Chapter 19: Anniversary of our Family

Time of Day: ?
Weather: Foggy
Place: The Velvet Room

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, Sora," Igor greets.

"With your new bond, you have managed to obtain the Fortune Arcana," Margaret informs me. "Formally known as the Wheel of Fortune, this Arcana symbolizes fate, luck, fortune, and opportunity."

"People of the Fortune Arcana, such as your comrade Xion, seize their own destiny in spite of the world around them," Igor preaches. "Through patience and determination, they may even attempt to break fate and manifest their own destiny."

In a warm azure light, a blue card appears above Margaret's book. As it lands on her compendium, it shatters into ethereal shards. Margaret opens her book, showing Xion on one page, and the Fortune Arcana on the opposite. Like its namesake, it has the appearance of an ornate wheel.

Margaret and Igor each pick up a champagne glass. "I make a toast to your effort so far Sora." Igor raises his glass

"Only a heart can bond with another heart." Margaret follows suit. "It just so happens that the stronger the bond, the stronger the heart becomes as well."

Wait, where's my champagne glass to look fancy and shit?

As darkness shrouds my eyes, the Velvet Room fades into mist.

October 11, 2015
Time of Day: Day
Weather: Sunny
Place: Dojima Residence

"Usagi, where are the band aids?" I ask, whilst putting the cut on my finger in my mouth.

"They're in a metal box in the cabinet!" she replies from in front of the TV.

"Thanks!" What had happened was that I cut myself while I was preparing lunch for the two of us. It's not too big of a cut, but it is bleeding a bit. As I dig through the cabinet Usagi told me about, I find the band aids. I wrap one around my finger, and as I put back the box, a metal case falls out. Its contents spill open, most of it being what seems to be junk, but one thing catches my eye.

It's a picture of Zack, Usagi, and another woman. She's very attractive, and has a pink dress on with a red jacket over it. Her hair long brown hair has a large pink ribbon in it. Could this be Zack's wife?

"Oh, it's a picture of Mommy!" Usagi says from behind me. "That's from when we went to the beach together! So this is where it went."

"What do you mean? Did you two lose it or something?"

"Daddy put away all of our picture of Mommy."

"What? Why would he?"

"He did that right after she died in that car accident," she says. "I don't know much about it since Daddy won't tell me anything. Do you think he'll get angry if I keep this picture?"

"How about I ask him for you?" I don't see the problem in letting have the one picture. "Maybe we can even frame it!"

"Really? Thanks!" Usagi smiles, but her face turns slightly somber.

Time of Day: Night
Weather: Clear Skies

"I'm back, guys," Zack mumbles from the foyer. He immediately slouches onto the sofa once he takes his shoes off.

"Hey Zack, so I happened to find this when looking for a band aid." I show him the picture of he, his wife, and Usagi. "Usagi seems to like it, so I was thinking we could frame it."

Zack's eyes focus on the photo for another second or two, but then sighs and averts his gaze elsewhere. "To be honest, at this point you know her better than I do," he says. "It's up to you to decide."

"Daddy! You're back!" Usagi dashes down the stairs, paper in hand. "I have something for you!"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well, Daddy, um… Today at school, I got a…" Usagi's grip tightens on the paper as she hunches forward. "My tummy really hurts."

I lower myself to her. "Are you okay?"

"Was it something you ate," Zack asks.

"I dunno… My stomach feels icky…" she whimpers.

"We should call a doctor! Hasn't this happened before?" Zack asks. "Does it feel like the last time your stomach hurt?"

"I'm not sure…"

"Damn… Where'd I put that medicine?" A cell phone rings. Zack, I swear to god, if you pick that up I'll- "Dammit Terra, not now! I'm hanging up!" From the speaker I can hear his panicked coworker say 'It's a letter!' "What? is it from Mr. Nomura? When did it arrive? You forgot?! For the love of god- I'm on my way!"

"Daddy…" Usagi whimpers.

"Zack, what the heck?!" I yell. His daughter's in pain, and he's leaving now of all times?

He starts slipping his shoes back on. "Sora, there should be some meds in the first aid box. Please take care of her." Zack heads out the door, closing it on his way out. Zack, what the hell is wrong with you? You can't just prioritize work like that!

After finding the medicine Zack was talking about, Usagi seems to be back to her regular self. Just to make sure she doesn't strain herself, I'm just sitting down with her on the couch to keep her company.

"Hey Big Bro… Is Daddy… My real father?" she asks. I didn't expect that to come from her! "I was thinking that maybe I'm not Daddy's real daughter."

"Why's that?"

"Because the bad guys are more important to Daddy than I am." Usagi looks at me with sad eyes. "Today he just rushed out and… Left me behind…"

Change the subject, change the subject, change the- Yes! Thank you paper Usagi dropped! "Hey, what's this?" I pick up the deus ex machina of all paper.

"They passed it out at school today," she tells me. "My teacher told me to give it to our parents. She said to put down what time they'd be available to come and watch, but… Daddy has work, so he can't come."

I put on a brave smile. "How about we ask him when he gets back?"

Usagi smiles with me. "Okay, let's!"

October 12, 2015
Time of Day: Afternoon
Weather: Rainy
Place: Destiny Islands Police Department

Just great, I'm back at the place where they arrested me when I first moved here. At least this time I'm only dropping off clothes instead of being questioned.

"Moron!" I hear Zack yell. "Saying 'I don't know' Doesn't cut it! It's a detective's duty to do whatever it whatever it takes to solve a case."

"I-I'm sorry," Terra apologizes. He sighs and starts organizing some papers on a desk while Zack walks away in an exasperated way.

From what Zack has told me, Terra is a recent police academy graduate, who was sent here probably two or so months before me. From how I've seen him act, and how Zack complains about him all the time, I can tell he's a ditz and a bit empty minded. I can almost imagine Zack complaining about how he can't imagine how Terra became a cop.

"Hey, what's up Terra?" I greet. "Where'd Zack go?"

"Huh? Oh, it's you Sora. Zack should be back in a bit. He's probably having a stress smoke so you can sit while you wait."

"Thanks, man."

"No problem." Terra sighs. "Man, Zack really never lets things go, does he? Is he like that at home too?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"He isn't convinced that the gamer kid we arrested isn't the real guy, so he's doing his own research," he informs. "Not to mention he's going nuts over the recent hit-and-run." Panic fills Terra's face. "Crap, I gotta get back to what I was doing!" He runs off, sloppily carrying files in his arms.

"Yeah, you better!" a voice from behind me says. "Hey there, Sora. I see that you've finally met the reason why I come home drunk occasionally."

Occasionally? More like frequently! "Aww, don't be like that to the guy. Anyway, here's the change of clothes you asked me for." I hand him the bag I was holding. "And then there's this." Out of my pocket, I take out the form that he needs to sign for Usagi and hand it to him. "It's a parent-teacher conference thing Usagi needed you to sign. They need to know when you can make it."

"Oh, whenever is fine," he tells me. "I'll fill it out later." Will you really? Or are you just saying that? "Also, I probably won't be home tonight." Of course you won't.

"By the way, Usagi is feeling better," I tell him.

"That's good." Zack looks at his watch. "Hey, do you have a minute? I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure I do." Zack drags me off to an empty room. It's not an interrogation room, because the room they brought me to last time didn't have a couch and vending machine.

"I've been meaning to tell you about Aerith's accident." Zack hands me a black folder. It has some random numbers on a label, so probably some police code that I don't know. "Last night, I got a call from my old mentor, Mr. Nomura. I asked for his help on a hit-and-run case, and his results just came in. Take a look."

I open the file and there are pictures of the crime scene, what type of car hit her, and stuff I can't understand. "What does all of this mean?"

"What hit her was a sedan, and it definitely wasn't from around here," Zack tells me. "Records indicate that it wasn't taken in to get scrapped or repaired. But you see, there was a similar incident last week. The initial investigation we're currently conducting is critical."

"Why haven't you told Usagi about the accident?" She has every right to know about this.

"Aerith was… Aerith was hit on her way to pick up Usagi." Zack continues. "It was a cold day, and there weren't any witnesses, so no one found her until it was too late." Zack rests his head on his palm. "Usagi had been stuck waiting at the preschool all by herself. She was all alone… Waiting for someone who would never come…"

I try to comfort him, but no words come.

"I couldn't tell Usagi that her mother had been killed. I'm supposed to catch the criminals, and I didn't have a clue as to who killed her. But I will catch the culprit!"

"What about Usagi?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yeah, it's important that you find out who did it, but maybe you should stay with Usagi when she's feeling down!"

"What do you know?" Zack's voice becomes abrasive. "Just mind your own business."

I sigh, and avert my gaze somewhere else. "Fine."

Time of Day: Night
Weather: Rainy
Place: Dojima Residence

"Big bro, where's that paper?" Usagi asks. "Did Daddy fill it out?"

"Yeah, he said whenever would be fine." Oh Usagi, I sometimes I wonder what blissful ignorance is like. Or is she? She's pretty smart for her age, and she did pop the 'Is he my real dad?' question last night.

"Really?!" Usagi's face lights up. "Daddy's going to come? Yay, I'm so happy!"

"Isn't that great, Usagi?"

"Yep! This is my first parent-teacher conference! Everyone says their parents are coming!"

Okay, that's definitely blissful ignorance. My parent-teacher conferences never went well. "Oh yeah! I nearly forgot!" I reach into my bag behind me. I take out the framed family photo, and hand it to Usagi. "I framed the picture we found yesterday."

Usagi smiles. "Thank you!" She melancholically stares at the picture. "Hey big bro, what happens after you die?"

Wow, she's really going far with the questions as of late! "You go to a place called Heaven."

"I knew it! So Mommy went to Heaven, right?"

"Of course! I'm sure she'll be watching over you during your conference."

"Yeah!" She nods her head. "Do you think I'll go to Heaven when I die?" Um, should I be concerned if a little girl is asking me these questions? "Could I see Mommy if I went there?"

I sigh. "Trust me Usagi, that's a long way off."

October 13, 2015
Time of Day: Night
Weather: Foggy
Place: Dojima Residence

"I'm back, guys," Zack mumbles from the foyer. He immediately slouches onto the sofa once he takes his shoes off.

"Welcome back!" Usagi runs up to him, the frame in hand. "Lookie, Daddy! We put Mommy's picture here!"

"Uh-huh…" Zack says wearily. He has some dark bags under his eyes, and the slight smell of tobacco makes the air around us stale.

"Daddy, do you remember this picture? It's from when we went to the beach."

"Usagi, please save it for later…"

"Oh, uhh…" Usagi has a disheartened look on her face. "Daddy, about coming to school… Where's the form?"

"Oh, this?" Zack pulls a slip of paper out of his jacket. "Listen... I don't think I'm going to be able to make it… Sorry, but I can't afford to go when I'm so busy."

"Zack what the hell?!" I butt in. "You promised!"

"Forget it…" Usagi's head is down. "You don't have to come. You have a case, right? You have work, right?" She lifts her head up, and tears are streaming down her face. "Those bad guys are more important to you than I am, aren't they?! Forget it! Just forget it!" Usagi runs up the stairs.

"Hey, Usagi!" Zack calls out. "Geez, what's gotten into her?"

I stare at him dumbfoundedly. "What do you mean by that?! She was looking forward to you going to her school! You can't just bail now!"

Zack grumbles. "What can I do? I've got work!"

"Maybe you should try paying more attention to your daughter?"

"Excuse me?" Zack shoots me a deadly look. Not as deadly as my mom's, but I can see that intimidating looks run in the family.

"If you actually told her about the hit-and-run, then maybe you'd-"

"I said to mind your own business!"

"What?" We look toward the stairs, and Usagi is back. "What hit-and-run?"

"You don't need to know," Zack persists.

"Why not?"

"Forget it!" Zack scolds.

More tears run down Usagi's face. "Why are you mad? How come you never listen to me? You never do! Daddy, you're stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Zack stands up. "Watch your mouth young lady!"

"Zack, don't you even-"

"It's not like you care about me anyway! You hate me, don't you?!" Usagi sobs, making Zack tense up. "You aren't… You aren't my real dad!" Usagi runs out the front door.

"Usagi, no!" I yell and follow her.

"Usagi, wait!" Zack follows.

We hurry outside, but it's too foggy to see anything. Instinctively, I grab for my glasses in my pocket, but they're not there. I'd go back inside the house to grab them, but we don't know how far she'll get if we waste any time. "I'll search for her in the shopping district."

"Okay, I'll try the rest of the residential area." We head off in separate directions.

Place: Destiny Islands Beach

After god knows how long the two of us have been running and searching for Usagi, we finally find her by the beach. It's not the place that most people go, as the sand is rocky and seaweed crawls up on shore.

"Usagi…" Zack whispers.

"Thanks god… We found her…" I breathe heavily. After how much and how fast I ran tonight, I should be on the track team!

"Hey… You should go to her… Right now, you're the family member she trusts most. She's more likely to-"

I slap him in the face. "That's from mom. She told me to slap some sense into you if you lost your way."

Zack lets out a small laugh. "That's Aqua for you… Although I didn't think she meant it literally..."

"Knowing her, she probably did." I point to Usagi. "Usagi needs a father. Last thing I remember, she's my cousin, not my daughter."

"Yeah…" Zack walks up to Usagi, and kneels down next to her.

"Daddy…" she whimpers.

"So this is where you've been," Zack says.

"When mommy was still alive, you, me, and mommy came here to pick flowers. Just the three of us."

"Yeah…"

"Mommy… Why did she leave me? I… I want to see Mommy!" Usagi starts sobbing again. "D-Daddy, did you forget about Mommy? You hid all of her pictures, and you never talk about her… Do you hate her now? Do you hate me too?"

"You've got it all wrong…" Zack hugs Usagi. "I'm sorry, Usagi… I'm always making you feel so lonely. It's just that… The guilt of not knowing who killed your mother is killing me. It made me forget what's in front of me!"

"Daddy!" Usagi sobs more, and they both tighten their embrace on each other.

"I'm sorry Usagi… Please forgive me…" Zack begs.

October 14, 2015
Time of Day: Night
Weather: Cloudy
Place: Dojima Residence

"You know what, Big Bro?" Usagi asks.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"I've been lonely since Mommy died, but I bet Daddy has been lonely too." Usagi puts on a determined look. "From now on, I won't cry anymore. I have to work hard to cover for Mommy so Daddy won't get lonely!"

"That's good of you to do, Usagi."

"Let's work hard to make Daddy happy!"

"Yeah, you can count on me!"

"I'm home!" Zack's voice echos in the foyer. "And I have celebration cake."

"It's Daddy!" Usagi gets out her chair, and runs up to him.

After setting up the table and taking out the cake, Zack has us all sit at the table. The cake is nothing too special, but it still looks nice. It's covered in white icing, and has sugar roses on it.

"This is a special day for us as a family," he says.

"It is?" Usagi asks.

"Mhmm! It's the day when you, me, and Sora became a family!"

I jokingly put my hand on my chest. "And I wasn't part of it before?! I'm completely and utterly appalled!"

Usagi giggles and Zack grins. "At any rate, today is when we make it official!"

"Okay… I don't really get it, but isn't it great, Big Bro?" Usagi asks.

"Of course!" I reach toward the mug by my plate to drink some coffee, but then it hits me.

This is Aerith's mug.

I've always just used one of the white extra ones they had. Zack has his blue one, Usagi has a purple one, and Aerith's mug is red. "Hey Zack, this mug…"

"From today on, that's yours. Please use it. I'm sure Aerith would be very happy." Zack smiles.

"I'll treasure it."

"And before I forget…" Zack reaches into his jacket, and pulls out a slip of paper. and hands it to Usagi. Did he really get it signed? "

Usagi opens it with a curious look in her eyes. "Any… Time's… Okay…" she reads slowly.

"This time I promise I'll come!" Zack says

Usagi smiles. "You better!"

"So does this mean we can eat the cake now?" I ask. "Those sugar flowers are calling me…" Am I drooling? I can't tell if I'm drooling because the cake is distracting me.

Zack chuckles. "Then dig in! But Sora, can I just tell you something quick?"

"Then say it, I'm not stopping you."

"Listen… Families are meant to laugh, cry, and bicker. They spend most of their long lives together. They're supposed to be warm."

"Yup!" Usagi says.

"I can't believe I was avoiding that by chasing someone who had run away. You made me realize that, Sora. Thank you."

"I did it because we're family," I tell him.

"I'm going to continue to pursue the culprit who killed Aerith, But I won't use it as an excuse to run away. I'm doing it because I'm a detective. You see, this is my town. It's special to me since it's where you and Usagi are. That's why I'm going to continue protecting this town. I'm doing it both as a detective, and a father."

"Daddy, you're so cool!" Usagi cheers.

"You bet I am!" Zack and Usagi laugh together.

Before I eat my slice of cake, I turn around to the picture of Usagi, Zack, and Aerith. It's there on a table next to something that wasn't there before.

A brand new picture of the three of us together.

And another chapter! I got this one done super fast! I posted this on a Saturday, so it seems like it took the same amount of time, but in reality, I actually finished this Tuesday night. I just happened to have some free time, so instead of studying like a model student, I decide to write this!

I'm failing Chemistry, someone send help. My grades are in hell.

On another note, how'd everyone like the chapter? It's one of the more dramatic ones in my opinion since I finally address the elephant in the room that is Zack's crappy parenting skills. Hopefully you guys didn't hate him too much for acting like a dick.

Also, time for the Persona Hearts Drinking Game! Every time Usagi says Daddy or Mommy, take a shot!

Anyway, see you next chapter! Also, this story has just reached 20 follows, and I'm super grateful to all of you!