There is more than one of him

Chapter 14

When they got the call that Itsuki and their second son, they didn't even really know how to referr to him anymore, were coming over so suddenly, they didn't really know how to react.

Tane and Gen'emon had been praying for this moment for the past 13 years. But they were also worried, they knew their son had suffered a lot and was still suffering from the consequences, would probably suffer from them for the rest of his life.

Neither of them knew what they wanted to talk to him about. What they were gonna ask him. They couldn't know what to expect, neither mentally nor physically.

If what Itsuki had told them wasn't exaggerated, then they were in for a long ride.

A ride that would carry on even after their own lives.

They were just hoping he would stick around long enough, live long enough.

The moment when they heard a car enter the drive way came faster than they had expected and yet at the same time, it felt like it had taken like an eternity.

"No matter who he is now, I will always accept and love him it doesn't matter how broken and weak he is." Tane said to herself

Her husband took her into his arms kissed her and whisper "I know, so will I so will all of us"

And then the doorbell rang. Gen'emon stepped forward and opened the door.

On the other side two men one of them the son they knew the other one seemed like a low quality copy of their son, their second son, the one they had mourned so many years.

He looked dishelved, tired and too old for his acctual age, he was a scelleton to the point where Tane wondered how he was even standing upright, still if he wasn't standing right next to the healthy version of himself, no one would have noticed anything wrong about him, not with the smile he was keeping on his face.

And that was the moment in which she couldn't control herself anymore. She had promised that, for his sake, she wouldn't come too close without his permittion,
but in that moment, she couldn't stop herself anymore.

She rushed forward and pulled him into her arms, tears running down her face, her knees almost giving out underneith her.

Unexpectedly his arms found their way around her and kept her upright, otherwise she would have slid to the ground, legs no longer able to hold her delicate frame, his arms and body much stronger than she expected. It was an awkward hug.

She held him so tightly that she was afraid she might break his bones, as fragile as he seemed, she was truly considering that for a bit.

His jacket had long been tainted by tears when she felt his hand at the back of her head, awkwardly stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her.

"I'm sorry" She whispered, as she tried to stop her tears. "I should really stop crying" She wasoverwhelming him, she knew. She couldn't expect him to comfort her. She hadn't, but the way she was being held up by his arms screamed for it.

"You don't have to be sorry for crying in this situation. Most people tend to cry when they see someone after a long time"

Something about that sentence seemed offly passive.

"Why don't we go inside?" Itsuki asked, not wanting the entire neighborehood to see what was happening here.

They didn't need to know what had happened yet, one person at a time would do just fine.

and so they made their way inside. Dazai, still holding their mother, following right after Gen'emon who went inside first.

Not that Itsuki truly still knew what was true and what was not, but he couldn't help but feel like Dazai was experiencing a nostalgic moment.

Not that he was surprised about it though. This house had changed so much and yet it was still the same.

Now for the first time, since they had arrived Itsuki was acknowledged. His father turned to him.

"Itsuki, I'm glad you're here. I'm so so glad. Thank you so much" He came foreward and hugged his son as well.

Yet the attention was still on Dazai who stood in the middle of the hallway very awkwardly, still held firmly in his mothers embrace, though seeming slightly uncomfortable. His mother was still crying, though now silently.

Dazai's arms slowly lowered themselves to the sides. Testing his mother's ability to stand by herself. Thankfully she caught on fast enough.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." She said and slowly let go.

She felt a little guilty. She knew what physical touch likely kemt for her son. He no longer associated it with something comforting.

"Ehm, why don you give me your coat, you can out your shoes over there. Then we can go to the kitchen" Gen'emon offered.

Dazai -not having much of a choice, given that his coat was obviously not suited for inside- took his coat off.

What they could see undeneath was unexpected. Not only did his arms only consist of bone and skin, but they were also mostly wrapped in bandages.

Seeing him standing next to Itsuki, who was also rather thin and drained looking simoly because of the entire situation, Dazai looked almost inhuman.

It was hard to imagine that he wouldn't collapse from ohysical weakness any second, at least thta's what Gen'emon thought.

Trying not to act upon his new doscovery he turned aroung and hung up the coat. Then he turned around and said.

"let's go"