A/N: This is really just a short drabble to conclude the Father series. I really only wrote this for an art class assignment. We had to do a series of four drawings that all related to each other. I chose this series that I had been writing, but I needed a fourth story. So I wrote this in about ten minutes. Not my best work, but I still like it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gokusen or it's characters. I do own Riki, but that's it.
Odagiri Ryu sat in the pale blue nursery room rocking his newborn son to sleep. His wife had died shortly after the baby was born, so Ryu was thankful he had his best friend, Yabuki Hayato, staying with him to help him with the new baby. Ryu had left Hayato asleep on the living room couch to come check on his son. As he rocked the baby, Ryu couldn't stop the smile that grew as he noted how closely the boy resembled his late mother.
At the same time, thoughts of his father popped into the young dad's head. "Na, Riki," mumbled Ryu as he played with his sleeping son's hand, "I promise I'll be a better father than mine was. I won't be a perfect father by any means, but I'll try to be a good father." Little Riki shook his head a little in his sleep, causing his daddy to laugh. "Cute little Riki," chuckled Ryu. "I'm not going to tell you what my dad did to me when I was a teenager. It would scar your innocent little mind." Flashbacks and images of his father's belt plagued Ryu's mind for a moment, and he got caught in the traumatic memory.
That is, until Riki woke up and made a small humming sound. Now shaken out of his reverie, Ryu smiled down at his child. "Thank you, Riki," he whispered, and he leaned over to kiss the baby on his forehead. "You know, I'm glad I have you. I'm sorry your mom's not here, but you still have me. Uncle Hayato is here too, of course, but you'll always have your father."
Owari
