Hey, I am alive! Let's end this clusterfuck of a year with a new chapter for this story!
Chapter 6 : The Terror of Knowing
"Tell me why we should consider you for the job, Mr. Kamiya?"
Tai took a moment to consider the question. It had been a week ago since he talked to Sora and here he was back in Waseda University once more. However it was not to visit Sora, though he mentally promised himself to visit her later in the afternoon. It was for a job interview for the local cafe in the school, located in the Literature section.
The cafe itself was a nice place, Tai had to admit. Sure it wasn't some Starbucks or anything super fancy like that, but it was always clean, neatly organized, and the furniture was modern, at the very least compared to the hotel Tai and Kari were staying at. The colors of the building didn't clash like a few of the coffee shops back in Edogawa. The tables were filled with anxious-eyed hungry students reading in their books or on their cell phones, so business was still strong in spite of the Starbucks not far off from the university. Then again, the fact that said Starbucks was a good ten minutes away from the university may have helped the business.
Kari wasn't with him, not only because of the fact it was an interview but also in the fact she was now in school.
Clearing his throat, Tai said, firmly, "I am a great asset for the company. I consider myself a very hard worker, a useful asset to this workplace if I'm hired." He thought he sounded arrogant, almost too much like Akihiro to his disgust but at this point he knew that confidence was key. Job interviewers weren't impressed with a stuttering, giggly, sweating person who could only emit an 'I don't know' or 'Gee, maybe because…". If he wanted to support himself and Kari, and in time, move out of the hotel, he needed a full time job as soon as possible, even if it was a barista. If he had to be arrogant and cruel to be kind and generous, then so be it.
"It is true that I do not have experience being a barista, yes I won't deny that. However, what is also true is that I am a flexible person. I am a quick learner. Why, give me one day to observe and I can wire it to my brain." Tai continued on, thinking to himself in the process, 'wire it to my brain'? God, I sound lame! However, the job applicant did not show any sign that he had noticed Tai's brief self depreciation.
"I see…" the interviewer, an older man with dark hair and eyes, said, writing down some notes. Tai was almost curious to see what the man was writing down. The more negative part of his mind spoke up, "Don't you see? They don't think you're worth this job at all. He's writing down 'no way in hell I'm hiring this twit'!" We're doomed.. However, the quieter, yet more optimistic voice in his head said, "You don't know that. Maybe he's considering you. You can do this. Show Akihiro that you don't need to rely on him to survive this world."
The interviewer continued, "Do you believe that you are available to work on some nights? The students tend to hit for the coffee the days before finals week for late nighter."
Tai nodded, "Affirmative. Like I said, I'm mentally strong. I don't let night shifts get the best of me. I'm also good with working on holidays as well if possible." Tai quickly added. Now you're one step closer to Scrooge with that line you uttered there Sparky, his more negative voice quipped.
The interviewer gave a small nod, "Well, I admire your enthusiasm on that line. However…."
Shit here it goes. Already rejecting me before the interview was finished. Tai thought anxiously.
"Fortunately, for all of us, we do not work on holidays such as Christmas and National Foundation Day. So I do not think you need to worry about that. I do appreciate the dedication and enthusiasm you are willing to show to us however." The man flashed an assuring smile which Tai managed to return.
Oh. That's not bad at all, Tai thought, his body slightly relaxing at this assurance. So far, so good.
After the interview had finished and Tai and the older man shook hands, Tai felt a weight settle into his shoulders. A part of him wanted to believe that he had managed to wow the interviewer, but the louder voice kept on saying and saying how Tai had blown it.
Kari wasn't going to be out for a good while. He didn't have much patience to wait around a few more hours outside a high school. And while he was tempted to visit Sora, he nixed the idea. For one thing, he didn't know where she would be and it would take hours to find her in this school. And even if he did know or she had told him her entire schedule, Tai thought about how creepy it'd be to show up at her class like that when they had just reunited and were probably just good friends. Tai decided to explore a bit of Odaiba, to see what had changed during the time he and Kari were living in the hell on earth.
His first stop was the apartment building he and Kari lived with their mother. However he didn't actually enter the building since that would be weird to enter in an apartment he no longer lived anymore. Instead he had opted to watch the apartment's front and see how much or little it had changed. The building had a new paint job, Tai first noted, swapping the gray color for a brown one. Then he noted that the apartment had also changed all of the windows around, swapping them for a circle shape instead of the normal square shape.
Tai couldn't help but wonder who had now occupied the place that he, his sister, and his mother had resided in before this entire shitstorm happened. He briefly let his imagination run wild.
A struggling but determined couple with a baby on the way, both working jobs to pay the bills.
A college student who was starry eyed and looked at the world not with dismay but with hope and a sense of 'how can I change this world', the innocent fool.
A single mother not unlike his mother, whose husband was either an ex-husband or dead, who had to deal with at least two kids and worked endlessly to make them feel happy and safe. Hopefully, their story would not be the same as his, Kari's, and his mother's and there wouldn't be an abusive uncle waiting for the mom to die so he could have new punching bags.
Upon the words 'uncle', Tai briefly remembered Akihiro. He quickly pushed back the thought of Akihiro.
Sora listened on to every word of the professor, jotting down notes as quickly yet neatly as possible on her notebook.
As the professor finished up and waited for everyone in the class to finish their note taking, Sora's mind drifted off to Tai briefly.
It had been one week since Tai and her conversed for the first time in a while. She had told everyone about it, how she and Tai and Kari had met once more on the first day of college. Her parents had expressed excitement at the prospect of seeing Tai and Kari once more, wanting to see how much time had changed Tai and Kari, if at all.
Her friends, the ones she made during high school, were amused at her enthusiasm and also were curious to meet this enigmatic Tai and Kari Kamiya. However, Mimi had an interesting reaction. Her face had on a slight smirk as Sora continued on talking about Tai and Kari, simply saying, "Your grin's really big over reuniting with an old childhood friend."
Sora now realized what Mimi had been suggesting and a small part of her felt embarrassed. Leave it to Mimi to suggest that.
Realizing that the teacher was heading off to the next slide, Sora gasped slightly and began to concentrate on the lecture once more. This would be in an exam, the professor had implied, and Sora wasn't going to take her chances and call 'bogus' on that claim.
After class was over, Sora headed off for a stroll around the university, not feeling hungry for anything yet. She wanted to give some time to think. The deep bruise on Kari's arm still haunted her memories. How reluctant they were to talk about the past in Edogawa. Even the way that Tai said 'Edogawa' with a hint of hate in his tone made Sora truly concerned. Something happened back in Edogawa.
She wanted to know more about what Tai and Kari's life had been back in Edogawa. And yet at the same time, she was afraid to know.
The perk about taking the bus to university was that it allowed Sora to see people of different walks enter and exit the bus. Some of them were residents. Others were tourists from other parts of Tokyo and maybe even outside of Japan in general. Men and women in business suits sipping coffee and typing on their cell phone and/or laptops. College students like her studying their books even though it was only a week into college most likely. And yet only a handful of them were the same people. Sora was always curious about their walks of life and where they had come from. What were their plans for the future to make their mark in this life and what was their past like to shape them into the way they were now?
After getting out of the bus, Sora began to walk home, entering her apartment building and greeting her mother, fixing her flowers for her flower shop and her father, who had also barely come back from work.
As she took off her shoes, went into her room, and grabbed her book, Sora sat down in her navy blue comforter-covered bed to relax.
Not a moment too soon, the house phone rang. Her mother was the one to grab it. She did her formal introductions on the phone, a neutral expression on her face. However, her neutral frown turned into a smile as the person behind the phone revealed his identity. Her eyes had lit up.
"Why, Sora was just talking about you the other day! Taichi, this is incredible."
Sora and Haruhiko exchanged grins upon hearing the conversation. Haruhiko was curious to see Tai and Kari once more and Sora also shared a similar sentiment.
"Oh, of course. Taichi, you're more than welcome to visit us. We've been hoping to see you. It's been ages after all!"
Sora thought to herself, Well, here's my chance to know a little more about Tai and Kari's stint in Edogawa.
Sure enough, Tai and Kari had come to the Takenouchi residence, the latter still dressed in her light blue blazer, collared shirt, and skirt uniform combo. As they entered the living room, they were awed at the place.
The living room had gotten a fresher paint job in the past six years, swapping the cream color for a grayish blue, as Tai described it internally. The couch, loveseat and tv had been replaced for newer models. The carpet had been swapped out for another carpet to match the new coat of paint on the walls.
Toshiko noted their expression and asked, concerned, "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, sorry. Just surprised at how much the living room has changed." Tai said, almost a bit quickly.
Haruhiko gave a small smile as he said, half-jokingly, "Well, six years will do that to you. Now why not take a seat and make yourself at home?"
Kari nodded, politely, "Arigato, Mr. Takenouchi."
As the two sat down on the couch, Tai couldn't help but smile at the familiar smell of cooking in the kitchen. While it could never beat the nostalgic sentiment of his old apartment, the Takenouchi residence was also home to some good memories. The birthday parties, the study groups, the soccer games on TV he and Sora watched with Haruhiko when he wasn't at work. It may not have been as spacious as the mansion of the demon man back in Edogawa, but here he knew the family here was a loving one.
At the very least, he took comfort in knowing that Haruhiko and/or Toshiko loved Sora to pieces. For starters, he knew damn well that neither of the parents would scream at Sora to the point of driving her to tears for the heinous crime of the fact her skirt was a centimeter shorter than the preferred.
While conversation was initially slow and awkward, it didn't take long before Tai and Kari were truly enjoying the conversations.
Sure enough, the mandatory statement of, "Tai, you look just like your father when he was your age!" came up. However, unlike the times Akihiro would sneer at him with hate, Haruhiko said this with a gentle smile, reminiscing of his beloved deceased friend.
Tai simply shrugged and said, "Except my father's hair wasn't wild and didn't need to be tamed so much."
"Maybe so, but your mother's hair was untamable in her youth too. It's like a nice little tribute to your parents." Haruhiko said, as he gently set down his cup of tea.
Toshiko added, "And Hikari, you look wonderful. You're just as pretty as your mother when she was your age."
Kari felt her cheeks warm up and a small smile escaped her lips at such a compliment. It had been the first time in a while she had ever been compared positively to her mother. Feeling warm, Kari said, a grateful grin on her face, "Thank you."
Though when the subject of their uncle came up, Tai and Kari were rather hesitant to say much.
Toshiko inquired, concerned, "Is it true about your uncle leaving you?"
Tai slightly nodded, not willing to open his mouth. He wasn't sure how they were going to react to Tai admitting something along the lines of, 'oh yeah he beat up Kari and I beat him up and kicked him out of the house before Kari and I basically ran off'. The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he felt. Not for the sake of his uncle, mind you, but for the fact that he had to expose Kari to another darker side he had never shown to her at least before. A side that showed he was willing to murder to protect. He felt like an animal in a sense.
"We're very sorry to hear that, Taichi and Hikari…" Haruhiko said, sympathetically putting a gentle hand on Tai's.
Toshiko nodded, looking concerned, "You went through so much these past few years."
"Look, my uncle wasn't a family man." Tai simply said, trying to keep a neutral tone on his voice but his inside voice hissed : The understatement of the century! "You can't force a man to be able to care for something like us. He had always been used to being by himself. Sure he had the occasional girlfriend but aside from that he wasn't a family man. So he's out living the life and bam! You put his dead sister's children in his care with little warning. This isn't those corny films where the bachelor changes his ways and warms up to the kids he considers snot-nosed brats. I think he was bound to be a little cold." Still doesn't excuse him from treating us like punching bags whenever he got angry.
"Even so, your uncle shouldn't have left you like this." Toshiko said, a deep frown on her face. "Disgusting if you ask me."
Haruhiko shook his head, "Sadly, some men are like that I'm afraid. Just leave their family when they need them the most."
Finally, an opening for Sora that allowed her to talk to Tai alone. As her parents and Kari began to chat, Tai excused himself to go to their bathroom. After finishing up there, he then . noticed that Sora was there, looking at him curiously.
"Sora? What's wrong?" Tai asked, an eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Need to use the bathroom?" Sora shook her head.
"I want to ask a question, a possibly private question, if that's okay with you." Sora said, slightly fidgeting to herself anxiously.
Tai nodded, "Sure. Why don't we go to your room?" Sora nodded. After the two headed off to the room, Tai asked, curiously, "What is it?"
Sora simply asked, an expression of worry in her face, "Your uncle….he treated you two something awful, didn't he?"
Tai did not respond initially but after a few painful seconds, he nodded, refusing to look up.
"Oh, Tai…." Sora simply said, trying with all her might to keep her voice even and her eyes free of tears.
"Kari's bruise gave it away, right?" Tai murmured, still not looking up. He was afraid of looking up, of showing Sora how pained this whole situation was, how broken his eyes were.
He made a promise the first time Akihiro had beaten him up, to never show weakness to anyone. He wasn't going to start crying in front of Sora. He was going to eighteen in May. Eighteen, not eighteen months. Sora wasn't his mommy to hold his hand and comfort his ass.
"I mean, I had a gut feeling when I saw the bruise. I'm so sorry if this is intruding but…" Sora started, before realizing that she couldn't find words to express her sadness and horror at the confirmation of the true nature of this uncle.
"Sora, listen…" Tai began, "You shouldn't have to apologize. It's not like it would have made a difference."
Sora simply said, warmth in her voice, "It's not your fault, Tai. It's not."
"I know…." Tai said, feeling a lump form into his throat. A lone tear trickled down his face.
It was that spot in Sora's bedroom that Tai finally broke down in tears. It had been the first time in months, if not years he had cried, at the very least in front of someone. As Sora held him gently, her face downcast and her own eyes shedding tears, Tai finally cried. For the fact that his uncle would never be the guardian he and Kari needed in their darkest moment, for his mother's untimely death, for the situation he was in. It had been the first time in a while he allowed himself to cry.
Well, a slightly depressing end to a more silent chapter. What will happen next? That's for me to know and you guys to find out later of course.
The title of the chapter comes from David Bowie and Queen's song 'Under Pressure'. Spoiler alert : This will not be the only time one of his songs is used as a reference for one of my chapter titles here.
I do not know of Waseda University has a coffee place so for artistic license, in this story, it does. So work with me please if this is untrue.
It's probably not canon that Haruhiko and Toshiko knew Yuko and Susumo when they were young adults. However, I think it'd be an interesting small point. It makes you wonder what the dynamic was for a young Haruhiko and Susumo. I wonder...
This chapter serves as a bookend of sorts. This isn't the end of the story obviously. However, it's interesting to note that the beginning of Tai's new life in Edogawa (chapter 2, technically chapter 1 but you get my point) ended with Sora crying over Tai's departure and Tai comforting her. However, in this chapter which more or less marks Tai's possibly official return to Odaiba ends with Tai crying and Sora comforting him. Also the first instance in any of my stories where Tai's in tears and Sora's comforting him. I realize I tend to make Sora the 'crier'. Nothing wrong with that; just a small note to point out.
I do not claim ownership to the characters. I do however hope you readers have enjoyed this chapter. Please do review. Constructive criticism is helpful so I give a huge thanks to those who have done so.