Chapter Ten
“Falling Leaves”
Late fall, the last of the cherry blossom leaves as well as others fluttered to the ground, winter was coming in very soon.
The sky was dreary and gray, perhaps predicting the dark events about to transpire in this small town. Everyday, since that fateful meeting with Vale, Ken had been rather silent. Sakura was also mute in her own way. Derek and Karen grew worried, while Trent spends most of his time teaching Sakura swordsmanship, she had improved, but it seemed like her mind was elsewhere.
As a side job, Trent had joined the local police and had immediately gained a superior rank on his second week thanks to his background and superior experience. Of course, only the higher-ranking officials knew of this.
Derek glanced at the door his two children were spending their time in and sighs, “...what’s wrong with those two?”
Karen came up behind Derek and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, leaning against him, “Maybe you should talk to them? They seem depressed, maybe it’s the weather, I’m sure they’ll cheer up when it gets a bit warmer.”
Derek smiled faintly and said, “Maybe...” he sighs again and said, “Maybe I’ve been too...bad of a father?”
She gave him a quizzical look. Derek continued, “I don’t know...I know I pay more attention to Sakura than I do with Ken.” Derek turned around and looked at his wife, “I feel bad for picking favorites. I never spend any time with Ken as I do with Sakura.”
Karen shook her head, dismissing Derek’s self-loathing, “No, that’s not true...I see you two train almost everyday. If that’s not spending time with him, I don’t know what is.”
Derek had to disagree, guilt flashed in his face, “...I do it because...” he couldn’t find the right words to say it, “...look, I know he’s my son, but...when I see myself with that wooden sword in my hands...and every time I cross that sword with Ken’s...I get this image...like I’m not really sparring with my son...I picture him as Link.”
Karen, concerned, asked, “What are you saying?”
Derek looked away, “I’m saying that...ever since we had to run from Hyrule...all I ever saw whenever I looked at him are those memories...I spar with him so I could ‘kill’ those memories.”
Karen looked taken aback, “...you mean...kill your own son?”
Derek shook his head, “I...no. That’s not it. Look, whenever I look at him...he has the same eyes as Link. Blue and cold. He has the same hair color...he’s even left handed. When I see him, I see Link. And you know what Link has done to us. He’s destroyed our lives, he’s forced us to run.” He added, “He’s even slain the entire royal family...even Prince Derek. The man who saved my life.”
Karen put a hand on her troubled husband’s shoulders, “Look...you just have to let go. This is your son we’re talking about. Don’t you love him?”
Derek replied quickly, “Of course I do! ...but...” he changed his tone, “...I can’t help but hate him at the same time.”
Karen shook her head sadly, “It’ll pass.”
Derek whispered, “...Karen.”
Karen looked up at her husband. He was staring intently at something. She turned and saw Ken standing there quietly. He had heard the entire thing. He was standing at the doorway to his room, behind him; Sakura was staring down at the floor.
Ken glanced at Sakura and shot her a deadly look before rushing out of the house.
Trent was at the front door as Ken rushed past him, he watched him run off. Not knowing what was going on. Trent knew something was up...the tension was thick in the air.
Ken ran blindly through the streets, not knowing where to go. He just wanted to run away. He had to get away from that house. From the lies.
He ran for a few minutes and finally stopped. He looked around and saw that he was in the playground. With tearstained eyes, he sat on the swing and kept his head down as the tears and leaves fell around him.
He hurt all over. His chest was hurting the most, he held himself and sobbed to himself. To be hated by his own family. That hurt. But to be blind to it all these years, that hurt even more.
He had thought he and his father were getting along so well...
...how could he have been so stupid?
He hated himself for being himself. Why was he the one born first? Why couldn’t it have been Sakura? He hated her the most. She took away his parent’s love. She took away his future.
He heard some footsteps in front of him. He looked up, with tearstained eyes, expecting to see his father or Trent.
It was neither.
He wiped the tear from his eyes and looked at the young 17 year old looking man in front of him. The man had blonde hair and red eyes. He wore a black cloak that flowed in the wind.
The man spoke softly, “Being rejected hurts, doesn’t it?”
Ken got off the swing and looked up at him, “Who...are you?”
The man bowed lightly, “My name is Link.”
Ken recognized the name. Link walked up to him and knelt, patting Ken on the head, he wore a friendly smile. He wasn’t like anything Ken had heard about him. He seemed like a nice person, besides, the Link Derek described had blue eyes.
Link took Ken into his arms and whispered, “Do you want to go back?”
Ken closed his eyes and shook his head, sobbing. Link smiled very softly, “Then...come with me and I’ll make the pain go away.”
Ken opened his eyes and nodded slowly, sobbing quietly on the shoulder of his newfound guardian. They stood like that amidst the falling leaves.
