Part 4: Time with the Sakamotos, Evening

"What would you like first?" I offered.

"Just bring bits in to soak." She replied. Sure that the others were gone and wouldn't be able to listen in, the air suddenly became cold and oppressive. The tenderness that Ramie had was now all but a figment of my imagination. In he body language resided a lot of pent up anger and frustration that would finally be released onto its target.

"What are ya playing at?" she asked straight.

"Ramie?"

"Ryuji's been coming back home later and later compared to normal and he ends up far more tired. He now has a chestier cough which doesn't seem to be going anywhere soon. The other night, he was coughing a lot. He was never going to tell me what he was coughing up - I understood that much. If it wasn't for the sink just so happening to end up clogged, I never would've found out what it was." she seethed, opening up her phone and handing it to me. The picture she took was of the clogged pipe full of food bits and a mixture of phlegm and blood.

"Don't look away." Said the woman who did just that as she placed dirty utensils in the dishwasher. I placed the harder to wash bits into the sink allowing them to begin soaking before turning it off. She continued:

"He wouldn't know this but I sat with him throughout the night, worried sick that he'd suffocate on a mixture his own phlegm and blood. This is nothing like the track days where a bruise or cut was all I needed to worry about. Heck, I'd take one of those injuries because of that over…this." Was this when we fought Shadow Kamoshida? Her eyes held nothing but scorn and regret. No…that probably wasn't it. She must have felt powerless the day we entered Kamoshida's Palace the first time around. I never really cared because Sojiro was hands off about my business and Futaba's for the most part. Ann's parents weren't around for now but the others…they needed to lie their asses off to their loved ones, didn't they?

"You know about it…Of course you would. You are the boss of this group of yours. No one can ever go against what you say, no matter what."

"Why do you believe that, Ramie?" She shot me an irritated glance.

"It's utterly simple. Your eyes are a dead giveaway. That hardened glint in your eye isn't one of a 16 year old boy in the slightest. That childlike naivete every single one of the others has…there's not a single trace of it in you."

"So what?" I couldn't help but shoot a look right back at her.

"What's with the dumb look? This is nothing more than a mother's instinct." Ramie stated without a care in the world. Her observation was piercing and left no openings for me to leave and head back to the others. Not to mention, her curiosity was through the roof.

"What the hell happened to make you so…gritty?" She queried.

"Like you'd believe me if I told you."

"Hit me with your best shot." With this, I'd once again rattled off the circumstances behind my record and everything that happened between then up until moving to Tokyo. Afterwards, neither of us had anything to say for a while. Continuing with the dishes, audible footsteps heading in our direction came along. Turning off the tap, the two of us wondered who was going to interrupt us?

"Uh, you two still doing dishes?" So it was Ryuji who had come down. Seeing the two of us staring down one another and obviously not cleaning up, it would've left the wrong message. Nonetheless, he pondered what could be going down.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm just finding out a little more about Rain, Ryuji. We'll be done soon." Her mood switch was not something a normal person could do.

"I'll be upstairs soon, don't worry." I reassured.

"Err…okay. You sure you don't need my help?"

"Nah. You were the one who chose to host your guests - run along and be a good host now." Ramie swerved.

"A mother knows best, Ryuji." I added.

"Ugh…alright. Just don't stay down too long." Ryuji gave up and groaned at the two of us before finally making his way back up the stairs and shutting his bedroom door. I had to give it to Ramie: she could easily lie her ass off - my team could definitely take notes on her quick responses.

"Nice moves, Rain." She complimented.

"You're pretty quick yourself." I complimented back.

"I'd be awful at my main job if I couldn't." Ah. That explains it. She had a job where communication and people skills were a must - maybe a real estate agent or something? The air once again turned serious and her intense yet composed stare into my eyes was all I was allowed to focus on.

"Here's my take, Rain. The two younger girls rely on you like a sibling. Correction: it's accurate to say that Blossom does that. Yoshi on the other hand…I don't know what your dynamic is yet. Ann and Shiho also rely on you: in Ann's case, she observes everything you do almost yearning to be like you. Shiho's case, I have no need to elaborate. Most of all, Ryuji has a kinship with you that I'd thought he'd never have again after the track team."

"I refuse to tell you what you want to know." I affirmed. She inspected my hands without my permission and had a look of anger in her eyes.

"At the very least, you have the decency to get your own hands dirty too." Did she not already confirm this earlier? Whatever…

"Bingo. What do you think we do?"

"...I don't know. And frankly, I don't care because I hate what you're doing. I hate that my son doesn't see how damaging it is to be around you." Ramie dismissed. Someone who sees me for what I am…I never thought I'd see the day.

".….."

".….." A cold silence passed between us. The dishwasher was about halfway through the cleaning process. The quiescent whirring combined with the faint drops from the tap's leftover water was the only sound reaching our ears. Ramie obviously had no clue we were fighting in another world using guns, swords and magic but the fact she picked up that our lives were on the line was something. She then changed the subject to my girlfriend.

"Do you love Shiho?" Saying something as sweet as my everything or more than anything wasn't convincing so I kept it simple.

"Of course. I won't spout crap like she's the love of my life seeing as we've only started dating Friday. It's insulting."

"Funny how you get something like that right yet you've not noticed she's highly upset?" Come again? I hadn't done anything to piss Shiho off - I know there were things she kept to herself but I wouldn't miss something as big as that. Or was she just really good at hiding things?

"Clueless as ever, I see. Catching up with her was wonderful. I'm truly happy to see how much she's grown…but at the same time, that girl's incredibly weak as usual."

"She's far stronger than I am. Her mental fortitude is the best of us." I defended.

"Idiot! Don't mistake weakness for strength! I know far more about her than you ever will, Rain. Not to mention, do you not think I speak with her parents?" She would, wouldn't she?

"You didn't even- you know what? Forget it." she spat.

"The reality of it is that she's afraid of you and what you'll do to her. She's also frightened that you'll let go of her. She's convinced herself that she doesn't want to be spoiled by you and doesn't want to be overly sensitive to your problems. Watching her be so unhappy because she can't help someone like you disgusts me. Have a proper talk with her. Resolve whatever the fuck you're disagreeing on and be a decent ass boyfriend. Spoil that girl silly no matter what she says to you because it's exactly what she wants." Enough's enough.

"Ramie. I respect the fact you know her far more than I do. I also respect that you've known her far longer than I have. THAT being said, she'd tell me these things herself...thank you very much." I replied.

"So ya put a little bass in your voice…Hate to break it to ya but it's not the same case the other way around, kiddo. Far as I'm concerned, you're her thug of a boyfriend she needs to keep happy in order to stay safe."

"Bullshit." I barked.

"How are you so sure she truly has accepted you?" Ramie didn't seem like she was going to back down on the strength of our relationship so I figured I'd spook her away.

"...I confessed to her in full about how I tortured a guy half to death. With these hands and feet, I cracked his cranium open, blackened his eye, broke his leg and fired a few rounds all over his body. You know what she did? Berated me for not getting everyone else involved and swore to be my trump card."

"So that's the sort of thing you get up to and drag my son into. Torture. Or some sort of Fight Club shite. My my…big and tough thug admits to beating up a poor sap. What are you gonna do? Hit me?" Ramie mockingly teased.

"Don't be childish, Ramie. Why would I ever do that?" I snapped. Ramie began laughing in my face for a while. I'd gotten stressed and let myself go.

"Tell me…you ever considering having kids?" She asked out of nowhere.

"Why?"

"Just answer, Rain!" She demanded.

"Well…it's too early for me to think about something as big as that. I haven't even gotten my life straightened out yet - maybe in the future I'll have that answer." Ramie sighed and then proceeded to make a rather odd confession.

"I think I'll be able to get through to you now."

"Huh?" I began to stew in her next words to me.

"You come in to my home and you sit there and talk to me like I'm your equal. Until you have a kid of your own, don't ever act like you are a parent or have some sort of parental responsibility. Let's see…Ensuring there's a roof over your child's head and paying bills for said roof? You know nothing. Securing a year's tuition on extreme short notice as well as paying off loans and debt? You know nothing. Taking on a full time job requiring your utmost focus, ensuring food is always on the table, sacrificing sleep and balancing your child's educational needs? You. Know. Nothing." Ramie answered matter of fact.

"..." I didn't look her in the eye having her belittle me so. There was nothing I could say that would nullify her points - maybe she and Sojiro would get along like a house on fire. He would keep things simple while she would go all out in saying things are how they are.

"You get my point? Leave the adult things to us adults, alright? Be a kid while you can. Now…I dunno about the rest of your family but speak with your mother and father more - no parent wants to be in the dark about their child unless they're degenerate shite." She commanded. Shiho must have told her about my distance with home. I suppose her hardened approach to life would lead to such hardened opinions.

"*sigh* I'm done venting now. Want something to drink?" Ramie asked. There was now a calm atmosphere in the room and the friendly approachable mood I was introduced to restored.

"You got peppermint?"

"One peppermint coming up." Ramie went to the kitchen cupboard, took out two mugs and put the kettle on. I was going to finish the clean up job I started but Ramie stopped me.

"Please sit back down, Rain. I don't want you finding an excuse to get out of this conversation."

"Okay." Ramie poured the boiling hot water into the two cups to a reasonable height, fetched two coasters and then brought them over to the table. We both sat down and took sips of our herbal teas. Ramie opted for a red berry brew which had a wonderful smell.

"He's got an eye on your little sister, funnily enough." …Ryuji and Futaba? Is she really his type though?

"You're sure about that?" I suggested.

"She's a really cute one. She might even grow to be a little more modest."

"Best of luck to them."

"What's the matter? Conscious she's gonna become more womanly than you can handle?" Ramie teased. The sound of footsteps approaching hit both of our ears once more and our next guest made their presence known. It happened to be Sumire who came down.

"Hey, Sumire." She stood right by me. Her body language excluded Ramie, who clearly didn't mind, from the conversation.

"Um…Ren. The others are concerned you're spending too long down here." She said. You mean…you're concerned.

"What are the others doing?" I wondered.

"Ryuji and Futaba are playing Smash 4 intensely whilst Ann and Shiho are looking up volleyball clubs together. I was just watching some cartoons." Ramie broke in.

"Sorry, Yoshi, but I'm not finished with this one yet. Tell them they need to wait."

"Well…"

"Well, what? He's your boss, right? I'm imparting some parental wisdom he could do with. That way, he'll be able to look after you all better."

"Oh…okay! See you in a bit, Ren!" she cheerfully replied.

"Okay…see you later." Really? Sumire happened to lap up the answer Ramie gave her and didn't question it further? I was flabbergasted that she had that sort of naivety. She must have instantly trusted Ramie's words just because she was Ryuji's mother and fully dropped her suspicions of her. She had such an honest heart and didn't realise she was toyed with just now - I dreaded what could happen if a Shadow pulls a trick like that on her. In fact…did she conveniently forget how we investigated her thoroughly in the palace?! Dammit…I need to toughen her up.

"So gullible…" I commented.

"I concur. You sure you want to continue involving her in your activities?"

"She wouldn't go away no matter how hard I push."

"You two are matching today, I notice."

"Yeah. Choke it up to coincidence."

"Sure your eyes aren't wondering? She really is a cute one." I barely reacted to her tease. Her tone became firm as she said her next words.

"Ren, I need you to ensure they are a priority going forwards. You'll need to be able to stomach the feelings and concerns that every other parent has for their child when you meet them and be able to look them in the eye, continuing to lie to their faces about what you do and how you established your friendship with them. I'm not scared to tell you how it is but the other parents-" I was now the one with a firm tone as I reassured her.

"You won't have to worry about that anymore. I am making damn sure everyone returns home in one piece. If the other parents have something to say and are too scared, I'll get it out of them. Ryuji may pick up injuries and may need to see the doctor he uses. When and if it happens, you better not let on that you somewhat know of what I do." Ramie laughed for a bit and smiled warmly.

"What sort of parent sells their child out?" It seemed we'd come to an understanding of sorts. I watched as Ramie entered the kitchen and taken out a green box. Rummaging through for a short while, there were a bundle of items she would take out that needed to be put back. She started an explanation:

"When he started running for the track team, I initially bought and kept this first aid kit in the storeroom. Just to be on the safe side. Then he began to build up the awards and those bruises and scars became gouges and injuries. It moved to his room first but then he'd hide them from me. It then moved to my room but then he'd never talk about it and it now rests in the kitchen. I help him out and he opens up or he has to figure it out himself. At least, that's how it should be before this business of yours came along." So she's had her fair share of scares…She'd poured some disinfectant onto cotton pads and coming back into the dining room, she'd then started to treat my hands. There was a stinging jolt as the antiseptic met my knuckles.

"...Least I can do for forcing you down here is tend to these injuries." She'd taken her time to ensure the bandages were correctly applied and when finished, tied them off nicely.

"Thanks." She then took my hands and had a worried expression on her face.

"Just to clarify, when you say everyone, you're included right? Because it's no good acting like you don't matter - that's not even an option. I don't want Ryuji to lose a friend this way." You don't have to say that again…I dreaded the thought of leaving Shiho behind permanently first and foremost. My thoughts then turned onto breaking my promises with Futaba and Mona, leaving my heavy portion of work with Ann, shattering Sumire's state of mind, abandoning Haru to her fate…Mom and Dad never being able to see me again…no. I'd decided I was seeing this year through and nothing was going to change that. Looking her in the eye, I put that worry to rest.

"I won't die, Ramie-san."

"...Good." She smiled once more. Pipipipi…Letting go and checking my phone, Sojiro pretty much demanded the two of us to return at once or he'd fetch us himself - we'd more than went over our time out together. Someone's hasty steps reached our ears and I knew for certain that it was my honorary little sis. As she entered the room with panic in her eyes, I guessed she received a strongly worded message too.

"Sojiro?" I asked.

"Sojiro." Futaba replied glumly. It seemed the others had also come down too.

"Just as things were getting a little interesting…" Ramie commented, not helping the situation at all.

"What do you mean by that, Ma?" Ryuji anxiously asked. The others turned to look at me with a concern in their eyes I didn't appreciate.

"What did you do to Ramie, Ren?" Shiho asked seriously, gearing up to chide me. It wasn't just her, though…it seemed all of my crew were worried.

"I don't make moves on my friends' mothers in any circumstance, thank you very much."

"Spoken like a true player...it's just some bandages is all. See?" Letting my girlfriend see the work, she was grateful for what was done and pacified. It was almost childishly easy how Ramie did that - I suppose meeting up again and getting some pointers on that would be an option.

"We need to talk. Can you come over?" I asked her. While the others sans Ramie were wildly shocked at the sudden development, Shiho picked up that what I'd wanted to talk on was something important.

"It's gotten you shook up, Ren?" Shiho worriedly asked.

"Yeah." Shiho proposed an alternative and far more important matter.

"As much as I would like to oblige, there's something far more important on your list tonight."

"...We'll have a proper sit down at some point." Ramie decided to ruffle my hair and give an endearing:

"Good boy." Intense glares came from the other dwellers in the room at the sudden action as if to say there was more to it. As we all began getting our things to leave, Ramie stopped me once more and provided a doggy bag to carry home.

"Take this with you. Should help to shut your guardian up."

"You sure?"

"It's the portion I was gonna have tomorrow. No real biggie." She hastily assured. It was finally time to make a move out of Nerima and head home. Ramie once again warmly hugged Ann and Shiho.

"Come anytime you like. Anyone who says otherwise will have me to deal with, okay?"

"Thank you for inviting me into your home, Ramie-san." Sumire stated. She'd then received a hug too.

"Same applies for you."

"It was nice of you to accommodate us both, today." Futaba stated for the both of us. Futaba extended her hand out and Ramie accommodated her.

"Et tu."

"Thanks for the meal."

"In the same way as we discussed, you're included too, Rain." She stated. With our goodbyes to Ramie and Ryuji out of the way now, we made our way over to Nerima station. Mona happened to find us…or so I thought.

"You ALL kept me waiting! Jeez! I thought you guys were gonna be just an hour or two - not the whole damn night! Next time you do something like that, DON'T invite me!"

"Mona was waiting for ages to be fed while you made moves on Ramie."

"Sorry, Mona. I was occupied. And addendum: I don't hit on people's mothers."

"So older women aren't ruled out then…" Shiho whispered, mostly to herself. It went ignored.

"Mona…we're sorry." Futaba apologised. He'd angrily hopped into my bag - Ann, Shiho and Sumire took the initiative to let their families know something. At the station, Ann went over to her route first. Then came Sumire who would go a different route. Lastly, Shiho broke off at her gate. I'd let her know her words weren't going to be ignored.

"I'm probably going to feel battered after tonight's lecture. Get home safely, okay?"

"Hehe…I'll be ringing Futaba to find out." Walked right into that one, didn't I? Regardless, after a short kissing session, Futaba and I finally made our way back home to Yongen-Jaya, Sojiro happened to be waiting for us at the front door of his residence, arms folded and eyes twitched. Nonetheless, he'd decided to bring us both inside his home and berated me for my utter disrespect for him and his rules, the fact we'd spent way too long out without leaving enough messages. There was even a "who knows what could have happened to my precious little girl" showing just how much he loved her. Afterwards, I was thrown out of his house and banned from taking Futaba anywhere for a week - I was only able to sleep pleasantly thanks to her glowing review of how I did looking after her, a follow up call to thank me for keeping her safe (where I successfully convinced him to allow us to hold a study session during the week) and the most pleasant call being from Shiho who soothed my weakened ego.