~~(Part3)~~

     "I still can't believe you! This is all your fault!" Night hissed angrily, still desperately trying to reach her son. "I swear to god, if Phi put his hands on him, I'll fucking kill him!"
    "Night, stop! Phi isn't going to do anything to him!" Her husband countered, hanging his phone up for the third time.
    "He could've kidnapped him!"
    "He would never!"

Night hung up for the fifteenth time, gold eyes directed to Hartz in pure anger.
    "Bullshit he would never! Your brother was one of the narcissistic, most unpredictable man I've ever met in my life!" She yelled, hardly able to contain her emotions as their daughter started whimpering at all the noise.
    "Now that's just plain untrue." Hartz huffed, bouncing Serenity in his arms. "Vincent was even worse..."
    "... What?" The dark look that crossed his wife's eyes genuinely scared him, shutting his mouth.
    "I-I didn't-"
    "I never want to hear that name in this house ever again. Now get your shoes on so we can find our son." She stormed out of the house after making her point, Hartz letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding.
    "I'm going to end up in a ditch soon..."

~~~

Meanwhile, still at the restaurant, Jin laughed softly as Phi told him stories about Hartz when they were younger.
    "There's just no way..." He giggled, swirling the straw in his soda as they talked. "He's so confident in everything he does... You're telling me he was actually shy...?"
    "I tell no lie here, Jin. Any time we were around friends our parents knew, he'd always hid behind our mother's legs." Phi explained shortly, chuckling at the memory. "At least, that's how things were before our parents passed away..."

The mood had shifted suddenly to something a little tense, making the teen shift in his seat in slight concern.
    "I'm so sorry... Dad told me your parents passed when you were young, I could only imagine how tough it was..." He said softly, fiddling with his drink again. Dealing with death in a family is always tough, But Phi and Hartz had to do it so young... Surely it wasn't easy...
    "Well, it was tough, but when is it not? My brother and I didn't have any other family to take us in so we had to be forced straight into foster care. Not long after, our social worker found us a family that would take us in until we were eighteen." The older male cringed slightly in remembrance, his red and blue eyes holding a troubled look. "The home was an awful place to be in and the family was even worse, terrible people that treated two heartbroken kids like they were nothing. They had two children of their own who always picked on us, always getting away with everything..."
    "U-uncle Phi, this sounds like a tough subject... You don't have to explain if you aren't comfortable with it..." Jin cut in softly, eyebrows furrowed in concern.
    "You'll hear about it sooner or later whether from me or my brother, so I may as well continue. The foster parents were definitely the worst part of that home, always 'discipling' us over the most minuscule of things. We were young so we always thought we did something wrong, that was why we were always in trouble." His pale hand brushed through his white bangs, a breathy chuckle leaving his lips. Jin didn't like the way it sounded but stayed quiet, sipping his drink. "As the older brother, though it wasn't by much, I did whatever I could to make sure they left Hartz out of it. Even if that meant to take the worst of the abuse..."

Jin shivered slightly when the tone of his uncle's voice changed, unconsciously holding his neck as he cast his eyes to the table.
    "We did get out of that house early on thanks to Hartz being unable to keep his mouth shut. Our social worker popped by for a surprise evaluation and he couldn't take the lies, telling her we weren't safe with this family. Once she found the bruises I was covered in, she immediately took us from that awful home and back in the system. We lived in an orphanage for the rest of our childhood. The experience in that home changed me as a person as I grew colder through the years." Mismatched eyes narrowed slightly, folded hands tightening together the further he explained. "I'm certainly not proud of myself back then and your mother was right to call me what she did. I was manipulative, I was narcissistic, I treated everyone so terribly. Including the only family I had left in this life... I couldn't handle the guilt so after graduation, I left without so much as a second thought."
    "Wow... I'm so sorry that all happened..." Jin said quietly, remorse clouding his thoughts and voice.
    "Ah, don't feel bad about it, my boy. It's all in the past now, which means we can focus on the present and the future." Phi gave him a warm smile even though it looked strained. "My assumption is that your past wasn't as good as mine, if it means Night took you into her care at such an age."

The black-haired teen rubbed his neck subconsciously and swallowed the lump he had in his throat, smiling nervously.
    "O-o, uh, I-I guess you can say that..." he said softly, avoiding eye contact. "M-my family seemed really happy all the way up until my mom died in a house fire when I was ten..."
    "Oh my... I'm so sorry to hear that..." Phi spoke sincerely, a soft look in his eyes. "But, please, continue. I'd be honored to hear your story."
    "O-oh, well, uh..."

~~~

Night walked briskly down the streets of downtown Beigoma, scanning her surroundings for Phi or her beloved son. She was obviously still infuriated ass she did, gold eyes holding a murderous look the longer she searched.
    "Te lo juro, cuando las encuentre..." The young mother growled angrily, calling her son again as she walked. "I'm gonna go to jail tonight, lo juro por Dios..." Walking further through crowds on the streets, she had finally found her first clue. Phi's car was parked in a parking lot and she growled, storming in that particular direction.

Back inside the restaurant, Jin explained everything he had gone through before he was found by Night.
    "I went through some pretty awful abuse before I couldn't take it anymore and, when he was passed out, I finally ran... I took nothing but the clothes on my back and ran, freedom the only thing on my mind... Mama had found me when I finally collapsed after about two miles, making sure I was okay... She took me home, she fed and clothed me, adopting me as soon as she possibly could..." The teen explained, a smile finding his lips at the last part. "Adjusting took some time since I had no positive physical interaction for the last five years... But with time, I was finally able to live a relatively normal-"
    "Jin Aizawa!"

Time felt like it had stopped the moment his name was called angrily, green eyes widening at the realization. Night was not happy-

Said mother stormed her way to the table in pure rage, hands on her hips.
    "Do you have any idea how worried I was?! Why haven't you answered my calls?!" She asked him, her gold eyes glowing in anger.
    "I-I, my phone is in my coat, mama... I-I didn't hear it..." Jin told her, his pale cheeks igniting in an embarrassed blush.
    "Night, you don't have to be so upset. He's only with me." Phi interjected, his eyes narrowed slightly.
    "Him being with you is the problem, Phi! After everything you did to your brother, everything in high school, I don't fucking trust you! Let alone with my son!"

People were starting to stare at the encounter Night was causing, the blush further deepening in embarrassment on the teen's cheeks.
    "M-mama, calm down... P-people are starting to stare..." Jin told her softly, flinching slightly when gold eyes snapped to him.
    "I don't care! I'm taking you back home, so grab your coat and let's go."
    "... N-no..." Jin said boldly despite his voice cracking, Night's eye twitching slightly.
    "What did you say?" Complete disbelief coated her angry voice, a dark look crossing her eyes.
    "I-I said no... We were having a good time, I-I'm not leaving..."
    "Jin, I am your mother! I'm doing this to protect you!"
    "W-well, maybe I don't want your protection...!"

The young mother blinked in shock before turning her attention to her brother-in-law, glaring at him.
    "This is all your fault! Ever since you came back, everything has changed!"
    "Hey, don't blame me for things I've had no control over. This has nothing to do with me." Phi countered as he crossed his arms, further angering the mother.
    "Jin, let's go. Now."
    "N-no..." Jin had told her yet again, squeaking when she grabbed his hand tightly. "H-hey...!"
    "I said now." Night snapped as she pulled him from the booth, directing one final glare at Phi before dragging her teenage son away. Pale cheeks seemed to burn worse as people stared, tears filling his eyes as they walked out of the building.

The two stepped onto the sidewalk as Night kept her grip, still fuming with anger.
    "I'm very disappointed with you, Jin." She told him, eyes stern as they looked at each other.
    "T-this wasn't even my idea...!" Jin defended, trying to free his hand.
    "Your dad is in trouble too! I'm disappointed that you actually went out with that asshole by yourself!"
    "B-because I thought it was a good idea...! Dad told me you knew...!"
    "Obviously I didn't! Honestly, just wait until we get home-"
    "Why am I getting in trouble for this...?! Uncle Phi is trying to redeem himself for his past mistakes...! Why can't you see that...?!"
    "Because it's not true! Phi has a way of getting whatever he wants by pretending to change!"
    "He's not pretending...!"
    "I'm not arguing with you about this! When we get back home, you're grounded."
    "You're not listening to me...!"
    "I'm your mother, let me protect you!"
    "No you're not...!" Jin yelled, successfully getting his hand back. "You're not even my real mom...!" 

Golden eyes widened in complete shock, staring at her teenage son in utter disbelief.
    "You don't mean that! After everything I did for you, you're going to tell me that I'm not your mother?! After I saved you?!" Night's anger worsened, her eyes narrowed in rage.
    "I never asked to be saved...! I would've been fine...!" Jin retaliated, his hands clenched into fists. "It would've been better than being babied by you for the last two years...!"
    "Why are you being so ungrateful?! I took you in because I saw myself in your situation! I didn't want you to go through what I did!"
    "I don't need you...! I shouldn't even be alive...!"

Night felt her eyes widen as she reached over quickly, popping him pretty hard in the mouth. Jin covered his mouth, tears filling his eyes in shock as he sniffled.
    "I never ever want to hear you say that again, do you hear me?" She wasn't yelling anymore but she was still pretty angry, taking her son's hand yet again. The teen slapped her hand away as tears coated his cheeks, glaring at her as he stepped back.
    "N-no, don't touch me...!" He cried, his mama finally feeling the guilt.
    "Jin, honey, I'm sorry. Let's just, let's go home..."
    "N-no...! Just, get away from me...!" Jin yelled, turning on his heel and booking it down the sidewalk.
    "Jin!" Night called, attempting to run after him. It was short lived thanks to the busy streets, almost immediately losing her son. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..." She tried to push her way through, tears filling her eyes when she couldn't see him.
    "Night?" Phi had suddenly called behind her, The blond woman swinging around and meeting his mismatched gaze.
    "You... This is all your fault!" Her fist came at him quickly as he caught it with ease, looking down at her with an eyebrow raised. "Let me go!"
    "You need to calm down and start thinking straight, your anger is clouding your reasoning."
    "Fuck you! I need to go and find my teenage son!"
    "You need to let him calm himself down. You can't force him."

Gold eyes blinked as her hand started to relax, looking at the sky in concern.
    "But it's starting to get dark, I don't trust other people. What if something happens?" Night asked, taking her hand back.
    "Jin is a great kid, very smart. We'll stay around town, but he should be fine by himself for a little bit." Phi explained, smiling slightly and looking around. "Let's all meet up and we'll go from there."
    "Fine..." Night sighed, pulling out her phone and calling her husband. "Hartz? I found them..."

NightBear15 signing off...