As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

Knock! Knock!

Kazuya pursed his lips tight while retracting his hand from the wooden door. His eyes sank as his spirit went down.

So many things happened today. He didn't want to burden anyone with the problems but, it seemed like his only nephew had already caught what he was hiding.

Even after he stood in front of the door, he didn't know how should he bring up the subject.

The door remained close even after he waited for a few minutes.

Kazuya opened his mouth and asked heavily, "Izumi, didn't you want to ask about your father?"

A faint sound of a chair being pushed on the floor slipped in between the narrow gap of the door frame. A few seconds later, the door was finally open from the inside. Izumi poked his head out. His whole face was tight, showing how uneasy he felt.

The two men, big and small, gazed deeply at one another.

Kazuya lifted up one corner of his lips, "Can I come in?"

Without saying anything, Izumi turned away and returned back to the safety of his room. Even so, he didn't close the door again.

Kazuya closed his eyes, masking his real feelings away. He took a step inside the room.

Izumi's room was unlike Chiharu's. While the little dumpling loved everything pink as well as having a princess canopy bed, Izumi kept his room neat and tidy in warm light gray color.

He kept his toys and other items inside a wooden box that resembled a treasure chest while his books were arranged in a white bookshelf at the left corner of the room.

Kazuya took the liberty to sit on the bed. He stared at Izumi who was sitting at his study desk. A few books were spread open on the surface, showing that he was doing his homework.

"It's not my intention to hide it from you," He opened his mouth after seeing that Izumi wouldn't take the initiative to ask him, "Uncle just don't want you and Chiharu to worry. Uncle is sorry."

Izumi didn't immediately answer. He kept his head low. The sadness that flashed in his eyes was layered with self-ridicule.

"If I'm not a child," His voice sounded so hoarse once he opened his mouth, "Would Uncle openly tell me?

The grievances couldn't be ignored from his voice. Kazuya pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Your father wouldn't want you to worry about him," In the end, that was the only thing he could answer.

Izumi slowly turned around, finally staring at his uncle.

"Dad... What's his current situation?"

Kazuya didn't make light of the boy's question. He answered as earnestly as he could. It went unnoticed how his fingers were tightly clasping with each other.

"His heart suddenly stopped. The doctor told me his situation might worsen. But... maybe Heavens are still looking out for your father. The doctor managed to stabilize him, so, he's currently safe."

Kazuya blinked his eyes a few times, trying to clear the mist from blurring them. As he had expected, Izumi was no better than him.

"Dad... would he die? Would he leave as Mom did?"

Izumi vigorously rubbed his eyes. He didn't want to cry in front of his uncle but the tears didn't stop. His sobs turned into loud cries.

It was as if everything he kept within his small body finally erupted altogether.

"Waaaaa!"

"Izumi!"

Kazuya leaped forward from the bed. He gently brought the little boy in his arms despite how hard his heart own was pounding.

"Your father is safe, don't worry... You and Chiharu could see him again," Kazuya tried to keep his voice steady as he ran a hand over the little boy's head.

He might be able to deceive Chiharu but, Izumi had already understood the graveness of the situation. Even Kazuya himself knew that his words could do little to appease the little boy.

"Three years... Dad hasn't opened his eyes for three years," Izumi choked out the words, "What if Dad couldn't remember me and Chiharu? Could... could he even wake up again?"

"Izumi, Izumi... No matter what, I'd find the best doctor for your father. I know it's hard to not be sad but, Chiharu needs you. If Chiharu saw you like this, what do you think she would think?"

Kazuya wasn't one who adept in persuading others to not wallow in sorrow. The words flowed out of his mouth while his mind was in a mess.

Three years ago, his one and only elder brother met a misfortune.

He not only lost his wife in the same year but, he himself fell into a coma due to severe brain injury.

There was no one to be blamed, no dirty tricks behind it unlike one would expect.

Driven by his extreme exhaustion due to working nonstop ever since his wife died, his brother fell from the top of a park staircase, knocked his head hard against a sharp edge of a stone. The scene was shown by the surveillance cameras.

What made the matter worse was due to two thugs who saw the scene but, instead of helping his brother, they robbed him of his money and belongings. They even went as far as kicking and punching the already injured man.

His head injury worsened.

In the end, his brother was found by a jogger early in the morning. His situation was already in a dire state.

It happened in the middle of the night. Kazuya knew his brother tended to visit the nearby park at night whenever he wanted to cope with his stress but, never did he expect something like this would happen.

At that time, the two siblings were taken care of by a live-in nanny. The nanny didn't realize that the owner of the house didn't return home all night, resulting in such an unexpected incident.

Before it happened, it was just a normal day filled with doing mundane things.

There was no sign that their lives would change overnight.

Ever since then, Kazuya shouldered the responsibilities that were left by his brother.

"Uncle would do my best to revive your father," Kazuya clumsily wiped Izumi's tear-stained face, "He's not only you and Chiharu's father but, he's my only brother. All of us want him to wake up again."

Kazuya didn't dare to tell that the chance of his brother to regain consciousness grew even lower than before. In fact, the doctor advised him to consider taking off the life support and let his brother passed away peacefully.

But, how could he?

Even though the chances were slim, he still had to hold on to them.

If not, what should he tell both Izumi and Chiharu? They were too young to understand how heavy the situation of their father was.

And...

He himself didn't want to give up.

Izumi kept on crying until his eyes became swollen. His loud wail gradually turned quieter as time passed. His entire face flushed as he felt both sad and ashamed.

"...Sorry... Uncle, sorry..." He sniffled.

"Have you cried enough?" Kazuya teased while rubbing his eyes.

Izumi nodded once. He looked straight at his uncle through his blurry eyes.

This was his first time crying so hard after so long. The last two times were on the night the tragedy took his Mom's life and the time his Dad losing consciousness.

He swore he would continue being strong for the sake of his little sister and uncle.

Chiharu was still so small, she was barely two years old at that time when his uncle was suddenly burdened with them.

Even though Izumi knew his uncle loved them dearly, he was still feeling guilty.

"Uncle... I'm sorry..." Sorry for making it hard on you.

"Nah, compare to Chiharu, you're more obedient than her," Kazuya laughed lightly. He lifted up a hand and gently patted the little boy's head, "It's okay to cry occasionally. You shouldn't stress your mind by keeping everything inside."

"...How's Dad? Could we leave him alone?"

When his uncle mentioned that his father's heart stopped beating, Izumi felt his own heart shattered to pieces. If his father was in such a dire state, how could he bear to stay here?

"The caretakers would inform me if there's anything," Kazuya quickly trying to soothe the little one's feelings, "I'll go to check on him tomorrow morning. Don't worry, I will tell you about your father's condition, as long as you know to keep it from Chiharu."

It was impossible for him to stay by his brother's side for twenty-four hours and seven days. Kazuya hired two male caretakers to help him. They were responsible for everything related to his brother.

"En, I understand," Izumi nodded feebly.

There was nothing much he could do. If he pestered his uncle to bring him to the hospital, it would only alert Chiharu. He didn't want his bubbly and happy little sister to feel sad because of their father's grave condition.

"It's already late. Go to sleep," Kazuya glanced at the study desk, "Or, did your teachers give you too much homework?"

"Ah, no, no," Izumi shook his head, "I've done them all."

He couldn't possibly tell his uncle that he was finishing someone else's homework. A sense of fury surged up as he thought of Yuuto's face.

"Then, more the reason for you to sleep. Okay, I'll go out now. Good night, Izumi," Kazuya patted his shoulders twice before he got up.

"Good night, Uncle," Izumi waved at the man.

Kazuya smiled. He turned around, getting ready to leave.

"Uncle!"

Kazuya paused from twisting the doorknob. He glanced at Izumi, "Do you need something?"

"That, the company..." Izumi bit his lower lip, hesitated for a second then asked again, "Uncle, does the company is in trouble? Have anyone... make things hard on you?"

His questions amused Kazuya.

"Oh, do you plan to go and scold them for me?" Kazuya chuckled while teasing the little one.

Izumi blushed.

"It's not that... I'm just wondering if Uncle has problems with the new business partners. Like, if they aren't willing to work with Uncle..."

"Hurm, there's no such thing," Kazuya shrugged, "Even if it does, that's your uncle's problem to solve."

Izumi's heart sank.

Did Yuuto has really talk to his father to not cooperate with his uncle?

Izumi's change of expression confused Kazuya. He narrowed his eyes, "Izumi, do you have something to tell me?"

Izumi rarely asked him about his work but, tonight, the little one had specifically asked him about the matter regarding the company.

What made him thought about this?