Chapter III
The hallway was dark upon entering the home, and for a moment, Syrus felt a wave of relief...But that moment was short lived as soon as he let out that slight sigh, the lights immediately flicking on in an instant.
Caught in the act, Syrus had nothing to say for himself as he slowly glanced up, seeing Taharo just in front of him, arms crossed, foot tapping against the hardwood floor, and looking downright furious.
For a moment, Syrus considered heading right back out the door.
"...I'm home??" He spoke up, giving Taharo a cheeky grin and hoping it was enough to save his hide. However, he flinched as Taharo unfolded his arms, expecting the biggest ass whooping of his lifetime...Only to be surprised as he felt Taharo wrap his arms around him, holding him almost desperately, as though Syrus might disappear any moment now.
"You foolish kid...!! I was certain you'd..." Taharo began, but his words faltered, holding onto Syrus tighter. "...Don't you ever make me worry like this again!!" He said, looking as though he might break down any moment. "...Please...Just stop all of this. All of this nonsense. My heart can't take this anymore...Isn't everything enough?? Even if things might not be the greatest, I can keep supporting you, you don't have to worry, so...So please."
Syrus felt a pang in his heart, not knowing what he could say in response....What could he even say in such a situation? If he could only provide the words he was certain Taharo had wanted to hear...But he couldn't do that. He'd be lying in every which way possible, and there was no way he could blatantly lie to him like that...Not when he was so torn up about all of this.
"...I...I'm sorry." Was the best he could manage, though he wished he could say more than a simple apology. "I wish...I could tell you I'll stop, but...Well, I'd be lying to you, because I can't...I won't." He answered honestly, albeit hesitantly. He found himself wanting to say more, wanting to explain himself. He wondered, if he did, would Taharo...? The thought of acceptance pushed Syrus to speak. "...I won't ask you to try and not stop me, that'd be selfish of me to do, but...I can't stop. I'm tired of seeing things like this. Tired of the way people are treated. People who don't deserve to live this way....Aren't you tired of it too?" He questioned, knowing Taharo wouldn't approve, but...At the very least... "...That's why I want to change things. I may not be able to in the end...But at least I'll have tried. Someone has to." He smiled a bit. "When there's a will, there's a way, right?? It's not about whether I can or can't, it's about whether or not I try."
Even with this...He knew Taharo wouldn't approve or understand, but...He said what he could, and that was enough.
And Syrus was right. Taharo simply couldn't understand this. He couldn't accept Syrus' reasoning...How could he? He'd already lost his son and daughter in law to this ridiculous 'war.' He surely wouldn't be able to recover if he lost Syrus too. He was all Taharo had left.
To make matters worse, for Syrus specifically...
"...I won't allow it, no matter what." He finally responded sternly, but...He knew he had no real power in stopping Syrus, regardless of how he felt. Even if he were to try and confine Syrus to his room, Taharo was certain Syrus would still manage to give him the slip.
After all, Syrus was the type that followed through once his mind was set, no matter what.
"...I won't allow it..." He repeated in vain.
"...I'm sorry." Syrus apologized again, still not knowing what else he could say...In truth, some part of him wanted Taharo's support, even if deep down, he knew that was impossible.
...Even though he knew, he really wished he could have had it.
The conversation died there, Syrus eventually heading up to his room and flopping face first onto his bed with a heavy sigh.
His thoughts wandered, but...Rather than overthinking everything and succumbing to doubts, he decided to try and sleep.
If he was asleep, he just didn't have to think about it, and that was better.
The next, several days after that went by about as normally as they could, surprisingly enough.
Nothing happened, absolutely nothing at all. Not even another run in with the Diao, as though they simply disregarded the events that took place several days prior...Truthfully, Syrus had been expecting some kind of repercussions, but...Such things simply just never came about.
He really just couldn't wrap his mind around it.
The escape seemed strangely easy too...Could even that itself have been staged??
"-rus...SYRUS!!" A voice suddenly shouted his name, snapping Syrus out of his thoughts to the point where he was startled, the fur along his ears and tail puffing out in response. Rather, he nearly jumped right out of his fur in shock.
"W-What? What?!!?" He glanced around frantically, having been totally out of tune with his surroundings.
It was then that he noticed the small café full of people, and all of their eyes were now on him.
He had been so lost in thought that Kiara, currently working, had to yell his name to snap him out of it.
"A-Ah Kiara! When did you get here??" He smiled innocently, wondering just how long he had been out of it.
To which, Kiara rose an eyebrow in concern, checkbook and pen at hand as he looked down at him.
"...Syrus, I work here, remember??" She frowned, that concern only rising. "Are you alright? You were practically like a zombie when you walked in here."
"...Oh." Syrus sat back down, flicking his ears back and feeling a bit...Well, foolish and embarrassed by this point.
Without even really realizing it, he had caused just a bit of a scene, hadn't he??
"...Sorry, I suppose I was a little lost in thought earlier."
"...If you say so..." Kiara frowned, looking as though she wanted to speak up on something, but she was soon flagged down by another customer across the dining room. "I'll be right back, think about what you want to order, alright??"
And with that, she was hustling off, her checkered skirt swaying in time with her frantic movements, trying to keep up with everything.
Having recollected himself, Syrus glanced around the small café.
At first, people had still been staring at him because of the commotion, but soon enough, they all gravitated back to their own conversations amongst themselves.
As for the café itself...It wasn't very large at all, but it didn't feel cramped either. Rather, it was pretty cozy, having a home-y feel to it. There were probably only five, maybe six tables lining the long paned windows across the box like building. They were open, a warm, gentle breeze blowing in, a few flower boxes lining the sills, gently swaying in tune with that breeze.
Along the farthest, right hand corner of the building, was a long, rectangle shaped counter that lead to the kitchen, along with the apartment upstairs, and there were a few extra chairs lining it.
As for the interior colors, they were a comforting, monochromatic cream color.
The air was fairly relaxed, contrary to how things were just outside at times.
"So did you think about what you wanted??" Kiara questioned, having just returned from what she was tending to a moment ago.
"Mmm...I'm not really that hungry, to be honest." He answered, propping his head up with his hand as he rested his elbow along the table.
Kiara didn't reply for a moment or two, locking Syrus down with her gaze before she plucked off her apron and turned her head to the side.
"Auntie. could you grab Syrus one of the specials??" She shouted just a bit across the café, receiving a little 'okay!' in return from behind the counter.
About middle aged, but still looking quite young, Kiara's aunt, Sara, was a gentle faced, hard working woman. Both herself and Kiara were the only two keeping their little business running, and it was enough to get them by.
They provided a sort of haven for people who just wanted to converse and get their minds off of things.
Ironically, Kiara looked a lot more like Sara than her own parents, or so Syrus had often heard.
"I-Is that okay??" Syrus blinked, a little surprised.
"It's fine, she said I could take a break for now. The rush is over anyhow." Kiara reassured him with a smile, yet there was still a sense of concern in those hazel eyes of hers. Perhaps it was because of his still somewhat disarrayed sense of mind, that was why Syrus didn't pick up on it right away.
"Then maybe I should go help her out a bit-" Syrus began, pushing himself up to walk off, but he was quickly stopped by the unusually stern look Kiara gave him, who gestured for him to sit back down.
"...Haven't you done and been through enough already? At least let me do this for you."
It was only then, that Syrus finally picked up on it. That downcast expression and tone of voice...It didn't take much for him to connect the dots, and Syrus realized he had been somewhat insensitive. Oblivious even.
"...Sorry." He cast her an apologetic glance.
"...No, it's fine really." Kiara shook her head with a crestfallen smile. "...It's not your fault." She added in quietly. "I should have gone with you three the other day." She fell silent, filled with self loathing, and putting her hand up to stop Syrus from interjecting so she could continue. "I heard about what happened the other day...Sure, things ended up alright, but what if they hadn't?? When I think about that...I wonder if me being there might have changed things. If I had gone with you..." Her words trailed off as she bit her lip in frustration.
It was just like her to guilt over something like this, even if she had no control over the way things went, or even any knowledge of them happening.
Rather...Syrus was certain he'd probably feel the same way, if their roles had been reversed. As such, he couldn't really bring himself to tell her not to fret about it, but at the very least...
"...Like you said, everything turned out alright, didn't it?" He replied with a smile, hoping to reassure her. "We're all safe, so let's just be thankful for that and move along. Everything is bound to keep being just fine." He nodded, giving his tail a small flick.
"..." Kiara finally rose her face, looking up at Syrus...It was strange, really. She wondered why things always felt like they would end up fine somehow, merely because Syrus would say so.
The world could be ending, and yet, if Syrus said things would be fine, Kiara felt as though she could believe in his words alone wholeheartedly...Even though they were just that, words.
"...That positivity of yours is strangely contagious." She laughed, looking out the window with a content expression. "As long as you say so, I'm sure everything will end up fine somehow." She nodded, seemingly more so to herself, as though convincing herself of something. "If only there were more people like you in this city, Syrus. Sometimes, it feels like you're the only beacon of Hope that we have left in this world."
It was...A surprisingly serious statement, coming from Kiara, being the usually, cheery, bubbly person that she was. Syrus wasn't really sure how to respond to such a statement.
...Come to think of it, he recalled Aaron stating something similar not too long ago.
He supposed...More than anything, what he truly wanted was to help everyone smile again. To create a free world, where anyone could smile without a single care. Where they could live without the fear of wondering if they would make it into tomorrow.
That's the kind of world Syrus wanted to create.
Such things lingered on his mind as silence passed between them, but it wasn't necessarily a bad silence.
It was calm.
...But that calmness would only last for a few more moments before that moment would be cruelly interrupted.
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