AN: Hey, guys. It's been a while. Due to problems and obligations in real life, we had to take an unexpected hiatus. However, we have returned to writing and will resume our regular posting schedule in a few weeks. In the meanwhile, we hope you enjoy this short chapter! Thank you for being patient with us.
When the letter arrived, Torako waited for her husband to come home that night.
Normally, she was a person of routine. Tending to her family's inn called for early mornings and somewhat early nights. Her husband didn't follow this routine; not anymore. Sometimes he was up earlier than her to take a trip up the mountain. Other times, he was wandering around town and stumbling into their futon past midnight. She didn't ask why. There were secrets between them, most of them his. This one, if only for a few days, was hers.
She hadn't told him yet that she had contacted Fujimoto Shiro. Now that she had his response in her hand, she wanted to.
So she waited in their room, kneeling by the low table near their futon in her night clothes, a book in her hand. She placed the letter on the flat, wooden surface and the clock ticked quietly into the night as she waited patiently and read.
Two hours after her usual bedtime, the door of their room slid open. Tatsuma paused in the doorway and Torako's head rose to catch sight of his mouth dropping open in surprise.
"Tatsuma-san." Torako inclined her head, acknowledging his presence. She placed a bookmark between the pages and put her book on the table.
Tatsuma stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The drunken flush on his cheeks paled slightly.
"Torako... You're still awake." He scratched his cheek with a somewhat nervous expression.
Torako held his gaze for a few long seconds, letting him squirm. "I am," she said. Though the words were spoken in a soft, serious voice, it soon became a struggle to keep a smile from breaking out. She saw her husband beginning to grow alarmed by her manner. Torako took it easy on him and allowed her lips to tilt with amusement.
"Come, join me." She patted the cushion next to her.
Tatsuma's shoulders slumped in relief. They shared a small smile as he moved to join her.
"Is everything alright?" he asked once he had fallen heavily onto his seat. "You? Ryuuji?"
Torako shook her head. "We're fine. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about." She picked up the letter then and handed it to him.
"What's this?" Tatsuma's brow creased slightly.
"It's from Rin-kun's father."
His eyebrows rose.
"You'll never guess who it is. Come on, open it," Torako encouraged.
Tatsuma unfolded the letter and his eyes immediately darted down to the bottom of the page. The messy handwriting wasn't a familiar one, but the name signed at the end was.
"What?" He gaped as he read and reread the kanji. He gave the letter a cursory read, but the contents of it only confirmed his thoughts. When he looked up at his wife again, she was smiling happily.
"It really is a small world, isn't it?" she said wistfully. "I'm happy I was finally able to thank him and that he has such a wonderful pair of sons. We should…" Torako paused. Her words were met with a noticeable lack of excitement. She frowned.
"What's wrong? I thought you two had parted in good terms."
Tatsuma grimaced but he was nodding slowly. "We did." He let out a quiet sigh, looking troubled. "It's just... I didn't think Ryuuji's friend was Fujimoto-kun's son."
"What's wrong with that?" The moment the words were out, a small light of understanding dawned in Torako's eyes. A short breath escaped from her as her lips twitched in exasperation. "Does this have to do with whatever you're keeping from me?" she demanded.
Tatsuma winced. "You know I can't tell you that," he mumbled, ducking her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, he reached out and placed his hand on top of hers. Torako let it rest there and breathed quietly, calming a familiar rise of frustration, before twisting her hand so she could squeeze his.
Neither of them spoke for a while. Shiro's letter rested in Tatsuma's hand, and in it was a phone number that would allow them to contact the man. Torako wondered what her husband was thinking. She wished she could ask.
"What can you tell me?" she said finally.
Tatsuma squeezed her hand back. "That's not… really the problem this time. It's just Fujimoto-kun's affiliations that concern me. It's bad enough now, with the Myou Dha joining the True Cross Order. Ryuuji doesn't need more outside influences leading him down that path." He shook his head. "I need to stop him from finding out. I'll have to talk to Fujimoto-kun."
"You… you won't forbid him from talking to Rin-kun, will you? He's happy, and you know I don't like to see you two fight."
"No, no, of course not. I promise it won't come to that," Tatsuma assured her. He turned to look at her. He met her worried eyes with a pleading gaze of his own. "Dear, you know everything I am doing is—"
"For Ryuuji. I know." Torako shook her head. Her alarm faded, replaced by a tired and worn expression. She leaned into him and he held her. "I know," she repeated. "Do what you have to do."
Tatsuma nodded tiredly and pulled her closer. Her slight weight grounded him but the burdens that he carried made him unable to relax. "That Ryuuji... Sometimes it feels like he's deliberately trying to make this harder on me."
"You don't make it any easier on him either," she reminded him. Or on me, she thought.
"No, I guess I don't."
Torako pulled back slightly. There was a self-deprecating smile on her husband's lips. Torako opened her mouth, feeling an old argument beginning to rise, but Tatsuma shook his head, looking at her with that pleading gaze again.
"It's for the best this way," he said.
"Is it?" Torako scowled, but she relented. She leaned back into him, just a little bit. "You're both so stubborn." She sighed. "Promise me that one day you'll explain it all to him."
"One day," Tatsuma agreed. He pressed his lips together and looked at her in a way that made Torako's heart ache. She closed her eyes and felt him kiss her forehead. "One day, I will. I'll explain it to both of you."