Chapter 5: Unlikely Reunion

Hours earlier...

Takabi pulled up at the Connecticut Penitentiary. Shutting his car off and stepping out, he let the sun bask on his skin longingly.

How long has it been since he and Carlos came here? When was the last time he spoke to, or even thought about Anna?

Guilt settled in his chest, not simply because of the lack of contact, but because he left her all alone. He became so obsessed with battling the Kult he never stopped to think about everything back on Earth. Everyone has lived here at one point or another, and they deserve to take time off to themselves.

His mind went back to Frannie, and what happened to her a couple years ago. Orion left her damaged. He stole from Frannie, not just her innocence, but her parents' lives as well. Takabi thought hard about how the conversation would go if they were still alive, and often found himself apologizing in hopes they would hear him from beyond.

As he made his way inside, one of the security guards coughed on his bagel and stood up. "Hey, look who it is!"

Takabi turned to a burly man stumbling excitedly towards him. Grabbing his hand and shaking it, Takabi felt the leftover crumbs and what he hoped to be sweat on his palms. "Hello, er… I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"Oh! Right, I wouldn't expect you to remember me. You took a picture with me for my daughter. Remember, you were with that other guy."

His eyebrows raised as he thought it over, making a large O with his mouth and saying, "Right, you're the guard from back then. You're still working here?"

"Of course. If it pays the bills, and it's an easy job, why leave? All I really do is sit around and watch most of these nutcases anyway." He gestured to all the people dressed in white clothing. The fabric looked unnaturally soft. Each one was either building blocks or sleeping in the lobby. Their minds were in an endless daze.

"Never had any trouble?"

"Well, there was one guy. Said he had a spirit following him around and checked himself in. He broke out a month later and dropped off the face of the earth." The guard's belt began beeping. Looking at the pager on his waist, something Takabi had never seen, the guard frowned and looked him in the eye. "Hey, I've gotta run. Good seeing you though. Take care." He moved past him, disappearing down the hall and around the corner.

Takabi approached the front desk, stated his name and who he was here to visit. The room number was different from what he remembered, but she was still admitted.

Takabi moved towards the elevator, hitting the button and watching the doors slide open. Hitting the fourth floor, he stuck his hands in his pockets as the metal closed tightly and the box began moving.

It rose slowly due to rust, which gave Takabi time to think and contemplate what he was going to say. He hadn't spoken to Anna at all prior, so he was confident she didn't know he was coming by. He figured he'd start with an apology for the lack of contact, then catch her up with his life and listen to hers. After, once it was calm, then he'd break the bad news about Carlos.

The elevator stopped moving, metal doors sliding open and Takabi's feet carrying him out. His eyes scanned each door number, counting out loud each one he spotted.

"444. 445. 446." He stopped in front of room 449, reaching for the wooden knob. Gripping it, he knocked softly and waited for a response.

"Come in," Came a rather happy tone. Opening the door, Anna's head turned towards him and her eyes went wide. An audible gasp escaped her, as the blonde stood up and rushed over, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. "Oh my god! Takabi, Hi! Why didn't you tell me you were coming!?"

He didn't say anything. His eyes were too focused on the man sitting by the bedside near the window.

His black hair was combed back, and a full beard grew on his face. His eyes, holding a mixture of violet and dark brown, matched Takabi's gaze with a look of surprise. The man anticipated this happening, but still didn't expect it to come true. The corner of his lips rose in a smile and he stood up, brushing his jeans with his hands and moving around the foot of the bed.

Carlos was taller than Takabi remembered. Two years could do that, but he hadn't expected this six foot five man to be standing before him. "Hey, man. Good to see you."

"Yeah," He replied dryly. "You too."

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The next hour was filled with awkwardness. Both boys had to keep up the appearance of friendship, so as to not give away Carlos' true nature. Takabi wanted to break that to Anna one on one, but since he showed up, and probably has been there for a while, he couldn't suddenly spill information like that.

Anna went over detail after detail to Takabi. From her attending her parents' funeral to simply existing in the Ward. Every couple of minutes, Takabi caught Carlos watching him. His smile never left his face, even as their lunches came. Anna was none the wiser to the tension between the two former friends.

Without realizing, the day sped by them in a blur. Anna hugged Takabi again as he approached the door. Carlos wasn't too far away from the pair when Anna said, "Please, try to come back. I know you're busy with your whole super hero stuff, but it does get lonely for me."

"It's not super hero stuff," He said. Despite the years, Anna hadn't grown any taller or changed too much. Her hair had been cut shorter, but that was it. "A lot has been going on. I wasn't trying to avoid you."

"I know. Carlos told me that much." She glanced at her brother, who merely shrugged. "We'll see you later, Anna." Carlos kissed her forehead and brushed past Takabi from the room. He narrowed his eyes, before nodding to Anna and stepping out. As she closed the door, the blonde squealed loudly and hopped in her bed.

"He's so CUTE!"

Once they were out of earshot of Anna's room, Takabi said, "So. How long have you been coming here?"

"Long enough." He turned and looked down at Takabi. While he normally wouldn't care about the difference in height, something made him feel small. His mind wasn't as strong as it had been before. His confidence was shaken, and yet he did what he could to keep ground. "I gotta say, I had a feeling you would show up, but it's still weird. I haven't seen you in two years." Carlos looked Takabi up and down, scanning his features. "You look like shit. Been having nightmares?" His tone was condescending. 

"Fuck off," He spat out.

"Yeah. I'd be like you if I actually cared about MY parents dying." He crossed his arms. "A whole planet going up in smoke, and all three dying together. Ain't fate funny like that?"

Takabi stepped over, gripping his shirt and pulling him downward. "Shut the fuck up. I'm not in the mood for your shit. Why are you here?"

"To visit my sister. Why are YOU here?"

"To visit a friend."

"Haven't you learned that making friends is dangerous? Look at what happened to the last three." He chuckled, gripping Takabi's wrist. "Better yet, look what happened when your sister and HER friend got involved with you. Fucked like dogs and loving every moment of it."

Takabi opened his mouth, voice coming out as a snarl. Carlos shut him down quickly, snapping his wrist and knocking him back down the hall. Takabi crashed into the wall, crumbling down to the floor and trying to recover the air in his lungs.

Three of his ribs were cracked, while the rest were broken. Steam rose from his pores thinly as his healing began, but the pain was etched deep into his mind.

Even physically, he didn't feel like who he used to be.

"Don't ever touch me, trash." Carlos walked over towards him, raising his foot and slamming it on the back of Takabi's head. His skull slammed into the floor, brain rattling and dazing him momentarily. "It's coming, Takabi. Once it gets here, you and your little band of friends won't have a chance in hell."

"What's… What's coming…" He struggled to spit out.

Carlos smirked, removing his foot and kneeling down. His lips parted once he got close to Takabi's ear, and he said, "The Garden."

That was all. Carlos stood back up and swaggered down the hallway. His hands in his pockets, whistling a tune without so much as a care in the world. Takabi leaned back against the wall, holding his ribcage in pain. He made sure Carlos was gone, before he let the tears build and spill down his cheeks.

Again.

Once again, he was going to be dragged into hell.