Tea time

Silence stretched between them after Kiyo’s admission, her nerves fraying like a worn rope as each second ticked by. She wasn’t ashamed of having a son, and while she was disappointed in Hanzo, she wasn’t ashamed of him, either. He was an unapologetic factor in her life, but it still wasn’t easy to admit to Magnus. She wasn’t sure how he would take it, and the longer he went without reply, the more she worried he’d tell her to leave for reasons unknown to her.

A look at his face showed confusion, which was contrary to what he relayed when he finally spoke. He told of his pounding head, which, perhaps, was not a full lie but she also wasn’t sure if it was the full truth. Then, he repeated the words ‘Venom’s husband’ with a palpable annoyance in his voice and she barely avoided flinching. Maybe he was angry with her for not telling him sooner?

“The tea should help with that. It helped when mine were growing in, and when my grandson, Takeshi, was having trouble with his horns,” she replied, her voice quiet as she fiddled with her cup again.

“I know this is not your problem, and I’m not asking you for answers…but you’ve become a precious friend to me. You bring me comfort that I haven’t found in a long time, even if you are a little rough around the edges,” Kiyo added, another wry smile twitching onto her features. “His leaving affects this friendship, though. Whether I stay in Ashen, with Venom and my grandchildren, or follow after my only child. Its…not easy, Magnus. I went through so much just to have him.” By the time she finished her sentence, her voice was barely above a whisper and tears gathered at her waterline. There was a grief that she would always find inescapable when she thought of Hattori’s birth, of the 7 tiny bodies lying breathless and cold that she would forever wish she could fill to life again with all of the love she’d born for them. She herself had almost bled out after birth, and it was seemingly by divine intervention that she stood there at all.

"Hattori Kiyo"