うでどけい。

[udedoki]

家族。

❀   It was another beautiful snowy evening for Makoto. She’d spent the day exploring the city, searching for a suitable job and was eager to return home to relax. When she stepped through the door of her house, she snuck past her roommates, not wanting to disturb them, and hurried on to her room. Surprised, she found herself face-to-face with a small box. It was decorated lavishly in black and silver, and attached to a sparkling ribbon was a tag with her name. 筱喬

      Her eyes went wide as she carefully opened the box, and inside, all she found was a simple note. 我在你身边。一切都会变好的。 I’m here for you. Everything will be alright. Who..? Who could have left this for her? She looked around, but her roommates were nowhere to be seen, and she certainly hadn’t gotten any messages from any of her friends here in the city... Well, there really was only one thing to do.

      Makoto stepped into her room and turned the light on, unsure of what to expect. What she saw brought tears to her eyes and such a tremble to her hands that she dropped both the box and her phone. Before she could fall with the objects, he’d stood and moved toward her, steadying her by her shoulders. One of his hands was rougher than the other, it didn’t curl around her upper arm like the other, but it didn’t bother her. 

      Before long, both of her arms had wrapped tightly around him, and the pair stood in near silence, other than the sound of Makoto’s soft sobs, as they held each other. “Brother... I’m home...” She’d said it once, all those years ago. Cried into his warm chest, holding a brother who she’d searched so long for only to find too late. But this time... this time, he answered her. ‘Welcome home, sister. I missed you so much. I’m sorry you suffered so much by yourself. You really have grown up to be a strong, beautiful person. I’m proud of you, Xiao Qiao.’ His voice was as gentle and comforting as she’d remembered it from her childhood, and the way his hand found its way to smooth down her hair made her feel like a child again. 

      For as long as he was with her, whether this was reality or a dream, Makoto wouldn’t leave his side. She’d tell him everything she went through, ask him about his life, his time in Japan, his friends, his hobbies... she’d get to know him. They’d get to be a family just one last time. And this time, she’d get to say a proper goodbye.

[udedoki]

@coluberfoxii​  ❤︎’d

❀   The snow on the ground truly was beautiful, even though there wasn’t much. The footprint tracks told a thousand different stories of a thousand different people, and Makoto occupied her trip to the grocery store imagining what a few of those stories might be. Though, after some time on her walk, she noticed something that stood out. When she reached down to pick it up, immediately, she recognized it as a cell phone. Had someone dropped it? She looked around, clutching the device to her chest in mild panic. Hopefully they were still nearby...

[udedoki]

徐盛

He shouldn’t question what she means by customers. Maybe that means courtesan? Or some other business. Its not his way to judge others unless their either from Shu or Wei. mostly wei. 

 “Am I really? I feel that I’m plain as well. Thats why I put on my best cloths everyday.” it seems he lacks a awareness of how good looking he really is, judging by the desiring stares a few of the ladies in the area give him from time to time. The way his fore arms are exposed showing how erotic they look…never mind!!!

 “I never expected to fall in love though. My home had a war going on.” he looks at where they stop , the bus stop. “this place? I never quiet understand how it works here yet.”

❀   「 Oh trust me. You’d be a hit at Hogushi Kaikan. We’d have girls lined up for kilometers just to look at you、 let alone for a massage! 」 This man was anything but plain, that much was certain. He had an aura that just screamed that he was important and tough. Just like he did.  「 I see... you could say that I went through a war as well、 though I doubt that it was the same as yours. Mine was more personal、 but even so... a lot of people died. 」 Oh, but there was the bus. Just in time to keep her distracted from all those sad memories.  「 If you have any questions for me, I’d be happy to answer! But let’s start with finding a seat. 」

[udedoki]

徐盛 ‌

It was faux pass to make a comment to a married women. But Sheng is like that in that as long as both stay quiet, no one will get hurt or their pride will take a blow. After all he’s a passionate lover and sometimes he gets carried away. 

But only if he finds someone to love with. 

  “You … underestimate yourself. Put yourself down too much . But yes, lets go. I am interested to know why it is called little Tokyo.”

❀   「 Eh? 」 He looked sad again... had she offended him? He’d all but deflated like a popped balloon, and it seemed to be right around when she’d mentioned her husband. 「 Please don’t feel bad! I haven’t found him here yet、 and he wouldn’t be angry or upset with you. Honestly、 we’ve had a few of my older customers stop by my home asking to marry me as well. Though... most of them were either drunk or in pain... or in their eighties. But still! You’re very handsome、 and you look quite strong! I’m sure you’ll find a nice woman to settle down with soon. 」She offered him the most reassuring smile she could muster before taking the lead to the bus stop.  「 I actually ran face-first into my husband、 you know. True love could be waiting for you just around the corner! 」

[udedoki]

徐盛

 “Little … Tokyo? What part of it is … little?” In all honesty everything seems to be so big here. Even the modern two story building seems to be bigger then the palace of Jiangye. It was all so overwhelming that it was only a middle class building instead of a royalty or noble. 

“但是谢谢你。我很高兴和一个像你一样漂亮的人去。” 

❀   「 It’s not really little、 unless you compare it to the size of the real Tokyo. In that regard、 it’s actually pretty small. 」 At his words, she tilted her head, eyes slightly wide in surprise. Had she heard him right? 「 Oh - thank you! It’s been a while since I heard such nice things from anyone other than my husband. Most men aren’t interested in women my age, after all. 」 In truth, Makoto had always considered herself rather plain. That didn’t stop her from blushing a bit at the compliment, though. 「 Shall we go? It can be easy to get lost in a new city、 so make sure you stay close to me. 」

[udedoki]

徐盛

“你能告诉我中国在哪里吗？建业在哪里？“ Its not like he has any other person to depend on? “我非常想家“

❀   「 I don’t think you can get to China from here... 」 He seemed so sad... Makoto wished she could do more than just offer kind words and her company. She missed Japan, as well. Her family and friends.「 But there’s a place called Little Tokyo that might have some mementos from China if you’d like to go there with me! 」

[udedoki]

徐盛

“我伤心“

Well at least there was some familiarity he finds within the city. 

 “我想回家”

❀   「 你迷路了吗? 」 It was a good thing she’d started studying Chinese again, otherwise she would be the one lost. 「 我很新、但我可以尝试帮助. 」

[udedoki]

徐盛

 “拉屎”

❀   「 你还好吗? 」 Her Chinese isn’t the best anymore, but she at least knows enough to know that’s not something someone having a good day would say.

[udedoki]

@amoirsetpacis​  ❤︎’d

❀   It may only be the 3rd, but Christmas really was just around the corner - as was evident by all the decorations. People were out with signs and samples in abundance, and Makoto being the gentle soul that she was couldn’t turn any of them down. That’s how she ended up slipping and dropping an armful of everything from mini-sized lotions to carefully packaged snack samples. 

    「 Oh no... 」 They’d really spread out, hadn’t they? Hopefully no one would be inconvenienced by her mess.

[udedoki]

And anyone interested in a mini from Makoto feel free to like this! They’ll be under a paragraph, likely in reference to food, sights, or something along those cute slice-of-life lines. Uncapped for this one.

[udedoki]

カチーナ

Today’s a good day! No, good day is an understatement. Today is a FANTABULOUS day. Ah, yes. A word that one of her friends back at the orphanage loved using that word. Fantabulous. Since she’s done such a good job in helping around and such, she figured it would be a good idea to go out and treat herself. That’s how she ended up on the bench with ALL the takoyaki the man not too far cooked up for her. She even paid him extra for his hard work, and also, seeing as how that man had been worried if she would be able to finish all that food, she even reassured that she would be able to finish and none of his deliciously made takoyaki would go to waste.

Oh yeah, she’s going to finish these alright!

One, two, Five, six, of the takoyaki are in her mouth. Just before she can chew and swallow, a woman approaches her. Red eyes looks up at the other woman, her head tilt just a light bit. She’s asking if she could have some, massages to her feet? Payment? 

“yshou dsjn’t hab tsssszoo….” No, talking with that many takoyaki was harder than she expected, so she finishes chewing, and then she swallows. 

Laughing, she shakes her head, “You don’t have to do any of that, because I won’t share Takoyaki with you!” There’s a moment of a short, short silence before another laugh, “JUST KIDDING.” KACHINA! 

Patting the bench right beside her, she’s moving some takoyaki (enough for the other to enjoy) in a separate paper plate. “Here you go! You must really want some of this to go so far as to pay me or even massage my feet. It’s okay though. You don’t have to worry about any of that.”

❀   Makoto was more than a little worried at first. What was one girl going to do with all that takoyaki? Would she really not share? Kids these days surely weren’t that cruel. But then she laughed and Makoto sighed softly in relief, a gentle smile making its way to her lips as she moved to sit beside the playful stranger.

   「 Thank you so much. 」 She replied with a small bow of her head before picking up and eating one of the takoyaki. Good... they weren’t the same as the ones in Tokyo, but these were just as good in their own way. And besides, takoyaki always tasted better in good company. 「 Takoyaki is my favorite food、 you see. One night、 a long time ago、 I shared some with someone very special to me. Ever since then、 whenever I feel sad or lonely、 I just eat some takoyaki and immediately feel better. 」 It was a little embarrassing to admit to a stranger, but Makoto smiled as she shared the story regardless. She seemed like a nice enough girl. 「 I’d like to repay you somehow if I can... are you sure you don’t want anything? 」

[udedoki]

私の光

Perhaps he should get a bigger coat or at least cover himself up more. Although he had nothing to prove in this place, he was still too stubborn to change anything. If he had to be a little chilly from the weather then so be it. It wasn’t too bad yet. Maybe if it snowed then he’d actually layer up a bit. As one shiver passed through him, he had closed his eye for a second and almost lost balance when he bumped into someone. Initially he figured it was his own fault and he felt bad when he heard a woman’s voice, but it didn’t take him long to recognize it. Not only that, but the music playing from her watch. He instantly knew before even looking at her.

“Uh…” Well nothing he could do would stop the awkwardness, as well as the feeling that something fell into his gut. “It… It was nothin’ really, jus’…” Ouch, he felt like he was just stabbed in the chest or something, but he wasn’t going to let that show. After all, Makoto was married and stuff and after Majima had his own issues with his previous marriage he felt he would just give up and live life without having anyone get hurt because of his lifestyle. 

“Yer not hurt ‘cause of me, are ya?” Not that he was a big guy, but he had to ask. On top of that he was still trying to gather himself mentally. “When did ya get ‘ere? If it’d been a long time ago then I’d…” Majima wasn’t sure what he would’ve done honestly. He’d feel bad that he couldn’t help, but also him keeping his distance was one of the main reasons he would never go to Osaka except work purposes. Luckily his job and reputation wasn’t a thing anymore where they were, but he couldn’t help that feeling that she’d still be unsafe around him… yet also didn’t want her getting to a mess with some assholes. It was complicated. 

❀   He was avoiding answering her question, asking if it was him. Avoiding eye contact. He did that both times they’d met since she regained her sight. Makoto had come to realize that after the last time she met him. What she hadn’t figured out was why. Was he embarrassed? Was he scared? Did she bring up bad memories for him? She had half a mind to wrap her arms around him, hold him close, and tell him that she missed him every day. But who knew how he’d react to something like that.

      So instead, she smiled for him. The least she could do was silently reassure him that everything he’d been through hadn’t been in vain.

    「 No、 no、 I’m fine! Besides, I don’t think you could hurt me if you tried. 」 Not that she was challenging him or anything, she had a pretty good idea of what he was capable of between the times they’d ran together and he protected her and that day he knocked those yakuza out in one hit each. 「 Don’t worry、 I only just got here this morning. I’ve been looking for my family、 but I haven’t had any luck. Until now、 at least. 」 The way she looked up at him, into his eye, that would likely make clear the question of what she meant. He’d always be part of her family, even though she didn’t know things like how old he was, his job, or his name.

[udedoki]

@honnari​  ❤︎’d

❀   Winter had already arrived in this city, but that wasn’t what sent chills down her spine. Even through her pea coat and scarf, Makoto felt cold. She’d lost her family again, hadn’t she? After the Empty Lot incident, after her marriage, Makoto had thought that she could put all of that behind her. And then she found herself here. The city had welcomed her, and Sotenbori - even her and her family’s destination - had left her behind. A few snowflakes fell, and she lifted a hand, watching the frozen petals melt on her palm red from cold. 

      Suddenly, without any warning, she missed Lee. Kiryu. Her brother. Nishikiyama. Even Sera, after the kindness he’d shown her. But more than any of them, she missed him. He’d shown up out of nowhere to be the light to guide her through the dark once before, so it was selfish to think he’d do it again. He probably wasn’t even here. Makoto would just... be alone again. In the cold, and in the dark.

      As those thoughts crawled into the forefront of her mind, the time on her wristwatch hit 7, and a gentle song started playing. Her gaze shifted to that watch, from the spinning gears to the band itself, he’d taken something precious to her and made it even more precious. Her reminder that she would never be alone as long as she had that watch. Makoto held it close to her heart, closing her eyes to better appreciate the tune as it soothed her fears. And as soon as it was over, she turned sharply on her heel and began walking. Eager to face the rest of her day with gumption and purpose.

      Only, instead, she simply bumped into someone.

    「 I’m so sorry! Are you alright? I wasn’t watching where I was going! Aah、 I hope I didn’t hu...r...t... 」Her words trailed off as soon as she looked up into his eyes. Eye.  「It’s you... it is you 、 isn’t it?」She wasn’t just going crazy and imagining him, was she? 「I didn’t know if I’d ever get to see you again 、 even after you did so much for me.」

[udedoki]

@mxonkxss  ❤︎’d

❀   「 No、 I’m sorry、 Takoyaki. Ta ko ya ki. Do you have it here? Fried octopus? ...No? 」 She couldn’t help but sigh.  「 It’s alright. Have a nice day anyway! 」 What a shame... she’d really been looking forward to some, but it seemed the stand she’d stopped at had sold out. Makoto closed her eyes and tilted her head to the sky, taking in the rush of city sounds and the smell of street food... like this, she could pretend she was back in Sotenbori. The smell of Takoyaki and the season’s change reminded her of all those years ago with him. The smell of Takoyaki... wait. Wait!

      Quickly, her eyes shot open and she turned to look toward the smell. What she saw surprised her - a young woman in a rather bold body suit, barefooted on a bench, chowing down on far more food than her small frame seemed to be able to handle. Makoto hurried over before she lost her chance.「 Excuse me! I’m so sorry to bother you 、 but... would you be willing to share some of that takoyaki with me? I could pay you for it 、 of course. I have a few dollars on me 、 or if you prefer 、 I could give you a foot massage? I bet your soles are stiff as boards if you walk around often without shoes! 」

[udedoki]

@sanpatron​ ❤︎’d

❀   Her first stop would be the Cotes ward. Maybe she’d find her family somewhere familiar, and from what she’d heard, it was similar to modern-day Japan. It wasn’t Sotenbori or Kamurocho, but... she should be able to find her way around easily and safely enough.

      Or so she thought, until she found herself cornered by a group of men who seemed far from pleasant. The way that they looked at her... the way that they closed in... she wanted nothing to do with them. 

   「 Get away from me. I don’t want any trouble. 」But they didn’t listen. One drew too close, and out of instinct, Makoto raised a hand and slapped him across the face. Maybe she should have learned from the last time that there were other ways to deal with men like this, but... if there was anything he’d taught her, it was that sometimes jerks like these deserved a beat-down. 「 I’ll scream、 you know! I will! 」But that only made them laugh. Well... looked like it was time to keep her promise

[udedoki]

Let’s get down to business, shall we? Please like this post for a starter from Makoto Tateyama Makimura. I’ll be placing an initial cap at 4, though my castmates and any blind muses are welcome to like beyond that limit.

[udedoki]

❀   Where... was she? Sure, she’d taken the taxi and listen to the overall explanation, but it didn’t do much to clear up her confusion. The city welcomed her, which was a nice change considering the last time she’d been new to a city, most of the locals were trying to kill her. But then... something about the way travel outside the city may result in unpleasant side effects sounded made her uneasy. Where was her husband? Her child? The taxi driver didn’t have an answer for her, only that he was simply doing his job. She didn’t want to make things difficult for him, and of course, she had her family’s phone numbers memorized, but... she couldn’t get a hold of either of them.

       She entered her new lodgings with little fuss and a hopeful smile, but she didn’t stay long. No, she wanted to explore, to get to know her surroundings. Perhaps she’d hear word of her family soon, but until then, she wanted to make an effort all her own.

       「 Excuse me、 I’m very sorry to bother you、 but... you wouldn’t happen to have heard of anyone with the last name Tateyama around here、 have you? 」