"I'm tired.."
Samekichi sighed as he walked, Lucas in his arms and the shark's head on his shoulder with his backpack in his other hand. In all fairness he was tired himself, but he had to talk to Cherryblod about what to do. Samekichi had no experience as a parent, and there was no way in hell he was going to ask his father.
"I know you're tired and you can take a nap when we get to Cherryblod's."
"Okay...who's Cherry blood?"
"Cherryblod. And he's a friend of mine. You'll like him, he's got a daughter you can play with."
Lucas didn't make anymore objection to being carried to Cherryblod's. It pained Samekichi that he had to bring Lucas over so early so there were not as many eyes to witness him as there would be if he had brought him over later in the day. He didn't want to think what would happen if say Ver Million saw Lucas and immediately thought something else.
He knocked on the door to the Shrimp's house, able to hear Doloz up and talking about something inside. Than he heard the footsteps and the door opened to reveal the pink-haired man.
"Samekichi! What a pleasant surpri-" The moment his eyes fell on the boy in his arms, Samekichi knew this explanation was going to be difficult.
"Hey, Cherryblod. Can we talk?"
"My, that's certainly a lot of information to take in." Cherryblod stirred his tea, having been doing so compulsively for the last ten minutes while Samekichi told him how Lucas came into his protection as well as why he looked so much like...
"You're the first person I'm telling this too, Cherry. I trust you more than anyone else in this sea next to Wadanohara-Hey, could you stop doing that? I'm not interrogating you."
The shrimp paused in his stirring, glancing down before setting the spoon aside and clearing his throat. "Sorry. Nervous habit. Anyway, much as I'm glad to hear that, I'm not sure what it is you want us to do."
"He won't grow up to be like-like HIM will he?" Doloz asked nervously beside her husband, her feelers twitching and claws clacking together softly. Samekichi quickly explained that personality wasn't genetic, it was based on how Lucas would be raised. She seemed to calm down at that with a sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank goodess.
"That's kinda what I'm here for.." Samekichi rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to find the words. "I don't...actually know how to raise him. I was hoping you could-teach me."
Cherryblod and Doloz stared at the shark for a few seconds before burst into fits of laughter, tears clinging to their eyes and Cherryblod had to dab a napkin to his eyes before saying between his giggling.
"Samekichi, one doesn't just teach someone how to raise a child! It comes with the experience! But given your situation I suppose we could give you some advice."
"I'm willing to take anything at this point," The shark sighed. "Hell, I'd even take his dad walkin' in through that door and taking him." He paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Nevermind. Forget I said that."
"Forgotten. Now, the first rule to raising someone of Lucas' age-how old is he exactly?"
"I called up his mom earlier. He's four about to turn five."
"Okay, so he's a little older than a toddler. Anyway, he's still within that critical stage of development. You need to show him how things work without scaring him. You need to provide the right amount of affection and care without seeming overbearing. And most importantly, or in my opinion, you need to reward him when he accomplishes small goals, but not spoil him."
Samekichi puffed out his cheeks a little as he took in the information, brows furrowing as he reviewed.
"So if I don't abandon him, smother him, or spoil him I'll be fine?"
"It's a fine start," Doloz said, filling her husband's tea cup and offering the shark his own which he kindly denied. He wasn't much for tea. "Do you know how far along he is in his education?" She asked.
"Not a clue."
Cherryblod sipped his cup before saying, "Well then that's where you begin to raise him. Educate him in the basics; The Alphabet, simple mathematics, reading and writing. Things he should be doing with close family."
"I guess it's as good a start as any. Thanks Cherry. Doloz."
"We're happy to help!" The lobster clicked her claws together happily. "And feel free to bring Lucas around whenever you have business to attend to. It's nice to have another child in the house..." She stared off into space with a happy sigh and Cherryblod chuckled softly.
"She's been complaining about the noise level ever since Lobco went off again."
"You're a lucky man, Cherry."
"As are you, Samekichi."
He took a second to think about what the Shrimp said and he had to agree with him. After everything that had happened to The Blue Sea and to him and those he considered his friends, he had to admit he was very lucky. Not everyone could have gone what he had and survived. Or done so without some sort of mental instability.
Yeah, he was a lucky one.
"Mr. Cherryblood?"
Samekichi snapped from his thoughts at the sound of his nephew's voice, looking to the side to sea the younger shark gently pulling at the Shrimp's sleeve. The pink haired man turned in his seat with a smile to look at Lucas. "Yeah, buddy?"
"Where's your potty room?"
"It's right over here, I'll show you." Cherryblod excused himself before taking Lucas' hand and walking him down the hall to the bathroom. When she was sure her husband was out of earshot, Doloz let out a quiet little squeal.
"Oh! I remember when Lobco would go to the potty! Lucas reminds me so much of her at that age. So young and carefree." She looked at Samekichi with a bit of a sad look in her large black eyes. "That's the hardest part of being a parent. Having to watch them grow up and go off and be on their own, raise their own families. It makes you wish they'd never leave."
She turned fondly to a picture on the mantle; one of her and Cherryblod and Lobco. She turned back the shark with a longing tone in her voice. "Cherish him, Samekichi. Cherish the moments you have with him because sooner than you know, they'll be all you have."
Cherryblod came back with Lucas before Samekichi could reply to that, watching as the Lobster asked Lucas if he wanted another cookie. To his surprise, the boy looked at him as if he were silently asking if he could.
"Go ahead, kid."
The boy smiled again and nodded up to Doloz who went to fetch the snack while Lucas scampered up to his uncle and raised his arms. "Up!"
"What's the magic word?"
"Up, please!"
Samekichi laughed as he picked up the boy and set him on his lap, the younger's tail hanging off his leg. "Need to remember that, ya' hear?" He said as he smoothed down the boy's hair again. He thought about getting some sort of gel for the kid but decided against it. That probably wouldn't go over so well with any of them.
"So Lucas, are you in school?" Cherryblod asked as he sat back down and sipped at his mug.
The child nodded before saying a bit proudly. "I know my mulciplisation tables!"
The other man laughed before gently correcting the boy. "Multiplication tables. You know them all? That's impressive for someone your age."
The boy was beaming as brightly as he had at Samekichi the night before and the shark decided that that was a good look for the boy. He should smile more often. Doloz quickly came back with Lucas' cookie to which the boy happily chewed on after thanking her.
"You like it with your uncle, Lucas?" Doloz asked after settling back down beside her husband.
Lucas nodded again, swallowing his bite of cookie before looking up at his uncle and asking, "Where's my dad?"
Samekichi's blood ran cold for a second and he glanced up at Cherryblod who seemed just as shocked at the question himself, almost choking on his tea. Even Doloz was a bit taken aback, feelers sticking nearly straight up in shock.
"Well..," Samekichi began as he looked at Lucas. "Your dad is...away right now."
"When is he coming back?" Lucas couldn't have understood why it was hard to answer those questions. He was just a boy. Innocent to the horrors the real world could hold and what had happened years before his birth.
"Uhm.." Samekichi nervously pulled at his collar, trying to find the words without hurting the boy. "You see, Lucas your dad..." He risked a glance down to the boy and instantly regretted the decision. He was met with eyes that were too big for their own good, too wide and too full of wonder for the world around him. And despite his right iris being a bright blood red while his left was deep ocean blue, they were purely his own. No signs of any sort of malice within the orbs.
"I don't know if he is coming back.." He said gently, his heart clenching at the way the boy's mouth turned into a sad frown.
"Why not?"
He wished he didn't have to be answering these questions. He wished that he didn't have to take on this sort of responsibility. He wished that his brother would have had thought about what the hell was happening that night and used some sort of protection.
"Sometimes people just leave and they don't come back for all sorts of reasons. I dunno why your dad left but I can say for sure, you didn't have anything to do with it."
The boy sniffed and Samekichi saw the beginnings of tears begin to climb to his eyes. He quickly shushed the boy and grabbed a napkin to dab at the tears. He eventually just had to pull him against his chest and let him quietly sob against his shirt while guilt panged in his chest. He mouthed an apology to Cherryblod and Doloz but the shrimp just waved it off.
He understood.
"I think we best get going," The shark said, the boy still clinging to him like a safety blanket. Cherryblod walked him to the door and gave Lucas a gently pat on the back, the boy just giving him a half hearted wave goodbye before they were out the door.
It was later in the morning, more people were out but they were too busy with their own devices to wonder why Samekichi was carrying a child.
"I'm sorry, kid," He mumbled as he walked, mentally kicking himself for being such an idiot. Granted no one could have seen Lucas bringing up the question so early in his life but he still could have answered it better. "I didn't mean to make ya' upset. I'm sorry."
The boy mumbled something against his shirt and he looked down at the boy. "Say again?"
Lucas peeled his face away from his chest and looked up at him with bloodshot eyes before he repeated, "Are you gonna leave too?"
The question took him by surprise that he actually had to stop and look at the boy. The boy looked so scared at what his answer would be, he still believed that everyone lived forever and that castles were protected by Dragons and knights went to save the princess.
He didn't believe in reality just yet.
"No," Samekichi said, bringing the boy closer and hugging him tightly against him. "I'm never gonna leave you, Lucas. I'm gonna stay right here with you till the end of time. I promise." He felt the boy's tiny arms wrap around his neck, fists grabbing at the fur of his jacket at the boy hugged him back and sniffed again.
"I love you, Samekichi."
The words nearly had him choking, but he just tightened his grip on the boy, a silent vow of protection forming in his mind. Lucas was his now. Anyone could say otherwise and they would be wrong. No one could take the boy away from him. If they tried someone would get ripped apart.
Lucas was his now.
"Love you too, kid."
