Chapter Text
At 21 years old, Keith Kogane's life was starting to make sense.
Ever since he was a young boy, Keith didn't know anything about his mother, other than she left him. His father refused to talk about Keith's mother, and though Keith was curious, he was fine with it. Until his father's death when he was 10. For a few months after the incident, Keith was all alone in the whole wide world. Then he met Takashi Shirogane.
Shiro was like a brother to Keith, and his fiance, Adam(yes, they were engaged when they were 17), was just as supportive. It was like his dad had never died in the first place. Maybe if Shiro hadn't taken him under his wings, Keith would've gone into a spiral of despair. But he hadn't. Memories of his dad were no longer bitter.
Keith discovered he had a certain aptitude towards the art of guerrilla warfare when he was 14, and later joined a group called "The Blade of Marmora", or "The Blade" for short. Along with his comrades, he revealed the evil plans of many aristocratic and rich families, and was now working on uncovering the mystery behind Duke Alfor's death. The Blade was certain of Zarkon behind it. They were just waiting for a solid proof.
And Keith finally found it, a handwritten letter of Zarkon Daibazaal to Honerva, an supposed ally of Alfor, which instructed her to poison the Duke of Altea. Further investigation of the Daibazaal Mansion revealed a hidden laboratory where Haggar(Zarkon's wife) developed the almost undetectable poison.
Keith's success was such that his boss, Kolivan gave him a promotion, and even gave Keith a chance to explore the world outside the Blade. Since the Blade was a highly secretive community which usually had a "One-way rule" when recruiting it's members, Keith was ecstatic to hear the news and gladly accepted the offer. This newfound freedom meant he was basically relieved from his duties, which was why Keith was surprised to hear from Kolivan two weeks later, asking him to meet at their headquarters.
Kolivan's reason for the summon, Keith found out, was because of a letter from the American Headquarters of the Blade. Apparently, word of Keith's success has spread across the world(only among the Blade members, though), and Krolia wanted to meet him.
"But why?" Keith asked Kolivan.
Kolivan wordlessly handed over an envelope. Keith looked at it. It just had "Keith Kogane" written across it. He opened it to find a letter and a photograph of a woman holding a baby with a mullet. Standing next to her was... Keith's father!
His family.
With shaking hands, Keith read the letter.
Keith,
I do not expect you to forgive me, but I apologize for leaving you.
I fell in love with you father when I was posted in London 19 years ago. We got married, and when I thought I couldn't be happier, you came along. It was perfect. Of course it couldn't last forever.
It was at that time when I was called back by the American Headquarters. I didn't want to go, but a Blade has to put work above everything else.
Above all, I had to leave because my enemies came to know about you and your dad. I couldn't keep you safe if I was here, and I didn't want you to expose you to my world then. I left to protect the ones I loved.
I am so proud of you, son. You did something which no one could do. You made me realize that I made a grave mistake. I should've stayed despite the consequences.
I wasn't the best parent, but I want a second chance to reconnect with my son, if he wishes for it. I totally understand if you don't want to.
Krolia.
If Keith wasn't present in front of Kolivan, he would've broken down into tears. All his life, he wondered why his mother left him. Now that he knew that his mother cared for him, Keith was relieved. He read the letter again and made up his mind.
"Kolivan, I would like to resign." Keith stated bluntly.
Kolivan was a bit shocked, but he nodded understandingly. "I wish you good luck on your journey."
The following day, Keith visited the Shirogane's household and told Shiro of his decision.
"I'm so happy for you, Keith!" Shiro ruffled Keith's hair. "When are you leaving?"
"Ah. About that... I don't know how I would leave for America," Keith admitted.
"No worries! You can leave this April!"
Keith furrowed his brows. "No ship leaves at April except..." His eyes almost popped out his sockets. "You've got to be kidding me! I can't possibly travel in THAT ship!!!"
"Of course you can! I'll even get you a First-class ticket!"
Keith exploded. "No way! You know how I feel about that."
"Yes, but..." Shiro swallowed. "I dunno. It's been months, and I miss Adam dearly. Also, it's my first time as Captain. I just need my brother now more than ever."
Now Keith felt bad for getting mad at Shiro. "How about this! I would travel on the Ship on my own accord?"
"But that means you would travel as a Third-class passenger!"
Keith nodded. "Exactly. Never liked the First-class snobs anyway, so it's a win-win."
Shiro stared at Keith. "You do know I'm a First-class snob as well, right?"
Keith snorted. "You're the Captain. Also, you're my brother, of course you're an exception. Guess there's exceptions everywhere, right?" He grinned.
Shiro pondered on the word, and nodded. "Yeah. I guess there are."
So, yes. Keith's life was starting to make sense.
Keith was gonna travel to America to reconnect with his mother. He was going to focus on art and become a reputed artist. He was to board The RMS. Titanic, the world's finest cruiser ship, for his journey.
His life was about to change, but in a way he never would've expected.