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Welp, here is the third fic in my Goldenboy series: Goldenboy Lesson #9: On The Road! I hope you enjoy it! Big thanks to Megasus who edited this story and by the way, please take the time to fill out the poll on the bottom after you finish the story. Thank you and on the story!
" Mr. Oe! This...is hard! I can't do it anymore! " Sakura says, her voice straining. " I know...but hold on...a little longer...we're almost there! " Kintaro responds grunting feverishly. " Yes, we're almost there Mr. Oe...almost..." she responds panting, her voice taking on a higher pitch, " Oh Kintaro! Yes! We made it We made it over that monster hill! "
My name is Sakura Amaguri and I am 25 years old. Currently, I'm on the road with Mr. Oe. He's been so nice as to buy me a bike and allow me to travel with him around Japan. He's so nice. He's also offered to help me find out about my past, to find my family and to experience life. He really is a nice guy. Kinda...pervy though... It's been three weeks since Kintaro and Sakura left the day care center behind. Currently, the couple is riding high up in a mountainous region and they really have no idea where they are going. " Ummm...Mr. Oe? Do you have any idea where we are going? " The woman asks. Kintaro shakes his head, " Nope, I'm afraid I have no clue. And please, call me Kintaro. " " Oh! Oh, sorry Mr. er...I mean Kintaro. " Sakura cracks a nervous smile as Kintaro grins back at her. The two peddle up the scenic mountain road that just doesn't seem to end. " How can he like doing this? This is torture! This road just doesn't seem to want to end..." Sakura thinks to herself. She turns to look out over the edge of the mountain to see a beautiful valley covered with trees as far as the eye can see. The fresh snow covers each tree in it's own way, giving each and every one a distinct style all its own. The cool breeze hits her face as she turns to face front. She smiles at this, and begins to understand... The two finally reach the summit of the mountain and it's all downhill from now on. They spot a couple of benches on the side of the road and decide on a pit stop. They park their bikes and sit across from each other on a bench overlooking the valley below. Each take out a little snack from their backpacks and begin to nibble away. Kintaro leans on the bench, arms crossed, laying his head on his arms eating. He gazes at Sakura who is staring off over the edge, looking at the valley below. " I hope she's enjoying herself. I know this must be hard for her...man...she is hot. That's all there is to it. She may seem a little strange, but she really is beautiful..." " Kintaro, are you ok? Your cheeks are red. " Kintaro raises up fast and shakes it off. " Hehehe, it's nothing! Nothing! Hehehe..." He recovers with a nervous laugh. She shrugs and turns back to the scenery. Kintaro finishes off his snack ( a granola bar ) and sits up to look at the scenery. " Beautiful, isn't it? " Kintaro turns to Sakura who is staring intently at the mountains far off in the background. " Yes, it is. Does the scenery bring back any memories? " Kintaro asks. Sakura shakes her head. " No, it's just beautiful. This is totally new for me. I've never felt or seen anything like this. " She turns to look at Oe-kun. " Have you? " Kintaro stand up and puts on his backpack and hops on his bike. " I see things like this all the time Sakura, and I'll tell ya, it gets more beautiful every time. " Sakura smiles, equips her backpack and hops on her bike. They then start back on their trek down the mountain side. The trip back down looks to be an easy one, and the couple speeds down the mountain letting the cool wind hit them smack in the face. " This feels so good! " Sakura thinks to herself, " It was a hard trip up here, but I feel justified when I feel the cool wind hit my face and run through my hair. I feel so alive..." Sakura focuses on Kintaro as they make a sharp left turn. " He seems so alive and comfortable...then again...this is his life. This seems like such a lonely life. This is the first time he's had someone to travel with him, he said. Why does he do this? " The two make another sharp turn to the right. Kintaro speaks up, " Are you ok back there? " " Ye...yes! " Sakura responds. She speaks up again, " Kintaro, can I ask you a question? " " Of course, what is it? " She fiddles with the question in her mind for a bit and finally asks, " Why do you do this? Travel like this, from place to place? " Kintaro responds without heistation; " To study life. " Sakura blinks, " To study life...well, what have you learned? " Kintaro's eyes open wide and he slams on the brakes causing Sakura to do the same, almost hitting him. He looks at her intently. " What did you just say? " Sakura holds her hand over her heart, catching her breath. " You almost made me hit you! " Kintaro is taken back and waves his hands nervously in front of him, " Oops, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Honest! But...what did you ask me again? " " I asked, what have you learned? Through out all your travels, what have you learned? " Kintaro scratches his head nervously. " What have I learned..." He says to himself softly. He looks back at her, " Well, I've learned alot, but...hmmm...I don't know how to explain any of it. Ask some questions. " " Well...I don't know what to ask. " Sakura said looking down over the edge. The two sit there silently looking at each other. A cool gust of wind suddenly whips by them, chilling them to the bone. Kintaro smiles, " Well, lets keep riding on and you can think about what you want to ask me. " Sakura nods and the couple once again heads down the mountain side. " What can I ask him? " Sakura wonders. " I want to know about him, but every time I want to ask him something, my mind comes up blank. " Finally, the words just come to her as she speaks. " Kintaro? Why do you do this? " She asked as they took another left turn. Kintaro chuckles. " Didn't you already ask that? " He replies. " Well, yes I did. But all you said was ' to study about life. ' There has got to more then that. " Kintaro's looks up, as if to access his brain for an answer. " I guess...I guess I just feel something calling to me. something out here that I am supposed to do. You know, I started doing this because I wanted to get away from something, but now, something is calling to me and I just have to find it. Kind of like us trying to find your past." Sakura looks at him, listening closely as he speaks, " So, I ride. It's not like it's a chore or anything. I've chosen this way of life and I have no regrets about it. Someday, I'll find it. " He says, smiling to himself. Sakura tilts her head slightly. More questions come to her and she picks one from the bunch. " Well, what happens when you find it? " Kintaro grins and looks up at the sky for a brief moment then back at her, " I have no idea. " Sakura's head drops. " I don't get this guy. " The two finally make it down the mountain...only to head back up another. They then decide it is too late and they are too tired to attempt to ride up this mountain, and call it a night. Kintaro finds a nice spot were they can set up camp as Sakura unpacks the tent, a pot, two bowls, and some soup for the night's dinner. Thirty minutes later, the tent is all set up, a fire is made and soup is simmering and ready to eat. The two nod to each other and start to chow down on their dinner, which in addition to the soup, consits of some crackers and some tea. Kintaro raises his bowl of soup and his crackers and boasts, " A feast fit for a king! Or at least a couple camping out. " Sakura giggles and Kintaro takes a sip of the soup Sakura prepared and gags to himself. " BLARG! How can she make soup taste this bad?!?!?! " Sakura notices Kintaro's facial expression at the taste. " Kintaro? Is something wrong with the soup? " Kintaro shakes it off and manages a smile, " No no! I...just took a breath when I sipped the soup. It went down the wrong tube. " He says nervously. Sakura smiles, " Oh good! So you like it then? I knew adding some of those mushrooms and herbs I found in those bushes over would help it. Just plain tomato soup seemed so...bland. " She says as she takes a sip of her soup and smiles. " MMMM! Delicious! " Kintaro groans and falls over on his side. " How can she eat this stuff?! " Later on in the night, after the " feast, " the couple lays down together inside of the tent. Since Kintaro only has one sleeping bag and didn't think ahead to get Sakura her own, the two share Kintaro's as it is kind of big anyways. The couple lays back to back as Kintaro leans over on his side, clutching his stomach and groaning to himself while Sakura leans the other way, looking out at the darkness. " Why is he holding his stomach? Was it something to do with the questions I asked earlier? Was it the ride? Was it...the food? " She thinks to herself. " Hey Kintaro? Are you ok? " She asks softly, breaking the silence. " I'm just...peachy. " Kintaro groans. " Are you...sure? I didn't mean to make you upset by asking you all sorts of questions. " Kintaro shakes his head slowly. " No. It's not that. I'm ok Sakura. Just get some sleep. " Sakura sighs quietly to herself as silence once again floods the tent, broken occasionally by the groaning of Kintaro. An eternity seems to pass between the two with not a word said. " Ohhhh...my stomach...those mushrooms...good thing they weren't that poisonous...but then again, I can't handle mushrooms period. Oh man...I'm gonna be feeling it for awhile... " Suddenly, Kintaro lets out a quiet gasp as he feels an arm come across him and a warm body pressing againist his back. A soft, quiet voice speaks into his ear, " I'm...sorry Kintaro. I didn't mean for you to get sick. I know I'm not the world's best cook and...using those mushrooms without asking you first was dumb. I'm very sorry to be a bother to you. " Oe-kun listens intently to her words and the soft weeping that follows. Kintaro smiles to himself and slowly takes her hand into his and holds it softly. " It's ok Sakura. It's perfectly alright. It's the thought that counts right? I appreciate what you did. And no, you aren't a bother. Not at all, actually. You really don't know how much it means to me that you're traveling with me. Thank you. " With that said, Kintaro intertwines his fingers with hers. Sakura blushes and cuddles in next to him closer. " Goodnight Kintaro. " She says, falling victim to the sandman. Kintaro replies with a loud groan. " I'm gonna die! " The next morning, Kintaro is still feeling the ill effects of the toxic soup Sakura served up last night. However, they are still riding on, up and over mountain and after mountain. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, they hit a flat, straight road that is bordered by beautiful snow-capped trees and bushes. Seeing this, Kintaro's stomach doesn't feel quite as bad as they ride on. " I hope he's really ok. I know his stomach still feels bad from last night but he seems to be riding ok. " Sakura thinks to herself while watching Oe-kun ride on ahead of her. Finally, she can't stand the silence anymore and speaks out. " Hey Kintaro? " " Yeah, what's up? " he replies. " Ummm...I...I decided to name my bike. I'm going to name it the Kintaro-1. " She blurts out, thinking up stuff to say to him. " Really? Awww...thank you Sakura. " Kintaro says, looking back grinning. She smiles back, wondering why the heck she just said that. " Well, it seemed like a nice name when I blurted it out. Good job Sakura. Yep, real good. " She looks out to the side of road, admiring the view as they speed by. " It's beautiful isn't it? " Kintaro yells out as they both look out to the side of the road. " Yes, it is actually. " Sakura replies. " But this isn't what's really beautiful..." She thinks. " Hey Kintaro? Just another weird question. When do you think you'll actually settle down and stop doing this? " Kintaro looks up, as if to access his brain for an answer again. " Well, considering I meet a beautiful girl every time I stop at a new town, I may never stop doing this! " Kintaro says with a laugh. Sakura is stunned by the answer. " Well, I wasn't expecting that..." Hours later, day turns to night and the couple sets up camp on a nice hill they reached while riding that overlooks the next city before them. The two are inside of the tent with only their heads sticking out, gazing at the city below. " Sakura? Have you ever loved anyone? " She blushes and shakes her head. " How could I ever love anyone when I've lived in a day care center all my life? " " Oh! Oh! I'm sorry Sakura, I didn't mean to ask such a stupid question. Stupid stupid stupid! " Kintaro exclaimes as he hits himself upside his head. Sakura giggles and moves herself closer up to Kintaro. " I may not have loved anyone before, but..." She thinks as she looks at Kintaro's face as he stares out on the town, rubbing his head. She shakes it off and just enjoys the warmth the two are sharing inside of the sleeping bag. " Hmmmm...I've been here before... " Kintaro thinks, trying to remember. " Oh shit! " He flicks a look to Sakura who had dozed off, cuddling up close to him. He looks at her and smiles, letting out a big sigh as he knows what this town has in store for him. The following morning, after the couple takes up camp, and they set off towards the city in front of them. Sakura is strangely optimistic about this new town she has never seen before. However, Kintaro does not share her same enthusiasum, for the town in front of them is a town Kintaro had worked in before. This is also the same town in which he made a very special promise to a young girl named Naoko Katsuda... To be continued...
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