Cardfight!! Vanguard: Heiwa

#6: Takagi Ren

"Is he really going through with it? Isn't that going a little too far? I know what he did was wrong, but... He's... He's just running away by doing this!"

"I have to side with him this time, auntie. Uncle going back to his old job over this matter is just a way of telling him he's no son of his indirectly!"

"He's right! Dad has no right to just run away from this by locking himself at his old job! This childish from him!"

"And isn't avoiding talking to people around him also childish, Ryuu-chan?! Isn't locking himself in his room whenever he's here also a way of avoiding facing other people?! Ryuu-chan, Joe-chan... At their core, both Izu-chan and Shouto are ashamed of everything it happened... But no matter how much I try to fix things between them, there's only so much I can do! I've done everything I can, I don't know what I can do anymore! I was only ever so present in Izu-chan's life until I was discharged, Shouto acted as both a father and a mother to him! I hate this situation, this horrible ordeal... I hate this as much as you do! I didn't want my husband to go back to that dangerous job or my son to just- Just lock himself away from everyone for protecting his friend! I don't need a constant reminder that I don't know how to raise my own son, that I was never a good mother for him!"

'I'm sorry for being such a bother to you, mom... I truly am sorry for being this much of a weight on your back, and for causing you more stress.'

The younger Izuru looked down at the Sawada household's living room from the top of the stairway that lead to the second floor, watching over his crying mother being comforted by his older brother and cousin.

In his younger years, around the time he was on his second year of middle school and went through an exponential growth in height, whilst still keeping the almost-black shade of hair he had now, he didn't kept a bang over one of his eyes like he did the year before, or how he did now, after that event of his second middle school year.

Back inside the locked room that kept him hidden from the rest of the world, Izuru stared at reflection of his eyes on a mirror in the wall. Because of genetics, he inherited the constant-glare form his eyes had from his father, something that had grown to make him grit his teeth upon seeing his own reflection. He tried to put an end to that state by pulling up his eyelids and forcing his eyes to stay wide open without blinking, but all ended up in a failure, all ended up forcing to look at the eyes he hated.

'Why...? Why? Why?! Why did I have to be the one with this permanent reminder of that thing?! I'd rather have that red hair than these useless eyes! I'd rather not have any reminder of ever bieng related to him!'

"Dammit!"

Izuru slammed his fist against the wardrobe next to the mirror, and with the impact, an old glasses case rolled over from the top of the wardrobe and fell on the floor.

"Ryuuga's glasses... Tch, why does he have to keep leaving useless crap on my side." Izuru grumbled and picked up the case. 

He opened it and took out the black-framed glasses that rested inside, formerly belonging to his older brother, who used them as an accessory for a brief time. For a brief moment, as if in doubt, Izuru looked at the glasses, but then put them on and looked back at his reflection. Even though what he hated was still visible, it was less noticeable, and that was enough.