A/N : *coughs* Well, hello, minna-san! Etou, this is my first Nurarihyon no mago's fanfic. Oh dear God, I don't know that this fic can turn out like this. *rubs head* Well, blame my imagination.
Anyways, since this is my first time, please forgive any mistakes that I accidentally did in this fic. I seriously hope that you would enjoy this fic to the fullest.
Notice : Please take note that Rikuo (human) only appears in the beginning of the story! ;)
Disclaimer : I don't own Nurarihyon no Mago!
"Where is grandpa?," Rikuo asked in a boring tone.
He was fishing on the lake near the city and his grandfather already promised him to come right after he had done discussing something with Gyuuki. But he had waited for his grandpa to come almost 2 hours and yet, the said old man was still nowhere to be seen.
He got bored of fishing already.
"Oh? You have grown up so much, Rikuo."
Rikuo sharply turned to the source of the voice. A very familiar voice! A voice which he longed for every night. A voice which was once he did hear when he was a kid.
As he had expected, Rihan was leaning on one of the shady trees, a smirk was plastered on his face. Rikuo was dumbfounded as his jaws dropped. Rihan then started walking slowly towards Rikuo before he settled down beside his beloved son.
"O-Oyaji?," Rikuo stuttered.
"Ah, Rikuo! Have you finally forgotten your old man after I wasn't here for just a few years?," Rihan said playfully, taking the fishing rod from Rikuo's hand. Rikuo was very shocked and speechless that he willingly gave the fishing rod to his father.
"Oyaji, it's not just a few years.." Rikuo said in a low voice.
"I know, I know." Playfulness was still in Rihan's voice as he casually started fishing.
Rikuo lowered his head. It was not just a few years. Those were difficult time for he and his mother, maybe for Nura Clan too. Did his father know all of this? No, maybe not. If his father had knew it, he wouldn't say something like that.
"Oi, Rikuo! This is how you should do when you're fishing!," Rihan's excited voice brought Rikuo back to reality.
"U-Uh, what?" Rikuo was confused until his father managed to pull up a very big fish, much to his surprise.
"Hahaha! This is what you called fishing!," he exclaimed happily as he showed-off with his catch. Seeing his father being very happy, he let out a slow sigh before silently enjoying the rare moment with his father. He knew better not to say anything now because first, his father would just ignore him and second, he was afraid. Yes, he was afraid if he accidentally said the wrong thing and made his father upset.
After an hour of fishing and Rikuo seemed tired, Rihan finally stopped fishing. It seemed like Rihan was the only one who held the fishing rod and didn't let Rikuo to try and Rikuo also had finally ran out of energy to take the fishing rod back.
"So, Rikuo. Do you want to go to an amusement park?," Rihan suddenly asked after he put down the fishing rod.
"W-What? I'm not a kid anymore," Rikuo refused as a faint blush appeared on his face. Upon seeing that, Rihan let out another laugh.
"Sure you're not. Ah, you really have grown up, Rikuo!"
The conversation stopped there as Rikuo did not know what to say. He seriously wanted to talk so much with his father but at this moment, he just didn't know what he should say. He also wondered if what he was going to say would be the right thing and vice versa happened, he would just be ruining this relax moment.
"But, you know.. I don't mind if it's just a park." Rikuo finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. He didn't want to hurt his father's feeling and he also wanted to spend his time with Rihan.
Rihan smiled after hearing his son's answer.
"Well then, I know a place which is full of Sakuras," Rihan said, grabbing his son's wrist and practically dragging him all the way.
"O-Oyaji! I know how to walk..," Rikuo protested.
As he was being dragged, he noticed his surroundings had began to get darker. It was already sunset and Rikuo's form slowly changed to the yokai one.
"Oi, oi, how many longer do you intend to drag me, old man?," Rikuo asked after he seemed fed up to be dragged around without he knowing where his father wanted to bring him.
Rihan turned his head as he heard a deep voice, which he never heard before; only to see Rikuo in his night form. At first, Rihan was startled and thought he was dragging his own father, Nurarihyon but then, he noticed the colour of this guy's hair and realized it was his son.
He smirked.
"We are already here, Rikuo." Rihan exclaimed as he let go of Rikuo's hand.
"Huh?," that was all Rikuo managed to let out before he was stupefied with an eye-catching scenery. The scenery was breathtaking.
There it was, a very shady tree of Sakura as the sakuras bloomed magnificently on its branches, radiating its own light through the dark starry skies. The ground was blanketing with the fallen sakuras as the gentle breeze made the green grass sway. The tree almost looked like the one which Rikuo had back in home, but far more magnificent and beautiful. It almost seemed like it was a dream.
Rihan sat on the grass before lying down on it; the grass gave him the soft feeling on his back. Seeing his father lying on the green grass, Rikuo took a place beside him.
"Oi, oyaji. Why you brought me here?," Rikuo asked.
Rihan let out a low chuckle. "I thought you said you wanted to go to the park and besides, didn't you enjoy the scenery, Rikuo?"
Rikuo looked up to the night starry sky, petals of sakura flew past him, swayed by the night wind. "I guess..."
Silence fell upon them as none bothered to start a conversation. It was not an awkward silence because they did enjoy the silence. But, they could not say that the silence was something comfortable either. Rikuo didn't know how long they stayed on like that until his father decided to get up all of a sudden and started walking away.
"Oyaji! Oi, where are you going?," Rikuo asked, panic and worried if his father decided to leave him all alone in this beautiful place since he didn't know how to get back home.
Rihan turned, genuine smile which Rikuo never saw before plastered on his face. "Rikuo, I leave your mother to you. Take good care of her."
"OI! OYAJI!"
Rikuo quickly got up, panting very hard. Sweats occupied his face and his eyes were somehow, teary. It felt like he just had 100 metre-run. As he caught his breath again, his brain began to digest the whole situation.
He was dreaming of his father! It was very rare that he dreamed of that man, only when something was going to happen or he just missed his father too much that he started dreaming about Rihan. He tried very hard to remember what his father had said. If he wasn't mistaken, his father asked him to take care of his mother.
Rikuo who somehow had turned into his night form without him realizing it, said, "Hmph, what does that oyaji think I'm doing here?"
Straightening his kimono, he walked out of his room. He needed to calm himself down. Rikuo decided to go to his favorite spot which was on top of the sakura tree he had in his house. All of the householders had gone to their beds, making the entire house as quiet as a grave. Out of blue, he heard a sob.
"Hmm?"
He was sure that the sob he heard coming from his mother's room. He quietly tip-toed to the said room as he saw the lights were still on. He wondered what is her mother doing in the middle of the night.
He stood in front of the half-open door as his mother's back was facing him. Rikuo noticed that her mother was holding the marriage photos of her and Rihan. It had been a while since he last saw her mother took out those precious photos. Although Rikuo couldn't see his mother's face, but he was sure that his mother was sad.
"R-Rihan-san..."
It was a whisper which barely could be heard by Rikuo but still, standing in this quiet and lonely place, he could catch it somehow. His mother was still missing his father so much, that should be expected. Although Wakana's smile never worn out from her face, but deep down inside, her mother was suffering. Rihan's world was full of Wakana, just like Wakana's world was full of Rihan.
'Now, I know what you meant, oyaji,' thought Rikuo grimly.
'I'll take good care of her..'
Leaning against the wall, he silently heard his mother's sobs turned into a slow painful cry.
A/N : Thank you very much for reading and I hope you can leave a review. Again, thank you!
