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Post by Takumi Jun on Jun 30, 2015 23:14:13 GMT -5
Following his mother's instructions hadn't been very difficult, and Takumi was grateful for it. He moved fast, even when carrying a body, but that didn't mean it wasn't aggravating his shoulder. They were there fairly quickly, but Takumi could feel blood dripping down his arm from the wound, and he'd appreciate medical attention. Or at least a first aid kit. He remembered his mother always had one around when he was little, he hoped that was still the case.
They reached the apartment building and he set his mother down. It was still dark out, and it didn't seem like anyone had seen them. "Is this it?" He asked, moving to take his mother's hand. He still wanted contact, even if he'd had to put her down.
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Post by Kiyoko Jun on Jun 30, 2015 23:42:29 GMT -5
It didn't take long to get to Kiyoko's apartment thankfully. "This is it." She replied, reaching for the key in her pocket with her free hand before unlocking the door. She smiled and squeezed her son's hand as they entered and she went to turn on the lights. It was small, only one bedroom, but it was nice.
"I've got a first aid kit in the bathroom." The bullet wound would need to be taken care of first before any talking could happen. Kiyo gently tugged him with her on the very short walk to the bathroom and released his hand for a moment while she opened the cabinet. "I'm sorry about asking you to carry me with your arm like that, I just knew it would be the fastest way out was all." Her voice was completely calm, not at all like how mothers usually reacted to their children getting shot. Then again, she knew Takumi wasn't like most people, and the wound wasn't too terribly serious.
The first aid was pulled out and she closed the cabinet as she turned back to face him. "Do you need my help?" She asked curiously. Ghosts were trained to take care of themselves in these situations, but another pair of hands usually helped.
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Post by Takumi Jun on Jul 1, 2015 16:46:57 GMT -5
Takumi entered the apartment and for the first time in twenty years didn't feel the need to look around for exits. It was a nice apartment, 'tasteful' was probably a good word for it, but he'd never had much of an eye for decor. "It's okay, Mama." He replied, he'd done worse in more stressful circumstances, carrying his mother wasn't anything ridiculous.
The first aid kit was a welcome sight, and he did know how to mend his own wounds. It became something of a priority amongst the ranks, some of the doctors under Jun's employ were... less than professional. Not that that hadn't been expected, but it had been something that his Brothers and Sisters had helped him learn about and, more importantly, to avoid. He could do it, definitely, but it was on his shoulder and it had gone clean through. He didn't feel like he needed to remove any fragments of bullets but he'd need help stitching up the exit wound. Normally he'd find some back-alley doctor or whoever his partner was on a mission to help patch him up, but he didn't need those right now. He had his mother.
That was better.
"Yes, please." Takumi answered. It would be best if he got a hand, and besides, he really would like his mother's help. They could talk as they worked...
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Post by Kiyoko Jun on Jul 1, 2015 17:03:07 GMT -5
Kiyoko smiled when Takumi called her Mama. It had been way too long since she had heard that, she'd missed it. "Come on then, you're sitting down." She would feel better if he did, and she'd be able to help easier that way too. It was strange to her, the last time she had seen her son she was able to hold him. Now he was what, six or seven inches taller than her? It was almost hard to believe.
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Post by Takumi Jun on Jul 1, 2015 17:15:08 GMT -5
Takumi immediately sat on the floor, it was easier than worrying about messing up the furniture with his blood, and the floor actually wasn't so bad if you were used to it. It was cleaner than most of the places he slept during missions, certainly. "Mama, you said you'd explain things..." And as much as he loved seeing her again and having her back, he really did want to know what had really happened. He trusted her implicitly.
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Post by Kiyoko Jun on Jul 1, 2015 17:33:24 GMT -5
Kiyo's smile fell a little and she sat down behind his wounded shoulder. Helping stitching up injuries, she could do that no problem, blood didn't faze her, but explaining things to Takumi could be... difficult, depending on what he had been told. "First, tell me everything you've been told." That would be best, she figured as she started to work on the exit wound. Not everything Jun said were lies, some were half truths or truths twisted and reworded, anything that could manipulate people into doing her dirty work. To think that that woman had been doing that to her son all this time only made Kiyoko want to watch her suffer even more.
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Post by Takumi Jun on Jul 1, 2015 19:05:31 GMT -5
Takumi stilled himself for his mother's benefit. Wiggling patients were the most difficult to deal with, after all. "Jun said that you were taken from us, she said she could use my help to find you, but I begged her to teach me to fight so I could bring you back home." He remembered clinging to Jun and crying and begging to please let him help. He'd been desperate then, and then spent years in training... "We trusted her, I didn't question what she told me... And she did have evidence of a struggle..."
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Post by Kiyoko Jun on Jul 1, 2015 19:36:17 GMT -5
Kiyoko was silent as she focused on stitching him up. She wasn't sure how well she would do if she was talking about this, and she needed to get her words together anyway. Once she finished with that she cleaned up the blood, this she could talk through.
"So that's how she convinced you into the program, most children are just forced..." she muttered, mainly to herself. Takumi's trust must have been that important to Jun, Kiyo wasn't surprised. "Takumi, sweetheart, you remember the last time we saw each other don't you? I gave you that ring, and Jun said she wanted to take you somewhere for a while?" She remembered how hard it was to keep herself together, because she didn't want him worrying about her. The moment Jun was gone with him she had gone into a fit of tears and drank until she passed out.
"Even if I had stayed in New Tokyo, that still would have been the last time we were allowed to see each other. Jun never intended for you to find me, at least not for the purpose of reuniting a family." She went quiet again after that, allowing Takumi time to process that. She had a lot to tell him, and she figured it'd be best if she went a little at a time. Too much information would just make things more confusing for him.
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Post by Takumi Jun on Jul 1, 2015 19:59:48 GMT -5
Takumi fingered the ring he kept on the cord. If he wore it properly his gloves wouldn't fit right, and he had always liked keeping it close to his heart. It was extra incentive to not get shot sometimes. "I remember..." He said quietly. It had been a fun day, a good day, Jun had kept an eye on him and he was so happy to spend time with his Aunt.
The Ghost wasn't stupid, he could put together the pieces of the puzzle, but it was hard to wrap his mind around. Jun had been kind to him and helped him for years. She'd encouraged him and given him direction when he'd needed it. But right now he needed the truth, and his mother sounded like she was giving it to him. He knew how to find out a liar, but she didn't sound like she was lying.
But then again, neither had Jun.
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Post by Kiyoko Jun on Jul 1, 2015 20:26:31 GMT -5
A quiet sigh came from Kiyo as she finished everything and she pushed the first aid kit away to deal with later. "I need to show you something." She said, moving to get to his view and turning to show her back. The burns on her hand and face were nothing new for Takumi, but from what she could recall he had never seen her back. Kiyoko pulled the back of her shirt up enough to show the scars that covered it. Burns could always be claimed to be from an accident, but there was no mistaking that the damage on her back came from anything but a whip.
"This and the burns all came from Jun. I was her slave, my parents sold me to her when I was twelve and I served her up until a little after she took you." She pulled her shirt down and turned back to face him properly. "That woman is cruel and manipulative and doesn't care for anyone but herself. She created the Ghost program for her own personal gain and she doesn't care who she has to hurt along the way. That includes me and you." Kiyoko wasn't going to sugar coat anything, her son needed to know how terrible Jun really was.
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Post by Takumi Jun on Jul 1, 2015 21:10:00 GMT -5
Takumi processed information pretty quickly, truly he did, it was necessary in fights.
This? This was taking a minute. They were definitely whip scars, and from the amount and the longevity they'd been doled out brutally. The thought of someone doing that to his mother was enough to make Takumi's hands twitch for his swords. There was no one around to kill or to blame right now, but he wanted to go back and slaughter Jun himself for this. He was going to do it.
The white haired man stood up and his hands twitched for Kiyoko, angling for a hug but uncertain of how to pull it off properly. He hadn't hugged anyone in a long time, and the first time at the warehouse was different. He wanted a hug for both of them, it wasn't just something he could tackle his mother for right now. He was too big to do that anymore...
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Post by Kiyoko Jun on Jul 1, 2015 21:37:35 GMT -5
Kiyo let Takumi take time to let the information sink in. It was a lot, and there was still more to explain. She could get to the rest of it in a minute though, she figured as she watched her son reach his hands out for her.
She stood up as he did, and smiled warmly up at him despite everything. "It's okay baby," Her voice, that was firm and almost angry just a few moments ago, had turned soft and similar to how she spoke to him when he was a child. Kiyoko moved forward and hugged him first, pressing him close and rubbing his back. "Mama's here now, it's okay. I love you so much..." A few tears leaked from her eyes; she thought she'd never see her little boy again, but here he was.
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Post by Takumi Jun on Jul 1, 2015 22:04:56 GMT -5
Takumi hugged back, his arms were shaking and his vision blurred with tears, a knot formed in his throat. He'd missed her so much. He'd missed her so so very much. He buried his face in her neck, his own neck burning with strain to reach down that far, but he'd always tried to hug her like that as a child, it had always made him feel safe.
It still did. She wasn't scared of him, she didn't move stiffly around him or keep an eye on him no matter what she did, she trusted him and she loved him and his breath hitched a bit as the tears dripped down. He'd learned to cry silently over the years, and the habit wasn't erasing so fast. "I missed you so much..." He croaked out, voice catching on the 'i' in missing.
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Post by Kiyoko Jun on Jul 1, 2015 22:27:26 GMT -5
A hand moved to stroke Takumi's hair as Kiyoko felt tears fall on her neck. "I missed you too, I didn't want to let you go I swear." More tears were falling from her own eyes and the arm that was wrapped around him tightened. "I'm so sorry I should have tried harder, should have tried to protect you and I couldn't. I'm so so sorry..." She had known it was going to happen the entire time, she had had five years to think and plan and she had just wasted it all because she was too terrified of Jun.
That was no excuse though, a good mother would have tried.
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Post by Takumi Jun on Jul 1, 2015 23:00:27 GMT -5
Takumi shook his head. She couldn't have done anything, could she? There was no power she could have wielded to get them out, nothing she really could have done. None of that could have happened. "No Mama," he said, "no."
He didn't know what else to say. She shouldn't be sorry, she had done her best and he loved her so so much. "You kept me safe for as long as you could, and I'm okay, Mama, I'm okay..." The Ghost pulled back just a bit and smiled his first proper smile in what felt like years.
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