Chapter 157 - Vol. 3 - 30

Ash

"Ready to head back?" Metsumi asked. 

"Nah, not just yet..." Ash replied. 

By now, Keiko had also sat down next to her. The three of them were sitting on the warm street, watching people pass by. By now, Ash's anger had turned into reluctance. The last thing she wanted was to go back to the inn, even though she knew she'd have to at some point. 

"So.... what happened?" Keiko asked. 

"What do you mean?" Ash replied. 

"Well, you've said that your parents abandoned you, but, how? And, well, why?" 

Ash looked away. Now that she'd seen her mother again, that period of time in her life, which she'd buried in her thoughts, was now as clear as day. She hated it. 

"I don't know," Ash muttered. "All I know is one day, some people showed up, I was taken out of the house, and I never saw them again... Up until today, I guess." 

"A group of people took you away?" Keiko asked, confused. 

"Yeah." 

"You said your parents kicked you out though." 

"Well, they didn't exactly make any efforts to stop them, so I'm guessing they were in on it, right?"

Keiko shrugged. 

"I suppose," she responded. "It just... I can't imagine it." 

"Well, it happened, so you don't have to," Ash replied with some bite in her tone. 

"... Sorry," Keiko said. 

"... Whatever, just... Give me a sec," Ash closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. 

"Ash," Metsumi started, "what are you going to do once you head back?" 

Ash opened her eyes and looked over at her. 

"..." She knew what answer Metsumi wanted, but she just didn't feel like she could give it. 

"You've needed this for a while, right?" Metsumi reminded her. "I think you need to take advantage of this. I'm not saying you'll see eye to eye with them or anything, but... Maybe it's time for some closure." 

"... What the hell do I even say?" Ash asked. 

"Just ask why," Metsumi suggested. "Where did they go, what they've been doing for the past six years. Whatever you feel like you want to know. And then, you don't have to think about them again. Just part ways, knowing what you know." 

Sighing, Ash stood up. She stretched a little, as Keiko and Metsumi did the same. 

"Alright, fine," Ash nodded. "Let's just get it over with then." 

---

Kaori

As Ayami's husband sat down next to her, Kaori put her hands on her hips.  I hope Ash is doing alright...  She thought as she walked up to the bed. 

"I... I heard," Ayami's husband said. "Is it true?" 

"Yes," Ayami nodded. "I... Ash is here." 

Her husband sighed and embraced his wife tenderly. Kaori stood by, waiting. She'd give them a second or two to wrap their heads around what was happening, but Kaori was hoping to get at least a few answers. 

"... I had a feeling this would happen someday," Ayami muttered. "But I never expected I'd see her here." 

"And, when you saw her, uhm," her husband scratched the back of his head, "how did she react?" 

"She..." Ayami coughed. 

"Soooo," Kaori cut her off. "I know hers, but, what's your name?" She asked the man." He blinked twice as though he hadn't even registered her presence. 

"Just call me Jino," he told her blankly. 

"Right. Okay, so," Kaori nodded, "I think... a bit of a talk is long overdue, right? I mean, I've been spending a while around Ash, and well, the way she talks about you two..." Kaori purposefully tried to make her tone slightly  accusatory. She wanted them to respond, after all. "she made it kind of sound like you two just kicked her out for no reason one day. Did you?" 

The way Kaori was looking at this, there were two possible reactions. If they didn't, they would respond somewhat angrily. If they did, she'd see some guilt on their faces. However, their reaction was something she hadn't anticipated. Jino's face seemed stoic and resolute, while Ayami teared up. 

Hm...  Kaori raised a brow as Jino spoke up. 

"What happened with Ash was a tragic, but necessary moment in all of our lives," he said, with the tone and speech pattern of someone who was used to trying to be diplomatic. It was then that Kaori realized where she'd seen that outfit before. 

Jino's white ji with golden shoes. 

Oh. He's a diplomat of some sort.  Kaori realized. Talo, the representative of the Royal Council, wore something similar, but with different colors to distinguish his rank. 

This meant something that Kaori hadn't anticipated. Whoever Jino was, he was fairly high up in Jade's social hierarchy.

"I doubt Ash agrees with that," Kaori told him. 

"Really?" Jino asked. "Isn't she a Savior? Isn't she becoming a hero all across the world? Would she have done anything similar to that if things hadn't happened the way they did?" Jino asked. 

"I can tell you, with like, absolute certainty, she doesn't care about any of that," Kaori responded. 

"Then she's ungrateful," Jino said and Ayami stepped in. 

"Enough," Ayami told him. "Just... Let's just find somewhere else to stay. It's probably for the best." 

"Wait, what?" Kaori asked, baffled. "You just saw your daughter for the first time in years, and you're just gonna leave?" 

"... Could anything we say rectify what transpired between us?" Ayami asked. "Please, don't try to act like that's possible. Just... We'll get out of your hair, and you can pretend you never saw us." 

Ayami stood up and Jino did the same. 

Kaori couldn't believe what she was hearing. They started to walk towards her, as Kaori processed what she was just told.  So, they're just going to leave? They have a chance to make things right, they can at least offer Ash some, like, clarity as to what happened, and they just want to walk away? 

Jino stood in front of her. 

"Excuse me, step aside please." 

Kaori looked him in the eye.

"No," she replied. 

Jino raised a brow. 

"What do you mean 'no'?" 

"I mean what I just said, I'm not moving." 

"Please, don't be foolish," Ayami said, "just... let us go and Ash won't have to see us again." 

"I said, no. You're not going anywhere until you actually talk to your daughter." 

"This is such a waste of time, guards!" Jino yelled.

"Sure, call them," Kaori told him. "I'm a Savior. I outrank most people in this city, don't I? Let them know. You're not going anywhere though." 

"Just step- agh!" Jino went to push Kaori out of the way, but Kaori pushed his hand aside and shoved him back. He was launched all the way to the bed. Ayami fell to the side. 

"Y-You're serious?" Ayami asked. 

"Of course, I am!" Kaori told her. "Listen, I, what the heck is your problem?" Kaori had to keep herself from yelling. "I want to think that you had some reason for what you did, but the way you're acting... It feels like you just hate her. Is that it? Because if that's it, you owe it to her at least tell that to her face." 

Ayami heard her and looked away. Then, she took a deep breath and looked back up with a determination that Kaori hadn't seen in her yet. 

"Do you think it's easy to see a living, breathing reminder of the worst time in your life?" Ayami asked lowly. "I... It happened 18 years ago, and when I saw her, that was the first thing that went through my mind. Tell me," Ayami stood up and walked towards Kaori. "Do you think it's reasonable to want to speak to the literal result of my... my..." She took a shaky breath and Kaori saw a pair of tears go down her cheeks. "Do you think that's easy?" 

"... The way you talk about her," Kaori said, softening up, "I get what happened that, uh, led to you giving birth to her, but... She's still a person. You don't think you owe her some respect at least, even if you resent her?" 

Ayami looked down as Jino began to stand back up himself. 

"I tried," she told Kaori. "I am not lying to you when I say I tried. For 12 years, I tried my hardest to be a mother to her. And... For a few of those years, towards the end, I can even say I started to love her, but when I woke up the day after we left Jade, and I knew I wouldn't have to see her... I felt relieved. And now, you want to take that relief away, you want to bring me back to those dark days, so that Ash can have answers? Is that fair?" 

It didn't take Kaori long at all to think of her answer. 

"Absolutely," Kaori replied. "She deserves it." 

"..." Ayami sighed. "Fine then."

---

Ayami

After that, Kaori agreed to at least let the two of them wait for Kaori downstairs, where they could drink some water and sit more comfortably. Kaori whispered to Satsuhiro and the man nodded, presumably being told about what they'd agreed on. 

Jino grasped Ayami's right hand under the table. It was nice to know at least that she wouldn't go through these next painful hours alone. 

She had meant what she'd told Kaori before, and because of that, a few of those less terrible memories began to pass in front of her eyes, but those thoughts were cut off when the front door opened. 

Ayami hesitated, but she looked up and saw Ash standing there, looking straight at her, just as had happened earlier. 

Ayami looked away as Ash lightly walked over to her. She looked at her father and then at her mother. 

Ayami nodded. 

"Do... Do you want to talk?" She asked. 

"... Yeah," Ash muttered in response, clearly holding back anger.

"... Alright," Ayami steeled herself. "Alright."