Returning Home

Posted on Thu Jan 7th, 2021 @ 2:34pm by Lieutenant Takeshi Nakazato 'Zack' & Mako Nakazato & Sayuki Nakazato

1,019 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Allegations
Location: Nakazato family home, Gunma, Japan

As the best man, Takeshi was in charge of planning Keisuke's bachelor party. Of course, that was easier said than done when he was being confined aboard the Myogi. Granted, it was in the Third Officer's quarters, as Miyahara wanted to make his detention as comfortable as possible as a deliberate middle finger to Daxer, but he still wasn't allowed to return home and see his family.

With that being said, he had been devising a plan to circumvent his situation: Have all of Keisuke's friends flown up to the Myogi and they could all have a good time drifting (or gripping) on simulated mountain passes on one of the holodecks. But then Miyahara unexpectedly paid him a visit asking his plans for the bachelor party. Takeshi outlined the ideal scenario and then the improvised one.

That conversation had led him to where he was now: Beaming down to Gunma to take his GT-R out so they could have fun on the real passes instead of simulated ones. Miyahara had assured him that the shock function on his ankle monitor had been disabled, and that the monitor would only be sending an encoded GPS signal to Lieutenant Tristana, who would be in transporter control to beam him up in case Daxer showed up.

Takeshi materialized in front of his home. The plaque outside the gate reading 'Nakazato' in Kanji identical to the one outside his quarters on the Tokyo. He had been away for so long that he was amazed the house he stood in front of was even his.

Regardless, Takeshi entered the gate combination and watched the gate move aside. Once the gate was a significant amount aside, Takeshi stepped onto the property and made his way up the drive towards the door. As he approached the house, he saw Mako's enthusiastic face appear in the front window, and he had hardly reached the door when it swung open and Mako hurled herself through onto him.

"DADDY'S HOME!!!" She screeched loudly.

Mako appeared to have been screaming her excitement inside the house as she made her way towards the door, as Takeshi saw Sayuki making her way to the doorway.

"Takeshi!" She said with mounting delight.

Sayuki sprang forward and embraced Takeshi, sandwiching Mako between her parents.

"It's been too long..." She muttered.

"It sure has..." Takeshi responded.

"What happened?" Sayuki asked after she let Takeshi go. "Did you get released fully?"

"No, unfortunately." Takeshi responded. "I'm just stopping through. I'm here to take my car out to throw Takahashi's bachelor party."

"OOH! LET ME COME WITH! PLEASE, PLEASE, DADDY??" Mako begged.

"Sorry, kiddo." Takeshi said. "This matter is a guys only affair."

"Aw..." Mako sighed. "I wish I had a peepee..."

"Now, now, dear, you do have one;" Sayuki said. "It's just... In a different place..."

"I think she means she wishes she was a boy." Takeshi chuckled.

"Mako, dear, don't fret because you're not like your father or your brother." Sayuki said. "There's plenty of advantages to being a girl."

"But my daddy's going for a ride on the pass without me..." Mako pouted.

"Tell you what, kiddo: I'll make it up to you some other time." Takeshi said.

"You will? You promise?" Mako gasped.

"I promise." Takeshi said.

"YAY!" Mako shouted.

With Mako seeming content that her father would make it up to her, she ran off to some other corner of the house.

Takeshi followed Sayuki inside to the kitchen, where the keys to his GT-R were hanging.

"Your car's in the garage." She explained. "But, it's not going anywhere without a key."

"It sure isn't." Takeshi agreed, grabbing the keys off the hook.

He started down at the key he held in his hand. It had been a long time since he last held it, and it felt like he had been reunited with a part of himself.

"The tires are good?" He asked.

"Of course." Sayuki responded. "Everything should be in proper working order."

"Excellent." Takeshi said.

Takeshi leaned in and gave his wife a peck on the cheek.

"I'll be dropping the car off tonight if all goes well." He said. "If not, I'm sure you'll hear from one of Takahashi's buds to come pick it up."

"Let's hope it doesn't have to come to that, dear." Sayuki said.

Takeshi opened the door leading into the connected garage and clicked the button to open the garage door. The light in the garage came on as the door made its way up the track, and sitting before Takeshi, parked neatly in the garage was his Nissan Skyline GT-R BNR32. The NightKids sticker gleamed in the window. He stepped forward, down the steps leading from the house towards the vehicle, placing his hand on the passenger side door.

"It's been too long..." He muttered to the car.

Takeshi stepped around the vehicle towards the driver's side, running his hand over the curves. There was just something about standing in the presence of his real car that a holodeck simulation just couldn't match, and Takeshi was allowing all of his senses to drink in every last moment. When he approached the driver's side door, he slid the key into the lock and unlocked the car. When he opened the door, he was met with that wonderful smell that holodeck simulations couldn't replicate: That smell that distinctly let Takeshi know that the car actually was his. He took a moment to thoroughly ingest the smell before climbing inside. He was especially observant of the sensation of settling into the seat and putting his harness on. Noting that everything was real. Takeshi placed the key in the ignition and affectionately ran his hand over the steering wheel before reaching once more for the key and giving it a turn, kicking the RB26DETT engine into life.

"Hello again, old friend..." Takeshi whispered as he wiped a layer of dust off the dashboard.

Posting by

Lieutenant Takeshi Nakazato
Air Boss

Sayuki Nakazato
Townsend Thoresen travel agent
Spouse

Mako Nakazato
Child

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