Chapter 29: Suicide

[Third Person's PoV]

Five gave a small smirk in Nathan's direction before his eyes shifted to the unfamiliar face sitting beside Ben. "You must be Jennifer. Nathan's told me a bit about you." He nodded.

"And you're Five, the brother who disappeared," Jennifer responded with a nod of acknowledgment.

"That I am," Five replied, picking up a nearby newspaper. His eyes lingered on the front page. "Looks like I missed the funeral…" he muttered, staring at the image of Reginald Hargreeves.

"How do you know about that?" Luther asked, narrowing his eyes.

"What part of 'the future' didn't you get? Heart failure, huh?"

"Nope. Suicide," Diego interrupted bluntly.

Everyone turned to Diego in shock. "What? What do you mean, suicide?" Allison demanded, her tone serious.

Even Five paused, looking at Diego strangely.

Luther sighed. "It's just a theory Nathan came up with… we don't really know."

"I mean, Five *is* with us now… need I say more?" Nathan added, his voice uneasy.

Luther and Diego froze, their eyes wide. "How would he have known?!" Luther asked, standing abruptly.

"I'm getting chills—am I the only one feeling this?" Diego shuddered slightly.

"Honestly, I'm bothered by it," Nathan muttered.

Ben, confused, glanced between everyone. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Yeah, what theory?" Vanya asked, looking at Nathan, puzzled.

Nathan exhaled deeply. "Think about it—ever since we went our separate ways, have any of us ever truly been together? I mean, without someone missing besides Five?"

"Of course we have… right?" Vanya asked, uncertainty creeping into her voice.

A discussion broke out, as they tossed around past events, but each time, they realized that someone had always been missing—except for Five.

Silence settled over the group, shock dawning on their faces. Five, for once, looked taken aback. He turned to Nathan. "Are you saying the old man killed himself just to get us all back together?"

Nathan, still disturbed, gestured animatedly. "Five, I've said this before—you're *here* with us."

Five's eyes narrowed in contemplation. "So he knew the exact moment I'd return. He knew when to die to pull us all together…" Five started laughing, shaking his head. "Of course."

"Where are you going?" Allison asked, confused by his abrupt exit.

"To get changed. In case you haven't noticed, these clothes are too big," Five replied casually.

"That's it? That's your reaction to finding out Dad manipulated us even in death?" Allison's voice was tense, almost angry.

Five paused and looked back at them. "Why are you all so surprised? Manipulative even in death? That's exactly like him. I'd be more shocked if he'd died naturally. *Now* that would've been a real surprise," he said, tucking the newspaper under his arm before walking away.

But as soon as Five was out of sight, his composed mask slipped, his face contorting with confusion and a hint of disbelief. He let out a sigh, knowing that despite his calm exterior, this revelation had shaken him more than he cared to admit.

Nathan, watching him leave, knew better than anyone that Five's reaction was far from indifferent. He had just learned too much in too short a time and was processing it the only way he knew—by hiding it behind a shield of nonchalance.

Back in his old room, Five groaned as he sifted through his old wardrobe. "Umbrella Academy uniforms… perfect," he muttered in annoyance, knowing he was stuck with them for now.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, everyone else was still reeling. Allison was the first to speak. "Do we even need to feel sorry for him? Should we really hold a ceremony after everything he's done—and is still doing—to us?"

"Yes, because—" Luther began.

"If you say 'because he's our father' one more time, I'm going to smack you so hard you'll fly back to the moon!" Nathan cut him off, his frustration evident.

"Luther, I usually back you up when it comes to Dad, but this time, I'm with Nathan. Please, just… stop," Vanya sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Yeah, Luther, seriously, shut up," Ben teased.

"Yeah, Luther, you talk too much," Diego chimed in, grinning.

"Look at that, Luther—you've annoyed your only supporter," Ben added, smirking.

"Seems like your mouth's as big as your muscles," Diego taunted.

"Imagine talking so much you irritate everyone around you."

"Yeah, Luther, couldn't be us."

"Hey, Luther—"

Luther, visibly irritated, grabbed both Diego and Ben by the jaw. "If you two don't shut up, I'll break your jaws," he growled through clenched teeth.

Luther huffed as he released them. "I'll go retrieve Father's urn. We're holding a memorial for him in the courtyard, and I don't want anyone missing. I'm talking to you specifically, Nathan," Luther said, walking away in frustration.

Nathan clicked his tongue in annoyance, while Ben and Diego shared a grin, exchanging a subtle fist bump. They had always found some satisfaction in irritating Luther.

Everyone went their separate ways to change into black attire. Nathan donned a black dress shirt, partially unbuttoned to reveal a glimpse of his chest and tattoo.

As he checked himself out in the mirror, Phoebe appeared beside him, dressed in a stunning black gown, her lips and eyes accented with dark makeup.

"What are you wearing?" Nathan asked, eyeing her strangely. "What's with the goth look?"

"I thought I'd join the funeral," Phoebe replied, raising an eyebrow. "What? You don't want me there or something?"

Nathan kissed her lightly. "It's not that I mind. I'm just wondering about the outfit. You still haven't answered my question—what's with the goth look?"

"I'm going for the Dark Phoenix vibe. You don't like it? I thought goth girls were one of your top three loves. Did I get that wrong? I know you like exotic races and MILFs, so goth seemed appropriate for today."

"Let's just get on with this…" Nathan muttered, shaking his head.

"Wait," Phoebe said, stepping forward to smooth and comb his hair back. She kissed him again, then wiped it off with her thumb. "Now we can go."

The group exited the mansion, all dressed in black and carrying umbrellas. The temporal anomaly Five had created earlier had altered the weather, bringing rain and thunder.

"Wow, you look absolutely stunning," Vanya said, admiring Phoebe.

"Girl, you really rock black," Allison added, giving Phoebe an approving look.

"Hehehe, thank you," Phoebe replied, puffing her chest out proudly. She turned to Nathan with a smirk. "See? At least someone appreciates my good looks."

"I never said you didn't look good," Nathan sighed, shaking his head.

"You never said I did either," Phoebe shot back, twirling her umbrella.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Alright, you look beautiful."

"Too late. I had to remind you, so it doesn't count," she scoffed, twirling her umbrella with a smirk.

Standing nearby, Five leaned toward Klaus. "So, who's that? Nathan never mentioned her to me before."

"Seriously? You don't know? That's his wife. She's the Phoenix, the cosmic entity of life," Klaus replied, holding a pink umbrella and taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Huh?" Five blinked, looking at Klaus in confusion. "That's *the* Phoenix? Nathan told me about her, but I thought she was a literal phoenix—you know, like a giant fiery bird."

"Well, she is. What you're seeing now is her human form. She takes it so she can be separated from Nathan and spend time with him," Klaus explained.

"Huh... I never would've guessed," Five said, shrugging.

Klaus leaned in again, smirking. "Hey, since she's an actual Phoenix and Nathan's married to her... does that count as bestiality?"

Before Klaus could react, he was sent flying through the air, soaring far from the group. Everyone turned toward Nathan, who glared after Klaus in annoyance.

It didn't take long for Klaus to return, floating back with his umbrella like Mary Poppins. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Klaus, I thought I told you to stop asking that question!" Nathan snapped.

"It's a question that demands an answer!" Klaus shot back.

"Both of you, stop it! We're about to begin," Luther barked, his tone serious as he spotted Pogo approaching, Grace walking beside him and holding an umbrella for them both.

"Now that everyone is here and accounted for, you may begin," Pogo said, nodding at Luther, who held their father's urn tightly in his hands.

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