Chapter12: "The Argument"
"Kai?" Gala said, shocked.
"Everyone, please leave us," Kai said sternly.
"What?" Tala said. "But-" Tala looked at his watch. "Well, actually, we really do
have to go. Gala, you might want to get Kai checked. Say bye to the twins for us. We'll
see yall later." He and Bryan and Spencer left out the back door, and they heard the
sound of motorcycles going off in the distance once more. Gala was last to leave.
"Kai, are you--?" She asked him with concern.
"Yes, go."
And with a quizzical look from Gala, she also left.
Having the audience left, Susumu started pacing and looking around the room,
anywhere but at Kai. Finally, he said, "Nice place you have here. You build it yourself?"
"You could say that."Kai stood up. "What do you want?" he asked coldly.
"Why would you think I would want anything?"
"You would not come here otherwise. What do you want?" He asked again.
"Okay, Kai. I'm not going to beat around the bush with you." He stopped pacing
and looked into his son's eyes. "I want those kids."
"Well, sorry, you aren't getting them."
"But I'll keep them safe!"
Kai laughed darkly. "Yeah, right. And I bet you in 2 weeks or less you'll find
them in an abbey, just like me."
His father sighed. "Kai, I am so sorry," he said finally. "What happened 30 years
ago doesn't matter now—"
"Yes, it does!" said Kai angrily. "What you did can never be fixed, all because
you made a dumbass choice! And I don't have to take this crap. You knew exactly what
you were doing when you did it. You were too scared of my grandfather to go up against
him, so you left your only son to deal. That's what I don't get. I've learned that parents
have to do what is best for their kids, but what you did did not help anybody but you. It's
you who should be ashamed of giving up their kid, not me for not." He walked away to
stare out over the hills and pastures that were his and Gala's.
Susumu stood there, stunned, but he did not find this entirely unexpected. He
knew Kai would still be angry with him, but not as much so as this. After several tense
seconds, he said, "Kai, I realize that, even though it has been 3 decades, you are still mad
at me. But if I had any other choice, I would have taken it. I did not trust your grandfather
at all, but where I was going was not the safest place for a 6-year-old."
"Then why didn't you come back?" Kai asked him. If his father still cared about
him, then this seemed a reasonable question.
Susumu thought and thought, and finally answered, "Because if I found you, you
might not have wanted to hear my side."
Kai turned raised an eyebrow. "Is that it?"
"Yes, what more do you want?"
"Well, I just thought you would have a better reason than that. Because you know
what? I am still mad, and I don't want to hear your side."
"Why?" Susumu was starting to get a little angry.
"Because there is nothing to hear! You left, and when you did, you left me. It's
as simple as that."
"No, it's not, Kai! Listen--"
"No! I'm done listening. Unless you can prove to me that leaving me with that
bastard of a grandfather and leaving me to fight in some abbey that could have easily
gotten me killed was better than taking me with you, I'm done listening to what ever you
have to say."
Kai's father sighed exasperatedly. "Fine," he said. "Here's something to change
your mind." He walked over to one of the Lazy Boys and sat. After running his hand over
his eyes tiredly, he replied, "Let's say that it's me in your position. Boris is back and you
have to send your kids away to keep them safe. That's basically what I had to do. If you
can't understand that, what will you understand?"
Kai sat there, thinking. He's got a point, he thought to himself. What am I
saying? He's the one who left me with a dangerous, senile, crazyold person! But, if it was to keep the
twins safe…Gala would kill me if they ever got hurt…not to mention I would kill me…I
have to make a decision.
"Kai?" his father said.
"All right," he responded. "It is my job to make sure those twins are safe, and
since they are important to me, I will give the common courtesy of knowing why, unlike
you, who would not tell me anything."
"So you'll let them come with me?" Susumu said hopefully.
"They will be sent away," Kai answered coldly. "But not to you." Kai left the
sitting room and opened the back door. "If you don't mind, I would like you to leave
now."
His father got up out of the chair. Just as he was about to go down the steps that
led from the back porch, he turned around and said to Kai, "What I wouldn't give to have
a family and home like yours. Where did you get all this land, by the way?"
"When Gala's parents died, they had a lot of land in Texas that Gala didn't know
about, so we are living on inherited land."
"Interesting." Once again he stopped, and said, "Any questions that you have,
you can say them now, or you can forever hold your peace, seeing as you're sending me
away forever. Speak now." He waited and waited without saying a word.
Then Kai said, "What happened to my mom?"
"I'm afraid after we got divorced, she went away and I haven't heard or seen hide
nor hair of her. The only thing I can tell you though is that she really misses you and regrets not
taking care of you when she had the chance. I'll see you, Kai."
It was then that Kai noticed that there was no car parked in the drive-way or on
the road or anywhere. He was compelled to ask, "How did you get here?"
"Never give up, Kai," he said, ignoring his son's question. "And fly towards the
sun." There was a flash of light just as Susumu reached the road, and then he was gone.