*Knock* *Knock*

"Subaru? Get up, breakfast is ready. Subaru?"

Naoko was standing at the door of her son's room. Uncertain if she should come in or not. But her worryness got her.

"Subaru, I'm coming in!"

She said, turning the doorknob.
Slowly, the door opened.

Naoko peeked inside. But there was no one. Only unmade bed. She decided to come closer.
The blanket was lying on the floor, the sheet was all wet and wrinkled. Just as the pillow.
And that smell. She recognized it immediately. Even if it was weak, probably because window was opened for ventilation.
Weak smell of sweat. And it looked like there was a lot of sweat here. But why? It isn't like last night was hot and stuffy. More like the opposite.
Suddenly she felt a hug from behind.

"Good morning, mum."

Naoko heard a weak voice from behind.
She turned around and hugged the owner of the voice back.

'He got taller. And he smells like shampoo. Perhaps he was in the bathroom?' - she thought.

"So how was the night?"

She asked.

"Oh. Good. I slept soundly and well."

Naoko smiled on the surface, but was a bit anxious on the inside. If he slept so well then why there's so much sweat and the bed in such state? And why he sounded so weak and almost tired too?

"That's great to hear. Then I'll leave you to change. We will be waiting for you in the kitchen."

Naoko kissed Subaru in the forehead and left the room quickly after.

Subaru closed the door and examined his room. It was fine more or less. The only thing that bothered him a little is that there is still was present faint smell of sweat from that bad night here. But he was inclined to believe that his mother did not notice anything.
He let out a sigh and sat on his bed.
He barely got any sleep that night. Partly because of how exited and anxious he was after meeting with his parents. He was trying to not think of them much, back in Lugunica. He indeed cherished the hope to meet them again someday, but Subaru was so scared to let himself believe in such possibility that he ended up unprepared for this meeting actually happening. And now Subaru met them. He told them about his story. Told them about his ability to return, which eased him a bit and should've been soften anxiety of his parent. He can't die in this new world, so he should be fine. That should've been made things better for them, right?

Subaru shook his head and decided to make the bed.

At the same time another conversation was happening in the kitchen.

"He might've had nightmares."

Kenichi said with the grim look on his face.
Naoko closed her eyes.
Nightmares. Was it really what had happened?

"Yes. That makes sense, considering what he was trough."

Saying this, Naoko placed her hand on her chest, as if trying to lighten the pain in her heart.

Both parents fell silent.
After a night's rest, with clear mind they analyzed their conversation with Subaru.

Death. Their son witnessed it closer than anyone else. He experienced it. Went through death and returned to life. Returned by death as he said.
Both - Naoko and Kenichi weren't asking him the most important questions. How painful were his deaths? How he felt while dying? How exactly he died? Subaru didn't say anything about those points. Usually his descriptions of dying were brief.
He died, then bam! He is alive! Safe and sound. Only with the memories of events that are yet to happen, including his own death.

Naoko sobbed.

She wasn't able to even imagine how it is. To live through your own death. To have a memory of you dying. Even if those deaths were short and painless, the thought still scared her to no end. But what scared her even more - that her son went through this.
It might've scarred him. That scent of sweat earlier appeared in Naoko's mind. Her boy's weakness and something akin to tiredness?

"Perhaps he had nightmares that night."

Naoko decided to say.
Kenichi frowned upon hearing this.

Kenichi saw right through his son's antics. Or at least he wanted to believe so. His son became noticeable harder to read. No, Kenichi was sure that Subaru became better at hiding something. And Kenichi didn't like that. He didn't like that at all, that his son learned such skill. And he obviously didn't like where this skill was used.
They can press Subaru for answers, but that might make the situation worse. Such acts can force Subaru to close from them even more, because he is probably scared of hurting them. And if that's true, then he indeed might hurt them with those revelations. Kenichi was more or less the same on that matter. He tried to hide things that bothered him from those around him, if he can manage on his own. But that knowledge when he is able to set everything alone and when he needed assistance - had come to him at great cost, after many, many mistakes. He doubted that Subaru already got that experience and thus, he will press him on the matter, but only when they would be alone. If Kenichi's assumptions are right, maybe it will truly be better if Naoko wouldn't know. Or maybe Kenichi would tell her later, after he cleaned those answers from unnecessary parts.

"Kenichi?"

Naoko's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"You spaced out a bit. I was asking why you didn't drink your coffee."

Kenichi mechanically put his coffee cup closer to mouth, thinking about what to say and sipped.

"Aeugh! It's cold. Oh, sorry for spacing out. I was thinking about reasons why Subaru hided some things from us. Something of this importance."

'The hell I'm supposed to say? Definitely not my plans of asking something from Subaru in secret from Naoko.' - Kenichi thought. He needed to come up with something and fast.

"Ah, I just thought that maybe he is worrying that we would not let him go? That if he would say too much - we will become overprotective and didn't let him return into this new world."

'Ah crap, that's not it. That's wrong, I should have said something else.' - Kenichi thought, but suddenly new voice announced its presence.

"It's not like it. I... I just..."

Subaru's lips closed.

He wanted to object to his father's words, but he wasn't sure that he can. It's not like he was thinking exactly of this kind of situation, but that might be still true. Subconsciousness wish. That would be in character for him.
How greedy of him. Longing for his parent's warmth, but still deciding to abandon them, not repaying his debt to them. How slothful of him.

Kenichi on the other hand too was speechless.

How much Subaru did heard from their conversation? How they didn't notice him appearing here. Or was it only him, who didn't notice Subaru's presence?

*CLAP*

Loud clap sound echoed in the kitchen. Both men looked at the source and raised their eyebrows at Naoko's doing.

"Okay, let's leave depressing thoughts and topics for the time being and discuss something else. Something we discussed with you, Kenichi, earlier that morning."

"Huh?" "Huh?"

Two confused voices proclaimed their surprise in unison.

"Kenichi!"

Naoko said her husband's name loudly, with a stern look in her eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'm just joking."

Said Kenichi and turned his face to Subaru.

"Tomorrow we decided to make a little trip to the amusement park. We wanted today, but we needed to arrange some things first and also, it's already past noon, because of how late we went to sleep. So what do you think?"

"Huh?"

Sorry for not updating. Had (and still have, but less) real life issues. I don't know how long I'll be dealing with them too. But I'll try to finish this fic at least til end of June. That fic is a prologue (and some kind of training ground for me as it's the first time I'm writing something in English. While also my first attempt in writing Re:zero fic.) So it wouldn't be much longer. I actually planned to end it with big Chapter 3, but changed my plans a bit. I think either ch 4 or ch 5 would be the last one.