AKI: How is your art project going

"Yeah, I kind of brought it here for you to help me again," I replied, showing him my folder.

Lack of inspiration?

I nodded. "I've never done this art thing before. I just wanted to get into it because an old friend of mine was good at it...so she kinda inspired me. But now I don't think it's my kind of thing..."

AKI: It's not too hard when you put your mind to it. Besides, it looks really good so far."

I looked at him. "Speaking of art, Amber told me you were designing her birthday poster," He nodded,"But why? She's always mean to us".

I just couldn't say no. It's just the way she asked me. I think she likes me

I rolled my eyes. "She was just flirting with you, Aki. One time, I heard her telling Katie she was going to "try things" on the quiet nerdy types this year. She's messing with you".

But it felt real

"Aki. you don't want to get involved. Trust me".

Aki sighed and nodded. Fine, I'll tell her when I see her again.

He took the sketchbook and looked at the first page, where I was designing a collage of photographs of my favourite places.

"I still have to do the background for this and then think of what I'll do for the other three pages to fill up for the project," I said, and he nodded in agreement.

I'm going to get my paints. He wrote. We got to work on the project a few minutes later, painting designs for a borderline, and using water colour pens to decorate it a bit more. We had been at it for a while, before Aki gave out a sigh and flung his head onto the couch.

"What's wrong"? I asked him. "I noticed you've been bothered about something, since I got here. Is everything alright"?

Yes.

"Don't lie to me". I told him, raising an eyebrow. He sighed, and the sadness that was in Mr Nakamura's eyes earlier appeared in his. I placed my hand on his smaller one. "I guess it's personal. I'm sorry if I sounded forceful..."

He shook his head quickly, then closed his eyes for a moment. You're my best friend. I guess I can tell u

I smiled softly, and gave his hand a gentle squeeze to reassure him.

Today is actually my brother's birthday

"You have a brother"? I said in surprise.

Had

He corrected and my heart dropped. Aki nodded, and sighed again. It's been five years since the day I last saw him. He was all I had left at the time.

"Aki, I...I'm so sorry..." I bit my lip, and tightened my grasp around his hand.

Remember when u said a friend inspired you to do art? That's what my brother was for me. An inspiration

"He must've been really cool if he was the one who inspired you to create such beautiful art". I said to him softly.

A faint smile appeared on Aki's face, as he continued to type. He was cool, but I never really saw that at the time, because we always argued. But he was an amazing artist, that I could never deny. I remember when he used to teach me techniques and things. Me helping u with this project kind of reminds me of that

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to remind you of something that upsets you...I had no idea..."

No, it's nice when memories of him come into my mind. U don't have to apologise.

I looked at him, sympathetically, only to notice the teardrop on my hand. They were trickling down Aki's cheeks, and he wiped them away quickly. I pulled him towards me, and hugged his small body tight. He seemed so fragile.

We sat like that for a while in silence. Why do innocent people keep having to be broken?

I glanced over at the arc of the room that had the small table in it."I guess...that's for him"?Aki sat up and followed my gaze, then nodded. He stood up and gestured for me to follow him.

I followed him towards the table, where the incense had been burning. A small picture of a young boy, maybe a bit older than Aki and I, sat in the centre of the table. The boy had the same cheeky and nerdy grin as Aki, with the same soft and gentle brown eyes. However, his black hair was shaved down unlike Aki's thick messy bangs, and he had a harder jaw with more mature facial features.

"He's kind of like how I imagine you to look in a few years". I said to him. Aki settled down on the floor in front of the short table and I sat next to him, noticing the ghost of a smirk on his face. "What was his name"? I asked him, and he pointed to the small engraved letters on the frame of the picture, one label in Japanese and the other in English.

Haru Nakamura

"Haru. That's a nice name". I told him, and he nodded, taking out his phone from his pocket to type a message.

He is seventeen today

"Cool. Almost an adult..." I said awkwardly, not sure if it would help or make things worse. I'd never had someone close to me die before. So I didn't know what to say.

"I see he has told you, then". Mr Nakamura said from behind us. I turned to see him standing back in the doorway, and then walked towards us. "My cousin was a good kid...it's tragic what happened..."

"Your cousin"? I parroted.

Mr Nakamura chuckled. "I guess he didn't tell you that part then. But yeah, me and Aki are cousins".

My jaw dropped. "I never knew...I thought you were..."

"His Dad, yes I know. It's flattering that people always think I'm old enough to be his Father, but I'm only twenty five. Aki tells them that anyway".

"Wow. That's interesting...Can I ask where your Dad is then, Aki"? Aki stared down at his hands with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Sorry, I'm asking too many questions aren't I? It's cool that you guys are cousins though". I said quickly, trying to change the subject. Aki sighed, and turned to Mr Nakamura, and they exchanged glances.

"My uncle and his wife abandoned Aki and his brother when they were toddlers. They were in a foster home for most of their life". Mr Nakamura sat down in front of us, so we were all in a sort of triangle shape on the floor in front of Haru's table. I looked over at Aki who shrugged again. Then he shook his head, and waved me off, not wanting sympathy.

"I never knew any of this, Aki," I said slowly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner"?Aki signed, making his cousin translate for him.

"He says he doesn't really tell people things like that, unless he knows that they will respect the fact that he doesn't want sympathy," Mr Nakamura translated, "He said he knows you can respect that. He doesn't care that his parents left him and his brother, but when people make a big deal about it, it makes him feel that he should care. But he always wonders what the point is in caring about people who didn't care about you, and who you barely even know".

I thought about that for a few moments. Keeping silent about my own pain was what I'd chosen to do after leaving therapy that day. It was too painful to talk about. But I was seeing now, maybe it would help to open up about things after all, "I don't think that's entirely true". I said to Aki.

Aki looked at me in confusion.

"You...said that Haru was all you had left at the time. That means you felt that you have nothing...so you did care. I think that you really do feel pain about your parents. You're only human". Aki stood up and signed to his cousin.

"He needs some air," Mr Nakamura said, "And he says he knows you're trying to help, but you wouldn't understand". Aki then walked out of the room, leaving me and Mr Nakamura alone.

"You weren't wrong, Jemimah". Mr Nakamura said to me. "But people express things in different ways at different times. Maybe it's just not Aki's time yet to open up".

"I don't think he should...if he keeps those feelings inside...it'll make it worse". I replied.

"True, but he has his reasons. He'll come around eventually though".

"Mr Nakamura...I've been meaning to ask for a long time...was Aki always mute"? I asked, causing him to look at me slightly taken aback, "Because it feels like he keeps more things to himself when it's not as easy to communicate to other people..."

Mr Nakamura ran a hand through his hair. "For the details, you'll have to ask him. But I can tell you two things. One, he wasn't always mute".

My eyebrows shot up. "So...something happened that made him like that"? I asked, "Aki could really talk before"?

Mr Nakamura nodded, "he didn't talk much, but he did talk," he put up two fingers, "The second thing is that it can be cured...but only if Aki wants it to".

"Those closest to the pain should be closest to the power"-Ayanna Pressley