When the tears stopped falling he finally noticed that Kigana had been rubbing his back to provide him some comfort.
He offered her a nod in thanks and then looked at his father. "So you are really not going to stop me from doing this?" He said, picking up a tissue from a nearby stool to tidy his face, getting rid of it after with a short burst of severing fire.
His father placed his forearms on the table and clasped his fingers together, focusing on him with a stern expression. "I'm putting my fate in your intelligence. I've never had a reason to think of you as a fool, please never give me one. I know I can't stop you from actually going, I'm even the one suggesting that you go. You cannot die, but I should warn you that there are a thousand things worse than death."
Ran had a feeling he could fill up that list, starting with a from drinker from limbo erasing your identity through complete possession, being in the center of a Blaze, having your free will eroded by a parasitic eldritch monster, being consumed by the Hakokage, having your identity erased and your free will dominated by an evil incarnate of a Demon Prince, waking up from a buried identify to see your very hands had unleashed a chaos that killed hundreds and was going to take the lives of millions more. This was just to name a few. The summary of his life since birth could extend this list and fill up the one for things way much worse than death.
Frankly, he did think his episode as the Arrow of Victory was the last he was going to experience of something worse than death.
His father had asked that he never give him reason to think of him as a fool. Well, most of these things had happened to him straight out of the woodwork.
And he could not bet that similar events won't be happening again.
Still, he gave his father an assuring nod even though he could see it in the man's eyes that he was aware that none of them could provide an assurance of the future without actually knowing what the future held.
Still, it was for Kenija's peace of mind, so that he'd know—he'd be able to say 'regardless, his son had tried.'
Hopefully it will never come to that. The last thing Ran wanted was to cause his father more suffering, and nothing could do that more than him (Ran) suffering terribly.
That could break Kenija.
The man responded to the nod by pointing at Haru. "Even if you are ready to risk your life foolishly, remember that Soran Haru is not an immortal and what you could easily brush over would certainly erase him from the universe."
Haru snorted. "Thank you so much, sir, for reminding me of my fragility," he said, making them all laugh.
"Well, what about me," Kigana spoke up, earning a glance from all of them.
"What do you mean?" Ran asked.
"Well, Ran is a Monastery Acolyte, you have like a hundred different powers, I'm just a scholar. You all can take care of yourself but I'm likely the one who's going to be at risk the most," she said in a tone that suggested she was in a contemplating mood.
"Uh, I'm still not sure I understand what you mean," Ran said to her and looked around surprised to see both Haru and father looking away from him immediately as they tried to hide their amusement.
'Why in hell are they amused?' He wondered.
"Oh, don't play dense, baby cousin," Kigana admonished him softly with a pout. "I'm just saying that if you have to look after Haru then both of you would have to look after me."
Ran nodded. "I understand that is what you are saying." He furrowed his eyebrows. "What I don't get is why Haru and I have to do it when you have Aunt Esera and my father?"
Haru bursted out laughing alongside Kenija and Ran watched them, his face twisted in confusion.
His attention was brought back to his cousin when she hit him on the shoulder while giving him a sidelong look. "Now stop being coy with me."
Ran looked to Haru for help. "What did I do?" He asked his friend who held a hand to his stomach as he bent over where he sat, laughing his heart out.
Kenija had managed to calm his uproarious amusement and was now watching both of them fondly.
Haru when he was done sat up grinning. "I think she's talking about coming with us, Ran."
Ran paused, gaped and went over everything his cousin had just said. She really had been talking about coming with them.
He was barely done thinking about it when he started shaking his head in disagreement. "No, no."
"No what?" Kigana asked, glaring at him.
He looked at her sternly, which was somehow funny as she was older than him by five years. "You are not coming with us."
She snorted. "We shall see about that?" She said, folding her arms and looking away.
"Now that the lover's spat is over," Haru said, making them both glare at him.in disgust. "I had been planning to ask you about your promise being an obstacle."
Ran knew the promise he was referring to and shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Are you sure the vow is not going to stop you?" Haru asked.
"I never vowed to never oppose her, only to help her when she called for me, to follow her orders explicitly," Ran said.
"Okay then that just leaves one last thorn," Haru said.
The glances his friend received prompted him to continue. "What about Prof. Matsuda?" Haru asked, clearing his throat after speaking a bit jerkily.
Ran crossed his legs and reclined into the backrest of his seat, gaining a thoughtful look. "He's probably here to keep an eye on me. If we are going to do this we must find a way to make sure he never figures out what we are planning or reports to her."
Kenija smiled softly at the three of them. "That's easy."
Ran looked at him in askance. "Easy?"
"Yes. I just have to call a friend. Professor Era Ikira of Okiwa University."
"Who is he?"
"Tell me, Ran, have you heard of the Ancient Tanuki?"