Japan x Reader: Barrier

Title: Japan x Reader: Barrier
Author: threepinkdoors
I warn you now that the Japanese was taken from Google Translate, so don't think it's accurate.

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"Good morning, counselors!" you cried cheerfully, carrying in trays of coffee cups. The counselors bid you a good morning as you handed them their coffees and rushed to sit down in your little mini office. You were pretty much the donut boy of the main office of your school. Whatever the administration wanted, you got it for them. You didn't mind; it kept you away from your (least favorite elective) class. Also, it was the first class of the day, so there wasn't much going around, except the coffee delivery.

"Ah, sumimasen," you managed to hear from the front desk. "Watashi wa Honda Kiku desu. Watashi wa koko ni atarashi gakusei desu. Watashi wa kurasu no sukejuru o sansho shite suru koto o yokyu kudasai." Chinese? No, Japanese, you decided. Ah, so it was the foreign exchange student the counselors were talking about the previous week. You shrugged your shoulders. It wasn't your problem; you were just an aide. Plus. you didn't know a lick of Japanese, other than the generic 'sayonara'.

A counselor stuck her head into your little area. "__________, can you come help us, please?" You stood and followed her to the front desk. "Ah, this is __________. She is going to help you with what you need," the counselor said slowly, as if the boy was stupid, and used hand symbols to help him understand. But the boy just looked at the counselor in a confused state, and you did the same.

"Ms. Wilson, I don't know Japanese," you confessed.

"Well, you know it it was Japanese, right? And don't lie, I know you read a lot of those books," she smiled.

"Those are translated into English," you mumbled.

She ignored you. "Great! Now go on and get to know him and see what he wants."

You sighed as she left and looked the boy over. He seemed to be a year older than you, and he had large chocolate brown eyes with a striking black bowl cut. His skin looked soft and was milky white. Yep, generic Japanese stereotype. "So..." you let out. "What's you're name?" He didn't seem to understand. You tried again, and pointed to yourself. "__________ ___________."

He seemed to understand that a little. He held his hand out to you in a polite manner of pointing. "__________-san." You nodded. He placed a hand on his chest. "Honda, Kiku."

You remembered the grammar in Japan; last name first, then your first name. "Kiku," you said, pointing to him. He smiled. "I'll bet you want your schedule." He looked at you with a confused face and you led him to the counselor in charge of handling students whose last names started with 'H'. "Mr. Morton," you knocked on the door.

"Come in, __________," he bade you with a smile. "What can I do for you?"

"This is Kiku Honda. He needs his class schedule."

"Ah, so this is our new foreign exchange student!" he smiled, pulling up Kiku's files. "There are still some classes missing, so we have to fill those in before he can go to class."

Crap. How do you translate that? "Um... is art available?" Mr. Morton nodded. You turned your attention to Kiku. "Do you like to draw?" Kiku looked more confused than ever. You grabbed a sheet of paper and drew a simple kindergarten-age flower. "Draw!" you smiled while drawing.

He took the pencil and began to scribble around, his pencil marks creating, not only a beautiful cherry blossom, but an elegant cherry blossom tree and a mountainous landscape. "Byoga shimasu," he said while drawing.

"It... looks like he'll take art..." you managed, still unbelieving of what had just happened.

*~*

After a few minutes of figuring out his class schedule, you walked Kiku to all of his classes. He had enough credits to be a senior, and he insisted in being placed in senior classes, despite his low skill in English. At the end of the day, you met up with him outside of his class. "Do you drive?" you asked him, making a motion with your hands that resembled driving in a car. He stared at your hands for a minute before understanding, and he led you to a little Corolla. "It had to be a Japanese car," you muttered.

He held open the passenger door. "Inchi susumi, kudasai." You looked inside. There was no steering wheel in the passenger's side. You smiled and got into the car. He slipped into the driver's side and started the car. "Doko ni sunde iru no desu ka?" You didn't know what he was saying, so he drove to the intersection. "Hidari?" he asked, pointing left. "Matawa migi?" he asked, pointing right.

Oh, he was taking you home! That was sweet of him... Beats taking the bus. "Left," you said with a smile and pointing left.

"Hidari," he repeated.

Nothing was spoken except the eventual directions you were giving him. You were soon on your front door. "Thanks, Kiku," you said as you got out. You remembered something you had learned in an anime. You placed your hands in front of your lap and bowed at the waist. "Arigatou."

"Doitashimashite." A smile came across his face. He shut the engine off and stepped out of the car. Before you could ask what he was doing, he rang your doorbell and stepped a considerate amount of space back.

Your mom opened the door. "__________! You're home early!" She noticed the boy standing behind you. "Oh, who's this?" she asked, eyeing you. You blushed.

"M-mom, this is Kiku Honda. He's a foreign exchange student, and he drove me home," you said as politely as you could.

Kiku took a small step forward. He held his arms at his side and bowed at the waist. "Hajimemashite."

You mom giggled. "He looks like one of those characters you read about every day, __________." Your blush deepened.

"A-anyway, Kiku, would you like to come in?" you asked, motioning him inside. Kiku smiled at your request and stepped in, closing the door behind him. He bent over and began taking off his shoes. "Oh, you don't have to do that," you said, picking him up. "See?" You moved to the rest of your house with shoes on. He eyed you with confusion, but stepped lightly across the house, concerned he would dirty the carpet.

*~*

At the end of the day, it was natural he had to return to his exchange family's home. "Arigatou, __________-san," he said from outside your home's threshold, bowing at his waist again. You giggled and bowed to him as well.

"He's a very handsome man," your mom giggled.

"Mom!" you cried, hoping Kiku didn't hear her. Oh wait; he doesn't know English. So it really wouldn't have mattered anyway."

Kiku chuckled to himself, driving off in his car. "Oh, __________-san. I wonder if you wourd be mad that I was taught Engrish in Japan...?"