Katsuya watched the doors close, separating him from his little sister. She was on her own now, whatever happened was no longer in his hands. It was a terrifying feeling. He had done all the fighting he could, now it was up to her and the doctors. Now however an entire new battle was about to begin. He turned to go sit in the waiting room, sitting next to the only other person there to bring support to Shizuka. It was an awkward moment, neither of them looking at each other or making an attempt at a conversation. It had been six years since him and this woman spoke after all. Something like that took time to rebuild.
He wanted to talk to his mother since he hadn't spoken to her since she walked out that door, caring Shizuka in her arms. It wasn't like he hasn't tried either. He had called her home, asked Shizuka if he could talk to her when he called, even suggested coming to visit them at their new home once. Every effort was thwarted. After the first two years Katsuya got the hint that she was ignoring him and stopped trying. Now however they were sitting side by side and would have to continue doing so for a few hours. Something had to be said.
Katsuya was a big movie buff. He enjoyed seeing many different types of movies, especially with his friends. There was a trope in many of them where the main character or one of the major characters gets reunited with a parent that they hadn't seen in years. The separation was always different, since no two circumstances are the same, but they usually fell around the themes of abandonment, an argument, or some major break between them. When they were reunited the majority of them had the scene with a large amount of tension, but the need between the characters to be accepted by the other. Eventually they would have a big heart to heart and come out of it with a way to bridge the gap that had come between them. Katsuya wasn't in a movie however. He wasn't the protagonist, even in his own life, and it wasn't a scripted scene for him and his mother to get past the last few years. It was real life an a situation that required delicacy.
Katsuya wasn't known for being delicate though. For the last few years, and probably long before then, he was known for meeting every issue head on with all the strength he possessed. It was much easier and quicker to destroy the problem that way. The faster the obstacle was removed, the better life was. Yugi and the others taught him he couldn't always do that though. Some problems couldn't be met with brute force since that would make them much worse. Katusya was sure that this was one of those times. How he started this conversation could decide how it would go and if they even have it. If he made her upset she could just walk away and he may never get another chance. He needed this though, he needed answers.
He could start it off by telling her how things have been since she left. He could talk about Dad. The man still drank and gambled, but Katsuya loved the man flaws and all. He was still his father and even though he didn't do the best job at it at times, he still did love his on. However that was no good since that was what caused her to leave in the first place. He could tell her about what he had been up to. The first thing that came to mind was his friends. He didn't know how she would take Hiroto. After all the brunette was a lot like Katsuya and he still didn't know what she thought about him. She would probably love Yugi and Anzu. The two of them were easy to like. He felt that Ryo would be another one she might like, but she could also take him as creepy with his fascination of the occult. Mai probably wouldn't go over well since she was a girl and a few years older than him. He didn't want to bring up Ryuji either, since he was still a little iffy about that boy. Seto and Mokuba weren't even worth bringing up since they weren't really friends.
He could tell her about duel monsters. He could tell her about how Yugi and his grandfather took him under their wings to teach him another way to get out his frustrations besides just hitting things. He could tell her about Duelist Kingdom, since that was how they were able to pay for Shizuka's operation. Maybe he could even tell her a little about Battle City since it started in the morning. It would be a good way for her to learn who he was now since it was something he enjoyed. However it seemed too normal of a conversation. It seemed like he would be saying the last six years didn't happen.
He could start with asking her why she ignored him. That was the thing he wanted to know the most. Since he was ten when she left he was old enough to understand a lot of things that was going on. He knew somethings just don't work out, some people just can't live together. His parents were two of them. He held no anger or resentment toward her for doing what she thought was best for herself by leaving. He also understood that with Shizuka's medical issues neither of their parents could afford to look after both children on a single salary. He also understood that his mother having the best salary was the best one to look after his sister. It made perfect sense for Shizuka to go with her and for him to stay with his father.
Yet that understanding didn't quench the pain and anger of being separated from his sister. Shizuka was his world, his best friend, and his baby sister. He hated not being able to be there for her, not being able to help her. Then there was the anger and pain of not getting to talk to his mother. He understood why he couldn't live with her, but that never explained why she wouldn't talk to him. Understanding only helped so much thought. It also left so many questions on himself, like what he could have done to change the situation. He needed to know why it turned out this way.
There were so many reasons why that his mind could come up with. She could have been angry with him for something. She could have been using this as an opportunity to cut all ties with her old life. She could have felt guilt over not being able to look after her son and choose not to talk to him for that. She could have thought he was angry at her and was afraid to talk to him. The range was anywhere from reasons that Katsuya would accept in a second to things that haunted his every nightmare. He wasn't even sure he wanted to ask about that anymore. After all he would rather have the hope that she didn't hate him than to find out that that just might be the case.
It still left Katsuya with the issue of what to say. If he started off with something blunt like 'do you hate me?' or 'why did you ignore me' she would just walk away. If he started off with something normal and she hated him she would be angry at him for talking to her so familiarly. If she felt guilty then it would increase the guilt by making it seem like he wouldn't hold it against her. He decided to chance a glance over at her to see if he could read her.
Katusya was surprised to see she looked just as lost and scared as he felt. It was like she was having the same argument with herself. In a way it was a comfort. It meant she may have not hated him. It gave him the courage he needed to have this conversation. After all if he didn't have it now they may never have it. It was a conversation they needed to have if they ever wanted to get anywhere in the future. Looking around the hospital though he knew this was not the place to talk. Too much anxiety in the air, too many strangers running around.
"Do you want some coffee? There's a nice shop around the block. I'll pay." he offered. His mother looked at him and Katsuya seemed to realize too late that this offer may not go over well. Her daughter, his sister, was currently in surgery. Even though there was nothing else they could do she may want to stay here so she could be here if anything went wrong. He was about to retract the offer and apologize for being insensitive when she gave him a soft smile.
"I'd like that." she agreed. Katusya mentally sighed in relief as he stood up to stretch. He still didn't know how to start talking to her, and he had no idea how the conversation would end. They could end the conversation agreeing to try and build onto friendly ground, or they could end it fighting and agreeing to not talking again. Surprisingly either way was fine for the blonde male. It would mean they would have some kin of relationship, as opposed to now. She stood up beside him and he began to lead the way.
I read a lot of stories where Katsuya's parents are...I'll summarize it to less than pleasant people. I kept everything that we know for sure about his and Shizuka's parents the same, but I took a little bit of a different tone to it. You can decide yourself how their conversation at the coffee shop goes. You don't have to agree with me, so please don't leave a review telling me 'that's not what I interpret his parents being like'. This takes place the night of his sister Shizuka's eye surgery.