literature

Kubo AU: Cruise

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It wasn’t easy coping with the ordeal of having one of their own turn against them. But with fresh sea air, abundant sunshine and plenty of activities to occupy their time, a cruise was exactly what their family needed to make their spirits soar.

Finding the best cruise they could afford, Kubo and his family boarded the next available one and set off for some well-deserved vacation time.

Getting a nice tan, dancing on the deck or watching a movie on the big screen. Choosing a favourite activity to do on a cruise was a difficult task. The choice for Hanzo however, was an easy one; eating from the buffet table. A service with a variety of selections to cater to his love of food and vast appetite.

Sariatu didn’t much care for her husband’s messy eating habits. Or her son starting the first course of his meal with ice-cream, followed by pizza. But her family were enjoying themselves, and for that she was grateful. And if it meant that she would be spared the responsibility of cooking for her family and doing a bad job of it, then she was happy to hold her tongue.

“Dad, can you get me some more lemon ice-cream, please?” Kubo asked his father, with an endearing grin. Cheeky boy. Sariatu thought. Trying to win his father over with a cute smile to save himself the short trip to the buffet table. It worked too.

“Got it! Honey, do you want anything?” Hanzo asked his wife, being the considerate man that he was.

“That chickpea salad was nice.” Sariatu remarked, being partial to foods with a crunchy texture.

“OK. I’ll be back in a tick.” Hanzo told them and went to retrieve the desired foods from the buffet table. While Hanzo was doing that, Sariatu took this opportunity to bring up the topic of food with Kubo.

“So Kubo, what’s your favourite food you’ve eaten today?”

“Pizza.” Kubo answered with a grin. Sariatu was not surprised by this. Though she tried her hardest to cook healthy, tasty meals for her family. The allure of junk food was always too strong for her son to resist.

“Anything else?” Sariatu prompted him for another answer. Hopefully it was a different, healthier food.

“Ice-cream!” Kubo cried out cheerfully.

“Have you eaten anything else, besides that today?” Sariatu asked. She had only seen Kubo eat pizza and ice-cream, but had hopes that he had eaten nutritious food when she wasn’t looking.

“No.” Kubo replied with no regrets, confirming her suspicions. But before Sariatu could even think about berating Kubo for his poor food choices, Hanzo returned with two plates of food.

“Here’s that salmon you asked for.” Hanzo placed a plate in front of Kubo, with a grilled fillet of salmon upon it.

“Dad, I asked for lemon ice-cream, not salmon.” Kubo reminded him.

“Heh, heh. Guess I only remembered the ‘mon’ part.” Hanzo chuckled at his own mistake.

“And here’s your… chicken?” Hanzo announced tentatively and placed the second plate in front of his wife.

“You only remembered the ‘chick’ part.” Sariatu also corrected him. Though she would not laugh out loud, she certainly was laughing on the inside. Her husband had always been a funny man. That’s what she loved about him. He made others laugh without even trying.

Giggling at both his father’s mistakes, Kubo remembered his manners and thanked his father.

“Thank you, for bringing it anyway. I’ll still eat it.” Kubo proceeded to cut the fish into large pieces, so he could fit as much of it in his mouth as fast as possible. A habit he had picked up from his voracious father.

“Looks like all that memory loss didn’t completely go away.” Sariatu dryly remarked, poking fun at her husband’s lapse in memory, showing that despite all they had been through, she could still recognize the humour in the situation.

“What? No! I forgot things even before, I got hit on the head.” Hanzo protested, not wanting the blame to be fully placed on his head trauma. Which was strange, Sariatu thought. Most people would be glad to blame their forgetfulness on something beyond their control. Her husband was strange like that, but it was charming in a way.

Two hours passed and the family had eaten to their satisfaction, until no food could tempt them into eating any more. With their stomachs full, Kubo and his parents watched a movie in the ship’s indoor theatre, enjoying the immersion that came with watching a film on the biggest available screen.

Having finished the movie, Kubo was now in an excitable mood, eager for some action. So his parents took him to a place where he could best expend his energy; the ship’s swimming pool.

Already gifted with an athletic physique. Swimming itself and holding his breath for long periods of time while submerged underwater, was another of Hanzo’s numerous talents.

It was the empowering feeling that Hanzo enjoyed the most about swimming underwater. Pushing against the weight of the water with his muscles and defying his need to breathe for a few seconds at a time made him feel strong. But in a way, it also made him vulnerable.

I can see you.” Hanzo heard the voice of his brother taunting him, as a boy with goggles and a snorkel swam past him. He froze in that instant. Reliving the moment when he was helpless to stop his brother from hurting his family. Luckily, such a memory was cut short, when his need for oxygen drove him to rise to the surface.

Climbing the small ladder on the side of the pool, Hanzo went to join his wife who was reclining on a folding chair under the comforting shade of a parasol. Drying himself off with a towel, Hanzo lay on the folding chair besides her.

“That was quick. Did you get bored of swimming already?” She asked, knowing the tendency of her husband’s mind to wander.

“No. It’s not that.” Hanzo brushed off her inquiry, trying to conceal what was bothering him.

“Then what is it?” Sariatu asked. If he wouldn’t answer her last question, then she would ask for a straight answer this time.

“Being under the water and seeing someone with goggles on… It reminded me of that mask.” Hanzo told her the truth, the displeasure of talking about it, evident in his voice.

“I’m sorry darling, I thought this cruise could take our mind off things.”

“It’s not your fault. But you’re taking things much better than I am. Look at you, you used to love swimming. And now you can’t because your scar is still healing.” Hanzo deflected her sympathy and reminded his wife of her resilience in the face of what she had lost.

“That may be true, but seeing our son having the time of his life and having you by my side is all the healing I need.” Sariatu agreed and kissed her husband on the cheek, to thank him for his support. 

In the aftermath of my modern day Kubo Alternate Universe. Kubo and his family take some time off and enjoy a trip on a cruise. Where versions of familiar moments from the movie occur in their own way.
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AilemaDragonPrincess's avatar
That's a great story.  Reading it makes me think back to the time when I took a cruise to the Mexican Riviera, which happened over eight years ago.