"Wooow," the boy breathed, staring down from the mountain. He looked excitedly behind him, waiting impatiently for the adult to hurry up.
A black cat rushed up to him. "Don't lean too far over, Akira."
"I know, Gouto," Akira responded. He immediately leaned back over. "It's so pretty though."
"You like it then?" an older gentleman asked as he came up behind them. Thick, though not particularly plentiful, lines marked him as rather old, as did the fine walking cane he used on his left. However, he didn't seem particularly burdened by the large pack on his back, or by the long hike up the mountain. He wore an old uniform cap to cover his mostly bald head.
"Yes, Grandfather. Is that where we're going?"
"Correct."
Akira gave his grandfather a big grin before bolting along the path which now sloped gently down.
"Are you sure about letting him go on ahead, Jouhei?" Gouto asked as the old man began to follow.
"Even a young man can't keep up with an eight year old," the man responded, pulling a tube out from a small pouch on his belt. "Raiho, keep an eye on Aki, alright?"
A green glow emanated from the tube for a moment before the uniformed Jack Frost appeared with a great big "Hee-ho!" Not needing further instruction he hurtled down the path towards Akira, quickly skidding past the child on ice aided feet.
"Cheat," Akira immediately called out, picking up the pace.
"Ho," Raiho called out, keeping pace fairly easily.
"Grandfather will slip on the ice."
Raiho spun, wagging one of his finger and shaking his head. "Ho no. Summer and it melts before hee gets ho it."
Akira easily hopped onto a large rock. "And if you melt?"
Giving a little twirl as he stopped in front of Akira, Raiho tilted his head.
"If ice melts, you melt."
"No ho."
Akira groaned. "Uggh, I wanted to see it alone." He looked down the path. It would take him a while to get to the lake he'd seen at the bottom, and longer if Raiho kept pestering him.
"No ho," Raiho responded, crossing his arms.
The boy scrunched up his face and stamped his foot.
"No fit ho."
Now he groaned and waved his arms in the air. "Just let me go ahead. Please, I won't try to swim."
"No trust."
"Raiho."
"Determined to argue?" his grandfather called from behind them.
"Already? Grandfather, why'd you call him?"
"I didn't want to risk you getting hurt."
"I'm not stupid."
"That doesn't mean you won't get hurt."
Akira pouted and sat on the rock.
"Aki."
"I won't get hurt."
Gently, his grandfather wrapped his arms around him. "I know you don't intend to, but that doesn't mean it won't happy, alright? You know that."
Akira pressed his face against his grandfather's chest, taking in his scent and the sensation of his ever-flowing MAG. That sensation had always calmed him, had always made everything seem just a little sweeter.
"You always run ahead," he mumbled.
"I started ahead." Gingerly, his grandfather pulled them apart. "Want lunch?"
"Yeah."
Jouhei set down the pack and sat down beside his grandson. Quickly, he opened the front pocket and pulled out two small bento and Akira gasped when he saw them. Both were black, but one had a silver fox while the other had a golden crow. He'd seen them before, but as far as he knew his grandfather never used them.
"Which one do you want?"
"Are they the same?"
"Not quite, but we can share if there's something you want from mine or don't like in yours."
"Just as long as you eat your vegetables," Gouto added, jumping into a sunbeam behind them.
"Hey, who's raising him?"
"Me," Gouto responded without pause.
Akira laughed. "Golden crow."
Jouhei nodded and handed over the bento. He smiled when Akira opened it, a giant grin spreading across the child's face.
"Inari!"
"Pleased?"
"Yeah. What's in yours?"
Jouhei presented his bento and Akira bent his face in disgust.
"Cucumbers."
"Guess you picked well."
Aki nodded and grabbed an Inari, biting down on its sweet wrapping and happily chewing on the sticky rice found within. Jouhei grabbed a pair of chopstick and elegantly began eating his cucumbers and chicken.
"Be sure to eat the maki as well."
"Yes, Grandfather."
The stars reflected their light on the small pond, making it appear as though the bottom was cluttered with diamonds, and as though the light drifted from the water itself.
Akira stared at its perfectly calm water, not even feeling the desire to jump in. Nearby, his grandfather gently massaged his sore leg.
"Do you like it here, Akira?" Gouto asked, sitting beside the boy.
He nodded, wrapping his arms tightly around his legs. He could hear a gentle breeze rustle through the trees and hear a youkai in the distance, singing in its gurgling voice.
There was a heavy thud on the rocky ground as Jouhei put his weight on his cane and came over to stand beside his grandson.
"When you're older you can come here whenever you need a chance to think."
"Really?"
He nodded. "It feels like we're so far away, but on Kohryu this trip takes almost no time at all."
"Kohryu...will I ever meet him?"
"I'm sure you will, one day."
"Can't you call him?"
Jouhei shook his head. "He and I had a bit of a falling out?"
"Why?"
The old man looked over the small lake. "You can hear the sirens from here."
"What?"
"Jouhei," Gouto whispered, hopping down to gently nuzzle the man's leg. "It's alright."
"Sirens?"
Jouhei turned to look at his grandson.
"Like the ones when a tsunami might come?"
"Something like that."
"What's that got to do with Kohryu?"
His grandfather smiled at him, but it made Akira want to cry. He'd seen that smile before and it always meant something was wrong. He looked away.
"Well, whatever it was, I love you." He hugged himself even closer. "And no matter what it was, I love you then too."
"Aki..."
He closed his eyes. "Just don't ever leave." With his eyes closed he could vaguely imagine a world without his grandfather.
Akira spun around, eyes fully open, and lunged for his grandfather, grabbing the man tightly about the waist. Holding him, smelling him, feeling his MAG, then Akira couldn't imagine that world anymore.
"Aki, don't worry. I won't leave anytime soon."
"That's not good enough. You can't get taken away either."
Jouhei held his grandson close, but didn't say anything. There were some promises he couldn't make, even to comfort his grandson.
Akira understood. They all knew that. No grandparent, or parent, wanted to leave a child, but they couldn't always stop others from taking them away.
To his credit, Akira didn't cry and pulled himself away before the moon had passed too much further in the sky.
"Thank you very much for taking me here."
"Thank you very much for coming."
Akira nodded and looked out over the water again. "Grandfather?"
"Yes?"
"I'll meet Kohryu one day, and you know what?"
"What?"
"I'll make you two friends again."
Jouhei opened his mouth to respond, but ended up just shaking his head.
"Akira, that might not be possible," Gouto replied.
"Don't care."
"I'm sure you don't," Jouhei responded before Gouto could respond, "and that would make me very happy."
Akira beamed, smile matching the moonlight in radiance.
Author's Note: Alright, I don't know about you, dear reader, but that's about as much of that as I can take right about now. I've been wanting to write a story involving Akira and his grandfather (Raidou Kuzunoha the Fourteenth, in case that wasn't clear. And let me know if it wasn't so I can try to fix it.) but the mood wasn't catch. Apparently having a paper due soon was just the ticket to get me writing strange side stories.
Also, please let me know in reviews how old Akira comes across. I need to work on writing children, so I'd love to hear what age range I actually hit.
Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed a bit of sap.
Also, yes this is tied to Fall to Rebirth, which is under my name and a Shin Megami Tensei/Persona cross over.