Chapter Text
Keith is around six years old)
Shiro and I were playing with my toys in the backseat of my family car. My dad was driving, focusing on the road ahead, while my mom was in the passenger seat, her eyes capturing the beauty of the passing landscape. Keith's dad was engrossed in a call, a common occurrence during their trips, while his mom was busy capturing the moments. Despite the different activities, we were all together, each in our own way, enjoying the journey.
They were returning to Arizona, having left Oregon a few hours earlier. The trip was an absolute blast! A day prior, they had the time of their lives at a pirate festival. The town was transformed, with everyone in their best pirate gear; even a small coffee shop had the theme. They got to take pictures in front of old cannons and visit some shops while they walked around town. Keith was already planning his return next year, so captivated was he by the festival's charm.
“Shiro, your dad is on the phone. Do you want to talk to him?” Keith's dad offered, looking through the rearview mirror at Shiro. “I'm sure your dad misses you; why don't you talk to him briefly?” Keith's mom said. Keith looked at Shiro and read his facial expressions. “Okay,” Shiro said, taking Keith's dad's phone. Keith could tell Shiro felt embarrassed, but he was not sure why. Maybe it was because Shiro was put on the spot. Keith didn't know. He just returned to playing alone while Shiro talked on the phone; Keith lost in his imagination.
Everything was fine, and Keith couldn't wait to see his friends again! He was going to tell them all about the festival, the whales, and the seashells he found, and he couldn't wait to show them everything he had gotten on the trip!
The car horn suddenly blared, and Keith's dad pressed on it frantically while shouting curses at something before him. Keith couldn't see what was wrong, but his anxiety spiked as he looked for confirmation that everything was fine, that they were safe. The car suddenly swerved, Keith's window facing the opposing vehicle, a small semi; Keith would later learn Keith's parents continued to cuss, and suddenly, they were speeding off. Shiro constantly checked on him, pulling Keith tightly to his side while the semi behind them picked up the pace, the danger looming closer with each passing second.
They took random turns trying to shake the semi off when motorcycles surrounded them, and Keith heard multiple loud shots. “HEITH!” his mom shouted his dad's name in desperation. “Of all days, why now!?” his father raged, a loud pop and glass shattering behind Keith and Shiro, causing them to scream. “Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, you two. Just keep your head down, Shiro.” She spoke calmly to them as if this was normal for his parents. “Why is this happening?” Keith asked while trying to stabilize himself as his dad took a sharp turn.
“Um, well,” his mother hesitated. Mommy and Daddy angered some mean people, but it's okay; we'll be fine.” His mom turned in her seat, making sure the two young boys could see her face, her expression soft and reassuring. “Safe,” Keith's brain supplied. But why were these people after them? Keith's mind raced with questions, but he knew better than to interrupt his mom when she was trying to keep them calm.
When he woke up, he noticed they were upside down, and his head hurt severely; he couldn't see out of his right eye either. “Mom? Dad? Shiro?” he groaned, looking for someone he knew would comfort him. “R-right he-re Keith.” Shiro groaned as well; he looked rough, Keith thought. His clothes were torn, and there was blood on his face. “K-keith baby.” his mom gasped, her voice weak and strained.
She sounded like she was in a lot of pain, but she locked eyes with Keith through the rearview mirror, and comfort washed over Keith. Mom was safe, he was safe, and everything would be okay…right? “Look at me, you two.” his mom ordered; Shiro and Keith couldn't help but focus. It sounded important. When Keith’s mom used this tone, he knew she meant business and that it was vital for him to listen.
“Everything w-will be alright, okay?” blood coated her lips, and drool dripped off her chin; her skin was turning pale, and she looked like she was sweating; her breaths were uneven, and her face pinched in pain as she looked between them. “Is Dad okay?” Keith asked; his dad hadn't moved in a while. His mom glanced at her husband, and something looked very wrong; his mom only smiled.
“He's okay. Are you two alright?’’ his mom coughed; Keith and Shiro nodded. Smoke was filling the car when sirens and voices caught their attention. “See, I told you everything would be okay.” his mother gasped in pain, her eyes squeezed tight. Her window smashed, and a male voice spoke to her. “Miss, are you alright?” her focus switched to the man talking to her. “Get my boys out, quickly,” she begged. “You have kids in the vehicle?” he asked. “Get them out of here,” she ordered the male, who quickly left.
“Shiro, Keith… these people are going to get us safely out of here, okay? So you listen to their instructions, no arguing,” she said sternly. “You're going to come with us, right? " Keith asked her as a group of people approached the destroyed car. “Yes, honey, I'll be beside you,” she promised him. Keith's window broke, and a woman on her hands and knees smiled at him.
“Hey, sweethearts, we're going to get you and your parents out of here, okay?” Keith and Shiro nodded as she helped unbuckle them and carefully helped them crawl out of the car. Once they were out of the vehicle, they guided the boys a few feet away from it, watching as the paramedics took forever to help Keith's parents.
“Hurry up, my mom's hurt!” Keith shouted at them; he didn't understand why they took so long. “We will get them out, we promise. You two need to go to the hospital, though; Mom and Dad will be right behind us in the other ambulance, okay?” the lady spoke softly, slowly guiding the two to a single ambulance; they were both placed in separate beds in the ambulance. Four paramedics jumped into the back with them; they started to fuss over the two, making the boys uncomfortable.
When they reached the hospital, they were rushed inside and separated from each other as the nurses brought Keith into separate rooms. “No! Where are you taking Shiro?!” Keith shouted and fussed in the bed. “I want Shiro! I want my brother!” he screamed and yelled at the paramedics.
But his shouting did nothing. They still brought him to the room away from Shiro; he still hadn't heard anything about his parents after they checked his head and put him on some IVs on the left. The nurses and doctor told him a nurse would be coming in every few hours to check how his injury was; other than that, he was left in the dark about his loved ones.
An hour or two later, two men entered his room. They were dressed casually and carried notepads. The two men smiled at Keith softly, not wanting to seem intimidating to the minor child. Keith glared and furrowed his brows at the two. He didn't know them. Why were they in his room? Keith wondered as they sat in the chair close to his bed. The two men looked tired and stressed, the scent of strong coffee and cigarettes lingering.
“Hello there. My name is Detective Bennet, and this man is Detective Smith.” The two introduced themselves, watching Keith closely. “Why are you here? I don't know you…” Keith grew nervous. The two detectives adjusted in their chairs.
“We want to ask you what happened before the accident. Can you help us?” the detectives ask him. “Why?” Keith responds. “We want to put the bad guy who caused it in jail so he can't hurt anyone again, like the superheroes.” Detective Bennet explains.
Keith nods, starting to understand somewhat what's going on around him. “Can you tell us what happened?” Detective Smith asks; Keith nods, wanting to help. Both detectives click their pens, waiting patiently. “We were driving back home when this huge truck started chasing us! It tried to hit us, but Dad was too fast for them! Then Dad kept taking random turns, and these bikers suddenly were next to us, dressed in black! And then we were upside down.”
Keith rambled quickly, the detectives writing things down that he couldn't see on their notepads. “Good job. Can you tell us what color the truck was?” the detective asked; keith paused, thinking it over. “The truck was white.” the detective nods. “Good job, keith. Was this truck long or short?” the detective asks. “It was short.” keith affirms. “Okay, did the truck have any markings on it?” the detective presses. “No, it was a normal white truck, but the bikers were dressed in all black; even their bike was black! Like ninjas!” keith exclaimed as the detectives scribbled more on their notepad.
“Did your mom or dad ever mention anything about mean people?” they ask him. “Yeah… Mom said they upset some mean people, but everything would be okay.” Keith starts playing with the blanket. “Thank you. You helped us out a lot, son. You're just like a superhero.” The detective's words made Keith feel a bit happier. He always wanted to be a superhero, keep his family safe, and help others.
The detectives again thanked keith as they exited the room, wishing keith well. The two detectives closed the door behind them. “Possibly, this was a targeted attack; the Koganes must have angered whoever did this.” Detective Bennet says to Smith, who nods with a sigh. “But what did the Koganes do to deserve this?” smith asked him; they will figure out who did this soon. “Should we have told the boy the state of his parents?” smith asks, looking a tad upset. “No, it's best if a family member were to tell him… it would be wrong for us as strangers to tell a child his parents passed.” Bennet frowns, wanting a cigarette.
The detectives leave the hospital.
It was dark, and they served keith some dinner; he wasn't hungry, though… his anxiety was too overwhelming, and he had a terrible feeling that something was wrong…
A few days after the accident, he healed up some; his head injury deemed safe for him to go home, meaning he could finally see his parents and Shiro. He was dressed and waiting for them to enter his room when the door finally opened with a click. “Hey, Keith.” Shiro's father smiled at him; Shiro rushed over to hug Keith, who was happy to see him again after a few days. “Hey, where's my mom and dad? They should be right behind you,” Keith asked, confused; he was happy to see Shiro but more excited to see his parents again; he missed them so much.
“About that, Keith, why don't you sit down first.” Shiro's father sighs, a sad expression taking over his usual calm. “Okay? Keith says, not seeing where Shiro's father was going with the conversation. “Your…your parents didn't make it… I'm so sorry, Keith.” Shiro’s father's eyes well up with tears; he had just lost a lifelong friend while Keith lost everything he'd ever known. “That's impossible! The doctors said I could see them! They promised! They said once I was all better, I could see them!” Keith's face is wet from tears; he doesn't want to believe this. His mom said she would be beside him, and the paramedic lady said they would be right behind them in the ambulance. So they have to be alive! They have to…
“You're lying!” Keith decides, and it makes him angry that Shiro’s dad has to be lying! “Keith, I'm afraid it's true, a funeral will be held soon for them…you will come live with me and Shiro.” he doesn't want to live with them. Keith wants to go home; he wants HIS home; he wants HIS room, HIS cereal, HIS parents! “I want to see them!” Keith cries harder. Shiro hugs him close, and he cries as well. “You can't…I promised your parents I would take care of you if anything were to happen to them… Wouldn't you let me keep that promise? Keith?”
In the end, keith didn't have a choice in the matter; it was either to live with shiro and his dad or foster care. Shiro's dad wasn't going to allow keith to go into foster care, so he was forced to live with them. Shiro's father took them to Arizona so keith could collect his things. Keith wanted to grab everything from his parents, but they couldn't take most of it, so shiro helped him grab the more meaningful items. Keith wants his family pictures, his mom's blanket, his dad's jacket, Keith's hippo stuffed animal, his blankets and pillows, and clothing. Keith refused to leave behind his mom's knife; his mom promised it would be his one day. Who knew that would be so soon? Keith grabbed some of his toys and other essentials, and they left the house, but before they left, keith stared back at the house, wanting to get a clear picture in his mind as it would be the last time he saw it.
“Let's go, Keith, " Shiro said, reassuringly touching Keith's shoulder. Keith frowned but followed him into the car, taking him to his new home.