A/N: Once again, thank you everyone for all the reviews, favs, follows, etc. again.

I hope you enjoy this last chapter!

Chapter Three – Kenshi and Takeda

Los Angeles, California

Present Day

"A lot of the past Father's Days I remember were pretty typical," Jacqui mentioned once she reached the end of the story. "They're mostly filled with gift giving, acknowledging the holiday, spending time doing chores around the farm, and a big dinner. Sometimes, my mom would cook, and sometimes we go to Dad's favorite restaurant. Like I mentioned before, he prefers to be modest. The point is, that particular year is the one that stands out to me the most even to this day because it was the first real heart-to-heart we've ever had. It was the first time I felt... grown up."

By now, she, Takeda, and Cassie, were sitting outside the mall on a bench, deciding to take in the fresh air and do a little people watching before heading back home. Their bags of newly-purchased items sat by their feet. There was a light breeze blowing into their faces, and the three knew to enjoy it now. It wouldn't be long before the brutal heat of summer came along.

"I always try to remember that conversation," Jacqui continued. "But sometimes, it's hard to forget, especially in high school when he became even more overbearing when it comes to trying to protect me. I think it was always hard for him to adjust, too. You know the saying, 'old habits die hard.' I understand now that Dad's heart was in the right place and that he's afraid that what happened to him in the military all those years ago would happen to me. I just wish that he had loosened the rope a bit more, you know? Especially when it came to dating."

Cassie turned her head to her best friend. "There's something I need to ask, Jacqui... what was that earlier quip in the story about me being part of the 'wrong crowd' to Uncle Jax in your story?"

Jacqui laughed. "I said he was kidding! Just like how I was kidding around that one time I said how I thought your Dad was h-"

"STOP IT!" Cassie yelled as she covered her ears with her hands. "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT AGAIN!" That made Jacqui fall into a fit of giggles at her friend's reaction.

"Wait, what?" Takeda chimed in with confusion. "Care to tell me what that's about?"

"Nothing!" the girls quickly called out.

Cassie swiftly changed the subject before any more was said."How does your Dad feel about you two?" she asked Jacqui concerning her and Takeda.

"He wasn't thrilled at first... but that's only because Takeda accidentally let it slip that we were dating before we had the chance to prepare for it."

"Yeah, that was embarrassing," the young man grumbled.

"But he's starting to become okay with it... not like he can do much about it now that I'm an adult," Jacqui mentioned. "But I think what helps a lot is they both love to mess around with different techs and machinery, so they have that in common."

"It's true," Takeda added. "Just two days ago, we were visiting Jacqui's parents at the family farm, and Mr. Briggs and I were working on rebuilding a lawn mower he plans to sell once it's finished."

"Let me guess," started Cassie. "At one point he said something along the lines of, 'You break my daughter's heart, I'll break your face.'"

Takeda rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "...Something like that..."

"But other than that, I think he's warming up to the idea of us," Jacqui said. "It's kinda a first, to be honest."

"That sounds like a relief," Cassie replied. "And how does Kenshi-san feel about you two?"

"Not that we expected him to react like my Dad did," began Jacqui. "But when we told him, it took us by surprise with how elated he was over the news. I have a funny feeling he was hoping the two of us would get together after Takeda and I first met a while back."

"He even bought us a bottle of sake that night for Jacqui and I share," Takeda added. "So yeah, he was happy about it."

Cassie pursed her lips as she tilted her head in thought. "I think I have a small inkling as to why he reacted like that."

Takeda turned his head to her with curiosity. "And what is this small inkling?"

"Well, your Dad and my Mom were always close colleagues going as far back as before the Netherrealm War. My earliest memory of him was when I was about five or six years old when he stayed around this area for about a year. From what I understood later on from my Dad, he was 'laying low.'"

"Sounds like it was around the time after the undercover mission he was in went FUBAR," Takeda mentioned with a small sigh, knowing this was not long after his father took him into Shirai Ryu territory for his protection when he was a child.

"Yeah, I figured that was the case once I was old enough to understand," Cassie said. "But anyway, Kenshi came over to my parents' place one night the first time I met him. I still remember crawling all over him trying to take his bandana off his face. At that age, I thought it was silly because you think, 'why is wearing that over his eyes? Can't he see anything?' Of course, my Dad had to explain his blindness to me."

"That sounds like something you would do, Cass," Jacqui responded with a chuckle.

"Hey, I did feel bad about it after," Cassie pointed out. "Luckily, Kenshi laughed it off."

"It's happened to him a few times with kids over the years," Takeda mentioned.

"Did you try to do that when you met him that first time as a kid?" Jacqui asked curiously.

Takeda sighed at that. "No actually... but honestly, I knew he was blind before I even met him that first time, so I wasn't surprised by the blindfold. My Mom had told me plenty of things about him during those first eight years when I was living in Thailand." He turned back to Cassie. "Anyway, you were saying..."

"Oh yeah," Cassie continued. "Well, since your Dad isn't officially part of Special Forces, he only came around when my Mom needed him on a sensitive mission that required his skills, or as a general consultant. I'd say that happened every one to three years. But through most of my childhood and adolescence, especially during training during the latter years, I couldn't help but feel there was some... how do I put this... some gloom to him."

"What do you mean?" Takeda ended up asking.

Cassie attempted to explain it. "I mean, well... you're right about the humorous one-liners, I can vouch for you on that if no one ever believed it, especially in the later years. Now, I can't read people the way you can, Takeda, but I got that feeling about him during those down times in between missions and training. It's one of those thing you just kind of... feel, you know?"

"I think I get it," said Jacqui. "I think the word you're looking for in this case is 'intuition.'"

"Something like that," Cassie agreed. "Anyway, it wasn't until about four years ago when I realized that air of gloom was, for the most part... gone. He seemed a lot more relaxed, and... happier." It was her turn to gaze over at Takeda. "And honestly, I think it has a lot to do with your reunion with him. I only know the gist of your situation from what you've told me, but well..." She waved her hand at both Takeda and Jacqui. "If he's as happy about the two of you getting together as you said he was, I think it's because he may possibly feel that he's finally got some semblance of stability in his life. In this case, it's family. But seriously, don't take it from me. This is just my own observation."

Takeda frowned at that as he looked down at his feet. "Well, one thing's for sure... I am the only blood-related family he has left..."

Before any more was said, Cassie's text alert suddenly went off. Pulling her phone out from her pocket, she checked the received message briefly before putting it back away.

"Welp, looks like Mom wants me to meet up with her in an hour," the young woman announced as she stood up from the bench.

"Early dinner, I assume," mentioned Jacqui. "It's not even three thirty yet."

"My guess is that she hasn't had lunch at all today," Cassie figured. "That should've clued me in when she mentioned wanting to go to Claim Jumper. You know how huge their dinner portions are."

"Not to mention their motherlode cake," Jacqui mentioned. "Say Cass, you wanna hang out one more time on Monday before we're back on duty?"

"Sure," Cassie replied. "Where do you want to hang out?"

Jacqui shrugged. "Not sure yet. I'll text you this weekend when I figure it out."

"Sounds cool. I'll see you two later."

"Later," Jacqui and Takeda said before Cassie began walking away and headed towards her car in the parking lot.

When Cassie was far enough, Jacqui turned her head and saw that her boyfriend was still looking down at his shoes. She reached a hand out to place on top of his, which was resting on his knee. "You okay?" she asked. "You seem distracted."

Taking a deep inhale, Takeda looked up as he leaned his back against the wooden bench they were sharing. He turned the palm of his hand up and let his fingers lace around Jacqui's, who returned the gesture. "I dunno," he began. "I just... Cassie's story made me realize something, I'm just... I dunno..."

"You wanna talk about it?" she asked.

Takeda was silent for a moment before he decided to speak again. "It's just, well... suddenly, I feel somewhat blinder than my Dad is. I mean... I know I'm justified with how I've felt about his absence after all these years. I've been able to get a good grip on the whole thing in recent years, and there have been things my Dad and I were able to talk about. There are still some things we need to talk about, but the wound's still healing, you know?"

Jacqui nodded to him. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Takeda took another breath before he proceeded. "These last five years, I've thought about how I felt about losing my mother, how I felt about those lost years, and how I felt about him leaving me with the Shirai Ryu when I was eight years old. Until three minutes ago, I never stopped to really think about how he felt about everything I just mentioned. I mean, sure, we've talked about the events, but my Dad never talked about how he truly felt about it all."

The young man shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "I should've seen it the day of our reunion, but I so blinded by my rage in the moment. When he told me the truth about my mother's death, I did not hesitate to blame what happened to her on him to his face. And you know what he said? Nothing. He just... bowed his head and said nothing. That should've clued me in on how he felt then, but..."

Jacqui took that moment to gently squeeze his hand with hers in comfort. "You were understandably angry in that moment... and something tells me he knew that your mind was clouded, even without reading your thoughts."

Takeda slowly nodded. "Yeah... I think you're right. And you know... I think the one thing I always appreciated was that he let our reconciliation take its time on my terms. He never tried to rush anything. Anytime there's was a moment of relapse on my part, he remained quiet until I was done venting. Whenever I felt discouraged, he always tried to be encouraging with just simple words. And when I do accomplish something, he never hesitates to tell me how proud he is of me... which happened to be one of the first things he said to me the day of our reunion."

His eyebrows knitted at one other thought. "Say what you will about those lost years and his decision to leave me with the Shirai Ryu, but with everything I just mentioned and combine that with the fact that his decisions were all made with my safety and protection in mind... those few things alone make him a better father than some people can say about their own Dads through their entire lives. He could've chosen not to care, but he did care, even when we were separated. Sure, he could've visited me, send me letters, but he didn't because something that simple meant endangering my well-being..."

There was one other thing he left out, something that he wasn't exactly ready to discuss with Jacqui yet. On the same day of their reunion, Kenshi had promised Takeda that once his training was completed, and they got the information they needed to proceed, they would hunt down the Red Dragon to find his mother's killer together. That gesture from his father was one Takeda always appreciated from that moment, and he'd like to think that this was what began his reconciliation, albeit a slow one. Kenshi could've gone after the Red Dragon and taken care of them himself all these years. Instead, he waited until his son was older and ready to journey with him to avenge his mother's death.

"Don't get me wrong," Takeda said. "It's not all perfect just because things are better now. I just wish the circumstances were different, you know?"

Jacqui nodded once he was finished. "I think I can understand," she said. "I mean... your situation and mine are clearly different, but it seems to have the same theme... growing up, you don't appreciate the sacrifices your fathers make, at least until we're old enough to get a better understanding on why they made the decisions they've made. I think the Dads with good intentions do what can to keep their children from harm, even if it means their children will be angry with them for a while."

Jacqui shook her head a little as she smiled. "Not every Dad can be like Mr. Cage."

"No they can't," Takeda agreed. "Though maaaaybe that might be a blessing in disguise. I don't think I can handle things like fart jokes all the time."

His girlfriend chuckled at that. "Yeah, Cassie did mention today that they drive her crazy. And the worst part is that it never stops, even when you try to be serious with him. Like one time during training, I told him, 'No jokes, let's do it.' And he just had to respond with, 'That's what she said.'" She ended that sentence with a roll of her eyes.

That made Takeda laugh. "That sounds like something he would say."

"At least with my Dad, he has a way of throwing you off with his jokes," Jacqui said. "And that's because they're rare and you don't expect them."

"Yeah, my Dad can have some pretty good dry wits... like one time, Mr. Cage asked him during training if he liked any of his films. My Dad didn't saying anything at first, but then he looked straight at him... the best he could of course, and simply said, 'Blindness has its benefits.'"

"Oh, burn!" Jacqui laughed. "My Dad would've straight up told him his movies were shit... and it wouldn't be the first time, either."

"You think Cassie would be defending her Dad right now if he was hearing this conversation?" the young man wondered.

"All she would say is 'haters gonna hate.'"

"Ah, too bad," Takeda said. "I would've loved to have debated with her over the inaccuracy of those stealth missions in Ninja Mime."

Jacqui's eyes widened at that. "You've seen Ninja Mime?"

"Only the first forty minutes of it," Takeda mentioned. "A lot of us agreed that it was forty minutes too long. We used to have movie nights when I was training with the Shirai Ryu and someone had brought over an imported copy of Ninja Mime one night. After those forty minutes, Master Hasashi ended up burning the DVD to ash and declared the movie banned from Shirai Ryu grounds for life for it's 'inaccurate portrayal and mockery of the art of ninjitsu.' Needless to say, the movie profoundly offended him."

Jacqui burst into more laughter over that. "Why am I not surprised by that?"

It did take her a moment to get her bearings back, but nevertheless, Takeda smiled to himself, loving her laugh. At one point, he moved his arm so that it was around her shoulders, and she responded by resting the side of her head on his shoulder.

There was a long silence that lingered afterwards as the couple found themselves in their own thoughts while watching the people in front of them come and leave the mall. Gazing up towards the sky, Takeda saw a few scattered clouds starting to roll in from the distance. The sun was still high up, but it was just beginning to make its slow descent towards the horizon in the west. Considering how close summer was and how much more sunlight would remain around this time of year, he realized that there was still plenty of time left to enjoy the day before nighttime came along.

"Say," Takeda suddenly started. "You think you might have time to go down to Little Tokyo with me?"

Jacqui raised her head to gaze up at him. "I think so. Why?"

"Well... there's a little sushi place there I wanted to try that Kung Jin recommended to me a while back. I thought we could have dinner there. But before we do that, there's a market I remember seeing the last time I was there that sold imported items... authentic stuff, I mean. I figured we could stop there while there's... still another two days left..."

Jacqui didn't say anything right away, but she did end up smiling at her boyfriend as she realized what he had in mind...

Two Days Later...

For as long as he could remember, Takeda was an early riser who would wake up just after the crack of dawn. He barely remembered a time when he used to sleep in an extra hour or two whenever he was home from school on the weekends back when he was living in Thailand. His days training with the Shirai Ryu found himself waking up at the same time everyday as part of the clan's daily routine, and it was a habit he hasn't broken yet.

His father, the blind swordsman Kenshi Takahashi, was the same way when it came to mornings. Depending on whether or not Special Forces needed them that day, mornings were the same, consisting of training and meditation before enjoying a light breakfast. Takeda had expected today to start the way it usually did.

In the training room at the Special Forces base where they were both currently staying, Takeda was surprised to see his father kneeling down on the floor, his hands resting on his knees and his head bowed, clearly meditating. His ancestral sword laid in its red scabbard next to him just within reach.

At first, Takeda wasn't sure whether or not he should disrupt him. Perhaps maybe he would join his father next to him an do the same?

"There you are," Kenshi suddenly greeted, almost startling his son. The young man could've sworn there there was a hint of a smirk on his father's face in response, but he chose to ignore it just in case he was just seeing things.

Takeda inhaled lightly to calm himself. "Hey," he replied. "You're meditating kind of early this morning, aren't you? Or maybe I just came here later than I thought."

Kenshi didn't say anything right away. Instead, he extended one arm out in front of him, and Takeda took it as a gesture to join his Dad. The young man walked a few feet forward before he sat down in the same position his father was in at the moment, only he didn't bother to close his eyes.

"I admit, I've had a lot on my mind the last couple of days," the swordsman admitted once his son was settled.

"You want to me to analyze it with a mind-reading session?" Takeda asked.

Kenshi shook his head. "That won't be necessary, son," he assured him. "But I... did want to ask you something. It's... a huge part of what's been on my mind."

That made Takeda tilt his head to the side a little in reply. In the five years since their reunion, Kenshi very rarely ever asked of anything from Takeda, especially since whatever this was about, it was possibly something important by the way he conveyed his words just nwo.

Before that, however, Takeda decided to mention something. "That reminds me... I wanted to talk to you about something, too." He chuckled a little at the irony of his next words. "It's actually been on my mind for a couple of days as well."

"Oh?" Kenshi uttered with interest.

"But you started this," Takeda mentioned. "So you can go first."

"No, I'll let you go first," Kenshi encouraged.

Takeda almost wanted to argue about it, but decided that he was still feeling a bit tired after waking up not too long ago. Before he spoke, he adjusted his knees a bit to get more comfortable, having a feeling that this conversation was going to take a little time.

"I had an interesting conversation with Cassie the other day," Takeda began. "She brought up some childhood memories about you, like the time she tried to take off your blindfold when he was about five or six years old."

Kenshi chuckled a little at that, recalling the long-ago memory. "Well, she wasn't the first to do that, and she certainly isn't the last."

"I knew that," Takeda mentioned. He then proceeded. "Well anyway, she didn't go into details, but she mentioned how she always had this feeling that you always seemed a bit down whenever you were around through the years. I don't think it was something you conveyed intentionally, but..."

"I assume it was an intuition she had," Kenshi guessed.

Takeda nodded. "Yeah, that's what Jacqui figured. Cassie did notice during the last four years that you've been... better. I don't mean to make it sound like it was a bad thing, but-"

"I know what you mean," Kenshi cut in. "The interesting part about this is that Cassie's right... I did become happier in the last five years. The fact that it was not long after our reunion is not a coincidence."

Takeda frowned at this. "I realize that now," he admitted. "The reason I even brought it up is because I realized, after all this time, I've been so focused on how I've felt all these years and never stopped to think about how you've felt through all of this." Feeling some vexation, he shut his eyes closed as he lightly clenched his fists. "I should've considered your feelings after all this time... instead, I was too focused on myself..."

Kenshi frowned as he bowed his head more. "You don't need to feel guilty, Takeda," he said a bit quietly. "You had no control over everything that was happening around you, especially at such a young age. And besides, as far as I'm concerned, you have every right to how you feel about this. This whole thing with the Red Dragon and your mother's death... out of everyone involved, it was you who was hurt by this."

Takeda gazed up at his father upon hearing that last statement. In the next few moments of pause, the young man did something he'd never done before; he reached a hand out to let it rest on his father's shoulder, the same way the older man did for him for the last five years. "You're right that the whole thing hurting me," Takeda said with a hint of sympathy. "But I don't need to read your mind to know now that I'm not the only one who was hurt by what the Red Dragon has done... to both of us."

The older man didn't saying anything in response, but he did pull his head up to face his son. Even with the crimson blindfold over his eyes, it almost felt as though he was staring right at his son. At any other time, it would have somewhat unsettled the young man. Right now, however, he was okay with it.

"You don't have to talk about it today," Takeda continued. "I mean... there's still other things for us to discuss anyway. But I just wanted to say how sorry I am for never considering what you've been through. I appreciate that you've let me convey what I've been feeling as well as letting me vent when I needed to without interrupting... but whenever you feel that you're ready, Dad, you can do the same... and I'll listen."

In reply, Kenshi reached a hand up to let it rest on his son's forearm. He took a deep breath before he spoke. "I know I've said this to you before, but... if there was a way for me to get back those lost years..."

"I know," Takeda said. "And I wish there was a way, too. But I'll tell you something I learned during my training; we can't dwell in the past. We can only move forward and look to the future."

A small smile came over Kenshi's face. "I've always said that Master Hasashi taught you well."

Takeda smiled back. "If it helps hearing it from me, Dad... you made the right decision to bring me to the Shirai Ryu all those years ago. Not only am I alive, but I wouldn't had learned what I know now if you hadn't."

Kenshi patted his son's arm, his silent way of conveying his appreciation to Takeda's words. "You know I would've taught you what I know like I am now if the option for you to stay with me was there when you were young."

"Yeah," Takeda agreed. "But you have to admit, my whips are pretty awesome."

That got a small laugh out of the older man. "That is true."

"Hey, I did learn to use a sword, didn't I?" Takeda quipped.

"That you did," Kenshi said.

The young man decided then to move forward as he removed his hand from his father's shoulder. "All right, it's your turn. You said that you had something to ask me?"

Kenshi sighed a little. "Suddenly, our talk makes me wonder whether or not now's a good time to bring this up."

Takeda tiled his head in a bit of confusion. "What do you mean?"

Kenshi reached to his left to grab for his sword. Lifting it off the ground, he moved a bit until he rested it on top of his legs, gripping the weapon with both hands. Takeda had known for quite some time that this was a way for his father to give himself some comfort, his sword acting as his anchor. As the young man suspected, whatever his father was about to ask him was definitely important.

"Things have been quiet since Shinnok's been defeated," Kenshi began. "And General Blade believes it'll stay that way for a while. I was thinking this would be a good time for me to return to Japan."

That news surprised Takeda as his eyes widened a bit. "It's been a while since you've been back there," he said about his father's home land. "How long will you be there?"

"It's just for the summer," Kenshi mentioned. "I found a little cabin in the country by a river to rent for that time period. It's a good place to continue with training and meditation for someone like me."

The swordsman tilted his head down a bit before he said what was on his mind. "The cabin... it has an extra bedroom. I'm pretty sure it won't be used during my time there... unless..."

Takeda realized exactly what his father was implying. "You... want me to come with you?"

Kenshi slowly nodded his head as he turned his head up again. "No pressure, of course. I won't be leaving for another two weeks anyway, so if you need to take the time to decide, you can."

There was a long pause between them as Takeda's mind was filled with what felt like a million thoughts. He remembered a time, five years ago, when he was reluctant to go with his father to continue his training, but he went if only to please Master Hasashi then. Though the young man's situation had been explained to him since the day of the reunion, there were times in those first couple of years when he would forget that in his blinding anger.

The main thing Takeda had been mad about after the reunion was the fact that he had not been told right away about the nature of his mother's death. Even to this day, Takeda could only weigh in on whether or not knowing the truth would've been better... but then he would remember his father's reason.

'You would have gone after your mother's killer unprepared,' Kenshi had said to him the day of their reunion. 'I couldn't risk it.'

It was that statement that first cleared the clouded anger that formed in Takeda's head that day. He realized in that moment what his father was trying to do for him all this time... and worse, the older man was correct in his assumption. Takeda had made impulsive decisions in the past based on his emotions rather than thinking through what he was doing while under Master Hasashi's tutelage. It once almost got him killed.

It was only the last couple of years that this relationship with his father had mended the wounds that were left behind. The more they talked and more time they spent together, the easier it was for Takeda to heal.

As for his father's offer... well... Takeda initially thought his summer would be send on whatever missions Special Forces had for him as long as his services were still needed. However, if things were as quiet as Kenshi said they were, then perhaps maybe those missions would be few and far between.

It would, however, be a good time for him spend some time with Jacqui. Then again, he can already imagine her encouraging him to go to Japan with his father. 'It would be a great opportunity for the two of you to spend more time together,' he heard her voice say in his head. 'Besides, it's only for the summer.'

"I'd ask you to bring Jacqui along," Kenshi suddenly said. "But I don't think her father would be too pleased with that suggestion just yet, even with my presence there."

Takeda smirked at him. "Did you just read my mind?" he asked suspiciously, but with some humor.

Kenshi gave him a bemused smirk. "I have no idea what you're talking about, son."

"Ugh, never mind," Takeda grumbled with a wave of his hand, making his father chuckle. The young man dropped his smile then. "You really want me to go to Japan with you this summer?"

"Only if you want to. Like I said, I'm not pushing you to go, but the offer's on the table. If you can take it or leave it, whatever you choose."

Takeda thought a little more about it then. It wasn't like he hadn't spend enough time with his father over the last five years. Most of their time had been spend at the bases belonging to Special Forces. This would be the first time in a long while they would have a place to themselves, and for the whole summer. The cabin would perhaps be the perfect place for them to train uninterrupted in preparation of finally taking down the Red Dragon for good and avenge his mother's death.

And maybe perhaps this would be a way for them to talk more about the things they've yet to discuss in between training.

Finally, Takeda nodded to his father. "Okay... that sounds good. I'll go with you."

Kenshi gently placed a hand on Takeda's shoulder in reply. "That's... I didn't expect you to..."

"Accept?" Takeda finished for him.

The older man nodded. "Yeah. I... I know I've told you before that you're not obligated to acknowledge Father's Day, but... I have to say that you accepting my my offer, well... the only I can say that it's quite a gift to receive of all days..."

It was Takeda's turn to pat his father's forearm. "In that case... Happy Father's Day, Dad."

Kenshi could only smile in response, feeling overwhelmed and too lost for words to say anything back. One thing was for sure, however... Kenshi and Takeda had come a long way in their reconciliation since their reunion...

Later that evening in his room on base, Takeda sat at the foot of his bed, his hands on top of the chest where he usually kept his clothing. In between his hands was a squared white box, and inside it was the item he brought in Little Tokyo with Jacqui two days ago...

Removing the top of the box and setting it aside, Takeda pushed away the white tissue paper that wrapped around the object inside. Once he did, he got a good look at what was intended to be his Father's Day gift for his Dad; a half-kabuto mask painted as red as his father's blindfold and bearing demonic teeth painted white. Takeda remembered his father mentioning wanting to own such a mask sometime ago... and it was only two days ago he knew that now was a good time to fulfill that wish for him.

Initially, Takeda planned to give his gift to his father tonight. However, after Kenshi mentioned that he considered his son's acceptance to go to Japan with him his Father's Day gift, Takeda made the decision to hold off on giving him the mask... at least until Kenshi's birthday, which would fall around the time they would be in Japan.

Takeda knew that it would be a long time before both he or his father would heal from the past. Even if they did avenge his mother's death, it still wouldn't bring her back nor bring back those lost years they were robbed of. It was clear that father and son longed to put the darkness of the past behind them and move forward. Those years long past could not be undone, but they both can be grateful that they still had many years left to look forward to together...

And in that moment of thought, Takeda suddenly realized with wide eyes that even though Kenshi told him that he was not obligated to acknowledge Father's Day, it turned out that Takeda had been giving him his gift each year all this time, one that no words nor a kabuto mask could convey. It was always somewhat in the back of his mind from reading his father's thoughts in the past, but Takeda never truly acknowledged it until now.

Simply being there at his side... that was the only Father's Day gift Kenshi needed.

The End