Description: Everyone has their legacies to leave behind, either great or small, glorious or horrifying. An early morning visit with the man who has raised Kentou for the last few years gives Hotaru a chance to learn more about the legacies of those who came before her and how they affect not just her, but her apprentice as well.
Sunrise over the ocean.
One would be hard pressed to find a thing more magnificent than this. The luminous glory beginning to crest the endless horizon, reflecting the rippling dark glassy surface. Only a few clouds reflect the hazy orange glow above, signalling a good morning for the fishermen already out to a gentle and gorgeous sea.
Sakana is out there now, in his thoughts and spirit. His meaty, old hands grip the pommel of his cane as he remembers securing the mast. The smell of the catch as the net is hoisted out of the air. The taste of salt on his lips. The feel of the cold waters. Memories dance plainly in his eyes as he looks out across the harbor. His bulk seated comfortably on a short crate, secured at the very edge of the long pier.
The old man doesn't often leave his shop. His life has ever been a series of routines. Though the fishermen have yet to come in with their catch; knives still need sharpening, barrels need cleaning out, bait for the later morning amateurs needs to be cut. Sailors are a hardy lot as the ocean may be beautiful but she is a lethal and cruel mistress. The slightest mistake can cost lives and the waves make no apologies. Everything must be done exactingly without fail every single time. This mentality carries on into everything in life, whether he intends it or not, including the way he runs his shop.
To break routine like this.. It must be for something important. For once Ol' Sak decided his knives can go without sharpening, his bait can sit uncut, and his shop can be closed for a little while longer. As much as he'd insist it's for a specific cause or purpose, the old salt finds himself quietly grateful to look out upon the ocean sunrise once more. Giving him a chance to reminisce fondly of the past. Of the days of his apprenticeship to Kentou's grandfather. The camaraderie of his fellow sailors. Of loves gained and lost. Of a long life fulfilled.
Except. There is one thread of the past that remains unfulfilled. That thought is the only thing that distracts his eyes from the magnificent vision before him to descend to the darkened waves nearer the pier. The old man dreads nothing but there are one or two things he regrets. The Old Sailor knows one thing most clearly - there isn't much time left to own up to those regrets.
And one thing's for sure, Hotaru may regret having to wake up at ridiculous o'clock in the morning to meet Kentou's adoptive Uncle. Last night the girl received a call in a hushed voice, from Ol' Sak of all people, to meet the man here out on pier fifteen at six AM, sharp. Fishermen are often up in the morning far, far earlier than this - as such, the ancient sea-dog felt no mercy for her. Even Kentou is up now, having headed out to deliver the first ultra-early catches to restaurants across Southtown. The boy won't be back in the shop for hours.
The timing is entirely the point. Kentou doesn't need to know about this.. And the old man would rather not risk the boy ease dropping or otherwise knowing of this encounter. A notion that the old man made crystal clear to the girl before hanging up.
And now? Sakana waits. Normally the man would be impatient, but in his heart he hopes Hotaru may be a little while longer.
Every sunrise is cherished now, there are only so many left.
Last week, a six AM appointment wouldn't be too big of a deal to Hotaru. Though she would have to get up earlier than she normally would, to clean up and travel across town to the the harbor district, it wouldn't be /that/ much earlier. That was last week though. An even two days prior changed everything significantly. The girl entered a sealed off gravity chamber at NASA to pay her respects to the current Warrior's Belt title holder and inspirational Taiyo High physical education instructor, Hayato Nekketsu. An apology was offered for her behavior in their last SNF together and it was accepted.
Ten minutes later, after a grueling, exhausting battle in the triple gravity environment, Hotaru Futaba stumbled out the victor and new title holder against the expectations held by all but her most delusional fans. Since that time, her schedule has been a whirlwind of interviews, talk show circuits, photo ops, and endless phone calls for even more follow up events. It's the largest event she's won in her young fighting career to date, and all the sudden the girl went from being a fairly decent comptetitor to being regarded as something far more. A future legend, an inspiration to fighters everywhere, an icon in the industry they kept calling her. Much to her distress, really, as she's tried to repeatedly explain that she was no different than she was before.
Of course there were many who were wondering... what happened to the girl they knew just a month prior? What of the savage, twisted, torso-rending chi? What of the angery shouts and provocations made against everyone she fought? Where had /that/ Hotaru gone? Issues she had dealt with was all Hotaru would speak of her previous months worth of matches. She didn't owe the public an explanation into her private life, she felt.
Her schedule since that fight has exhausted her, keeping her from getting regular rest. But even with all that weighing down on the tired girl... if Sakana had asked to meet at two AM instead of six, she would have been there. Their connection is Kentou, he wouldn't need to contact her if it didn't have something to do with her pupil. Of that she was certain. It would be easy to fail to identify the girl that stumbles out of the taxi up on the street level. That isn't... by accident. Clothed in a very girly, green summer dress with a matching bonet over her head, she has dark sun glasses to boot. Not only is she not coming to the harbor for a fight to the best of her knowledge, she wanted to dress in something that wouldn't be as immediately recognizeable as the Chinese styled fighting outfit she so often appeared on TV in. Given her rise in publicity lately... well, the dress seemed the better choice to go less noticed.
She pauses at the top of the ramp leading down to the dock, looking out into the sunrise briefly from behind tinted shades. But finally she descends, stepping down and approaching the old man. Her steps soft, but not even her approach would likely go unnoticed to a man who knew this place as his lifelong home. As she draws near, her hand reaches up to slip the sun glasses off and fold them closed, her other hand coming up to brush her frilly hat up a little off her face. "I think I made it on time," the girl states, sounding just a little groggy still. "Good morning."
The old man hardly seems to notice the pretty young thing strolling down the pier. Unlike so many others in Hotaru's life, Sakana is no fighter. Sharp he may still be in his old age, but battle and being ever alert for danger on land was never his calling. The sea is in his blood. Unlike Hotaru. Or Kentou, no matter how much he tried to instill the vocation upon the boy. No, the sailor continues to enjoy the glowing sun rising to a full semi-circle, it's light stretching further and further across the glittering expanse as sleepy Southtown just begins to awaken behind them.
As the girl raises her voice, Sakana breathes in. Stirring from his thoughts as if awakening from a trance, the old man turns in his seat. His cane tapping the worn wood of the pier as he grumbles, maneuvering his bulk to better look at the young lady in the dress. "Ye needn't put on 'yer Sunday finest ta meet me, garl." Bushy eyebrow arching, surprised at the apparel more typical of the ladies of his youth. Compared to the young things with the belly shirts and short skirts.
Of her question about being on time, the old man dismisses the concern entirely as he waves a hand in the direction of a crate opposite him. The end of his cane tapping the spot indicatively. "Rest yerself garl, Yas been hav'n ah busy month, ah know."
Pausing a moment then to allow his nephew's mentor to settle herself as she will, he folds his hands over his gnarled cane before him. Bearded mug frowning in thought as his squinty eyes look her over. Not in the typical way old men look her over, on that subject. "Heh. Lissnin 'ta tha boy, 'ey says you'da been inna war innat last fight o' yers. Ye are ah fast healer, garl."
The old man's tone drifts a moment, "Tha' boy been sayin' all kindsa things 'bout ya, he do.. He.." His voice pauses. Eyes focusing upon the pommel of his cane, uncertain of how to continue that thought. Tapping the wood once more in a grumbling dismissal, he suddenly changes thoughts, "'An wassis nonsense ah be hearin' 'bout tha' boy goin' ta school? Wot tha' bloody 'ell you tell tha' lazy bum 'ta possess'em 'ta e'en ask??" Finishing the sentence with a scoffing snort. "E'en 'is own Ma culdna get 'em 'ta go 'ta school. Let 'lone muhself!"
She feels, for a moment, as if she's intruding in a private moment. She didn't miss the look on the old man's face as he gazed out over the golden surface of the sunrise bathed ocean. Even she can appreciate the majesty of a beautiful dawn, another glorious day. While to a girl her age it may just seem 'one more day' out of so many countless days to come, there is that fleeting sense of nostalgia she picks up from the elderly shop keeper.
He turns to regard the teen, issuing a comment about her attire. Perhaps a little formal by today's standards, "It's... one of my mother's old dresses," she offers as explanation, looking a little sheepish all of the sudden. Nothing like slipping into decades old attire to avoid being detected by the trendy paparazzi of today. She steps around to the crate he indicates, taking a seat on it, shifting the simple purse around her shoulders onto her lap. One glance at her simple, rather humble attire would make it hard to believe the money she had inherited.
"It was very challenging," comes Hotaru's reply regarding her match with the Taiyo instructor. "But Hayato-sensei has always been an inspiration for me since the day I met him. Just... having the chance to fight him was honor enough." Winning? That had never been in the cards. And it probably wouldn't have been but for a very critical discovery she made with regards to chi manipulation in the middle of the fight. An epiphany brought about by too much time listening and watching Frei, perhaps. Chi for defense. Took her long enough to think of it!
Blue eyes stay focused on the old man as he mentions Kentou talking about her, his gaze shifting to the pommel of his cane. The girl ponders quietly, not having realized - in the confines of the shop where Sakana seemed lord and master - just how old he really looked beneath the light of day. He seems suddenly so much more fragile to her out here. The cane itself something she wouldn't have expected him to need.
But then the top that seems to occupy his thoughts the most comes to the surface and Hotaru smiles just a little. She had suspected that this might have something to do with her chat with Kentou just a week prior where she encouraged him to boldly ask the old fellow who had cared for him about pursuing an education. "I... related to what is most important to Kentou," the girl replies, her voice a bit meek, as if not wanting to come across as a know-it-all. "I spoke to him about the way our nation's samurai of old would, along with their training in warfare, study and learn the arts as well. I told him of Data Masamune and shared with him a poem of his about the beautify of Mount Fuji."
She folds her hands together as she continues, "I expressed upon him the importance of an education for his future. That even though he wants to dedicate his life to being a fighter, one must still prepare for unforseen events along the road ahead." She smiles quietly, a gentle look, expressing a certain fondness for the boy, "I made sure he understood that I felt it was for the best. That time spent honing and training his mind will not detract from his ability to learn how to fight but rather enhance it."
She falls silent for a fleeting moment before adding, an almost imperceptable shrug accompanying the remark that comes next, "I don't really know which part of my talk with him had the most influence. All I know is that I expressed what I felt was the best for him, and the truth behind my intentions resonated with his good spirit." She looks at the old man directly then, blue eyes confident, not wavering. "I believed what I told him then, and I still do. School is vital for Kentou to grow into a man." she states, her tone firm, as if for once not accepting of any potential disagreements the salty old shopkeeper might have with her assessment.
As Hotaru describes her latest fight in brief, Ol' Sak murmurs in vague approval - nodding his head. Impressed not so much with the victory, though certainly awe-inspiring it must have been, but rather her mentality. She isn't bragging or boasting. She was honored just to duel the man. A rare perspective from a fighting world filled with braggarts and jerks. A world that Sakana had long endeavored to deny Kentou. "T'was impressive, garl." The old man adds off-handedly. Which, from him, is like stunning praise.
'What is most important to Kentou.'
Her words echo in his thoughts as a hap-hazard smirk cracks his bearded lips. Chuckling at the fanciful description as the old codger admits, "Heh! Soun's la' sumphin tha' boy'd lissin 'ta. Heh!" A worn, calloused hand strokes his scraggly beard as he admits, "Ye always knew wot 'ta say 'ta 'em 'ta get 'em 'ta lissen." His head shakes once more before meeting that blue gaze with his own wizened version, "Ye also dun'na better job o' raisin tha' boy n'aye have."
Waiving his hand then dismissively, silencing any protests the girl may think of raising as he continues, "'En 'ese few months since ya took tha' boy in, Kentou's learn'n more 'bout bein' a responsible man n'I ever taught 'em. Yer right garl, tha' boy should be 'en school." Nodding his head in compliance, drawing out that acknowledgement, "He desarv's ah real future."
Which brings them to here.
Ol' Sak' takes another moment to pause. His eyes closing a moment as he grumbles inwardly. Bah! All this pussy-footing around the point doesn't sit well with the old man. He prides himself in being direct and getting to the point, not lolly-gaging around like some kinda whipped pup. But even for him, this is not an easy conversation to have.
"Ah din'na ask ya 'ere to talk 'bout tha' boy goin' ta school sa much. 'Ere's sumphin else. Ahs.. Ahs not been square withya garl." Sakana then looks Hotaru right back in the eye. Completely resolved now without hesitation, "'Ere's sumphin ya needs ta know. Now that ah's sure o' ya. Now tha' ya showed yer true colors." Poking his finger at her insistently.
And, in case she doesn't know what he's talking about, the old man sees fit to elaborate, "Don' think 'ah don't be knowin 'bout yer bein up ta no good fer awhile 'ere, garl. Ah's knows 'bout that hellfire ya had in yer hand. Ah knows wha' ya's been doin ta poor slobs wot cross ya. Once ah heard o' it an' read it inna papers.." He waves a hand, "Tha' was it. Ah told tha' boy, no more o' ya. Yas no good and thas' that. Just like.."
Sakana's voice pauses, taking another breath before setting his gesticulating hand upon his cane once more. Speaking a bit more softly now, knowing full well what a blow this must come to the poor recovering girl, "We argued 'fer days. 'Ey refused 'ta lissen ta me, like always. An' 'en Kentou tol' me tha' inna end... You stay'd yer hand. Tha' boy wos right 'bout ya, an' ah wos wrong 'fer doubtin' ya."
The praise seems to make an impression on Hotaru as she bows her head just a little, hiding her face beneath the lace of her bonet for a moment. She had learned a valuable lesson in that fight... When she had fought Hayato in anger before, he handled her squarely, slipping around her attacks and dealing powerful strikes back to her continuously. But when she fought him with her real skill, without the ire that tainted her every bout, she matched the imposing Taiyo High teacher in a very high pressure fight. It's a contrast to her previous performance that she'll never forget.
As Sakana speaks up about her abilities in raising Kentou, Hotaru opens her mouth, raising a hand from her lap, clearly intending to protest such high praise before being waved off, the old man continuing. Returning her hand to her lap, she just listens quietly. She would tell him that she strongly believed it was the foundation the crusty shopkeeper had laid that made Kentou the smart, dedicated, hard working kid he is now. It gave her a great place to start with - morals, ethics, duty, honor... lessons from his parents' example, perhaps, but she knows who has cared for him in recent years as well. But he insists on speaking over her, stating that he agrees with her insistance that Kentou attend school, and she stays quiet. Apparently no argument is needed there. Good.
But the conversation is going somewhere else. She can tell as much as he begins to mutter and fidget in a very uncharacteristic way for the straight talking man of the sea. Blue eyes focus on him, the girl lifting her face to gaze into his intently. He refers to her spell of being up to no good and she knows precisely to what he refers. A look of shame crosses her features, the abject, crushing blame she holds against herself for what transpired. Kataki may have been the catalyst, but what happened was... not... entirely his doing. And she knows that. Is he going to tell her she's unfit to train Kentou anymore? That for all her good intentions, she crossed a line back then that she can't uncross? She wouldn't be surprised if he declared just that... and she would be hard pressed to disagree.
But he goes on... and for a moment she thinks he's going somewhere else with the conversation, eyes narrowing a fraction as she tries to figure out what he was intimating at. He speaks of how he forbade Kentou from learning from her anymore and the girl gives him a slight nod. She understands his stance on that entirely. She would have done the same in his shoes. The way her shoulders sink and her hands clamp together more tightly, it's as if she suspects he IS going to tell her to cut ties with the boy this day forth and she's merely bracing for him to ask point blank. If he asked... could she refuse his request?
But in the end, she held her hand at the most critical moment. And that seems to have made all the difference. Not just in her own life, but in how Kentou regards her and how that has carried over into this discussion with Ol' Sak. Her eyes shimmer a little as she averts her gaze to the side, mouth pursed in tight lipped silence, not knowing what to say. Kentou's innocent faith was what brought her back from the brink... his devotion has been what made her push forward, to drag herself out of the pits of despair, to return to fighting, putting her heart back into it. And it is with quiet respect for the boy's loyalty that she remains silent for a long moment before uttering the only words she feels aptly describe his importance to her, the magnitude of his influence in her time of most dire need. "Were it not for Kentou, I don't believe I would... still be here."
And that's what makes this conversation so difficult. The old man can see just how attached Hotaru has become to his adopted nephew, and he certainly knows full well how much the boy cares for her in turn.
The fact that he did keep a terrible secret from her is all the more painful.
".. Aye.." Sakana quietly adds to Hotaru's own hushed admission, ".. Mebbe not."
The tip of his cane stirring aimlessly over the pier board, the sounds of the seagulls and calm ocean ever present. His eyes briefly shift beyond the girl to the pier, checking to make absolutely certain no one else is in earshot. This location was also part of his strategy. There's nowhere to hide on a pier where the ships are out to sea and the bulk of their cargo with them. No possible way the boy could sneak up on them through some lark of fate, or anyone else to over-hear their words.
"Et wassn' jus that, garl. There's.." How can he even begin to say this? "I's been watchin' how you treat the boy. Worryin' 'bout tha' day ya'd be tempted as ya were. I.." Nnnnn, no. That's not the way to say it either.
In a frustrated grunt, the old man soundly stamps his cane to the board. Frustrated at himself.
Fine then. Right to it.
"Do ye 'member wot ah told ya 'bout tha' boy's Dad?" The old man pauses for only a moment, quickly reminding, "Wot he was killed inna fight? Ah told tha' boy all 'es life tha' no one knows who did 'et. Ah told 'em tha' 'ey'd end up juz' like his Dad iffin he kept fightin'." A pause, his eyes turning once more to the young girl. Fixing her with an inescapably intense gaze as he leans forward.
"'Nly.. Ah's do know." Sakana admits, "Ah've known 'fer years who killed Kentou's dad. An'.. After e'erythin' you've gone through tha' past year.. After e'erythin' ya've done wit' tha' boy. After showin' us wot you really are.. Ya deserve ta know." The ancient sailor seems weary now, a man unable to bear hanging onto a secret any longer. Uncertain that this is the right decision, but knowing in his heart this is the right thing to do. No matter the consequences or where it leads, this must be done.
How could this possibly be relevant? Hotaru may think to herself. However, Sakana's intent stare and solemn voice brook no distracting thoughts as he reveals..
"Tha' man's name is.. Yunfei Futaba."
She catches the glance at the area around them, that moment taken to verify that they are in fact quite alone on the pier for the moment. Since it's clear that he didn't ask her here to tell her to stay away from Kentou once and for all, there's something else on the old man's mind and the seated girl in the green dress begins to find her mind wandering back to pondering just what this is all about. And then it seems that he's getting to the heart of the matter and Hotaru focuses her entire attention on the old shop keeper.
He says he had been watching her, and that comes as no surprise. She would expect as much. But there's an implication that what happened to her the previous few months was not something unanticipated by him. He might brush past the statement into a series of frustrated grunts and fidgets, but the look on the girl's face is already one of strong suspicion, her brow furrowing slightly, her lips pressed tightly. She doesn't speak up though, simply waiting, albeit on the edge.
He brings up a topic that seems entirely unrelated. The matter of the boy's father's death. Killed in a fight, killed by his own life's pursuit in a sense. It's not really the end she wishes upon any fighter. All that talent, all that potential, cut down, wasted before it could be passed on to his child. Sakana gets a slow nod out of Hotaru as he asks if she remembers the nature of their last chat on the subject. His concerns were well founded... but Kentou had made up his mind and all either of them could hope for now would be that with proper training he would avoid his father's fate.
He confesses that he does, in fact, know more about the death of the fighter and the girl nods slowly. He wasn't obligated to tell her before, so the idea that there's more to the story doesn't seem like the cause for his hesitation. There's something else. He says she should know and Hotaru opens her mouth, "I'm not so sure I-" she begins, only to fall quiet. Not cut off but by her own realization that she does want to know. At this point she /must/ know what has caused him such distress. This is why he called her here after all.
And then he pronounces the identity of the killer, the fighter that dealt the fatal blow. The name hangs in the air. Hotaru's face pales, her shoulders sinking a little, as if life had just been drained out of her. "N-no..." she murmurs. Of all the... how can that possibly... her father killed a man in battle and out of complete coincidence, she's met his son? And not just met... but... But the weak utterance of denial is just that. Weak. A paltry attempt at denying what he states. Why would he lie? What is this? What agenda could possibly bring him to say something like that if it wasn't true?
The girl is suddenly on her feet, stepping to the side, turning her back toward the well weathered man, her arms hanging losely at her sides. "No. How could-... there must be some mistake." She knew her father to be a severe man, austere in every sense of the word, but to take the life of a fellow fighter? "That can't be what happened." Her voice trembles, her eyes staring forward but without seeing. One hand comes up to rest against her stomach, a sick feeling of shock washing over her, making her feel as if she might collapse. But she stays standing all the same as she closes her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just can't accept that." Accept that the Futaba name would be tied to that... the death of the older Ondori... Accidents happen in fights, but she never heard about any such thing in any of her father's sanctioned matches - all of which she followed carefully as a growing girl. This just couldn't have happened at /all/.
There is no entertainment in Sakana's eyes. Nothing of this revelation pleases him in any fashion what so ever. His eyes remain upon the girl with utter conviction, not waivering or weakening in her innocent gaze. The old man is not making some wildly inappropriate attempt at humor or merely offering the girl here-say about what may or may not have happened. The gruff sailor knows the truth about it and he has hidden that truth for a very long time now, for a wide variety of reasons. Some of which, Hotaru most certainly can understand. Others.. Well.
As the girl immediately reacts with denial and turns away from him, only then does Sakana's gaze fall. Eyes peering at the back of his wizened hands, folded over the pommel of his cane before him. For the sake of letting the girl process this terrible revelation, Ol' Sak gives her a few moments of silence. Only after her repeated refusal to accept this does the old man speak again. His voice subdued, but unrelenting, "S'tha truth, garl. Ah knows it for true." A deep breath of the ocean air, the sun's radiance starting to touch the opposite horizon against the skyline of the city, "Thar be a great many things yas dunna know 'bout yer family."
Shadowed eyes boring into the shocked young woman's back, "Ah dunna blame ye, garl." His voice insistant, not offering any room for self-incrimination to creep into her mind, "Ah knew tha' yas knew nuthin' 'bout wot yer father did. Kentou's been tellin me, he has, tha' ya been lookin' fer yer Dad fer years. Tha' told me one a' two thins." Rapping his cane lightly once, "Tha' ye knew nuthin 'bout wot he really was." Raps twice.
"Or ye' were jus' like 'em."
The silence after those words offers no comfort whatsoever. "So I's watched yas. Careful like. And ah month a'go.. Ah's started ta' think.."
The old man hangs his head a fraction then, ".. But ye ain't. Ye' 'ere given tha' same choice Yunfei had. Ye chose somethin' differen'." Exhaling the last of his breath, the old man murmurs softly, "..Fer wot it be worth. Ahs apologize for keepin' tha' truth from ya."
He lets her alone for a while. Time enough to rethink everything he's said. Time enough to mentally inventory the things she knows about her father's fights, the bouts that she watched over and over as he took the Futaba style Kenpo to the tops of the charts in events he participated in... She tries to think if there was any clue, any hint that something like this had happened. He could not be so reserved as to not be affected at all, could he? Wouldn't... wouldn't she know?
Ol' Sak speaks up again, stating that what he has shared he knows to be true and he's met with no reaction at first. She barely seems to be moving, but for the tightening of her hands at her sides. She stays like that as he continues, revealing what he knew, what he didn't know. How he found out about things. How she's sought for her father for the last four years with no luck and how he was aware of that.
But then he says that she was just like her father and the old man of the sea finally gets another reaction as Hotaru tenses up, looking over her shoulder suddenly, blue eyes glaring out from beneath her bonnet. What is he implying by that? What does he mean by stating she's just like the man he claims killed Kentou's father? How. Dare. He-... She isn't oblibvious to the anger that wells up in her but in that moment she isn't sure she cares.
But Sakana continues speaking, his words coming out with that strongly accented drawl of his. He speaks of the choice that was before her... the same as her father... and the girl's ire fades, her jaw untensing as she turns around to face Kentou's caretaker directly, her hands unclenching at her sides. A short exhale escapes her lips and she shakes her head slowly. "How do you know all this," she speaks up, not trying to sound as demanding as she seems to come across.
"What do you know about my father? How did you know that I-..." The rest of her questions come at a calmer pace, the vigor bleeding out of her as she's find that, little by little, she's beginning to believe what he's telling her. There's a certain dread in her heart that what he is saying is true, and it grows stronger by the moment.
Of Hotaru's surge of anger, Sakana is unmoved. He's an old, old man. What could she do to him that nature won't take care of soon enough anyway? No, the man is unapologetic about having his suspicions, his doubts about her. What he knows of the Futaba family gave him ample reason to be concerned about the truth of this girl's character.
Kentou's guardian may never precisely know why he relented in allowing the girl to train the boy - the most precious charge he has left in the world. Something about her eyes, maybe. She doesn't have the look of a killer, no matter how much fury and rage occasionally clouds those blue eyes from time to time. And perhaps, just perhaps, he knew from the moment she walked into his store on accident.. That it was no mere accident. When fate throws a chance for redemption at his doorstep, even a cynical old bastard such as he doesn't throw it away casually.
%Ol' Sak' bobs his head once as the questions begin to flow. The girl's mind is starting to work now that she's past the initial shock of the startling, unthinkable truth. "Ah knows it 'cuz I looked inta it. Ah wassn' 'ere when tha' fight went down, but ahs went to tha' place 'et went down." The man pauses a moment, a hand absently brushing his bristly beard as he considers that perhaps further elaboration is in order on that part.
"See.. Ah ne'er liked Kentou's dad, Souretsu, much. T'ain't no secret 'ere." Finally revealing the name of the fallen man and Kentou's personal idol, "But 'ey was Kaiyou's son, Kentou's grandpa see?" The old man's voice lingers on that name with a wistful fondness the gruff palooka holds for little else, "'An ah owed e'erythin ah am ta' tha' man. I's determined ta' find out wot happened to 'em, e'en tho' ahs knew he wos gunna end up tha' way. Sooner o' later." Shaking his head with a scowl.
"Fightin wos differn' back en thos' days. No' as big n'shiny like et is nahw." Waving his hand in a circular gesture towards Southtown, fully beginning to glimmer and glow in the newly awakened sunlight. "No' as easy fah lil' fighters ta get noticed like taday. Lotsa shadey guys took ta' blood sports ta' get recognized when tha' couldna cut tha' mustard all legit like. Like Souretsu did." Squinting just beyond the girl, delving deep into his memories and thoughts to withdraw the information. Its amazing how easy it is to forget things, when they haven't gone repeated in so very long, "It wos an' undergroun' 'ournament. Some damn cage match o' bloody 'hing. 'Ey carted bodies by the bushel, but still Souretsu 'ent."
The man reaches into his back pocket, shifting his bulk to better access the area. Grumbling audibly as he fumbles about before finally withdrawing what looks like a very old, very worn fight program. Half of it ripped up, the other half coated in what looks like dried brown crust. But a few lines are clearly intelligible..
One of which stating 'Champion Yunfei Futaba' verses 'Wildcard Souretsu Ondori'. The title? 'Two men enter the cage. One man leaves.'
Letting the young woman look over the ancient pamplet for a few moments to confirm it with her own eyes, the ancient sailor adds, "Ah asked 'round at tha' time. Wit' 'nuff booze an' coin, ah got a' few o' tha' circuit fans ta' talk. 'Ey tol' me wot 'ey saw." Shaking his head slowly, "Souretsu, d'ast fool 'ey wos, ne'er had ah chance 'gaints yer Dad. Na' many do."
Now this leaves the last question, perhaps the most pertinent one to the poor girl who almost certainly did not realize until this moment how blissful ignorance truly was. With a lengthy sigh, Sakana simply mentions with a slow shrug, "Ah dunno much 'bout yer dad, girl. Ah'm bein' square witcha now. Ah only knows wot 'ey tells me, an' 'ey don' tells me much o' anythin' good." Looking up slowly. Once more feeling like some kind of executioner, forced to inflict terrible things upon her.. Because it's the right thing to do, "'Ey wos like ah giant inna playgroun', 'Ey wos. Aye, 'ey fought in real tournaments n' tha' like, sure 'nuff. But.. 'Ey also wos in undergroun' rings
Blood sports n' wors'. Honin' 'es techniques n'moves on poor scrubs. Like butcherin' guinea pigs ta' get 'emself better. Like Souretsu."
The man takes a moment to simply breathe. Bringing forth all of these old ghosts, it just takes the energy out of him. Feeling tired, so tired, "One day.. I 'ear 'ey learned 'nuff outta 'em fightin' rings an' went 'way. Where he went, don' rightly know. But tha' man had an ocean o' blood on 'es hands - tha'.. Ah do know."
As he begins to account for what he found by looking into the death of Kentou's father, Hotaru is silent. She can't reply with denial, for to do so would be to simply call him a liar. As much as she still wants to, as much as she still wishes she could. Tell him that what he's describing makes no sense. That her father was a trophy holder amongst the more legitimate circles, like his father before him, and so on through generations of Futabas.
But the world had gone through different phases for fighters. The age of the samurai died and the world of the factories began. Fighting was no longer the means by which territory was gained or loss, and the importance of it in society shifted from being an honorable pursuit to being something sequestered behind the walls of temples and monestaries, hidden from public consumption for the greater part of the last century. It was only toward the last quarter of that span of years that the rings started up again... starting out underground and far from legit. It was just before the dawn of that time that her father would have been competing, she realizes, never having contemplated how he had gotten his start before. And apparently he never left that level of fighting, even as the world began to view fighting as a sport worthy of public display - legalizing, advertising, monetizing it...
She still finds it hard to believe though... but Sakana puts it all beyond a shadow of doubt as he produces the fight schedule of a decade ago and the girl stares at the text displayed thereon. There is no disputing it. It is as he described. Her father, several time title holder in legitimate circles... was competing in blood sports against those who hadn't a chance against him. The perfect fodder against which to test new techniques - techniques that would be difficult if not impossible to hone against highly experienced opponents...
She looks up from the pamphlet, blue eyes focusing into those of the vastly older man, her jaw tight, her mouth pressed closed, her face still not having regained its color. It's true what he's told her. It's all true. Her very own father killed Kentou's father. Souretsu Ondori fell at her father's hand in a pointless fight that shouldn't have even been. "I see." comes the quiet, docile admission in the end, her shoulders dropping, the girl turning to the side to cast her gaze out over the water. There's resigned acceptance in her tone and posture, no more will to argue the reality of what he has spoken.
She has to take control of this, she tells herself. She bit back her anger, now bit back the confusion. She can't wander around with a clouded mind with this weighing down on her. But... where to go from here? Her next two words come somewhat hesitantly, but with no lack of determination in her heart. "N-now what?"
The old sailor wishes he could solve the mystery for her. The dwarf wouldn't wish this unspeakable hardship upon anyone, most especially not a sweet girl like her. No right thinking person should ever have to come to the realization that their father was not the man they thought he was.
A revelation that Sakana has tried most desperately to protect Kentou from, and Hotaru can now fully understand why.
Now Sakana has come clean. Leveling with the girl and no longer keeping from her what she, perhaps, should have known all along. His shoulders straighten then, leaning forwards as he grows a fraction more attentive. Seemingly unburdened, at least in part, by his confession. He gives her more time now to piece together her thoughts, to collect herself and offer the time she needs to struggle through it. Surprisingly, she proves quite resilient and staying focused. After everything she's been through - from having her mind and soul shattered and pieced back together over and over, physically beaten and tortured to the edges of her endurance - Should the old man have expected any less from her now? She is absolutely not the meek, uncertain little girl she was when she first asked to train Kentou. Sakana can see that in her now. A boldness, a confidence in her.
"Now wha'?" The man echos, scoffing as he regains a bit of his previous bluster, "Wot am I? Yer Mom? S'fer ya ta decide, garl." Pointedly lifting his cane to prod in the shoulder lightly with the tip. "Seems ta me yous been doin' fine. When ah first metcha, ah could tell, this wos ah garl who didna know 'o she wos. Ya's been chasin yer family's shadow 'fer so long, ya didna know who ya were. Ya didna know wot good ye 'ere 'fer nuthin. Ya looked to yer past s'much, ya didna look at yer present." Giving her opposite shoulder another prod for emphasis.
"Now?" Placing the top of his cane to the worn pier. Gesturing a gruff hand about, vaguely indicating the whole of the world as the brand new day has fully gripped the world. "Now ya know who ye are. Ya know yer own worth 'cuz when tha' chips 'ere down, an' temptin' gripped yer heart.. Ya did tha' right thin'. Ye've looked pure evil 'ight inna eye.. An' ye kept yer soul. Ontop o' that.." The old man looks to Hotaru now, leaning close as a withered smile somehow manages to crack through his scruffy beard, "Ye've redeemed yer father's misdeed. Not knowin', mebbe, but ya' did. Ya gave back ta' Kentou wot yer Dad took from 'em. Guidance. Heart."
Settling back into his seat, now that he's made that most important of points, the old man then suggests further with a wave of his hand, "Ah ain't got no business tellin' ya wot ta' do 'bout nuthin, garl. Ah can only tell ya tha' there be other thin's yer Dad did, yer family 'as done. May be up to ya.. To redeem yer own family name. Ta' make square tha' thin's yer Dad 'as done." Then snorting with a shrug, "Or nah. Jus' be keepin' in yer head tha' ye've done a great service, garl. Fer Kentou. Fer this crummy town. Fer yerself." Pointing to her then with his free, gnarled hand, "Don' be takin' nuthin away from that."
The sailor takes back the pamphlet, quickly stuffing it back into the back pocket hiding place while absently mentioning.
"..An' one o'er thin'. 'Ere is one more thin' ah needs ta be askin o' ya garl.."
The girl that Sakana met last year would not be holding up as Hotaru is now. But she's been through so much, seen things she will never forget, done things she wish she /could/ regret, and come through all of that more confident in herself, and in the support her friends were willing to give her even when she reached the point of being reproachable in every way. To go back to being the same person she was before was going to be impossible... just another one of the many realizations she's had to come to over recent weeks. She was forever changed, for better or for worse, by her ordeal.
He turns her question back around on her and the girl simply blinks once, then nods, looking neither taken back nor disappointed that the salty old shop keeper didn't have anything to offer her with regards to how to go forward. The poke to her shoulder is met with no resistance as she twists easily with the first prod, then the second one, her smile, wearied and strained by this latest revelation, returning to her lips for a brief moment as he makes the observations concerning the defining role her pursuit of regaining her family had been.
His cane drops back to tap against the dock and he speaks of the trial she went through. All she could think of when it had come to an end of all the horrible things she had done - how she had been so weak to let it happen in the first place, how she shouldn't have harbored the fears that Kataki was so easily able to prey upon for all those years. But the old man Sakana provides a different perspective. One pointed out to her by some of her friends. When it came down to it, she pulled back away from the abyss rather than taking the step that would have doomed her soul. But it's what he says next that causes the girl's eyes to widen slightly wirh surprise as he credits her with having redeemed the act of her father, perhaps unknowingly so, but doing so all the same.
He settles back down, praising her with words she would have been reluctant to accept. Replacing the things her father took, offering Kentou guidance, raising him with concern now that his parents cannot... doing a service to the boy, for the town, for herself. Possibly the first of many things she may end up doing in restoring honor to the Futaba name. A matter she never thought she was going to have to worry about before. In the end she simply nods softly, not following the motion of him stuffing away the pamphlet. For now she doesn't want to think about it any longer anyway. Maybe someday she'll want to see it again... but not now.
A quiet smile is all he gets in reply to his advice that she not take anything away from all she's accomplished. But the fact that there's another topic of importance provokes a look of mild concern. After all, the /last/ subject was hardly good news... what's next? "What is it?" she asks, her tone polite, calm, doing well to keep back the worry she nurses at yet another problematic revelation.
The gruff old man nods to Hotaru's sober, if not bordering upon serene, reactions to his words. It's a lot to process, he knows. Even now at first brush with these revelations she can see how complicated her family has been above and beyond what she knew. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Kentou's father is only one ruined life in Yunfei's wake. How many others are there? What else has that man done in the last few years? The second piece of the puzzle has fallen into the girl's hands - With the first being her own resurfaced memories within the hellish Court of Judgement. The implications of these things will undoubtedly weigh upon the girl more and more as time passes.
However. The time was right, or so Sakana believes. She has grown strong enough to accept these things - to accept the truth.
And also, because time is running out.
Sakana pauses momentarily, settling his calloused hands upon his cane once more as he leans forward heavily upon the sturdy device. He doesn't need the cane inside of his shop so much when he doesn't have to move around too far, but when out on the town? His knees just get too tired anymore without it.
"Ah's ain't uh spring chicken n'more, garl." Sakana adds in a plain tone, not particularly grim nor enthusiastic, simply accepting of the way things are, "Ah ain't gon' be theres fer tha' boy ferever." Squinting eyes peering back up to her slowly, "When ah'm gone, he won't 'ave no one. 'Is family's buried n' gone. Tha' boy been livin' by 'imself so long, he ain't got no frien's. 'Cept you n'those landlubbers innat YMCA uptown." Pointing his cane in the general direction of downtown and the YFCC therein.
With that said, he exhales tiredly. Shoulders slumping just a fraction, "Promise me ya'll look after 'em. At leas' long 'nuff fer 'em to stand on 'is own two feet one day." That is not a light request, nor is it given lightly. The boy's future was the reason for the old sailor to put together this little meeting - Making certain it is secure is Sakana's most important obligation left for him in this world. As well as making certain that Hotaru knows what that means, for reasons she could never have imagined.
The perceptive girl almost feels like she knows where this is going before Sakana continues speaking. He looks tired, worn out. She had noticed the cane upon arriving - never having seen him need to rely on it before in the shop she had oft visited. But he confirms the growing suspicion as he begins to speak. His growing age... and the state of Kentou's existence are explained. The Ondori lad doesn't have the same safety net she had when she found herself without a family. No family estate, no assortment of family accountants, laywers, and others to oversee financial matters she barely understands or /needs/ to.
Without Sakana, Kentou would be left with almost nothing. Too young to take over the shop and probably lacking the skills to do so anyway... Ol' Sak issues one of the very few requests he's ever made of the girl. Asking for a promise to be made. In a sense, an even weightier one than the promise she made to the boy when she agreed to mentor him.
The girl swallows, blue eyes narrowing a little as she looks away, gazing out over the sea that held his attention when she first arrived. She knows she wants to just say yes. She also knows that the thought of saying 'no' doesn't even seem remotely possible. But all the same, it takes time for the magnitude of the request to be digested. The girl breaths in deeply, exhaling slowly, folding her bare arms in front of her, her frilly hat ruffled by the sea breeze. She looks, for a moment, strangely older than her seventeen young years.
"Kentou won't be left alone... you don't have to worry about that. I'll make sure that no matter what happens, he will be taken care of..." If that means divesting a portion of the Futaba estate then so be it. The estate was a legacy of her family, just as Kentou's present lot in life also is, in a way... a darker legacy. It seems fitting that one be used to account for the other now that she knows.
She glances to the side then, making eye contact with the old man of the sea, "That is my promise to you."
Perhaps Sakana did not even need to ask this of her. The old man knows how close Kentou has become with Hotaru, and she with him.
However, some things are too important to leave unsaid. The most important things in life are things one must look straight into the eye and state without reservation, hesitation or fabrication. If Sakana's heart fails him tomorrow, he doesn't want to drag that worry with him to the next life. Just as the girl stated that she may not have been here anymore if not for the boy, so too can Sakana say that of the youth. Sakana could have retired years ago, he doesn't really need the shop anymore with the very few years he's got left to him and what he's got saved up over a life-time of hardwork and sensible savings. Like Kaiyou taught him, decades ago. Just about all of his friends from his younger years have passed on.
Including the old salt's sainted wife some years ago before he took the boy in.
Raising the boy gave the old man a reason to stay on this Earth at least a little while longer. A reason to get up in the morning, to run his shop and keep living day to day. Sakana would never admit it, but Kentou is the most precious thing left to him in this life as well. Handing that thing to Hotaru's safe keeping is not a trifling matter.
It is with that humorless weight that Sakana reciprocates her eye contact. Searching her gaze with that piercing, crooked squint of his before nodding once more in finality, "So be 'et then, Hotaru."
Lingering on such emotional matters is for young people, not for men with shops to run. With a grumble of effort, Sakana hoists his bulk from his seat, leaning heavily on his little cane as he manages to stand tall once more. While hardly taller than Hotaru, the old man begins to regain a fraction of his previous, terrible glory.
"An' Another thin' garl!" Muttering as he half turns about, facing the wharf, "Ne'er tell tha' boy wot ah tolds'ya." Beard brushing his shoulder as he glances behind him, affixing her a sideways stare, "Ah kept tha' truth from 'em 'coz ah will NOT let tha' boy throw 'way 'es life on revenge. He desarves better'n 'at. Ah don' care HOW guilty ye 'tinks ye are, garl, or wot ye 'tinks ye owe 'em. He canna e'er know tha' truth!"
Outwardly, it may seem an outrageous demand to make of the girl. Suggesting she'd be guilty of what her Father did?! How dare he?
But then, the old man already knows her perhaps too well. A bleeding hearted softy like her might feel somehow responsible for what happened, by proxy if nothing else. She may even feel that the boy deserves to know. She might even be right.
But Sakana knows what happens to those who succumb to the call of vengeance. That is a path he will never allow Kentou to follow as long as he yet draws breath.
To a certain extent, his outburst once he is back on his feet is a strong relief to the girl. It was with that very... important matter in mind that she had asked him what to do next. Should she tell Kentou of his father's fate and risk the repurcussions? Maybe just hope that she could control him, steer him, guide him into coping with it in a way that wouldn't be destructive? Or should she harbor the secret that had been passed onto her? And if so, for how long? Should he /never/ know?
It is actually a comfort for the old man to call her on that very issue, providing her guidance when he perhaps had not wanted to get too much in the way of her ability to make decisions. Her smile comes faintly at the end, a certain guilty expression as he seems to have her pegged well enough to know of the struggle she was dealing with in her heart.
"Not a word then." she states quietly. Maybe that's easier... maybe that's harder, she isn't sure. Sharing the truth with her seemed to life a burden from Sakana's shoulders, but that burden has now been passed to her. If keeping the truth from Kentou means that she must shoulder that burden... while sparing the boy that very thing, then so be it.
She unfolds her arms, one hand reaching up to straighten her hat just a little, before lowering to hang at her side. "Thank you. For trusting me with him." she states quietly, blue eyes staring at Kentou's aging caretaker. She senses the magnitude of the responsibility he's passed onto her, as well as how significant it was for him to do that. "He's going to grow up a strong, honorable man. Of this I'm certain."
She takes a step to the side then, turning to look away from both the old man and the vast ocean. "In no small part because of the foundation you've laid for him." she finishes, a quiet smile working its way back into her features. "I'm going to be looking into school for Kentou... To build on that foundation. I..."
The girl turns back to face Sakana, her expression still solemn, "I know the means of providing him an education might be limited. I also know that... it might not be easy to accept my help in this matter. But I will be seeing that whatever expenses are necessary for him to get into the school that is right for him will be handled. I felt you should know that I am doing this; that I'm not going behind your back."
A comfort in the near term, perhaps. What comfort such secrecy offers her in the future ... remains to be seen.
As Hotaru agrees to silence, Sakana solemnly inclines his head. He believes her. He trusts her, implicitly. She doesn't seem to be the sort to lie about anything, most especially when she gives her word. Knowing that the secret will remain out of Kentou's knowledge is a bittersweet joy. For reasons the old man has only recently come to realize.
As it is she who actually thanks him, Sakana pauses a moment. Grumbling about something or other as he shakes his head, completely dismissive of such talk of trust. Waiving a hand over his shoulder as he takes a single step further down the pier - Only to halt in his tracks with an audible 'tap' of his cane. The stout, rounded man keeps his back to the young girl for a few moments more. Unreadable emotions pass over an aged face ill-suited for such things, as he slowly turns in place to face the girl once more, leaning heavily upon that cane.
"Ahs ain't done nah service ta' tha' boy. Ah be realizin tha' now, right 'nuff." Calmly replying once she's finished explaining to her him the depth of her assistance and what merits of character she thinks he has. "Ah hid 'em from tha' world, garl. Ah did e'erythin' ah could ta' stomp out tha' one thin' tha' boy most be wantin'. Ah made 'em live inna closet. Ah worked 'em as 'ard as ah couldta keep 'em too busy ta' do wot 'ey wanted. An' wot did 'at e'er do?" Snorting, tossing his head with a scowl as he looks back out to the early morning sea.
"'Ey went out anyway, 'ey did. Juz' stopped lissinen one day an' wos on track ta' be wot ah tried so 'ard ta' keep 'em from all 'long." Spitting the words, "Ah dead fool, juz like 'es Dad."
Sakana then affixes Hotaru with another look, one of anger but hardly directed at her, "Ah wos wrong." A slow, calm voice, "Ah wos hopin tha'.. Mebbe 'eyd's fall in love wit' tha' sea. Like 'es Grandpa. Like me." Shaking his head slowly, "Tha' boy ain't ah sailor. Ey's ah fighter." His narrowed gaze turning from the ocean then, back to the girl. Much of his ire having expended itself with that tirade, finally returning to a wearied calm, "Was ye, garl, tha' gave 'em 'es dreams. Ah did e'erythin ah could ta' take 'em away. Ah couldna see 'em 'fer wot 'ey wos. Talent'd. Gift'd. A youn' man wit' ah future. All ah could see.. Wos this." A hand patting the pocket, within which dwells the paperwork that serves as Souretsu's epitaph.
Perhaps such unburdening of his soul was unnecessary as Sakana had already made his point. But, if the old man is now in the business of confessing his sins before the sea calls him home, might as well make certain this girl gets the facts straight. Regardless, now that the old man has completely set the record straight, he gets around to addressing the last few points of Kentou's future. All of which sound very good, very good indeed.
"Aye garl. 'Tis generous o' ya, ah be appreciatin' wot ye offerin' 'em. Eeeeh.." Waving a hand dismissively as he begins to turn about, "'Wot e'er ye two be decidin'. Ah dunno nuthin 'bout 'em schools. S'long as tha' boy gets 'emself a real edjucatin' - it be soundin' good ta' me, 'et does. Ah'll 'ire some o'er local boy ta' fill in so's tha' shop won't be gettin' in 'es way."
Truth be told, retirement is starting to sound awfully nice to the old salt. Buuuuut, spending maybe another year bossing fresh meat around sounds appealing as well. All he knows is.. He feels lighter. His shoulders don't sag quite so much. And for that..
Sakana half-turns one more time. Pausing for several long moments before finally adding in a gruff, half-concerned way, "...Thank ye, Hotaru."
She listens to his response about how he views his job caring for Kentou in silence. It's a man having the opportunity to review the last few years of his life in total. Perhaps he feels he went wrong, trying to hide the boy from the world, denying him the very dreams Hotaru opened the way for. It's a lot to take in, his confession, his lament for decisions made. A life in review...
"You gave me the best student I could ever hope to have. Don't let your regrets cloud that fact. Just as you advised me not to take anything away from what I've done, I think the same can be said of you. Kentou is the legacy of his parents... but also yours, and on some level, mine. When I look at him... I know what you did was for the best for him, and it shows. The measure of a man is what he leaves for others." She smiles quietly, "His spirit pulled him to his dreams no matter what you did, but you taught him hard work, strength, responsibility. And I've seen thos virtues continue to grow in him."
He turns, pausing, and Hotaru falls quiet as he speaks of her plans for Kentou's education. Just as he has handed off care for the boy should he be around no more, he has entrusted her to further his education, not just in martial arts, but in academics as well. It's up to her to make the best of that trust. He thanks her and Hotaru's cheeks plush a faint pink before she bows in his direction. "It has been my honor, it has given me purpose and direction..."
Standing up straight again, her hand reaches up to straighten her bonet one last time before she turns around to face away from the old man, away from the pier and sea, looking back toward Chinatown itself. A quiet exhale escapes her lips. Time to leave what has been a brief sanctuary this morning and venture back into the crazy world of a growing celebrity. She has three interviews to appear to... before lunch!
Log created on 23:10:20 05/12/2008 by Hotaru, and last modified on 02:16:01 05/22/2008.