Glory Hole In Sandiego

Clouds in a bucket

DATA
Title : Clouds in a bucket
Chapter : One shot
Genre : Fluff
Pairing : none
Rating : G
Disclaimer : I do not own Arashi I only own the plot
Story : «But it's hard, I mean... you know how difficult is the music world» MatsuJun made him notice
«If I can put clouds in a bucket, then I can reach the top with you guys» [Main character: AIBA MASAKI]

NOTES
God... that was hard! To translate this fic took me more or less 14 hours. I'm exausted! =_=
I traslated some fic before but they were from english to italian, not from italian to english and this way is incredibly difficult and tiring. Then... I'm sure there is a bunch of mistakes here, but I'm not a native speaker and I don't have someone who likes Arashi and can be my beta reader, but who wants, can correct me, just... don't use the comments or it will be a disaster down her XD use LJ private message and don't worry, I won't be angry if you correct me, I'm aware my english is bad but I wanted to try it with a little fic, just to see how much I'm lousy.
I wrote this fic for Aiba's birthday. It's a very short story, unpretentious. I wanted to write something simple, joyfull, maybe "bright"... to reflect the might and the sincerity Aiba shows everyday.
Happy Birthday Aiba chan. Keep on smiling and make us smile with you ♡
Title image credits to  GeorgiaPeaches . It's not a bucket but I had the idea for this story seeing this image.
When you see a * means there's an explanation at the end of the story.


«No, I won't tell you my wish» he said sulky «If I tell, it won't come true. I tell my wishes only to shooting stars» and the others started to laugh
«You aren't quick enough. Shooting starts won't make them true» say a boy turning his head to him
«What are you saying?» asked a little girl sat behind him «Masaki neven thinks!» laughed while holding a pencil in her little hand
«Ehy! That's not true!» broke out the boy straightening his shoulder «Now I'll take revenge!» declared, then he started to throw some paper balls towards his friends.
When he was seven, Masaki had just one wish: become taller. He loved basketball, but he was too short. The neighbourhood kids had raised a team and every saturday they played at the minibasket court, he wanted to join them, but they said he couldn't: he wasn't enough tall to be one of them.
«Masaki chan!» shouted the teacher «Didn't you promise that you would have listened to all the lessons for today? Do you want me to inform to you mom about the glass you've broken yesterday?». The kid looked at her with eyes wide opened and gulped «I'm sorry sensei» cheeped. The previous day he had broken a glass while playing football with friend during break time, and it was the third in a month: if his mother would knew he wouldn't be able to eat pudding for a week. He couldn't allow it!
«So, Masaki chan, can you come here, at the blackboard? Since I've just finished to explain this problem, and you promied to follow the lesson, I'm sure you can solve it the way I've just said» she smiled and put the chalk on desk, waiting for him to reach her. Classmates started to laugh trying to hide themself behind others' shoulders. Masaki turned up his nose and sticked out his toungue towards one of them before standing up and reaching the teacher desk. He showed his gap-toothed smile to the young lady and watched the blackboard: " TARO CHAN WANTS TO BUY 3 APPLES EACH FOR HIS 3 FRIENDS AND HIM. EACH APPLE COSTS 100 YEN AND HE HAS 1.000 YEN IN HIS POKET. HOW MAY APPLES WILL BUY TARO CHAN AND HOW MUCH WILL SPEND? ARE HIS MONEY ENOUGH? ".

Masaki entred the kindergarden hall tightening his hands on the black leather schoolbag. «Hello Masaki chan!»
«Good morning Hisaishi san» he greeted politely, bowing his head towards the young lady wearing a apron
«What's up? You aren't smiling as you usually do» she said bending over him in worry
«Teacher scolded me» he admitted looking down «I have to show mom a paper to sign, this way she'll know I was a bad boy and I'll be punished»
«Niichan! Niichan!!» shouted a little kid who was runinng towards him
«Yucchan, you have to change your shoes» Masaki said to the boy seeing he almost got down the stair to the kindergarden's hall «Going out wearing uwabaki* is forbidden» nodded. The teacher looked at them, when the youngest went obediently to the locker she ruffled Masaki's hair «You're a good big bro, I'm sure your mom will forgive you»
«If she won't can I come here for pudding?» asked nibbling at his lower lip and tearfully looked at her. She had a heart sting and nodded «Off course, I'll put aside some for you».
Masaki and Yusuke went out kindergarden holding each other hand, like every day. The younger brother was 3 years old, four less than him, kindergarden and elementary school where one beside the other. «Bike?» asked the little one
«It's there. Are you hungry?» said Masaki trotting toward the bicycle against the school gates: there were "Uchū Senshi Barudiosu" drawings on the crossbar, he loved it.** «Mashimerro» answered Yusuke while his brother helped him sitting on the carrier by lifting him
«You're asking them for all the week» noticed wheeling the bicycle from the hadlebar «So I will buy them. Yucchan, wait for me here and don't move»
«Uhn» nodded him obediently. He lowered the kick-sand and left him on the sidewalk: he was allowed to go to school by bicycle, along with his young brother, only if he avoided the road. Masaki checked on his left and right, then raised his arm while crossing to reach the sweets' shop on the other side.*** When he came back he had a bucket of marshmallow.
He was quietly pedaling with the wind ruffling his hair that peep out under the yellow cap**** and the little schoolbags wobbled in the bicycle basket. It was a sunshine day at the begging of autumn, when the wind is a little cool but the rays of sunshine warm the air and make it pleasant and mild. The sky was blue, screams of children out of school filled the atmosphere. It was a quiet day in Chiba. «One for Niichan...» said Yusuke who had the bucket and was in charge of even up the marshmallows. Masaki reached out the hand and touched his brother's giving him the sweet «... and one for me». He turned the bicycle to enter some alleys without sidewalk and kept left until someone showed up coming from a corner. «Woooah» he bursted putting his feets on the ground to slow down «Are you nuts?» said looking at the girl who fall on the ground. «Found her!» someone cryed round the corner «Quick, quick! She's this way!» and some pebble hit the little girl still on the ground, sobbing
«Look, I found this for you!» a boy announced when he reached her with four friends «it's yours, right?» asked throwing a broken bucket against her. The girl raised her weepy gaze and looked at her toy. «Oh... oooh Take chan! You made her cry... how baaaad» one of them pretended to be surprised
«My my... I should apologize» everyone guffawed.
Masaki saw the whole thing with eyes wide opened and Yusuke, whom head poked out behind his brother shoulder, was slowly chewing a marshmallow looking at the bully group and their victim, as if it was an anime episode. From the phoebe, one of the children finally noticed them and attracted the others. All of them seemed scared after noticing Aiba chan, as if he was a police man. «What are you doing?» he asked
«One for Niisan» butted Yusuke givind a marshmallow to him
«Ehy... hi Masa» babbled the eldest «Well... we just... nothing» and made a step back
«We were just going away, right?»
«Yeah, yeah... let's go, before someone scold us»
«Ehy! You're not going anywhere!» he cryed lowering the kick-sand and he got down the bicycle «Take chan, you promised to stop doing this! Apologize to her!» ordered in a trasport pointing the girl on the ground
«But masa... she's crazy!»
«Niichan, mashimerro» insisted Yusuke
«She says her wish will become true is she manage to put clouds in a bucket»
«I'm sure I'll think enough quickly to make a shooting star will realize mine, but today Hiroshi just laughed at me» he explained looking at one of the five children «Am I wrong? You didn't throw anything to me and you didn't broke my bucket» he was really angry
«You don't have bucket Masaki chan» noticed Hiroshi
«Mashimerroooo...» chanted the younger brother, while swinging his legs
«Same!» he turned up his nose, trying not to blush «No tricks for me, but to her... apologize!» commanded again crossing his arms. The children stepped back an hooked it. He sighed and looked at the mistreated girl. She stopped crying. «They went away. Tomorrow I'll say to Hiro kun to apologize» he explained approaching her «Geez... listen, you mustn't be like this»
«"like this"?» asked her, speaking for the first time
«Like... cry and run off» answered «You can't allow it. Com'on... stand up!» he helped her taking her from armpit
«But... they're stronger than me» she replyed finally standing up
«Niichan, I'll eat it...» it was like Yusuke didn't notice his brother was speaking to someone else
«No, they are not. Mommy says if you've a dream you're always strong» insisted Masaki, sure of his words «If you feel weak because of you wishes, well, the truth is you don't believe in them. If you really wish for them then they give you energy!»
«Is he your brother?» she asked pointing at the kid still with the marshmallow in his hand. Masaki finally helped him to get off the carrier «Thanks Yucchan» said taking his sweet. While chewing he helped the young brother to fix his shorts. «Mmmh... just think of something» announced the boy «We can offer some marshmallow to...» started to say but stopped looking at the girl
«Akari» she introduced herself
«To Akari chan. Then we can give her the bucket as a present, oky?»
«But I wanted it for crayon» answered the youngest
«Crayons have their box»
«This is prettier»
«Dont' mind, I'll buy another one, that's your bucket» said Akari wiping away her tears and smiling «But it'ok for the sweet, I like marshmallow»
«You don't want it anymore?» asked Yusuke nodding to the bucket
«Uhn... don't mind»
«Then you can have it» said with an angelic smile on his face. Masaki shook his head «Forgive him» said, just like an elder brother «Then, if Yucchan leaves the bucket we can use it. You wanted to put clouds in it, right?»
«Clouds in a bucket?» asked the little one «Can we?»
«No, it's impossible. That's why they were making fun of me» answered Akari eating her marshmallow
«'course we can!» Masaki replyed «And I'll show you how!». He helped Yusuke to get on the bicycle again and invited Akari to sit on the crossbar: he would show her a way to fill her bucket with all the clouds she wished.
They took the way down to the river and Yusuke was going on complaining for he couldn't eat the sweets if neither his brother or Akari couldn't, due to their position on the bicycle. When Masaki asked to join the basketball team nobody had treated him: Kotarou, the captain, was eleven years old and he just said he had to grow up a bit! At school his friends had just make some fun of him and he was scolded, but that was all. He knew he wasn't able to think enought quickly, but he would do his best and his friends would support him for sure. Nobody never bullied him: not in the street, not at school, not while he was playing; so he couldn't understand the reason why another person would be.
Arrived at the river, they left the bicycle near the street and sat down along the bank. The grass was still light green and tickled the childrens' ankle who divided the remaining marshmallow. Yusuke was finally happy. They talked about many and various things: who they were, what they like, which marshmallow's color they prefer, which food was the best one, where they lived, about school's teacher. At the end Masaki polished the bucket with leaves. «Are you sure it is possible?» asked Akari, worried but curious at the same time
«Terribly sure!» he nodded «You'll be amazed» he giggled and tapped on the bucket. «When Niichan says he can, means he can» said Yusuke nibbling at his T-shirt's hem. Masaki took off his yellow cap and stood up to approach the river side «Where are you going?» asked the girl
«Now you'll see» he said knleeling and drawing up his hand towards the water «Clouds... clouds... clouds» he slurred holding the bucket with his fingers. Yusuke laughed looking at his brother with butt in the air and had a loud laugh when he fell in the river. «Masa chan!» cryed Akari running towards him to see if he was ok. Luckly the water wasn't deep and the child emerged. «Are you ok?» she asked worried
«Fwaaaa...» he splitted «Yeah, yeah... I'm fine, but it's cold!» trembling, he tidied up his hair. Both of them started to laugh until masaki remembered the reason why he was there. «Ah! Akari chan, you want clouds, right?» asked Masaki
«Y-yeah, but... how can you find them in a river?» she was still skeptic
«This way» he said rising up one hand, the one that was holding the bucket. It was filled of water and he showed it to her: the blue sky above their head, with some white clouds here and there, was reflected on the water in it. The image trembled everytime he moved the bucket. «Clouds! There are clouds in the bucket!» yelled Akari, astonished
«Where? Where? I wanna see it too!» said Yusuke, reaching them «Ah! Clouds!» said as he too could see them on the water
«Tomorrow you'll go to those boys, and you'll show it. Nothing is impossible if you really want it» Masaki was still half plunged in the river
«Thanks» said Akari
«Now that they are in the bucket you can make your wish» he smiled, his fringe was trickling in front of his eyes.

☁☁☁

He was looking outside of the window, lowered to make fresher the air in the bus. They were coming back from a concert. Aiba had his head leaned against his arm, on the window border, the wind ruffling his hair. «Aiba chan... close the window, it makes draught» Nino muttered and turned himself on the other side to continue sleeping, but the boy didn't move to do it. «Hoy» a whisper and a movement in front of Aiba made him turn his head to look inside. «Hoy» greeted back to MatsuJun who knelt on the front seat to turn and speak to him. «So you wanna reach the top, ah?»
«Uhn» he nodded turning to look back outside the window
«I've got the feeling Aiba chan likes big talks» laughed Sho on the back seat
«I was serious» he said with forceful pitch
«Seriously? And how are you planning to realize it?» asked the youngest
«I don't know, it's not something you can decide this way» he slightly blushed
«Will isn't enough» the guy behind him informed
«But if you dont wish for dream they won't become true. All starts from belief, if you have the strenght to believe, then you also have the strenght to realise» Masaki said undismayed
«But it's hard, I mean... you know how difficult is the music world» MatsuJun made him notice
«If I can put clouds in a bucket, then I can reach the top with you guys»
«Clouds in a bucket?» Ohno asked with sleepy voice, he was sat behind Nino
«Ehy! Stop talking! I cannot sleep» he just muttered
«Hoy, Nino kun! Aiba chan says he can put clouds in a bucket» laughed Sho
«How?» asked Jun
«Uhm...» Masaki whispered, then he closed the window. The day was dawning and everyone needed to have a good sleep. «When we'll reach the top I'll show you guys» he smiled.

* uwabaki are the kind of shoes japanese use inside buildings
** "Uchū Senshi Barudiosu" (宇宙戦士 バルディオス) is an anima from 1980
*** In Japan when children cross the streets they raise their arm so that drivers can seem them better
**** Many elementary schools don't have uniforms, but childrens usually wear a yellow cap