![Old Wounds [Private] Empty](https://2img.net/i/empty.gif)
It was late when Riku finally made her way home from the Hozuki clan district. The conversation with her uncle had been enlightening, comforting, and painful all at once. She left feeling much better about her memories of her father, but with questions. Why had her mother and aunt distanced themselves from the clan instead of reaching out for support? Were they trying to erase Lee? Hide from the painful memories? The blue-haired genin knew she couldn't be part of disrespecting her father's memory like that anymore.
She entered the house and left her shoes near the entrance, lined up neatly.
Unsurprisingly, Taji was still up and about despite the late hour. She was stringing up herbs to hang to dry and lining others up on a sheet to put into their oven. She looked up when Riku padded in, deep brown eyes locking onto her daughter's face. Taji paused, setting down her knife and the herbs she'd been separating.
"Riku?" Her voice was tentative; the woman could sense something was wrong with her daughter.
Riku's eyes watered. Taji stood.
"I saw Kishi-oji today."
Taji frowned, beginning to understand what her daughter was thinking.
"Why are you trying to forget Tou-san?" Riku asked again, voice rising.
"I--" the woman froze, staring at her daughter. "I can't forget him, I would never--"
"Then why don't you ever talk about him? Why aren't we a part of his family anymore?" The questions were harsh and accusing, but Taji couldn't bring herself to be defensive.
"Riku, let's... this is going to take some time to explain. Please sit."
The teen obeyed, taking a seat at the kotatsu. She tucked her legs to the side and rested her hands on the table, rubbing the fabric of her sleeves between her fingers to reassure herself.
Taji retook her seat and passed Riku some of the herbs and a knife.
Numbly, her daughter prepared the herbs and passed them to Taji to bundle with string. It gave them both something to do with their hands, to ease the tension if only just a little.
"When Lee was killed, I shut down. It was too much for me, I stopped caring about life, stopped taking care of myself or anyone else once your father's relatives stopped coming around so often... I didn't even know how much time passed. I don't know what would have happened if Anzu hadn't come for us." Now Taji was crying, tears forming wet trails down her cheeks.
"And then we were in the hospital and you girls were so sick..." her hands shook, "I just... I tried so hard to make up for it once Anzu beat the sense back into me, but it was too late and I haven't... I truly haven't had the courage to speak of him or speak to his family since."
Riku frowned. Her mother was someone the teen had always thought of as strong. For the first time since the year her father died, she was seeing Taji be truly vulnerable and it was... strange.
"I'll do better Riku, I promise," Taji swore.
The blue-haired teen merely nodded and stood. "I need to think." She turned and left the house, letting her body move on autopilot.
[//Exit]
She entered the house and left her shoes near the entrance, lined up neatly.
Unsurprisingly, Taji was still up and about despite the late hour. She was stringing up herbs to hang to dry and lining others up on a sheet to put into their oven. She looked up when Riku padded in, deep brown eyes locking onto her daughter's face. Taji paused, setting down her knife and the herbs she'd been separating.
"Riku?" Her voice was tentative; the woman could sense something was wrong with her daughter.
Riku's eyes watered. Taji stood.
"I saw Kishi-oji today."
Taji frowned, beginning to understand what her daughter was thinking.
"Why are you trying to forget Tou-san?" Riku asked again, voice rising.
"I--" the woman froze, staring at her daughter. "I can't forget him, I would never--"
"Then why don't you ever talk about him? Why aren't we a part of his family anymore?" The questions were harsh and accusing, but Taji couldn't bring herself to be defensive.
"Riku, let's... this is going to take some time to explain. Please sit."
The teen obeyed, taking a seat at the kotatsu. She tucked her legs to the side and rested her hands on the table, rubbing the fabric of her sleeves between her fingers to reassure herself.
Taji retook her seat and passed Riku some of the herbs and a knife.
Numbly, her daughter prepared the herbs and passed them to Taji to bundle with string. It gave them both something to do with their hands, to ease the tension if only just a little.
"When Lee was killed, I shut down. It was too much for me, I stopped caring about life, stopped taking care of myself or anyone else once your father's relatives stopped coming around so often... I didn't even know how much time passed. I don't know what would have happened if Anzu hadn't come for us." Now Taji was crying, tears forming wet trails down her cheeks.
"And then we were in the hospital and you girls were so sick..." her hands shook, "I just... I tried so hard to make up for it once Anzu beat the sense back into me, but it was too late and I haven't... I truly haven't had the courage to speak of him or speak to his family since."
Riku frowned. Her mother was someone the teen had always thought of as strong. For the first time since the year her father died, she was seeing Taji be truly vulnerable and it was... strange.
"I'll do better Riku, I promise," Taji swore.
The blue-haired teen merely nodded and stood. "I need to think." She turned and left the house, letting her body move on autopilot.
[//Exit]
