After Story: Compassion

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Supporting Roles

"A man died in a bus accident, leaving behind a wife and two kids," he explained as we headed back to the main doors. "I need to make sure the family's doing okay...all things considered."

"Can I come?" I asked.

"Tomoya, this is serious; there will be tears and stories and...well, children."

"I won't get in your way...I promise," I said as we stopped just before the main doors.

He studied me for a minute. "All right, fine," he conceded. "Just...let me do the talking, okay?"

I thought back to the situation with the Miyazawas; I'd have to follow up on that another time. "Understood, sir."

"Good," he said as he reached for the handle. "Let's go, then."

We had been walking for several minutes when I got the feeling that we were being followed. I looked behind us to find... "Uh, Pastor? We're, uh, being followed...I think."

He glanced over his shoulder, did a double-take, then came to a complete stop. "Hoo boy..."

"G-Good morning," Ryou greeted as she walked up to us with her sister in tow. "We were coming to the church because we heard that Okazaki-kun had stopped by the bakery earlier."

"Did you see us leaving or something?" I asked.

She nodded. "Where are you going...I-If you don't mind m-me asking?"

Jeff and I looked at each other, and I pressed my lips together, hopefully communicating to him that I wouldn't say anything. "We're headed to a home visit," he said. "Bus accident victim's family."

"How terrible," Ryou said sympathetically. "M-May we come along?"

Jeff and I looked at each other again. "It's your call, boss," I said, acknowledging my position. "But if you ask me, they'd be good for the kids, if nothing else."

He sighed as his eyes briefly lost focus, and I took the opportunity to glance over at Kyou to check on her; she watched Jeff's face with what looked like a mixture of sadness and hope.

"All right," he finally said. "But we need to hurry; they're waiting, and I've already made us later with this."

As he moved off at a faster pace, Ryou and I exchanged relieved smiles before hurrying to catch up.

***

"Thank you for coming," the young woman said in a trembling voice. "Please excuse the mess; I wanted to have the place ready for when you arrived."

"Please don't worry about it," Pastor Ashton said in a kind voice as he entered her home; Ryou followed him in, still holding hands with her sister who followed, while I brought up the rear. "You have a lot going on right now. How are you holding up? Are you doing okay?"

"As well as can be expected, I suppose," she replied as she settled onto her couch, wiping her eyes. She gestured to a couple of small children playing on the floor; the older kid looked to be about six years old. "I have to be strong for the children right now; they're wondering when their dad's going to be home."

"Well, for now, let us be strong for you," he said, indicating himself along with the rest of us. How could he be so strong with as tired as he was? "How old are they?" he asked, indicating the children playing on the floor, blissfully ignorant of our presence it seemed.

"The younger one, Aiko, is three and her older brother, Kazuo, is six."

"How precious," he said with a gentle smile as he looked down at them.

The boy looked up from his activities and his eyes widened as he saw us. "M-Mommy? Who are all these people?"

"They're here to visit us for a while," she said, forcing a smile to her face. "Why don't you say 'hi'?"

"Hey, kiddo," Jeff greeted, dipping his head in a bow. "I'm Pastor Ashton; nice to meet you."

The boy wrinkled his nose. "What a funny name."

"Kazuo!" his mother scolded. "Don't be rude!"

"Sorry."

As Jeff continued his conversation, I looked over to check on the twins. Ryou was watching the exchange between the boy and Pastor Ashton with interest, but Kyou was obviously watching the little girl as she watched her brother talk with the pastor. I subtly waved a hand to get Kyou's attention then angled my head toward the girl as a hint.

A smile flickered across her face, and she slid from her seat onto the floor next to the girl. "Hiya, cutie! What's your name?"

The girl eyed her warily. "Aiko."

"What a pretty name for such a pretty girl," Kyou cooed.

"Th-Thank you."

As the two started to play, I shifted my attention to Ryou, who was still transfixed by Pastor Ashton's conversation with the boy. I was transfixed myself as I watched her expressions change; sometimes her eyes would widen, or her lips would part slightly before resolving into a smile...but most of the time she had a peaceful expression, which warmed my heart.

I couldn't help myself; I was still madly in love with Fujibayashi Ryou.

***

Jeff rubbed vigorously at his face as we left the house. "I...am...exhausted!" he exclaimed, leaning heavily against a wall once we were a good distance away from the house. "You kids can go on ahead; I need a minute or two to pull myself together."

"Naw, we'll stay with you," I said.

"It wouldn't be right to leave you behind," Ryou remarked.

Kyou quietly moved up behind the pastor and started carefully massaging his back. "Ah, that feels great," he grunted as he closed his eyes. "I need that after a day like this...thanks Jessi-" His eyes snapped open and he quickly whipped his head around to see Kyou stepping away from him. "Um..."

"I'm sorry," she squeaked, clasping her hands before her.

He looked at me, and I did my best to give him an apologetic look. His sigh and nod told me that he understood. "Let's go to my office," he grunted again as he heaved himself from the wall. "I guess I have some explaining to do."