At what price,love?

Chapter 24

There was a time when there were only two people in the world. Everybody else was just noise and toys. Even our parents. Then a blond idiot came out of the noise and asked us to join a club. At first, we weren't interested. But then we thought it was another way to play with our toys, so we joined. Then a strange thing happened: the other club members turned out not to be idiots. Well, mostly not idiots. Then one day there was another circle - US, the four friends and the noise. The friends were kind of fun, in a way that the rest of the toys never had been. Then the strangest thing of all happened. A toy found its way into our room. It was an ugly toy in a baggy sweater and thick glasses. It if had any brains it would have known it was too ugly to be out in public. We were ready to throw it back, but the friends wanted to play with it. So we went along. Then, when we were playing a cat and mouse game with the toy, it suddenly stopped being a toy and became a person. It knew us. She knew us. And not just as an US. As separate individuals, but also as the us. And she became the most important person in the world other than my brother. But by the time we realized it, she had given her heart to the blond idiot. But as he had been the first one to want her (although he'd been the last one to know why), we came to terms. Besides, he was the one who'd brought us all together. We never would have even met her without him.

Then they ended. And another had stepped in. It hurt to watch them. Not just because I wanted it to be me, but because after my brother and her, he was my best friend.

My brother holds the blond idiot as his number three, though he'd probably rather commit seppuku than admit it. The blond idiot who styled himself as the father of our little family. But when we really need parental advice, we know where to go, and it isn't to him. I find myself standing at the correct door, wishing he was not sharing the room with his best friend. But right now, I need wisdom more than I need my pride.

~oOo~

Misukuni Haninozuka sat cross-legged on his bed finishing the last bite of cake while watching his cousin finish the last moves of his kata when Kaoru came into the room without warning and knelt on the floor much like he was kneeling on the mat at the dojo. "Senpai," he said lowering his head. Ever since Honey and Mori had graduated, the others had tried to address them as –san, but there were times when you just needed your senpai. Takashi went to parade rest along the wall and silently observed. Mitsukuni sat still and waited. Somewhere in the back of his brain, Kaoru was infinitely grateful for his elders' ability to go from amusing friends to senseis and sages in the blink of an eye. Kaoru swallowed hard. What he was going to ask wasn't fair.

"Is he really so much better for her than I am?"

Mitsukuni thought long and carefully before answering. "If Ranka-san had lived another two years, I would have said no. Haru-chan has lost a great deal recently. More, I think, than any of us realize. She has lost more than any of the rest of us have ever had. We are the only family she has left that love her as she is, that want her with us. And as much as she needs reminding that life can be beautiful and fun, even more she needs someone who can take care of her and protect her, who can formulate a realistic plan and make it happen without her ever knowing. Because she's been the strong one since her mother died, and now she's afraid to be weak. She doesn't know how to ask for help. In that respect, she's no different than she was on Okinawa." Outnumbered by bullies, putting herself between the girls and the threat, six guys within shouting distance, two of them quite literally world class martial artists, and she couldn't bring herself to call for help. "And when she did finally start to trust us, Tama-chan broke her heart. He did it for the right reasons - he was blindsided by his grandmother and it was the best way to protect her - but he lied to her. If she's going to learn to trust us again, it's going to have to be someone who can see all the threats coming and head them off. Or at least someone mean enough that you'd have to be seriously stupid to screw with him." Honey shrugged. "For what it's worth, if your parents had adopted her, my answer would be different. They could provide the security and stability, and you could provide the love and laughter."