Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Gravitation, the 'Graspers in any form, Tokyo High, Ryuichi -though I WANT TO-, his singing voice -I WANT THAT, TOO-, Norikko, Tohma, the song Sleepless Beauty -it belongs to The Seeker-, or the song "Shining Collection". Thankyou, Murakami-sama. Heeheehee... I like Ryu-chan's dad. He's fun to write about. Thanks to Kana-chan and Ny-chan.
The "Nittle Graspers" went straight to Tohma's house after school. They flopped onto the couch in the basement and started discussing the song.
"What should we call it?" Tohma asked.
"Hmm... It's so beautiful... how about... Sleepless Beauty?"
"Sounds good. Random, but good," said Ryuichi.
"Okay, then. 'Sleepless Beauty' by Nittle Grasper," concluded Tohma as he scribbled away in his notebook.
"Let's work on it," said Norikko.
They played the song over and over, perfecting it as they did so. When they were finished, it was already dark.
"I better get home," said Ryuichi, thinking of his father.
"Okay. Bye, Ryu-chan!"
"See you tomorrow."
He took the subway to his neighborhood. Once there, he walked down the street to his house and climbed the stairs, worrying more with each step.
"What will father say? Will he be angry that I was out so late?"
He sighed, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door.
"RYUICHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
He winced. "Yes, father?"
"WHERE WERE YOU?!?"
"I was with Norikko and Tohma, working on... school work."
"You made friends?!?" His father's expression changed entirely. "Why didn't you tell me, Ryu? My Ryuichi made friends! Yay! My son, friends! This is the happiest day of my life!" Tears of joy appeared in his eyes.
"Father... I'm not THAT much of a loser that I can't make friends..."
"So, what school work did you do?" asked his father, ever cheerful.
"I... uh... biology. We studied... er... the effects of nettles."
"Really? I remember when your mother and I were in high school... she accidently grabbed a bunch of them during biology and she had to go to the nurse!"
Ryuichi held in a laugh. "Do you ever miss her, Father?"
His father's expression changed back to a serious one. "Everyday, Ryuichi. Everyday."
"Is that why you take good care of Kumagoro? Because she found him?" he said, referring to the brown rabbit in a cage in the basement.
"Yup! And because he's so cute!"
"Heh. Heh-heh." Ryuichi often thought that he took after his mom.
"Father... what was mother like?"
"Well... she passed away when you were only 6. She was very serious. And... she could sing very well. We used to be in a band, did I tell you that? Your mother and I sang and our other friend played the piano. But, yes... she was very serious. It was like she was under a spell or something. I loved singing with her but I loved watching her sing even more. It was like seeing magic for the first time. But then... she had the most amazing laugh. She would sing her heart out, then, when we finished the song, she would laugh and wave to me. I loved it. Those were the moments I lived for, and the reason I married her."
Ryuichi stared at his father. He had no idea that his parents sang.
"Then, of course, we had to stop singing because your mother had a child by the name of RY-U-I-CHI!" He poked Ryuichi's nose on every syllable. "But... I love that child so much. He's so much like his mother, sometimes, it's like she's still here."
"Aw, Father, now you've got me crying."
"Good!"
"Fa-theeeer!"
"Ry-uuuuu!"
"Fa-theeeer!"
"Ry-uuuuu!"
"Hee-hee, let's go feed Kumagoro, okay, Father?"
"All right, Ryu!"
They went down to the basement to see Kumagoro.
"Hey, Kumagoro!" Ryuichi said with a smile. He picked up the brown rabbit, who burrowed into his sleeve.
"See, Ryuichi? He likes you!"
If only he knew what Ryuichi had been doing with Kumagoro as an audience the other night...
"Father? There's... something I need to tell you."
"Yes, Ryuichi?" His father's expression grew serious.
"Well... Norikko, Tohma and I weren't really studying."
"What were you doing?" His father stood up.
"We... I... was singing."
His father drew his breath in slowly.
"Singing?"
"Yes."
"As in, la-la-la?"
"No, as in 'Tooku de me o, hikarasete'."
A smile crept onto his father's face.
"Show me."
Ryuichi sang 'Sleepless Beauty' better than he ever had before. When he was finished, his father was staring at the floor, smiling.
"Ryuichi, why didn't you tell me you could sing so well?"
"You're not mad?"
"YOU DUNCE!" His father whacked him on the back of his head. "Why would I be angry? My son has been blessed with the gift of song!" His father danced around wildly saying, "My son can sing, my son can sing well, my son can sing REALLY well, la-la-la!"
"Just look away, Kumagoro," Ryuichi said to the little rabbit, trembling in fear of the spinning 35-year-old. "He'll stop... eventually..."
"I will NEVER stop! My son, my only son, my only child has the gift of song! You SING! And I don't mean sing, I mean SING!"
"Eh... heh-heh?"
"So, NATURALLY, I want to meet Tohma and Norikko ASAP. Tomorrow, you three will come here after school, got that?" It was meant to be a request, but it came out as an order.
"Yes, sir!" said Ryuichi, saluting.
"Good. So, this Norikko, how cute is she?"
"FA-THEEEER!"
"RY-UUUUU!"
