Author's Note: Next chapter. I hope to have updates for this and my other two projects this week, but I can't promise anything since final exams are this week. We will have to see how things go. :)

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.

Eve: Thank you for the review as always. :) That to me is really the challenge of this fic: trying to imagine both Ryo and Kaibara from around this time since Ryo was a child who was growing into the person we see in the anime and manga, and Kaibara was a different person himself at this point in time (not to mention the fact that Bloody Mary's father was mentioned, but never even named in the anime or manga!). But it's been a fun challenge, and I think that as this fic continues on, you will see more and more of the Ryo we know and love from the City Hunter timeline. :) Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this next long chapter as well.

Chapter Ten—The Confirmation—part three

Kaibara smirked to himself as he emptied the shells from his Magnum onto the ground and reloaded.

After meeting up for a brief moment near the south perimeter he and Norester split up, the both of them taking down multiple soldiers in rapid succession. As he watched some soldiers fall and other ones retreat from him, a sardonic grin appeared on Kaibara's face.

'Same as always,' he thought. 'The only reason sadistic thugs like these appear strong is because they choose weak targets. Once someone who is actually strong stands up to them, their true natures appear.'

Two more men ran out from a clearing in the jungle, and Kaibara whirled around and shot them both within seconds of their appearance. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another soldier watching him and was about to turn toward him, but then the soldier visibly gulped and ran in the opposite direction.

'A wise decision,' Kaibara chuckled to himself.

A wisp of smoke drifted in front of him, and Kaibara glanced to see a group of soldiers setting fire to some of the huts.

"Dopazo, Perez," he shouted. "Get some men to put those fires out now, before they spread."

Kaibara watched Dopazo and Perez run off and suddenly he felt a surge of murderous intent from a short distance away. He leapt for cover besides one of the huts and watched as another soldier, who had a machete at his hip and a pistol in his hand, race by him.

'This one is different,' Kaibara told himself. 'He's not just following orders or satisfying some need to prove himself. He is hunting, hunting for prey.'

'It must be him…Captain Maceno.'

The hut Kaibara was standing next to had a couple of flames starting to curl around its foundation, but Kaibara was beyond noticing it, his senses focused on Maceno and the aura surrounding him. Suddenly, Maceno disappeared into the jungle, and Kaibara was about to pursue him when another presence caught his attention.

'Ryo? But why? You were supposed to stay with Leticia….'

"Come out, Kaibara," a voice boomed from a few feet around. "Or I will blow Saeba's brains out."

Kaibara grimaced as he recognized the person the voice belonged to and walked out into the open. There he found Escovado standing next to a large man who had Ryo in his grip. The both of them had a gun pointed at one of Ryo's temples.

"So, Kaibara, what now?" Escovado sniggered. "You may be the best shot in the entire country, but even you can't take both of us out. Not before one of us shoots your precious Saeba in the head. Now, throw away your rifle or else."

Kaibara frowned and dropped his rifle to the ground. Escovado grinned for a moment, but that grin quickly disappeared when he saw Kaibara pull out his Magnum instead and point it at him.

"What are you doing?" Escovado yelled. "Didn't you hear what I said? I will kill him."

"Escovado," Kaibara said. "If you think that I will allow myself to get killed by the likes of you, you are gravely mistaken. Now, let Ryo go and I will consider letting you live."

"Shut up," Escovado shouted. "You are in no position to give me orders." Escovado then smiled again and moved closer to Juan while rubbing the muzzle of his gun along the side of Ryo's face.

"Maybe you'll think twice about what you're doing when I start blowing away pieces of your boy here," he said. "There's lots of ways I could shoot him without actually killing him."

Escovado moved closer to Ryo and shoved the gun under his chin, forcing Ryo to tilt his face up toward him.

"Do you know how much I suffered after that bastard shot me?" he told Ryo. "My right hand barely works most of the time and there are nights when it feels like it the bones are twisting around in there. Maybe I should shoot one of your hands, just so you'll know what it feels like."

Ryo swallowed hard and trembled before closing his eyes for a moment. When he re-opened them, Escovado blinked in surprise at the calm, detached look there, and Kaibara smiled at Ryo's determination to keep his composure.

"You have no right to complain about how much you suffered," Kaibara said. "Not after you sold your soul to these animals. Do you ever think about how many innocent people have been killed as part of your selfish need for vengeance?"

"It's your fault," Escovado screeched as he turned back toward Kaibara. "All I know is to be a mercenary or a soldier. After you shot me, I couldn't find a way to feed myself and I almost starved at one point. That is, until I met Juan here. He helped me learn to shoot with my other hand and we struggled together as mercenaries for hire before joining Captain Maceno's group. The way I see it, all that blood is on your hands."

"Enough of your excuses," Kaibara said. "Let Ryo go now while you still have a chance to survive."

"Ha, if I die, I'll take Saeba with me," Escovado said. "Are you saying that you are ok with that?"

"I am saying that you are forgetting one of the most important rules of battle," Kaibara replied with a smirk.

"Oh, and what's that?" Escovado asked.

"Never lose sight of the battle at hand," Kaibara said, his smile growing. "Or you will miss the danger all around you."

Escovado was about to ask what he meant by that when a shot rang out and Juan grunted painfully while loosening his hold on Ryo. Ryo took advantage of the situation and delivered a sharp kick to Juan's groin and wriggled free out of his arms. Ryo then ran over to Kaibara, and Kaibara guided Ryo to stand behind him. Escovado spun toward the sound of the gunshot and saw Norester standing there, his pistol drawn and a smile on his face.

"It's about time you showed up," Kaibara chuckled. "I thought that I was going to have to listen to this idiot all day."

"You know me," Norester grinned. "I got distracted by the usual things. I never could stick to a schedule."

"You!" Escovado growled as he pointed his gun at Norester. Before he could pull the trigger, however, Kaibara fired, striking Escovado's left hand and causing him to drop to his knees while screaming in pain.

"Did he actually forget about you?" Norester said as he moved to stand next to Kaibara. "Amazing. I know that I can't ever forget about you being around."

"This is why it's better to work with a partner," Kaibara smirked. "So that you'll always have someone to act a distraction when needed…Ryo, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Ryo said in a tiny voice while reaching over to grab the corner of Kaibara's jacket. Kaibara looked back at him for a long second before nodding and turning his attention back toward Escovado. Norester was certain that there had been far more to that exchange than what could be seen on the surface, but decided that it was better not to pry.

Norester's levity soon disappeared as he watched Kaibara's expression go from a smirk to completely impassive. Kaibara reached down and removed Ryo's hand from his jacket and walked toward Escovado, who was still collapsed on the ground, wailing in agony.

"I warned you once before about what would happen if you ever went near Ryo again," he said. "And yet you chose not to listen to me."

"Go to hell, Kaibara," Escovado spat at him.

"Not before you," Kaibara replied. "You made perhaps the single biggest error of your life when you decided to cross me a second time. It is time for you to pay for that error."

Escovado stole a glance at Kaibara and whimpered when he saw the look in Kaibara's eyes. He had expected Kaibara to look enraged or tense over what had just happened to Ryo, who was clearly important to him, but instead, there was no trace of any emotion on his face. All that was there was the intent to kill and what could almost be called boredom, as if killing him would be no different than swatting an insect.

"Now, I think I heard you tell me that there were lots of ways you could shoot Ryo without actually killing him," Kaibara continued. "How about we try that experiment on you?"

Escovado cried out and started to try to crawl away, but Kaibara hit him with a spinning kick to the head, causing him to fall back onto the ground. Kaibara then drew closer, his aim traveling all over Escovado's body.

Norester put a hand on Ryo's shoulder and gently guided him back behind him. He had seen that look in Kaibara's eyes only a couple of other times in his life, and each time it had appeared, Kaibara had been beyond anyone's reach. This look meant that the killer in Kaibara had taken over and Norester knew that there was little chance of holding him back.

"Shin! Shin, stop this!"

Everyone looked to see Leticia walking toward them, her eyes bright with tears.

"Leticia," Kaibara said, his voice low and cold. "This man is responsible for the deaths of everyone in that village, not to mention countless deaths elsewhere. He is not worthy of any sort of mercy."

"I understand," Leticia said. "I understand that he needs to pay for what he did. But not this way. " She moved even closer to him, and Kaibara flinched at the fiery glint in her eyes.

"You are supposed to be a soldier, a man who defends others. Not a monster," she said. "If you torture him to death while he is defenseless like this, you'll be no different than the butchers who killed all those people in that village. Think of the example you are setting for Ryo."

Kaibara narrowed his eyes at her as he lowered his gun. Leticia looked away, her gaze turning toward the ground.

"This isn't who you are," she nearly whispered. "Please."

Kaibara glared over at Escovado and put his gun away.

"Norester," he said. "Make sure Dopazo puts him with the rest of the prisoners…and make sure that they keep an eye on him." Kaibara then turned toward Leticia.

"Leticia, I know that you have your own way of seeing me," he said. "But you need to understand that there is another part to my nature, a part that is necessary for what I do…a part that you might find difficult to accept."

Leticia continued to look away, and Ryo slowly walked over and reached for Leticia's hand.

"Are you all right, Leticia?" Ryo asked her. Leticia shook her head, sadness evident in her features.

"I should be asking you that, Ryo," she said. "But I am fine, thank you. Thank you for saving me… and I am so sorry for putting you in harm's way."

"It's ok," Ryo murmured. Kaibara put a hand on Ryo's head and smiled at him.

"And I also thank you for protecting Leticia," he said. "You did very well today, musuko." Ryo grinned at Kaibara's words and the grin grew even wider as Leticia bent down and kissed his cheek.

During this, Norester had motioned Dopazo over and instructed him to take both Juan and Escovado prisoner. As Dopazo watched Juan stagger to his feet, Escovado slowly reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a knife.

'I don't care what happens to me now,' he thought to himself. 'I have to make Kaibara pay one way or another.'

Before Dopazo could react, Escovado jumped to his feet and rushed toward Leticia and Ryo, his knife raised to strike. Ryo put himself in front of Leticia and closed his eyes, but before Escovado could reach them, Kaibara pulled his gun back out and shot Escovado in the head. Escovado fell to the ground dead and Kaibara stood over his body, his back to Leticia.

"Do you see now?" he asked her. "Do you see why I cannot always afford the luxury of remaining as pure as you would have me be? This is a war, and I am a soldier…but I am also a killer, Leticia, a killer with numerous enemies. You need to understand that."

Leticia stared at Kaibara for a moment, a pair of tears sliding down her face before turning and running away. Ryo glanced over at Kaibara before taking off after her. Kaibara continued to stare down at Escovado's body while Norester walked up to him.

"I just got the latest report from Perez," Norester said. "It looks like we've managed to wipe out over half of this squadron and we also were able to take a few prisoners."

"What about Captain Maceno?" Kaibara asked. "He got away, didn't he?"

"Yeah, it looks like he did," Norester sighed. "And I've got a funny feeling that we haven't heard the last of him. But on the bright side, our men were able to get those fires out before they caused any major damage, and we were able to prevent any civilian casualties. All in all, a successful operation."

"Yes," Kaibara said as he took a deep breath. "Have Dopazo load up the prisoners onto the truck. I will accompany them and report to Galvez."

"Hey, you don't have to do that," Norester said. "I can go and…."

"When you see Ryo, tell him to stay here and keep watch over Leticia," Kaibara said as he walked away. "Tell him that I will return some time tomorrow morning."

Before Norester could say another word, Kaibara walked away, his step swift and purposeful.

Later that evening, after dinner, Leticia sat outside next her hut, staring at the sky. After spending an hour watching the stars come out, Ryo came out to sit down next to her.

"Leticia," he said after a long silence. "Don't be sad. I don't think oyaji is mad at you."

"Ryo," Leticia breathed as she looked over at him. She watched Ryo look up toward the sky, his expression pensive.

"Sometimes oyaji goes off by himself," he continued. "Norester told me it's because he needs time to think, to sort stuff out. It's not always because he's mad about something. And he always comes back when he says he will."

"That's true," Leticia smiled at him. "Shin was like that even as a teenager. He does live a good portion of life inside his head."

"Yeah, I think so too," Ryo smiled back. "So please don't worry." Leticia reached over and ran her fingers through Ryo's hair.

"All right, I won't," she said. Ryo nodded and stared at the ground while she put an arm around him.

"Ryo? Is something on your mind?" she asked.

"Leticia…are you afraid of me?" Ryo whispered.

"Why on earth would you think that, Ryo?" she gasped.

"Earlier today, when I shot those soldiers who were trying to hurt you," Ryo replied. "You were staring at me. Usually when people look at me or at oyaji that way, it's because they don't like us or because are afraid of us." Leticia put her arms around him and drew him close to her.

"Ryo, it's not like that at all," she insisted. "It's just…I was startled. Much like with Shin, I had grown so accustomed to the way I know you as a child and as my friend, I didn't really consider the world that you live in. But what I do know is that that is just one facet of your life and that who you are as a person lies in the beautiful heart that I know you have. So I could never be afraid of you and do not think for a moment that I care any less about you now than I did before." Ryo leaned against her and the two of them went back to watching the stars.

"Leticia, I wish I could stay just like this," Ryo murmured. "I wish that tomorrow didn't have to come."

"But why would you want something like that?" Leticia asked. Ryo embraced her briefly before getting up and walking over to the doorway of the hut.

"Because tomorrow often means that something will move closer to the end," he said, his tone somber. "I think that's another reason why you're sad."

Ryo walked inside, and Leticia brushed a tear off her cheek before gazing at the moon that had appeared from behind a cloud.

'Ryo…Sometimes I wish that you weren't so insightful.'

The next morning, both Leticia and Ryo were helping the Professor tend to the injuries some of the troop and the locals had suffered. They had just finished with the last person when Kaibara walked into the hut where they were working with a knapsack in his hands. Both Leticia and Ryo smiled and rushed over to him.

"Hi, oyaji," Ryo said.

"Good morning, Ryo, Leticia," Kaibara smiled back.

"Shin," Leticia said. "I…." Kaibara put a finger on her lips.

"It's all right," he said. "You do not owe me any explanations. I spend so much time on the battlefield; I sometimes forget how people outside that sort of life might be shocked when exposed to it. I do not blame you at all for the reactions you had."

"Shin," Leticia beamed at him as she put her arms around him. He embraced her in return and Ryo grinned and giggled at the sight.

"Ah you're back," a voice from behind Kaibara boomed. Kaibara, Leticia, Ryo and the Professor looked over to see Norester walk into the hut as well. Norester noted how Kaibara was holding Leticia, and he chuckled slightly while putting a hand to the back of his head.

"Sorry, looks like I walked in on a moment," he said. "But I've got some news that should make things even merrier around here. Perez met up with the people who are coming to transport the survivors here to a city up north and to take these children to an orphanage there. They should be here within an hour and hopefully you can all leave by tomorrow."

"That's wonderful," Leticia replied. "Now these children can be safe and have a chance to get some better care. Shin, Ryo, Mister Norester, Professor…thank you, all of you, for helping us."

"It's no bother," Norester grinned. "We're just glad this all worked out for you and the kids."

"Hey, what do you have there?" Ryo asked as he pointed at the knapsack. Kaibara smiled again and pulled out a small paper bag.

"After I reported to Galvez, he had me run an errand in a city about twenty miles from here," he said. "Once I was done, I decided to spend some time visiting the shops there. This is for you, Ryo."

Ryo grabbed the sack out of Kaibara's hand and grinned even more when he got a look at the contents inside: some candy along with a yo-yo and a toy frog that would leap outward when a ball attached to it was squeezed.

"Thank you, oyaji," he said, joy sparkling in his eyes.

"You're welcome, musuko," Kaibara said, his warm tone betraying how touched he was by Ryo's reaction to his gift. He then handed a package over to Leticia.

"And this is for you," he told her. "I thought that perhaps you could wear it while we have dinner together tonight."

Leticia smiled and leaned toward Kaibara to kiss him when the sound of giggles and laughter stopped her. Kaibara then shook his head.

"I think perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere," he said. "Away from this gallery of children, busybodies and perverts."

Kaibara put an arm around her and led her outside. Meanwhile Ryo, Norester, and the Professor gathered near the doorway to watch them leave.

"I think you'll be spending tonight with us, Ryo," Norester said, patting him on the head.

"Why?" Ryo asked. "I've had dinner with Leticia and oyaji before."

"Yes, but this time is different," Norester said. "Kaibara and Leticia want to spend some, um adult time together, ok?"

"Oh, is this like that stuff you told me about?" Ryo said, looking toward the Professor.

"Yes, well…." the Professor smiled nervously.

"Professor!" Norester cut in. "Just what have you been telling him? You haven't been letting him check out those magazines in that one trunk of yours, have you?"

"No no, of course not," the Professor replied, a bead of sweat rolling off his brow. "It's just that Ryo was curious about some things, so I took the time to explain them to him."

"Oh, God, I can only imagine," Norester said, putting a hand to his face. "Kaibara better not find out about this, or he'll probably shoot you and then me for good measure. Ryo, promise me that you won't tell your father about what you discussed with the Professor for a long, long time, ok?"

"Ok, I promise," Ryo grinned. "As long as you don't tell him the next time I have an accident with one of the grenades during training."

"That's blackmail," Norester said, incredulous. Ryo grinned again, and squeezed the ball attached to his toy frog so that it leapt toward Norester's face. Norester frowned for a moment before letting out a sigh and nodding his head. He then grabbed Ryo and tickled his chest, prompting a burst of giggles from Ryo.

"All right, you've got a deal," Norester smirked as Ryo continued to laugh. "But one of these days, I'm going to have a talk with your father about that impish streak of yours."

After spending most of the day helping everyone prepare to leave the village, Kaibara changed into one of his few civilian outfits of slacks and a tan shirt. That evening, he went to Leticia's hut and smiled when she came out to greet him wearing a dark blue sun dress.

"Shin, it's lovely," she smiled as she ran her hand along the skirt. "And it fits perfectly. Just how did you know what my size is?" Kaibara chuckled and put an arm around her.

"Let's just say I'm pretty good at estimating measurements," he said. Leticia laughed and guided him into the hut where she had food sitting on the table for him.

"So, are you going to tell me what this is about?" she smiled as they sat down to eat.

"I thought that it would be good to have an evening like the ones we used to share," Kaibara replied.

"Oh, you mean like a date?" Leticia said. "Since when did you become a romantic?"

The two of them laughed again and began to eat while each of them shared some stories about the things they had been doing for the last few years. Once dinner was finished, they went outside to watch the moon rise. They held each other silently for several minutes before Kaibara cleared his throat and took both of Leticia's hands into his.

"Leticia," he said. "I know that it's only been a couple days, but spending this time with you…I realize that my feelings for you have not changed after all these years. If anything, I think they are even stronger now."

"I know," she said as she gazed into his eyes. "I feel the exact same way."

"Last night, I spent a lot of time considering that and what you told me earlier that day," Kaibara continued. "And I realized that you were right. I do not want to become the type of person who only lives to fight and kill. I want a life outside of that."

Kaibara paused and stroked the backs of Leticia's hands with his thumbs.

"So I would like to offer you a proposal," he added. "After you are finished with transporting these orphans, would you consider staying with me?"

"Staying? But what about your work as a guerrilla?" she asked. "What about this war?"

"I'm willing to walk away from it for you," Kaibara said. "Leticia, I have spent almost ten years of my life fighting for a country that is not my own. I think I have contributed more than most would for this cause."

"Shin, I…."

"I have managed to put aside some money," Kaibara continued. "And I know of several places where we could go and live peacefully for the most part."

"And Ryo?" Leticia said.

"Ryo would come with us, of course," Kaibara nodded. "It would be a good opportunity to give him a better childhood. Plus, I know that he is quite taken with you, and I have often thought that it would be good for him to have someone in his life who could be like a mother to him."

Kaibara brought Leticia's hands close to his lips, planting a light kiss on one of them.

"But even more than that, I know now that I do not want to leave you again," he said. "We lost so many years. I do not want to lose any more."

"Shin…I…I…"

Kaibara's face fell as he watched tears stream down Leticia's face. Worried, he put his arms around her.

"Leticia?"

"Shin, I can't," she cried. "I can't stay with you. I want to so much, but I can't."

"But why?" Kaibara asked. Leticia wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Do you remember what I told you about my mother?" she said. "About how both she and two of my aunts died from a heart condition?"

"Leticia," Kaibara said, his eyes widening in shock. "Are you…are you saying that….?"

"Yes," Leticia nodded. "I found out earlier this year that I have it too…and that it's in the final stages."

"How long?" Kaibara asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Three months…at the absolute most," Leticia said. "Probably sooner. It's why I agreed to help out in this village, despite the danger I knew I would be in. I knew that these children needed help…and that I did not have that much more time left anyway."

Kaibara let her go and turned his back toward her.

"Why did you tell me that your condition wasn't serious when I asked you about it before?" he asked. "Why did you lie to me?"

"Shin, I am so sorry," she said. "I didn't want to lie, but…."

Leticia moved close to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"This time, this time I've spent with you and with Ryo, it has been some of the happiest moments of my entire life," she said. "I kept wishing that it would never end. That I could be your wife and Ryo could be our child. I guess I thought that if I kept this a secret, I could live that dream for a little while longer. Believe me, I never wanted to hurt you, Shin."

Kaibara bowed his head and after a minute more he put his hands over Leticia's.

"I understand," he murmured. He then turned to her and put his arms around her again.

"Then in that case, let me stay with you and take care of you until the end," he said. "Even if it's only for a short time, I want to spend as much of it as I can with you."

"No," Leticia said with a sad smile. "Watching over me every day, waiting for me to die…I do not want to put you or Ryo through that. I want our last moments together to be happy and full of life."

"Leticia…." Leticia stopped him by putting a hand on his cheek.

"Shin, we both know that it's better this way," she said. "Please, let's spend our last night together without any regrets."

Kaibara nodded and held her close, unwilling to let her go for the rest of the night.

The next morning went by quickly as everyone prepared to leave the remains of the village behind. Once they were ready, Leticia met with Kaibara and Ryo one more time.

"Thank you again for everything," she told them.

"It was nothing," Kaibara said. "Good luck to you in your travels."

"Leticia." Both Kaibara and Leticia looked down to see Ryo staring at her, his eyes watery.

"Will I ever see you again?" Ryo asked, his voice wobbly. Leticia and Kaibara shared a pained look before Leticia crouched down and forced herself to smile.

"Perhaps," she said. "But please, no matter what happens, promise me that you won't forget any of the things I told you. Will you do that for me?"

"I will," Ryo nodded vigorously. "I promise." Leticia smiled and kissed him on the forehead before embracing him tightly for a moment. She then stood back up and let Kaibara draw her into his arms.

"Goodbye Shin," she murmured into his ear. "Take care of yourself and Ryo…and know that I will always love you."

"As will I," Kaibara whispered. "And I will never forget you either, Leticia."

They held each other tightly for a moment more before separating. Both Kaibara and Ryo watched her get onto one of the trucks and ride away down the road.

"We're not going to see her again, are we, oyaji?" Ryo asked quietly after the truck had disappeared from view.

Kaibara said nothing, the words frozen in his throat, as he put his arm around Ryo's shoulders and guided him away from the road.

It was two months later when the letter came.

Vilas had shown up to offer to join Galvez's group, and Kaibara, knowing that Vilas had gone with Leticia to the orphanage, had asked about her. Vilas frowned and pulled a sealed envelope from his pocket and handed it to him.

"It happened only three weeks after we left that village," Vilas said. "And I…I think you should know that the last thing she said was your name. You and that child of yours were all she thought about until the end."

Kaibara had withdrawn to his hut and read the letter alone. It was another two hours after that before he had the strength to shove the letter into one of the pockets of his backpack and grab a bottle of whiskey.

As he sat by a fire and drank, Norester and Ryo stood nearby, watching him. Norester had explained to Ryo what had happened a while ago and had kept a hand on Ryo's shoulder while he cried. Once he was done, Ryo walked away, intent on finding Kaibara. Soon they had found him sitting alone at the edge of the village, and Norester had stopped Ryo from walking over to him.

"Ryo, I think you should leave Kaibara alone tonight," Norester said. "This is going to be a lot of grief for him to work through."

Ryo nodded and Norester walked back toward the center of the camp. Ryo was about to follow him when Leticia's words suddenly came back to him.

'…And I need you to promise me that you will be there for your father when he needs you…'

Ryo swallowed hard as he realized what he needed to do. He carefully walked up behind Kaibara and quietly stood next to him for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Oyaji…."

"Leave," Kaibara said in a low menacing voice. "I do not want any company tonight." Ryo considered doing as his father ordered for a second before taking a deep breath and staying where he was.

"I just wanted to say that I was sorry," Ryo said. "For what I said before."

Kaibara turned to look at him, anger visible in his expression, and Ryo looked down at the ground.

"At the village, when you told me about your parents and when I talked about not being able to remember mine," Ryo continued. "I mean, you lost your birth parents, and then you didn't have anyone. When I lost mine, I still had you, and Norester, and now I have the Professor. But I…I'm sorry that you were alone…and I'm sorry that I acted like I wasn't thankful that you became my father. "

Kaibara said nothing, his features still contorted with rage and sorrow as Ryo sat down next to him while keeping his head bowed.

"We were both orphans," Ryo said as he pulled his knees close to his chest. "Just like all those kids who Let-…who she took care of. We didn't have any family. But it's ok now, because you're my father and I'm your son. We both have a family and neither one of us has to be alone anymore."

Ryo looked took another deep breath and looked up at Kaibara, a smile on his face.

"Right, oyaji?"

Kaibara stared into Ryo's eyes for a minute before his expression finally softened and a trace of a smile appeared on his lips.

"So it would seem, musuko," Kaibara said quietly. "So it would seem."

Ryo nodded and looked back down at the ground. Ryo then felt Kaibara put an arm around his shoulders and pull him closer. A couple minutes later, he heard Kaibara's breath hitch while he held him. He then looked up to see that Kaibara had covered most of his face with his hand, and seconds later, Ryo saw a tear slide out from under his fingers. Ryo turned away to look at the fire while snuggling closer to his father.

'I'm sorry…oyaji….'

Ryo closed his eyes and did not say another word or leave his father's side for the rest of the night.