Chasing Dreams (Dropped)

Chapter 196: Makoto & Ikumi

To Makoto's surprise, Tengoku Shrine looked the same as when he and Irene left. Nothing had changed. The wooden floors were still as hard as a stone, and the walls were as thin as blades of grass.

"How long has it been since I've been able to see the world like this?" Makoto reminisced. He stared at Ren fondly, formulating something akin to a smile. "Renji you've grown so much since I last saw you. How old are you now? Seventeen? Eighteen?" Makoto asked.

"Sixteen." Ren corrected. He couldn't hold eye contact with Makoto for long. It was strange speaking to his father face to face. Ren felt the same way when he first met Irene. But his heart at the time was filled with so much rage that it overshadowed any other emotion Ren felt at the time.

Thankfully, this meeting was under better circumstances compared to the last one.

"My birthday just passed." Ren muttered. "I turned sixteen two months ago."

"In June?" Makoto asked, he could feel his mind clearing. "Ah yes, June 6th was your day of birth." Makoto reminded himself, how could he forget. It was the greatest moment in his entire life. The day when his blessing was born into the world.

Makoto pictured the day of Ren's birth as if it were yesterday.

Ren was born at the break of dawn near the end of spring. Irene's pregnancy wasn't an easy one. Irene was a strong woman, more powerful than most, but her pregnancy with Renji left her weak.

Throughout her pregnancy Irene was paranoid about Ikumi appearing. She was worried the moment Renji was born she'd appear and steal him away from them. So as a countermeasure, Irene placed vow upon her and Ren's souls.

Upon her death, Irene would transcend the world of the living and live a second life amongst the dead. A portion of her soul would be bound to Ren's spirit, allowing her to protect him for the rest of eternity.

Also, Irene fed Ren her flames incubating him in her womb for over nine months, forcibly mutating his genes.

Irene nearly died giving birth to Ren. But her determination to live stemmed from one idea.

Makoto would never forget the words Irene told him that dreary morning.

"I will not die. I cannot die. If I die here Renji will grow up thinking his existence is cursed. I don't want Renji to go against his namesake. We named him Renji with the intention that he'd be loved by all. I want Renji to love his existence. I want him to live knowing he gave our lives meaning. Renji is our blessing, and he will bless and save this world with his undying love."

"Undying love...like the feelings between parent and child..."

Makoto visualized Irene holding Ren. She was already blind in one of her eyes, and her face was as pale as spoiled milk. Despite her fading strength, Irene held onto Ren with everything she had. She kissed him lightly, not wanting to hurt him, and sobbed quietly, apologizing for what was to come.

"You're nearly a man now..." Makoto pointed out. "No..." He quickly retracted his statement. "Calling you anything less would be insult to everything you've endured up until now. You are a man now Renji. You have a wife. A daughter, and another one on the way. There are very few people in this world that fight as hard as you do for your family. Regardless if they are tied to you by blood or by vows."

"Isn't it the same for you?" Ren tried to make sense of it but found it difficult to do so. Why wouldn't someone fight for their family? Family meant everything to Ren. They were his power and his strength. Without them, he wouldn't have made it this far. The least he could do was replicated everything they did for him by sacrificing everything for them.