Updated 3-7-98
{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}
For once, Takashi Kuno felt very much alone. And he didn't like it. Sitting alone in his room, looking out the window at the well manicured yard, Takashi couldn't help but feel isolated. Tatchi wanted nothing to do with him; that much was obvious.
Nabiki... he liked her. She was smart and had a mouth to match. Yet, she was caught up in her own duties and had no time to sit and talk with a foolish old man like himself. Takuma seemed to be the only that had time for him, and even then, a five year old is not always the best company.
Maybe he really should have stayed in Hawaii. As much as that Saotome boy made sense, Takashi just couldn't shake the feeling that things would operate more smoothly without him around.
There was a day that he believed things didn't run at all when he wasn't around. Of course, he wasn't running any companies or making executive decisions that shuffled hundreds of billion of yen around each year. No, he was just a middle aged man, retired early, living with his son and his wife.
Maybe this was some sort of proud thing to other Japanese families, cramming as many family members into one house as possible, but not to him. He liked his space, and he believed other people should have it as well. He wanted his... his family to have the space they deserved to grow and expand if they wanted. That was the last thing he wanted, to become a burden, a fifth wheel.
Sighing, staring blankly out the window, Takashi turned and laid back on the bed. It wouldn't be a problem to go back to Hawaii. The money was never a problem; it had never been the point of his job. It had been all about the power.
Power... And where had it gotten him?
A soft knock on the door interrupted his thought. "Yes?"
"May I speak with you?"
"Come in, Tatchi."
The door opened and Tatewaki came into the room, ignoring the unfamiliar surroundings.
"What do you want, Tatchi?" Takashi said, not looking at Tatewaki.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that," Tatewaki said.
Sighing to himself, Takashi nodded. "What did you want to speak about, Tatewaki?"
Tatewaki shut the door and carefully thought over the words he wanted to say. He had practically rehearsed them before, but this situation was not the same. The words he had meant to say seemed so fake, like a lie. And that was one thing he would not do; he would not lie to this man. Well, he'd just have to wing it.
"I don't remember you."
Takashi merely nodded. There wasn't any way he could blame Tatchi for it. It was just something that had to be accepted.
"I don't know what to do. Everyone knows who you are except me. Who are you?"
Takashi got a little flustered at that question. How to answer that without just insisting that he was his father. "I... I'm no one now. I retired seven years ago because I got bored. I got tired of the daily routine and didn't want to deal with it any longer. I used to be someone, but that ceased when I left for Hawaii." And if he had only stayed, he wouldn't be feeling so alone now. He wouldn't be feeling like the outsider.
Tatewaki shook his head. "Why? Why did you leave?" This was so unfair. He had to go through the painful questions all over again even if he couldn't remember them from before. "Why did it take you seven years to come back?"
"Because... I couldn't deal with it. What did I know about children?"
"More than I did!" Tatewaki answered. He couldn't remember his father, but he could remember being 14 and having to watch his sister. Watching her and not having any clue what he was doing.
What if it had been all his fault for the things Kodachi had done? He hadn't done well enough; he had let her down. He hadn't been able to guide her when she needed it...
"Don't blame yourself. It's perfectly fine to blame me if you want. I deserve it. It's easy to say that this was all my fault. I didn't take care of you, at all, when you were young... when you needed me to."
Takashi sat up slowly, a vague itching on the top of his head. "God damn tree," he said quietly. Too much time in Hawaii, too much time away from his responsibility... The tree was his curse; a reminder he would never be able to get rid of. It was his curse to know what he had been doing instead of being with the people that needed him most.
"I could say I'm sorry, but I won't. It isn't adequate for all the things I've done." Nothing was adequate. That was a failing of a person who had been a perfectionist at one time. "Look, I'll just leave. It was a mistake to come back after so long. I can see you have things well in hand and don't need me around."
A tremor of emotion ran through Tatewaki. 'You trust me?' Nabiki had asked him. 'I trust that he is who he says he is.' Maybe... "No," Tatewaki said quietly, still struggling internally. "I think... I think I do."
Takashi looked surprised at that comment. "You..."
"I think I need to... get to know my father again. I can't do that if you leave."
Takashi was completely speechless.
"And I think Takuma would like to have you around. He knows you helped him get away from Kodachi. He's not totally sure what happened, but he knows you helped. He'd be very disappointed."
"And what about..."
Tatewaki shook his head. "She believed you almost from the beginning. She probably knows more about you than I ever did."
The two looked in silence at each other. "Stay with us," Tatewaki said finally.
"Is that what the others want?"
"It's what we all want. Don't underestimate what you did. It was better for everyone... even Kodachi."
"Are you sure about that? Are you sure I did the right thing?" Takashi couldn't just shrug off the fact that he had killed his daughter.
"Yes. I know she's better now. I know she's finally gotten what she wanted..." Seeing the confused look on his father's face, Tatewaki added, "Peace."
Takashi nodded, a strange, hurt look on his face. I shouldn't..."
Tatewaki would have no more of it. "Nabiki said I should use this. She forbids you to leave. If you are wise, you will do as she wishes." He managed a small smile. "The results are never pretty when someone doesn't."
Takashi nodded, with more firmity than before. "Maybe I won't leave then."