246: A Killer's Promise

Rainbow

A few days passed since the sign on Sena’s Flowers' door read ‘closed.’ Sena hadn’t responded to Rick’s texts either.

Rick put down the phone and sighed.

“Yeesh, what a disappointing day.” He turned to Maru, who was staring out the window.

“Mm.” She responded, not taking her glance off the window.

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” Rick walked over to the couch and sat down next to her.

“I wanted to go to the park today.” She pouted.

“Don’t worry,” Rick began.

“There’ll be several other opportunities to go to the park, just not today.” He smiled, twirling her hair between his fingers.

“Mm...” Maru nodded, still pouting.

“Ah, wait,” Rick began.

Maru turned her head towards him in confusion.

“I just remembered I need to get groceries.” He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Do you want anything while I’m gone?” Rick questioned, turning his head to Maru.

“Hmm…” Maru bit her lip while in thought.

“Strawberries!” She beamed.

“Got it.” Rick smiled, giving a wave as he walked out the door.

*

“Man, I really hate this kind of gloomy weather.” He mumbled.

“Especially walking in it.”

As he was walking, he turned his head to a building with a sign on it that read ‘space available.’

The sign, however, wasn’t what caught his attention. It was the woman sitting under it that did.

Is that-

“Oi!” He shouted.

The woman ignored him. She was sitting with her arms hugging her legs with her head down.

“Abbey!” He shouted once more.

She looked up, startled. She then put her head down once more.

“Go away.” She muttered quietly.

Rick hustled over.

“You’ll catch a cold,” he began.

“So what?!” She snapped, not budging.

Rick scratched his head.

“Does Sena know you’re out here getting drenched?”

She quickly looked up.

“It’s none of her concern.”

“Do you know what used to be here?” He asked, eyeing the sign.

Abbey gave a hard look, then sighed.

“It was my father’s dojo.”

“Ah.” Rick nodded.

“I couldn’t do it.” She whispered.

“Hm?” Rick leaned closer to hear better.

“I couldn’t save him or his precious dojo...!” She began to shake.

“When he got sick,” she began; however, she quickly fell silent.

Rick cocked his head.

“I don’t want to bore you with any tasteless detail-”

She stopped and watched as Rick sat next to her, holding the umbrella over her head.

“What...?” Her eyes began to water.

“I want to know every tasteless detail if that’s what it takes to get you and me out of this rain.” He smiled.

A couple of tears streamed down her face as she gave a slight nod.

“My father was a man who loved kids.”

Rick nodded.

“What he loved, even more, were swords.” She paused.

“I wasn’t born yet, but he tells me one day while polishing one of his favorite swords, he had an aha moment.” She chuckled.

“Which was?” Rick questioned.

She closed her eyes and smiled.

“Why not combine the two?”

Rick smiled, nodding.

“So, he opened this dojo.” She motioned her hand towards the building.

“I was his only child, but he didn’t mind at all.” She closed her eyes.

“As long as I would learn to love the sword the same as him, he would be content.”

She let out a sigh.

“And, of course, I did.” She looked up.

“He taught me what he taught each and every one of his students.”

“Which was?” Rick asked while cleaning his glasses.

“To love the sword.” She smiled to herself.

“Oh, hey!” Abbey exclaimed as she looked up.

“Look!” She cried, pointing.

Rick put his glasses back on and looked.

It had finally stopped raining.

What was left from the bitter rain was now a beautiful rainbow.

Rick looked towards Abbey with a unique twinkle in her eyes. He smiled.

“It sure is beautiful.” He smiled as he looked up.