Things had been so busy and hectic with the Special Forces that it had left Takeda with little time to make for what he considered his second family, the Shirai Ryu clan.
They had taken him in following the death of his mother at the hands of the Red Dragon and he had been thankful ever since. Hanzo Hasashi was even almost like a second father to the young man. As such, he felt it wrong to not have visited him in several days, and as soon as he could convince Sonya to allow him, ventured to do so. Of course, he took his fiance Jacqui with him, wanting to better acquaint her with the clan he called his family.
Thankfully, the SF had been kind enough to provide transport to the Shirai Ryu temple, a helicopter touching down just outside the clan's territory. Peron and a few students, including Aqua, quickly came out to meet it.
"Takeda!" Peron exclaimed. "Long time no see!"
"Yeah," Takeda admitted as he approached his fellow Shirai Ryu. "Sorry about that."
"It's good to see you again," added Aqua. "It's not quite the same around here without you."
"What the hell is he wearing on his face?" Jacqui asked her fiance as she started to break down with laughter, pointing to Aqua's duckbill-like mask.
"He does that so people underestimate him," Takeda explained. "Least likely is always the most dangerous or something."
"My enemy's overconfidence allows me control of the battle." Aqua further elaborated.
"Uh huh…" Jacqui responded, deciding to move on. "Nice to see things didn't fall apart without Takeda here."
Takeda chuckled. "How have things been, by the way?"
Peron and Aqua looked at each other momentarily.
"Everything's fine," Aqua answered, not entirely truthfully. "Do you wish to speak to Grandmaster Hasashi?"
"I don't see why not," Takeda said nonchalantly. "I'm sure he missed me even more than you guys."
"Always the teacher's favorite," Peron chimed in. "Well, after me that is."
"You are the second-in-command after all." Takeda admitted.
"C'mon, I'll take you to see the Grandmaster," Peron offered. "You're of course welcome to come as well, Jacquiline."
"What other choice do I have, make small talk with Howard here?" She asked, pointing to Aqua.
Peron and Takeda couldn't help but laugh.
"Actually, my name is Aqua." the butt of the joke corrected.
"As in, the duck," Jacqui clarified. "Really bad movie, don't watch it."
"Thanks for the warning," Aqua replied, rubbing the back of his neck in an awkward confusion. "I suppose."
"If you two are done bantering," Peron said with a smile. "Let's go."
Peron led them through the Shirai Ryu temple, with its hard at work students and artifacts of the clan's history, into the Fire Gardens, a large flower garden just outside the temple that Hanzo had been maintaining ever since he had started his new Shirai Ryu. Once, the last remnant of a dead clan, now a symbol of its successor's legacy. At the centre of the gardens was a large sakura blossom tree, a tree that had grown tall and strong through clans lifespan, surviving every hardship and never faltering, witnessing the birth, rise, fall, and eventual rebirth of the Shirai Ryu.
A tree of great personal significance to Hanzo, Takeda, and Jacqui.
Jacqui walked over to the tree and rested her hand on the bark, turning a sweet smile over to Takeda as she recognised the tree.
"Really Taki? You bring me all the way over here just to revisit this tree?"
Takeda however, was having a significantly different reaction. Instead of the happiest moment of his life, he was recalling some very stressful memories in the lead up to that day.
It all began with the first time he'd ever gone out of his way to be alone in a room with Mr. Briggs…
Takeda breathed deeply as he tried to calm his nerves, smoothing out his suit jacket to retain a professional look.
When the door opened, it wasn't to the stern glare and frighteningly good at punching arms of Major Jackson Briggs. It was to the significantly more approachable and friendly Vera Briggs, who hurried to welcome him inside.
"Takeda? What are you doing here all by your lonesome?" Getting pushed inside the house, he was dragged to the living room where Jax himself was working patiently with a set of small tools and a set of spectacles more fit for a man with far more grey in his hair, to gradually disassemble an old camera. Jax was just as shocked as Vera, setting the pliers and screwdrivers down as he rose from his seat to shake the hand of an uncharacteristically nervous Takeda.
"Hey Takeda, wasn't expecting to see you until leave was over. What brings you all the way out to the farm all dressed to the nines? And without Jacqui?" Swallowing the last of his nerves and prepared to ask the second most nerve wracking question in his entire life.
"Mr. and Mrs. Briggs. I stand before you a humble man with a single question. May I have your blessing to ask your daughter for her hand in marriage?" The house was silent for a moment, as everyone processed what had been said. Before Jax folded his spectacles as he slowly set them on the table and began to walk over to Takeda. As Jax raised a hand to the boy's face, he was cursing the choice to come to the house of a man with a left hook to rival a Shokan without his power suit.
And then Jax placed a hand on Takeda's shoulder with a gentleness unexpected for his metal hands.
"Kid, I've seen the way Jacqui is with you. You make her happy and that's enough for me. Just don't break her heart, or I'll mop the floor with whatever is left of you when she's done. Any objections Vera?" Vera was herself too busy wiping away tears and smiling at the thought of planning her daughter's special day to raise any objections.
Before Takeda could even think about saying his goodbyes, Jax lightly squeezed his shoulder to keep him in place. "Just one requirement if you want our blessing. I want to know when and where you're proposing with 48 hours notice." Takeda nodded but was confused by the nature of the request.
"Sure thing Mr. Briggs. But, uh… why are you asking exactly?" When he saw the slight change in Jax's face, he hastily rushed to try and calm Jax, "not that I won't say it if you don't tell me, I'm just a little curious!"
Jax let go of Takeda and sat back down again, waving away his concerns. "Nah, don't worry about any of that. It's pretty simple," Jax leaned forward and tapped the lens of the disassembled camera, "the photo album won't fill itself."
Takeda still considered it an act of the Elder Gods that Mr Briggs didn't punch him even once.
"Thinking about how scary it was to get my dad's blessing again?" Jacqui asked, snapping him out of the memory.
"What can I say, it was a pretty unforgettable night…" Takeda said bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I can think of one even more unforgettable." Jacqui countered with a smile.
"I thought it kinda went without saying." Takeda responded with a chuckle.
"This was the same tree I asked Harumi to marry me under."
Both Takeda and Jacqui spun around to see Hanzo approaching them. Despite his reputation for his temperament, Hanzo seemed perfectly and completely at peace, happy even. To Jacqui this was a rare sight, to Takeda it was simply what occurred every time Hanzo visited the Fire Gardens.
"This place…" Hanzo continued, looking around at the beauty before him. "It was all her design, you know. It was to be our dream home, where we would raise our son, Satoshi."
"Wow, Mr. Hasashi...I'm so sorry." said Jacqui, both regretting treating the place so nonchalantly before and offering condolences for the loss of Hanzo's family.
"Don't be, Jacquiline," Hanzo dismissed. "This is the one place where I can feel at peace. And it makes me all the happier that since Takeda chose to ask for your hand in marriage here, this place will also serve as a new beginning, rather than just a reminder of the past."
"You weren't exactly much help with that Grandmaster." Takeda muttered bitterly under his breath, with Hanzo chuckling at his student's plight.
"I remember advising you on how you should court the young Miss Briggs with tales of how I courted Harumi." he recalled.
"You and dad need to understand that telling me old stories and ancient proverbs about 'listening to my heart' didn't help." Takeda retorted.
"Oh c'mon Taki, give ol' Scorp over there a break," Jacqui pleaded with a smile, grabbing onto his arm. "You didn't do all that bad."
"Well…." Takeda mused. "You did still say yes."
"Exactly," Jacqui agreed. "So don't give your dad and your Grandmaster such a hard time."
Takeda sighed. "I guess you're right." he conceded with a smile.
"Honey, I'm always right," Jacqui corrected, raising a lone finger to shush him. "First rule of marriage."
"You would do well to remember that lesson, my student. It will be very useful in time."Hanzo smiled as he spoke, remembering better times. Specifically, the day that Takahashi Takeda brought Jacquiline Briggs to the Fire Gardens to propose to her. And the spectacular mess that it was.
Takeda meanwhile looked on Jacqui's left hand at the simple gold band, a single diamond embedded into the top, and recalled the last time he saw it. When he went to his father and asked him the most difficult request he had ever made in his life.
Takeda sat across from his father, the both of them knelt in seiza across from each other. As his father poured out tea for them both with the wooden scoop. Lifting his own tea bowl to his hands, he turned it ninety degrees and took a long sip until he had finished the tea, as he placed the bowl back onto the tatami mats in front of him. Taking a deep bow as he placed his forehead onto the tatami as well, he finally broke the silence.
"Father, I humbly thank you for your generosity." Kenshi however was still cradling his own bowl in both hands, and smiling as if he knew a joke Takeda didn't.
"Several sips." Blinking in confusion, Takeda lifted his head and took this as his leave to rise. Noticing his son's bafflement, Kenshi explained.
"You are meant to take several slow sips, to honour your host and show that you appreciate his hospitality. Likewise, you should have eaten the Wagashi sweet before drinking your tea. Also, I have yet to give you leave to rise, so you have shown disrespect to my position as a host." Kenshi smiled as his son turned a deep red to match his father's bandana. "Your mother wouldn't have tolerated this, and I know she taught you how to conduct yourself in a formal tea ceremony. Something is bothering you my son. Tell me and I will help lessen your burden."
Takeda sheepishly smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You can tell huh? Of course you can. Can't hide anything from a telepath. I bet you already know what I want to ask."
Kenshi's lips curved upwards in amusement, hiding his smirk with his bowl. "You think so little of me. I want to hear you tell me your troubles." A short pause followed before Takeda took a deep breath and asked him an immense request.
"I want to use mom's ring to propose to Jacqui."
Kenshi paused part way into a sip, setting the half full bowl on the mats. The silence stretched on for a near eternity as they both stayed frozen in thought as the weight of his words blanketed the room.
Finally, Kenshi reached for his left ring finger where two identical bands rested. Removing the top ring, he looked at the simple gold band, a single diamond embedded into the top. He then floated the ring over to Takeda and looked at his son through a mildly damp bandana.
"Go out there and make this young lady happy." As Takeda accepted the dismissal, he hesitated for a moment before turning back to his father and bowing ninety degrees at the hip.
"Thanks for giving me the ring dad. I know how much this must have meant to you." Kenshi meanwhile waved his son off with a mournful smile.
"She would have wanted you to have it." As Takeda left, Kenshi untied the know of his bandana and felt the wet cloth peel away from his eyes. Small tears pooled in his eyes as he held the first gift Suchin had given him, all those years ago when he was a much younger and more foolish man. A stupid boy who had never shown his wife the love she deserved for the wonderful gift of his memories of her.
"Oh my darling Suchin, if only you were here to see this." He felt Sento pulse at that, a faint blue glow, and took it as a sign that he should train to relieve his sorrows. Summoning his sword into his waiting hand, and stepping out into the summer sun.
A dry chuckle escaped him, as he drew his blade and approached the yard. "The weather is always so unpredictable, isn't it. I was told it wouldn't rain, but I was clearly deceived." He joked, feeling the water drip down his face into the dirt below.
"You ok, sweetie?"
Takeda was snapped from his trance by his fiance's voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Takeda assured her. "Just...fond memories."
"That was a good night," Jacqui reminiscened, hugging on Takeda's arm. "One I'll never forget..."
Sometime in the recent past, Takahashi Takeda was sitting under a sakura blossom tree, in the centre of the Fire Gardens as he nervously wrung his hands together. He repeatedly checked his palms obsessively to look at the ring resting there, obsessively confirming that it remained in his possession.
"Okay Takeda, you can do this. You've fought monsters and travelled the Realms. Asking the woman you love to marry you can't be that hard, right?" He forced a confident smirk, the one that Jacqui said was his best look, before breaking the facade and hiding his face in his hands in frustration and shame.
"I really can't do this! What was I thinking! This is way too early! I should have asked her later, not after less than a year of us being together!" He thought, his mind overwhelmed by panic. His attempt at reading the thousands of minds within Ermac during his last venture to Outworld had been less stressful. "But hey, the fact that I want to do this means that I really love her, right? I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Briggs gave their blessing, and dad gave me mom's ring. That must all mean I can go through with this, right?! Oh Elder Gods, give me the strength not to screw this up!"
He took a deep breath and attempted to calm himself.
And then…
"Right this way, ma'am."
Takeda's head shot up as he saw two Shirai Ryu trainees escorting the woman of his dreams to the garden as planned.
And there she was. Jacqui Briggs. Her presence both soothed and worried him. Takeda steeled himself. He was going to get this right.
Jacqui could tell he was a bit nervous. She thought he looked cute when he was nervous.
"So Taki, your friends told me to meet you here," Jacqui recounted. "What's up?"
"I-I…." Takeda tried to get the words out, but found himself coming up short. "I called you h-here to ask you an important q-question."
J-Jacqui. You are the strongest, prettiest, smartest, bravest, strongest woman I know. I-I said strongest twice, didn't I? Whatever. T-The point i-is, I want to ask you a q-question that I can't ask any other way."
He fell to one knee and presented the ring to Jacqui, who was taken completely by surprise upon seeing it.
"J-Jacqui Briggs…." Takeda stammered. "W-Will you...umm…will you uhh..." He looked up and saw how her mouth was open in shock, eyes tearing up as she looked at the ring.
"S-shit, it was too early. L-look, I'm sorry Jacqui, I should have waited-" He reached out a hand to try and comfort her, before she rushed forward and pinned his arms to his side in a crushing hug.
"Yes," Jacqui answered, tears streaming down her face as he squirmed slightly to try and free himself. "I'll marry you."
"You will?!" Takeda asked, going still and looking at her eyes, watching as she just laughed, before leaning close as she kissed him.
"Of course I will baby, I love you."
As the two looked into each other's eyes, there was a sudden flash of light. The newly engaged couple looked in the direction where the light had come from, and saw Jax and Vera holding a somewhat antiquated camera.
Jacqui looked at Takeda with a surprised expression. "You planned this, didn't you?"
Takeda scratched the back of his head. "Well...yeah. Tried to anyway."
Jacqui simply smiled and kissed him again.
"God I love you…"
The couple simply looked at the tree while they reminisced about their past.
Unfortunately, this tender moment was cut short when their comlinks beeped.
"We need you both to report to base," came Sonya's voice. "We're prepping to make a move against the Red Dragon. Figured you'd want to be involved."
"We'll be right there, General Blade." assured Jacqui.
"Yeah, thanks for letting us know." Takeda added.
The two turned around to face Hanzo.
"Sorry Grandmaster," Takeda apologized. "We've gotta go."
"I understand," replied Hanzo. "The good of Earthrealm waits for no one."
Takeda and Jacqui nodded, and began making their way back to the Special Forces helicopter that had brought them there.
Once the two were out of earshot, Hanzo was approached by Peron and Aqua.
"Did you tell them anything?" Hanzo asked.
"Not a word," Peron answered, crossing her arms with a frown. "But I don't get why you'd want to keep secrets from him."
"Raiden said that Takeda was not to know of our assault on the Brotherhood of Shadow," Hanzo reminded her. "I am sure he has a good reason. Besides, Takeda is soon to be married. He needn't worry about such things."
"I don't like this Hanzo," said Peron. "You trust Takeda. We all trust him."
"If anything, Raiden is the one we should be concerned with," suggested Aqua. "Especially with how adamant he was about slaughtering those cultists."
"I abated Raiden's rage," Hanzo recounted. "And more than that, I understand his rage. If he verges on such actions again, I believe that I can temper his anger, as I have tried to temper my own in the past."
Peron sighed. "If you're sure…"
Aqua shook his head. "I have to wonder…"
"How can the future seem so bright yet so shrouded in darkness at the same time?"