Tragedy Sky - 2

The trip to Hocotate took about 3 hours, not counting the amount of time it took to penetrate the atmosphere. The landing was much smoother, however. The Pikmin had tinkered with the stabilizers, though where they learned to do that was unclear (he had a suspicion Captain Falcon was involved). He didn't have the urge to land it in a scrap heap and leave it there, for once.

After shutting down the ship, he gazed out onto his planet wistfully. He'd forgotten just how long it had been since he'd been there. It wasn't gorgeous, but it was home. He jumped out of the cockpit and began walking in the direction of his house. He'd pick up Bulbie and a few other things first, and then head out to the in-laws'.
He didn't want to think about the situation that would surely arise when he went to pick up his daughter. His in-laws were statues, always cold and calculating. They never approved of him, but they were always so nice so the kids. He knew that as soon as he walked through the door they'd throw accusations and insults at him, blaming him for the disappearance of their daughter and grandson. He was already bracing himself for it.

His house was just a few blocks away, and when it came into view his heart dropped. The familiar sight was enough to make his throat tighten as memories with his family flooded back to him. He froze on the doorstep, key in hand, and almost turned away. He didn't think he was ready to see the house so empty and lifeless. There was police tape everywhere–no doubt they'd torn the place apart, and he had a feeling certain things he'd rather not notice would be marked. But then he heard Bulbie scratching and yelping loudly, and he shook it off. He opened the door and the Bulbie came bounding out, leaping on Olimar in an instant and licking his face and making excited noises. Olimar never did figure out what type of animal he was–he was just a little thing when they found him. He looked a lot like what the earthlings called a "dog", but his eyes had stalks much like the earth's "snail". He looked like the Bulbasaurs Olimar had fought on his first trip to earth, which is why they're named after him. He acted like them sometimes too, often spending the night outside for biting or playing too rough. He pushed the slobbering mess off of him and ushered him inside. Bulbie looked thin. As he'd expected, the in-laws didn't even stop by to feed him. He scratched Bulbie behind the ear and began wandering the house, avoiding the various tape marks that were scattered on the carpet. He packed some clothes, a few valuables, the money stash, and a bag of toys and baby supplies. After putting a leash on Bulbie, he dragged all of his belongings to the front porch and pulled out his communicator.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rayna. It's Olimar."

A pause. Hopefully she wouldn't yell over the phone.

"Oh, hello. Um, your daughter's taking a nap so–"

"Actually I'm on Hocotate right now. I was wondering if you could give me a lift? I'm at the house."

"I-I suppose..but like I said–"

"Look, we can talk it over when you get here, okay?"

"Er...okay. See you in a bit.

"Alright thanks, bye."

"..bye."

Olimar cut the transmission as quick as he could, breathing out a sigh of relief. Something was definitely off about her. Normally when asked to do a favor, she'd fight him every step of the way. He supposed even someone like her would be shaken by her daughter's disappearance.

Rayna arrived ten minutes later. Her hover car was nice, but old-fashioned. She had exquisite taste. She and her husband came into quite a bit of money recently with the death of their own parents, and they seemed perfectly collected then. But they were probably well-prepared for it–their parents were ancient. He pushed away the thought and dumped his bags in the back seat, instructing Bulbie to behave before he climbed into the passenger door. He didn't miss the look of pure hatred she directed at the animal. He mumbled a short greeting as he climbed in the passenger door and fastened his safety belt.

"So what was it we needed to talk over?"

To the point, as usual.

"I'm taking Millie with me, off-planet. And before you say anything–" he added, already sensing her protest, "–I want to assure you that I would never let my little girl be in any harm. I know what I'm doing, and I think it's the best place for both of us right now."

How were these words coming so easily? He was usually terrified of the woman!

"So what I need to ask you is if you know Millie's measurements–" A tight-lipped nod from Rayna. "And if you know where I can get more suits like mine." Another nod.

"Good."

Rayna took off without another cross word. Maybe she was accepting the fact that there was nothing she could do, that she had no say against Millie's father. That made him feel a rush of power.

-----

They arrived at a place that designed spacesuits and parked. Olimar began digging around in his luggage for some pokos but Rayna insisted she'd pay for it. She was being almost too nice. Once inside, Rayna immediately began talking to the salesgirl about sizes and Olimar was left sifting through the racks. When had he gotten his own suit?
Oh yeah, it was standard issue at Hocotate freight. He felt guilty. His boss was very understanding with his work–he had to balance time between his family, the company, and the mansion. He often just gave him work here and there when he was around, kind of as a thank-you for saving the company not too long ago. He was sincerely grateful for all the leniency he was being given. He'd have to go in soon and explain the situation. He was sure his boss had already heard the news, but it was always good to show up in the flesh and ask for a leave of absence. If only he knew how long he'd be gone...
He'd been so neglectful with all of his duties, only having a half-ass amount of energy to put into any one thing. He had a lot on his plate.

Olimar looked over at his mother-in-law and thought of his own mother. He hadn't been to see his parents in forever. He knew they didn't have many more years, but he could never find the time. Now was as good a time as any, so they could see their grandchild again before he took her back to earth. He'd visit, of course. He wasn't about to keep Millie from her relatives, that wouldn't be fair. And without a job, he'd only have to balance time at the mansion with visiting time, which made everything a whole lot simpler. At least..until the police find Buice and Gerali. If they did.

He tried not to think about it too much.

"Olimar, come here."

Olimar jerked his head up from something he was looking at and obliged.

"What is it?" He asked, looking from the salesgirl to his mother-in-law.

"You're getting two, right? One for Millie and one for that..mangy thing.."

"Yeah. Do you want me to bring him in?"

"No, no, no," the salesgirl exclaimed. Her name tag read "Tesra".

"Here, take this tape measure and measure his neck, torso, back, and snout. And if he's chunky measure his gut. That should give me a good idea."

Olimar nodded, glad to have something to do as the women chatted away. He scurried back to the car and opened the back door. Bulbie immediately hopped out and shook himself off. He hated car rides. Olimar grabbed his scruff to hold him still and began wrapping the tape measure around him as best as he could. After a while, the suits were programmed to leak air from the surrounding planet in controlled amounts, so he'd gotten accustomed to Earth's oxygen, but he wasn't taking any chances with Millie and Bulbie. He returned to the counter with the measurements and Tesra disappeared into the back to put in the orders. Rayna elbowed him and pointed excitedly to something frilly in a catalog that was open on the counter.

"Look! Isn't it cute?"

Olimar hmm'ed absently, wondering how Millie's reaction would look when he walked through the door. He could already see her eyes light up and a smile spread on her round, pudgy face. She had two teeth in the front, which she loved to use to bite everything and anything, and he pictured her when she smiled. They usually made her look goofy. He sighed. He tried to keep his thoughts on her and off of the other members of his family as much as possible. It wasn't healthy for him–or Millie–to start missing them quite yet.

After a painfully long amount of time at the spacesuit store (and more than one refusal to put Bulbie in a tutu), they were finally heading to the house. His mother-in-law insisted he stay a night and rest, so that he'd have enough energy for the ride back tomorrow. He called Meta Knight and explained he was going to be longer than anticipated, giving him short instructions on how to feed the Pikmin.
He hung up and pressed his face against the window. It was already starting to get cold. He wondered if Millie had gotten sick...she came down with something last winter. He had the urge to ask Rayna about this, but he didn't really feel like speaking out loud at the moment. Instead, he stared at the snow that had begun to fall, and he allowed himself, briefly, to think about his wife, Buice. He hoped she was alive and safe, and that maybe there has been some sort of mistake, and she has just fled for some reason. Even if it was to get away from a life without a husband, alone with her children. That would be better than her being dead.

There was no way she could be dead. He would know..somehow.

"We're here."

Olimar jumped slightly, distracted from his thoughts. He gathered his things from the back seat and eagerly hopped out of the hover car. He was so excited to see Millie. She'd been through a lot in the last week, he was sure she'd be happy to see him. But as he walked in the door, he saw something that almost broke his heart.
Millie was sitting there, and when she looked up at him she looked...confused.

Almost as if she didn't recognize him.

The urge to rush forward and scoop her up was immediately thwarted by guilt and shame. He felt weak in the knees. Rayna watched the whole exchange with a stony expression, until finally, Millie caught sight of her and gave her that brimming smile she was supposed to be giving her father. He felt tears sting at his eyes, and furiously wiped them away. Rayna simply pulled the child into her arms and went to scold her husband for letting her out of the crib so late. He heard him holler something about escaping, and shook his head. He needed to snap out of it. So what if she didn't remember? It was his fault for never being around. How could he expect her to remember?

But it still hurt, it hurt more than anything. He knew he'd have to win that trust, that undying, unconditional love a child was supposed to give their parent. He was all she had now, and filling the void left by his wife and son would not be easy.

------

The next morning Olimar got up early to pack. Millie had no shortage of toys and blankets. As he wedged a teddy bear into the already over-full duffel bag, he heard someone approach from down the hallway.

It was his father-in-law, Gyro, of all people. He knew the man had been avoiding him as much as possible–he was always more fond of Olimar than his wife was, so he probably didn't want to see the pain he was going through. He wasn't good with tense or emotional situations, either. But as he stepped into the playroom, his expression was already set. He carried a tiny, silver box in one hand.

"Here," he said, holding it out. Olimar took it and turned it in his hands. It was a music box.

"Buice loved it when she was a little girl..It would mean a lot if you passed it on to Millie when she's old enough."

Olimar stared at it a moment. It was truly touching that he would give him this. Gyro wasn't a sentimental person, but he knew as well as Olimar that if Buice was never found, he'd want to give Millie something to remember her by. And underneath that was the unspoken truth that he himself would also want something to remember her by...
He nodded and slipped the box into his pocket. Gyro left without another word.

-----

A few hours later, Rayna dropped Olimar and his daughter off at Hocotate Freight so he could explain himself to his boss. After a teary-eyed goodbye (well, for Millie, not for him), Olimar assured Rayna that his own parents would come to pick them up later and promised they'd visit in a month or so. Millie was already fast asleep in her walker by the time they reached the door. As he pushed her down the hall and to the elevator, a few workers stepped out from a storage room to his right. He knew one of them, and was about to say hi when they suddenly turned and fled. A sinking feeling weighed on his heart. So they had heard, too, and they were reacting just like Sonic had. Was everyone he knew so frightened to comfort him? He wished everything could go back to normal, so everyone would stop treating him like he was made of glass.
Olimar sighed and pushed the button to the elevator, and wasn't surprised when the doors opened that the man who was on it fled too.
He selected the twentieth floor, and the jerk of the elevator as it ascended woke Millie. She began to cry, but Olimar didn't move to comfort her. Let her cry, he thought. At least that way someone wouldn't have to keep it bottled up.
He did give her a binky when he arrived at the boss' door, however. He knew the man would not appreciate a lot of noise accompanying bad news.
Olimar strode into the office, made a beeline for his boss' desk, and cleared his throat. He already rehearsed what he was going to say–there was no point in wasting time.
As expected, Mr.President was surprised to see him and pulled him in for a bear hug before Olimar could back away from it.

"How's my favorite employee? I heard about your wife. I'm very sorry, Olimar."

Pity. Figures.

Olimar shrugged. "It's alright.."

Mr.President looked down at Millie.

"I see you've brought your daughter. Was there something.."

"I'm resigning. Well, temporarily."

The other nodded somberly.
"Take as much time as you need. I'll take care of the paperwork."

Olimar nodded as well. His boss had always been a very understanding man.

"Thank you."

He wrapped his fingers around the stroller's handles and began heading back towards the door.

"Olimar?"

He paused.

"Yeah?"

Mr.President hesitated a moment.

"Don't...just...try to smile sometimes, okay? I know it's hard but...it would do you some good."

"I'll keep that in mind."

------

Olimar stood outside. He regretted not having a hover car, feeling guilty for asking people for rides. He'd told Buice they didn't need one, since his work was right down the street and the supermarket was a few blocks away. But now, holding his communicator in his hand, he didn't think it was right to ask it of his parents. He was probably being selfish–he really just didn't want to have to face them. Olimar hadn't seen his parents in a little less than a year ago, around earth's "Chirstmas". He'd come to visit then, only because they'd been excited to try out the holiday since he'd talked about it. Everyone at Smash Mansion celebrated Christmas.
Damnit, he'd have to get presents this year.
He sighed. He bumped into Louie on the way out. The boy was much more a sensitive type than Olimar had guessed, and it took him a good ten minutes to convince him he was really alright.
Ah, how he longed for the days of adventuring. However dangerous it may have been, and however annoying Louie may have gotten, it was still nice to be free and new to things.
...Nevermind any of that. He was letting himself get distracted, and he knew that if he did anything else he'd never get around to what he had to do. He dialed his parent's number and was immediately greeted by his mother's voice.

"Ollie! Oh, are you in town?"

"Yeah, mom. I'm at the company, do you think you could pick me up?" His voice wavered. He hadn't talked to her in so long.

"You have my little granddaughter with you, right? That's perfect, I was just making cookies!"

Olimar rolled his eyes. He wasn't the only one prone to getting distracted.

"So you'll come get us?"

"Oh no, honey. I've got a bad shoulder. Your father can come get you. Dramu! Wake up, your son needs a ride!"

He could hear his father grumbling in the background.

"I told that boy he needs a car. Ain't no sense going around begging to be carted around."

His mother giggled through the receiver.

"Give him half an hour."

-----

It was more like an hour later that Dramu pulled up in his dinged Roller 400. His parents lived in a quaint house, about ten miles from a town in any direction. They got most of their groceries from a nearby farm, and everything they couldn't get there they grew themselves. They were completely isolated from the rest of the world. Maybe that's why he never wanted to visit. Their house felt like a time machine.
He strapped a sleeping Millie into the backseat and dumped his things in the trunk before climbing into the front. His father ruffled his hair playfully and told him he was too skinny, like he always did. At least he didn't ask how he was doing.
Most of the ride back, Dramu chattered on about Fairinoa's cooking and how many pies she'd made in the last week. Retirement had given both of them too much free time, so he often tended to the garden while she baked. Olimar tried to ignore the comment he made about nobody being there to eat it.
At some point, about two-thirds of the way to the house, the hover car ran out of gas, so Olimar had to get out and push. By then it was getting to be dinner time, and the sky was darkening. Needless to say, it was cold, and Olimar did not dress for snow. It took about another hour to push it back to his parents' house alone, since Dramu had to steer.
When he walked through the door, he was actually in the mood to stuff his face full of the large amount of sweets his mother had made.
It was nice that they avoided questions about Buice and Gerali–knowing his parents, they'd get straight to the point. But sometimes they knew it was best not to talk about some things, so that he could have a nice visit without yelling or screaming.
He ate dinner with his parents and gave Millie a warm bottle of milk to settle her down for the ride back to earth.

"Ollie?"

"Yes, mom?" Olimar finished tucking Millie into her carrier and turned. "What's up?"

His mother paused for a second at the strange use of language, but pressed on.

"Listen...I know you loved Buice, but..if she never comes back.."

"Mom, are you asking me to move on? It's too soon to think about stuff like that."

"I know, but..I want you to be happy. I don't want you to spend the rest of your life alone."

"I'll have Millie. That's enough for me."

He understood where his mother was coming from, but the very idea that she would push him to find someone else so quickly grated his nerves. It was just the way she was, always looking forward as if others could do the same.

He stepped forward and hugged her.

"I..I just don't think I'm ready yet."

'And I probably never will be', he added inwardly.

"Don't worry about me."

She smiled and returned the embrace.

"What kind of mother ever stops worrying about her son?"

Olimar grunted an agreement and pulled away from her to grab the carrying basket where Millie slept.

"I love you, mom," he mumbled. He was anxious for this painful goodbye to be over, so he could go back to ignoring his parents for another few months without letters.

His father was waiting outside in the car, no doubt already thinking up things to lecture him about as he drove him back to the docking station. He groaned and slung the rest of his belongings over his shoulder before trudging out into the cold morning air.

---

The ride to the station was eerily silent. Olimar didn't want to speak, however, afraid that any noise could wake Millie, and he truthfully had no idea how to get her to go back to sleep after she was woken up. As he climbed out of the vehicle and said goodbye to Dramu, his father suddenly grabbed his arm. He looked back.

"Dad?"

"You don't come around very often. Your mother...she worries about you."

Olimar nodded, guilt settling in his stomach. He knew all too well how much she worried.

"Don't forget to visit. I'd like to see my grandbaby walk before I die."

Olimar nodded and smiled slightly. He really did feel sorry for his dad. He was worse off than he let show.

"I promise. I love you, dad."

"I love you too, son."

He released him and let him grab his things before driving off. Olimar watched him go sadly. It was always like this. They always made him feel like a terrible person.
A chilly breeze blew past, and Millie cried out a little, making Olimar realize just how cold it was.  He quickly piled Millie and Bulbie into the cockpit and started it so the engines could warm up as he stowed the rest of his luggage in a side compartment.

Once he was done, he strapped himself in and sighed heavily.

"Computer, take me home," he commanded. "Routing..." The computer droned in response. He laid his head back and closed his eyes. The whole visit had been nothing but walking on eggshells, but at least he had Millie. There was always some degree of comfort in having family around.
After liftoff, he put the ship on auto pilot and allowed the whir of the machine lull him to sleep.