Chapter Twenty One
~Rebuilding The Bridges~
After getting home sometime during noon, Mom told me that she and Asuka were going off for another sphere hunt. "We'll be back around four. Leave a note if you go anywhere," she told me. Where was I going to go? If I went back to Dad's place, it'd be kinda weird. I didn't want to go while he and Rikku were still doing damage control from last night. Nor did I want to go to Penelope's place. That'd be awkward. Dad always said that if there was a moment that had high tension between you and someone else, it'd be best to let the pan chill before touching it again. Whatever that meant, it probably meant don't talk to her just yet.
"Mind if I come?" I asked. The worst she could say was no.
"You really want to?"
"I don't mind," I said cooly. Besides. Coming to this epoch had lost it's purpose. Might as well create a new one. I left my jacket on my bed and searched my room for the sword that I brought along from my own time. I brought it forward and Asuka decided to stay back. She poked fun at what she called, "our mother-son bonding time." If anything, this was just me trying to use up some time before the day ends. Because once it does, another one begins. And this one was too much of a bore anyway.
Almost an hour later, we were searching in the valleys of the Mi'ihen Highroad. This area wasn't excavated by the now expanded Gullwings, which included Paine, Rikku, and mom, along with Asuka and Dad (who normally didn't go because "someone has to hold down the fort"). We encountered several fiends, but nothing too serious. Mom was quite the markswoman, or at least, a pretty good shot. I've heard rumors that Amme had a better eye, but I've never seen or heard anything about it. And I've seen Dad with a gun too. He's not so bad if you ignore the fact that recoil scares the hell out of him.
We went deeper and deeper into the valley and we had passed the crash site of the hover years ago. The same crash that claimed Sanae and Shinobu's parents. Made me think how they really were. Shinobu seemed... normal. I guess. If you forget the fact that she'd run into walls without her glasses and she'd occasionally fall asleep in the shower. Or at least, it's what I hear from Amy. Although, Sanae was creepy. Not the disgusting kinda creepy. More like the, "let's do this because it'll hurt someone else, but be funny to us," kinda creepy. My thoughts were interrupted by Mom's sudden stop. "Don't move," she said in a whisper. I looked forward to see what the problem was.
A small green figure covered in a brown robe holding a butcher's knife in one hand and a lamp in the other stood in our way. I've always wondered what one would look like in real life, so I was pretty excited to see my first tonberry. I wanted to make quick work of it. Despite their slow movement, these things could defintely do some damage. "C'mon. It can't catch us anyway," I assured her.
"Y'know, I've fought two giant tonberries before," she whispered back. "The first one cast haste on itself and we were lucky to survive because we had the aeons power,"
"And the second one?"
"Even Paine said we should've ran,"
"Did you?"
"Nope," she said, shaking her head. The tonberry had shaken it's lantern in a circular motion and a subtle flash of light emitted from the lantern.
"...Is that haste?"
"Yep,"
"Run?"
"Good idea," she said. We made a move for the left, but the tonberry had thrown it's knife towards me. Mom used her gun to shoot it out of the way, but I began charging at the little bastard. I would've gotten a swing in, but Mom pulled me by the wrist out of the valley's gorge.
"We could've beaten it! Why're we running?!"
"Do you think I want my son on the verge of death, twice in one day?" she asked yelling. I kept quiet as she pulled me forward back to the entrance of the valley. We stopped by the entrance to the Highroad and we sat on a soft patch of grass. Mom and I were tired. She wiped a tear from her eye and chuckled a bit. "Heh... That was... That was kinda close..."
"...I'm sorry..." I said. Before, I would've probably hated saying something like this. But then again, before, I was selfish and only thinking of myself and how to end myself.
"For?"
"Not listening..."
"It's fine. Just a little worried is all. Well... Very worried. It's not like I know how to handle having a kid. Much less, having a kid like you," she smiled.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're so moody sometimes. Last time I checked, you were in your room blasting loud music and yelling at me last week. But this last night, you bringing up the guitar with you and playing a sweet song for Penelope... It was a little different from the Kanynt that tried to kill his parents when I first met him," she said with a nervous giggle. "... Do you hate me?"
"What do you mean?" I asked. She really was trying to get it out of me. I knew I was going to hate myself later for saying it.
"...Do you hate me still? And your dad?" her eyes piercing and judging, yet compassionate and... almost... innocent. Or at least as innocent as mom could get. After meeting Dad, it probably went all the way downhill.
"Well... No..."
"That's good... I was getting the feeling that you weren't getting the message,"
"What message?"
"...I know that we have our differences. And that... Well... I know I'm not the most responsible person. And I'm sure I'm doing doing such a great job as a mother too, but I'm trying... And I love you," she said smiling. I swear, if I never said this again, it'd be too soon.
"...I love you too..." I murmured, just before she wrapped her arms around me and surrounded me by her warmth.
-End Chapter-