You'll Be Just Fine (BxB Budo x Taro Next Gen Main Ship)

Chapter 14 - Taro's Old Baggage

-9:30 am-

Taro had the house to himself today. He just got done cleaning out his bedroom closet and was now checking the mail. He stumbled upon a familiar name on an envelope. He then looked at the sender and groaned. He stared at the letter before finally picking it up. He tore the top open, took out the yellow note, and read it.

"Dear Taro,

I don't know if you got my first letter 17 or so years ago, but we need to talk... I know that I don't deserve to write to you after what happened, but I wish to tell you that I'm sorry... I can't expect you to forgive me, but I am truly regretful for what I did to you and Budo... After you ran away with Budo, I had to try to find a new senpai to follow... to chase for that feeling again... I then met a girl who... really showed me how you must have felt when I tried to sabotage Budo."

Taro directed his eyes off the note and immediately thought about his katana. The page began to smoke in his hands. He switched hands and forced his eyes back onto the note.

"The team I had created to sabotage you had returned to sabotage me after you left... I was defensive... I was willing to kill all of them. However, the more I stayed with this girl, the more I learned what I wanted from someone... There were things that you could not give me, but she could... I know how it's like to feel normal around someone, only for people to try to take them away... However, in my case, I deserved it..."

Taro's body started heating up. He looked at a picture of him, Budo, and their kids in a family photo. He smiled warmly at it and took it off the nightstand. He looked back at the letter, trying not to get side tracked again, but kept the picture near for support.

"After the events fell through, I ended up eventually marrying this girl. We had two girls. I'm aware that you have children with Budo as well... To make this blunt, I wish for our families to meet up. I wish to show you that I am indeed over you, and I don't wish to hurt Budo anymore... We have indeed spoken on the phone, and he is rather up for it... I've heard what you have been up to lately and... I feel like it's something we can bond over..."

The letter floated to the ground. Taro's heart rate spiked. His face was burning from anger, "Budo no! She's going to kill us!!" Taro said, aloud. His hands were gripping as if he wanted to hold his katana. He stood up and looked at his phone, tempted to call Budo. He picked up the letter from the ground and read what was left.

"If you don't wish to meet up, I understand... However, I really want to speak with you about everything... I don't want to leave off on a bad note... Please... If anything, having friends would be very good for me... Please write back, or call me. My number's on the back... 

Sincerely, Ayano."

Taro looked on the back of the note, and the number was indeed present. He took a deep breath and sat back on the bed. He closed his eyes for nearly thirty full seconds before picking up his phone and dialing her number. He waited three rings before an answer.

"Moshi Moshi, Aishi Ayano speaking?"

"Um.. hello..."

"Who is this?"

"Taro... You sent me a letter in the mail?"

Pots and pans were clinking over the phone. It seemed like Ayano was cooking at the moment, "oh, hello Taro," Ayano said, "I'm glad you called... Look... I just wanted to apologize for what happened all those years ago... I had my mother's way of finding love... well... a distraction I should say... It's hard to explain over the phone..."

"Well, try to explain it..." Taro said, "because what you did still haunts me..."

"...I know..." Ayano said, "I'm not exactly proud of it..."

"I'm surprised you even care at all..." Taro started, "you found a new 'senpai,' so why bother with me? Are you trying to appear more normal by gaining friends? Have you done this with the others that were in your group too?..."

Ayano placed a cake pan in the oven. She went to go sit by the kitchen table, "actually, I have talked to them," she started, "I tried contacting Oka, but we left it off on mutual terms. We're not friends or enemies... I told her about my condition and she seemed somewhat understanding..." she looked at a vase of roses that Info gave her recently. She smiled warmly at the deep shade of red, "with Osoro and Amai, I couldn't really get to them, nor do I want to try again... They seemed to be rather heavily involved with a gang last time I checked. I don't want them after my family..."

Ayano stood up and paced around her large ruby kitchen, "with Osana, she doesn't wish to talk to me unless... well... you do... It's understandable... "

"What about Kizana?" Taro asked, "did you make up with her before she was murd-"

There was a pause on both lines. Taro's face fell into a deadpan, while Ayano took a moment before commenting.

"Uh....Who?"

"...Ayano, if you're going to lie now, I mind as well hang up-"

"Wait wait... Okay... Things with her ended on a bad note long ago..." Ayano said, "and... it might have been my fault..."

"...Expected..."

Ayano scratched her head and looked at the timer on the oven. There was still 15 minutes left, "my point of writing to you was for both of our families to meet together somewhere and just... speak..." Ayano started again, "I now know how it feels to have the threat of someone being taken away from you and feeling dread from it... Before I didn't fully understand the love thing, and I'll best explain it when we're in the same place..."

"I really don't trust you bringing me and my family to a random location... " Taro said.

"Would you and Budo like to choose the place then?" Ayano asked, "I don't mind... You're just the second to last person I have yet to talk to about this..."

Taro's mind said to hang up, but his heart was whispering to go and see if she's really sorry. He visualized placing his hand weapons in the trunk just in case this was a fraud.

"Alright... We can meet at Buraza Park this Saturday... Is that fine?" Taro asked.

"Actually, me and her have a date that night, but maybe Sunday at 3?"

The fact that Ayano chose a date with Info over meeting up with him made Taro believe her only a little bit. He was hugging his knees, "alright, Sunday it is..."

"Great, I'll see you there. It was good to speak with you, Taro."

"Yeah..." they both hung up. Taro's body was cold after that phone call. Ayano's normalcy was bizarre to say the least. He felt his eyes start to water. The idea of Budo being right about her ran around his mind. He then shook his head.

"This is her next plan," Taro said to himself, "there's no way she is okay now... There isn't... She's probably just as manipulative and menacing to that woman she's with... There's no way that woman isn't brainwashed..." Taro's breath picked up and he began to hug himself tighter, "I am NOT her... I will never be her... She's going to kill us when we get there.... No... no she won't... because I'll be one step ahead of her..."