Kronos (Book One)

The Floating Castle

Earth, 4:30pm....The same day that Takashi Watanabe disappeared.

Hikari and the others are waiting for any word from the police officers. She sees Sgt Gonzale's number pop up on the screen. The officer informs that he hasn't come through the lobby.

Penelope guesses that they haven't found him. She grips the railings of the bed to the point they shake. "Where is he?! Did he get hurt on his way back? Did he-"

Her parents come to her side to calm her down. Hikari is trying to be strong for her and her niece. She does a breathing pattern that Penny tries to imitate. Her breaths come out shaky, but Hikari forces herself to smile to encourage her sister-in-law to a better mental place.

From the stress of her mother, her baby squirms and cries again.

Hikari gently scoops up her niece and rocks her back and forth. "Your favorite auntie is here. I know you miss your dad. He wouldn't want to miss this. He will be here."

The baby eventually stops crying from the motions and kind words.

Hikari hands her over to Nicholas who holds onto her tightly. "Hey, little one. I'm your grandpa and this is your grandma. We are the parents of your mama. We love you so much, ()."

"I'm going to call Sgt Garcia. I will be right back", Hikari informs them while calling that number. No luck on that side either which makes her sigh in frustration.

"Ms. Watanabe, I'm still going to look for him. I'm going to see if he is in any bars or restaurants nearby. There are also some hotels I will call up. It may take time, but you will hear from me shortly."

"I appreciate it. I'm just worried about my little brother."

"I understand. I have a little sister and I would be the same as you if this was in reverse. I ask that you stay with Penelope to give her comfort. Let me and my partner do the work."

"It's hard to give up control when it's your family", she twirls the ends of her hair.

He advises her to stay there in case her brother returns.

"Okay, I will. Thank you."

Sgt Garcia goes into a small coffeeshop to check there first. He goes to the counter and asks for a manager to locate Takashi; he brings up a photo of him to see if he came by around 2:30pm. The manager says he never saw him today since he was in the back. He checks the cameras for the time period of 2:20pm to now, but no one matches the description.

He goes to a nearby hotel and asks the same question, but same result. He keeps looking. An hour has passed, and he remembers to update Hikari.

"Ms. Watanabe, I haven't found him yet. I'm going to keep looking for him."

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know", she tries to hide her concern.

"I do apologize for this. I will call you within the next hour."

Hikari shakes her head when asked if they found anything. Penelope is trying to hold herself together.

"Maybe he went to a hotel and wanted to rest on a bed for a bit. His alarm may not have been set and he's oversleeping", Hikari reasoned to calm Penny's fears.

"I don't believe that. He's punctual to a fault. Why do I feel like something happened to him?"

"Don't think like that. The police will find him soon. And I know he would apologize profusely for this", as her mother holds her hand.

The baby cries out in hunger and Penelope picks her up to feed her. "There, there. You must be really hungry."

Hours have passed going into midnight. No updates. A tarp of darkness pins itself to the room. Hikari informs her mom on a continual basis and she's upset by the news. She curses the storm preventing her from being there with him.