September 23th, 2013
At the Shigeyoshi's household, backyard - 3:45 PM
The sun cast its golden hue across the quiet Tokyo neighborhood, the air still and warm like a lazy summer afternoon. The chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves were the only sounds accompanying the soft grunts of a young boy pushing himself against the earth.
Ray Shigeyoshi, just eleven years old, was in the backyard of his family home, sweat glistening on his brow. His tiny muscles trembled under the strain, but his eyes were focused, determined, and full of resolve far beyond his years. Each push-up was deliberate, an act of discipline and quiet yearning.
The yard was modest but well-kept. A stone path led from the porch to a koi pond, and cherry blossoms danced in the light breeze. Their petals occasionally floated to the ground beside Ray as he moved steadily - one push-up after another.
Then, a gentle creak echoed from behind.
The glass sliding door opened, and the light spilling in from the sun was outshined by the tall, majestic figure stepping out onto the wooden porch.
"Ray, honey, what are you doing?" came a voice like velvet and gold.
Ray paused mid-rep, chest inches from the ground. He turned his head to look at the source of the voice and smiled brightly, despite his panting breath.
Standing there was Risa Rourke, his mother. Tall - taller than most women, even men - at six-foot-one, she seemed to defy gravity and time. Her platinum-blonde hair shimmered like polished silver, cascading past her shoulders in soft waves. Her light silver eyes glowed with ethereal warmth, the color of starlight reflected on water. Clad in a simple, elegant ivory dress that hugged her frame like silk on marble, she stood as if she were born from a forgotten myth. Regal. Untouchable. Divine.
Ray, despite being half her size and covered in sweat, beamed up at her. "Hey, Mom! I'm just exercising."
Risa took a step forward onto the grass, her bare feet brushing against the cool, green blades. "Exercising?" she asked with a playful tilt of her head. There was genuine curiosity in her voice, but also something else - an admiration laced with an emotion she hadn't fully confronted.
Ray nodded. "Yup! I'm doing push-ups and squats and sit-ups. I wanna get stronger."
She knelt beside him with the grace of royalty bowing to no one, her dress pooling around her knees. Her long fingers reached out and tucked a stray golden strand from his forehead behind his ear. It was a simple gesture, motherly and loving, but the way her fingers lingered for just a moment longer made something in her chest flutter.
"Why do you want to get stronger, darling? You're only eleven," she asked, her voice soft, as if not wanting to break the spell of the moment.
Ray sat up, crossing his legs and wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "Because... I want to be someone who can protect what matters. You. Dad. Everyone I love."
Risa's breath caught for a second.
She smiled, but her heart was doing something strange - tightening, twisting, swelling all at once. Her son looked so much like her. The same silver eyes, the same golden strands. The same sharp jawline and elegant cheekbones. He wasn't just her son; he was a part of her in the purest sense. Refined. Noble. Beautiful.
"That's a very noble dream," she said after a moment. "But you're still so young. It's okay to just be a child."
Ray frowned slightly, his eyes turning to the koi pond. "But I don't want to wait until I'm older. What if something happens before then? What if I'm too weak to stop it?"
Risa studied him, the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the small cuts on his hands from hitting the ground too hard, the dirt smudged on his knees. He was just a boy - but he carried a man's heart. And something in her... ached.
"You're already stronger than most adults," she whispered. "Not just in your body... but here." She pressed her palm gently against his chest. He blinked, and she could feel the pounding of his small heart beneath her touch.
He looked up at her, meeting her gaze. "You think so, Mom?"
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she cupped his face with both hands. Her thumbs stroked the apples of his cheeks, her eyes shining with tears she refused to let fall. She leaned in, her forehead resting against his.
"You're my miracle, Ray," she said softly. "My light. My reason for breathing. I see your father in you, yes... but I see more of me. The best parts of me."
There was a silence between them, long and meaningful. The kind of silence that said more than any words could. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent - sweat, boyish energy, innocence.
When she pulled away, she composed herself quickly, returning to that regal posture of hers. "If you want to train," she said, standing back up, "then I'll support you. But remember, strength is nothing without love. Promise me that?"
"I promise," he said quickly, smiling again.
"Good," she nodded, stepping back toward the house. But before she re-entered, she paused at the sliding door. She turned her head over her shoulder and gave him one last look.
It wasn't just a mother's gaze. It was something deeper. Something hidden beneath layers of elegance and propriety. A longing she would never voice aloud.
Her son was growing up - into a young man with her features, her strength, her fire. And deep in the quietest part of her soul... she feared the day he would no longer need her. She feared the day another woman would take his love.
She said nothing else, only offered him a radiant smile that veiled a thousand thoughts.
Then she disappeared back inside, her footsteps silent, ghost-like.
Ray watched the door close behind her. He didn't fully understand the look in her eyes, nor the strange feeling in his chest when she touched him like that. But he felt loved. Safe. Important.
He lay back on the grass, letting the breeze cool his skin. He looked up at the sky and whispered to himself, "I'll protect everything. I'll protect Mom."
From what, he didn't know yet.
But one day, he would.
And that day would come much sooner than he expected.