It was another day at school ready to come to an end, nothing out of the ordinary had happened as of late as Riley and her classmates waited for the final bell to ring and their parents or other caregivers to pick them up. Before that could happen though, their teacher Mr. Bowen had one final announcement to give to the children. "Okay class, we're going to be finishing up arts and crafts next week so how about we begin a new project!", he exclaimed, catching the attention of all the students, "Since all of you have shown your creativity insomany unique and different ways, this time, you will be doing a family tree!".
A kid then raised his hand, "What's a family tree?". "Good question.", Mr. Bowen replied, "A family tree is like a big chart with not just you, but your parents, your aunts and uncles, grandparents, anyone that is part of the family goes on there.", he further explained, "The oldest people on the family tree go on the very top while you, your brothers and sisters, or cousins go all the way on the bottom. You also have to connect them too, remember that. And also label how they're related to you.".
As the kindergarten teacher further explained to the class how a family tree works, Riley would go back and forth between paying attention to her teacher and the clock which is just five minutes away from being 3 PM. "And that's how you make a family tree!", Mr. Bowen finished, "Any questions?". All of the students remained silent before he nodded, "Good! Remember to finish it by next week where we will be showing them off to the rest of the class.", he informed, "With all that said kids, be sure to have a nice weekend.".
The final bell started ringing and all the kids started getting up from their seats to meet with their parents just outside the classroom. Among the parents were Rock and Revy with the two crouching down upon seeing their daughter.
"Hey Riley!", Revy greeted with a hug and a warm smile, "How was school today?". "Good.", Riley responded. "Did you do anything today?", Rock chimed in. "We did more arts and crafts today.", Riley answered. "Really?", Rock further asked "What else did you do?". "We did more painting and then more paper things.", Riley described. "Wow!", Revy chuckled, "Sooner or later, we're gonna have to put up an art museum for ya!".
"I also got homework to do.", Riley added. Rock and Revy's smiles slightly faded but kept the same friendly tone, "What is it?", Rock asked. "We gotta do a family tree for next week!", Riley replied, "And the teacher said we have to show it to the class too!". "Oh…that's uh…", Rock awkwardly sighed before glimpsing at Revy, his wife also having an awkward reaction to this assignment. "That's great…", Revy blurted out with the least confident smile and chuckle she's ever displayed. "Can you and Daddy help me with it?", Riley innocently asked. "Of course we will.", Revy answered, "We…just need to learn what to do with your teacher, that's all…. Rock, go talk to him.", she whispered to her husband in that last statement. Rock did as told and entered the classroom, Revy and Riley not too far behind him. "Mr. Okajima, do you need anything?", Mr. Bowen politely offered as he almost began checking student files.
"It's about the homework assignment you gave out.", Rock answered as he sat in a nearby chair. "The family tree project.", the teacher clarified, "What do you need to know about it?". Rock fidgeted his fingers as he tried to think of what to say, "Listen Mr. Bowen, my wife…she doesn't exactly have a great history with her family.". The teacher looked at Rock with a more serious yet intrigued expression, "Is it alright if we… leave her side out of it?", Rock asked in a somber tone. "Yes, that's fine.", Mr. Bowen nodded, "I won't ask what exactly happened with her and her family but if she doesn't feel comfortable adding them on Riley's family tree, that's perfectly okay; her grade will not be affected.". "Thank you.", Rock sincerely nodded. "What about you, Mr. Okajima? Are you on good terms with your family?", Mr. Bowen asked in a slightly concerned manner.
Rock stayed silent on that question for a brief moment, he can't really bring up the fact that for all his family knew, he died a decade ago. Are his parents even still alive? Whatever happened to that older brother of his? Does Rock have any nieces or nephews he's unaware about? Would his parents even care if he showed up to their doorstep with a wife and daughter? "They're…dead.", Rock answered to keep himself from thinking about that and to avoid keeping Mr. Bowen waiting. "I'm sorry to hear that.", the teacher gave his condolences. "It's fine.", Rock shrugged off, "It happened before Riley was even born.". He then got up from his chair, "Anyway, we have to head home now. Thank you for the info."
"I gotta check grades now, but can I offer some advice for this project, Mr. Okajima?", Mr. Bowen called out before Rock could leave the classroom, prompting him to turn around. "The family tree project isn't strictly blood relatives either.", the teacher informed, "If there's any adoptive or honorary members, people Riley considers family, they can be added to the tree too.". "Got it.", Rock nodded, "Thanks again.". "Of course.", Mr. Bowen nodded, "You three have a nice weekend!", he waved. "You too.", Rock replied before leaving the classroom and began walking to the car with Revy and Riley.
"How'd it go?", Revy asked. "Fine…", Rock answered, "I think I got a better idea on how we're supposed to do the family tree.". "Do we have to start now?", Riley asked, looking down in a disappointed tone. "No, don't worry. We can wait a little bit.", Rock slightly chuckled, "Not too long though because then we wouldn't have time to work on it.". "Okay.", Riley said, "Are we gonna make mine look very cool?", she further asked. "The absolute coolest.", Revy assured her before they continued their way to the school parking lot. The Okajimas then sit in the car and begin their way home, Riley was minding her business and simply looking over her surroundings, Rock and Revy, however, were in deep thought thanks to their daughter's new assignment. Though Rock claimed to better understand the family tree project, he still needed to plan and think things through with it.
Eventually, they make it back home with Rock opening the front door to let Revy and Riley in. The three wind down for the rest of the day, they have dinner, and Riley was given a bath after Rock and Revy struggled for about five minutes to get her in the tub. Then it was time to get her to bed. "Do we have to start tomorrow?", Riley whined as Rock carried her from the bathroom and into her room. "We have to at least get the supplies for it, sweetie.", Rock answered. "But I thought we were gonna wait a little bit!", Riley protested. "It's not going to be right when we wake up either.", Rock assured, "Maybe around the middle of the day.". "Okay…", Riley replied before her father started tucking her in.
"If ya want, we can also get McDonald's for lunch tomorrow.", Revy added, "Sound good?". Riley nodded before yawning and lying down, Rock carefully pulled the covers over Riley's body before giving his daughter a goodnight kiss, "Goodnight, Riley.", Rock tenderly said. "Goodnight, Daddy.", Riley replied. Revy also gave Riley a goodnight kiss as well, "G'night, Riley.", she gently said. "Goodnight, Mommy.", Riley yawned out as she rested her head before sleepiness ultimately took the child in. Her parents quietly leave her room and close the door.
They head to their bedroom with Revy sitting on her side of the bed, "Well, Riley's in bed and it's only 8:30.", Revy commented, "Whatcha wanna do?", she asked before looking at Rock who was drawing with a notepad and a pencil in hand. "Right now, I'm trying to draw out Riley's family tree.", Rock answered, "Just to have a basic idea on how we're gonna help her make it.". Revy scooted closer to him and watched as Rock continued drawing the different squares and lines, trying to connect them together in a way that wasn't confusing but noticed something was missing. "Where's the tree?", Revy asked with a raised eyebrow. "Wha..what do you mean, it's right here.", Rock replied with a somewhat confused tone. "Did ya not do these back in elementary? You can't make a family tree without the tree.", Revy retorted.
"Well did you make one back in elementary?", Rock asked with snark in his voice. "Course I did! Came out like shit.", Revy answered. Rock sighed before he started drawing a tree around the diagram he set up. So far, the only names he labeled in squares were: Rock Okajima, Rebecca (Lee) Okajima, and Riley Okajima. Revy had a more critical look again, "That's a shitty looking tree.", she blurted out. "Good to know we both draw shitty trees then.", Rock sarcastically remarked, "Anyway, I spoke with Riley's teacher. He said we don't have to add your side of the family if you don't want to.". "Good.", Revy responded with a hint of relief, "Don't want that old piece of shit's name on my daughter's school project.". "If anything, we'll say you're an orphan and leave it at that.", Rock added.
"Yeah, we're not really lying right there.", Revy shrugged her shoulders in agreement, "What about your family back in Japan? You gonna add them?". "That's my main dilemma…", Rock unsurely answered, "I told the teacher they're dead, but a small part of me was thinking how they'd react to see where I am now or…if I'm the uncle of some kids who have no idea who I am.". Revy nodded in affirmation, "Used to think of what my mom was like from time to time…and how she'd react to what I grew up to be". "You told me.", Rock recalled. "Now not so much, got better things to think about.", Revy finished. Rock began to speak again, "And of course, your dad-", "Not giving 'im the light of day in my head.", Revy interrupted, "Cuz why give him that? Raising Riley right is already a big 'Fuck you' to him anyway."
"The point I'm trying to make, Rock, is…", Revy said as she tried to gather her words together, "Whether or not you wanna add them to the tree, don't spend so much time thinkin' what people from like…ten years ago will think of you now. Especially if it's family who didn't give a shit about you.". Rock silently nodded in acknowledgement, "I'll just name drop my parents and brother's names, don't need to go a full search on them.".
On the left side of the square containing his name, Rock drew a line which he labeled "Siblings" before drawing another square connecting it with the name: Hikari Okajima. That was his "more successful" older brother who found a job within the Japanese government. Rock then drew two more squares above his and Hikari's squares before connecting them all together. In the left box, Rock wrote his father's name; Soichiro Okajima. In the right box, Rock wrote his mother's name; Sachiko (Yagami) Okajima. Revy watched her husband as he did so before letting out a mischievous snort, grabbing Rock's attention.
"Come to think about it…", Revy smirked, "It would be kinda funny if we just went to Japan again and showed up at your parents' doorstep outta nowhere.". Rock couldn't help but laugh, "I think they'd have a heart attack if they saw me alive, let alone with a wife and daughter they never met.". Revy laughed in return, "They ain't ready for Rebecca Okajima to come in their lives!". "Or Riley for that matter!", Rock added, "Kid's capable of anything.". A few more laughs were shared between husband and wife before they calmed down a bit, Rock then wrapped an arm around Revy's shoulder as he put the notepad down on the nightstand.
"Takin' a break now?", Revy asked. "Yeah.", Rock nodded, "There's still four other people we have to add, but we can do that tomorrow.". "Dutch, Benny, Jane, and Eda.", Revy name dropped which Rock nodded to, "Besides maybe that four-eyed bitch, they're about as much as Riley's family as we are at this point.". "Yeah, plus the teacher said honorary family members count too", Rock agreed, "Anyway, you wanna watch a movie?", he offered. "Sure, let's see what's on.", Revy answered as she turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels.
Eventually Rock and Revy found their movie in Titanic, a movie that nobody would expect the latter of all people would enjoy watching, as they cuddled together. They also end up falling asleep before the movie ended, something Rock wouldn't realize until he rolled over on the TV remote in the middle of the night before going back to sleep.
The next morning, the Okajimas were up and ready to have breakfast. Rock served pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon and orange juice to drink. "So, what do we need from the store?", Riley asked. Rock began listing the items down, "We need construction paper, letter stickers, and…do we have glue?". "Pretty sure, yeah.", Revy answered. Rock nodded, "So two things! We also need scissors and glue but we have those there.". "What about all the names of you and Mommy's families?", Riley asked. "We have the names of them too.", Rock informed as he and Revy glanced at each other. "We also gotta add your aunts and uncles too.", Revy added. "Oh yeah!", Riley realized, "They're family too.". "Mhm.", Revy nodded, "Also need good pictures of everyone too.". "I should have some that are up to date.", Rock said. "Works for me.", Revy said before she started eating.
Rock nods at that before he and Riley also begin eating their food. Suddenly, Rock stops for a moment, "Wait Revy…". Revy looks at her husband, "Yeah?". Rock paused for a second before opening his mouth, "Do we even know the full names of everyone?". Revy froze in place and pondered, "Oh sh….shoot. We don't.", she answered. "But I can just put Uncle Dutch, Uncle Benny, Aunt Eda, and Aunt Jane, right?", Riley asked. "It's not that easy, sweetie.", Rock replied, "When you add a family member to the tree, you have to put their whole name on there.". "Oh…", Riley looked down. "Don't worry about that right now though.", Rock assured, "Finish your breakfast and we'll go to the store later.". Riley nodded before continuing eating her food.
"Office Depot, right?", Revy asked with a mouth full of eggs before swallowing. "Yeah.", Rock nodded before he went back to eating as well. Eventually, the Okajimas finished their food and started putting the dishes and forks into the dishwasher. While Riley went back to her room, Rock sat on the couch with his notepad and went to the family tree he drew up before drawing four squares unattached to his and Revy's side of the tree. Revy grabbed her cellphone, "Gonna give 'em each a call. Hopefully now that we're not in Roanapur anymore, they can give us some names.", she told Rock. "That sounds good.", Rock nodded. First person on their call list was none other than her and Rock's former boss Dutch. Due to the 11 hour difference between North Carolina and Thailand, it was morning for Rock and Revy but night time for everyone else.
A few seconds pass before Dutch answers, "Hello?". "Hey Dutchie, how's it goin'?", Revy greeted. "Fine, what about you?", he asked. "Good, good. Just ate breakfast.", Revy answered, "Say, I need a big favor.". "If you got yourself into trouble over there, I'm afraid you called the wrong guy.", Dutch replied. "No no, it's not like that.", Revy assured, "I just need to know what your last name is.". Dutch raised an eyebrow on the other side of the line in confusion, "...My last name?". "Riley has this family tree project to do for school next week and we're gonna add you, Benny, Jane, and Eda to it.", Revy explained, "Problem is you guys never told us your full names.". "For good reason, y'know how Roanapur is with that kind of info being given out willy nilly.", Dutch justified.
"Well, Rock and I ain't in Roanapur anymore so it's not like someone's gonna catch you tellin' us or anything.", Revy retorted, "So…last name please?". Dutch sighed, "Fine…my full name is… Dennis Dutch.". Revy's eyes widened as she froze in place for a second before a smirk formed on her face that slowly warped into a giggling smile then to a snicker before finally abruptly bursting with hysterical laughter much to Rock's confusion. "Your name is DENNIS?!", Revy asked as she continued laughing and slamming her fist on the couch. "Goddamnit, Revy! It ain't funny!", Dutch shouted. "What, were you too embarrassed over us callin' ya Dennis? That's why we called ya Dutch?", Revy teasingly asked, unable to stop laughing. "I told you already, we can't just give out names like that over in Roanapur!", Dutch defensively snapped back.
Revy's face was turning red with tears in her eyes from laughing so much before going into a brief coughing fit. She still laughed a little more before Dutch groaned in embarrassment, "I'm gonna go now. Hope Riley gets a good grade on the family tree.". "Yeah, yeah…bye Dutch.", Revy replied, trying to catch her breath and wipe tears from her eyes. They hang up before Revy looked over at her husband who managed to write Dutch's full name down. "What was that all about?", Rock asked. "Nothin'...", Revy answered, "Just didn't expect Dutch to be really called Dennis of all things!", she chuckled. "Yeah, I wouldn't think so either…", Rock admitted with a slight smirk, "He would've been really mad if we found that out while we still worked for him.". "Are you kidding? He'd kick our asses!", Revy replied, still chuckling.
"So who's next?", Rock asked. "I'll call Benny up next.", Revy said before calling him. Unfortunately though, no answer. Revy sighed, "He's probably fuckin' Jane or some shit. Let's try Eda.". Revy tried calling Eda but she also didn't answer, "Goddamnit…". "We're gonna have to call them after getting all the supplies.", Revy said. "You forgot to call Jane.", Rock replied. "I don't have her number.", Revy shrugged. "Neither do I honestly.", Rock admitted, "Plus if Benny's not answering, I doubt Jane would either.". With one full name down and three more to go, Rock puts his notepad down on the coffee table before getting up and leaving, "Should probably start getting ready soon.". Revy followed suit and went with him to their room.
After some more time of relaxation, Rock started to gather his and his wife's clothes for the day while Revy took a quick shower. Once she was done, she and Rock brushed their teeth, combed their hair, and got dressed for the day. Revy also packed her holsters and guns before putting her jacket on. The two then go to check on their daughter and see Riley was putting her shoes on first. "Ready to go?", Revy asked. "Yeah.", Riley answered. "Let's get going then.", Rock nodded before Riley followed her parents down the stairs.
The Okajimas went inside the car with Rock locking the door. Revy strapped Riley to her car seat before sitting in the passenger's seat and Rock starting the car. The three then drove off on their way to Office Depot. It didn't take too long for them to get there. Rock grabbed his notepad from earlier and checked the list of supplies they needed, "Okay, just a reminder of what to get: Construction paper and letter stickers.", he recalled, "Maybe some extra glue just in case.", he said writing that down. "And we go to McDonald's after!", Riley chimed in, making her father slightly smirk, "Yes sweetie. When you're hungry, we'll pass by McDonald's after.".
They then enter the store with Rock grabbing a cart. The first thing they went looking for was construction paper though along the way, Rock also grabbed some glue sticks; There was a mass variety of different colors to choose from. "So what colors do we need for the tree?", Riley asked. "Well, what colors make up a tree?", Revy playfully asked with a wide smile on her face. "Green for the leaves…and brown for the wood!", Riley answered after a bit of thinking. "Then those are the colors we're gonna use.", Revy affirmed. "Let's also grab some yellow for the background.", Rock suggested.
As they grabbed brown, green, and yellow construction paper, Revy's phone suddenly started ringing and she sees it's Benny calling her back. "'Bout time.", she thought to herself as she picked it up. "'Ello.", Revy greeted. "Hey I saw you called.", Benny replied on the other line, "Was out with Jane earlier, sorry I couldn't answer.". "It's fine.", Revy shrugged. "Anyway, what's up?", Benny asked. "We're tryin' to do Riley's family tree for school and we need your full name.", Revy replied. "Oh…okay.", Benny nodded, "Jane's too?". "Rock and I don't have her number, so yeah.", Revy said. "Benjamin John Brown and Janet Bhai.", Benny responded as Revy put her phone on speaker for Rock to hear. He then quietly wrote the names down on the tree.
"Alright thanks.", Revy replied. "Oh quick question!", Benny abruptly shouted, "Am I still a wa-". "Mr. Brown, can you please put your phone away so we can go through the proceedings for the fifth time?", an older voice interrupted. "Just a second, need to ask a question.", Benny answered before turning back to an annoyed Revy on the other line, "Am I still a wanted man in Flor-", Revy immediately hung up. "Sounds like they're getting a divorce again.", Rock commented. "They'll be back ta dating in like two weeks or somethin'.", Revy shrugged off before grabbing more of the three colors they needed. "What's divorce?", Riley asked curiously. "Don't worry about it, sweetie.", Revy quickly answered, to which Riley tilted her head in confusion before shrugging it off as they went to find the next thing they needed: Letter stickers.
"Alright, all we need to do is find some stickers for the letters.", Rock said as they looked over the letter stickers. "We need cool looking letters!", Riley enthusiastically exclaimed. "Well, let's check 'em out.", Revy said as she grabbed the assortment of different stickers. The first set had a glittery cursive aesthetic which neither of them liked, the second one was more blocky and basic, too bland. The third set, however, had multiple colors for each letter and a somewhat more jagged appearance. That one made Riley's eyes glimmer in awe, "I want these stickers!", she shouted. "Well alright then, put them in the cart.", Revy replied. Riley then threw the stack of stickers into the cart before making their way to the register.
"See, wasn't that fast?", Rock asked his daughter. Riley nodded in agreement, "Can we go to McDonald's now?". "After we pay, we can go.", Rock answered. "Just take the stuff and go.", Riley impatiently demanded. "No…", Rock shook his head with a slightly stern voice, "That would be stealing, we don't steal things.". "The line isn't long anyway.", Revy added, "We'll be done in not even five minutes.". Sure enough, it took only about three minutes for the Okajimas to reach the register. Rock paid for the supplies and the three headed back into the car.
"Alright Riley, we're going to be heading through the McDonald's drive-thru and then we gotta start making the tree when we head home.", Rock declared, "Does that sound good?". "Yeah, that sounds good.", Riley responded. "Eda hasn't called back yet.", Revy commented, "What do we do?". "Call her back when we finish lunch, I guess.", Rock shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, sounds about right.", Revy nodded. They take off once more before managing to find the drive-thru of a nearby McDonald's. Rock leaned his head close to the speaker to start their order.
The cashier behind the speaker started talking, "Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?". "Yeah, I'll have a chicken sandwich with a side salad.", Rock raised his voice before turning to Revy, "What do you want?". "Quarter pounder with cheese, medium fries.", Revy answered. "A quarter pounder with cheese and medium fries…", Rock repeated, "And…". "Chicken nuggets with a toy!", Riley said. "And a Happy Meal with six piece chicken nuggets.", Rock finished. "What would you like to drink?", the cashier asked. "Dr. Pepper.", Revy said to Rock. "Apple juice!", Riley added. "A medium-sized Diet Coke, a medium-sized Dr. Pepper, and an apple juice for the Happy Meal!", Rock said to the speaker. "Okay, will that be everything?", the cashier further asked. "Yes, thank you.", Rock nodded before driving further upwards to grab their food and pay.
The Okajimas eventually head back home to have their lunch and start working on the family tree. Rock put the bags full of supplies on the kitchen counter while Revy and Riley carried the bags worth of McDonald's orders onto the table. The three then started eating their lunch. Riley got a toy car she really liked with her Happy Meal and started playing with it after finishing her nuggets. At some point, Riley started driving it on her mother's arm and up her shoulder as she continued eating her burger before it backflipped to where her father was sitting. Rock and Revy couldn't help but smile a little.
"Enjoying the new toy they gave you?", Rock asked. Riley nodded, "I wanna drive it on the big squiggly on Mommy's arm next.". Revy snickered at her daughter's comment, "After we finish setting up the family tree, we can play.". She then takes another bite of her burger and gathers a few fries as Riley continues playing with her new toy. Eventually, everyone had finished lunch and threw away their garbage with Rock gathering the supplies they just bought; he also grabbed some scissors and extra glue from his office.
"Okay, let's get this started.", Rock said as he put the supplies onto the table, "First we gotta cut some paper for the trunk. Make it take upnotthe whole yellow paper, but a big part of it. "I wanna cut it!", Riley enthusiastically responded. "Okay, but be careful. The scissors are pretty sharp.", Rock warned. Rock and Revy held the paper onto the table as their daughter started cutting the brown paper. First it went into a straight line before cutting the paper in half and then Riley had to cut four shorter lines to represent the branches for her aunts and uncles. "Now what?", Riley asked. "Now we glue it to the yellow paper.", Rock instructed. Riley was handed the glue stick and she applied it to both the yellow paper and the brown pieces of paper. After applying some pressure, the pieces of paper stuck together with ease; two on each side.
"What about the leaves?", Riley asked. "We're gonna do that next.", Revy answered as she handed the green paper over. "Cutting the leaves is a little tricky, so let me know if you need help.", Rock assured. "Okay.", Riley nodded before she started cutting. Much to her parents' surprise, Riley actually managed to cut the leaves pretty well. They weren't perfect, but still better than what either of them could conjure up; there were four smaller patches for the branches and then one big patch for the top. They were then all glued together.
"Okay, third step is to add the stickers for the title.", Rock informed, "What colors do you want to use for the title?". "Red!", Riley quickly answered. Rock nodded and handed Riley the red letter stickers. "You know how to apply them?", he asked. "Yeah, you just put them on the paper and they stick.", Riley answered. "It's a bit more than that, but yeah.", Rock informed, "We gotta make sure the stickers are nice in the middle of the big leaves too.". "We can help ya with that.", Revy added. Riley grabbed the red stickers and peeled off a capital R before carefully placing it on the green area on top of the tree, "Is this place good?"she asked, looking back at her parents. "Yeah, that's good.", they nodded. "'Riley's Family Tree'! That's gonna be the title.", Riley announced. "Sounds good to me.", Revy said with a thumbs up and a smile, "Let's put that title together."
Letter by letter, Rock, Revy, and Riley carefully placed them next to each other at the top of the tree. Eventually, the title was finished. Now all that was left was to put the actual family members there. "Alright, now we just gotta add everyone.", Riley said looking proudly at the tree they just finished. "Yep, then we'll be done!", Revy nodded. "We still don't know Eda's full name, that's the only thing.", Rock reminded them. "Oh, that's right…", Revy facepalmed as she sighed, "Gotta try callin' her again.". "I'll be getting a marker and pictures of everyone.", Rock announced before heading to go find them.
Revy grabs the phone and tries to call Eda again. "Your call has been forwarded to an automatic voice message. The number you are calling is not available.", an automated voice replied, making Revy groan, "Please leave your message after the beep.". Once the beep went off, Revy began her message, "Hey Eda! It's Revy! I've been tryin' to call you but you're not answering! So how 'bout you just get up and pick up the…darn phone! Pick up! Pick up! Pick up-". Before Revy could finish her rather demanding voice message, Eda finally called back.
"Jesus Christ, I got it…I got it…", Eda groaned on the other line. "Finally.", Revy said in an annoyed tone. "It's 2 in the morning over here! What the hell do you want?!", Eda snapped. "Your full name.", Revy answered. Eda briefly became silent with confusion, "...My full name? Why do you need my-". "We have to do a family tree for Riley and it's due next week.", Revy interrupted, "We got the names of all the aunts and uncles 'cept you. So…full name please.". Eda sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose, "Edith Blackwater…". "There, was that so hard?", Revy condescendingly asked as she wrote her name on a nearby piece of paper. "Fuck you, bitch. Y'know I got a busy schedule…", Eda sneered. "You coulda just made time and called back earlier, but whatever.", Revy retorted, "Anyway, thanks for the-", Eda immediately hung up before Revy could thank her, "Hello? Hello?". She sighed as she shook her head then hung up right after.
Rock returned with the pictures and four different colored sharpies, "Who was that?", he asked. "Eda.", Revy quickly answered, "Finally called back and gave us her full name.". "Oh good, what is it?", Rock asked as he sat down. "Edith Blackwater.", Revy replied. "So, now we can put them on the tree, right?", Riley asked. "Yep, we sure can!", Revy answered now in a more enthusiastic tone. Rock gathered the pictures and put them on the tree. "You know where to put everyone?", Rock asked. "Yeah, I go on the bottom with you and Mommy above me. And then you and Mommy's families above you.", Riley answered, "Aunts and uncles go on the side.". "You got it.", Rock nodded, "Let's try gluing them now.".
The first pictures that Riley had to glue were pictures of Rock's parents which she placed near the top of the tree. Her father then wrote their names with a black sharpie above the pictures and then drew a line with a red sharpie connecting them; Soichiro Okajima and Sachiko (Yagami) Okajima. "The red line represents they're married.", Rock informed. "Should probably make a key somewhere.", Revy suggested. Rock nodded before going near the bottom right corner and started making the key. The red lines means they're married, the blue lines means they're siblings, and the green lines means they're children.
The next people Riley had to add were her parents. Once glued, Rock labeled the names; Rock Okajima and Rebecca (Lee) Okajima. He then connected the two with a red line before connecting himself with his parents' line in green. "Wait Daddy…,", Riley suddenly spoke up, "Why's there a name in the middle of Mommy's first and last name?". "Oh, that's her maiden name.", Rock answered, "It's her last name before we got married.". "But why did she change it?", Riley further asked. "Well why not?", Revy shrugged, "I wanted to be closer to your dad when we got married so I picked his last name.". "Same thing happened with my mom.", Rock added. Riley stayed quiet for a minute before speaking, "I don't want my last name taken away!", she complained. "You don't have to if you don't want to.", Rock assured, "Even if you get married, you can keep both last names.". "Or make 'em takeyourname instead.", Revy smirked. "Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do!", Riley boasted, "Make 'em change their last name to mine!"
Revy couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, okay, there'sa lottatime before we start thinking about that.", she said, "Now to add the next few people.". The next person to add was, of course, Riley herself. The picture was glued on before Rock labeled it and connected her green line to Rock and Revy's red line. Hikari Okajima was also added next to the left side of Rock and connected to him via a blue line.
"Now onto the branches.", Rock said. He handed Riley a picture of each of her aunts and uncles; Dutch, Benny, Jane, and Eda. The men went on the left side of the tree while the women were put on the right. With her parents' help, Riley glued each of them onto an individual branch before Rock labeled them all by their full names; Revy couldn't help but slightly snort at the name 'Dennis Dutch' being written under her former boss's picture. And with that, the family tree was complete!
"There we go, all done!", Revy exclaimed. "Yeah, I'd say we did a good job.", Rock smiled and nodded, "You like it too, Riley?". "Uh huh!", Riley eagerly nodded, "I gotta question though…". "What is it?", Rock asked. "Where's Mommy's family?", she asked, making Revy flinch and look at her daughter with a rather awkward expression. "I…uh…", Revy sighed, "I'm an orphan.", she reluctantly told the half-truth. Riley looked at her mother with a confused expression, "A what?". "An orphan.", Rock chimed in, "It means she…didn't have a family growing up.". "Oh…", Riley muttered looking down, "That sounds very sad.". "It was very sad. For a long time.", Revy solemnly agreed before smiling, "But, eventually it led me to your dad and then you. And you make me happier than anything else in the world.".
Riley smiled as Revy then ruffled her hair, "You and Daddy make me happier than anything in the world too.". Her parents couldn't help but smile at that. "Can we go play with my new car now?", Riley suddenly blurted out. "Yes Riley, we can go play with your new car now.", Revy replied. With that said, Riley grabbed her toy car and went with her mother to go play with it. Meanwhile, her father decided to check on the finished family tree and took it away from the table with the rest of the supplies and into his office.
Recalling his conversation with Revy the night before, Rock glanced at his side of the family tree. Part of him was still at the very least curious about their current whereabouts and he sat at the home computer, ready to give them a quick Google search. "Huh, not much really changed.", Rock thought to himself after seeing the search results. As Rock closed the window and turned off the computer, he then glanced over at a picture by his desk before grabbing it; it had him, his wife, and his daughter smiling together. Rock couldn't help but give a small soft smile at it.
Just looking at his family, his new family to be exact, gives him a sense of joy he didn't think he'd ever get or even deserve. And while not outright hateful of his old family, they're not his concern anymore and haven't been for a long time; Revy and Riley are the new lights of his life and he's gotta be there for them just like how they'll be there for him. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his head and he sat up from his chair to meet up with the others.
Rock heard childish laughter erupt from Riley's room and figured that's where they were at and opened the door. Riley was playing with her new toy car using her mother's tattooed arm as a racetrack while Revy simply sat still with her arm stretched out and playfully smiling as her daughter kept the small car going up her shoulder. She then noticed her husband enter the room. "Oh, hey Rock.", Revy casually greeted, "Ya need anything?". "I just came up to check on you two.", Rock replied. "Well right now, my arm's the new track for little Dominic Torretto over here.", Revy said, giving Riley a small head tilt as she continued playing around.
"I was thinking we go out for dinner tonight, the three of us.", Rock suggested, "Heard that pizza place downtown's really good.". "I want pizza!", Riley excitedly responded. "Yeah, could use some pizza later too.", Revy nodded. "Great! Let me know when you two are hungry later and we'll be on our way.", Rock exclaimed. "Yeah, we will.", Revy replied as Riley's car makes a stop at her neck. Riley frowned at where the 'road' stopped, "Aw, it stopped.".
Rock and Revy couldn't help but chuckle, "Looks like ya reached a dead end, gonna have to go back.", Revy said with a smirk across her face. With no other words, Riley turned the car around and made it go back down Revy's shoulder and arm again much to her parents' amusement. Rock then left the room as Riley and Revy continued to play.
Eventually, evening time came along and the Okajimas decided to get ready to go eat some pizza. Riley, wanting to see the completed family tree again, walked into her dad's office to look at it again with a prideful smile on her face. That was until she got another question on her mind; How come she never met her dad's brother or his parents? Before she could do anything else, the door suddenly opened. "Riley, there you are!", Rock walked in, "C'mon, we're gonna be leaving now.". "Okay Daddy.", Riley replied, "I was looking at the family tree again.". "Yeah, it looks really good.", Rock smiled and nodded, "Make sure to write your name and the date before you forget."
Riley obliges and writes her name and the date at the bottom right corner of the paper before walking with Rock to the car where Revy was waiting. He sat his daughter down in her car seat before sitting in the driver's side with Revy in the passenger's side. The three then start heading off to the downtown pizza place.
It was a nice fifteen-minute long drive, but then Riley suddenly had a question, "Hey Daddy…". "Yes, Riley?", Rock looked at her through the rear view mirror. Riley briefly looked down before looking back up, "Why doesn't your family come see us?". Rock and Revy's eyes briefly widened as the former flinched but kept his focus on the steering wheel and the road ahead. "Are they dead too?", Riley further asked. Rock groaned as he tried to figure out another answer without having to lie so much about them like with her teacher the day before, something does come up though. "They don't visit because…", Rock tried explaining, "Because they live too far away from us.". "But people like Uncle Dutch and Aunt Eda live far away too and they come to visit!", Riley argued.
"Yeah, but….", Rock replied but shortly stopped as he white knuckled the steering wheel trying to figure out how to respond. Revy looked over at her husband with concern in her eyes and pulled out a heavy metal CD, "How 'bout we listen to some music before the pizza?", she suggested before inserting it into the car radio's disc slot. "But I wanna hear Daddy's answer!", Riley retorted. "Well, maybe the music will help him think for a bit.", Revy responded as she pressed play.
Sure enough, the sound of Rage Against the Machine was able to distract Riley for the time being. Rock calmed down while his wife and daughter started jamming, but still had a sense of dread of being forced to reveal some semblance of the truth regarding his former life.
Eventually, the Okajima family made it to the pizza restaurant. "Hello, welcome to Dough House Pizza. May I take your order?", the cashier greeted them. "Yeah, I'd like to order a large pizza, half pepperoni, half cheese.", Rock ordered, "And some water for me.". "I'll take a Dr. Pepper.", Revy spoke up. "Water!", Riley said. "Can I have a name?", the cashier replied as he wrote down their orders. "Okajima.", Rock quickly answered. "Alright, food should be ready in about ten minutes.", the cashier said before handing the three sat down to wait for their food. Rock made sure to pay as well.
"So Daddy, why doesn't your family visit us?", Riley asked again. Rock's eyes looked down as he still hadn't found the 'correct' answer to his daughter's question, Revy turning her head to him as well. After a few more minutes of silence, Rock finally spoke up with a deep breath and sigh. "Remember the story of how your mom and I met on the cruise ship?", Rock asked, making Revy tensely glare at him with a hint of panic. "Yeah.", Riley innocently answered. Rock stayed silent for a moment and noticed his wife's tense expression before mouthing "It's okay" to her, she calmed down but still felt worried about what he was about to say.
"After we escaped from the bad guys, that mean boss of mine told my family I was dead and they believed it.", Rock explained. "But why didn't you tell them you weren't?", Riley asked. "I didn't have a way of telling them.", Rock solemnly answered, "We were too far away to be able to call them.". "You and Mommy have sad stories about your families…", Riley commented. "Yeah, it was pretty sad for me too…", Rock shrugged his shoulders looking down until a smile formed on his face, "But after meeting your mother, I felt a lot better after. And now I'm even happier after meeting you too.". A small smile formed on Revy and Riley's faces.
Before the conversation could continue, one of the employees called out to them, "Okajima! Large pizza, half pepperoni, with water and Dr. Pepper!". "I'll go get that.", Rock said standing up before grabbing the pizza and drinks. He then walked back to the table and opened the box for them to enjoy. Riley grabbed the first pepperoni slice and started eating. "Oh yeah, Riley…", Rock said, grabbing her attention, "This is a big secret between the three of us, okay? Don't go telling anyone else.". "I won't.", Riley promised.
With all that said, the Okajimas got to enjoy their dinner together. Riley enjoyed the pizza and got a bit of grease on her mouth which was quickly wiped off. As for Rock and Revy, the pizza was delicious for them too but what was even better was the time spent together; it was times like these that they can consider actually calling it a family dinner. Even with the difficulties that come with raising her and the awkward questions she tends to ask them, Riley truly is the best person to come into their lives. As far as they're concerned, their true family started with her with their friends tagging along too.
A week passed before the family tree project was due and Riley had to present it to the class. Luckily, she didn't have to do a speech or anything; just tell them names and maybe a small bit about them. Eventually, it was her turn to show it and while quite small compared to most other students, Riley passed with flying colors. There were also some last minute add-ins to the tree such as individual leaves for the green parts and extra detail into the wood courtesy of her parents helping her. Soon enough, all the kids presented their family trees which all came in various colors and art styles and as a plus, they even got to be hung up in the school classroom for all to see.
The final bell rang and parents started gathering around the classroom door to pick their children up. Rock and Revy were among them of course. "Mommy, Daddy!", Riley called out to them before heading towards them. Rock and Revy crouched down as Riley dived in for a hug. "I showed my tree to everyone!", she announced. "Oh really?", Revy playfully asked, "What did they think?". "They thought it was cool even the teacher!", Riley answered. "That's awesome.", Rock smiled at her. "We even put them all up on the wall.", Riley added. "Oh actually?", Rock asked while tilting his head trying to peer into the classroom. "Yeah, right there.", Riley pointed at it. Revy also took a glance at it before she and the two others walked in to get a better look and there it was hanging front and center. "Gotta say, we did a good job with this.", Revy commented. "Yeah, glad we added the extra leaves.", Rock nodded in agreement, "The other kids did good too.". "Mine's the coolest though, right?", Riley asked her parents, making them giggle. "Yes Riley, yours is the coolest.", Revy answered.
"I see you two are interested in the family tree display we hung up.", Mr. Bowen said, appearing behind the Okajimas. "Yeah, it looks great.", Rock complimented. "Riley did a really good job with hers.", the teacher added, "You guys helped her out with it?". "Of course.", Rock nodded and smiled, "Anything for her.". "Do we get to like take it home at any point?", Revy asked. "Absolutely.", Mr. Bowen answered happily, "We'll be hanging these up for the rest of the month and then students can decide if they want to take it home.". "I wanna take it home.", Riley said. Revy snorted, "Looks like our little artist has made up her mind already.". The three adults laughed at that statement as Riley looked up at them.
"Can we go home now?", Riley impatiently asked. "Okay, we should get going now.", Rock told the kindergarten teacher with a small smirk on his face, "She gets a little antsy if we stay here for too long.". "Very well then, have a nice day you three!", Mr. Bowen responded. "You too.", Rock nodded as he, Revy, and Riley started exiting the classroom.
The Okajimas made their way to the car before sitting down, "So Riley, how was the rest of school for you?", Rock asked. "Good. Nothing else really happened today.", Riley answered. "Ya have any homework?", Revy asked. Riley shook her head, "No. But I wanna do more of that art stuff like we did with the tree.". "Really?", Revy asked with an intrigued tone, "Like what?". "Like…uhh…panting!", Riley answered. "Panting sounds like a fun idea, actually.", Rock responded, "We could all try it."
Revy shrugged her shoulders, "Alright then.", she said, "Let's pass by the art store later then."