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 Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 9:35 am
It had been a delightful thought, when Akio had noticed the date on the airline tickets, that his dearest Aurora had picked her own birthday as the day for them to fly out. It was humbling, really, that she would give up her own special day for an adventure centered around visiting his world and he loved her even more for it.
Thankfully, the flight was scheduled for later in the day - an unusual choice, he had to admit, until he realized she probably still wanted to respect her annual birthday tradition. Again, a humbling thought, that she was messing up her normal routine for the sake of him.
So when he'd arranged for their ride to pick her up after him, he'd told their driver in advance to make a stop at the cemetery not too far from Aurora's apartment.
After all, what was a birthday without a visit to her mother?
As the car settled in to a parked position, Akio's hand squeezed his girlfriend's for the umpteenth time.
"Do you want me to wait in here, beautiful?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:28 pm
Rory was carrying the traditional cupcake her father had given her and she had walked over to Miss Poppy's before Akio had told her he was on the way. So when she was picked up and her meager suitcase was tucked into the vehicle's trunk, Rory had a bouquet of flowers cradled in one hand and her cupcake box in the other.
She leaned into her boyfriend as they reached the cemetery, inhaling shakily before shaking her head. "No," she said in tandem, reaching for his hand after she set the box on the seat. "I want you to come with me." Visiting her mother's grave was an intimate thing, certainly, but she wanted to share it with her boyfriend.
When they had stopped, she looked to him expecting him to exit first.
"I think mama would like having both of us talk to her today," she told him, tightening her hold on the flowers Miss Poppy always did for her.
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 5:29 am
His beautiful girl didn't have to ask twice before Akio was opening up his door to the car and climbing out, not before squeezing her hand and pressing a gentle, chaste kiss against her temple first. He made his way around the car, opening up her door and offering his assistance with an outstretched hand.
"It would be my privilege to visit with her again," he commented, genuinely honored to be included in on this very intimate, very private moment of hers. It was a tradition she had kept up with for years and Akio wasn't about to do anything to disrupt it -- especially for a trip that was focused around his wants.
"She would be very proud of the woman you've become," he offered as well, his voice low and quiet as he glanced out to the empty cemetery around them. It was a beautiful day, thankfully, but they were alone among the array of flowers and memorials set aside for the other members of the "community".
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Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 12:53 pm
Rory was quiet as she slipped out of the car with him, slipping her fingers through his and squeezing them when she looked up. The smile she offered was soft, sad in it's own way before jade eyes turned to the graveyard as it stretched before them.
There was no winding path through it, but Rory knew where to tread anyway.
She visited every year on her birthday, which was coincidentally her mother's death day, mother's day and every now and again with her father. It was strange, being here just before she was about to get on a plane and meet her boyfriend's family for the first time.
Still, Rory had her bouquet of flowers that she cradled close to her chest when she crossed the dew-damp grass. "Maybe," she mumbled, more to herself than to Akio.
He could think as highly of her as he wanted, but she was still wrapped up in insecurity.
Finally they were in front of her mother's headstone, a small and simple thing because they couldn't afford too much. "Hi mama, you remember Akio?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2019 1:50 pm
He was quiet as they walked, longer fingers squeezing the nimble ones threaded between his as Akio made a mental note to slow his pace, keeping in step with his much shorter girlfriend. Flowers and memorials were scattered around the cemetery, each displaying carefully made bouquets or arranged pictures for the departed loved one it was meant for.
Akio knew what it felt like to be distant from his parents but it was nothing compared to the loss that Aurora must have felt, being this far away from her mother.
His lips were thin, stretched across his face as he nodded his head respectfully towards the gravestone of Mrs. Willows, unsure of whether it was appropriate or not to say hello when his girlfriend was addressing her departed mother.
Still, he made a split second decision when she had given a pause, adding a quiet, "I promise to take good care of her, Mrs. Willows" before clamping his mouth shut.
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Posted: Thu Apr 11, 2019 11:19 am
Their time at her mother's grave was somber and relatively short. There wasn't time to spend prattling on about minute details to her mother's ghost. They had a plane to catch and Rory was simply making time to visit as she did every year. Pops hadn't been able to come with her in years, but she was grateful for Akio's company.
Finally, after she finished some story she squeezed her boyfriend's hand.
"I'm going to Japan today, to meet Akio's family. Isn't that exciting?" Nevermind she'd never been on a plane before. "We wanted to say hi before we left and um, I love you mama."
It didn't matter that Rory had never known her mother, the woman had died in child birth, but she was still important.
To Akio she said, "Okay I think we can go."
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Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2019 10:42 am
He nodded his head at her comment, reaching over to take the flowers from her before kneeling down to the granite marker. There was a simple vase, a standard issue one that rested by the headstone and Akio did his best to make Miss Poppy's beautiful arrangement stand out and look especially nice, for both the sake of his girlfriend's mother and his girlfriend herself.
Rising up from the grass, he casually wiped what wetness had clung to his pants, then to wipe the wetness from his hands themselves, before reaching over to slip his hand into his girl's and leading them back towards the car.
"Thank you for letting me share this moment with you."
Akio knew it sounded awkward to be thanking her for such a thing but he also knew how much these moments meant to Aurora and being asked to be a part of it... well, it was touching, in a weird way.
"My family is going to love you, you know."
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Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2019 1:57 pm
Rory was quiet as she watched Akio arrange the flowers for her, reaching for his hand automatically once he was back on his feet. Her lip was between her teeth, the teen worrying down on it as she looked from grave to boyfriend.
"Yeah," she replied quietly, squeezing his hand while they walked back to the car.
She knew it was an odd tradition and odder still that she asked Akio to come with her. It was a terribly somber thing to be doing on a day they were supposed to be celebrating but she was grateful for his willingness to participate anyway.
"I hope so," she replied, feeling her stomach twist into knots at the idea of meeting his family for the first time. Rory was nervous about so many things, like the flight since she'd never been on a plane before and going to a new country who's language she knew little about.
"I don't know what I'd do if they didn't like me."
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Posted: Mon May 06, 2019 7:01 pm
"It's completely out of the question, beautiful."
He leaned over to press a kiss against her temple before reaching out to tug at the door handle, opening up the car door for his beloved before sliding in after her on the leather interior. "You've already met them all on the laptop - trust me when I say that you've already won them over and then some."
While FaceTime and Skype wasn't the way he wanted them to meet for the first time, being thousands of miles away meant that an e-meeting was the one and only way his loved ones could come face to face with one another for their initial meet-and-greet. Even after Aurora had left and throughout the follow-up conversations, his mother and sister had been pestering him for more updates and questions about his pretty American girlfriend than he'd realized he'd be bombarded with. Even his stoic father seemed pleased that he'd found someone so level-headed and charming.
She really was, without a shadow of a doubt, perfect.
"And you've got me, you're not going through this alone," he reminded her softly before leaning over and giving her a proper, albeit quick, kiss. "You and me on one fun, exciting adventure together."
Nuxaz Wrap us up, please and thank you <3
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Posted: Tue May 07, 2019 11:09 am
"It's different," Rory insisted, nerves still getting the better of her despite her boyfriend's gentle reassurance. It was easy to pretend to like someone over facetime or skype, who knew how they'd feel once they had to spend actual time with her?
"It's--" she sighed, curling into his arms, pressing her cheek against his chest. "You're right," she conceded with a deep breath. She had Akio and even if being around his family wasn't the easiest thing, she still had her sweet, loving boyfriend.
Almost melting into his kiss she managed to smile at him genuinely. "Our first adventure together," she hummed, thinking about how she'd never taken a trip out of the city before, let alone state or country.
But, with the lyft on it's way to the airport, she had to believe that it was going to be wonderful.
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