If you couldn't tell by the chapter title, I haven't even gotten a name for this one yet.
I don't own Absolute Boyfriend.
Um... yeah... just take a glance at it and tell me if it's worthwhile, would you? Thanks.
"Come on, Night. It's time for bed."
"But I'm not tired, Mom!" the small boy insisted.
"Your sister's already asleep."
The six-year-old boy looked over to his father for help.
"Listen to your mother."
He sighed. "All right. Good night, Mom; good night, Dad."
"Good night, Masaki," the boy's father answered. His mother muttered a soft "good night".
When the small boy was out of sight, the man turned to his wife. "Riiko, you have to quit calling Masaki that. That's not his name, and he isn't Night."
"But he looks so much like him."
"He looks like you."
"No," she answered, tears in her eyes. "He looks like Night."
Soshi let the argument drop there, but it stayed in Riiko's mind the rest of the night.
- -
I hadn't really thought about the reason for Masaki's nickname until Soshi pointed it out to me. Night. He looked so much like him. It felt natural to call him that, right.
I'd never thought about it, though.
"Night..."
It was the next morning. After arguing with Soshi, after remembering Night, I was feeling a little depressed. I hadn't forgotten Night – of course not. He was always on my mind, but usually in the back of it. I was doing well, trying to stay strong for Night. I could manage to get through a day fairly well.
But now, he was on the front of my mind, and I started feeling like I had for those first few weeks after Night stopped functioning.
I'd already called in sick from work. I wasn't feeling up to work today.
My eyes started slowly filling with tears. I didn't want to cry – Night had told me, through his letter to Soshi, that I didn't have to cry anymore. But now I couldn't help it.
Then, suddenly, the phone in the house rang. It startled me, like Gaku had always done when he was calling to check on me or Night.
Or ask for the money for that month's maintenance fees.
Who would be calling the house at this hour? It was early on a Wednesday, about 9 o'clock in the morning. Soshi was at work, Masaki and his sister Yukihara were at school, and I was supposed to be at work.
Might as well find out, I thought as I got up to answer the phone. It might help me keep my mind off this for a while...
"Hello?"
"Riiko? Riiko, is that you?"
"Who is this?" I asked hurriedly. That voice... it couldn't be.
It sounded just like Night.
My eyes started to overflow again. What a cruel joke.
I heard grunting and wrestling on the other side. "Hello?" I asked worriedly now.
"Hey!" a new voice replied cheerily. It sounded familiar, too, and to my recent memory. But I couldn't put a name to it right away. "Sorry, but he really wanted to talk to you. When he found out it was you I was calling, he nearly attacked me for the phone."
"Who is this? What kind of joke are you playing?"
"Huh? Don't you know who this is, Riiko?" When I didn't answer, he said, "I'm the cosplaying salesman who sold you Night. Remember?"
"Gaku?" I nearly screamed. "Is it really you?"
"Sure is, honey. It's been a while. How are you?"
I ignored his question and asked one of my own. "Who's that with you?" I demanded to know. I wanted to know who it was that sounded so much like Night.
"Oh, that's right! I told you, Kronos Heaven is always doing R&D. Well, they were finally able to fix Night, and he's functioning again!"
This was during my deep AB-obsession phase... I could continue if people are interested, but if no one is... I'll probably let it drop.
- Kuramastrass -