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chapter eight
21 questions
The inside of Tsukomo's apartment was in contrast to the empty and unappealing outside. The small space felt homely, if you took away the strong scent of cigarettes. It was done in a very American western style, sort of similar to the way Itokan was done up, with vintage beer signs and roadmaps on the walls.
Sting followed behind us, staying close to the older man's heels as he led us to the living room.
"It's been years since I've seen Yuki and Courtney." Tsukomo remarked, vanishing into the kitchen for a moment. Cobra and I sat on the carpet in front of a low table with a crystal ashtray and a small succulent plant. Sting left his owner's side and came padding over to the two of us, panting contentedly as Cobra pet him. "How are they? Seeing as how it's just you, I have a feeling they aren't too great?"
"You'd be right." I said sadly, reaching my hand towards Sting. "Dad died a few months ago. Liver cancer." The black lab saw my outstretched hand and sat back on his hind legs, placing his small paw on the inside of my pale palm.
"Oh my god." Tsukomo said quietly. "Why didn't he tell any of us he was sick?"
"I don't know. He never told us much about his life here." I answered as Tsukomo took a seat on the other side of the table, passing me a glass of ice water. "The funny part is, he wasn't even drinking anymore when he was diagnosed. He was almost a year clean. But I guess liver cancer doesn't care if you stop drinking or not, not like cirrhosis."
Tsukomo nodded. "I remember when he used to drink. Strange times, those were. But Kohaku was worse. Nobody could out drink him."
Next to me, Cobra snorted. As a former member of Mugen, I had a feeling that the blond had some personal experience with this mysterious Kohaku.
"I remember when we were in New Mexico, back when your parents got married. You were only five or six, so I'm sure you don't remember, but there was an open bar at the reception. And Kohaku isn't the type to know when to stop if he has a drink, so he just kept on drinking and drinking. Made a complete and utter arse of himself, and I thank god every day that he didn't know enough English to make things worse for himself. Poor Courtney, her family was horrified."
Cobra snorted, and I found myself starting to smile as Sting placed his head in my lap with a small whine, waiting to be pet.
"He likes you." Tsukomo said, nodding sightly at the dog. "He doesn't usually like strangers. I found him abandoned in an alleyway on what's now Daruma's land, even though S.W.O.R.D wasn't around when I found the poor guy."
"You named him after that guy from The Police." I remarked quietly. "Dad liked them. But he liked Simple Minds more. Not a day went by when he didn't have 'Once Upon A Dream' playing. By the time I was eleven, I knew all the words to 'All The Things She Said." I smiled. "I guess I still have a bit of the ranch in me: from when I was six until about a year ago, we lived on this giant ranch just outside Albuquerque. Yuki loved the open space, the outdoors. It's why he insisted on a lake house when we moved to Canada."
