AN: I might truly destroy Rick's character in this, hope I don't offend you and please enjoy.

Chapter Twenty Nine – Nothing Makes Sense

Nervous wasn't even the best word to describe how Kuon was feeling as he sat in the small café in the seat at the far corner. He didn't want to be here but he knew that he would regret it if he didn't. At least he was able to pick the time for the meeting this time and he had decided to go to work first. He knew that he had questions on his mind and that had removed him a few times from the scene but he would have been worse if he was dwelling on his anger.

He had thought about not going at all and just trying to pretend that Rick was still dead and try to live the life he had managed to keep stable for him and Kyoko but that wouldn't have worked out very well. Rick was alive and he was also a huge liar and Kuon had to keep calm. He could never have done that.

As he saw him enter the café with his partner, Kuon made a fist and tried to tap it on the table. He had to release it, he had to make sure that his anger didn't get the better of him. It was something that was hard to do, hard to not face the anger and disgust but he would do it. He would need to do it.

"Hey, have you been waiting long?" Rick asked and Kuon shook his head. He didn't know what to say so he just watched Rick's wife move the chairs from the table to give the wheelchair some room to push in. "Are you going to speak to me?" he asked, "I mean, this is all your fault."

"Thank you," Kuon nodded, "I was really starting to doubt my involvement after blaming myself for your death for all of these years," he said and Rick put his hands up in defense.

"There's really no need for you to get angry. I mean, maybe I coaxed the gangs on you a little and I tried to train you for that, I tried to warn you at least but after time you lost it and you lost your mind and the only reason you're still alive is that your dad wanted you to be safe. So it's really your fault that all of this happened," he said and Kuon felt the anger fill him but he told himself that he had to remain calm, this was a very strange situation and him getting frustrated by it wasn't in anyone's best interest.

"I didn't realize that it was my fault," Kuon said awkwardly, "I promise that next time I'll try to think clearly before you get hit by a car in front of me and Tina yells at me that I'm a murderer. I couldn't sleep after your death, I couldn't eat," he whispered keeping his voice down.

"Come on, Kuon," Rick interrupted him, "How much did you really eat anyway?"

"That's not the point and you know it," Kuon countered back before sighing and looking at the table, his hands now flat against the top of it. "I think I deserve to know what happened after that night. I think that you at least owe me an explanation of what happened between then and now and when you say you coaxed the gangs? Are you actually telling me that you told them to go after me?"

"It was training and you loved it," Rick told him and Kuon stared at him without blinking. He had thought that all of this time these people had a problem with his ethnicity and Rick was the one who was defending him and protecting him, Rick was the hero that he needed and a substitute big brother to look up to but an older brother would never endanger their kid brother in this way. "And then I screwed up, they wanted to kill you, they wanted to kill me and told me that they were just letting me be okay because they wanted to get to you and I tried to warn you. Tina never knew any of this, I never let her know any of this and then I got hit and you two were just so worried that I was dead and it worked out for me in the end."

"I thought that the coroner and the crime scene investigator took your pulse, checked for any signs of vitals. I thought you just said that you went under victim protection," Kuon said in disbelief. There was so much of his world that he had spent years trying to put back together piece by piece, brick by brick, and someone had just thrust a wrecking ball into all that he knew and was sure of. Now he wasn't sure of anything.

"Well, when you deal with one gang," Rick attempted to explain as if Kuon was an idiot, "You often piss other people off and I did, by trying to use you for my own gain, I pissed a lot of people off and it seemed better for me to remain dea-"

"I can't do this, I'm sorry, I just can't do this," Kuon said as he got to his feet and before anyone could stop him, he had left the restaurant. His head was spinning. His world was spinning. He didn't know his own past anymore, he didn't know who Rick was, he didn't know who he was and really, did it even matter who he was. He had trusted people, trusted facts, and now his whole world was breaking into pieces.

He had to get out of here and leave, go somewhere, anywhere until the world started making sense again.

…..

…..

"I wonder if something happened," Kuu said as he saw Kyoko pacing. Kuon had told the two of them that he would be meeting with Rick about five hours ago and they had been asked not to tell Julie so the two of them had told her that the shoot had run longer than expected and she had gone to sleep a few hours ago. If Kuon didn't return before the morning they would have to find a different story to follow so as not to worry her.

"Father, please think about this," Kyoko said slowly, "of course something happened. I've tried calling him twelve times and he's not answering his phone. Something has happened and he's not even able to tell us about it."

Kuu sighed before hearing noises outside, he heard the crash of something and stood up. Something was strange and he didn't want to think that it was someone from a gang who knew about this and wanted Kuon. He went out, trying to hold Kyoko back but then saw his son walking in a very dazed and confused manner.

"Kuon," he said before smelling the alcohol on his breath, he slung one of Kuon's arms over his shoulder, "Let's get you inside," he said and Kuon laughed.

"They're all against me, Dad. The entire world is against me," he laughed sadly, "It doesn't make sense and it's confusing as hell. Beer makes sense. Beer makes a lot of sense," he laughed before shaking his head. "Rick doesn't make sense."

"Kyoko," Kuu called out to her as Kyoko watched the two Hizuri men unsure of what to do, she couldn't really remember seeing Kuon drunk in Japan and definitely not Ren but he was pretty wasted right now. "Can you go make some coffee," he said as he supported his son's weight.

"We're going to take care of you," Kuu said as he brought Kuon to the living room, "How much have you had?"

"I don't know, six or was it seven or maybe it was just four, how much alcohol is in a beer again?" he asked and Kuu sighed as he managed to get Kuon in a seated position. "I'm doing fine though. I couldn't drive so I left the car there, I didn't think it was safe to drive and that Uber thing is fantastic."

"You took an Uber?" Kuu asked just wanting to make sure he understood the situation. Maybe he should have persuaded Kuon to take Kyoko when he went to meet Rick, at least Rick knew that Kyoko knew. At least Kyoko would have been able to monitor Kuon's drinking.

"Here," Kyoko said as she brought in a bread roll that Kuu had been planning on making sandwiches, "The coffee is going to be ready soon but I thought that having this to soak up the alcohol might help. It's similar to what Okami-san taught me at the restaurant," she sighed and knelt down in front of Kuon offering him the roll. "Please eat it?" she asked, "Please just eat something, it'll help you feel better tomorrow."

"Rick sent guys after me for training," he laughed and Kuu stared at him.

"You mean, Rick wants you to train right now? He told somebody that you were back, that you were here. I didn't think that you had any rivals who even cared anymore. I mean, yeah, some of the people that you used to beat up are still in the gang life, I've noted a few names on the news with criminal arrests and imprisonments but they must have gone onto new targets," Kuu tried to reason with Kuon. This wasn't making any sense to Kuon, why would he be betrayed by someone that he cared so much for and why would Rick resurface just to send people after Kuon?

"You really want me to eat this?" Kuon asked as he picked up the roll clumsily and Kyoko nodded. If the situation wasn't so dire, she would have tried to memorize his behavior so that she could tease him about it later. However, right now it wouldn't help him and it was wrong. She didn't want to see him hurting so much he had to drink to get over it. "Aww, you're so nice to me, Kyoko. You're always so nice to me, why are you nice to me? I was such an asshole to you, I was as much of a jerk as Fuwa, wow that sounds weird Fuuu-wa."

"You really need to drink some coffee," Kyoko said as she returned to the kitchen to get some ready for him. She was very much concerned for her boyfriend but she wouldn't be able to know what really happened until he was sober and that might require some time.

"We're here for you when you're ready to talk," Kuu said as he attempted to comfort his son and Kyoko nodded along to that, she brought him the coffee and put her hand to his cheek.

"I love you, we'll stay up as long as you need us to, right Father?" she asked and Kuu nodded.

"Of course. Whenever you're ready to talk, we'll be ready to listen," he put a hand to Kuon's arm. "No matter how bad it is, we're ready to listen. We care about you and we just want for you to be okay," he said and Kuon started to cry which was startling for both Kuu and Kyoko.

"It feels really nice," he told them and Kyoko paused.

"The coffee?" she asked before Kuon shook his bowed head.

"It feels really nice to have people who care about me and love me," he said as Kyoko and Kuu shared a soft smile between the two of them.

End of Chapter Twenty Nine

Thank you for reading

Thank you, reviewers of Chapter Twenty Eight

EmmaLasagna, Kris XD, RichkeyZero

Response to Reviews

I love Kuu too, I'm actually planning a fic where Kuu and Julie are the main characters 😊