Author's Note: Next chapter. There will be one more section to this part of the story after this, and then I will be starting on another three-part section which covers an important moment from this time period in Ryo's life that was mentioned in the manga...
I do not own City Hunter or any of its characters.
Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.
Chapter Nine—The Confirmation—part two
After an unsuccessful search for survivors, Norester led everyone back to the village and sent Escota back to Galvez to report on what had happened. He then checked on Maria, who had escaped the attack and was dismayed to find out from the Professor that she had died a couple of hours ago.
Meanwhile, Kaibara and Leticia spent the rest of the evening taking care of Ryo. They managed to get him to eat a few bites of dinner, but after that Ryo would only stare silently at the walls of Leticia's hut. Eventually, he fell asleep while nestled between Kaibara and Leticia, who were sitting on the bed and leaning against the wall behind them.
"Shin, I'm worried about him," she said, stroking Ryo's back while he slept.
"As am I," Kaibara frowned. "Sadly, this is far from the first time he has gone through a trauma like this. But I also know that he is very strong. I believe that he will recover."
"You're probably right," she said. "Still, it's so painful to watch him be like this. I can't imagine how it is for you." Kaibara let out a sigh and tousled Ryo's hair.
"It can be difficult, yes," he said. "But then there are many other times when it's actually Ryo who manages to bring some cheer to our lives."
"I guess I forget sometimes how hard it must be for people like you or your friend Norester, living in the middle of this war, spending so much time on the battlefield," Leticia said. "I can see how having Ryo around would make things a little brighter." She then yawned and leaned against Kaibara.
"You should get some sleep," he told her. He started to move off the bed when Leticia grabbed his arm.
"Please Shin, don't go," she said. "Please stay with me, with us. We both need you tonight." Kaibara hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and pulled a blanket up over the three of them.
"All right," he said. "Although, I don't know if this will be a very comfortable way to sleep."
"Honestly, I think it's the only way either I or Ryo will be able to get any rest tonight," Leticia said, snuggling up against him. Kaibara smiled and held her closer while the both of them draped an arm over Ryo and closed their eyes.
The next morning, Kaibara woke up early and left Ryo and Leticia asleep in the bed so he could sit outside and smoke a cigarette. He continued to mull over the events from yesterday and found that he still held a smoldering anger toward the people who had massacred everyone in the neighboring village.
'Same as always,' he told himself. 'The ones who think they are strong prey on the weak to prove something to themselves…all while never realizing that they are the ones who are truly weak.'
Kaibara took a long drag on his cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke when a sound from behind him caught his attention. He then smiled when he realized what it was.
"Good morning musuko," he said without turning around. "Are you feeling any better?" Ryo sat down beside him and pulled his knees close to his chest.
"Hi oyaji," he said. "I feel a little better, I guess."
"That is good," Kaibara nodded. "Hopefully that trend will continue."
"I'm sorry about how I acted," Ryo said. "I know that, as a soldier, I need to get used to things like that."
"To be honest, Ryo, you probably never will get completely used to it," Kaibara said. "Nor would I ever want you to. So do not feel the need to punish yourself for how you reacted." Ryo nodded and the two of them watched the sun continue to rise for a few moments in silence.
"Oyaji."
"Yes?"
"Last night…after what happened in the village, I kept thinking about the crash and about my parents," Ryo said.
"It reminded you of how you miss them?" Kaibara asked.
"No. It made me think about how I can barely remember them anymore," Ryo murmured. "Yesterday, I was helping Leticia take care of the kids, and there were a couple of girls who were crying for their mother. And I thought about how I barely remember my own mother. I think I still remember the sound of her voice, but that's it. And my father, I remember him even less. And then when I saw all those people…all those people who were dead…I kept thinking about how I was alone after the crash and about how I didn't have a name or anything else, and I…I didn't feel like a person anymore."
Kaibara's eyes became downcast and he tossed his cigarette aside and put an arm around Ryo's shoulders.
"But you know that that is not the truth, right?" he asked Ryo. "You do know that you are just as much of a person as I am, as Leticia and Norester are?"
"I guess, maybe," Ryo shrugged. "But…sometimes I just don't feel that way. Not when I think about how I ended up here, about what happened to my parents, and about all the ways that I'm not like you or Norester or anyone else here."
Kaibara moved his arm away and turned to face the horizon. He knew what he needed to say, but that did not make the words any easier to speak aloud.
"Ryo… I did not have the kind of childhood that you have now," he said. "But I do understand some of what you are feeling."
Ryo looked up at Kaibara, who was still looking off into the distance, and waited patiently for him to continue.
"I grew up in Japan, but my father brought me and my mother here when I was twelve," Kaibara said. "And the reason he did that was because he was a greedy, selfish man who refused to live any semblance of an honest life. Even though he and his family had been threatened more than once, he continued to live recklessly and showed no loyalty to anything other than his own ambitions. Then one day, his deeds caught up with him and he and my mother were murdered. I was fortunate enough to escape with my life, but on that day, I lost all of the family I had in the world."
Ryo's eyes grew wide as Kaibara told him this and he put a hand on Kaibara's knee.
"Oyaji….is that why you had to leave Leticia? Because of the people who killed your parents?"
"Yes," Kaibara replied. "I was sixteen at the time and had just killed the man who had murdered my parents and who was going to kill me. I was aware that the people who sent someone to execute my entire family could send more people to kill me because of what I did. I knew that I would need to run for my life and that I could not risk getting Leticia involved. That is why I left her and never returned."
Kaibara paused and ran a hand over his face before continuing.
"You see, Ryo, I do understand what it means to be an orphan in a strange land," he said. "To lose both of your parents in a horrific way. To feel like you are alone in a violent world that does not care if you live or die. I know that my experience does not compare with what you went through or with the things that you continue to grapple with, but I can relate to the sense of separation that you are feeling to some extent."
"Do you miss them?" Ryo asked. "Do you miss your parents?"
"Once in a great while, yes," Kaibara said. "There are times when I think about my mother and I wish that she had had a happier life. My father…I try to think about him as little as possible, but then there are times when I remember that I do have a few happy memories of him. Of times when he tried to be a better father than he usually was."
Ryo looked down at the ground, unsure of what he should say or do at this point. He had often wondered how Kaibara had come to live in this part of the world, but he had not suspected that his father had had such a turbulent childhood. His thoughts were soon interrupted though by Kaibara patting his shoulders and finally looking back down at him.
"The point that I am trying to make is that things like that, circumstances in your life and in your past that you had no control over, are not what defines you," Kaibara continued. "What defines you is how you choose to live your life both now and in the future. And what makes you human, Ryo, is the heart inside of you, the one that continues to guide your actions, not superficial things like how you got your name or what your family history is. Do you understand?"
"I understand," Ryo nodded. Kaibara smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder one last time before looking back up at the morning sky. Ryo shifted to face the same direction and rested his head on his knees as he watched the clouds drift away from the rising sun.
A few feet away, Leticia stood in the doorway of her hut, a smile on her face. She wasn't able to understand a word of what was said, but she was certain that she understood the sentiments and emotions that had passed between them.
After sharing some coffee with Leticia and Ryo, Norester and Kaibara met with the rest of the men to discuss the status of their mission and to give them their assignments for the day. As the men walked away, the two of them leaned against the hood of one of the jeeps.
"There's something you need to know," Norester said. "When I reported to Galvez yesterday, he told me about a rumor he had just heard about this death squad. Apparently, the leader, Captain Maceno, has someone who is feeding him information so they can avoid the resistance forces during these attacks. Someone who apparently has a grudge against you in particular."
"A grudge against me?" Kaibara echoed. "Interesting."
"Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say," Norester smirked. "So tell me, have you got any idea about who it could be?"
"Hard to say. I do have a rather long list of people who would like to see me dead," Kaibara smirked back.
"Again, I thought you'd say that," Norester chortled. "What I'm asking is, does anyone who would go to these kinds of lengths spring to mind?"
"To be honest, no," Kaibara frowned. "At least, not immediately."
"Well, anyway, I thought that you should be aware of this, just in case," Norester said. "Especially right now with you catching up with your old flame."
"I knew that it would only be a matter of time before you started on that," Kaibara sighed.
"Hey, I can't say that I blame you," Norester chuckled. "She is definitely a vision. Hell, if I didn't have Sophie and Mary in my life, I'd be tempted to go after her myself."
The sound of laughter behind them caused both Norester and Kaibara to turn around to see Leticia walking toward them with a basket on one arm and Ryo on the other. Both of them noted the large grin on Ryo's face and the way he held onto Leticia's arm, and Norester poked Kaibara's arm with his elbow.
"As it is, I think you've already got enough competition to worry about," Norester snickered. "The kid is turning into quite the Casanova, isn't he?"
"I'm afraid that he has been associating far too much with you and the Professor here of late," Kaibara said, shaking his head. "And as a result he is picking up all sorts of bad habits."
Both Kaibara and Norester shared another laugh as Leticia and Ryo walked up to them.
"Shin, Mister Norester," Leticia smiled at them. "Ryo and I are finished with the children for now, and since none of us had much for breakfast this morning, I was wondering if you two would like to join us for a picnic lunch."
"I guess that is my cue to leave," Norester said. "Kaibara, I'll catch up with you later so we can go over some strategies for when our opponents show up."
"Ryo and I will join you in a couple hours," Kaibara nodded.
"You are welcome to join us, Mister Norester," Leticia insisted. "I made plenty."
"Thank you, but I have feeling that it would be safer for me to back out of this invitation," Norester smiled as he continued to walk away. "Maybe next time."
"Safer?" Leticia said. "What does he mean by that, Shin?"
"Ignore him," Kaibara said. "He just likes to hear himself speak. Instead, let's focus on finding a place to enjoy our meal."
A few minutes later, Kaibara, Leticia, and Ryo were sitting on the ground behind a cluster of the huts at the edge of the village. Between the three of them, the food that Leticia had prepared was swiftly devoured, and soon Kaibara and Leticia ended up leaning against the wall of one of the huts and watching Ryo explore the area around them.
"That squad is going to come here soon enough," Kaibara told her. "Right now, they are transporting and dividing up any spoils they were able to get from the other village. But they will be done with that in a day or two at the most and then they will come here next. You will have to be ready."
"I understand," Leticia said. "These last couple of weeks has given me a lot of time to think of some ways to take care of things when that happens. I am just grateful that all of you are here and that we have a chance now."
"I don't suppose that there is any way that I could convince you to accompany a couple of my men back to my village," Kaibara said. "Just until the battle is over."
"And leave the children behind?" Leticia asked. "You know me better than that, Shin."
"I do, but I had to try," Kaibara said.
"And I appreciate the effort," Leticia replied with a smile. "But I'm not worried, not with you and Ryo here to protect me."
Kaibara smiled back at her and put his arms around her as she leaned back against his chest. They then heard the faint sound of giggling and looked to see Ryo staring at them from a short distance away. He then waved at them and disappeared into the jungle nearby. Once he was gone, Leticia laughed and put her hands over Kaibara's.
"You were right," she said. "You were right about how strong Ryo is. After you left this morning, Ryo worked hard to help me and to raise the spirits of the children. I am sure that he still has some of the same painful feelings that I do about yesterday, and yet, he didn't let those feelings stop him from helping however he could. Still…."
Leticia let her head fall back onto Kaibara's shoulder, and Kaibara couldn't help but notice the melancholic look in her eyes.
"Still, the more time I spend around Ryo, the more I begin to think that that smile of his is not just something that he has when he is happy," she continued. "It's almost as if it's a sort of armor for him, an armor to shield him from a world that often threatens to overwhelm him."
Kaibara silently nodded in agreement. There had been many times when he had also suspected that Ryo sometimes chose to smile as a way to cope with all of the sorrowful and terrorizing things in his life as opposed to only smiling when he felt joy. There were times when Kaibara worried over being able to tell the difference between when Ryo was actually happy and when he was just pretending, but he found some solace in the idea that, no matter what, Ryo did not let the tragedies of his life or the horrors of war crush his spirit.
Leticia turned toward Kaibara and they touched their foreheads together before sharing a kiss. As soon as it was over, Leticia's eyes slipped shut and she let out a sigh before drooping down toward the ground. Startled by her sudden lethargy, Kaibara held her closer and tilted her face toward his.
"Leticia! Are you all right?" he asked. Leticia put a hand to her face and took a deep breath before sitting up on her own again.
"I'm fine," she said as she opened her eyes. "I'm just a little tired is all."
"You should have the Professor examine you," Kaibara frowned. "To make sure that it is nothing serious."
"Shin, it's nothing, really," Leticia smiled at him. "It's just... with what happened yesterday and with the way we have all have had to worry every moment about the military coming here for the last couple of weeks…it's been very draining for me."
"Understandable," Kaibara replied. "But in that case, I ask that you do not strain yourself unnecessarily. If you need any help with your duties here, feel free to ask for assistance from either me or Ryo."
"But you and Ryo have done so much already, I don't want to be a bother and…." Kaibara placed a finger on her lips to silence her.
"And I know that you know me better than to say something like that," he said. "You could never be a bother to me, Leticia…And I am confident that Ryo feels the same as I do."
"Oyaji, Leticia, is everything ok?"
Kaibara and Leticia looked up to see Ryo walking toward them with his hands behind his back and with concern in his eyes.
"Everything is fine, Ryo," Kaibara answered. "Leticia was just explaining to me that she might need some more help in her daily activities from time to time, and I was telling her that we would be glad to lend a hand."
"Of course," Ryo nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Leticia. Me and oyaji are here for you. And, here….this is for you too."
Ryo grinned as he moved his hands from behind his back and held out a handful of wildflowers toward her. Leticia beamed at him, and took them from him. She held them close to her face so she could take in their fragrance.
"They're lovely," she said. "Thank you, Ryo." She held out a hand toward him, and Ryo took it and let her guide him to sit next to her. Once he was there, Ryo leaned against her, and Leticia put an arm around both him and Kaibara.
"I am a very lucky woman," she said. "To have not just one, but two handsome, chivalrous gentlemen in my life."
Leticia rested her head against Kaibara's shoulder, and both he and Ryo put their arms around her. The three of them then ended up silently holding each other for most of the afternoon.
The next day, Kaibara and Ryo met up with Norester early in the morning and the three of them were getting ready to discuss the latest news from Galvez when Dopazo and Vilas ran up to them.
"Norester, sir," Dopazo said. "Enemy troops have been spotted on the edge of the south perimeter."
"Get more men over there, but make sure to keep people around the rest of the perimeter," Norester ordered as he reached for his rifle. Norester then looked back at Kaibara and they shared a nod before Norester ran off with Vilas and Dopazo. Once he was gone, Kaibara grabbed a rifle and checked it before handing it to Ryo.
"Find Leticia," he told Ryo. "Make sure that she and the children are safe."
"I will," Ryo nodded before running off. Kaibara then picked up a rifle for himself and pulled out his Magnum to check it before putting it back in its holster and running after Norester.
'Captain Maceno…you made a grave error when you decided to cross the path of the Angels of Destruction…'
Meanwhile, Leticia heard the sound of gunfire and men shouting from her hut and immediately ran toward the hut where the children were staying. As she approached the door, she heard someone calling her name.
"Leticia," Ryo yelled, waving an arm at her. "Get inside."
"Where is Shin?" she replied.
"Don't worry," Ryo said as he ran toward the door. "Oyaji and Norester are taking care of those guys from the military."
Leticia and Ryo rushed into the hut, and Ryo shut the door behind them. Leticia then opened a trapdoor in the floor and began to help the children into a crawlspace underneath, with a couple of the older children taking the babies into their arms as they went. She was about to join them when she realized that someone was missing.
"Isabel?" she said. "Isabel, where are you?"
Leticia closed the trapdoor and covered it with a small mat before frantically searching the rest of the hut for Isabel. She soon realized, however, that Isabel was not anywhere inside the hut.
"She must have gone outside to play near the stream," Leticia said to herself. "She loves going there…Oh God, if those butchers find her, they'll…she…."
Leticia dashed out the door, and Ryo yelled at her again before running after her. Despite the fact that Ryo ran as fast as he could, Leticia was able to sprint past him. Moments later she arrived at the stream and found Isabel crouched next to it, sobbing, her hands covering her face.
"It's all right, Isabel," Leticia said as she crouched down to pick her up. "I'm here. Now, let's go back to join the others." Isabel nodded and clung to her as Leticia rose to her feet. Once she was there, however, a pair of soldiers burst out from the jungle.
"Looks like we hit the jackpot, Luiz," one of them said with a leer. "Hey, pretty lady, don't worry…we'll make sure you have some fun before you die."
"Stay away from us, you pigs," Leticia spat, cradling the child in her arms closer to her.
"Looks like we need to teach you some manners," Luiz scowled. "And we'll start with that kid you've got there."
Leticia took a couple of steps back, her body shaking with fear while her expression remained defiant. Suddenly gunfire erupted from behind the men, and they collapsed into a heap in front of her. She then looked to see Ryo standing nearby, smoke rising from his rifle. Leticia opened her mouth to thank him, but then she stopped when she saw the look in Ryo's eyes.
'It's…it's as if he's a different person now,' she thought to herself. 'This isn't the playful, sweet Ryo who I know. Even though he is a child, he has the look of a soldier, of someone who is well acquainted with the battlefield.'
'Just like Shin.'
"Come on, hurry," Ryo shouted, breaking her reverie. "We need to get out of here before more of them show up."
Leticia nodded and lowered Isabel back down to the ground so that the three of them could run back toward the hut. As they ran, Leticia quickly became short of breath and Isabel and Ryo were able to get far ahead of her. Soon they reached the hut, and Ryo had opened the door and pushed Isabel inside. Leticia was about to join them when a pair of hands grabbed her from behind.
"Let me go," she screamed as a man yanked her back against him. The man laughed in response, and Leticia then felt the muzzle of a gun press up against her temple.
"Shut up," the man sniggered at her. Ryo ran up to them, his rifle in pointed their way, and the man pushed Leticia to stand in front of him.
"Let her go," Ryo ordered as he aimed the rifle at the man's head. As soon as the words left his lips, however, the sound of laughter rang out again, this time from behind one of the huts. Ryo's jaw dropped open when the source of the laughter walked out into the open and he realized who it was.
"Escovado," Ryo croaked out. Escovado laughed again in response.
"I see you still remember me, Saeba," he said. "Although this time, I'm not the one who's going to be begging for mercy. Now, throw your rifle and your Magnum onto the ground or Juan here will have to shoot your friend."
"Ryo, don't do it," Leticia shouted at him. "Get out of here. Save yourself."
"I said to shut up," Juan said as he struck Leticia across the face. Leticia cried out in pain, and Ryo's face twisted in anger even as tears stung his eyes.
"Well, what is it going to be, Saeba?" Escovado sneered at him. Ryo gritted his teeth for a moment more before slumping his shoulders in defeat and throwing his rifle and his Magnum a couple feet away from him.
"You moron," Escovado cackled. "I see that Kaibara did not teach you the first rule of combat which is to worry about your own skin first and foremost."
Escovado snapped his fingers and Juan hit Leticia again, knocking her out, before tossing her to the ground. Ryo bunched his hands into fists and started to rush over to retrieve his gun, but before he could, Juan pounced on him and lifted him off the ground. Ryo tried to wriggle free, but Juan punched him in the stomach and Ryo fell limp in his grasp, his breath nearly taken away. Escovado then walked over and pulled at his hair so that Ryo would be forced to look him in the eye.
"Now," he grinned. "Let's go find Kaibara. I have some unfinished business with him."
