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Does a person really need a goal? He couldn’t think of one for himself off the top of his head. Was it to graduate high school, reunite with his mother in Russia, and go to college? What after that? Life felt awfully plain; empty even. Maybe that’s what he needed, something to fill that space. A goal.
The morning was still dark, the sun just barely peeking over the green horizons. Rays of light squeezed through the curtains of Volg’s room.
5:21.
Volg sat up and yawned, his body aching from sleep. He had to get up for his morning road work about now.
The Russian pushed himself off his futon to stand, stretching his arms and legs.
He shook the last bit of sleep away and went to get some clothes from the small dresser housed in his room. He took out his school uniform and tracksuit.
Laying the uniform out on his futon, he headed to the bathroom to get ready for the day. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, took care of the rest of his routine, and changed into the tracksuit. Volg usually didn’t eat before his road work, as he felt not eating helped his body feel more awake.
His host family was still asleep, so he was careful to be quiet while putting on his jogging shoes while exiting the house through the sliding door.
Volg took a moment to appreciate the fresh morning breeze, taking it in with a deep breath. He had been in Japan for about a month now, and the contrast between mornings in Japan and his home country amazed him.
Back in Russia, school mornings were simple. Wake up, eat some kasha (or syrniki if he had enough time to cook), layer on a coat over his school uniform, and walk to school. Sometimes he would layer on multiple as the 1950s heaters in his school never seemed to work.
In Japan, mornings felt much more calm and tranquil but that may just be because they were warmer… well, warmer for a native Russian. It was still chilly enough that he could see his breath as hazy clouds of frost while he ran.
He jogged along the road, humming to himself while listening to his Walkman. It had been a gift from his host family, and he was more than overjoyed having received it. He had bought a cassette before leaving Russia, an album from one of his favorite bands. The album he was listening to right now was “45” by the band “Kino”. It was their first album, and he’d never get sick of it.
His breath huffed softly as he jogged through the streets in silence, his light blue track suit seeming even lighter in the sunlight. Another thing he had bought for himself.
These peaceful mornings would be missed once he heads back to Russia. The soft salty breeze, the floral hints, and the fresh warm air. He felt a bit sad that after this school year, he would be headed back to Russia. To the winters where his nose turned red from cold, where the frigid mornings would bite at his lungs as he jogged, and where the sky seemed to always be covered by a grey screen.
Though, he had to admit that he was excited to see his mother, especially after she got her treatment.
And it wouldn’t be bad to see all his old friends, and his old boxing coach.
Maybe he did miss Russia a bit, the frigid mornings and-
“Oy!”
Volg stumbled to a halt, confused as he rubbed the spot on his neck where he was struck. He looked down, noticing the small rock that had been thrown at him. Looking up and across the street, he recognized the perpetrator. The wild and untamed brown hair, unkept uniform, and smug expression that never came off no matter the situation.
“Hey Volg, what’s up wit’ you? Yer runnin’ extra hard this mornin’.”
He snickered in his thick Osaka dialect. Volg smiled lightly, putting his headphones around his neck.
“Sendo-san, what are you doing up so early?”
Volg asked, a bit exasperated as he watched the Japanese student approached him with a smirk.
“I was waitin’ fer ya. Thought you’d be runnin’ here,”
Sendo answered, then added:
“And stop wit’ the formal shit. Just call me ‘Sendo’, or ima start callin’ you ‘Arekusanda-kun.’”
Volg had heard the same lecture before. Volg was generally pretty formal with how he spoke, even in his native tongue. He was a polite man by nature, so he tended to focus carefully on Japanese honorifics. Sendo didn’t like it, for whatever reason.
“Classes don’t start until 8:30, and it’s only…” Volg lifted his sleeve to check his watch, “..6:02. Why not just tell me at school?”
Sendo shrugged, walking alongside the Russian exchange student.
“I’ll wait fer ya. Jus’ wanted some company.”
Volg decided not to pry. He picked up his walk to a slow jog while making sure Sendo could keep up. Sendo seemed to smirk a bit more, taking his jog as a challenge.
The delinquent picked up his pace also, jogging just a bit ahead of the Russian. Volg seemed to understand what he was trying to do, and could only chuckle. The Japanese man was naturally competitive; a handful.
He picked up his pace, jogging alongside him.
“How come you aren’t with your group of delinquent friends? I’m sure they are great company,”
the Russian spoke sarcastically, smiling. Sendo snickered, “I wanted to talk to ya, is that a crime? I got somethin’ to tell ya.”
Volg seemed intrigued.
“Is that so?”
Sendo nodded, but before he could speak, his attention shifted to a small run down park nearby. Volg noticed some delinquents squatting around the area, and how a couple seemed to be crowding around a primary schooler. He also noticed how quickly Sendo’s expression shifted.
Sendo had quite the Heroic streak. His father, from what Sendo had told him, had been a firefighter before passing, and had influenced such heroic tendencies onto his kid. It was one of the reasons Sendo was so notorious. He didn’t take crap from anybody, and he didn’t like it when people would take crap from others. He was practically the school’s enigma.
“Tell ya at lunch. Gotta head to the park ‘n deal with these punks.” Sendo said as he slowed to a halt. Volg stopped a couple feet ahead.
He didn’t say anything. Although he knew that fighting was wrong, it wasn’t his business to intrude on. The boxer turned around and started walking off, shaking his head.
Sendo glanced back at him, before rolling up his sleeves and heading into the park.
Volg continued his jog as usual, acting ignorant of the situation unfolding only a couple miles away. The delinquent was a real handful (as said before), but he never failed at being entertaining. Even though the Russian had to be careful with his friends, as any major incidents could lead to him being sent back to Russia, he understood that the Japanese man had good intentions.
Volg approached his host home, taking his shoes off at the entrance and heading to his room to grab his uniform.
He headed to the bathroom once more to take a quick shower, before changing into his school uniform. He straightened out the collar of the black uniform jacket, before heading to the kitchen to make himself a meal.
Sitting behind the school with his jacket off, Volg ate silently, reading while listening to his friend’s conversations. He didn’t know the people all too well, other than the fact that they knew a bit about boxing, but they did welcome him into their group. That was what it was like as an exchange student, but it didn’t bother him.
Suddenly, he heard some footsteps stomping along the grass. Ones whose awfully familiar rhythm demanded attention. He smiled lightly.
“Guess who!”
The other said as he nudged Volg’s back with his shoe.
“I know it’s you, Sendo.”
..
“Wrong, it’s Ken Takakura.”
The others looked up at the two. Sendo, the school enigma, being all friendly to the transfer student? The group’s expression turning weary. To those who weren’t close to him, Sendo was the leader of a large delinquent gang, which helped support the dangerous reputation he had honed.
“Is this about earlier?”
Volg asked, closing the tin of his bento and putting it in his bag. Sendo nodded, “Yup, c’mere.”
Volg nodded and followed along, giving a polite smile and waving at his friends, to which began exchanging concerned looks.
Sendo led Volg outside the school grounds, leading him to a small tree near the gate of the campus. Volg seemed a bit confused.
Sendo had a proud smile on his face as he stopped in front of the tree, digging in his pocket.
“Why’d we come all the way out here? I’m sure this could be discussed in front of the others,”
Volg asked, hands in his pockets while he waited for the other to grab whatever he was searching. He watched as the Japanese man grumbled, taking off his uniform jacket and shaking it upside down.
Out of his pocket fell two slim pieces of rectangle shaped paper.
“Hah!”
Sendo smirked, crouching down and picking up the paper. He proudly shoved one to Volg’s chest.
“Look what I got’ya!”
Sendo grinned smugly.
Volg looked down, taking the paper from Sendo’s hand. He examined it.
A ticket for front row seats at the Kōrakuen boxing hall for an upcoming fight. His eyes widened. Not only were front row seats extremely expensive, but also extremely rare.
“Sendo-san, where’d you get these?”
Sendo frowned at the honorific.
“Where’d you think? Stole’em from some kid.” He bluffed.
Volg frowned.
“You really stole these?”
He mumbled, looking down at the ticket. He knew well that front row seats could cost an upwards of 47,000¥, maybe even more. He’d just feel guilty if he went with stolen tickets.
Sendo pushed the tickets harder against his chest, “But you’re a boxer! C’mon, don’t be a wuss ‘bout it.”
Volg seemed hesitant, disappointed even. He looked down at the ticket, seeming guilty.
“I’m sure that kid had to sell an arm and a leg for these..”
Sendo grumbled, too embarrassed to say he had bought the tickets for himself and the Russian. Volg was just about to walk away, when Sendo suddenly grabbed ahold of his jacket, “I.. uh… just go, will’ya? I’ll pay the kid back, I guess..”
Volg seemed skeptical. He did want to go, but he wouldn’t be able to watch the fight without feeling guilty about the original owner of said tickets.
“You know the one you stole from?”
The Russian seemed even more confused now.
“Yeah yeah, just go wit’ me damn it!” Sendo snapped.
Volg sighed and shook his head, mumbling an exasperated phrase in Russian.
“Fine, but you will have to take me with you when you return the money” He smirked.
Sendo gritted his teeth. Was he really going to have to give 200 bucks to some random wimp just because he had to protect his pride? He had already worked his ass off to save up for the tickets, and he knew that he probably couldn’t trust anybody in his gang to give the money back.
“A’ight, deal. You goin’ er no?”
He crossed his arms, seeming a bit nervous. Volg examined the ticket. It was obvious that he wanted to go, but the morality of the situation kept him hesitant. Still, he let out a heavy sigh, taking the ticket.
“Well, I suppose if you keep your promise, I’ll be free.”
Sendo immediately smiled, a cocky grin stretching across his face. He mentally cheered himself on, proud that he had convinced the exchange student to come. He cleared his throat, trying not to seem too excited,
“‘Kay, good. Don’t ya dare miss, aight?”
Volg nodded.
“Okay, I won’t. I still don’t see the reason you had to tell me over here though…”
He mumbled, looking up, just to see Sendo jogging off. He sighed, a bit confused with the Japanese mans weird behavior.
He looked down at the ticket in his hand, scratching his head.
Had he really stolen these? He doubted it, since Sendo was never one to prey on the weak. He admired that about him. Perhaps he had gotten them from some trouble he brought down.
Volg shoved the ticket into his pocket, laughing softly to himself at the delinquents amusing behavior.
Volg sat at his desk, writing down equations on his math homework. It was a weekend, and Volg was studying for a test he had in a math class on Monday. It was Friday night, and tomorrow him and Sendo would be seeing the fight at Kōrakuen hall in the front rows. A once in a lifetime opportunity.
Volg was still contemplating college. He had been an exchange student in Japan for two school years, and was considering moving to Japan as a whole, but he wasn’t sure he could leave his mother like that.
His mother was his home. Without her, he had nowhere to go, and no reason to go. He had promised her after this year he would stay three years back with her in Russia while she was being treated for her illness, and after she got better, he would go to college to become a psychologist.
He would buy her a nicer house, and everything she wanted. He had promised her.
Volg looked across his desk at the small framed picture near the edge of the table. A picture of his mother and him when he was little. He smiled lightly, remembering a time when she was full of life. No sickness, no suffering.
“Ah, Alexander-kun? Someone wants to talk to you on the phone.”
Volg looked up, smiling and nodded at his host-mom, “Thank you, Fumiko-san.”
He stood and approached her, taking the phone from her and putting it up to his ear as his host mom walked off.
“Привет, this is Alexander Zangeif speaking.”
“Idiot, it’s Sendo.”
Volg chuckled a bit at Sendo’s reaction to his formality.
“Is it about tomorrow? I remember where we are meeting.”
“Well.. kinda.”
“Go on.”
Sendo went silent for a moment, and just faintly Volg could hear the nervous tapping of his finger against a solid surface, probably a desk or counter.
“So.. I was thinking..-“
Volg’s intrigue peaked as he heard another voice shout off of Sendo’s end. The voice seemed to be that of an old woman’s, probably Sendo’s grandmother, and she didn’t seem very happy.
“Dammit, I didn’t get into no fight wit some kiddie from Imanishi North High.. AINT IMANISHI IN TOKYO?!”
Volg stood in the middle of his room dumbfounded. What should he do, hang up? Wait till Sendo’s grandma let down?
Volg wasn’t one to laugh when others were getting chewed out, but in this situation? He couldn’t stop his straight face from quirking into a smile, and eventually a full on laugh. It definitely didn’t help that he knew Sendo’s grandma, and how tiny she was. All he could imagine right now was the 4’10 elderly woman beating down on her much taller grandson.
Eventually, the commotion on Sendo’s end died down.
“Crazy ol’woman..”
After a minute of laughter, Volg got himself together. Sendo finally continued from where he left off.
“What’I was sayin’ was that I’m changin’ plans. The boxing match is in the evening, but you gotta meet me at the Kōrakuen Amusement Park.”
Volg raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of plan. He didn’t exactly have anything else going on that day, so it wasn’t a problem, but it was sudden.
“The Kōrakuen Amusement Park? I have never been there.. I suppose I won’t be busy, so I guess that’d be fine. Where at the amusement park should we meet?”
“Wait, yer goin’, no questions?.. I mean.. let’s meet up at the ferris wheel ‘round 1. how ‘bout it?”
Excitement rung off of Sendo’s voice, despite his nonchalant façade.
“Ferris wheel.. okay. I will see you tomorrow, Sendo. I have to study in the meantime, have a good night.”
Volg responded, eager to go back to finishing his study.
“Alright, see’ya, Roshia.”
Sendo smiled, excited about tomorrow. He hasn’t seen a boxing match in real life in years, let alone with a friend who knew how boxing worked. He was pumped, to say the least.
Volg walked down the streets of Bunkyō city, wandering towards the Kōrakuen Amusement Park. He was wearing a simple green coat and an orange scarf, since it was just the beginning of term 2, and September had hit Tokyo with an unexpected burst of cold.
He walked through the streets, taking in the sites. Large skyscrapers that worked as a canopy for the city, billboards and bright coloured signs littering every corner like the most of Tokyo. And of course, the iconic Tokyo dome.
He couldn’t get enough of Japan.
He walked through the crowds, up some stairs, and past the Tokyo dome to where the amusement park was located. The ferris wheel stood out like a sore thumb among all the other attractions. It was quite big, much larger than any other ferris wheel he had been on.
He squeezed through the crowds, before finally making it outside the building where the ferris wheel stood. He checked his watch. 12:56. Sendo should be here.
He looked around, wondering where the brown haired tiger could be. He surely wasn’t anywhere near, since he would have probably heard his loud voice by now-
“Volg! Over’ere!”
He smiled lightly as he heard the familiar accent. He turned around, seeing the Japanese man approaching him.
“You’re actually on time, that’s good.”
“Oh, cmon, I ain’t always late..”
Volg smirked. He looked over Sendo’s appearance, taking in the outfit change.
The Japanese man wore an orange sweater, with a brown leather jacket over it. Sporting black pants and some tennis shoes, he had a strikingly put together appearance compared to his usual messy school uniform. It was a nice change.
He was still sporting that toothy, canine smile though.
“You look different. Your clothes aren’t messy today, it’s a nice change.”
Volg commented, smiling lightly. Sendo seemed to freeze for a very split second, before laughing nervously, his averting his eyes.
“What’dya mean? You sayin’ I can’t look good if I want?”
He bit back, trying to keep his tough persona, though Volg could see he was happy by the compliment.
“No, of course not.”
The Russian joked lightly.
Sendo smirked, moving close and grabbing his arm.
“Let’s grab some food, I’m starvin’!”
He suddenly pulled him along, much to the surprise of his friend.
Volg stumbled a bit, before bursting out into more laughter and following along. They still had a couple hours till the match started, so they had time to waste.
The two stopped by a food vendor selling takoyaki, buying two servings. The two found a bench to sit at and dug in. Sendo seemed overjoyed as he chewed down on the cuts of octopus in each fried ball.
“Who’d you think’ll win tonight?”
Sendo suddenly asked, looking over at his Russian friend.
Volg contemplated for a moment, before answering,
“I searched both fighters on the computers in the school library. It seems that both Puma Toguchi and Hiroshi Kawashima are relatively equal in power, although their records do show an experience gap. Toguchi’s record is just 3 wins, all by K.O, while Kawashima’s record is 4 wins, 2 losses, two of those wins being by K.O. Kawashima has three other matches of experience against Toguchi.”
He answered thoughtfully.
Sendo nodded, thinking.
“I mean, sure Kawashima has some experience ‘head of ‘im, but it don’t mean he gotta win in his hands. Toguchi’s got 3 K.O’s, ‘n’ Kawashima’s got 2.”
Volg nodded.
“They don’t seem to take the inter-high school tournaments lightly in Japan.”
He commented, seeming intrigued.
“They don’ in Russia?”
Sendo seemed confused. Volg shook is head.
“No, boxing is serious in Russia. I’m talking about them.”
He pointed forward.
A couple yards away stood a group of people, holding up signs and chanting for Takato Toguchi while they marched. Sendo smirked a bit, snickering. Volg followed suit.
The duo walked around the amusement park together, joking around as they rode the attractions and enjoyed themselves. After some fun (and a not so fun incident where Sendo puked on some poor man’s shoes after a ride), it was turning evening, and the two headed to Kōrakuen hall for the fight.
As the two walked, their breath hazing into visibility, the evening getting colder. Volg seemed unfazed, since he was used to these types of temperatures, but Sendo couldn’t say the same. His nose was red, and there was an obvious shiver in his jaw. Volg noticed, seeming a bit intrigued.
“Are you cold?”
He asked, earning a glare from Sendo.
“‘M perfectly fine.. ain’t no 10 Celsius gonna hurt me..”
Volg sighed. Suddenly, he took off his scarf, handing it to the delinquent. Sendo’s face turned a bit red, and he grumbled, snatching the scarf from the Russian and wrapping it around his neck, hiding his nose under it to warm himself up.
Volg didn’t seem to understand why Sendo was always so stubborn, but he had to admit, it was a bit endearing.
The two walked inside of Kōrakuen hall, walking through the bleachers and finding their seats. It was going to be an interesting fight, since both fighters had less than ten rounds under their belts.
Sendo was obviously pumped, sporting his usual sharp-toothed grin. Volg seemed to be deep in thought, getting ready to calculate points in his head.
Volg smiled as he walked out of the stadium, his heart racing from the volume and intensity of the match. Sendo was rambling beside him, psyched about the violence of the sport.
Throughout the match, Volg calculated the points in his head, and used both fighters techniques as a chance to study and improve his own. Sendo on the other hand simply screamed and cheered for the brutality, like any other delinquent.
“That K.O was fuckin’ crazy!” Sendo raved, looking to his side at Volg. Volg only nodded, “It was a good match, especially for an amateur bout. I learned a lot.” Sendo rolled his eyes at the mere mention of the word ‘learn’.
“You think too much,” Sendo crossed his arms, rolling his eyes. Volg seemed confused by his statement. “What do you mean?” “You talk so.. smart about boxing! Don’t you just like the violence?”
Volg sighed, shaking his head with a smirk. “Boxing isn’t just about violence, you know. Boxing is to men what.. ballet is to women. An art, I would say.”
Sendo stared at him baffled, “Did you just compare boxing to.. ballet!?” Volg was just about to respond with something cocky, when Sendo budded in again.
“I can’t believe I bought tickets for somebody who compares boxing to ballet!” He complained, offended by the literal boxers comparison.
“..bought?”
Sendo was sweeping up his grandmas candy shop, grumbling as he did. The shop never got too much business, besides local kids and teenagers who visited timely, so Sendo didn’t have to do too much work. He mostly just swept away dust, made sure shelves were stocked, and assured products weren’t expired. Today was no different.
“Извините?”
Sendo looked up from the wooden floor. There stood Volg, plaid in casual clothes, with a plastic bag in his hand.
“Volg? What’re you doin’ here, isn’t yer road work route a bit farther from ‘ere?” Sendo asked, a bit surprised by the Russians sudden appearance.
Volg nodded, digging his hand into the plastic bag. He grabbed something, taking it out and handing it to Sendo with a polite smile.
“Yes, I know. I thought I would repay you for last weekend. I don’t exactly have a lot of pocket cash but.. but you did say your watch needed some batteries,” Volg started, holding out a small pack of watch batteries to Sendo. Sendo seemed a bit surprised, but still took them. He smirked, “You Russians and your hospitality.”
Volg nodded, “I would say the Japanese are pretty hospitable too..”
Sendo watch as the other turned around.
“See you at school, Давай.”
Sendo watched as Volg walked off. That was it? He just wanted to drop off some batteries? Sendo frowned.
“Hey, wait! Don’t you wanna come inside?”
Volg stopped, turning around with a confused expression, “Can I?”
Sendo only sighed. This Russian really was all about formalities.
“Of course dude, stop with the formalities already! I’m finished with my shift, come on”He spoke, exasperated.
Volg stood, a bit dumbfounded. He never realized that Sendo and him were on such terms..
Snapping out of it, he hurried behind him, giving an awkward laugh.
Volg looked through a shelf on Sendo’s wall. Various items were lined across the surface, including a framed photo of Sendo and his supposed father, a dead plant, a couple stacked boxing magazines, and a single volume of Slam Dunk.
Feeling Sendo’s gaze on him, he felt the need to ask about something, just so it didn’t seem like he was snooping. He gazed over the shelf, randomly picking an item.
“So.. who’s the man in this photo, are you related to him?”
The delinquents expression seemed to darken at the mention of it, and Volg worried he had offended the other. Sendo shrugged, resting his head against his hand. “Yeah, it’s my dad.”
The Russian immediately felt guilty about asking. So that’s what his expression was for.. “Oh, I.. didn’t realize. I’m sorry.” Volg apologized. He knew how the other felt, or at least he felt similarly.
His father had left when he was just a kid, and was raised alone by his mother in their small rural village. After leaving to Osaka for school, the fear of his mother being alone again loomed over him constantly. So, despite his wishes to stay in Japan, he promised to his mother that he’d do his college in Russia, so he was still by her side.
Sendo seemed to notice how gloomy the other had become at the mention of his parent. Huffing, he crossed his arms, “Don’t get all depressed ‘bout it, I accepted it long ago. I ain’t mad or nothin’..”
Volg snapped out of his distant state and gave an apologetic smile. Picking up the framed photo, he dusted it off. “You look so tiny here, not fierce at all. I wonder when that changed.”
Sendo raised an eyebrow at the statement. Fierce? Did Volg see him as fierce? He bit back a smile, feeling a boost in his mood at the unintentional compliment.
Coughing away the pride that was beginning to bubble, Sendo bluffed: “I was never soft, I’ve always been fierce. I was just happy in that photo, that’s all.”
Volg chuckled, setting the photo back onto the shelf and turning around.
Sendo gave him a fake glare, trying to hide his smile.
“So, whad’ya wanna do? I got some boxin’ tapes we can watch, or d’ya wanna get some ramen?”
The other only shrugged as he sat down. “I’m fine with whatever you want to do. I am short on cash though, so probably not ramen.”
Sendo nodded.
“Alright, then boxin’ it is..”
Sendo had to admit it; this was BORING. He wanted to do something more.. adventurous. Yeah, he didn’t expect some awesome sparring session between him and Volg, or to go on some ravenous adventures, but in all his shame, he had to admit that watching boxing on a vhs tape was a lot more boring than watching it in real life.
He gave a side glance to Volg, who was watching the tape with a bland expression. Sendo opened his mouth, but no words came out. He didn’t really know why he was hesitating; maybe it was the fact they were barely an inch away from each other, and the fact that he genuinely looked up to the guy next to him.
Suddenly, Volg spoke up: “I do not want to be rude, but this is a bit… boring.” The other spoke up with an apologetic expression. Sendo perked up, shaking his head. “Nah, dude, it’s all fine. I was getting bored too. Wanna head out?”
“Where?”
“We can just walk around or somthin’, I dunno.”
“That’s fine to me.”
Sendo grinned, though it looked more mischievous than he intended it to look. Volg gave him an endeared smile. The two headed out of Sendo’s grandmas shop together, walking down the road, and ultimately letting it evolve into a race.
Volg lay on his futon, staring at the ceiling above him. The memories of him and his friend’s adventures swirled around his head like a restless haze. Maybe it was weird that his mind was only on his best friend right now, but he didn’t give it much thought.
He gave a heavy sigh, conflict crowding his brain with no clear resolution.
He had a duty.
Head back to Russia, take care of his mother, become successful. It was supposed to be simple. A smooth road. A clear goal. But that was before Sendo came into the picture.
Sendo was everything he wasn’t. Impulsive, loud, free.
With these memories swirling through his head, an unsettling realization dawned on Alexander.
Never once, in his 18 years, had he ever had a thought of his own. Not a single selfish desire.
Every choice he made, every thought he’d had, every step he took. It was always with someone else in mind.
He had never made a choice for himself.
The only reason he’s done those exchange years in Japan was to further his education. Even this was of the decision of school, who felt that Volg had more opportunity in Japan.
‘My mother is waiting for me’
The thought resurfaced once again, familiar and heavy. It didn’t feel like a thought of his own, it never had.
Everything in his life has felt like an obligation, something he needed to do to demonstrate his worth.
...until Sendo
Now, here he sat, for once questioning the path laid out in front of him.
”I need to go to sleep..” Volg mumbled to himself in Russian. He closed his eyes, attempting to get any amount of rest. As sleep approached him, an image danced behind his eyelids.
One of tousled brown locks, a sharp grin, and challenging eyes.
Not a goal, just a possibility.