A/N: Been a while since I updated this. Warnings all round, it's another doozie. Not as long as chapter nine, but definitely a long one. For those wondering about the significance of Renes plight here, check Taikus bio for details on her history for it to make sense. A separate addition will be added soon to cover more detail on it.
Anyway, enjoy the new chapter, faithful readers Part 11 - Resurfacing Of The Bitterest Memories[/u]
The warmth had begun to return to the air as February rolled in across the coast, San Francisco beginning to retain an outside ambience that was pleasant enough to sit outside in and relax. As such, several evenings had begun to see the penthouses occupants sitting on the spacious balcony on folding chairs, playing cards and drinking into the late evening. A decadent luxury perhaps, but one that they had no qualms about enjoying. Though Kira and Reiko more often than not would retire inside early, the three eldest would linger around until late in the night, talking about nonsensical things and generally just relaxing. Still, once in a while, something more serious was broached, and in a Tequila-hazed frame of mind, Rene would instigate one of those tonight.
"I've been thinking--"
"Careful, with the amount you've knocked back tonight, that could prove dangerous!"The pair laughed gently at the interjected quip at Rene, but she waved it off and pressed on, "No, seriously, I've been thinking...I want to go find my mom."
That single phrase made both men pause mid-sip and set their glasses down, the air thickening with the concept of what Rene was suggesting. Both knew her past all too well, what her stepfather had done to her...They knew she still had nightmares about it, and both had spent late nights sitting awake with her, calming her. Others, they simply sat in their rooms and listened to her pained cries in her sleep. Of course, if they'd ever ask her, she'd simply smile and shrug it off, dismissing it as little other than an old ache that came back to haunt her sometimes.
Both knew otherwise, and both knew immediately that this subject had to be carefully handled...
"Alright, then I'll make a call and have someone go do some intel, find out exactly where--""No need, I've already done that. I have the address, and I'm fully aware that Ace still lives with her. Don't baby me, Kaz. I haven't forgotten what happened with him, but I'm not going to stay afraid of him..."
"Keh..."The distasteful sound left his lips as he lowered his head, sipping from his glass again and leaning onto the table. He wouldn't lie that he was worried about the outcome of Rene coming face to face with Ace again, and whilst Taiku had only seen the mans face once before, in a previous intel search he'd done when they were still back in Varron. Despite the sheer force of will that had prevented him from removing Ace from the mortal coil, he knew that such methods were not his to choose and had remained away, knowing that if he ever came into contact with the man he would likely not be able to retain composure, and the same applied for Rocco.
"I've not seen her in nearly ten years, guys. I still can't forgive her for the things she let me go through, but I figure I should at least let her know I'm well and safe..."
Murmured agreement came from the pair as they focused intently on the table, frenetically trying to think of the correct way to work this so they could convince her otherwise....
"Call her, let her know you're coming and meet her somewhere away from him then..."Rocco, speaking for the first time, made his pitch quietly and calmly, though the seething anger in the eldest of the three was evident to see to the others. Rene, however, was unfazed in her efforts. Partly due to the Tequila, partly due to her stoic nature, she was going to do this her way and neither of them would be able to dissuade her.
"I'm going to leave tomorrow, whether you try to stop me or not, so it's really on you two to accept this..."
A few moments of silence hung in the air before Taiku spoke again, sternness in his voice now,
"Fine, then we're coming with you.""No, you're not."
"Let's look at it this way, Rene. Either we go WITH you, or we follow you there. You can't really stop us..."Her sour expression said it all, and she knew full well that trying to prevent them from accompanying her would be futile. After all, Taiku more than had the drive and the resources to trail her across the country...Defeated, she nodded slowly a minute or so later. "Alright, but you have to promise me that you're going to be there as silent witnesses and nothing more..."
A difficult promise to make, no doubt, but reluctantly, the pair of them nodded. After that, silence seemed to stay in the air, only the faint whistle of the wind and a car horn or two in the distance below breaking the air around them as they finished their drinks and packed up the chairs, setting them against the wall before picking up the spent bottles and taking them inside. None of them would get much sleep tonight, that was for sure, and Taiku hung around only a minute or two longer before bidding the pair goodnight and making his way upstairs, pausing a moment outside Kiras door before pushing it open. Finding her to not be in her own bed, he permitted himself a short smile and approached his own room, slipping in the door quietly and seeing the sleeping girls form curled up in his bed. Slipping in behind her, laying atop the covers as an arm draped over her body, he squeezed against her and sighed quietly, pressing his lips to the nape of her neck as she stirred slightly. Kira hadn't gone to bed that long ago, and it was still reasonably early by their usual standard of late nights, so waking her would not rouse her from any real deep sleep...
"Hey...Kira....?"
"...Mmmf...Yeah...?""Rene, Rocco and I need to go away for a few days..."
"Hn...How come, where're you going?""Back to New York. Rene has something she needs to do back there."
The mention of New York stirred the girl some more, and she twisted round to sit up a little as her attention was taken slightly.
"New York...Are you going back to Varron, Kaz?""...Not quite, but nearby....Why?"
"I'd quite like to come with you guys, I haven't seen my parents since coming to California, it'd be nice to catch up even if only for a day or so...""Mm, I guess that'd work, but would you mind taking Reiko along with you in that case? I don't like the idea of leaving her unsupervised here..."
"Sure, don't mind in the least. Gives me some extra company after all...""Alright, great then. We'll be leaving early tomorrow, flying into Watertown. Pack what you need, okay?"
"Mmhm, alright Kaz."The remark was bolstered by a smile as she slunk back under the covers completely, twisting to lay on her side, facing him this time. For a while, he lay with her and held her, watching her drift off to sleep. Still, for him it was a luxury ill-afforded at the moment. He would simply get a few hours on the flight to recharge. For now, he was going to be kept busy with thoughts of the following days events...
The next day, after landing in WatertownA glitter of metal sailed through the air as he underhanded a set of keys at Rocco, intent on letting the Italian drive the first leg of the journey. They'd arrived in late evening despite catching an early flight, thanks to time difference, and it had been unanimously agreed that the five would stop somewhere in Varron for a quick meal with Kiras parents, allowing the other three to finally meet them as well. Palming the other set of keys to Kira, he paused long enough to kiss her lightly before nodding to her car; a 2008 Mitsubishi Spyder.
Even for a rental car, Taiku pulled no punches. They would be driving a fair amount over the next couple of days, might as well do it in style and comfort...The grin he suppressed was one of mild pride, and he glanced back to the Evo X that sat a little away, with Rene and Rocco leaning against it patiently.
"On to Varron then, hm?"
Grinning, he turned away and began to walk towards the Evo as Rocco and Rene hopped in, knowing Kira and Reiko were doing the same, and stepped into the car as the engine roared to life beautifully. With a slight lurch, the car shot forward and began to make its way out of the parking lot. Within minutes, they'd hit the open road and were speeding their way along the Lake Ontario coastline, back towards Varron.
It had been nearly two years since Taiku had been back in Varron, and he was partially looking forward to the return. Sour memories would always be there, but he still awaited the chance to see what had happened since then...A thought struck him, and as such he fished his cellphone from his pocket to call Reiko in the neighboring car.
"Hey, Reiko, do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?""Ask Kira to pull over at the next gas station. I want to take a drive for a little while, so if you guys could take Rocco and Rene, I'd appreciate it."
"Uhm, okay, I guess so...?""Thanks, kiddo."
Shortly afterwardsThey'd pulled over just outside Varrons city limits at a gas station, as per his request, and after making his excuses with apologetic tones, he'd smiled as they slipped into the Evo. It had more room for them all, and truth be told, he quite liked the idea of giving that Spyder a runaround as well. Still, as he sat in the car, his smile faded as they pulled away. Doing so himself, diverting the car down a different divider, he made his way into the warehouse district at a steady pace. It didn't take long for him to find what he was looking for, but he didn't stop immediately, instead pulling further down the road and finding a florist a little ways away. A quick stop inside was all it took, and he set down the two bunches on the passenger seat carefully before jack-knifing the car back around, heading to the original aim of his personal detour. Bringing the car to a stop, he picked up one of the bunches and stepped out, looking at the lot in front of him. Rubble still littered much of the ground, though the ashes from past times had long since deteriorated to nothing. High security fences now cordoned the area off from public access, and Taiku stopped at its perimeter to look inside.
This was where The Edge had once stood in its glory, now completely destroyed by the inferno that had claimed many lives, and Taiku had felt an obligation, a responsibility, to return to this place...Setting the bouquet on the ground at the fences edge, he stood in silence as he remembered the old days here, back when he'd first discovered it as Li's, the times he'd spent with Maverik and Kokaku, Jazz and Akamaru, the good and bad...It held many memories, most of them good and able to dampen the bad that had wrought its ruin, but after the fire he'd never returned to this site.
"It should never have happened like that..."
Sighing, he shook his head and stood quietly for a little while longer, eventually returning to the car and pulling away from the site. Chance in his favor, he would not return to this site again for a long time.
Afterwards, he just...drove. Traveling old roads long since traveled and remembering places he'd visited in the past. He'd even stopped outside Varron Academy, at least, what was left of it. Like the club, the school had been practically destroyed, though not by fire but the wrath of a student riot unlike any seen before. News reports had covered the transfer of groups to other schools around the country, but had barely breached upon the actual level of destruction the school had faced. Having stuck around a while afterward, he'd been there to see for himself like most, but still wasn't terribly shocked to see that the building had been rendered a condemned facility. A spike of nostalgia struck him a moment, but it was quickly removed. He had no longer any interest in old ties to this place, it held little place in his heart and mind, and he pushed his foot down onto the pedal a little harder as the car lurched away.
Despite having been away from here for so long, it came as second nature for him to find the old penthouse, where Kiras parents now resided. When he'd left, he'd made agreements with Kira and her family that they could take ownership of the place rather than see it wasted on some ungrateful schmuck. Pulling up alongside the Evo, the outer parking lot sparingly full compared, most likely, to the protected underground lot he used to park in, he pulled the other bouquet of flowers out and walked around to the front of the building, giving the concierge a brief nod as he walked into the open elevator and hit the 'P' button.
It had always seemed like a long ride to the top of the building, but with little time seemingly passing, the doors opened and he stepped out...The building he lived in now was much taller, and the elevator clearly took longer to reach the top. Shrugging it off as a trick of the mind, he walked to the door and struck his knuckles against it lightly, waiting before it was opened and Kira stood in front of him, smiling.
"C'mon in, we were just waiting on you."Smiling and stepping inside, he glanced around at his former home and gave a discerning eyebrow to the slight changes in the decor before walking into the living room to be greeted by the senior Karyuudos, both of whom stood to greet him. Handing the flowers to her mother, he smiled and tilted his head slightly at her in respect before turning to her father, Taro, whose outstretched hand he took and shook firmly.
"Mr. Karyuudo, it's good to see you again, sir."
"And yourself, Kazuki...""My apologies for being late, I had something I needed to go and do before I--"
"Don't worry about it, really.""...Yes, sir."
A brief pause in the conversation lulled as the rest of the group seemed slightly stifled by the mild tension presented between Taiku and Kiras father, making it evident he knew the pair were involved with one another. Still, it was the elder of the pair who broke it first, a flicker of a smile emerging on his face as he rose from his seat, clapping his hands together once with a exclamatory reflex.
"Well, are we going to go for some dinner or sit here and watch Kazuki stumble along with this conversation?"Granted, even Taiku laughed quietly at the comment, and shaking his head as he stood up he ushered the rest of his group out, nodding to Reiko to go ahead as well as he pulled on his jacket again and began to walk in the rear of the numbers before a hand set down on his shoulder. Pausing, he turned to face Taro calmly and slipped his hands into the pockets.
"You're a good man, Kazuki, just take care of my daughter and treat her well, and we'll get along just fine"Smiling, the younger of the two men nodded his agreement, "She's my world, sir. You have my word."
"I'm glad to hear it. Now, let's get moving before they wonder what's taking us so long...."The following day...The last night had been an enjoyable one, and all had retired to bed sated and relaxed...Well, all except for three. Taiku, Rene and Rocco once again had spent most of the night awake, each for their own specific reasons, but all related to the same singular issue. As such, when dawn rose and the three found themselves sitting in what had once been their former kitchen, arriving at varying times but all sitting in near-silence with coffee in front of them until late in the morning when the rest of the household awoke. With time approaching, they made their goodbyes for the day and left quietly, allowing Kira and Reiko to have the day to themselves, and allowing the three to focus on the task at hand.
The keys to the Evo at hand, Taiku stepped into the drivers seat and waited as the other two got in, starting the engine without a word and pulling out. Within minutes they were on the road towards Oswego, and it was a short drive in itself, barely a half-hour from Varron. Rene, who up until now had held her calm demeanor, began to grow restless and shifted frequently in the seat...
"Listen, I'll turn the car around right now, just say the word, Rene...."
"...No, no. Keep going. It's just jitters..."Sighing, he nodded and pressed on, and within ten minutes they were within Oswego’s limits and down to a cruising pace through the town centre. At Renes instruction, Taiku drove the car through backstreets and side roads until they pulled up outside the house they needed. Steeling himself, Taiku sighed and glanced back to Rene who was sitting, her hands gripping the seat as she breathed slowly, calming herself...
"Ready....?"
She nodded, and on her move the three stepped from the car simultaneously, flanking her up the pathway and stopping at the foot of the doorstep, leaving it to Rene to decide whether she knocked or not. With surprisingly little hesitation, she knocked the door a couple of times and stood there without a flinch. Now, Taiku just had to hope that the person answering the door wasn't going to be Ace....
Footsteps inside the house approached, a form behind the dirty pane of decorative glass on the door, and it opened with a slow swing as a woman, somewhere, apparently in her late forties but looking much closer to her late fifties, opened the door.
"Can I help ya...?"Rene stood and said nothing for a moment, just looking at this wreck of a woman. Her eye held the dull brown ring of an old bruise, her skin was sallow and leathery from alcohol abuse, but without a doubt, it was her....
"Hey, ya gonna just stand there or what? Can. I. Help. You?""Hey, mom...."
The gruff face blinked at the remark a moment, and almost in seconds the cigarette that sat between her lips near enough fell out her mouth. Clamoring for the words, she backed up from the door a moment and took a longer look at the blonde standing on the porch in front of her.
"...Rene? Is that really you....?""Yeah, mom...It's me."
"Oh my god...Come--come in, please!"A shift of her head as she stepped through the threshold into the house, followed in suit by Taiku and Rocco, and the three were inside, pushing the door closed behind them. Neither made an immediate effort to introduce themselves, instead choosing to sit, flanking Rene, on the larger sofa in the living room with her mother sitting opposite a small, dusty coffee table in a smaller chair for one. Once again, silence rung clear in the air as the two family members simply tried to break the ice between one another. Thankfully, for everyone present, Rene was able to push past that and instigate the conversation.
"So, how have you been...?"
"Well, alright I guess, all things considered. I spent the best part of two years trying to track you down, but when it was clear you didn't want to be found, I started to lose hope in finding you myself...I prayed you were safe though, and I'm thankful you're doing well. Oh, god, Rene....I'm just so glad to see you're doing well...But, still, what HAVE you been doing for these years?"Shrugging her shoulders lightly, her palms linked together as she twiddled her thumbs, Rene gave a weak little smile before responding..."Well, I guess I kinda drifted about for a couple of years, most of that isn't really of any importance, but I met someone in Varron who gave me a place to stay and helped me get on my feet."
Taiku smiled quietly as a brief memory of the day he'd met Rene lingered in his mind, and her words drifted out of his head a moment before she nudged him on the knee. Glancing at her, she gestured to her mother who sat, looking at him quite interestedly.
"You're the young man who gave my daughter a home...?""Uh, yes ma'am..."
"Thank you, I honestly mean that."The brief nod he returned at the gratitude was interrupted as the front door swung open, and both Taiku and Rocco shared a brief look of horror at one another. The odds stood in favor of only one person walking through that door, and they knew this was where the loose threads that were holding Rene's mind together would unravel horribly. Neither moved for fear of sparking panic in the blonde, though she shrunk back a fraction when the form stepped into the doorway, stopping and glaring at the three guests with a mixture of territorial anger at the two younger, fitter males who sat with his wife and a typical leering stare at Rene, though a hint of something else made it clear he wasn't certain he didn't know who she was at the moment.
"The fuck are you doin' in my house? Kathy, who the hell are these people!?""Calm down Ace, please..?""Shut your fucking mouth, woman, I want to know who these three are!""They're--""No, YOU shut your fucking trap, THEY'LL tell me."Cowed by her husband’s power trip, Katherine backed down from the exchange quickly and shot a deeply apologetic glance at her daughter, now trembling slightly at the presence in front of her. Ace, on the other hand, quite full of Dutch courage and an egocentric attitude, made no bones about throwing his weight around.
"Well?""Kathy, you didn't tell me your husband was such a charming man..."
Both Taiku and Rene shot their eyes to the side as Rocco spoke, a sour tone to his voice as he ignored the boorish elder male. It was clear that a certain degree of Rocco’s temper had been frayed by Ace, and in typical fashion, the Italian made no qualms about speaking against it.
"Who the FUCK do you think you're talking to, boy?""Not you, so shut your mouth,
Ace."
"You musta have somethin' wrong with your head, boy. I asked you a question."As he spoke, Ace began to advance towards Rocco, a threatening gesture as he stomped across the floor. Almost immediately, Kathy stood up and held her arms in front of him,
"C'mon Ace, please don't be like this. It's Rene with--"She never finished her remark as Ace backhanded her out of his way, knocking her to the ground by her chair. The action brought about a sudden change in Rocco’s demeanor however, as he flew up from his seat and immediately squared up against Ace. Now, by no means was Rocco a fighter, but at that precise moment, Taiku himself was dumbstruck, despite a searing anger coarsing through him at the previous action.
"Back off!"
Rocco slammed both palms into Aces chest, knocking him backward and into the doorway again as he held his ground against the older man, who now had apparently grown so furious he was ready to swing for the Italian were it not for one thing he'd caught in his wife’s attempted remark.
"She say 'Rene'? You gotta be kidding me, that bitch there is the good-f'r-nothin' daughter who ran out on her mother? The fuck are you doing back here, huh?""SHE came to see her mother, not you! Why don't you go crawl under a rock or something!?"
"Aw, hell no, this I want to see. The little princess, back to see her precious mommy. Jus' cuts me up inside...."A slow rumble of laughter began to slip from his lips as he craned his neck round Rocco to look at the blonde, and the leer in his eyes was there again...No doubt, he remembered full well his actions from those years ago, and that look alone was enough to make Rene tremble again, her palm gripping on Taikus knee at the mental flashes she had of the night. This, however, was enough to push Taiku to breaking point as he got to his feet and began to stride over towards Ace, his eyes burning as he braced to lay into him.
Of course, he'd not counted entirely on Rocco having already headbutted Ace square in the mouth, a savage glare in his eyes as he stepped down onto the drunken fools neck with his boot, not quite crushing his throat but restricting the airway enough.
"I told you once, I won't tell you again. Get out of here."
"You think you're tough, boy? I swear, even if I don't get YOU for this, that little whores mother will pay for letting you in this house!""Y'know, you raise a good point..."
Reaching over to Taiku, he batted the smaller male on the shoulder to garner his attention, the pair of them conversing quietly in Italian with a few smirks emerging here and there...Ace, of course, continued to shift under Rocco’s boot, but every time he attempted to move, the Italian simply pushed down against his neck harder, eventually forcing the older man to relinquish. Rene and her mother, however, were frozen in place at the sight taking place, simply trying to comprehend what was happening. For Rene, she'd fantasised about this happening and worse thousands of times in her life, and now it was potentially going to happen, she found herself....torn.
"We've decided to make sure you can't go being a little tantrum-throwing infant any longer, Ace. You might want to stay still; otherwise this could hurt a lot more than it already will..."
As the pair swapped around, Taiku now pinning Ace down, Rocco stood over him and glared down at him. No smile on his face, just a look of pure venom as he brought his foot up over the downed mans head, ready to slam it home. Just as he began to lunge down, however, Rene and her mother both screamed...Their view was hidden from them by Rocco’s legs, but the crack of floorboards made Rene twitch with a sickness in her gut...
"Rocco, stop it!!"
Holding his hands in the air, he stepped back from Ace, as did Taiku, only for the two females to find a suitable dent in the floorboards beside where Aces head sat, and immediately he scrambled back from the two, sweat trickling from his brow as he considered what had just occurred to him...
"What's the matter, not got the fuckin' balls to do it 'r somethin', huh?"A raised eyebrow from the Italian was followed by a short shake of his head as he leaned down to Katherine, offering her a hand which she tentatively took. With a sudden shift in manner, his burst of anger had melted away to a calm and gentle smile as he helped Rene’s mother to her feet, tilting her head back to inspect her cheek with a lopsided scowl on his face.
"It's gonna bruise, but if you get some ice on it now, it'll take the worst of the swelling away...", turning to Rene, he commanded her attention with his expression, "Give your mom a hand, alright?"
"What about....--"
"We won't, promise."
Nodding at the obvious yet unspoken words between them, Rene got up with a sideward glance at Taiku who still stood, middle of the floor, with his eyes rarely leaving Ace. He gave her a nod in acquiescence as well, and she accepted their promise with no further question. Neither would go behind her back, not even for something like this, and all three knew it. A moment later, as the door closed over and the two women were mostly out of earshot, Rocco spun on his heels, walking back over to Ace before pulling him to his feet roughly and pushing him against the wall, pinning him there with his hand around Aces throat.
"If it was just you and me, Ace, I'd not have missed..."
"Yeah, all fuckin' talk, aren't ya? No balls...""Believe what you want, but do you really want to tempt fate?"
"...What? Ya gonna spy on me? Make sure I'm a good boy and don't push the girls around? Don't make me laugh, dickhead.""How do you think we found out where you lived in the first place....?"
That remark shut Ace up a moment as his slow brain took a steady count of the situation.
"You're all talk....", he stuttered, his words all the more uncertain this time as he began to look between the pair who cornered him against the wall.
"You'll just have to find out yourself. Touch your wife again, Ace, and see just what will happen to you. I'm not kidding, I
will come back after you..."
Taiku could barely hold back a faint smirk as he stood and listened to Rocco berate this waste of air in his grip, knowing full well that the two men would likely have to slip away later so Rocco could throw back a few drinks and question just how, exactly, he'd been able to react like that. In any regard, he released Ace a moment later, stepping back and in the path between him and the kitchen doorway, speaking with grit in his voice that had yet to diminish...
"I trust we have an understanding...."
A quiet grunt from Ace as he turned and stomped his way out the house followed, and Rocco sighed deeply before leaning against the wall, slumping down it and letting his head rest against the plaster-board, his eyes closed with an incredulous look on his face.
"Jesus, Taiku, what did I just do?"
Smiling, the Asian squatted down in front of his friend, nodding slightly, "The right thing, Rocco...For now, he's out the way. We can see to it that Ace is watched and that Rene’s mom is safe. There's little chance he'll change his ways, guys like him don't know how to, but it's better this way. Rene wouldn't want this on her conscience, even if I personally liked the idea of beating him within an inch of his life..."
Though the pair could have continued to speak among themselves, the kitchen door opened and they were rejoined by Rene and her mother a moment later...Clearly, Aces effort of making his departure noticed had reached their ears, and the two had come back now he had left...Taking their respective seats again, Rene was the first to speak...
"Why are you still with him...?"
"...I guess I love him, even with the bad, he's not always like that, y'know?""That's no damned excuse, mom!"
"Rene, when you left, I felt like I'd lost everything....He was still there, and I needed someone to be there.""Really, forgive me for not sticking around to be some plaything of his..."
A hint of acid in Rene’s words froze the conversation as old memories rushed to mother and daughter both...Katherine could only lower her head in shame at the memory before she spoke, quieter than before and with a streak of real pain in her voice....
"I've never forgiven myself for what happened, Rene...""Maybe not, but clearly you forgave
him!!"
That was enough to prompt the two men in the room to rise from their seats and make excuses, walking from the room out onto the front porch. Sitting down on the step, Taiku fished a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, underhanding the pack at Rocco who took up the offer, lighting his own. Like Taiku, he rarely smoked aside for times of stress, but both would admit needing the relaxant round about now. The two inside the house, though their voices were raised enough for the two men to know Rene was shouting, were subdued just enough that their words weren't audible...
'Was this really such a good idea....?'A while later...The shouting inside had died down almost completely, and despite the fact, neither Taiku nor Rocco had made any effort to go back inside. Both now sat silently on the porch, glancing around their surroundings idly and passing cigarettes between each other, knowing that Rene had to do this her way. She had to be able to thrash this out and face it in her own method. Still, it'd been quiet in there for a while, and they were both beginning to question what was going on before the door opened and Rene stepped out, a placid expression on her face, as her mother stepped into the doorway behind her, but stopped short of going outside.
She began to walk down the steps onto the pathway before stopping and turning around, giving a faint but genuine smile to the older woman.
"I'll see you sometime soon, mom."
"Don't make it so long next time, Rene...?"With a light smile, her mother gave her a short wave before Rene turned away again, nodding before walking toward the car. Taiku turned back to Katherine briefly, his lips curling up a moment in a short, reciprocated smile before speaking. "I'm sorry for what happened earlier, Mrs. Carmichael..."
"I'm not angry with what you did, boys....I was scared, but Ace put himself into his problem, not me....""If you ever have any problems...--"
"I know, Rene already gave me the run-down...I'll call her if I need to, but if possible, I'll not. I've got so much to make up to that girl, I don't want to put her out....""Be that as it may, I doubt Rene has any desire to see ill of you after all the will it took for her to come here..."
"...You're a clever man, Taiku. I can understand why she likes you..."A faint blush spread on the normally expressionless Asians face at the remark, and whilst he knew better than to raise false hope or ideals, there was sometimes occasion to allow people their assumptions for the greater good. It would do no harm for Rene’s mother to assume whatever she pleased, after all. Giving a short nod and a terse smile, he made his excuses and left the porch, Rocco having already turned a moment earlier. They would have no further business here for now, and as it was, Rene clearly wanted to leave. Not out of spite or ill-will, but too many old memories, too fast, too much, too soon. One step at a time, and the first step had been practically a leap for the blonde.
Slipping into the car, Rene settled in the backseat and Rocco aside him in the front, he silently started the engine and pulled the car off the edge of the road, glancing only a moment into the rear-view mirror as the house disappeared from view. Once again, the three had faced a shadow of one of their pasts united, standing together as one to support each other as they had done for years.
Something, however, remained stuck in Taikus head as they drove. A deep worry, a fear if he would be so bold in his own thoughts, of the repercussions of their actions. They had promised to do what they could for Rene’s mother if the need arose, but their promise could not be so easily reflected by all the involved parties.
'We just have to maintain our hold on hope, the same as we always have. All we can do is see what tomorrow brings...'With that tainted semblance of realism in his head, he pushed it into the depths of his consciousness for the time being. They would return to Varron shortly for a last evening with Kiras family, then from there to San Francisco. Spoiling the good nature of Kiras intentions on this trip was not in his place or anyone else’s to act, and part of him knew that once they returned to the old penthouse, they would be able to glean the discomfort of the day with lighter-hearted matters.
"Hey, Taiku?"Glancing in the rear-view as Rene addressed him, he answered her silently as he kept one eye on the road, despite the straights being so empty he could likely just turn in his seat if the wheel were to stay in place.
"Thank you for coming today. I really needed you both with me today...""We'll always be here when you need us, Rene. You know that...."
"...I know."At that exchange, content silence took over again as the three retreated to their own thoughts for the rest of the drive, happy to just take in the surroundings as the car shot down the highway. When the signs for Varrons city limits began to come into view, the three smiled quietly to themselves.
'Almost home....'No matter what he thought of it, Taiku would always consider Varron home, as much as he would consider Hokkaido home and San Francisco the same. They were places close to his heart, places of fond memories.
Humming a tune to himself quietly, the horizon behind them melted into the sky, leaving Oswego far behind them.