The shock from being slapped hurt worse than the sting. Still, it jarred Mikomi to the point where he had to use the car to keep himself upright. Realizing what she had done, she reached out as a way to apologize but then she stopped herself. Her resolve had kicked in and she refused to apologize for giving something to him that he so rightfully deserved. Instead, she took a deep breath and calmed herself down.
“I looked for you after you got pulled off stage but you were nowhere to be found. Then I ran into your roommate Derek and he said that you went back to your room to pack. I, honestly, didn’t know if I should have come looking for you after that. I wasn’t sure if I should have even come here tonight but I’m your mother and it is my duty to be here for some of the most important days in my son’s life… even if my own son didn’t want to be there for any of mine.”
Mikomi looked up at his mother as she began to well up with tears.
“You’ve been so distant these past two years, Mikomi. You wouldn’t call me, you wouldn’t come to visit me. All of the breaks you spent here, never once thinking of coming home. Do you know what it was like to spend the last two holiday seasons alone!? It’s bad enough that my husband… your father… died but my own son wouldn’t even come to keep his mother company? Do you have any idea how much that hurt me!?”
Mikomi couldn’t say anything. He knew that his mother was right but he couldn’t just explain everything to her. There’s no way she would understand. He could only stand there and take it. After all, he had it coming, and deep down, he knew that he deserved this.
“I’m sorry, Mikomi. I shouldn’t be saying this to you on a day like today but what other time could I say this? I wanted to come to see you but I honestly thought that you didn’t want me here. Even though Serah dying was extremely hard on you… you still came home. It took you a while but you still came home. When your father died… you didn’t. What was different about this time? Why didn’t you want to come home and see me? I just couldn’t understand why, Mikomi. Even now, I don’t understand why.”
Karoline continued to stand there, hoping for an answer but Mikomi remained silent. That’s all that Karoline needed to hear.
“I understand that in your eyes, you’re no longer my baby boy. You’re a grown man now and you can live your life the way you want to. I can’t stop you nor can I change that. There comes a time in every parent’s life that they need to let go but it should never have to be in a way like this.”
Mikomi’s lip quivered as he began to shed tears. He couldn’t believe what his mother was saying but at the same time, he knew that something like this would have happened eventually.
“I’m afraid tears aren’t going to fix this, Mikomi. Your silence means that you’ve made your choice. I’ve endured these past two years with every fiber of my being. Don’t worry about me. I can endure these coming years just as well.”
Mikomi continued to tremble at his mother’s words. He had no idea how to respond to any of this.
“Good luck at your father’s company. I have no doubts that you can and will succeed but if you’re going to… you’re going to need to find your heart. Even in the darkest of times… at least your father had one.”
Those were the last words Karoline said to him before she walked away. He reached his hand out to try and touch his mother but she was already too distant to grab. The further Karoline got from him, the more the weakness in his knees took over until he staggered back and fell against his car. The feeling coursing through his body was much like the feeling he experienced when he was shot in the other timeline. He felt all of his senses slowly fade away until he couldn’t feel anything anymore. The only difference here was that he wasn’t dying. He knew that this feeling wouldn’t kill him but deep down inside, he was wishing it would.
Mikomi eventually returned to his senses. With his things packed, he got in his car and drove away. He didn’t even bother waiting for Derek to say goodbye. He knew that he would see him Monday morning anyway so he could explain things properly to him then. While he was driving, he came to the sudden realization that he was now homeless. His entire plan was to head back to his house until he had gotten a couple of months’ worth of paychecks under his belt, then he would go house hunting but this confrontation with his mother here tonight changed all of that. There was no way he could walk through the front door of his house now. Even if he showed up just to get his things, it would be an extremely awkward situation for him.
The only place Mikomi could turn to would be his father’s office. He figured that since his father spent many nights at the company, then he should grow accustomed to doing the same thing. Mikomi drove straight to Onyx Technology Ventures. Being a Friday night, there shouldn’t have been a soul there but there were still some lights on in the building. He pulled into a parking spot and got out of his car.
As soon as he closed the door, he froze. It had been eight long years since he had been given a second chance but to him, the scene felt like it had just happened yesterday. He looked around frantically, expecting to see someone standing there with a gun in their hand. Even though he was alone in the parking lot, he still felt a presence looming over him. He gritted his teeth and turned around, shouting out into the darkness.
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
“I know you’re there! You’re always there!”
Mikomi took a deep breath and screamed out his name.
“SEBASTIAN!”
Mikomi waited a moment and looked around. He fully expected Sebastian to materialize out of thin air but he was nowhere to be seen.
“So, you’ve disappeared again, huh!? What happened to always watching? What happened to playing the role of the observer!? Two years you’ve been absent! I guess even a Custodian of Time would abandon me, too, huh? SHOW YOURSELF!!!”
Mikomi screamed at the top of his lungs. His only solace was that he was alone. Had anyone come by and seen him, it would have made for a very awkward situation. Still, through it all, Sebastian refused to show himself.
“So even you…” muttered Mikomi under his breath.
Mikomi walked toward the building and scanned his ID card at the door. He always kept it in his wallet since he was free to come and go as he pleased. The card granted him access and he walked in through the front gates. The evening security guard was there behind the front desk and was a bit shocked to see him there.
“M-Mr. Saigo! What brings you here at this time of night!?”
“If I’m going to take over the company on Monday, I should get a sneak peek of what I’m getting myself into. I figured I would look through some things in my father’s old office and get myself acquainted.”
“I-I see! Well, it’s good to see you, Mr. Saigo! I can see you already have your father’s work ethic! I’m sure you’re going to do great!”
“T-thank you,” muttered Mikomi.
With that, Mikomi took the elevator up to the top floor. He knew the layout of the building like the back of his hand and knew exactly where to go. He soon arrived outside the big double wooden door that led to his father’s office. While the hallway was mainly dark, he noticed that there was a glow coming from underneath the frame. His curiosity was piqued and he turned the handle. Soon, the light from inside the office bathed Mikomi’s face. A head looked up from a stack of paperwork on his father’s desk, their eyes widening.
“M-Mikomi!?”
Mikomi gazed back.
“Cassandra? What are you doing here so late!?”
“I was just finishing up some paperwork. Besides, the same could be asked of you. You’re not supposed to be here until Monday.”
“It-it’s a long story but I’m going to have to call this place home for the time being.”
“Home? What happened, Mikomi?”
That voice wasn’t Cassandra’s. When Mikomi turned around, Alice was standing there in the doorway. She had heard the conversation and came over to see just who it was that was here this late.
“Alice? You’re here late as well.”
“Yes… I was staying late to help Cassandra with her paperwork. Being the acting CEO of the company has been pretty tough on her.”
“Oh come now, Alice. It’s nothing I can’t handle” said Cassandra with a smirk on her face. “It’s tougher dealing with Michael’s advances than it is running a company.”
Alice and Cassandra shared a laugh over that remark while Mikomi remained as emotionless as ever. Alice stopped giggling and realized that there was still Mikomi’s situation that needed to be addressed. Alice, realizing what an opportunity this was, sheepishly looked away and then cleared her throat.
“You know, Mikomi. If you need a place to stay, you can stay at my house until you get on your feet. I mean, it’s not like you don’t have a job and would be a freeloader or anything.”
“Alice! Are you sure that’s okay with you? I mean, he, technically, is the owner of the company. That would look bad if people found out.” said Cassandra in protest.
“Mikomi’s father was such a kind man. He taught me to be relaxed around him and he helped me grow so much as an administrative assistant. Even though I’ve only known Mikomi through his father and from his frequent visits here, I feel like we’ve become good friends and I want to help him. I don’t know the details of his situation but it’s apparent that he needs a place to stay. I spent a lot of time taking care of his father so the least I could do is also take care of his son.”
“Alice… you do realize that Mikomi is only four years younger than you, right!? I mean, what if…”
Mikomi turned a bit red with embarrassment.
“I’m standing right here, you know…”
“I trust Mikomi. I know he’s not like that. So… What do you say? Want to stay with me until you get your own place?”
Mikomi looked down at the floor and then closed his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. He knew that his back was up against a wall and that sleeping in a bed would be a lot more comfortable than the floor of his office. He knew he had no other choice but to accept Alice’s offer.
“Yeah… I guess…”
“Great! In that case, just wait here a little while longer while Cassandra and I finish up today’s paperwork and I’ll bring you over to my house.”
As he sat there, thoughts flowed through his mind.
I never stayed at Alice’s in the other timeline so what does that mean? No… there’s no use thinking about any of this. I can’t change anything. No matter what I do, it just falls apart in the end. It’s a bit ironic to say as I sit here at the top of a company but I’ve truly lost everything and everyone. Serah… Dad… they’re all gone and I’ll never get them back. Sebastian has disappeared and my Mom wants nothing to do with me through no one’s fault but my own. Why even bother thinking about this change? Why even care if the future is reshaping itself? I don’t have a lot of time left anyway. It’ll be over soon enough and then this pain will pass away along with my body.
All I need to do is wait it out.