Hikaru's Parents
Father
Once upon a time in the far distant past, there was a boy who wanted to learn the arts of magic, or ki, he wanted to be special and wanted it with a fevered desperation. He went to a witch and asked to learn the arts of magic from her, she agreed to teach him if he served her loyally for three years. The boy agreed and served her hand and foot, diligently working himself to the bone to please the old lady and after three years had passed, he eagerly awaited lessons, smiling at the old witch. The witch though wasn't smiling, she was angry, enraged. "how dare you presume that you would be worthy of such power! I curse you and all of your decendents to never find a teacher from Japan." she screamed.
This was the Edo period, and since then the Gosunkugi name has been one of mediocrity, always attracted to the occult, but never quite acheiving our goals, always having our hopes and dreams just out of reach. I actually met the witch's decendents once and well....the family story was confirmed and they apologized but no, they didn't have the power to over ride the curse. No, my ancestor didn't do anything wrong it's just well, she was a massive bitch. They were honestly kind of ashamed of her.
They were nice people, but we have lived in the Nerima ward for centuries and like our ancestor served and served without reward. Desperate for some glory by proximity, a family line of wannabees who grew up into neverbeens and died neverhaves. I remembered grandfather talking about magic with a fevered manic glee. I remembered my uncles who died undergoing rites of passage, I remembered my brother dying on the road to some guru in the mountains. I was not immune to the lure either, but I figured I could go into construction content to watch from the outside. I married a blunt, plain woman who was kind and overlooked my daydreaming and watched another generation of Gosunkugi grow into mediocrity.
Like his father, his grandfather, like those before, he too was bullied, he too was attracted like a moth to the flame of the paranormal. He too would suffer until he gave up and married and raised the next generation of nobodies.
"I'm willing to take Hikaru as my apprentice."
And then our world was shattered, the old witch's curse only applied to masters from Japan. The loophole had been staring us in the face the entire time. My father was old and dying from old age, still sharp ,still smart but he was passing away. Hikaru would never forgive me if I passed on this, father would never forgive me, and in the afterlife so many would feel rage, and of course I would never forgive myself either.
"Is it safe?"
Coward, I was a coward.
"Magic is never safe, It will be hard and at times it will be incredibly painful. Power has a price Mr. Gosenkugi, but if Hikaru is willing to endure then I am willing to share my wisdom with him. But I expect him to work hard in his studies."
My mouth was dry...
"So how long until you start teaching him magic?"
I dreaded the thought of a long period of service, it was completely normal and even traditional in the magical world, but we had been burned multiple times.
"Today, I would unlock his aura today, his training would start immediatly."
I should have brought some water, it was too good to be true, it was everything we had ever wanted.
"He has my permission."
My wife frowned and took me aside.
"He said it wasn't-"
I pressed a finger against her lips.
"I love you, more then anything but on this issue I will not budge darling...Hikaru wants this, needs this. I want to give him a future, for him to have it better then us."
We went back to the kitchen in our cramped appartment.
"We agree, to allow our son to learn from you."
I love you Hikaru, please earn this.
"Good now its time to talk about money."
I didn't have a lot, I was in construction, electrician to be exact, but we could put aside whatever we could for lessons. I would make this sacrifice for my son.
"We're willing to pay for lessons."
The man blinked.
"I think there is some miscommunication, I'm not asking you to pay me. I'm going to talk about Hikaru's stipend, and his supplies for his studies and of course he's going to need a full lab and study."
He pulled out a bag and poured out some gold coins.
"I'm going to need you to buy a plot of land, I will handle the construction of the house itself."
My wife had gone pale white, she closed her eyes deep in thought.
"I'm in."
The blond man nodded his head, his green eyes shining in the light as another train went by.
"Hikaru, come here."
The boy ran his face full of glee, the man pressed his hand against his forehead.
"Your training starts today. It will be long, it will be difficult and you will have to learn many things, not just magical things so please no whining. It all serves a purpose, math, crafting, other skills are vital knowledge."
"I understand."
He seemed to vibrate with energy, the man Sensei Macguffin glowed, then my son glowed and for the first time the Gosunkugi family had magic.
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It's been a year now, the news about my sons apprenticeship has reached my boss. I stand firm, ready to be fired, I can find another job, I will make what ever sacrifice I must for his sake, for my sons sake.
"You're being promotted."
I blinked.
"Into management, apparently you're getting special treatment because of your boy."
My boss sneered, he had never liked me. He enjoyed messing with me and insulting me. He threw a folder at me.
"We're equals now, here's your district."
He said it with a pained expression.
"This is the part where you leave Gosunkugi."
I went out the door into the night air, a spring in my step as I walked towards our house.
----------------
It's been two years, we're holding a family reunion, Gosenkugi's from all over Japan are here, from all the special districts in Japan. They watch him with awe as he manipulates the water in the rooftop pool. He's not doing well, his sensei expects better, but he's the golden child, the hope of our clan. We hold him in awe, he is our Hikaru. I gather the adults and tell them about the loophole, the escape clause of our family curse.
I have saved some money, and we agree to pool our efforts, New Orleans, London, China, India a few of us quit their jobs to search for sensei's, the Gosunkugi clan will at long last become great. I watch my son with pride.
"Again."
He trys again and again, the drinks come out and MacGuffin sensei moves over to them.
"Hikaru, more training, cool everyone's drinks."
He nods and we watch in awe as our warm beers are cooled as ice is created for our amusement. We watch our families hopes and dreams come true, in the back I watch as my father cries, tears running down his face, he is not alone.
The mother
I met my husband when I was six years old, he sat next to me and grabbed a cookie out of my bag and I was outraged, angry but I said nothing. I grabbed a another cookie and ate it, I wouldn't back down. Then he ate another one until we were down to the last cookie. Then he calmly broke the last cookie in half and gave me the other side. I was pissed, and then I noticed that my original bag of cookies was untouched. Some unknown boy had given me half his cookies without complaint.
Perhaps that was a sign, I didn't have many friends. I wasn't able to coddle the delicate sensibilities of the other girls. I was perhaps a little too honest, a little too free with my opinions, but my future husband took it all in stride. We were both picked on, both outcasts, he was in time my only friend. So after high school I thought nothing of asking him to marry me, we were not a conventional couple so it felt right. The fact that he didn't know my deep dark secret helped. We got married, my husband got into a good college, not a great one, but a good one. He got a degree in electrical engineering complete with scholarship and then went to work in construction.
We had dreams of a better life, which were cut short by his asshole employer, we watched as less qualified friends were given important jobs ahead of my husband, people with less education, less hour, less everything.
"You deserve more."
An conversation we had before.
"If I have to choose between a bigger paycheck and being with my family, I'm going to choose you and Hikaru every time."
Even if he went drinking and carousing they still wouldn't promote him. The man was a bully and so we lived, my husband did electrical work, Nerima was cheap and people didn't ask to many questions here, which suited me. My son got bullied at school and it was aggrevating, that he was following in my footsteps and in his father's footsteps. Was it our destiny to just be stepped on?
I frowned as a television show came on and some igorant shit made speech about how only true blooded people could be japanese. There was going to be another push to kick out foreigners. I turned off the television and sulked in the darkness. The bullying got worse, Hikaru grew up as a sullen depressed child, fascinated by magic like his father's side of the family. Soon enough that would be crushed out of him, Japan would hammer him down.
"I found a wizard!"
I blinked at his excitement, he was tugging on a man's arm. I studied him, a Gaijin, a westerner with blond hair, green eyes, glasses, and a blue trench coat. I saw faded scars on his hands, slight burns, this was a dangerous man, he practically hummed with power.
"A few boys were messing with your son, so I took care of it."
I could trace the accent, american.
"I'm sorry my boy has a wild imagination and-"
The man teleported to a lamp that had broken and brought out a wand, I watched as the broken lamp was fixed with a single word. He teleported back to me.
"Sorry, but that looked like a safety hazard."
My heart beat rapidly, an actual wizard, I didn't know the yanks had those.
"Mom, can I please learn magic?"
The american sighed.
"Kid, I just got here, I have to get a job and other things."
He turned to the man.
"Please, please, please teach me magic!"
He turned to look at me frustrated.
"Kid, magic is not a toy, it's not a game. It's a tool, one that carries with it grave responsibilities, to others, to the community at large and to yourself."
"Please?"
He stared at my son and then looked at me.
"I refuse to teach you unless you have your parents permission. You will have a week to think it over, really think it over."
He stared hard at him.
"This is not some slight whim boy, this is a ten year committment, and I would expect you to work hard."
He clicked his heels together and looked at me.
"See you in a week."
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I heard the warnings, but my husband stands firm. It's rare for him to do that, to put his foot down, but in this case I won't be able to sway him, won't be able to change my son's mind. The offer is too good to be true. A house of our own, power? I know enough though to know that this is a major deal. An apprenticeship is almost akin to adoption.
We agree, the legal papers are signed and my son is now an apprentice mage. I watch him glow and watch the start of his journey. His sensei allows me to watch him train, it's actually kind of boring. There's a big focus on academics, other languages. I watch my son learn how to cook, how to sew, how to knit. His grades improve markedly. Along the way my son's master becomes a family friend.
The bullying continues but it levels off, the bullies become fewer in number until only the horrid Kuno boy remains. It worries me to have the attention of someone that rich and powerful, thank god he's an idiot. The training continues, my boy gets taller and stronger, he gains definition.
My son graduates middle school at the top of his class, he can go anywhere and he goes to Furinkan high, because that's where his master teaches.
"It's not safe to be around Kuno."
Macguffin nods.
"You honestly think that it's possible for him to be safe?"
"Well um.."
"It isn't, threats will come jealous rivals, others enemies. It's best for him to learn how to defend himself against a minor threat."
"But the bullying-"
"I can make sure that he can defend himself without some school bullshit penalizing him. Most bullied children are not allowed to fight back, Ru has a fighting chance."
I sigh in frustration, I want to stop it, but this is the price I had to pay.
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I get a phone call in the middle of the day.
"I must say you hid it well."
I keep calm.
"You must have the wrong number."
"You parents changed their names, changed their files, if you didn't know better you would never know that you're korean."
"I was born and raised in Japan, I am japanese."
"You will never be Japanese."
Her voice is cold.
"It wasn't easy but I found out your real idenity, I wonder how much your family paid to get a false japanese registry?"
My heart pounds.
"You have the wrong number."
I hang up the phone terrified, I watch my steps, keep away from strangers I relax only after the police raid that horrid little girl's home. A police officer arrives with some paperwork.
"This says your an unregistered korean national."
"My birth certificate clearly states I was born in Japan."
He nods.
"You know... my girl had cancer, terminal she was about 7 years old. There was no cure."
My son volunteered at the hospital...
He took out a lighter and burned the files in front of me.
"It was a clever forgery Gosunkugi-san, but I don't think I will allow a little yakuza whore to bismirch your reputation."
He nods his head and heads out the door, and for now my deception remains in place.
