The Whole Truth

"I have one request," Jiro said, before Miki could begin. "The truth, please. The real truth. And the whole truth. Isn't that what you like best? Give to us that same whole truth."

Miki froze a whole minute before letting up a weak smile. He nodded and began.

"I know what happened to Keegan Shores," he said, softer than he intended but unable to realise it. His friends were leaning as far ahead as they could, to be able to hear him clearly. "There was an accident not long after he graduated from college. A vehicular collision. A bus blew a tire, lost control and crashed into a market. It was big news. Keegan was in the bus. He was one of the dead. I spoke with his friends. He had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend. The last time they spoke, they cursed at each other. There were witnesses. The marriage was a secret, so no one knew. I guess that's why mother left. Leaving behind everything, including the memories. Hasn't been long since I learned of the whole truth. I was already invested in discovering the big secret. I couldn't bring myself to turn away. So, here we are."

Jiro was silent. Cici was fuming. She was sad for Miki, but she was angrier.

"Would you have ever told us?" She asked.

Silence was the answer. Jiro sighed, and added.

"Were you feeling sorry for yourself?"

Again, silence. But Jiro wasn't waiting for an answer. He didn't need one anymore.

"No more questions. I'm just going to clarify things aloud, for myself. If I'm wrong anywhere, please correct me. We were friends. Good friends. You like us, the both of us. You like Cici just a little bit more. You know she too likes you more than just a little. And still, you kept her away. You were lying when you said it could be dangerous. You were lying to yourself. To her. To all of us. You already know all you need. But you refuse to let go. Is it pride? Or, maybe it's hurt. If it is pain, was it so bad that you couldn't share? Maybe you're so messed up in the head that you needed to be away. By yourself. To clear yourself up. And you needed to send us away. You didn't correct me. I got it right?" He looked shocked. "Fine. I don't hate you. But I'm not pleased. And I don't like you right now. I guess I need some time away too. To clear my head. Let's do that. I'll be home. Our parents met. But I'll stop it there. Let's all three give ourselves some time and space. Luckily, our jobs will help. None of us are going to be in the same city for the next eight months. Good. Let's all figure out what we want. So, when we meet, we'll be able to remain friends and move on. I'll leave now. Cici? What do you want to do?"

She simply nodded. She remained seated on the sofa, staring at Miki sitting on the floor, as Jiro changed back into his clothes. And then, she followed him out. Jiro paused to say a quiet goodbye with his eyes. Cici didn't even give that. After they left, the sound of the door banging shut was all there was inside with Miki. For a long while, he remained on the floor. Then, got up, washed the mugs, cleaned up the flat, walked out with his bag and the phone on his ear.

"Ms Thorne," he spoke in an easy tone into the phone. "Thank you. I'm done already. Yes. It was faster than expected. Thank you. You can process the contract for the flat. No, there's no need to re-calculate the price. It's not significant enough to matter. Goodbye."

The lease wasn't the whole truth. He did sign the lease for the flat, but for a week at most. He let Cici and Jiro find out about the lease but the actual terms were a secret. The short lease was only for Cici and Jiro. And since they had already come, the need for the lease was over.

Miki walked down the hallway, to the other flat. He rest his palm on the door, and walked in as the door unlocked. Inside was Aya.

"That was quick," she commented, welcoming Miki. She was short, and short seemed to be her theme. Her hair was short, stopping at her chin. She wore shorts and a t-shirt with short sleeves. The round glasses on her face were the only thing not small. They seemed to cover half her face.

"I told you they would come," he replied. He fell onto the sofa, resting his eyes as he continued. "I told you that would be exactly how the conversation would go. You owe me a hundred."

"Yeah," she agreed reluctantly. "You're the best. I've prepared the material. It's in paper, just the way you like. And I've gotten your favourite ink. I only got one pot though. They were running a promotion that looked a lot like a sale. I think they're readying a new launch. I'm sure you would be interested in that. And I've stocked up on the noodles you like, as well as cola. The two huge refrigerators finally make sense. I've listed our supplies too. The paper on top. Make sure we've got everything. We're starting the first stage. And it's going to be a while before we are able to go out, according to your plan."

Miki nodded and reached for the list of supplies.

The whole truth was something Jiro couldn't possibly imagine. Even if told, couldn't possibly understand without a lot of effort. Miki was seven when he first acted upon the desire to learn about his father. He had always been curious, and at the age of four found the marriage certificate. Mischa was married to Kieron Yonas. It was stamped by the city of Freshly. On the back was written, in what he assumed was his father's hand, the gift for Mischa's 21st. Miki went on to the city's civil affairs website and found that the witness for the wedding was Keegan Shores. At seven, Miki found Keegan's daughter, Aya, who too was seven, and who too didn't know where her father was. She also didn't know her mother. She was studying at a residential academy, and uncle Trius signed as her guardian.

Aya was great with computers. She had already gotten into the school network and given herself administrator rights. Every student had a computer in their dorm, but with limited rights. Having administrator rights, it was child's play for little Aya to establish a secure communication channel with Miki.

Aya's genius was technology. Miki's was people. He realised the mystery was deeper than either of them understood, so he started drawing a plan. She was in awe of him, for he was the only person she knew who was smarter than she was. And so, she trusted him completely, especially when they discovered that her true guardian was Mischa. Trius was only acting in place of Mischa.

The first step, was the long con. Aya helped Miki pass off as being good with computers, better than most and maybe a genius hiding his potential for whatever reasons. He helped her pass off as having an astonishing ability of reading people and figuring out what was going on inside their heads. He studied computers, earning an engineering degree, but it was her who was doing the actual studying. She earned a dual degree in psychology and philosophy in his place. It was a long con spanning fifteen years. He said succeeding spectacularly at the long con was an absolute must, and she didn't question him.

Since two years ago, when their success was pretty much guaranteed, he began the plan, which they named, The Whole Truth. He said every detail mattered, so they had to be precise and absolute at every step. He got her to buy the flat a year ago. He got her to build the application which he sold to uncle Trius. He left crumbs along the way, to get people to act exactly as he wanted them to. He wanted Cici and Jiro to come over, get angry with him, and learn of Keegan Shores. He didn't explain the reason, because it wasn't yet time for her to know. She had her responsibilities, which he wasn't supposed to understand. He should only have the results he told her. And now, fifteen years since they first found each other, they were meeting in person.

"The day we meet will be the day from when we'll never separate," he told her long ago.

Ever since, she had been looking forward to this day. From today, they could finally be themselves, truly. From today, she would be with her beloved.

She sat by him. He didn't take long reading the list and making sure the supplies were enough. Then, he dropped the paper onto the table, and turned toward her. He had longed for this day as just as badly.

"Hi," he said, beaming.

"Hi," she replied, beaming too.

"We finally meet."

"I've been so looking forward to this."

"There's something I absolutely must do."

Without waiting for her answer, he pulled her close, into a hug. He said nothing. She was stunned, but for no longer than a second. She hugged him back, tighter. A tear escaped her eye, streaming down her face and ending in his shirt.

"We're home," he whispered.

She nodded, as a cry escaped her throat. Home, meant so much more to her than most could even comprehend. Home was the final destination. Now that they were here, they could begin any plan. They wouldn't fail, no matter how complex the challenges. She was home, with him. They were home. And they were invincible.