Author Notes:

+ I do not own Medabots, only my own characters.

Past Memories, Future Plans

"You still have some explaining to do."

Kenro sighed. He, Hana, and their Medabots were in Kenro's room after the party at Jeremy's Meda-Shop was over. Jeremy had already repaired Rokusho and Lea in thanks for their help, so that task wasn't needed. Now, it was time for Kenro to give his friends an explanation for his actions that morning.

He walked around his room, flipping up one frame and looking at the photograph. "Back then, Dad was home a lot, and we had a family outing about every other weekend. I really thought that things would be okay forever." Moving on to the next photograph, he continued, "My tenth birthday marked the beginning. About a week afterwards, he received a call about his job. Dad had to go farther away for work each time until he was gone for months on end. After the first year or so, I really thought he was never going to come back."

Kenro stopped at one particular frame and looked at it, going through his memories. It was a picture of Kenro on his birthday, his father right beside him. "Three years ago, when I turned thirteen, I was here, in my room. I never heard Dad come in, but someone called his phone, and he picked up. Strike one: not even bothering to say hi to me. Strike two: by the time I got down the stairs, he was already rushing out the door. I ran after him, and then strike three. I called out to him as loud as I could, but I never saw anything but his back. He didn't slow down or even turn his head slightly to acknowledge that he heard me," Kenro said through a cracking voice, his hands gripping the frame harder until they shook. "Ever since, Mom and I never heard from him. No phone calls, no letters. We called his employer to figure out what happened, but we learned nothing. It was like he really did disappear. Still, I wonder why didn't he look back? Why didn't he even say hi to me? All he left me was this Medawatch that was my last gift from him."

His grip relaxed, and Kenro's expression hardened. "I wanted to hate him for not telling us where he went. I wanted to hate him for not being here anymore, as if his job was more important than his own family. I wanted to smash every single one of these frames and tear these pictures to shreds as if he never existed!"

Hana, Rokusho, and Lea just stared at him, surprised by the ferocity in his voice. Kenro's face soon softened to a deep sadness as he put the frame back on the dresser, face-down. "But I can't. Because in these pictures, he was there for me. He was home, so instead, I keep the frames face-down so I don't have to look at them. I can't destroy this Medawatch either because it's all I have left." Sniffing, he said, "Excuse me for a minute." He left the room, tears streaming down his cheeks.

The room was silent, and Hana sat on the edge of Kenro's bed. It was tough for everyone to see Kenro relive those memories and break down from them.

"Hana, did you know about this?" Rokusho asked.

She shook her head. "Not really. I was around when Kenro was about eleven, but he never really told me about his dad. I remember asking once, and all he told me was that his dad would be back. The only other time I suspected that something was wrong was about a week after his dad disappeared because Kenro wouldn't leave his room for a week. I only managed to get him out after throwing a rock with a note through his window," Hana replied, smiling at the memory. "I never saw the photographs because I didn't want to pry, but I never really did notice how Kenro's smile isn't as happy as it was in the photos," she added, her smile fading.

"Do you have family troubles too?" Rokusho asked, receiving an angry glare from Lea, who soon backed down from a look from Hana.

She shrugged in response to Rokusho. "Not really. My mom takes care of me well enough, and I never knew my dad, so I can't really relate to Kenro. Still, it doesn't stop me from wondering what my dad is like or how life would be with him at home."

Suddenly, all three noticed that Kenro was leaning against the doorway, probably listening to the entire conversation.

"Now that I think about it, why don't you talk to your mom?" Hana asked him.

"The main reason is because most of the time, the conversation leads to how I am when it comes to Dad, or just Dad in general. The first couple of times, she learned that I was touchy on the subject, and she kept headings towards that topic anyway, so we have a mutual silence," Kenro replied.

"Main reason? What's another?" Lea asked, crouched on the windowsill.

Kenro kept silent for a minute, thinking about his answer. "At first, I blamed Mom for what happened three years ago. When she noticed Dad was home, why didn't she let me know? I forgave her for that because Mom probably wanted to keep it a surprise for me, but that idea was ruined." Noticing the intent stares, Kenro sighed. "It's getting late. Your mom brought your stuff over, so you can sleep over in the other room tonight, Hana. You mind?" he asked.

Hana seemed to brighten up. "Do I ever? Kinda like the old days, don't you think?" Without waiting for an answer, she went downstairs to retrieve her bag before heading off to the second bedroom, Lea following behind.

"I guess it's like the old days," Kenro said, more to himself than anyone. Strangely, he felt better than he had throughout the entire month. Looks like recounting his pain and sadness to someone took a huge weight off of his heart. Well, it wasn't a secret anymore. Tired out from today's events, Kenro turned off the light and flopped into bed. "Hey, Rokusho?" he asked quietly, staring at the ceiling.

"Yes, Kenro?"

"I'm really glad I've met you, and sorry about this morning."

"This morning was fine, and I'm glad to have met you too."

With that said and done, both Medabot and Medafighter stared off through their own thoughts, a peace spreading throughout.

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"Hana? She already ate and went on home," Kenro's mom told him. "She did want me to tell you to meet up at the store later."

Kenro and Rokusho headed off to the Meda-Shop, wondering what Hana wanted to meet him there for. Hana, Lea, and Jeremy greeted Kenro and Rokusho cheerily.

"Guess what lucky guy made the front page this morning," Jeremy asked the two, grinning widely.

"Congratulations, Jeremy. Has to do with the shop, right?" Kenro said, smiling a bit more openly than he normally did.

Hana and Jeremy burst out laughing; Lea was rolling on the floor with mirth. "Yes, Kenro, it has to do with the shop, but it's not Jeremy," Hana replied after quelling her laughter enough to speak. Jeremy passed Kenro the paper so he and Rokusho could see for themselves. The shot was of Rokusho and Lea taking out Kintaro together, the businessmen's faces full of shock; there was no sign of Kenro or Hana anywhere. The only vague mention towards Kenro and Hana in the article was about "two Medafighters Robattling to save a store". Still though, it was a nice shot of the Medabots despite their injuries before the gang-up.

"The original picture had you and Hana opposite your opponents, but knowing that you keep Rokusho relatively secret, I asked the press to take the both of you out and mention you vaguely," Jeremy told Kenro. "Also, since Lea's a new Medabot and Rokusho is generally unknown to your peers, you shouldn't be traced."

Kenro was about to mention his doubt when Inao and Nerai entered the store. "Congrats on saving your store, Jeremy!" Inao said, giving Jeremy a firm handshake. "Nice job on the Robattle too," Nerai told Hana and Kenro. "We oughta recruit you for the competition in December."

"What competition?" Hana piped in curiously.

"The Meda-team Competition. Teams of four Medabots compete in different sections to show who's better. The nice part is people who don't like to Robattle get a chance to show off their Medabots in obstacle courses and stuff. No one loses Medaparts, and as far as I've seen, everyone has fun," Inao explained, flipping through a magazine.

"A Robattle is always featured, but the rest depends on the sections that are chosen. Last year, the obstacle course was made to see how Medafighters react to different conditions, and there was a race to find your team's emblem while fending off opposing teams trying to stop you either by stopping you from reaching your team's base or by even stealing your emblem. That's where the teamwork really comes in, so it's good to have a well-balanced team," Nerai continued. "Inao and I are already planning to be on the same team. Cyandog is an accurate shooter, so he can cover the other team members fairly well. Peppercat's fast and effective with her Electric Shock, so she can weave around most of the opponent's defense, but she lacks the power and armor to get out of a pinch if cornered. Therefore, we need someone strong enough to make a path for Peppercat to follow."

"We saw you fight against Megaphant, we know you're pretty powerful as well as fast," Inao told Rokusho. "We won't force you to join, but that isn't to say you won't be a great asset to the team."

"And from what I've read, Lea is one tough kitty to mess with considering her nimble nature and fast attacks. We'd have a good offense and Medabots that are fast enough to counterattack on defense," Nerai added. "It isn't for another month or so, but we wanted to let you know ahead of time in case you're interested."

Kenro nodded as he absorbed the information; Hana was grinning as she thought about the competition. "When do teams need to be chosen?" Rokusho asked, surprising most of the people in the store.

"Whenever the competition begins," Inao replied, looking up from the magazine. "Nerai and I are going to be on the same team, as she told you, so that's half of the team made. We need two more members, so we're trying to see who's interested and then hold a practice for the competition to determine the team. Except for the Robattle, sections don't repeat themselves on consecutive years, so we'll be setting up our own courses for possible sections."

Lea straightened up and leaned against the counter. "Who else you talk to about this?"

"Just you guys," Nerai admitted before Inao could answer. "Thing is, we're mostly interested in having you two on the team, so we haven't asked anyone else yet. Unless you outright refuse us, we won't be looking for other likely members anytime soon."

"I'm in," Lea and Hana announced firmly. "Sounds like a lot of fun," Hana said. "And teamwork is always good," Lea added.

Kenro was still deep in thought when he looked at Rokusho. "What do you think? I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do."

"Well, considering the last two days, I'm as good as your Medabot, Kenro," Rokusho said. "I'm up for whatever you choose. On the one hand, I'll be working with other Medabots and won't have to Robattle with significant risks if I lose. On the other hand, you won't have to worry about doing anything competitive, and I don't become a reason for you to be challenged by others who will know of me during the competition."

"Like we said, the competition won't be for another month, and we haven't set a date for the practice yet," Inao told Kenro. "You can take your time to think it over some more."

"Thanks, but the problem is that I'll think too much about it," Kenro replied, sighing at having to make the final decision. At least he was considerate to think of Rokusho. "I'll join. I'm done with standing on the side," he said. Did he really mean it though? Kenro decided that he did; talking about his dad with Hana and Rokusho showed him how much he distanced himself after that day, so Kenro decided to try it out.

"Practice will be in two weeks and before Thanksgiving dinner starts," Nerai decided, receiving a surprised look from Inao.

"We never agreed on that," the soccer captain retorted to Nerai's resultant smile. "But I suppose it will build up an appetite, and we can have a team dinner together," he reasoned, all the while noticing Nerai's widening smile as she was winning the minor argument. "All right. Two weeks from today, on Thanksgiving before we all feast on the food," Inao conceded, wondering what was coming next.

Nerai jumped out of her chair in glee. "Glad you agree! I already called everyone's parents, and they agreed to," she confessed, leaving the store with a furious Inao behind her. "Bet you can't catch the track star, Inao," Nerai teased as she and Inao left.

"Well, I'll be here to supply Meda-stuff if you guys need it," Jeremy told Hana and Kenro, chuckling at Nerai and Inao.

"I'm going to head home to take a nap. What are you doing, Kenro?" Hana yawned.

He shrugged. "I'll think of something on my way home. See you later, Hana," Kenro said, leaving the store.

What would he end up doing? Kenro made it home without any idea of what to do until he got to his room. Kenro soon lost three consecutive games of chess against Rokusho.

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End Notes:

+ Yup, no Robattle this time because the chapter didn't really need one. Feel free to disagree in your review.