Chapter 46
Paths Of Pain
As everyone is walking Kaito stops as he’s outside of his house and everyone goes inside but as Kenji is about to walk in he sees Kaito just staring at the house and walks up to him as he says
“Uncle, are you ok?” Kaito says
“...I’m fine, just haven’t been here in so long” Kaito sheds a tear as he says
“It brings back memories...Not the best ones” Kenji says
“We don’t have to be here if you don’t want to” Kaito says
“No! It’s time I face my past mistakes” Kenji says
"I promise, no matter what your going through I'll be here to help you" Kaito says
"Thank you, Kenji" Kaito walks towards the house but he stops at the threshold of the doorway and his heart starts to race but Kenji grabs his shoulder as he says
“Whatever happened in the past can’t be changed, but you can make a better future to try and right those wrongs” Kaito takes a deep breath as he steps into the house and he looks around as Kenji walks past him and sits on the couch with Dai,Itsuki, and Hana as Dai notices Kaito looking around as if he's never been there and says
"Are you ok old man, or do you have dementia already?" Kaito continues to look at everything around the first floor until he walks over to the stairs and as he looks up the stairs he starts to hear Emi's crying and Akemi whispering to her and he takes a step back as *his eyes start to tear up* and Kenji notices and he stands up and walks over to Kaito as he says
"What is it? Is there something upstairs?" But Kaito can't respond and Kenji slowly walks upstairs and he looks around but he doesn't see anything and he turns back to the stairs and looks down at Kaito as he says
"There's nothing up here uncle" Kaito grabs his chest and thinks
"Compose yourself, you now have more people to protect. Help them!" Kaito wipes his eyes as he says
"...I was just amazed at the state of my home after this long" Kenji *laughs* as he says
"You're strange, I don't know how long you've been gone but it does look good" Kaito grabs the rail as he hears Akemi's whispering get louder but he takes a step up the stairs as Emi's crying becomes louder and he thinks
"This is all in my head, nothing is-" Kaito is *stunned* as he steps on the second step and he sees a hand resting on Kenji's shoulder and he notices Akemi's ring as something slow starts to come around the corner but Kaito turns and runs out of the house and everyone is *confused* and Itsuki looks upstairs and says
"What happened?" Kenji is *confused* and walks downstairs as he says
"I don't know, he was just walking upstairs but then he ran off" Itsuki stands up as he says
"Do you know where he'd go?" Kenji says
"People can change a lot over the years, I think it's safe to ask Grandpa Kenzo" Dai stands up as he says
"Now you've got my attention, let's go see that old bastard" Hana turns around and looks at them and Kenji notices she's going to cry and he turns to Dai as he says
"No, your staying here" Dai is *shocked* and says
"What!? Since when did I start taking orders from you" Kenji says
"Since you couldn't move your legs, and besides Hana needs some to watch TV with. So watch TV!" Dai tries to walk forward but he realizes his legs are frozen to the ground and Kenji walks up to Dai and grabs his shoulder as he whispers
"Either you stay here willingly, or I will leave you fully frozen inside Gyomei's room. And I promise that's not somewhere you want to be, pick quickly" Dai says
"I'm no-" Suddenly Dai's hand is frozen and Dai looks down as he can't feel his hand anymore and Kenji whispers
"I've never frozen you with this ice, I promise you won't escape" Dai looks into Kenji's eyes as he's *angry* but suddenly Dai's eyelids are frozen open and Dai says
"Fine!" All the ice around him melts as Kenji *smiles* and says
"Good!" Kenji turns to Hana and says
"Hana, we're going to get Uncle Kaito. But Dai is going to stay with you, do you want anything?" Hana says
"No, but can you guys hurry up and come back?" Kenji says
"Of course, we'll be right back and then we'll have some dinner" Itsuki says
"We will not be gone that long, I promise" Hana sits back down and looks at the TV as she says
"Ok, please don't be long" Kenji and Itsuki both walk outside and starts running over to Kenzo's library and Itsuki says
"Kaito has been acting strange every time we bring up his home, do you think something more is going on?" Kenji says
"Maybe, I think him and Akemi might be going through a rough patch or even possibly a divorce. Losing some you care about so much just because you both can't work on your issues is an unimaginable pain, to know they're still out there but simply can't be around you would destroy anyone" Itsuki says
"I've had a lot of people around me die, but I never had someone I care about just push me away. That would hurt worse than any death" As Itsuki and Kenji stop outside of Kenzo's library door, Kenji says
"Even before we left he was acting a bit strange, but maybe Kenzo will know more than us" Itsuki says
"With father gone, I believe he would be the next best person to speak to" Kenji says
"We're about to find out" Kenji knocks on Kenzo's door and as Kenzo opens the door he *smiles* as he sees Itsuki and Kenji as he says
"Too what do I owe the pleasure of our two young lords visiting me?" Kenji says
"Uncle Kaito ran off after we went into his house, and we want to know if you knew anything going on with him and Akemi? Because it seems like every time we brought anything up about his house he started to panic" Kenzo is *shocked* and says
"You went to his home!? What happened?" Kenji says
"After we first walked in he started looking around as if he hadn't been there in a long time, but then he walked over to the stairs and he stared up them for a minute until he suddenly back up and I walked over to him and went up the stairs to check for what he saw. But I didn't see anything and we were talking and he started to walk up the stairs, but he suddenly turned around and ran out of the door. After that we came to find you because you might know what's wrong with him or even where he'd run off to" Kenzo thinks
"It's his first time back home after seeing such a grueling sight, he might be having flashbacks of what his home once was. But it is not my place to tell them" Kenzo says
"Him and Akemi...Have been having some problems and he's been stressed lately. You all go back to his home and I'll bring him back" Itsuki says
"Will you need any help?" Kenzo says
"No, I'll handle it. You all go back home and relax, everything will be ok" Kenji says
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"Alright, but if you need help finding him or bringing him back we're here" Kenzo says
"Thank you, but I'll bring him back quickly" Itsuki turns to Kenji as he says
"We should really get back home quick, Dai's terrible with kids" Kenji *laughs* as he says
"Hana is probably running all around him, yeah we'll need to get back" Kenji and Itsuki both turn around and run off as Kenzo walks out of his library towards Kaito office and thinks
"Those nights when I left Kenji on the mountain alone and we spoke it seemed like you had progressed so far, but the true test came when you needed to face those demons you tried to leave in the dark. But you have not failed yet, you can still recover and grow past this. I know it's a pain like no other, when I lost my son I wanted nothing more than to sink into the darkness of it all and fall apart but you and Kingsman helped me through that. Now it is my time to pay it forward, in more ways than one. If you are gone, I will help everyone in every way I can for the both of you" As he stops outside Kaito's office door and thinks
"We have been through so much together, I promise I will not let you fall" As Kenzo opens walks into Kenzo's office he sees Kaito rapidly writing and signing documents and Kenzo starts walking towards him as he says
"Kaito?" Kaito says
"Get out, I have much work I need to do" Kenzo says
"Kaito...Please" Kaito says
"I'm fine, we've had these talks and I'm good now. I just have much work to do, now please leave" Kenzo says
"Kaito, It was not your fault-" Kaito erupts into his Icy Sun Flames as he burns all the documents on his desk and kicks his desk towards Kenzo and Kenzo's able to catch the desk as Kaito's Icy Sun Flames wrap around the entire room and Kenzo says
"Listen to me Kaito, I promise it's not your fault" Kaito rushes Kenzo and grabs him by the neck slamming him against the wall as he screams
"I FAILED THEM, MY BROTHER KILLED THEM BECAUSE OF ME!" Kenzo says
"It's-" Suddenly Kaito throws out of his office window sending him slamming into the streets and as Kenzo looks up he sees Kaito's entire office building erupt into his Icy Sun Flames as Kaito flies through the window into the air as he screams
"KEI, WHERE ARE YOU!?" Kenzo slowly gets to his feet and says
"Kaito, please listen to me" Kaito looks down at Kenzo and he gets *angry* as he flies towards him and Kenzo closes his eyes as he says
"When I lost my son" Kaito stops right in front of Kenzo's face as his Icy Sun Flames extinguishes and Kenzo continues saying
"It felt like I had failed at everything I've ever wanted to accomplish, I wanted nothing more but for my son to live a good, happy, long life. But when I allowed it to be cut short, when I allowed him to feel that pain it hurt me inside. I felt like continuing was an impossibility, but you and Kingsman showed me that wasn't the case. You showed me I could smile again, Kingsman showed I could laugh again. And the two of you together showed me that even though you may not be my sons, I could proudly love again. I hate that you felt this pain and I'm sorry for what happened, but we all need to face our problems. But from experience I can tell you it is much easier when you allow others to help, allowing others in your heart even though it feels like you've lost all the love you could have ever known. But we are strange creatures, even as we feel we have nothing left our bodies never stop producing the things we need. Your love is not dead, it may be damaged or even lost for the time being. But it is not dead, because we are stronger than we know. Please allow us to help you" As Kenzo opens his eyes he sees Kaito with *tears in his eyes* and Kenzo hugs Kaito as Kaito *breaks down in tears* as he's in Kenzo arms and Kenzo notices people starting to come out of there homes and business looking towards them but Kenzo presses down on the ground with his foot cracking it and kicking up dirt everywhere and Kenzo says
"Everyone back inside, it's dangerous" All of them start looking around but none of them notices anything but Kenzo screams
"NOW!" Everyone rushes back inside and Kenzo hugs Kaito tighter as he says
"It's alright, I've got you. Everything you feel, you can let it out. I'm here for you" Kaito *through his tears* says
"Why couldn't it have been me!? How could my own brother do this to me!? He knew what they meant to me, yet he still would do this and look at me with no remorse in his eyes" Kenzo says
"You have told all of us that your brother hasn't been well for a while, he is stuck in a time he felt was beneficial for your clan. But he doesn't know the truth since he was just a boy, he wishes to return to a fantasy. We will find him, but for now you need to rest. I mean truly rest your body and mind, I know it will be hard but return to your home and rest" Kaito wipes his eyes as he says
"Thank you, Kenzo. I appreciate your help, you are like a father to me. We do not deserve you, we've said so much to you and put you through so much but yet you still help us anyway you can" Kenzo says
"It's alright, I've done just the same to all of you and you all still allowed me in the village and helped me when I needed it" Kaito says
"Kenzo, if anything happens to me-" Kenzo hugs him as he says
"I know, but let's focus on you right now" Kaito says
"Yes, alright" Kenzo lets go of Kaito as he looks into Kaito's eyes and says
"It's time to go home" Kaito says
"Yes...I will, thank you" Kenzo turns around as he says
"It is my job" Kenzo walks off as Kaito turns around and sees his entire building is frozen and he thinks
"I'm lucky to have people like you around me, otherwise I may have truly lost everything we've built"
At the same time Kenji and Itsuki are sitting on top of the roof of Kaito's house eating candy and Itsuki says
"Why did you want to stop for candy so bad?" Kenji says
"I wanted to give Dai and Hana more time together, plus I really wanted to hear how your training really went" As Itsuki eats another piece of candy, he says
"I can't tell you all the details yet" Kenji is *confused* as he says
"Why not?" Itsuki says
"Because when I do tell the story I want mother and father here with us while we all eat as a family once again, but what about your training? Didn't you train with Kenzo, how was it?" Kenji says
"Honestly it felt just like training with father, tiring, draining, and physically torture but at the end no matter how hard it was they could always make me want to come back and do it again. I never felt like either one of them were talking to me, I felt like they were talking to the man I was going to become" Itsuki says
"Father had to learn his style from somewhere, but I'm considering going to train with Grandpa Kenzo as well" Kenji is *shocked* as he says
"Really? I thought you were opposed to training with anyone except father" Itsuki says
"Father has been nothing but nice to me and I do not wish to insult that, and the only thing he asked of me was to get stronger and I barely did that. I feel like there is so much more power I haven't even started to see inside myself, and when Sensei gets back I want to make him proud of how far I've come. Of how far we've all come! Me and Dai we're nothing when he found us, boys cast aside and left for dead. But even as we were at our lowest, father still saw a light inside of us that compelled him to not allow our lives to be taken. I cannot thank him enough for that, and the only way I can even start to repay something like that is to make him proud and become the man he knew I would be" Kenji *smiles* as he eats another piece of candy and Itsuki looks at Kenji and says
"What?" Kenji says
"You really love father!" Itsuki says
"He saved me and showed me love and kindness when no one else would, I owe him everything" Kenji says
"But father would tell you that you owe him nothing, you know that" Itsuki says
"I know, but I want to make him proud" Kenji *laughs* and picks up the bag of candy as he says
"You can do that, but give your body a break before you push your body extremely hard. Father told us that" Kenji drop off the roof and Itsuki drops off the roof as well and says
"I will, but after that I'm going back to training" Kenji and Itsuki both walk into the house but there *shocked* as they see Dai on the ground with his arms and legs tapped together as tape is also around his mouth and his face is soaking wet as Hana jumping on the couch and watching TV and Kenji says
"Hana!" Hana stops jumping on the couch as she sits down and Itsuki walks up to Dai and looks at Hana as he says
"What did you do?" Hana says
"We were playing and he said I couldn't tie him up, but I beat him up and tied him up" Kenji walks over and crouches down next to Dai as he rips the tape off Dai's mouth and Kenji says
"So you got beat up by your little sister, and here I thought you had become so strong" Dai says
"That little girl is a demon! She turned off my fire somehow" Kenji *laughs* as he looks at Hana and says
"Hana" Hana looks at Kenji as she says
"Yes?" Kenji says
"Did you help Dai when he was on fire?" Hana says
"Yes, when I tied him up his body covered in fire. I ran to the kitchen and got a glass of water and threw it on him putting out the fire" Dai says
"When I get up I'm-" Kenji puts the tape back on his mouth as he says
"Good job, but are you going to let him go now?" Hana says
"Do we have too? He might try and hit me" Itsuki says
"Don't worry about it, I promise he won't put a hand on you" Hana looks at Kenji and says
"Can you do it?" Kenji says
"If I need to do it I will have to keep my bag of candy" Hana is *shocked* and says
"No, I'll do it!" Hana jumps off of the couch and runs over to Dai but she stops and looks at Itsuki as she says
"Are you ready Big Brother Itsuki?" Itsuki says
"Always, when you take it off of his hands just step back" Hana says
"Right!" Hana crouches down next to Dai and pulls the tape off of his hands and Hana gets up and steps back as Dai rips the tape off his legs and his mouth as he looks at his hand and covers it in his flames and says
"Now I'm back" Dai points his hand towards Hana and Hana is *shocked* but suddenly his arm is frozen as Itsuki presses his sword against the front of his neck and Dai *laughs* as he says
"Is that all you two can do!?" Kenji *laughs* as he says
"No, it's not" Kenji creates a sword out of his ice and throws it to Itsuki as Itsuki throws Kenji his sword and Kenji coats Itsuki's sword in ice as Itsuki coats Kenji's sword in lightning and they both lift the swords above there heads but suddenly the door opens behind them and everyone turns and looks at the door but none of them see anyone as suddenly Kenji and Itsuki are hit in there backs making them fall to the ground and Kenji turns around but Dai slams right on top of him and Itsuki and all of them are on the *ground in pain* but they all hear Hana screams and they all quickly get up but Hana is gone and the door is still wide open and Kenji is *shocked* as he screams
"HANA! NO!"