I Will Love You Forever Pt. 2 Ch. 01

"Papa look!" Niko said and pointed at the window.

Kenji looked at the window and saw nothing but didn't tell Niko that.

"Tell me what you see." Kenji said calmly as he sat on Niko's bed while Patricia checked on Marie who had managed to stay asleep.

"There's something against the window!" he cried.

"Alright, let me go check." Kenji said as he hugged Niko.

Just as he got to the window, he saw what Niko saw, it was a small insect of some kind going back and forth across the window but because of the light it looked huge.

"Come Niko; let me show you what you are frightened of."

Niko didn't move. His eyes were as big as saucers as he watched the insect scurry across the window.

"Come, I will not let anything hurt you." Kenji said and held out his hand.

Niko slowly got off of his bed and made his way to Kenji. Kenji took Niko's hand in his and waited until the insect crossed the window again.

"It is nothing but an insect doing its early morning work."

"It's so big!"

Kenji knelt down beside Niko.

"No, it is really quite small, it is only because of the way the light hits it that it looks so large."

A few minutes later Niko was tucked back into bed considerably calmer.

"He's never been afraid like that before." Patricia said getting back into bed.

"It really was not the insect that he was afraid of." Kenji replied, "He was afraid that we would not go to him, this is going to be a difficult week for him until he adjusts."

"I guess it's a good thing that I only have classes twice a week then isn't it?" Patricia replied yawning.

"The device?"

"In its container after being cleaned" Patricia replied.

"That is a shame." Kenji replied nuzzling her neck making her laugh.

"I believe that it was you who taught me that there's more than one way to make love." Patricia said as she reached down to take his cock into her hand and began to stroke.

**********

Andrew Kelley got home in time to make dinner for his father. His mother as still at work at the diner and would be home for a couple of hours yet.

"What do you want to eat pop?" Andrew called out from the kitchen, "we've got left over casserole from yesterday or I can make you a sandwich."

He waited for a reply and when none came he made the decision to make sandwiches. His father wouldn't care, since he came back from the war he didn't care about anything but focused on the loss of the leg that he lost fighting the Japanese. The outgoing man who had left for the war with confidence that he would be home in now time was nowhere to be seen, that part of him had been lost along with the leg in Japan.

Because of that Andrew hated all Japanese whether they were born here or not and as far as he was concerned they all needed to be shipped back and another bomb or two dropped on them. When he saw the Japanese man and then the Jew in class, he saw red. The idea that he had to go through school with them was almost unbearable and then the Jap had a black girlfriend too? "Unfuckingbelievable!" he grumbled.

"What in the hell is this country coming to?" he asked himself as he put the ham and cheese sandwiches on a plate and poured each of them a glass of milk.

Harlan Kelly barely acknowledged Andrew when he set up the TV tray in front of him and set his meal in front of him. Andrew felt another stab of hatred and anger at the Japanese, his father would never be the same and it was because of them. Kenji's face appeared in Andrew's mind incensing him even further and driving him to a decision, the Jap and his black woman had to go. He didn't think too much of Joel but at least he was white and an easy mark. He didn't know how he was going to get rid of the Jap and his woman but he was going to get rid of them. Once he made his decision, he calmed down, ate his sandwich and cleared away the dishes.

"I'm going to go study pop." Andrew said as he picked up his bag.

If Harlan heard him he didn't respond. He was staring off into space rubbing the knee of his missing leg.

*******

The first week of classes flew by with Niko gradually getting used to Kenji and Patricia being gone, by the end of the week he was back to sleeping all night without calling out for them. Kenji continued to leave the handkerchief with Niko even when Patricia was home.

"You should see him." Patricia told Kenji one day, "He never lets it out of his sight."

"That's good, he is learning responsibility." Kenji replied, "I missed you." he added.

"I missed you too." Patricia replied.

The truth was she was almost in tears not more than five minutes after he left. The feeling lessoned when Abby and Ralph stopped by for coffee.

"How are things?" Abby asked.

"Wonderful and scary." Patricia replied as she poured hot water into Abby's tea cup.

"You've handled scary before." Ralph told her, "You can handle this."

"I know but it's hard to believe that we're in school and in four years Kenji will be graduating!"

"It'll go fast." Abby assured her.

*********

Finally it was Friday, Patricia waited by the door for Kenji after she kissed Marie and Niko goodbye. Kenji handed his handkerchief to Niko with a smile.

"You make me proud by the way that you care for my handkerchief. " Kenji told him.

"Thank you papa." Niko said with a bow.

"Thank you and you are very welcome." Kenji replied returning the bow, "mind aunt Abby and Uncle Ralph." he admonished as he bent down to kiss Niko and then Marie.

"Bye papa and mama" Niko said holding on to Marie's hand.

"Bye babies, we'll see you for supper." Patricia replied. Niko wasn't the only one adjusting.

***********

Dr. Hathaway called roll and again mispronounced her last name as he looked at her and dared her to say something. He gave her a confused look and then scowled when she raised her hand and smiled sweetly at him.

"Put your books away!" he said looking at Patricia, "surprise quiz."

Again he looked at Patricia as if he expected her to complain along with the rest of the class. Instead she nodded at him and gave him a slight smile.

"As you finish the quiz bring it to me and I will grade it immediately. If there is another student here, stay in your seat until that student is finished."

He passed out the quizzes giving Patricia hers last.

"You have ten minutes."

Patricia quickly read through the quiz and then started at the beginning. She knew that she was being witched but ignored it. She heard a chair scrape to the left of her and then a disappointed moan from whoever had gone up first. By her estimation she had two minutes left during which she double checked her answers and went up front quiz in hand.

"Well Miss Takeeda, how do you think you did?" Dr. Hathaway asked.

"I think that I passed if that's what you're asking." Patricia replied.

"No one has passed yet." he snipped.

Patricia didn't reply but waited for the paper to be graded.

She watched as Dr. Hathaway scowled with every plus mark he made with his pen.

"Pass!" he growled and then threw her paper on top of the pile that was rapidly growing.

"What did I get?" Patricia asked.

"I said you passed!"

"I heard you but what was my score?" Patricia asked, "I want to mark it down in my notebook."

"100% now go back to your seat!"

Patricia resisted the urge to jump up and down and made her way back to her seat. She couldn't wait to see Kenji to tell him that she had passed her first college surprise quiz.

*********

Kenji had a sense of disquiet. Andrew Kelly had barely spoken to him all week, the feeling that he was up to no good grew as the day wore on. Kenji hoped that Patricia stayed put and waited for him as he told her to, he just didn't trust Kelley.

"Kirei I just do not trust him so please wait for me in front of your class room."

"What do you think he's going to do?" she asked.

"I don't know Kirei but he has barely acknowledged me all week and that concerns me."

The first class passed without a problem, Kenji met Patricia and she chattered happily about passing her first quiz.

"I knew that you would do well." Kenji told her proudly.

The hour break passed quickly and they were back in class.

********

"A few days ago I had each of you write an essay on whatever you wanted." Dr. Bell said as he perched on his desk. "There was a reason for that exercise and that was to see where you were as far as being able to write a coherent paper. Of the fifty of you, twenty-five had a decent command of the English language, of the twenty-five 15 of you wrote an adequate essay and what I mean by that was, while it was grammatically correct, it was as boring as hell. The remaining ten wrote essays that were both grammatically correct with some minor grammatical errors but the subject matter was interesting. There is one essay that stood out because it was written from a very personal experience. I wish that I could read it to you but I haven't asked the permission of the author to do so......."

Patricia wondered where she fell on the grid, she took great pains with her grammar and what she wrote about wouldn't have interested anyone .......

"Mrs. Takeda?"

Patricia jumped at the sound of her name being called.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I was asking permission to read your essay to the class." Dr. Bell said giving her a curious look.

"I, if you want." Patricia replied shyly not at all sure that she wanted her private thoughts read out loud but then she did write it as an essay.

"Thank you." Dr. Bell said and turned his attention to the essay.

As he read it, Patricia could almost visualize that day that seemed so long ago but not really.

"While this wasn't the thrilling have you on the edge of your seat essay, it held one's attention and it was for the most part grammatically correct. Well done Mrs. Takeda"

Patricia felt herself blush at the compliment and murmured a "thank you."

Her college career had started on the right foot academically.

*********

Kenji, Joel and Patricia had lunch together after their class with Patricia packing extra food for them, Joel was far too thin as far as she was concerned and she always made him take the left over's home through Kenji even if she wasn't there.

"How was your second class Kirei?" Kenji asked.

When Patricia finished telling them about her essay being read, Kenji smiled at her. If they had been at home he would have kissed her but a smile would have to do for now.

"May I ask a question?" Joel asked. He waited until he had their consent before asking. "I thought her name was Patricia, but you call her Kirei so what is her name?"

"My name is Patricia." she replied, "Kirei is what Kenji started calling me a while back."

"Kirei is Japanese for beautiful." Kenji replied, "Because that is what she is."

Joel blushed and quickly changed the subject as he wondered if he would ever find someone.

After lunch Kenji walked Patricia to the library.

"I will come for you after my class is over." Kenji said.

******

As soon as he walked into the class room the hairs on the nape of Kenji's neck prickled. He looked around to see Andrew and his friends staring at him and Joel cowering in his seat. He glanced at his seat and then around it, suddenly he understood the game. He smiled and sat down without giving Andrew another thought, this man and his friends didn't frighten him.

Since it was Friday, class was out early. Andrew and his friends left without saying a word to either Kenji or Joel. The feeling of unease grew as Kenji listened to the men leave the room completely bypassing Joel. He found out why a few minutes later.

Kenji walked back to Joel and spoke to him, when Joel didn't respond the feeling of unease grew.

"Joel?" Kenji called.

Joel looked up at him, his face wet with tears. It was then that Kenji noticed that Joel was holding his left hand in his lap.

"What did they do to you?" Kenji asked.

"I'm alright...."

"What did they do to your hand?" Kenji asked as he sat his books down.

"N...nothing, it's fine." Joel stammered.

Finally Joel relented and showed Kenji his hand.

"Joel, it is broken!" Kenji exclaimed.

Kenji realized that it had to have happened in the fifteen minutes that he spent alone with Patricia after lunch and Joel had sat through class suffering in silence.

"Wait here." Kenji said, "I will go get Patricia and then we will go to someone who can help."

"No! They said that they'd break my other hand if I told anyone."

"Joel, you cannot continue to let them do this to you!" Kenji said, "It will not stop unless you stand up to them."

Joel turned away, he knew that Kenji was right but being tormented was a part of his life just as breathing was.

"Wait here." Kenji repeated and went to get Patricia.

*********

Patricia was intent in her reading and didn't know that Kenji was there until he tapped her shoulder making her yelp.

"I am sorry Kirei but we must take Joel to Paul."

"Is is sick?" she asked concerned.

"He has been hurt, now come, he is waiting for us."

When they got to the classroom Joel was staring off into space, the fingers of his left hand double the normal size.

Patricia gasped when she saw Joel's hand.

Kenji gathered his and Joel's things and helped Joel stand up. Together the three of them went in search of Paul.

*******

Paul was well aware of Andrew Kelly and his friends. He made a point of finding out about him when he heard the comment that he made in class. Andrew, he found out wasn't happy about anything but when his father came back minus a leg he played it to the hilt acting as if he was he one that lost a limb. The problem as Paul saw it was that Andrew was allowed to be a bully and that it was only a matter of time before he and Kenji bumped heads.

"Paul!" Kenji called out, "we need help!"

Paul walked toward the group meeting them halfway.

"Kenji? What happened?"

A few minutes later Paul was examining Joel's hand.

"Who did this to you son?" he asked.

"I..... I don't know." Joel replied crying out as Paul moved a finger.

"Son, all of the fingers on this hand are broken and you don't know who did it?"

Joel turned away and didn't answer.

Paul wrapped Joel's hand and tried to get information from him. He had his suspicions but unless Joel said something there was nothing that he could do. Once again he asked Joel who hurt him and once again Joel didn't reply.

"Alright, I'm done here." Paul said with a sigh.

"Where do you live?" Kenji asked, "We will take you home."

"I can walk." Joel said as he got down from the table.

"I insist, allow us to take you home." Kenji said.

Reluctantly Joel agreed.

*********

The three of them left the skills lab and headed to the car not aware that they were being watched by Andrew Kelley. Patricia saw the car first, "Kenji look at the car."

Kenji stopped walking and looked at the car. The car was covered with racial slurs painted in white that were mostly aimed at Kenji.

"Who would....." and then he stopped, he knew exactly who would do such a thing. Andrew Kelley and he had help.

"Kirei wait here with Joel." Kenji said as he approached the car.

"Kenji..."

"Wait there." Kenji repeated as he began to make a wide birth around the car checking the tires. When he got to the back of the car he saw the broken window. The car was drivable like that but it was the tires that he was concerned about.

He walked around the car again and knelt at each tire to make sure that no air was escaping, only when he did this three times was he satisfied and let Joel and Patricia into the car. He looked around hoping to get a glimpse of Andrew Kelley. He knew that he was watching them to see their reactions; he would have been surprised if he wasn't. One thing was clear, a confrontation between him and Andre Kelly was going to happen no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. He could only hope that when it happened, that it would be a day when Patricia was at home.

*******

Andrew watched Kenji's reaction with interest. He watched as instead of becoming angry, Kenji calmly assessed the damage to the car before letting his woman and the Jew in. "This is going to be interesting." Andrew thought to himself as he watched them drive away.