Toman's Little Sister

73 | Hanma's Riddle

You stared at your dad for a moment as he spoke, one hand on the wheel and the other hand on his earpiece. He didn't look all that much like you, not as much as your mom. For most of this car ride, you were trying to find similarities. He didn't make it any easier by facing away from you.

Your mom did speak Tagalog on the phone, but it never quite clicked for you. Now that you thought about it, yeah, Izana did kind of look like your mom.

The man beside you, however, wasn't Izana's dad. He was yours. Although you found it hard to filter.

"Sorry." Your dad switched to Japanese, lowering his hand from his earpiece. "I'm surprised you actually decided to come with me."

"It's an easy choice. Either continue spying on my gang or I go with you. Easy enough."

You crossed your arms, leaning back in the seat. "Why did you come?"

"Hm?"

"I have lived for 15 years and you were there for the first year of my life then disappeared. Why is now any different?"

Your dad chuckled a bit, though you didn't see this as a laughing matter, and he steered the car left.

"There's police this way." You state, raising the car window.

"Don't worry." Your dad lowered the window again. "It could so obviously be me and the police wouldn't even turn in my direction. Hell, I could leave my business card and they'll burn it."

"So you like playing with power." You raised the window once again, sending a glare in your dad's direction to signal that you wanted it close.

As the car drove passed the scene police cars were surrounding, you caught a glimpse of a body bag being brought into an ambulance. Your eyes widened, seeing Senju, Takeomi, and Sanzu all talking to a police officer.

What's... going on here?

"You." Your head snapped to your dad. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything, Sunflower."

The name seemed to trigger something inside you as it echoed in your ears for a few moments. "...Why do you continue to call me that?"

"Call you what? Sunflower?"

"Did you even know my name?" You looked down into your lap, seeing the faded scars on your knuckles from punches. "Who my best friends are? Where my favourite places are? Do you know any of that?"

He shook his head. "I won't lie to you. I don't."

"So why are you suddenly acting like you've been here all this time?"

"I just want to be here now."

"Why now? Why, after everything that's happened, do you want to be here now?"

You looked away from him, out the window at the passing trees and houses. Where were you even going?

"...Are you sure you're only fifteen?" Your dad didn't even answer your questions. "You're very mature."

"That's a force of nature when you didn't have parents to be mature for you." You leaned on the car window and shut your eyes. Everything is okay.

•••

The reunion was awkward to say the least. For most of the people there, their last time seeing Mikey was when he fought them to push them away.

Mitsuya rubbed the back of his neck, unable to properly make eye contact with the so-called Invincible Mikey. He recalled when Toman first formed, then when it shattered. A heartbreaking comparison.