Kain's POV
What was that old man thinking? What on earth would have possessed him to have confronted dad like that?! I figured it best to just let them both go, dad ran out of the house and Kai went and locked himself in his room. I wish I could say I was a good son and not listened to their conversation, but that would be a lie. I won't lie, my heart broke for both of them, but dad was right. Kai had all the time in the world to come back, could have come back and fixed things with us. If it hadn't been for Kyra going to camp this year, we would have still been living like nothing had changed. Slowly, I was wondering if that would have been better or not. Then again, I'm not fond of dying before I turn 18 and since finding that life insurance policy that Gabe had conjured up my nerves have not loosened up.
It was nearing dinner time and dad still hadn't come back, nor was he answering my phone calls. Seriously, not this again! I think I've left over twenty messages, all ranging from me pleading for him just to call me back to threatening to call the police and report him as a missing person. I even called uncle Max and uncle Tyson, neither had heard from him or seen him, hearing that did nothing to help calm my nerves.
Since he wasn't coming back, and I was getting hungry and I don't think Kyra and Dimitri had anything to eat I decided to keep busy by making dinner. It was my first time trying to make chicken alfredo, and it didn't help that I was a bit sidetracked and my nerves were about to break, and the fact I had Matt on the phone between my shoulder and ear, but I burnt my hand, and I had burnt it good.
"Holy shit!" I threw the phone down, along with the pan of hot oil and the chicken breasts that weren't even done yet.
"I told you to put me on speaker." I hear Matt sigh, I ignore him and go to the fridge to grab the butter.
After lathering a good layer on my hand, I go ahead and put my phone on speaker and lean against the counter by the stove. "I know… I just… Have you heard anything yet?" I ask, feeling like more weights are just piling up on my shoulders.
"Not yet, I told you I would let you know if he comes home." He sighs again, at least he sounds how I feel about this and is just as worried as I am. "Now stop trying to burn yourself."
I had to chuckle at that a bit. "First time for everything, right?"
"Not for you, specially not when it comes to cooking. Maybe you should let someone else do it, if you can't focus on it properly you're going to get hurt again." He argued, and for a minute it sounded like a pep talk he'd dish out right before a beyblade match.
"No, this is supposed to be a surprise for Kyra, I can't ask her to do it." I rolled my eyes. "And I have no clue if Dimi can cook, and Kyra has already said Kai can't."
"Then take a break."
"But I'm hungry." I pout, even though he can't see it before going back to trying and cooking these damn chicken breasts in the oil.
The oil sputters and spits at me, getting me in the arms but it's not as bad as my hand that is still stinging with the butter on it. I turn the temp down a bit, hopefully that'll help a bit, and get the large pot to put water in for the noodles. Matt's gone quiet on the other end but knowing he's there is a bit helpful, till I get a terrible thought that dad might be hurt because of Gabe and I drop the pot of water all over the floor.
"Kain?! What was that?" He quickly asks, panic evident in his voice.
I let out a sigh and my shoulders go forward, resting my forehead against the counter as I stand in the water that spilled all over the floor.
"What if he's dead?" My voice cracks, and I'm surprised he even heard me.
"Stop over thinking things, he's fine-" "How can you say that?! You don't know that!" I cut in, automatically feeling guilty for yelling at him. "I'm sorry…" I mumble.
He goes quiet again, and that's when Kyra comes down looking a bit panicked. "Are you alright, what was that noise?"
"Dropped the pot of water." I sigh, pushing away from the counter and getting a rag to clean up the mess on the floor.
"Oh, sounded like someone was breaking into the house or something… What's on your hand?" She asked, looking at the butter still on the palm of my hand.
"Butter, I burnt myself."
"Get him away from the oven Kyra, he's going to burn the house down like this." Matt pipes in over my phone, and she gives me a questioning look.
"Butter? And like what, what's wrong?" She asks while I mop up the rest of the water and toss the rag into the sink behind me.
I feel myself tense up, why would she ask such a stupid question? "What do you think is wrong? Dad isn't home yet, its nearly eight and he hasn't answered any of my calls." I tell her, filling up the pot once more and getting it to the stove without dropping it this time.
"I'm sure he's fine. He's an adult, Kain. Probably just needs space." She offers, and I shake my head at her.
"You don't know that. I've given him space, plenty of space. Something Kai should have done to begin with." I feel an unknown anger swell in the pit of my stomach as I say that, why DID Kai have to go and say anything today?
"It's not his fault. I suggested it because I thought it would benefit him to actually talk about his feelings for once, and maybe Ray knowing would've ended the whole Gabe thing for us. If I would've known, it would end like this, I wouldn't have suggested it." She explains to me, and my eyes go wide at that.
What the hell was SHE thinking?!
"Why, why would think that would be a good idea?! You know how stressed he's been, this was the dumbest thing to have them do Kyra." I scorn at her, and she takes a step back from my outburst.
"It's been stressful for Dad too you know! You haven't seen what he's been like the past fourteen years without Ray. Being here and having to see him is harder for him than he lets on." She argues back, her voice raising like mine had done.
I cross my arms over my chest. Kai had already mentioned this to dad, and I agree with dad that Kai could have come back sooner. "That's his fault then for staying away for so long."
Matt comes back on the phone, I had forgotten he was still on the line. "Kain, stop fighting with Kyra it's not going to change what's happened." He lowered his tone at me, and that just pisses me off more.
"Don't butt in Matthew." I scorn him over the phone, glaring at the little black device on the counter and feel guilty once more for yelling at him. "Just... Just let me know if Dad comes home or not." I sigh, hanging up on him as he goes to say something. I turn back to Kyra. "This is your fault too."
"Do you not think he knows that? He was twenty when he made that choice. Not many people make extremely logical choices at the age of twenty. How is it my fault for how things ended up? It was Ray's decision to leave." She says calmly, crossing her arms over her chest.
I didn't want to argue with her, but how could she side with Kai in this? I take a step towards her, the anger swelling more in my gut than before. "He had all this time to come back! Sure, it's easy for you to say when he took you and didn't avoid you all your life! It's your fault for suggesting he open up, this wasn't the right time and you know that!" I yell, having to fight back my pupils from slitting at her.
She shakes her head at me while sighing. "Honestly, can the both of you stop dwelling on the past? Yes, this happened and it's shitty for all of us, but you and Ray keep playing the victim when Dad has already explained how bad he feels so many times!" She starts off calmly, then takes a step to match the step I took at her.
"There is never going to be a right time for this and you know that. Honestly Kain, you have no one to blame but yourself. We were just fine with our lives in Russia before you decided to scheme your way into having us here. You're just using me as a scapegoat." She yelled, glaring furiously, her own pupils wavering at me.
Out of natural instinct, at least it's what it felt like, I bare my fangs and let my pupils slit fully. "I never said I was playing the victim and neither is dad! He's hurt, I'm hurt." I yell, and for a second, I'm surprised at myself for getting so loud towards her.
I mock bow towards her, watching her tense where she stands across from me. "Terribly sorry your highness that if it wasn't for Kai leaving, none of this would have been hard!" I stand back up, and the look on her face is one of pure anger it makes me smirk inside a bit.
"And there was a right time, after we exposed Gabe, after everything else was settled, not in the fucking middle of it all!" I continue, not sure what is keeping me going but I don't let her get a say in, not yet.
"I see the truth finally has come out, took you long enough to be honest with me. Yeah, I guess this is all my fault. My deepest apologies for causing so much grief in your 'perfect' little lives!" I can only smirk outwardly now at her, as she looks ready to kill me.
"Do you not think that Dad and I are hurt too?! Ray left first. He started all of this and he chose to take you with him. He is the one who started this mess when he gave up on Dad and left me behind. Even then, we'd be leaving Kain! Don't you get it? We're not staying here and honestly? I don't think I want to seeing how much you both have put Dad through in only the past week of being here!" She yells, this time not letting me get a word in yet. I clench my hands at my sides and glare her down as she continues.
"You keep going on about how hurt you are and keep defending Ray for everything! You're so absorbed in yourself and him that you don't even see how much all of this has affected me!" She begins to lose her breath, I can see tears at the corner of her eyes and my heart stops for a second. Why didn't she say something was wrong?
She looks away from me, trying to hide the tears now. "I'm watching my dad get his heart torn apart while basically getting put on the back burner my whole time here…" She starts to tremble, and the anger I felt before starts to fade as I watch her begin to break down in front of me.
"I'm hurting so much and none of you even care enough to see that!" She screamed, locking eyes with me once more as her entire body shakes from her pent-up anger.
I stand in stunned silence for a minute, this isn't what I wanted, and I'm about to step forward and apologize when our father comes walking in the kitchen. He looks exhausted, and he smells like booze.
He looks at me, eyes hard then at Kyra where they soften slightly. "That's enough." He breathes out, and before either Kyra or I can speak Tala and Bryan come in as well, both eyes wide from having heard Kyra's outburst.
I was ready to give it up but seeing Kai step in sets another fire within me and I snap once more.
"If you were in his shoes you wouldn't have left? He explained it to you why he did, and I was a baby!" I yell, not sure if it was to remind her or Kai of that fact or not. "Of course he had to take me, wasn't like he was going to." I motion towards Kai, and he doesn't really look like he's registering anything I'm saying.
"At this point I don't care either, you all can go, I don't fucking care anymore Kyra. It's been me and him, just us, like it's been you and Kai. So yes, I am focused on him, especially since his 'fiancé' wants us dead." I shudder as those words pass my lips, and she hangs her head again as if she just remembered that bit of information we had dug up.
"Did you forget that? Just like Ray is my dad, and Kai is yours, you forget they are both of ours! And you should have come to me if you were hurting! That's what I'm here for, but no you clam up like Kai and do this bullshit." I continue, and her tears keep coming and my heart hurts from hurting her like this.
"This is what family is here for! If you had actually grown up around us, you'd probably have realized that! That's why I wanted you here, that's why I 'schemed' my way into your lives! Because I cared about you enough. Believe it or not, this was not for my benefit, but for everyone else!" I yell out, feeling my own tears pricking at the corner of my eyes.
"I said enough!" Kai yells, and we both jump in place at the tone of his voice. He glares at me then back to Kyra who hasn't looked up from the floor, tears still rolling down her face. "Tala, take her upstairs please."
Tala doesn't say anything, just nods while going up and taking Kyra gently by the shoulders and leads her out of the kitchen. Bryan stays back by the edge of the bar, and Kai watches quietly till Tala and Kyra are gone before he turns to me.
"I don't want to hear any more of that. Ray and I's problems are ours alone, not for you both to take sides and argue over." He stated quickly and almost dully before turning around to follow after Kyra and Tala.
I felt a growl escape my throat, watching him just leave like that. "That's it, turn your back on me like you've always done." I scorn, and he pauses for just a second before shaking his head and continuing on his way.
I turn off the stove, having just remembered it was on and the water has pretty much boiled all over the place and the chicken breasts are burnt to the pan. "Whatever, we don't need you. I'm going to look for dad since no one seems to care he could be in danger." I mumble to myself, grabbing my jacket from the bar top.
Bryan was quite for a while, and for a minute I didn't think he'd actually say anything to me until I started to walk past him.
"Ray is fine. Not that you'd know, but this is typical behavior for him. Before you were born, and they'd fight, Ray would go off for hours to think on his own and cool off. Probably what he's doing now." He explained causing me to pause just under the archway of the kitchen.
I hang my head, shaking it slightly as the anger in me finally seemed to leave my body. "No. No he hasn't done this to me. He'd answer my calls, and he hasn't. He's been gone for hours." A few tears escaped, and I wiped them away quickly with the back of my sleeve. "I need him to be alright, and Gabe isn't back either. What... What if somethings happened?" I ask as I look up at him.
He gives me sort of a smile, not really sure but it kind of sent a cold shiver down my spine. "You've never experienced him in a fight with Kai before. The two of them have the power over each other to make them both lose their minds in a fight. There were plenty of times Tala had to take Kyra for an afternoon just because Ray needed the time away from her and everyone to rationally think things over." He explains, and I just nod to him like I understand, but I feel numb and tired that I don't know what else to do.
"As for Gabe, he's nowhere near Ray. While you think she only cares about herself, Kyra risked getting caught today and put a tracker in Gabe's car. He's in a motel an hour and a half away, probably still with the guy they caught him with this morning." He sighed, locking eyes with me. "I get that this situation is hard for all of you, but you don't understand how much it's pushing Kai and Kyra out of their comfort zones to be here and do all of this for the both of you. It may not seem like they care because they don't express things like the two of you do, but everything they've done in this trip has been for both of you and now they've hit their breaking point. It's okay to still be mad at Kai, but don't make him pay for it for the rest of his life. And ease up on your sister. She's had it a lot more rough than she's put on in these past fourteen years." He says and clamps a hand down on my shoulder, giving me a slight shake.
I can't help but shift a bit uncomfortably under his hand, looking down at my feet. "It still wasn't the right time for him to bring his feelings up. If he had just stayed quite a bit longer, none of this would have happened..." I breathe out, and sigh taking everything in that he just said to me. It does nothing to help me feel any better about what I said and did.
"I didn't know she did that, and I'm grateful for her for doing that, she didn't need to risk her neck like that. Not really what I had in mind when I said to tag after him. And I didn't say that she only cares for herself, I know she doesn't. I saw that clear as day when we first met, and I can still see it now." I find myself smiling slightly at the memories of Kyra and I's first meeting.
Somehow it seems we've gone back to not knowing each other at all, and I guess it's true that we still really don't. I didn't want to make her feel pressured for having done this, or Kai for that matter, I just wanted them to be happy, I wanted dad to be happy.
"I don't want to be mad at him, not for the past and I don't mean to keep bringing it up… I said a lot of things I shouldn't have because I'm scared, and it felt like I was the only who cared if dad was alright… I didn't mean to be so harsh on her... I really didn't." I explain, and he seems to get what I'm saying and lets my shoulder go.
"Kyra was right when she said there is no right time. Knowing Kai this has been killing him to keep in since we got here. It'll blow over and once both of them cool off things will be fine. I know you didn't mean it but give her some time and then apologize to her. She's never had someone be that harsh to her before and it's going to take a lot for her to trust you again. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure Kai doesn't drink himself to death. Let Tala or I know if you need anything." He said, patting my back as he walked after the others.
"Maybe… Alright, thanks." I mumbled after him, only getting a wave over his shoulder at me before he disappeared around the corner of the foyer.
The house was dead quite after everything, I didn't know what to do so I went back to making dinner, having to scrap the chicken and refill the pot of water. Part of me was hoping Matt would have called me back, but the entire time I successfully made dinner he didn't, and dad hadn't called me or showed up.
It took me a while before I gathered up the guts to face my sister again, knowing full well that she was not going to be happy to see me anytime soon. Though, if it was left up to her we'd be in our forties before she ever talked to me again. I took up just her plate, thinking if I took mine up as well she'd be more off putting, and just so she didn't have extra ammo to throw at me if she felt like throwing it at my head.
I had pep talked myself the entire way up the stairs, though when I actually got to her door I froze. The things she had said downstairs started to replay in my head, everything she had finally opened up about in her anger. Tears were back in my eyes, now I was scared that she had meant those things. Did she? Was she actually that mad at me for bringing them here, or was it just something she said because she was mad at me?
Shaking my head to rid the thoughts from myself, I stepped into the room. Immediately she turned and glared at me while I sat the plate down on the table beside the bed. Her eyes were still red and puffy, tear stains still on her pale cheeks and my heart sunk even further to my toes as we just stared at each other. I wanted to speak, to voice my apology to her and hear her out on whether or not she forgave me. Instead my body moved on its own and I threw myself at her, pulling her into a hug.
She tensed, and I held on tighter, not sure if I was trying to keep her from pulling away or slugging me, but she relaxed in my hold and put her arms around my back. In a way that was all we needed to do, she silently forgave me as I silently apologized to her.
After a few minutes we pulled away and she took the plate I had left beside her, she gave me a small smile of thanks and started to eat it. Her eyes lit up and she looked rather pleased with how it turned out, and to me it was worth getting burned, several times, to have seen her approve of my food.
I let her eat in silence, until she was done with everything to bring up the next problem I had to face; our father.
"Should I wait till later, or do it now?" I asked her, and she seemed to think about it for a minute.
"I would do it now, especially after everything that's happened today. He thought you two were doing better, and to hear you say all those things probably really crushed him." She explained in a low tone, and I nodded.
"Alright… I gotta get myself prepared for that… Wanna come out and have a smoke with me?" I asked, a small smirk on my lips as she gave me a small one of her own.
"Not tonight, maybe tomorrow. I still need some space." She said in that same low whisper, as if she was afraid of talking to me.
I nodded. "Yeah… I kind of agree with you there. I'll see you in the morning then?" I asked, getting off the bed and gathering her plate.
"Yeah, thanks for dinner… And… Let me know if you hear from Ray, alright?"
"Of course." I gave her another smile before slipping out of her room, taking the plate back to the kitchen to wash later.
After making Kai his plate I took it outside with me just, so I could still my nerves with a quick smoke, though I wasn't expecting to see Dimitri out there and I almost turned around and left.
"Oh no, you get back here Hiwatari." He called after me before I was able to get back into the house.
I rolled my eyes and turned around to face him. "Yes Ivanov-Kuztenov?" I smirked, and he narrowed his eyes at me.
"Don't play around right now Kain." He started, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just what the hell was all that earlier?"
"Sibling spat?" I shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know Dimitri. I've been overly worked up with this whole Gabe wants to kill dad and me, that I just went overboard with everything."
"I can understand that, but you should know no one here is going to allow that to happen." He shook his head at me.
"Doesn't do anything saying that when my dad isn't here." I said as I took a seat on one of the longue chairs, setting my father's plate beside me. "There's more downstairs if you want."
He nodded his thanks as he sat on the lounge chair beside me, folding his hands over his knees as he looked at me intently. "I should strangle you for what you said to Kyra, but then again she said some pretty harsh things to."
"I'd let you hit me, if you wanted." I told him with a small smile, and he shook his head no at my offer. "The worse part is, is I don't know if we told each other the truth or not back there or if we just said things in the heat of the moment…"
"Probably a bit of both, you two don't seem to be that different when it comes to your tempers and what comes out of your mouths when angry." He chuckled at his own words for a bit, and I felt my smile grow a tiny bit.
"I'm kind of surprised it took us this long to get onto each other… Just wish it wasn't over something like this." I said shaking my head again.
Dimitri placed a hand on my shoulder, much like his father did to me earlier. "Bet you're wishing you were still an 'only' child about now then, hu?" He smirked, and for a second, I couldn't tell if he was trying to cheer me up or if he was saying that to be mean.
"No. I wouldn't trade having my sister for the world. Unlike you, and Kyra, this isn't the first time I've had an argument with a sibling. We may not be blood related, but I've had plenty of fights with the twins, and in the end, we were always there for each other. Sure, Kyra is different from Matt and Stella, but eventually she'll come around too. I don't expect it to be soon, but she will."
His smirk fell from his face and he drew his hand away from my shoulder. "Downstairs you said you brought them here for their sakes, not yours, was that true?"
I arched a brow at him, giving him a questioning look. "Yeah, why?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Just asking, because that's a pretty selfless thing to do, if you're really telling the truth."
"Not my best idea it seems, but I guess once this night is over there's nothing else to do but move forward." I sighed, then remembered the food I had to give to my father. "I better take this to Kai before it gets any colder." I said, quickly getting up.
"Good luck." He chuckled at me before I left him out there completely alone.
Much like when I was faced with Kyra's door, I was frozen in front of Kai's door. Swallowing the lump in my throat and stilling my shaking limbs I stepped inside without bothering to knock since I could hear him pacing the room. His head shot up from staring at the floor in his walk, and for a second it looked like he was ready to yell at me before he motioned for me to come in further. I had to remind myself of what Kyra had said, we had been doing better and he probably was crushed from what I had said. I couldn't be like dad and still sit in the past, I had to move forward with this if I wanted things to get better.
"Figured you could use something to eat, specially with all the drinking you're doing." I told him while setting his plate down on the desk by the door.
"Thanks." He ran a hand through his bangs, looking like he hadn't slept in months. "Let me see your hand." He held his out, and I showed him the palm of my burnt hand as I stepped up to him a bit more in the center of the room.
"It's not too bad, hurts a bit still but it should be good tomorrow." I told him as he seemed to be inspecting it.
"Should put some ointment on it and wrap it for the night." He said, letting my hand go and stepping into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom.
He came back with the first aid kit that was normally under the sink and brought over the ointment and gauze. I bit back a hiss as he smoothed the ointment over the burn, and then wrapped my hand in the gauze.
"Thanks…"
"Just be careful next time, alright?" He said, letting my hand go once he had finished wrapping the gauze around it.
"Yeah, I will…" I said as I let my hand come down to my side, just looking up at him a bit awkwardly. "Listen…" I started, rubbing the back of my head with my good hand. "What I said downstairs… I didn't mean it, I just… I'm worried about dad and all and it just piled up on me and I said things I didn't mean."
"I know you didn't mean it, doesn't make it right what you said to your sister, but it's not for you two to be getting into your father and I's business like this. And that was my fault, for starting everything earlier."
"No, Kyra was right. You should have been able to tell dad how you felt, specially if it had been eating at you all this time. If you knew, if any of us knew, what would have happened tonight then I know you wouldn't have said anything. Don't apologize for that, and don't apologize for still loving him." I said rather quickly, having butted into what he was saying, and he gave me a look as if I had three heads.
"If anything, tonight is my fault. I could have stepped in and stopped you two or stopped dad from leaving, if we want to be extremely technical, it's my fault any of you are here to begin with and I know it can't be easy for you guys. It's been a lot to process for me too, and dad as well, and I think that's why he left." I continued, since he seemed to be going silent on me now.
"It'd be nice if he could answer his phone for me, but maybe we all just needed some space after all this time of being on top of each other since you got here. While also dealing with the Gabe issue, and everything else, and I'm rambling…" I laughed a bit, and he nodded. "I am happy you guys came though, really I am."
"Me too." He smiled a bit at me, and I smiled back.
"Hey, least he said he stilled loved you." I tried to lighten the mood a bit. "All we have to do is make sure we get our evidence on Gabe, and boom, no wedding, just like we've planned." I said, and he seemed to brighten, if ever so slightly, at that.
"He may still love me, but he made it pretty clear that he doesn't want to try again." He said while finally sitting down at the end of the bed.
I bit my bottom lip as I went over to the desk and got his plate for him, handing it to him to make sure he ate something. He took it, and just stared at it for a second before I pushed his arm to get him moving. As he ate, I went to the chair at the desk and continued to talk to him.
"He did say that, but he could not mean it. Or he just needs time to think about it, he's gotta be scared too about trying again. I know I would be if our situations were the same, and if it was reversed, don't you think you would be?" I asked, and he looked to be in thought before nodding slightly.
"You think I should have tried sooner too then?" He asked, meeting my crimson eyes with his own.
"Yeah, he was right about that and you can't deny that." I told him, and he nodded again. "But that doesn't mean you two can't try again, it might just take a bit more time." I said and stood as he finished his plate of food, taking it from him to take back to the kitchen.
"You still haven't heard from him yet?" He asked, looking just how I felt.
"No, or Matt or uncle Max or Tyson…" I sighed, heading to the door. "If I do I'll let you know, should get some sleep though, and no more drinking the entire room stinks."
He shook his head at me with a small grunt passing his lips. "Thanks Kain, I'll see you in the morning." He said as he stood and went to the head of the bed, actually laying on it and then covering his eyes with the back of his arm as if a headache was starting to come to him.
"Night dad." I said and watched the corner of his mouth turn up into a smile.
By the time I was done with cleaning the pots and pans I had used, washed the plates and silver ware, the entire house had fallen asleep. I still hadn't heard from Matt or my uncles, and dad hadn't come back yet or called me and it was nearing one thirty in the morning. I couldn't find it in myself to go to bed, so I sat up on the couch to wait for him, only to have fallen asleep at some point; my nerves having finally given up on me.
Ray's POV
After having that talk with Max, it was about time I went back to face everyone, or more importantly Kai and my son. Stepping into the house I wasn't surprised to find everyone asleep, since it was almost four in the morning, but I was surprised to see Kain asleep on the couch.
Quietly I went up to him, not wanting to startle him and gently shook his shoulder. Getting a grunt in return, I shook him a bit harder and called out to him till his eyes fluttered open and his vision focused on me. He bolted upright, arms flinging around my neck in a choking embrace.
"Don't… Don't ever do that to me again." He began trembling in my arms, and all I could seem to do was hold him tighter and run my fingers through the back of his hair.
"What time is it?" He yawned, finally letting me go and sitting back against the couch.
"It's late, you didn't have to wait for me you know." I tell him meekly, and already feel guilty for saying anything by the terror I can see in his eyes. "I'm sorry Kain."
He just shakes his head at me. "It's fine… Just don't… Don't do that again please, you scared the living shit out me."
"Watch your tongue."
"I'm serious, where have you been anyways?" He asked, ignoring my words.
"Where haven't I been?" I sigh out and lean back into the couch and close my eyes, thinking of where I ended up going since I had left. "When I first left, my first thought was to go to the restaurant, because of the broken pipe, but as I started to drive I didn't go there. Somehow, without thinking I went to the old Hiwatari manor."
"Why would you go there?"
I shrug my shoulders, because I truly don't know why or how I even ended up there. "I don't know, I was just driving to clear my head and that's where I ended up going. It's been abandoned, for a while it seems, so I went inside. I didn't stay long, because the memories were just too much and so I left and began driving again.
"This time I found myself at Tyson's old dojo, I've taken you by it a few times when you were younger. I didn't stop in or anything, just drove by it and then went to the old park we used to train at… Then… I found myself standing at the bridge." I pause, and I can feel Kain's eyes still on me intently, so I open mine to look at him.
"Yes, that bridge… By now, I had run around all over the place and I was exhausted and just stood there for a while watching the water rush by. It was calming, while trying to gather my thoughts Max and Tyson found me, again, and I ended up going with them for a few drinks and dinner." I tell him, and his mouth hangs open slightly.
"They could have told me they found you!" He yells at me, and I motion for him to quiet down, so he doesn't wake the entire house.
"They only found me less than three hours ago Kain, I had been out there since ten thirty." I explain, and his mouth just drops even further. "You need to apologize to Matthew, while we're on the subject." I tell him, and he looks down at his lap.
"I know… Trust me, I had to apologize to everyone tonight." He says under his breath.
"What happened?" I ask, and he shakes his head at me.
"I'll tell you tomorrow, tell me about what happened with you."
"Well, we went out, had a few drinks and I loosened up a bit and talked to them about what was going on. I told them about what happened at the restaurant, and what happened here and why I had left. When that was all said and done, they gave me their two cents on what I should and shouldn't do but by now I already knew what I was going to do, only thing was is we were all too drunk to really put my plan into action. So we went back to Tyson's place and crashed until Max and I woke up an hour ago, we went and got my car and I came here." I can't help but laugh a bit, the images of Tyson and Max squishing me between them while trying to walk to our cab that the bar tender had called for us.
"What plan?" Kain asks, looking a bit more intrigued now.
I smirk at him, figuring it best to leave him in the dark for now. "I don't remember." I say, looking as innocent as I can at him. "Though I do know I need to apologize to your father for leaving the way I did and yelling at him for just being honest with me." I tell him, and he nods, though I'm not sure if I convinced him that I truly forgot my 'plan'.
"Well he's asleep right now, prolly won't be up till noon cus he's been drinking too." He says and stretches out. "Should prolly go to bed myself too, or I won't get up till four."
"Alright, I'm gonna head to bed myself then." I say, and we stand at the same time, giving each other a hug before he heads up the stairs.
I sit back on the couch, listening for his footsteps to stop and once he's in the bed I get up and head upstairs to Kai's room. My heart is racing, but from the smell coming through the door I know he's knocked out cold from all the drinking he's done. I slip into his room quietly, able to see his sleeping form in the dark, the way his chest rises and falls in gentle intervals.
Steadying my rushing heart, I step up to the bed and sit down beside him. Not able to help myself I run my finger's through his bangs, still as soft as I remember them to be, sighing and settling down beside him a bit more comfortably. As I sit there, my fingers still idly running through his hair he starts to stir, though from experience I know he's not fully aware, even when he opens his eyes and tries to focus on me sitting beside him.
"R… Ray?" He blinks in confusion at me, and I just smile at him.
"Shhh… Just go back to sleep Kai." I whisper to him, and he nods and lays his head back down and closer to my side.
I wait a minute, till his breathing is once again shallow and labored and I know he's back out before I start to talk to him, knowing full well he won't remember any of this.
"I'm sorry for leaving, today and all those years ago… It was hard, on both of us I know that. You did all you could for us, and I loved you for that, will always love you for that dedication you had to provide for your family… I needed you home though, I needed you to see that we were just as important to be around as we were to provide for.
"We're both to blame for the troubles we've caused, the heartbreak we've caused our children and each other and I am so sorry I have hurt you for this long, as I know you are for doing the same to me." I have to pause for a second, tears are threatening to come forth, and I don't want to fully wake him if I start to cry right now.
I focus on running my fingers through his bangs again, calming myself before I continue. "It must have been so hard for you to come here, you and Kyra, and I cannot express how happy I am that you both came. I know, especially for you, that it hasn't been easy, and you knew it wouldn't be easy, but you came anyways. You came for your children… For me… And I wish it wasn't this hard, that things weren't the way they were…"
I can't find my voice, having to stop because tears have escaped but I'm not ready to leave his side yet. I sit there for a while longer, just touching his hair and listening to him breathe gently in his sleep. I start to feel myself dozing off beside him, so I pull away from him to go to Gabe's room to sleep alone. Before I leave him though, I lean down and gently brush my lips along his.
I had missed that feeling, the smell of him so close, and the touch that ignited a spark in my body. I wanted to lose myself then and there, to not leave yet and just savor the moment, but he began to stir again so I pulled back quickly. He stopped right after I pulled back, and I couldn't help but smile down at him; somethings have never changed it seems.
"Goodnight Kai." I whisper to him, brushing his bangs back one last time before heading to the door.