Author's note: I figured this needed to be its own chapter. It was long enough and I didn't want to cramp action and family drama at the same time. So I decided to make this its special chapter. The reunion of the FIS siblings. I meant to include it in the previous chapter, but it ended up being longer than I thought. This reunion needed justice so here it is at last.
Chapter 25
Broken Promises
"So...FIS is no more and you guys are the only ones still activate along with the old hag and Dr. Ver?" Kuwana surmised, assessing the load of information he just received."And you can't tell me the rest?"
"It's for security reasons." Jades was quick to reassure him."And I know you...don't want to get involved after so long."
'Nice play, Jades-nii.' Raiden nodded to himself.'He doesn't know about the real reason FIS was established. It's better if he doesn't know that Maria...might host Fine's soul.'
"I don't." Kuwana nodded, resting his arm on the back of the chair."So whatever happened to the other kids?"
"Once FIS dissolved, they arranged for the children to be released of their own will or provided shelter. Mom and Dr. Ver started an uprising and ended up taking over our little operation." Jades elaborated, his arms resting on the table."But they're okay, I hope. At least they're free now."
"Freedom, huh?" Kuwana trailed off, narrowing his eyes."It's funny how out of all those kids, only you guys were chosen to make a change. Guess the hag got what she wanted after all."
"We won't let this chance escape our grasp." Maria nodded solemnly."We'll do what it takes for the world to be a better place."
"I sure hope so. This world is shit as it is." Kuwana glanced down at his cup of water."Guess I was thirstier than I imagined. The cup is half empty. Anyway, so you two are babysitting the kids? Like a happy little family? So what, Jades is the dad, Maria is the mom?"
"In a way." Jades shrugged, the implication flying over his head. Maria flushed, staring at him with wide eyes."But Mom overall takes care of all of us. We just make her job easier by watching over them."
"I see...Dealing with kids sounds like a pain." Kuwana trailed off, watching as Kirika, Shirabe, and Andreas were carrying trays of food with them."I never imagined they'd become Symphogears and Kamen Riders too. You have your own little army now. Did the Rider War ever start?"
"It did. Or so I think." Jades sighed."Raiden told me that Odin fought all of them while I..." He swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling cornered and nearly exposing the secret to the girls.
Raiden scowled while Andreas bit his lower lip, both fully aware of what Jades was truly doing.
"While I was on a special mission...Anyway, one of their Riders is dead. Scissors, I believe. We're currently in a battle with them at the moment."
"Yeah, I saw on tv how these two numbskulls got their asses handed to them."
"We...we didn't lose." Raiden huffed, puffing his cheeks."We were close to defeating Ryuki. If only their Symphogears and Riders didn't show up. And Gai too!"
"Gai?" Kuwana feigned ignorance, chuckling internally.
"I...I think we should eat before we get to that-desu..." Kirika suggested, earning a few nods from her siblings. Jades smiled fondly at the group. Finally, after so many years, they were together. All 7 of them. Except for Serena and Atticus. But this reminded him of the times they were always together in the FIS. He noticed Kuwana had ordered a simple bowl of ramen.
"Are you on a diet?"
"No. I just don't have much money right now until payday." The grey-eyed man confessed.
The siblings grinned at each other, confusing Kuwana as they started grabbing some of their food and putting it on his plate.
"Here, Teru-nii. Have some of my dumplings." Maria offered with a warm smile.
"And I don't want to eat my veggies so you can have them-desu!" Kirika beamed, joining in.
Shirabe was next, unceremoniously standing up and walking over to Kuwana, pouring some fried rice on his place."This has too many carbs for me, so..."
"Brownies taste better when you share them with someone special!" Andreas giggled, giving a few brownies to Kuwana.
"You can have a slice of my cheesecake." Raiden meekly pushed his dessert to Kuwana.
"And I'll be giving you some meat," Jades smirked, giving his brother one of the steaks he had ordered. By the time they were done, Kuwana had his ramen and a plate mixed with food on the side. He stared at it, dumbfounded, then back to his siblings. They were all smiling at him with love, overjoyed to see him again. Kuwana bit the inside of his cheek, not liking how they were seemingly making him feel...guilty. But also like they were giving him a place to belong. Just like before...
'Don't...don't look at me like that, damn it...' Kuwana clenched his fists under the table.'Why...? Why am I feeling this way? They're nothing to me.'
That's how it was supposed to be. Here he was, having lunch with the people who never valued him. Never gave him attention, just like his parents. And yet...here they were in his life again.'I thought I'd be ready for this...but...'
"Hey, Teru-nii-chan, look! Remember this?" Andreas grabbed the two toasts he had ordered and placed them on his cheeks, eyes crossed and puffing his cheeks."I'm an idiot sandwich!"
"Pfft!" Kuwana erupted into laughter, followed by the others who joined in with their chuckles. Even the stoic Shirabe giggled a bit, blushing when Kirika gave her a knowing smile.
"So, Teru-nii, how's your life been going so far?" Maria asked, eying his outfit."Are you working at some sort of company?"
"Real estate." Kuwana began, not sounding too thrilled in talking about his job."You know, get people pieces of land, properties, things like that. The details would bore you."
"You went to college already?" Jades's eyes widened in shock."And you already got hired? I heard from Mom that life as a college graduate starts off slow since they struggle in finding job opportunities due to having no real experience."
"I graduated with honors. A few of my professors helped me and put in a good word as well as letters of recommendation. Eventually, I got into the company I work at. I live on my own."
"Wow! So you went through the whole college experience?" Maria marbled, clasping her hands."It must have been tons of fun."
"Contrary to the movies you probably watched, it's not. Sure, you can be a dumbass and go to parties and mess around but people don't stand out like that. You're focusing on fun rather than being the best of the best. I stayed out of that stuff. No point in wasting your time like that if it'll only set you back. Those who don't want to grow are just conformists."
"So you didn't go to any college parties? But isn't that like the whole point of college?"
"No, Andreas." Raiden sighed."People actually go to school to study. That's the point. I would imagine that those who wasted their time didn't get as far as Teru-nii."
"Of course not." Kuwana snorted, a haughty smirk forming on his face.
"That sounds just like you." Jades nodded with a smile."Always working hard. What about friends? Do you have a girlfriend maybe?"
"Friends? Girlfriend? Why would I have anything like that?" Kuwana scowled as if they had said something offensive."I need none of those things. Friendships are fundamentally useless. They just drag those with potential down. As for a girlfriend, that sounds like a pain in the ass."
"Come on, do you expect us to believe you really got no one? Not a single friend?"
"No." Kuwana narrowed his eyes at Jades."I do not. It's exhausting. I'm fine on my own. I made it this far, didn't I? Why let other people leech onto me when I'm fine on my own."
"TeruTeru..." Jades tried to reach out to his brother's hand, but he pulled away immediately.
"It's Terunosuke." Kuwana's glare at Jades intensified., slamming his hand on the table, causing it to quiver."Not TeruTeru. I never liked that fucking name. I'm not a child anymore, Jades."
"Oof, easy there sport." Jades rose his hands, taken aback by his sudden outburst."You're right. You're a grown-up, just like Maria and I. I just...thought you didn't like your name since it was kind of long."
"We can call you Terunosuke." Maria nodded in an attempt to ease the tension.
"I don't mind Teru..." Kuwana trailed off, poking at his mixed plate."Just not TeruTeru. Makes me feel like I'm a dog or something."
"Not everyone like their nicknames." Raiden said, shrugging."I remember when Shirabe tried to call me Den."
"It's short for Raiden." Shirabe said, not bothering to get her eyes off her food."I thought it was cute."
"Not in the slightest...You gave Kirika a better one."
"Kiri-chan just rolls off the tongue much better, I suppose." Shirabe finally made eye contact with Raiden, emerald eyes glaring into purple."Stare..."
"Stop it." Raiden immediately backed off the staring contest."You know that makes me uncomfortable."
"Do it to me." Kuwana squinted his eyes as Shirabe narrowed her eyes at him.
"Stare..." Shirabe muttered under her breath, her piercing glare even bypassing Kuwana's tough exterior.
"Yeah, no." Kuwana closed his eyes."You're way too intense, kid."
"Intense? You slammed Andreas against a wall."
"Wait, what?" Jades nearly choked on his tea.
"Because you guys decided to track me down to my job." Kuwana held his ground."So if anything I should be the one getting an apology here."
"I'm still hung up about you slamming him against a wall." Maria set her fork on her plate, eyeing Andreas."Did you get hurt?"
"I'm fine, Maria-nee-chan!" Andreas gave her a thumbs up."I'm a big boy now! Something like that can't hurt me!"
"Seriously, Teru-nii?" Maria gave him a disapproving glare."You didn't have to do that."
"Much like you didn't need to track me down like that." Kuwana retorted."Could have waited for me to get home or something."
"So is it better for us to follow you to your private residence instead of approaching you at work?" Raiden quirked a brow, prompting Kuwana to roll his eyes.
"When you put it like that..."
"We did it because we wanted to see you. It's...been so long. We thought you were dead." Jades began, eyeing his siblings before clearing his throat."Terunosuke...what...what happened? The day you escaped. And the years after. How did the Gai deck get lost? What happened to Atticus?"
"I knew you'd ask that." And there it was. What they came for. Kuwana smirked triumphantly in his mind. His eyes softened and his smile dissipated."Well...when we escaped, we were chased by armed men. We ran for miles and miles. The facility was very well hidden and isolated from society, so it took us several days to get anywhere. But...we eventually started getting tired. We had no food and all we did was run. Atticus was especially worn out since the was doing all the fighting."
"Mom did say the Americans did all they could to track you guys down before you escaped the country." Maria nodded, receiving a nod from Kuwana.
"One day, we got separated because there was a tropical storm going through. I had to hide under a fucking tree and I was soaked to the bone. Nearly died the following week from the cold I got. But that's the thing. I...I never found Atticus after that. I managed to ask some people that were heading to Spain on a boat to give me a ride and asked if they had seen him. But nothing."
"Wait...so you got separated?" Kirika asked and received a nod in confirmation.
"I wanted to go back to look for him...but I just ran and ran. Eventually, I made it home. At first, I thought that maybe he went back to you guys or maybe he decided to make a new life for himself..." Kuwana's eyes glistened with crocodile tears."But then I saw that tv broadcast about Kamen Rider Gai robbing a bank. And then destroying that high school. I knew immediately that it couldn't have been Atticus. Atticus would never do something like that."
"Are you sure you're not forgetting something?" Jades forged on."I know it must be painful, but we need to get any information we can. If Atticus was killed, it must have happened after you guys got split up. But...who did it then?"
"Maybe he died from natural causes?" Raiden threw out his idea."I mean, he was a Kamen Rider. The strongest one at the time. He wouldn't have died so easily. So I'm assuming that maybe he died and the Deck was passed to someone else."
"What if...what if he fought Odin?" Shirabe said, earning their full attention."Mom said that Riders who are defeated in a duel against Odin have their decks given to another person. Maybe he thought Teru-nii was dead. And filled with guilt over losing him, decided to fight Odin."
"No." Jades closed his eyes."When I first confronted Gai, he said he killed both you and Atticus. He said there were no bodies because he fed them to Metalgelas. But you're alive...so why did he say both?"
"Who knows? Maybe he just wanted to get under your skin." Kuwana shrugged, leaning back on his seat."One thing is clear. He's after you guys. Now that the Rider War is in full effect, expect to be attacked from all sides."
"That's fine with us. We're aware of the risks involved." Maria nodded with determination.
"We won't back down. We'll win the Rider War." A confident smirk appeared on Jades' face."And we'll use that wish to revive Serena!"
"Revive Serena, huh..." Kuwana scoffed, folding his arms under his chest.
"Isn't that...what you want too?" Shirabe carefully asked, exchanging glances with Raiden.
"I promised that I'd use the wish to revive Serena to Maria. And I know how much she meant to you. But we can bring her back. You'll get to see her again."
"Serena would be 19 years old if she were alive today." Kuwana stared at the ceiling with a wistful smile."Turning 20 soon. Graduated from high school and going to college. She said she wanted to be an idol back in the FIS. We talked about the things we'd do if we ever got out."
Maria felt tears swelling up in her eyes watching as Kuwana began to cry silently. Jades bit his lower lip but patiently waited for Kuwana to continue. The children stayed silent, not fully understanding since they were so young when Serena lost her life and were not aware of their connection together.
"I always wanted to be special. To stand out. To be something. When I ran away from home and got kidnapped, I thought my life was over. That I'd never be able to be the best at something. But when the opportunity to become a Kamen Rider became a possibility, it changed me. I tried so hard to impress the scientists and the hag. I told myself how much I wanted to become a Rider. That maybe my determination would eventually get me a Deck."
He paused, lowering his gaze to them."But I wasn't special at all. You were always better than me, Jades. You were always outclassing me in everything. Physical performance, intellect, you name it. You even reached the other kids' hearts and made them warm up to you. No matter how hard I tried, I could never be like you."
"But that-"
"And it hurt me so much. That I was never going to be special. That I would never get the things I wanted. I wanted to be free from the figures of power that dictated my life. My parents, the old hag, the researchers. I wanted...to reclaim my freedom. To be strong. I was meant to be better. Better than those kids. Better than you. That's why I could not stand to breathe the same air as you. It sickened me."
"Terunosuke...Do you hate me?" Jades' face adopted a crestfallen expression."I...I had no idea. I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel that-"
"But Serena...at first I thought you guys sent her over because you pitied me. Because you thought I was always alone. So I treated her like a pest." He chuckled, shaking his head."But she always came back. Just to listen to me rambling. She was always there and was willing to listen. To offer a shoulder to cry on. And I began to...care for her. She was so tiny. She was just 3 years younger than me but she acted like she was beyond my years. She gave me what I wanted. Validation. Soon enough, I came to love it whenever we spent time together. It made me forget...my need to be the best. No, perhaps that's not true. I wanted to be the best...the best for her...I even fell in love with her...But by the time I realized my feelings...it was too late...She died. Her life was snuffed out of her and so were the dreams and aspirations she ever had."
Kuwana's eyes stared into Jades', reaching his very soul. His face showed no emotion but his eyes screamed to be in pain."You may be wondering why I feel so much disdain toward you. I guess it's because..." His voice dropped a few decibels."You let Serena die."
"Huh?"
"Teru-nii!" Maria rose her voice, scowling."How dare you say that?! It was no one's fault! Serena sacrificed her life to stop the rampaging Nephilim!"
"And why do you think that happened in the first place?" Kuwana glared daggers at her."Because this motherless fuck and his fucking brother failed to contain it. What? Forgot your promise already? You said you'd take care of ALL of us."
At this point, Kuwana couldn't care less about his plan to manipulate his siblings. His emotions were getting the better of him and he did not give a fuck."You broke that promise. Serena is dead. You couldn't save her from her impending doom. Because you...why..."
"Why were you chosen over me?!" Kuwana shouted, attracting the attention of a few people around."I was supposed to be better! I worked so fucking hard and no one ever recognized my efforts! All except Serena! Which by the way, died because of your fucking negligence!"
"Terunosuke, I-"
"No! Fuck you!" Kuwana wailed, his face completely red in anger and covered in tears."You broke your promise! You let her die! And then you dared to take pity on me and get me back home?!"
"I thought it'd be for the best!" Jades yelled as well."You couldn't stay there! You stopped eating! They had to force you to eat with a tube! We had to get you home to your parents!"
"My parents? The people who neglected me to begin? The people who didn't give a shit about what I did as long as I got good grades? The ones who forced me to study countless hours and never let me talk to the other kids? Did it never cross your tiny brain why I ran away from home, to begin with? It's because I could not continue living like that! It was hell! A prison! I studied my ass off and for what? To be a nobody at a company that doesn't value my hard work?! That I'll always be stuck in a job that I don't like because I was forced to?! I hate real estate! The only reason I work there is that my parents wanted me to earn as much money as possible!"
"You hate your job?" Andreas mumbled."And your life...but that means..."
"I made your life worse..." Jades breathed, feeling a part of him dying.
"If only I had been chosen...I would have never let Serena die. You and Atticus let her down. And that's all on you!"
"You're being unreasonable, Teru-nii!" Maria exclaimed, trying to appeal to him."None of us could have imagined things were going to turn out like that. Even if you had become a Kamen Rider back then, would you really...have been able to save her?"
"Without a doubt." He seethed, his eyes narrowed and baring his teeth."But doesn't matter now, does it? You broke your promise. You are a fucking liar."
"He's not a liar!" Andreas defended Jades, who was gawking at his brother after he poured his heart out."Jades-nii-chan keeps his promises!"
"Did you guys know? That this guy was going to be an actual older brother?"
"Teru-nii, don't," Maria warned with a stern tone.
"What's he talking about?" Kirika asked, receiving a shrug from all the others.
Raiden tensed up, knowing where this was going. He just didn't expect Kuwana to bring it up. He hadn't expected him to have known.
"So you never told them, huh? Not even Andreas? Weren't you guys neighbors back in Greece?" Kuwana formed a sardonic smirk on his face."How many secrets have you kept from them? Well, since you won't tell them, I will. Jades and Atticus were going to have a baby sibling back in Greece. But their mom had a miscarriage before the baby was even born. That's why he has a big brother complex."
"Teru-nii!" Maria screamed, trying to stop him to no avail.
"What does he mean?" Shirabe wondered.
"You guys ever wondered why this guy thinks of you as siblings? Why he was willing to pretty much adopt all you kids back in the FIS and make a cozy little family? It's because he went crazy when his little unborn brother died. Answer me this, was Atticus or Jades the one going around calling everyone their sibling?"
"It was...Atticus-nii-chan..." Andreas gasped upon realization."I remember..."
"He doesn't love any of you. He just says he does because it's his way of coping. He thinks we're genuinely siblings because he can't handle the fact he lost a brother!"
Maria had enough, lunging from her seat and grabbing Kuwana by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up. She slapped him across the face, causing him to drop to the ground. Several people gasped, taking their phones out to record what was going on.
"How dare you?! How fucking dare you accuse Jades of not loving us?! And blaming him for everything! You have no idea how much he mourned for you! He-"
"Because he felt that pain again." Kuwana caressed his cheek."You say Serena's death wasn't his fault. But let me ask you this. What if one of you dies? Then again? It wouldn't be his fault again? Even though he promised to always keep you safe as he did before? If he lied before, he'll lie again. Think how many secrets he's keeping from you. If I didn't tell you this, you'd have never known. How long do you think will it take for one of you to die because of his negligence? Because he thinks he knows what's best for you?"
Raiden and Andreas exchanged glances, then back to the girls, who looked hesitant.
Maria sneered, about to deliver another slap when Jades grabbed her wrist."Jades-nii?!"
"That's enough Maria..." Jades' bangs covered his eyes."It's...it's true. Everything was my fault..."
"No! It's not!" Maria engulfed him in a hug, but he had no moves to reciprocate the gesture.
Kuwana stood up, dusting off his clothes."I for one will never forgive you. And if the rest of you still trust him, I sure hope you reconsider next time one of you dies."
As he spat this, Kuwana began walking away before glancing over his shoulder."Jades...when your time has come and gone, I'll be the one to carry on. Until then, I hope you sleep well knowing your failures are what tore this family apart."
The youngest siblings could only stare at their older siblings, still in shock after what they heard. Jades refused to make eye contact with any of them, and Maria could only rub his back soothingly.
"I...I ruined everything...You guys became Riders because of me...I couldn't defeat the Nephilim...I couldn't save Serena in time...and I was the one who planned for them to escape the facility...because of that, Atticus is dead and Kuwana hates his life...It's because of my negligence that I doomed Maria to becoming Fine..."
"What?" Shirabe blinked.
"I killed Fine..." He sobbed, dropping to his knees."I killed Fine and lied to all of you. I...I wasn't just hunting down Gai...I was helping our enemies in defeating Fine...Maria...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."
Raiden pulled on his hair, glancing around to see the crowd that had gathered around.
"I'm a failure of a brother...I just make things worse. It's true...what Terunosuke said...I felt a void in my heart when my mom lost her baby and killed herself...I...I selfishly wanted to fill that void with you guys...That's why...That's why I treated you like my siblings...Because I thought that maybe...maybe I could take it all back. But I love you...I love all of you with all of my heart..."
The group was at a loss for words. No one knew how to react to the dump of information they just received. One thing was for sure, they had never seen Jades like that. And in their hearts, a tiny spark of doubt came to life.
"Let's go back, Jades-nii..." Maria cooed, offering words of comfort."We can talk about it later...let's get you out of here, okay? Boys, help me lift him."
"R-right..." Raiden nodded as he and Andreas wrapped Jades' arms around them. The usually energetic green-haired boy was uncharacteristically quiet, keeping his head low. Not even Kirika was saying anything. It was a silent walk back to the hospital.
"Even though he promised to always keep you safe like he did before? If he lied before, he'll lie again. Think how many secrets he's keeping from you. If I didn't tell you this, you'd have never known. How long do you think will it take for one of you to die because of his negligence? Because he thinks he knows what's best for you?"
Those words struck a cord in Raiden's heart.'Can we really... trust Jades-nii anymore...? Will he just keep lying to us and get us all killed...? Just what is the truth? What else is he hiding?'
Kuwana stormed out of the ball, his eyes dilated and biting his lip so hard it cut through the skin."I will surpass you, Jades...I will...I'll avenge Serena..."
"Why are you always hanging around me, anyway?" He remembered asking her once when they were playing with Serena's stuffed animal. It was a few months before the disaster that would change their lives forever. The boy couldn't care less about playing with dolls, but he couldn't say no to her request."It's not like I'm much fun anyway. I'm sure you'd have a better time with one of the other kids."
"You just looked so lonely and I thought you could use the company." She held her toy up, moving its tiny arms.
Kuwana rolled his eyes, crossing his arms."What, you pity me? Is that it?"
"No. I don't." Serena muttered, setting her toy down and scooting closer to him. He flinched a bit, not expecting her sudden need to get closer."I just like hanging out with you. I think you're really fun and cool."
"Me? Cool?" Kuwana quirked a brow."I...Of course, I am! I'm the best candidate to become a Kamen Rider after all! Aside from them..."
"You don't need to pretend to be tough around me." Serena said, earning a gasp from the older boy."I know you, Teru-nii. I noticed how you always try to compare yourself with Jades-nii and Atticus-nii."
"It's just not fair, Serena." Kuwana grumbled, hitting the back of his head with the wall."Why haven't I manifested a Deck yet? What am I lacking? At least you have your Gear. Lucky you."
"I suppose I could be considered lucky. But it's not like I wanted to have a Gear. But since I have it, I want to use it to protect all of you." She smiled at him."I think you're special. Even without being a Kamen Rider."
"Special...why...?"
"Because you're you. Terunosuke Kuwana. To me, you're special. And I wouldn't want you any other way." She grabbed his hand, gently squeezing it."Don't think you're any less special than anyone else. Ever."
"Serena..." The boy was speechless, not fully grasping how to properly react.
"Serena. It's time." Nastassja called out from afar, beckoning the girl over.
"Yes, Mom." Serena nodded, releasing Kuwana's hand and giving him a quick hug, handing him her toy."He'll keep you accompanied until I'm back, okay?"
"R-right..." The boy was still dazed, watching as she jogged over to the older woman."Mom!"
Nastassja looked back at him."Terunosuke."
"I...I will have a Deck of my own! I will meet your expectations of me!" He declared, feeling his confidence skyrocket thanks to Serena's words of encouragement.
"I see." She acknowledged him before resuming her walk with Serena."Terunosuke. In this world, one must take any opportunity one can get. You can't expect the world to just hand you things. You must work for them. One day, your time will come."
"Take any opportunity I can get..." The boy repeated to himself, staring at his hand.
"Bye, bye, Teru-nii!" Serena waved at him enthusiastically."I'll do my best for you!"
Kuwana covered his mouth, speedwalking into an alley and nearly falling onto a dumpster."But I did take that opportunity, you old hag..." He pulled out his Gai Deck."Just like you said...I finally became something. And yet..."
Vivid memories of the day his life was turned upside down invaded his mind. Watching in the control room with Serena and Maria as Atticus and Jades tried their best to contain the Nephilim. Even as Gai and Tiger, they were no match to the complete relic.
"If one of them...dies..." Nastassja turned to the dark-haired boy."You'll have to take their place, Terunosuke. Be ready. We can't lose the Decks."
"Huh?" Kuwana gaped, bewildered by her words.
"But Mom! What even Teru-nii isn't enough!" Maria protested."You're not thinking of sending Andreas and Raiden there, are you?! They're just kids! Andreas just turned 8!"
"I'll do it," Serena said, causing both Maria and Terunosuke to immediately protest.
He remembered losing consciousness for a brief time, but when he awoke, everything was on fire. One of his arms was broken and he had a gash on his head. But despite the concussion he received, he could still remember that song. The song Serena would often sing when they were ready to go to bed. And the image of her bloody face would forever chase him in his dreams.
He forced his body upwards, trying so desperately to reach her in time despite his broken limb. He missed her. By a few crucial seconds. Her body was crushed under rubble before he could even touch her hand.
"TERUNOSUKE!"
The last thing he saw was Jades and Atticus, a young man similar to Jades but with shorter hair, rushing from the fire and grabbing him.
"And yet..." Kuwana fell on his knees, unable to contain his tears of sorrow."And yet...what does it matter if I couldn't save you...?"
So there it is. The siblings finally talked but their meeting went off the deep end. We learned a bit more about Kuwana and what happened 6 years ago and how it affected him. They'll continue to cross paths with each other throughout the season and we'll see Jades' perspective on things as the story progresses. If you enjoyed, feel free to leave a review and leave a favorite, and a follow. They're very much appreciated. Until next time!