.
"C'mon, big boy, we need to get going!" Rory said as he clapped a hand on Gene's shoulder and pulled him away. Gene finally let go and grabbed his things. He was still calling and waving as their entered the Customs Check and he was still calling and waving after they entered the Gate.
Uma was laughing and waving along with him. She sighed and finally turned back to Kaidoh who was staring off into the airport. "Kaoru?"
"Déjà vu," he said quietly looking around.
"Oh?" she asked as she linked arms with him and started walking towards the entrance.
Kaidoh nodded, "The last time I was here was when you were the one getting on that plane," he said softly looking down at her.
Uma looked off into the distance, remembering that day. "That was a pretty awesome kiss," she said after some thought.
Kaidoh blushed and clutched her hand tighter, "You remember that?"
"How could I forget!" Uma laughed. It had been one of the most passion-filled kisses she had ever experienced, even if she was only 14 at the time.
"So," he asked as he pulled her around and hugged her close to him. "Are we gonna make this work?"
Uma wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes and smiled, "Yeah, I think we are,"
"Good, because I don't ever want to let you go again," Kaidoh replied as he leaned down to kiss her. Just before their lips connected Uma answered back softly, "Don't worry, because I don't intend to leave."
~*~*~*~A Few Months Later….~*~*~*~
"Oh no way!" Uma exclaimed early in morning. She was getting ready for school and had just checked her email. She and Gene had been emailing constantly ever since he and Rory returned from their trip. He emailed her at least once a day. A lot had happened since their last meeting. Rory had gotten himself a new girlfriend, Gene had taken up Japanese language classes, and they were now starting their Senior year of high school. It was weird to Uma, who had already been in senior for half a year now. It was hard to believe she'd be done with high school and off to college.
"What is it Uma?" Ayako called from down the stairs. Uma laughed and called back down.
"Gene just emailed me! He said he had applied for an international study abroad scholarship to study Japanese language in Tokyo next summer! He said he made a list of finalists for the state. Apparently they take one from each state that offers the program! How cool is that?"
"Good for him. I hope he makes it! Gene's such a good boy!" Ayako said happily as she returned to the kitchen. Uma bounded down the stairs in her uniform and grabbed an apple off the counter. "Have you heard from Kaoru lately?" she asked as Uma grabbed her books and started for the door.
Uma paused before heading out. "Yeah, I think he gets back from his tourney in Hawaii tomorrow night." She replied. After Nationals, Kaidoh and Momo, along with Echizen and Arai had been selected to play on the Japanese All Star Team in the International Junior Goodwill Games in Honolulu. Kaidoh and Momo were chosen play doubles.
"That's lovely; you'll have him over right?" Ayako asked without a beat. Ever since the boys' visit, Kaidoh had become like one of the family, coming over to family dinners and interacting with Uma's parents and brothers. Uma's father liked Kaidoh a lot, even though he never said so. Ayako already considered him her sixth son.
"Of course!" Uma replied. She and Kaidoh's relationship had grown a lot since then. It had become their habit to meet down on the riverbank whenever there was a problem, celebration, or they just wanted time to themselves. He could tell her whatever he felt and she would listen. She could confess all her worries and he would sit there and hold her tight. Their conversations, which had started off so random and cliché matured and molded into their futures and their dreams. When Uma looked ahead, she looked at it with Kaidoh by her side. Kaidoh had become that missing piece and she surely wasn't about to let it go. Shaking her head, Uma glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already 8:30! "Hey mom, I gotta go, class starts in thirty minutes!"
"Have a great day, dear!"
"Bye mom!" She called as she bounded out the door. She was excited. Things seemed to be going right for once. As she hurried along the street, her phone buzzed; a text message. She stopped and fished it out of her bag.
Message from Kaidoh, K. "Momo and I won junior doubles. Will be back tomorrow night around eight. Meet you at the usual place?"
Uma smiled and snapped her phone shut. Yeah, it was good to be back to where it began.
~*~EPILOGUE~*~
It was a few weeks after graduation. Kaidoh and Uma were in Uma's room cleaning and packing. Uma was getting ready to move her stuff into a brand new apartment, closer to campus. Kaidoh was on his hands and knees digging things out from under Uma's bed. Who would have thought a girl would leave so much…stuff under here! As he reached blindly underneath, his hand hit something. He looked under the bed and saw a small cardboard box. He pulled it out and wiped off a small trace of dust. Written on the top in English was the word 'Letters'. Curious, he opened the box and looked inside. There was an array of newspaper clippings, magazine cutouts and envelopes. He picked up one of the envelopes.
"What are these?" he asked as he read the name on the envelope. His eyes got wide; these envelopes were addressed to him!
"What are what?" Uma asked distractedly from her closet. She was trying to gather all her shoes together. She had no idea where all these shoes came from.
"Are these letters?" he asked holding up the envelope. Uma turned around. She froze. He found her box of letters! Quick as a flash she dove for the box, her face a million shades of red.
"No! Don't look in there!" she shouted as she landed with a thud in front of Kaidoh. He had pulled the box just out of her reach.
"Why not?" he asked smugly as he turned away from her and dug through the box. There were several letters to him.
"Because they're mine…." Uma exclaimed as she tried to take the box from him. She managed to hook her fingers on a corner and she pulled. Unfortunately that only caused Kaidoh to lose his grip on the box and the box went flying, sending the letters and clippings everywhere. Uma began to panic. She scrambled across the floor, trying to gather the pieces of paper quickly. "Look what you did! They're everywhere!" she cried out in embarrassment.
Kaidoh picked up one of the envelopes and pulled out one of the letters. "Oh, what's this say…." He started. "'Dear Kaoru…' hey are these for me?" he asked curiously.
Uma hid her faces in her hands. "No, no! Don't read them!" Kaidoh didn't listen, he continued to read the letters; letters she had written to him, letters from the years she spent in America, letters from Uma.
"'..and I just wanted to say I miss you and I love you and I will see you soon….'" Kaidoh paused and looked over at his girlfriend who sat on the floor of her messy room crying tears of embarrassment. He smiled and reached over for her. "Uma,"
"I told you not to read them!" she blubbered as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Are you crying?"
"No! Give them back!" she demanded as she reached for them. Kaidoh turned away and picked up more of the letters.
"No way, these are addressed to me! I'm going to keep them!" he insisted selfishly as he hugged the letters to his chest. This is what he had waited for. For almost four years.
As Kaidoh continued reading through the letters, Uma summoned a bit of strength. "Kaidoh Kaoru! I'm warning you!" she threatened as she picked up a pillow and prepared to strike.
Kaidoh turned to her just as she started to swing. "Uma, did you mean to mail these to me but didn't?" She stopped her swing and let the pillow drop. She looked away.
"I-I couldn't, because, well, it was embarrassing to be honest!" She sputtered as her cheeks turned even redder. "I'd never written a love letter before and the letters you sent me were always so good that I…" She trailed off as Kaidoh started laughing. He couldn't help it. He was so happy right now. Uma glared at him. "Why are you laughing? Don't laugh at me!" and she started crying again.
Kaidoh stood up and walked over to his girlfriend. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I love you," he whispered. And he meant it, every word. This woman was meant for him.
Uma hugged him in return. "I love you too,"
"So I can keep the letters?" he asked as he pressed his cheek to the top of her head.
"Not a chance," she replied into his chest as she tried to pry the letter from his hands. She was horribly unsuccessful. He squeezed her tight and she felt his heart pounding into her chest. She sighed and relaxed into his embrace. Maybe she'd let him keep them after all.
THE END