The silence in Chikara's room was thick, almost suffocating. He sat alone, lost in his thoughts, the absence of sound amplifying the weight of the recent events on Chikara's shoulders.
The soft creak of the shoji door broke the suffocating silence of Chikara's room, drawing his attention inward. His gaze shifted from the door to Ren, who entered with a tentative step.
Ren's eyes met Chikara's. They hear it. Through the silence of the house, they can hear every word exchanged throughout the house. The walls were thin with grief.
Chikara stood up, walking out the room. He walks down the hallway, the sounds of shouting coming from his parents' room. He walked towards the room. He glanced to his right, seeing his sister peek her head from her room. They locked eyes.
He continued down the hallway towards his mother's room. He stood in front of the door. He listened.
"You don't understand," his mother's voice was strained, tinged with frustration. "We can't just sit idly by while they trample over us."
The other voice, familiar but firm, responded, "And what do you propose we do? Start a war we can't win? You're putting us all at risk."
Chikara's mother scoffed. "Risk? We're already at risk, don't you see that? Tetsuya's actions have endangered us all."
The other voice responded, "Trying to fight both the Fujimoto clans and Fujiwara clans will get everyone killed."
There was silence as the man walked out. It was his uncle. He locked eyes with Chikara. "Hey," he said, frowning upon looking into Chikara's dead eyes.
"You okay?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.
Chikara didn't respond and pushed past him. He walked into the room and looked at his mother.
To see her in this state.
She looked up, wiping her tears. "Hey,"
"Mom."
Chikara sat down across from his mother, the tension thick in the air. "What was that about?" he asked, his voice quiet.
His mother sighed, avoiding his gaze. "Just family matters, nothing you need to worry about," she deflected.
"How have you been, Chikara?" she asked, attempting to change the subject.
Chikara hesitated for a moment before responding, "I've been... managing."
They remained locked in silence, their gazes conveying the unspoken tension.
Chikara's voice remained resolute as he broke the silence. "I know who did it," he stated firmly, his determination evident in his tone. "Someone with the Kagenan, and a Harani Fujiwara was involved."
Recognition flashed in his mother's eyes, yet she met his declaration with a stern expression. "No, Chikara. I won't allow it," she asserted.
Disgust twisted Chikara's features, his frustration palpable. "It's my birthright. You can't expect me to stand by and do nothing!"
His mother's response was equally firm, her resolve unwavering despite the tears threatening to spill over. "Yes, you can," she countered, her voice tinged with a mix of determination and desperation. "You can't succumb to those impulses, especially not for someone like him."
Chikara's eyes narrowed, his frustration boiling beneath the surface. "Someone like him? He was your husband! He was my father! You should be just as driven to seek justice!"
Despite the anguish in her eyes, his mother remained steadfast, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "It's a vicious cycle, and I won't let you be a part of it. No!"
She stood up, "I want justice too," she admitted. "But not like this. Not with you risking everything."
Chikara stared at her.
...What?
**BANG!**
He slammed the shoji door shut, walking down the hallway. Akari emerged from her room, looking at Chikara with concern etched on her face. "What's going on?"
Chikara shrugged, a bitter smirk crossing his lips. "I'm leaving," he replied curtly, his tone dripping with disdain.
As he walked past Akari, he muttered under his breath, "Can't expect much from her anyway."
Akari's disapproval was palpable, but she remained silent and began to follow him.
"You don't have to do this," she said following Chikara into his room as she continued, "This doesn't have to be on you."
Ren looked at the two, his expression dark with anger. "Always taking Mom's side, aren't you?" he snapped at Akari.
Akari met his gaze steadily, "I'm not taking sides, Ren. I just want what's best for all of us," she countered.
Ren's glare continued. "Yeah, well, sometimes what's best isn't what Mom thinks," he retorted.
Akari sighed, her frustration evident. "We're all angry, Ren. We all want something to be done. We're all angry," she acknowledged. "But you don't have to listen to that anger."
Chikara shot her a glare. "Nobody's as angry as me," he interjected bitterly.
"I was there."
**BANG!**
In the deafening silence of the forest, Kaito's ragged breathing echoed through the trees.
Chikara's scream pierced the air. "No!" he cried out, his voice quivering with fear.
Masato's gaze flickered between Chikara and Kaito, his expression tense. "What the hell do we do with the kid?" he called out to Kaito.
Kaito remained silent, and simply stared at the corpse below him.
"Kaito, what the hell do we do with the kid?!" Masato pressed, irritation in his voice from being annoyed. "Do we kill him?"
Kaito turned and fixed his eyes on Chikara, walking towards him. Masamichi walked over towards Tetsuya's corpse, spitting on it.
Kyofu's worry was palpable as he glanced at Chikara.
Kaito's gaze shifted to his bloodied hand. Despite everything, he felt a sense of dissatisfaction gnawing at him.
Hanari's voice cut through the tension, her words firm and resolute. "Hold on, no. We got what we came for. We're not killing him. He's not even involved," she insisted.
Masato insisted, "He's a witness Hanari! He's gotta die."
Kaito stared into Chikara's eyes as the bickering continued between Hanari and Masato. Masamichi was silent.
"Let him go," Kaito ordered.
Chikara's tear-streaked face contorted with grief and rage as he stared at his father's corpse.
'No. No. No. Kill me.'
Chikara's gaze intensified at the corpse.
'I can't. I don't wanna do this anymore.'
Chikara looked up and locked eyes with Kaito, who was looking down at him.
'I'll kill you.'
'I'll make you regret this.'
'You should've killed me.'