Chapter Twenty-Four
April, two years later
Tokyo, Japan
THE DRAWING WASN’T the most beautiful thing Xander had ever seen. But it had a lot of promise behind it, and what was more, he felt connected to this artist. She reminded him of himself when he’d been fourteen. Quiet. Withdrawn. No phone in her hand while she waited to be picked up from cram school. She stood off by herself or doodled in her notebook, not giggling with the other girls during breaks.
Yes, Xander saw a lot of his younger self in Sakura-san.
He looked over the top of the notebook at the girl before him, standing with her head bowed, ready to be disciplined. He supposed he must. She had been drawing instead of paying attention to her English lessons, which her parents were paying for. Yet he couldn’t stop wracking his brain, trying to find a way to reprimand her for not following the rules while reaching out to the shy artist inside as well.
“As portraits go,” he said in English, “it’s not bad, but your proportions are off.” He tapped the arms with his pencil. “It doesn’t look like you started with proportional sketching, and that’s why the arms are long and floppy like pieces of spaghetti. Also, you’re clearly hiding the hands instead of drawing them, which is cheating.”
She frowned at him, looking worried. “I don’t understand,” she said in Japanese.
Xander raised an eyebrow. “You would, perhaps,” he said in the same language, “if you listened in class, instead of drawing.” Ignoring her blush, he picked up his own pencil and began to sketch an angry Moo and cheerful Hotay on either side of her character, giving the lesson in Japanese this time as he went along. “You must map out your figure first. You see? Then, once you have that in place, you pencil in the lines you mean to keep, erase the ones you don’t, and…there. A proper drawing.” He passed her the paper. “If you hadn’t been doodling in class, I would sit with you now and teach you more drawing. But since you weren’t paying attention, I’m going to give you extra English to write out at home, and speak to your mother. Next time, however, if your English practice is good, I’ll teach you more drawing.”
Sakura’s whole being lit up with wonder. “Yes, thank you, sensei!” She bowed, waited for him to write out her homework, then bowed again as she accepted it and hurried out of the room. She wasn’t even upset as he had a quiet word with her mother, and she only nodded when her mother scolded her, casting a quiet look Xander’s way.
It took everything in him not to smile and wink back.
Once Sakura and her mother were gone, Xander gathered his things and looked around the hallway, but his husband was nowhere to be found. After a few polite inquiries of other lingering staff and the janitor, Xander headed where he should have gone all along: the building’s roof.
He found Skylar standing at the rail, looking over the city in twilight, wind rippling gently at his hair. He wore a suit, but it was a cheap one, ill fitting, the kind that was all a teacher could afford, especially one living in an expensive city with his part-time artist and cram school teacher husband and their two cats who had been incredibly expensive to move overseas.
Xander enjoyed this view for a moment, then pushed out of the doorway and went to stand beside Skylar. “Konbanwa.”
Skylar smiled without turning his head. “Sorry, I lost track of time.”
“It’s all right. I built fetching my roof-gazing husband into our travel itinerary.”
Skylar had come to collect Xander with their suitcase in tow, and their neighbors were already set to feed Hokusai and Hiromu while they were gone. Skylar taught full time during the day at a private school in a suburb on the other side of town, whereas Xander usually worked at the cram school helping students study on evenings and weekends, and then as an artist whenever the mangakas called him in. This weekend however they had some rare time off. They were on to the bullet train that would take them to Kyoto, where they were set to meet Pamela and the others, who had come, at last, for their long-promised trip together through Japan.
Xander and Skylar’s dinner that night was ekiben, the bento lunch served on the train, which according to Skylar was one of the greatest delicacies in the world.
“Did you hear anything from the others yet?” Xander asked as they dug into their food. “Have they arrived?”
“Confirmation text of landing, but that’s about it. They’re all on Wi-Fi only because of international rates, and remember only Pamela speaks Japanese. I suspect she’s got her hands full keeping them from freaking out at the moment.” Skylar wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Oh—and I forgot to tell you! My dad called me today. Charlie, I mean.”
Xander dropped his chopsticks and turned full on to his husband. “Shut up. Really? How did it go? What did he say?”
Skylar shrugged, but he smiled too, a gentle blush staining his cheeks. “It was fine. A little awkward because it was the first time, but it was a good start. I didn’t have much time since it was on my break and I was in the workroom with all the other teachers. He’s going to call again next weekend when I’m at home. The time difference is rough.”
“But it went okay? He was nice?”
Skylar’s smile expanded like a slow sunrise. “Yeah. He was…he was great. He said I sounded like an amazing young man and…” He stopped, taking a breath, reaching for Xander’s hand. “He said he was proud of me.”
“Oh, Skylar. I’m so happy for you.”
Skylar nudged Xander with his knee. “And you? I heard you on the phone with your mom this morning. Tell me how that went. Is it still on?”
Xander nodded and let out a breath. “Yeah. She’s got her ticket. She and my aunt are coming in September.” He laughed. “God, if I actually get that job I’m hoping for working on that manga, I don’t know how I’ll have time off to see them.”
“We’ll work it out. Don’t worry.”
Xander laced their fingers together, and for a long time they didn’t say anything at all.
The others were waiting for them as they arrived in Kyoto. Unc came up to them first and smothered them in hugs. “It’s so good to see you. Missed you guys so much.”
Cory’s eyes were huge. “I can’t get over how fast we got here from Tokyo.”
Jacob shook his head. “The US needs to seriously take notes on Japanese infrastructure.”
Sara hugged them next. Xander noticed she had no arm braces on. “You’re looking well.”
“Feeling well,” she said. “It’s been a good run, lately. I’m hoping it lasts as long as possible.”
Xander also noticed Unc had his arm around Sara, and that she leaned into the crook of his shoulder. He smiled, pleased to see his friends still together and happy.
Pamela looked radiant. She was in her element, leading her tribe. Zelda looked nervous, not in their element somewhere they didn’t know the language, but they perked up as soon as Xander asked how the campaign was going.
“Excellent. I love working for Senator Schumaker. She’s going to be president, I swear.”
“Or maybe you will be.”
“Or maybe I will.”
Pamela clapped her hands. “All right, we need to check in to the hotel. Are you all ready? Does everyone have their things?”
They did, and everyone trailed after her as she led them to the traditional Japanese inn she had picked out. Skylar and Xander took up the rear, smiling as they watched everyone they loved argue and fuss and in general be present with them.
They had a meal together, where Xander and Skylar got to show off everything they knew not only about the language but the culture and the dining, helping their friends avoid things they wouldn’t be adventurous enough yet to try and nudging them to attempt things they might. Afterward they all went to the onsen together—the men to the men’s section, the women to the women’s section, and…
“Binary bullshit,” Zelda grumbled.
“Form new straight lines.” Jacob tried to soothe them. “Just maybe not while you’re on international soil.”
“It’s so wonderful to see everyone,” Skylar said to Xander as they lay in bed together that night. “I wish they could stay forever.”
“We should probably look into getting back stateside again soon,” Xander admitted. “I didn’t realize how much I missed them until they were all here.”
They twined their fingers together to kiss good night, wrapped their arms around each other, and went to sleep.
Pamela met them at breakfast with a printed itinerary.
“We’re going to hit all the temples on the list today. I have it mapped out. There are breaks planned, but if we need more—Sara, I’m looking at you—let me know. We’ll stop for other things that catch our eye, but these are the temples I thought we should hit. I think you’ll see why.”
They stared at their sheets. Jacob frowned. “I don’t get it.” The others agreed.
Everyone, that is, except Unc and Skylar, who gasped and looked at each other, then Pamela. “Oh my God,” Unc whispered.
Pamela’s eyes danced. “I think you mean, oh my gods.”
Xander was curious now. “Why? What’s going on?”
Skylar held up the sheet to him. “This tour is called the journey of the seven gods. She’s taking us on a tour of ourselves.”
“There’s a stop for Fudō Myōō too,” Pamela said, beaming, “though there’s a hike involved. I guess the guy likes heights. We’ll get a wonderful view when we finish.”
Everyone was excited to start out after that, and they rushed through breakfast and set out for the first stop, Fukurokuju, which was the masculine form of Kichijōten, Pamela’s god. She insisted it was only because of the timing, but everyone teased her for being a blood type B, and they had a good laugh before they got serious and went up to ring the bell and call the god.
Xander had been to many temples and shrines since he’d moved to Japan, but he’d never been with his own personal tribe of Shichifukujin, and it was a sacred experience indeed. They laughed, they teased, they communed with one another—just like the old days back at the Palace of the Sun. Except now they were in the Land of the Rising Sun, in the city that housed the most sacred heart of Japan, the houses of the gods that had brought them all together.
As they hiked up the hill to Fudō Myōō’s temple, ascending the two hundred fifty steps to the hall where the deity was housed with Skylar’s hand clasped in his, Xander reflected how far he’d come from the day Skylar had burst into his studio and insisted his art was worth something. As his legs burned with the ache of the climb, his heart swelled with the realization that somehow, through this journey, he had truly become something more.
Become? Or acknowledged, at last, what you always were?
The thought felt too bold on the stairs, but as he entered the body of the hall, as the altar of the deity came into view, flanked by the panorama of the city below, the last of his self-doubt sloughed away. No, it wasn’t too bold. He had always been something more.
He was Xander Fairchild. And he was just getting started.
The power of that conviction burned in him as they left Fudō’s shrine and headed for Benzaiten’s, where there was not a mountain of stairs. Instead they were greeted with a lovely bridge over a pond, and a riot of cherry trees in full bloom.
Skylar grinned and hurried toward the shrine. “Come on, Xander. Let’s go.”
Xander followed him over the bridge, but he held back, smiling as Skylar eagerly went to see his goddess. He had thrived in Japan the same way Xander had—Skylar was so happy here, always smiling, beaming wherever he went. As usual, everyone in Japan loved Skylar. But they loved sempai Skylar, the kind and clever teacher, and kawaii Skylar, who was always so excited to unwrap the carefully prepared bentos Xander made for him every morning. They loved good neighbor Skylar, who had learned to make mochi and shared it with everyone at New Year’s. They loved the real Skylar, the same as Xander did, all the parts of him.
The real Skylar was here now, in full bloom the same as the cherry trees lining the bridge to Benzaiten’s shrine. Xander watched his husband move, memorizing every detail, ready to sketch him the second they were finished here and on their break. But he needed to see his face…
“Skylar!”
Skylar turned to face him.
The wind picked up, whirling through the grove. It ruffled Skylar’s hair, his polo and his khaki pants, his pink cardigan. It shook the branches of the cherry tree above them, and sent the blossoms raining down on the bridge, onto the man standing there beneath the boughs.
Skylar glanced up as the petals fell, then held out his hands, laughing as he caught the flowers.
Xander smiled and etched the image onto his heart.