beautiful one, sharer of my longing

34: Unease

Fushiguro (Zen'in) Toji never had big plans for the winter holidays.

He never really had big plans for anything besides Megumi's birthday (he turned 16 only days ago), and that did not bother him. He was such a recluse to his family that they never even bothered to ask him about anything. Toji wasn't even sure when his birthday was.

His family, including the girls that were equally as hated as him didn't know either, nobody knew anything about him at all. Toji was only Megumi's father, the largest stain of the Zen'in family which was somehow painted over by his son. Nothing else he did mattered.

He only existed for his son.

But, unfortunately his son was, himself, a bit of a recluse as well.

It was rare that he would seek out Toji or come find out where he is at any given moment. He'd just spend his time in the family gallery or library until it was time to go to bed in their shared bedroom. Which is why after his lonely New Years night which was no different from any other night (the Zen'in were not fans of celebration or...happiness), he was not surprised that Megumi did not come to find him after the trip.

He was outside in the shade of a tree, just sitting and staring out into the expanse of dead land and tress. Toji liked it outside, but he also hated being cold. Yet compared to actually spending time with his family, he would enjoy hours of hypothermia.

He passed an angered Naoya followed by his new fiancé (Toji thought that she was a total bitch), but they always looked angered anyway, so after dark he continued on to the bedroom where on one side was a worn futon and thin blanket, and the other, Megumi's tightly tucked sheets covered the thicker mattress. The mattress for a possible heir to the clan.

And unusually, Megumi was not there.

Toji stayed in his own futon and expected to hear the boy shuffle in during a particularly sleepless night, but he never did.

And just to be sure, when the first light of dawn washed over the estate, Toji ripped the sheets back with a short call of Megumi's name, and furrowed a brow when he still wasn't there.

"Don't get mad at me," he mumbled in the quiet, "yer gonna come back to an unmade bed."

Toji never ate with the rest of his clan, so they never missed him during the morning's meal. But Megumi still hadn't shown up. Nerves pooled in his stomach.

Megumi is the only good thing in this shitty life. Where the hell is he?

"Hey," Toji stepped out to the gardens where the girls spent most of their time. Recently, the warehouse had been locked up to keep Maki out, and she had been angry ever since. He looked at the twins on the bench in front of him and threw an arm up. "Either of you seen Megumi?"

"I haven't," Mai said, "have you?"

"No...he wasn't at breakfast," Maki reported curiously, "I assumed he was with you."

"Did Naobito say anything about him?"

"Didn't say anything actually. Right?" Maki looked for confirmation from Mai, who nodded in return.

"Why, you haven't seen him at all?"

"Not since they came back, no."

Toji walked away after that to find the family head, and when one of the girls called let us know if you find him! he threw up an okay sign with his back turned. Dead grass crunched under his feet and he tried not to worry about his son's whereabouts more than he had to. The most likely scenario that Megumi just fell asleep elsewhere and slept in due to the long trip. The worst case scenario, Naobito killed him and left his body in the melting snow.