Chapter 4: Back to the Past (2)

His whole being froze for a moment, not believing his senses. Just to be sure, he put a little more pressure on his shoulder, massaging it deeper which would usually elicit a bone-deep pain. However there was no sharp pain in response, it just felt as if he was giving his shoulder a deep massage. Only now did he actually register what had happened. If the familiar room and the younger version of his mother weren't enough to put the pieces of the puzzle together, then his uninjured shoulder was the final piece. He dropped down to the ground as a sense of relief and hope crept into his body, robbing the strength from his limbs. Ken wasn't sure what year it was, but he knew that it was before he injured his shoulder, that was more than enough. He had been given a second chance at life, an opportunity to live differently and not become the shell of a human being he had become previously. Many thoughts ran through his head as he seemingly kowtowed on the ground, yet they were interrupted in the next moment by the sound of the door opening. His mother walked in and almost cried out in surprise after seeing her son kowtowing on the floor. Her face contorted with concern as she quickly knelt down and checked on him. "Ken! Are you okay? Something isn't right, I'm going to take you to the doctors." She said with unease, placing her hand on his shoulder. "No mom! I'm fine, really." Ken finally managed to snap out of his reverie. He lifted his head and looked at his caring mother, a dazzling smile filled with hope and purpose spread out onto his face. Ken's mother was taken aback a little at the sudden change, however her face softened a moment later. She pulled him into a warm hug and rubbed the back of his head. It had been so long since she had seen such an innocent smile on her sons face. She couldn't help herself from hugging him tightly. She had been worrying about him for a while now as he made the inevitable transition into becoming a teenager. Her little boy was beginning to turn into a man, which meant he avoided shows of affection like the plague. She suddenly felt like she was hugging her little boy once again, filling her heart with warmth and satisfaction. After a while, she managed to hold back her unstable emotions. She got to her feet and smiled, gently wiping away a tear that had escaped her control. "Hurry up and get ready, mom will drive you to school today for a change." She said with a smile. Ken nodded, his dazzling smile still glued to his face. He washed up and brushed his teeth before heading over to where he used to keep his school bag. All the while trying to get an idea of what point in time he had returned to. After opening up his closet, he saw what he was looking for. The long black pants and white shirt with a jacket, his Seiko Junior High School uniform. Ken's smile widened, he had returned back to his middle-school days. For him, these were some of the best days of his life. He quickly got changed before heading downstairs to where his mom was waiting for him. As he reached the end of the stairs, his mother looked him up and down before raising her eyebrow in question. "Why are you wearing your summer uniform, it's spring." She said, shaking her head in exasperation. "If it wasn't your first day as a senior I would have made you stay home… Now go quickly change before you're even more late." She added a moment later, shooing him away. Ken's eyes lit up, thanks to his moms urging, he finally knew exactly what point in time he had traveled back to. This would make his life a lot easier. 'Thank you mom!' He shouted inwardly, springing back upstairs to change into his winter uniform. Thankfully his mom didn't push him any further otherwise he would have been at a loss. Not even a minute later, Ken returned back down the stairs wearing the appropriate uniform. He grabbed a piece of toast from the table and shoved it in his mouth, heading towards the car. His mom only shook her head, letting out a small sigh. "I will never understand teenagers." She muttered, closing the door on her way out. After around 10 minutes, they finally arrived at the school. Ken looked out the window as his old school came into view. This was the place where he had lived out his dream of playing baseball day in and day out, it truly was the peak of his youth. However, this was also where his dream was brutally taken away from him. However, things would be different this time around. Now that he had been given a second chance, there was no way that he would let history repeat itself.