We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance.
Harrison Ford (1942 - ), quoted by Garry Jenkins in 'Harrison Ford: Imperfect Hero'
Chapter 2:
Spoken Too Soon
Hours Later...
"All right I'm coming, I'm coming." shouted a woman. Walking through her apartment the woman headed over to the door where someone was knocking on it relentlessly. When the woman finally reached the door she opened it. "All right, whoever you are you better have a good reason in nearly pounding my door down or so help me I'll-" The rant was cut short when she realized who the person was. "You're early."
The one responsible for the disturbance merely smiled. "What can I say, I rather be early than late when it comes to important matters."
Neither one said a word for a while as they simply stared at one another. It wasn't until the woman smiled did the silence break. "It's good to see you Daisuke."
Returning the gesture the man identified as Daisuke smiled back. "The same goes for me, Jun." After exchanging pleasantries the two didn't know where to go next for sometime. "Did they show up?" he asked with some apprehension in his voice.
Understanding what he was referring to, Jun nodded her head. "They're here. I called them over after you called me to do so. Of course when they asked why for the sudden gathering I told them that I didn't know since I wasn't informed of the reason behind it myself." That seem to satisfy the younger Motomiya sibling as he nodded his head. "Mind telling me the reason why you ask me to get our parents to come over?"
"You'll find out in due time Jun. Trust me; it's something that I would rather tell you when you're all together." Looking over to his side Daisuke motioned for someone. "I hope that you don't mind but I brought along some company." Scooting over he allowed his company to show themselves which was revealed to be a somewhat nervous Hikari. "You're okay with this, sis?"
"Sure I am. I think that I speak for mom and dad when I say that Hikari is practically a part of this family. After all, our family has known her since the two of you were just kids. The two of you were almost inseparable back when you were younger." That last remark got its desired effect as both the faces of Daisuke and Hikari became covered in blush.
"Well, that's enough of the teasing. Let's go to the living room where mom and dad are waiting." Turning around, Jun started to walk off but suddenly stopped. "Oh wait, I forgot that this is your first time here and you haven't actually been invited. To fix that problem I hereby invite-"
Before she could finished she saw that her brother at the doorway. However, what caught her attention was that Daisuke was standing in the hallway all casually. "What in the world? How are you able to be in here?" she questioned as she didn't know what to make of the situation. "There's no way that this could be possible."
"Trust me, all we be explain in due time." Not elaborating on the matter any further, Daisuke walked off, leaving his sister behind.
"You know what's going on don't you?" asked the confused female Motomiya sibling to Hikari who during the whole brother-sister conversation had let herself in and was now standing beside her.
Glancing over to the other woman, Hikari gave her an unbiased look. "Maybe I do or may I don't. You'll just have to find out when your parents does." Just like with Daisuke moments ago, Hikari left Jun behind so she could join everyone else.
"Man, those two are so a like that they almost think the same way." Allowing a small smile to come across her face she went to join the others so that she could hear what the big news that her brother had. "By the way he's making a fuss about it I have a feeling that it must be something big."
-/-/-/-/-
An Hour Later…
"I can't believe it." said an amazed Jun. Daisuke had just explained to his family about his surprise return to humanity and it was no surprise that they were shock at what they just heard. "I can hardly believe it. It must be some kind of trick."
For them to believe what they were told was true was a hard pill to swallow. They went so far as to put him in front of the window so that the sunlight could go over him and only after seeing that nothing was happening did they believe him. Once they came to terms with the situation they each had interesting reactions but no more interesting than what happen with his mother, Anzu.
"Oh, I'm so happy for you my son." To further show her joy she wrapped her arms around Daisuke and put him in a crushing hug. "You are deserving of this second chance." A few tears had managed to escape his mom's eyes which Daisuke went ahead and wiped them away.
"I agree with your mother on this, son." added his father, Hiroto who placed a hand on Daisuke's shoulder. "You've done so much for others, whether it was as a human or vampire, you never asked for anything in return. You deserve this and don't even try to deny it."
As the son and parents talked, Jun was having a discussion of her own with Hikari. "This is good news. You must be happy for my brother."
Without really realizing it a small but tender smile came over Hikari's face. "I am glad for him, Jun. His first chance at life was unfairly taken away from him. If anyone should be given a second chance at living it should be him."
Flashbacks to the time when she and her parents heard about Daisuke being dead came back to Jun. That was a time that she would like to forget. It took sometime for both her and her parents to recover from their loss. Shaking off those unpleasant memories she wanted to lighten the feeling that she was having.
"This could turn out good for you as well Hikari." Getting only a confused look from the woman in question she continued. "You and my brother can go on dates that aren't just at night." she joked as she poked her friend lightly in the side with her elbow.
Despite that it was meant as a joke it still caused Hikari to slightly blush. "That would be a good change from our usual dates." Hikari's remark was barely hearable but Jun managed to hear what was said.
"Did I hear you right? I was only kidding when I said that. Are you telling me that the two of you are actually dating?" Regrettably, Jun said that last part louder than needed which caused Daisuke and his parents to turn their attention towards the two women. All the added attention made Hikari extremely uneasy and caused her to blush heavily and she wasn't the only one as Daisuke was also blushing as it involved him as well.
The silence and averting eye glances that they were getting form the two was all the answering that the Motomiya family needed to confirm what they heard. Daisuke and Hikari hoped that they would get off of the subject but it wouldn't be the case. "Oh, that's wonderful." Daisuke's mother squealed in excitement. "I always knew that if the two of you got together you would make the most adorable couple."
"Come on mom don't make this bigger than it is." informed Daisuke in the hopes of moving away from the subject. "It's true, Hikari and I are together and despite some rough moments we're doing fine." He hoped that would be the end of the discussion. How wrong he was and it was all thanks to his sister.
"So, when is your guys' wedding going to be? Everyone in that room became quite as they were surprise at what was said. "Hey now, I was only joking. I wasn't being serious. Even I know that it'll be a while until the two of you get to that point, if at all."
Letting out a uneasy laugh, Daisuke went back to the true topic that needed to be touched upon. "Well, that's all well and good sis but there's still something that I need to do." Understanding what he was referring to, Jun simply nodded her head. "Where is she right now?"
"She's in her room. It's down the hall, second door to the right." Once being given the information that he wanted Daisuke headed to his desired destination and he was walking with a purpose.
"He's going to talk with her isn't he?" asked Hikari even though she already knew the answer.
"Yeah he is." Unlike earlier, Jun spoke without the humorous manner but was being completely serious. "This is something that he needs to do. Let's only hope it turns out all right."
-/-/-/-/-
It didn't take long for Daisuke to reach his destination and when he got there he began to have second thoughts. "Come on Daisuke, you can do this. Now suck it up and do it."
Somewhat tentatively he knocked on the door. "Hey, it's me. Is it all right if I come in?" Getting no reply Daisuke slowly opened the door and entered. He was immediately covered in darkness as there was hardly any light coming in. Despite the poor light he was able to see that seating at a desk was his daughter, Serenity.
She was just sitting there slightly leaning over the desk and with the exception of her body moving up and down because of her breathing she was hardly moving. As Daisuke looked over at Serenity he noticed that she was looking at the only items that were on the desk. Those things were two pictures that were in separate picture frames. One of those pictures was of his sister, Serenity's aunt Jun and who knows how she got it but the other picture was of the woman who truly cared for Serenity while she was with the Takenaka Corporation, Rowan Stevens.
"So, are you just going to stand there or tell me why you're here?" By serenity's tone it was clear that she wasn't in the mood to fool around. That suited Daisuke just fine as he saw that there was no reason to beat around the busy.
"Well, you see, I'm here to tell you that something happen to me recently and I thought that you had a right to know." muttered a slightly nervous Daisuke. "Why am I so worried about telling this to my own daughter over everyone else?" he asked himself. "Perhaps it has something to do with her being associated with the Takenaka Corporation, where she was assigned the job of dealing with me."
"Does what you're trying to say have anything to do with you becoming human again?" Serenity's question caught Daisuke completely off guard as he couldn't speak for a while. He couldn't believe that Serenity would already know.
"H-How did you already knew that?" Soon after saying that, Daisuke knew the answer to his question. "You heard what was said in the living room didn't you?" He wouldn't be surprise if that was the case.
Despite herself Serenity smiled a little. "It was that and also I could sense a difference in you." Turning around she finally looked at her father. "I no longer sense any vampire in you, only human. Apparently it's a little gift that I have that inherited from my parents."
Being unable to help himself, Daisuke let out a small chuckle. "Perhaps that's what it is." Another moment of silence came over the two only this time it was a light hearted one without any tension. "Since you already know that then it'll make it easier for what I got to say next." Seating down at the edge of Serenity's bed he collected himself for what was going to be discussed.
"With me no longer the person that I once was I was hoping that you could perhaps take over patrolling." Serenity's immediate reaction was surprise quickly followed by an unbelievable look. "You may be wondering why I'm asking you something like this instead of my friends. The reason is that while I believe in the abilities of my friends I think that they're not ready for what's to come." By the look that he was going Serenity it was obvious that he was being completely truthful.
"We both know that there are big battles coming, bigger than we can ever imagine. Even if I was still what I was the chances of all of us getting through them are slim. Hopefully you'll be able to improve our chances." By the looks of it Serenity was allowing her father's words to sink in. "What I'm asking is are you willing to take up the fight?"
For a while Serenity said nothing as she seemed to be deciding what her answer would be. When it appeared as though she was going to answer she glanced back over to the desk and more precisely, the picture of Rowan. After seeing that picture it seemed like Serenity had found out what her answer was. "Consider me as being apart of the fight."
Glad to hear her answer, Daisuke was about to give Serenity a fatherly hug but knew that she wouldn't appreciate the gesture he decided to go with a simple handshake which she thankfully accepted. "Now that you have this second chance at life, what do you plan to do with it?" When that question was asked Daisuke didn't answer right away as he never really thought about it.
"To be honest, I haven't really thought that far. I'll still fight if it's necessary but I think that I'm going to try and have a somewhat normal life."
"Does this 'potential normal' life include a certain someone? A brown haired lady named of Hikari perhaps?" That remark cause Daisuke to look at her in shock. He never expected Serenity to say something like that. "I may not have been around you and your friends that much but it's clear to see that there's something going on between the two of your. I have no experience in that area but don't take what you got with her for granted. You never know when the person that you care for may be taken away from you."
Daisuke knew that his daughter knew what she was talking about. While under the services of those bastards in the Takenaka Corporation there was only one person who didn't see her as merely a weapon and that person was Rowan Stevens, who viewed Serenity almost as her own daughter. When she was killed right before Serenity's eyes by Hitomi it took its toll on her. It took her some time to recover from that incident but it was apparent that she still thought about that unpleasant experience.
Instead of responding with words, Daisuke responded by getting closer to Serenity and draping an arm around her in the hopes that it would comfort her, even if it helped only a little. Serenity seemed to see what he was trying to do as she allowed him to do so. Putting aside the issues that still remained between the two; they simply tried to comfort one another as they knew that there were many hardships ahead of them and hoped that they would be prepared for them when they showed themselves.
-/-/-/-/-
Two Weeks Later…
The sun slowly began to rise into the sky of Kyoto and as it rose its rays swept over the city. One of those places was Hikari's apartment as the rays of the sun poured through her window and came over Hikari as she tried to sleep. Finally giving up on the chances of getting anymore sleep Hikari reluctantly opened her eyes.
"Isn't this just great? On the day that I have no work or not having to go anywhere and I can't enjoy any extra sleep. Might at well give it up and get up." Getting out of bed, Hikari stretched to get of any stiffness. Grabbing a fresh pair of clothes she went to take a shower and after she was done and in her clothes she headed for the kitchen where Mimi was already there eating some breakfast.
"What are you doing up?" asked Mimi. "I thought you said that you were going to sleep in late."
"That was the plan but it didn't happen." Moving her head around, Hikari got rid of a remaining knot that was in her neck and once it was gone she got herself something to eat. "I tried to go back to sleep but no matter what I tried I couldn't. Apparently I got more sleep than I originally thought."
"Or maybe it's because you weren't out all night with Daisuke like usual." Mimi joked in good humor. She got her desired result as Hikari nearly choked on her breakfast.
Regaining her composure, Hikari gave her friend and roommate with a stare. "I could say the same thing about you. After all, you spend most of your nights with James." Mimi tried to hold it in but was unable to keep the blush from coming over her face. Seeing this, Hikari continued with her taunting. "With all the time you spend with him it feels as though the two of you were married or something."
Knowing what her friend was doing, Mimi tried to change the subject. "A letter came for you. I don't know how but I saw it on the coffee table when I woke up."
The switch of topics worked as Hikari got up and went to the coffee table where the letter that Mimi mentioned was. There was nothing fancy about it as it was a simple envelope that had nothing but her name written on it. Opening it she took out the folded piece of paper and when Hikari unfolded the paper she nearly dropped it.
Noticing Hikari's expression, Mimi went over to her. "Hey, what's wrong? Is that letter really that bad?" Unable to say anything, Hikari just handed the paper to her.
Once seeing it Mimi immediately knew why Hikari was so affected by it. On the paper was a drawing but what was so disturbing about it was that it was a drawing of Hikari as she slept. Also, there was something written in the bottom right hand corner that was just as disturbing as the drawing itself. What was written was, "I'll be seeing you soon."
I bet that some of you didn't expect what happen to take place did you? The chapter ended in a cliffhanger and it's somewhat of a cruel way to end it but as with like other cliffhangers it helps to develop the interest for what's to come in the future chapters and I bet that most of you don't know who's responsible for Hikari's little 'gift'. Anyways, please leave a review and until I update again, which will be most likely later this week, see ya.