"You remind me of her sometimes" a voice came out of nowhere.
At that Hotaru looked up from her sketchbook, the charcoal pencil in her hand pausing from shading the belladonna flowers that she had been drawing. "Who?"
"Your mother" Kaien stated as he sat down on the bench next to her.
At that Hotaru snorted.
"Yeah I gathered that after Rido tried to kidnap me because she rebuffed him several times because he was a creepy sadist." Her blunt assessment caused Kaien to chuckle and hum in agreement as he looked out at the garden that Hotaru spent her spare time cultivating before settling his gaze back on his daughter.
Yes Hotaru certainly did look like Juri. He could see it clearly in her slender stature and the delicate features of her face. But her eyes no her eyes were from Haruka. They held the same kindness as the pureblood vampire that he had met only once so long ago. Of course Hotaru was still very different from her mother, with her penchant for black magic and poisons.
"Yes that is true. But I meant more your personality. You're both very driven, loyal, uncompromising," he explained and Hotaru ignored how he still spoke of her mother in present tense "and stubborn."
Raven sleeping in one of the flower beds, having been told that she wasn't to strain any of her injuries. Aido was sitting next to her, making sure she was comfortable as he weaved a flower crown of violets and carnations with skilful fingers, trying to keep his hands busy. Hotaru ignored Zero's eyes fixated on her from where he was sitting down, his back against a willow tree. It had been a long time since they could rest and heal.
"Sometimes I think about what would have happened if I hadn't chosen to come back," she admitted, "if I had chosen to just let go of the past and never looked back."
"I would be surprised if you didn't," he replied easily not surprised in the least by her admission "but I'm glad that you came back home."
Minako and Usa-mama had been right that it was good for her to go back and her lips curled.
"I'm not sure if I would call Cross Academy home."
"Well they do say that home is where the heart is," and to Hotaru's astonishment he waggled his eyebrows and looked pointedly at Zero.
At that she burst out laughing.