History Chapter 8 - Endings and Beginnings

[Moonshadow]

The silence that filled the room was overpowering. Somewhere down the street a man was yelling to someone. A koi splashed the surface of the pond in the garden. Sagara Hanako teetered in the doorway for what felt like minutes before finally collapsing to her knees on the livingroom floor. Sousuke jumped off the couch and rushed to help her to her feet again. Kaname moved to help him and nearly tripped on the photo album she had dropped.

“No, it’s not true . . . It isn’t possible . . .” the elderly woman murmured somewhat incoherently before turning her eyes desperately to the boy who was helping her off the wood floor. “You couldn’t possibly be my Sousuke. He was . . . you are . . .”

Sousuke stared back at her helplessly with no idea what he should say or do. As they lead the poor woman to the couch, he gave Kaname a desperate look, but all she could do in return was shake her head sympathetically.

This was a real mess. Should he insist that she’d somehow misunderstood what they’d been saying? That they had been discussing something else entirely when she walked in? He could probably find a way to explain his way out of this situation. That was what he wanted, right? And wasn’t that the right thing to do? Or would that just be running away again? Why did everything about civilian life have to be so complicated?

Hanako suddenly grabbed Sousuke’s face with both hands and turned it to her. Her expression was serious and focused. At first, he thought she was going to scold him for making up lies and tormenting old ladies, but she didn’t say a word. She just looked at him. She studied his features so intensely and for so long that he began to worry that perhaps she suffered from some sort of mental illness. Then, all at once, her lower lip began to tremble and large tears started to flow down her pale, weathered cheeks.

“You have your mama’s eyes . . .” was all she managed to say before breaking into deep sobs and pulling him to her in a tight embrace.

Kaname watched this entire exchange with a great deal of anxiety. It was good to have things out in the open, but this was clearly not the best way to have broken such big news. The shock would have been bad enough no matter how they told her, but to overhear it that way without any kind of warning! It was a miracle she hadn’t dropped down dead.

For the time being, Kaname decided to busy herself with picking up the pieces of the shattered teacup.

“It really is true, isn’t it?” Hanako was finally able to speak again through her tears.

“It . . . uh . . . I . . . that’s . . .” Sousuke stammered. He swallowed hard. “Affirmative.” He wasn’t sure where to look, so his eyes darted all around the room. Anywhere but his grandmother’s face.

“But, how? Where have you been? Your papa? Is he . . .”

“No,” Sousuke shook his head gravely. “I was the only one.”

“I see . . . Yes, of course.” She was thoughtful a moment. “If he were . . . He’d have contacted me a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry, I . . . I only just found out about . . .”

“No,” she put her hand on his shoulder and gave him a meaningful look. “You’re here. This is enough.” She touched his cheek gently and gave him a soft smile.

Then came the phone calls. Hanako had them wait while she phoned all of her family and a good many friends to tell them the miraculous news. Each call resulted in her breaking down into tears again. Sousuke began to question whether the stress was too much for someone of her years. It would be most regrettable if this reunion should prove detrimental to her health. She assured him that she was in no danger, but after a while, even Kaname began to share his concerns.

The last call she made proved the most difficult of all. That was the call to Mayumi’s father. In the end, Hanako was only able to tell him that there was someone that he needed to meet and invite him to join them for dinner.

“I guess that means we’re staying for dinner?” Kaname whispered to the now pale-looking boy at her side.

“It would seem so,” was all he could manage in reply. The whole ordeal had his head spinning. He had only intended to learn a bit about his family’s history during this meeting. A full-blown family reunion was not something he was prepared for. There were so many questions they would want answers to, and some of those answers would be impossible to give. Others would be extremely painful for them to hear.

“Oh goodness!” Hanako was suddenly panicked. “I haven’t got anything for us to eat! I had planned on having leftovers! Oh dear, what time is it?”

Kaname checked her watch. “Half past five.”

“I can still make it to the market if I hurry.” She dashed to grab her coat. “I won’t be long. You will wait, won’t you? Just make yourself at home . . . This is your home. I just can’t believe you’re really here.” She stared at her grandson a moment longer before scurrying out the door, on the verge of tears yet again.

They stared after her for a long moment before Kaname turned to look at her exhausted companion. Sousuke let out a heavy sigh and walked weakly back to the couch. He sat slowly and buried his face in his hands. Kaname flopped down next to him and patted his back reassuringly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Kaname and Sousuke soon learned that Mayumi’s father, Mizuhashi Kinnori, came from a long line of well known master chefs. This fact made what was already an anxiety-inducing evening for Hanako all the more stressful. She returned from the market in remarkably little time and began frantically preparing the best meal she could think of. At first she was reluctant to let Kaname assist her, but when Sousuke insisted that Chidori was “highly proficient in food preparation,” she graciously relented and was glad for the help.

“Mayumi was the real gourmet of our family. I like to think of myself as a pretty good cook, but I couldn’t even compare to her. It was in her blood. Her father taught her from the time she could hold a chopstick, and Lord knows he’s a perfectionist!”

“I see,” replied Sousuke. He was attempting to make himself useful by grating some radish. It was not going very well.

“She had just begun teaching you the basics, too.” Hanako turned and watched her grandson struggle with the vegetable.

“I guess it didn’t stick too well,” Kaname cocked her head to one side.

“So it would seem,” Hanako smiled.

Sousuke concentrated on not cutting his knuckles . . . again.

“He must take after his father. You know, Souji actually set fire to water once! It was really quite impressive.”

“Really?!” Kaname could picture Sousuke accomplishing a similar feat. He’d sure set fire to plenty of other things.

“I’ll tell you the story some time.” She winked and turned back to the soup.

The two women worked diligently and, in a surprisingly short time, managed to pull off a more than satisfactory meal. Sousuke kept busy by cleaning dishes as they used them. He had quickly given up on helping with the food itself.

Just as they were finishing up, the doorbell rang. While Hanako went to answer it, Kaname and Sousuke carried the steaming dishes to the dining room. After a few minutes, Hanako escorted Kinnori in to meet them.

The look he gave Sousuke could have frozen the garden’s little koi pond in the middle of August.

Mizuhashi Kinnori was not what anyone would call a warm or friendly man. He had been somewhat serious and reserved even as a boy, and the tragedy of losing both his wife and only child had done nothing to soften him. Even amongst his oldest friends, he rarely smiled. His lack of humor was famous amongst the sou chefs, waiters, and busboys at the restaurant his family had run for over a hundred years.

“I don’t know who you are, young man,” Kinnori’s voice was deep and rough as he narrowed his piercing gray eyes at the teenager. “But if you think you can deceive a man of my years and experience with so obvious a lie, you are much mistaken.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sousuke’s steps were even and deliberate as he made his way toward Jindai High School. The early morning sun was low in the east, and its light caught each breath he exhaled in a small swirling cloud. January was nearly over and the air had a crispness unlike anything he had ever experienced. Or perhaps he’d just never noticed it before. It was curiously invigorating. The whole world seemed a little bit brighter and more alive, somehow. For the first time in a long time, he felt himself in high spirits.

Nearly two weeks had passed since he and Kaname had gone to visit his long-forgotten family home, and plenty had happened in the days since. Things with his grandfather had gotten off to a decidedly rocky start. Dinner had been uncomfortable to say the least. After several courses eaten in tense silence, Hanako somehow persuaded Kinnori to at least listen to Sousuke’s story.

Naturally, Sousuke had omitted certain bits of information regarding his current situation. He could not risk revealing any classified information about Mithril or Chidori, even if it was to his nearest relatives. Otherwise, he did his best to account for the last 14 years of his life.

He had never realized before just how unlikely his life story sounded when spoken out loud.

In the end, though Kinnori was far from convinced by the boy’s tale, Hanako felt sure he was beginning to thaw to the possibility. Sooner or later he would come around and begin to accept Sousuke into the family.

Kaname and Sousuke would have to take her word for it.

In the week or so since then he had met his aunt Rieko and all of her family, as well. He was scheduled to meet his sister that coming Sunday; a prospect that left him somewhat anxious, though he was not entirely certain why.

“Hey Sousuke!” Kaname ran to meet him as he reached the train station. “Aren’t you presenting today?”

“Affirmative,” he replied, “I am scheduled to present to the class fifth period.”

“So which ones did you bring?”

“Ah.” He reached into his book bag and produced several carefully chosen prints of Mayumi’s work for Kaname to examine.

“I love this one.” Kaname held up a particularly lovely photograph of a man and his small son by a garden koi pond. The boy’s eyes were wide with wonder and he was pointing to a colorful fish grazing the water’s surface. The man’s eyes twinkled with warmth and amusement as he held the boy’s waist in an effort to keep him from jumping in after the koi. The man, of course, was Souji. It was a photograph of Sousuke and his father.

“Might ruin your tough reputation, though.” She laughed when he gave her a confused look. “Never mind. So do you think you’re ready?”

“Yes, it’s not a problem. I am sufficiently prepared.” Sousuke replied with some confidence. His grandmother had been eager to help him as much as possible and provided him with more than enough information. She had also helped him choose which prints of his mother’s he should bring as visual aids.

“You’d better be after all the work I put in.” She grinned brightly. There would be hell to pay if he disappointed her.

“Understood.”

The day passed much like any other. Sousuke had his gun confiscated when he ambushed a ‘suspicious looking individual’ that turned out to be the guest speaker for third-year political science. Later, Kaname nearly blew a gasket when she caught him digging through the contents of her desk. Apparently, a boy from another class had slipped something into it during passing period. He insisted it could be a bomb or some sort of toxic chemical, but in the end it was just another misguided love note.

Finally, fifth period rolled around and Sousuke was called to give his report. He took a final deep breath and headed toward the front of the class. As he pulled out his stack of photographs and arranged his notes on the teacher’s podium, a strange thing happened. The corners of his mouth turned upward and his lips parted slightly revealing some of his front teeth.

It wasn’t much of a smile, really, but it was a start.


THE END

[full_metal_sousuke]

that was good. ru gonna make a sequal. if u do have sousuke and kaname get together.

[Moonshadow]

Well, I was planning on doing a series of one-shots about Sousuke's family as a follow up. The story really doesn't center on KxS. It's supposed to be more about Sousuke's search for where he came from ^_^;

Don't get me wrong! I'm an avid Sou/Kan shipper. Any story I have about them will inevitably have elements of that. Just no big love scenes in this story arc.