A short continuation to Riki's Engaging Mission story with Loewe. I absolutely LOVE Loewe he was so ADORABLE! The feels at the end of that story... I just couldn't let it go. And hence, this little one was born! Enjoy!
A little girl with long dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes was running around on the playground at her school when she came across someone she'd never seen before.
"Hey, I've never seen you here before. My name Tsuki Yanase!" She smiled brightly and stuck out her hand. "What's your name?"
The taller but smaller boy looked up at her from where he was studying a grasshopper, his green eyes wide and questioning from beneath his silver mop of hair. "My name's Riki," he responded rather softly, like a wary puppy sniffing out a new person. "I'm three."
"Hi, Mommy!"
I smiled at the sound of my youngest daughter's voice coming in through the front door. Five-year-old Tsuki took everything from me but my dark eyes and personality. She had the same powerful blue eyes as her father with the intelligence and confidence to match. Riki couldn't deny her if he tried.
"In the kitchen, sweetie!" I called. "Good afternoon, Tsuki."
"Good afternoon, Mom." Tsuki greeted me politely and then went on to tell me about her day, as was our after-school custom.
"I met a boy with Daddy's name today at school," she said as she emptied out her lunch bag and put the dirty dishes in the sink where I stood washing.
"Oh you did?"
"Uh-huh. He had green eyes and gray hair and liked to play zoo."
"Play zoo?"
"He likes to play like he's an animal at the zoo and I'm the zookeeper. And he really likes music. I like him."
"That's great, you made a new friend. Maybe you could invite him over to play sometime."
Tsuki shook her head from where she had perched herself on a tall stool to the island in the center of the kitchen. "Riki was only here for one day. He said he was visiting with his daddy."
"Oh, ok. Well, hopefully you'll see him around again sometime."
Tsuki nodded with a smile. "I hope so. He was a lot of fun to play with and I didn't have any trouble with him at all. Unlike some other kids..."
I giggled under my breath as Tsuki's "these-kids-aren't-on-my-level" spark came out. She was mature beyond her years developmentally, running full blown conversations with people my age - a blessing and curse from her father's donation to the gene pool if you ask me.
...
My heart felt extra warm that evening as Riki and I walked towards LRN with a smiling Tsuki between us.
"I'm gonna see Uncle Kenshi and Uncle Hiro and Uncle Atsu and Uncle Takkun tonight!"
I giggled. "Yes, you will. They should all be right in here."
Tsuki looked up at Riki. "Do you think Uncle Takkun will smile at me today?"
Riki smirked. "He's got no choice if he wants to keep being Uncle Takuto."
Tsuki giggled and ran ahead to push open the door to LRN.
"Be careful, Tsuki," Riki called after her as he quickened his pace.
"Hello, everyone!" Tsuki bounced into the small restaurant and waved her hands high in greeting.
...
"I'll be back in a short while," Boss said from the kitchen at the end of the night after the bar had emptied out. "Can you guys keep watch for me?"
Tsuki stood up and saluted. "Sir, yes sir, Uncle Boss, sir!"
Boss chuckled heartily as he disappeared into the back.
Riki and I sat to the table while Tsuki entertained herself at the counter.
The door opened slowly and a tall shadow entered the restaurant.
"Riki!" Tsuki exclaimed, lighting down from her bar stool and charging for the door.
"Huh?" Wide-eyed Riki looked at me who was just as equally confused by our youngest daughter's sudden outburst of her father's first name. That is, until Tsuki sprinted back up to our table dragging a little boy by his wrist.
"Mommy, Daddy, this is Riki. Riki, this is my Mom and Dad." Tsuki wasted no time on her introductions.
The little silver-haired Riki looked up at us with inquisitive green eyes. "Good evening, Tsuki's Mom and Dad."
"Well, aren't you mannerly?" I said with a smile. "Good evening to you, too, Little Riki."
"This is gonna be confusing..." Riki whispered before smiling at the little boy. "Good evening, Riki."
"Tsuki said you have the same name as I do..."
"I do. My name is Riki Yanase."
"Yanase?"
We looked up an older male broke into our conversation.
"Do we know you?" Riki asked, standing up as the silver-haired young man came before us.
"It's been a long, long time. Maybe... 5-10 years? Perhaps even more than that."
10 years? I went back in my memory. Riki and I hadn't hit that first milestone in our marriage yet so we had to have met this person when we were engaged. Silver hair... gray eyes...! I gasped. "Riki!"
Riki seemed to register it as soon as I did. "Loewe?!"
The young man smiled happily. "Yes, it's me."
I jumped from my seat. "Loewe! Yo- you look amazing! You sound amazing!"
"It took a lot of work but the rehabilitators got me back into society." He smiled down at the little boy who was now playing with Tsuki on a chair. "I got married and had him a couple years back."
"He looks just like you," I said.
Loewe nodded and turned to Riki. "I hope you don't mind; I named him after because you made all this possible for me." Loewe bowed to Riki. "Now I can tell you properly. Riki, and Kiyuki, too. Thank you so much for all you did for me back then. I don't think I would've ever reintegrated back into human society without you two. "
"Thank you!" came Little Riki's voice as he appeared, bowing alongside his father.
Riki smiled. "I'm honored that you named you son after me." He crouched down to the boy's level. "You wear the name well, you hear me? Make your father and your namesake proud."
The boy nodded and smiled widely as Riki ruffled his hair.
Loewe, in a gray suit, picked up the boy and sat him on his shoulder. "He already does," he said with a smile.
And then they sit down and catch up on what he's doing now and how he left the center, found love etc. Then Riki and Kiyuki sit at home and marvel at how well he turned out and how fortunate it was to see him.
So, yep. Thanks for reading! :)
~cascadedkiwi~