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He goes alone. He wants to be alone for a while. Sometimes, he would be hovered over by someone. They have the intentions to make sure he's safe whenever he isn't occupying the Star Chambers. Yuji doesn't fault them for being so cautious given what happened to Tengen and he doesn't mind the company. He loves being around everyone.
But that doesn't mean it can't be a little overwhelming. Especially, when it's a whole lot of their group.
Sometimes, it feels like Yuji is being guarded by bodyguards and not hanging out with his companions.
When it gets like that, he retreats.
He retreats to where he is now.
Inside the tree that Tengen used to call home. Yuji had made some modifications to it such as increasing the space inside. He made himself comfortable on the pillows, laying on his stomach and nuzzling one of the smaller pillows. Yuji sighs and lets that tension release from his bones and muscles. He could feel Tengen's presence at the back of his head, but they don't speak.
"You know, my birthday was a couple of days ago." Yuji flips onto his back, eyes looking to the almost barren shelf. The only thing that stands on it is a liquid filled glass capsule that is large enough to hold the odd brain inside. "It's now been sixteen years since you've brought me into this world. Proud?"
He gets no response but he could imagine had the brain occupied a body, they would answer.
"Of course, I am. You're my greatest accomplishment, after all." Kenjaku would say as if Yuji is just an experiment to them. Yuji doesn't expect more or less.
"Choso was very happy. He made sure I had a good time. Not everyone was able to be there, but that's okay. I still got my 'happy birthday's later. Yuki, she insists I call her that, even brought me a cake to make up for not being there. It was perfect. Wasn't too sweet or bitter. The strawberries were fresh and the chocolate was rich."
Still no response.
"Although... I wonder if you even care about all this. Let alone celebrated my birthday before. Or Choso's... any of my brothers'. Do you even remember your own birthday?"
The brain just floats in the liquid, teeth showing.
"I suppose you wouldn't..." He groans, sitting straight up. He folds his legs in, crossing one ankle over the other with each knee pointing out. "Why am I even speaking to you?"
"You wanted to be alone. But do you really? Did you want to be truly alone right now or do your crave a different type of company? My special..."
"I... I don't even know anymore..." He reaches up and presses a hand against the cool glass. He takes note his nails are longer than normal. Reminiscent to claws. "... can't stay you're bad company right now though. At least, this time you're not talking my ear off... Mom."
His hand slides off the jar and out he goes and away from the tree.
Bare feet touches the stone floor, the chill not bothering Yuji none. His hands rest into the pockets of his hoodie and off he wanders.
He wanders and wanders aimlessly.
Surely, it has been hours now. Maybe just minutes. Yuji isn't too sure how long he had walked around this place.
From stone to dirt and grass his feet touched. The white he wears stands out in the shadows the trees gifted. All four of Yuji's eyes admired the scenery in which he finds himself surrounded by. The trees were healthy and intimidating, yet Yuji doesn't feel... lost. He feels...
"Freeing, isn't it? It's a nice place."
Yuji jolts, turning and searching for the source of the voice. It's not one that he knows, but he makes out it's one that may belong to a woman.
"Yuji, sweetie, it's okay. I promise it's okay. Relax."
"Who are you?" Cursed energy sparks up in his veins, traveling to his fists. "Show yourself!"
He hears a chuckle coming from his right. In that direction, he charges. Yuji had been prepared to battle whoever the intruder could be, but within the instant his eyes saw her face any fight he had in him quickly disappeared.
At first, he only feels some sense of familiarity. He knows that face, but not sure from where.
Not until a memory, one he hadn't had in a long time, revisits his mind.
The face a woman with a smile, dark hair cut short and into a left swept bob and those eyes... they're the same as his. When he recalls that face, stitches were sewn across her forehead. However, facing the woman now? They are no where in sight.
Yuji drops his hands, cursed energy fading away.
"You're... you..."
The woman steps close to him. "You know who I am, don't you? Clever boy. Of course, you are. You're my son, after all."
He doesn't make any move when her warm hands cup his face. Her smile... it's a smile that only a loving mother would give her child.
Even one she never got to bond with.
"Look at you. You look so much like Jin! But you have my eyes. You've grown so handsomely, Yuji!"
His eyes begun to sting with tears.
"M-m... Mom?"
Her eyes soften. "As I said, you are a clever boy." She embraces him, her own tears beginning to water. "My son. My little tiger. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you before."
Yuji choked on his sobs, gripping into the white fabric of her dress. "Mom... I... you... you're here."
He cries. He cries and never lets her go. He's afraid to. He doesn't want her to disappear again. So he anchors her, sobbing as she hushed him and runs slender fingers in his hair.
"Shh, shh, now. It's okay, Yuji. No need to cry."
He doesn't stop though. For years, he never been able to conjure up a single memory of a loving mother. Not one of her singing a lullaby or picking him up from school. No kisses or hugs to remember. When Wasuke died, Yuji felt the regret of not hearing his grandfather out about his parents.
Yet, when Kenjaku came along and he discovered their connection, Yuji felt spared of being hurt.
Kenjaku possessed Kaori's body and birthed him, but Kenjaku was no mother.
"So many years were robbed from us, huh?" Kaori sighs, still caressing through Yuji's hair. "How I mourn those times. My death was a cruel one. I had been caught in a car accident on my way home to Jin. I recalled how much pain I was in and how worried I was about your father. I worried about how he will live and how lonely he will be. We loved each other so much. Wanted a baby, too. A baby to cherish and care for. We wanted a family to share all that love." She chuckles again, but Yuji hears that break in her voice. "And... and what do you know! That day I had been carrying a little bun in the oven!"
She kisses the top of his head. Yuji basks in the affection. It's what he longed for.
"I can't believe you're here."
Kaori hums. "Yeah, I'm here. For the longest, I wanted to speak to you. But I couldn't. The blessing I was granted was seeing you through eyes and holding you in arms that were no longer mine." She pulls back. Yuji looks up at her. His face is wet with his tears, red and a little blotchy. "You were a beautiful baby. My beautiful baby. Kenjaku may have brought you into this world, but they used my body to do so."
Yuji nods, sniffling. "I... I always wanted to meet you. Meet the woman that could have raised me. Kenjaku... I never seen them as a mom. Let alone mine. But you? I may never had you there growing up, but my heart tells me that you would have been a good mom. I... it's unfair... that I never... I'm sorry."
Kaori shakes her head. "No, no. You have nothing to apologize for. You haven't done anything wrong, sweetheart. It's quite the opposite. I'm proud of you." She wipes his tears with her thumb. "You've done so much. I've watched you. Kenjaku had been right about expecting much potential from you. You have a lot of it. Look where you are now."
Yuji sniffles again. He loosens his arms from around her. Kaori reaches and takes a hold of his hand, giving it a squeeze.
"I just wanted to help people. Like Grandpa told me."
"Wasuke always been a wise man. Even if he seemed a little grumpy, he has a good heart. Jin had such a good father. He treated me so kindly. Told me on the day I married Jin that there was no other woman more perfect than me to marry his son. 'Jin's always been good, but you make him better. You make him happy. He'll do good by you.' I was so nervous that day, but Wasuke helped. It saddened me greatly to see him try to reach out to Jin after my death. He wanted to protect him and you."
Yuji doesn't object to that. There was nothing to disagree on. Wasuke did everything he could raising Yuji and he appreciates his efforts. No doubt he did try to warn his father about Kenjaku the same way he tried to do for Yuji. He imagines how hurt Wasuke must have felt to see some impostor in Kaori's place. She was family to him, too.
"Jin, you can live your life however you want. But give up on that woman..."
That memory.
Wasuke wasn't telling Jin to give up and move on from Kaori. He was telling his son to let go of that impostor. To save himself and Yuji.
It had been too late.
But it happened. There's no changing that now.
Yuji snaps out of his thoughts when he hears Kaori. He sees her tears.
"Mom?"
"Sorry, sweetie. It's just that I never would have managed seeing you like this. You're glowing."
"You're not... upset?"
She wipes her face with her sleeve. "No. Mostly... still reeling in what happened to you. Growing up, I have heard stories about Tengen, but I never would have thought my son would take their place. Became the new Tengen, the new Star, if you will."
He shrugs, eyeing down at the green grass. It's surprisingly dewy. "I had to. Someone did and I chose to do it."
"To save everyone. So selfless." Kaori chuckles. "You're like me. Jin would often tell me 'You know, one reason I fell in love with you was because of your good heart. It's unfair how willing you are to help someone without thinking about yourself'. It was in my nature. I couldn't stand to see someone suffer when they can be saved somehow."
Yuji could see it. Kaori had a face of someone who cared about people. A delicate, sharp beauty with kind eyes and a smile one would appreciate to grace their day. It's the face he makes sure this is the face he remembers the next time he closes his eyes. Not a poor imitation with stitches.
Time once more became an afterthought. Hours, minutes, who really knows how long it's been since Kaori appeared to her son? However, did it matter?
Right now, they were relishing these moments. Catching up and sharing stories to make up for the sixteen years they missed.
Yuji had forgotten that earlier he craved some time alone. It was easy to when the company understood him. Their chorused laughter echoes through the trees, blending together like melodies to a song.
It felt like they never were separated. Sitting in the grass and breathing in the crisp, cool air.
This would have been perfect if Jin had been present. Even so, Yuji's sadness over his father's absence had been lessened by Kaori's assurance.
"Jin really did love you. I promise you that. Even before you came into the picture, he would say things like 'our kid will be the greatest ever' and brought a baby blanket. I remembered what it looked like. A bright yellow blanket with a tiger cub stitched on the corner. 'It's for a baby boy or girl. A cute blanket for a cute baby'! It made me all the more happy to be married to such a man. It also... made me feel so hurt that I had thought I couldn't give him a child. I desperately wanted to. It's twisted, but it's the one thing I am grateful for that Kenjaku has done. And that was what blessed us and this world with you."
Yuji's cheeks flushed when she ruffled his hair. "Mom!"
"Oh, Yuji! No need to be skittish. Now that's something, besides looks, you got from your father."
"Mm." Then a question crosses his mind. It makes him frown and he's hesitant to ask. But... if anyone would give an answer to it... his mother could. Kenjaku controlled her body, but Kaori's soul had still been attached to it. "Mom, can I ask a question about Dad?"
Kaori eyes him, catching on. She places her hand on top of his. "What is it, Yuji? Don't be afraid."
He exhales. "Why... why do you think Dad stuck around with me if Grandpa was trying to warn him about Kenjaku?"
The frown Kaori sports for that moment is nearly identical to her son's. She sighs, as all those nights she witnessed through murky lens returned.
"I wondered that just as much. Jin may not have not known he was being deceived. He may have. But I think it boiled down to loving us. Jin... he knew he wouldn't be alone if he just had you and Wasuke. He could have taken you away from Kenjaku. I... I think a piece of him just couldn't grasp the idea of raising you without his wife and your mother. He believed in family. He wanted it to be fair to you to have a mother and father. Kenjaku may have controlled by body, but my soul was still there. I recalled nights Kenjaku would sneak around to watch him and catch him with you in your nursery. He would sing songs to you and tell you he and I both loved you. He may have also been trying to be cautious. What if he did leave with you? Kenjaku could have done anything."
"Oh..."
"Jin was just as much a victim as you and I were. As much as I did want Jin to leave with you, I don't fault him. I'm sure seeing the face of the woman you believed to be dead would make one act irrational. Regardless..." Kaori leaned close to press a kiss to his forehead. "... just know your father loved you. Wasuke loved you. I loved you. We all love you, Yuji."
She holds out her arms. Yuji falls into her embrace. It the most he ever felt safe. He ignores the suddenness of how distant her words begun to sound or how his body felt warmer.
"We'll always be with you. You'll be okay. We love you so very much, my son."
"And I love you, Mom. I love you, too."
It felt like he had been stung. Yuji gasps, sitting up abruptly and eyes opening wide. His sight is blurry for just some seconds before clearing up. He sees he has been sleeping in the tree.
Had he... had that been just a dream?
Kaori...
It's disappointment he feels as he eyes up to where Kenjaku's brain still rests. "You had nothing to do with that, did you?"
Expected, no answer.
Yuji huffs. He feels a bundle of cursed energy and recognizes it as two separate beings. He easily makes out Megumi being one of them and the other being Kirara. He makes his way out the tree and within a flash, he appears right in front of the pair at the entrance. Kirara yelps, hand going on their chest.
"Yu-chan! So scary!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Hoshi-senpai! I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's fine!"
Yuji turns to Megumi. "Something up?"
Megumi crosses his arms. "I could be here to invite you to hang out."
He chuckles. "Yeah, you could be. Are you?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"As I thought."
"We were sent to get you. Apparently, the Higher-Ups called for your audience."
Yuji sighs. "I suppose I should get moving, huh?"
"Yeah." Megumi eyes him up and down. "You okay?"
Her voice. It whispers in his ear.
"You'll be okay. We love you so very much, my son."
Dream or not, Yuji appreciates it. He follows the other two, feeling just a little lighter on his feet. "I'm okay. I'll be okay."