Life without Dad

The year is 2008. Students at Makimachi Primary School are let out for summer vacation. Young friends, Shuuichi Minamino and Kiyoni Ikeda, are walking home together. The children have been friends and neighbors for two years and, from all accounts, have a solid relationship. While Shuuichi is thinking about his plans for the summer, Kiyoni is excited for hers.

"What's got you so animated," Shuuichi asks.

"Me? I'm looking forward to my summer," Kiyoni answers as the beads in her braided ponytail hair sway from side to side.

"Oh yeah? Tell me."

"Duh! The Olympics are coming up. I've been talking about it for a month."

"Because of your family, right? How many members are participating again?"

"Two cousins, on my dad's side. One for athletics and one for badminton."

"But those two events are for the last week of the games. What about the first two weeks?"

"There's swimming, gymnastics, and girls basketball. My dad and I are so gonna be glued to the TV. What about you? What are your plans?"

"I thought we were gonna go on a family ski trip, but my parents had to cancel it."

"Really? Why?"

"My dad hasn't been feeling well lately. I'm not sure why or how."

"That can't be true! Your dad always looks happy and healthy whenever I see him."

"It's true, Kiyoni. Oh, well."

"Suu'chi, you can't just say 'oh, well'. Aren't you worried?"

"What do I have to worry about? Humans get sick every day. I'm sure he'll get over it."

The two board a train home. "How long has he been sick," Kiyoni asks.

"Um, let's see," Shuuichi looks up, "About…two weeks?"

"Two weeks?! That's longer than just some summer cold. Could it be the flu?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask and they didn't tell me."

At this point, Kiyoni is worried for Shuuichi's father while at the same time is upset at her friend for his nonchalant way of going about his situation. She already knows of Shuuichi's other identity, and is not a big fan of that personality. She decides to find out the truth for herself.

When the children make it home, Shuuichi manages to walk Kiyoni to her house before arriving home himself. Before she enters, she reaches out to her friend one last time, "Suu'chi, please tell me you're worried about your dad."

"Like I said, Kiyoni, he'll get over it. Modern medicine is not that far behind. I'm not going to worry about it and neither should you," Shuuichi responds before leaving.

Out of his earshot, Kiyoni talks to herself, "Oooh. Your other side can be a real jerk sometimes, Minamino."

Kiyoni enters her home and removes her shoes. Her mother, Ava, comes downstairs to meet her, "Hello, Kiyoni. Welcome home."

"Hi, mom," Kiyoni says with an obvious frown.

"What's wrong? What's with that look on your face," Ava asks.

"I asked Suu'chi about his plans for the summer and he told me about his dad. Mom, is Mr. Minamino sick?"

Kiyoni's father, Akio, overhears their conversation, "Kiyoni? Come in here, please."

Ava leads her daughter into the living room. Akio is watching the evening news as his wife sits next to him and his daughter sits in front. "You called, dad," Kiyoni verifies.

Akio turns the television off, "You asked if Mr. Minamino is sick. Well, both he and Mrs. Minamino didn't want me to say anything but, unfortunately, he is." Both Kiyoni and Ava are surprised.

"What's wrong with him, dad," Kiyoni is scared and worried.

"I just heard from his cardiologist. Apparently, he has a growing heart murmur."

"What's a heart murmur?"

"He has a growing hole in his heart, sweetie. He can't do much as far as activities go for fear of blood leaking from his heart."

"Oh, that's terrible. I didn't even know that," says Ava.

"Suu'chi never told me that either," Kiyoni says.

"Maybe it's because he doesn't know or doesn't want anyone to know," Akio responds.

Kiyoni gets up, "I'm gonna go talk to Suu'chi."

"Don't! Let them handle things first," Akio commands, "I'm sure they have enough on their plate."

"But, dad…"

"Listen to your father, Kiyoni," Ava demands.

"Yes, mom." Kiyoni goes to her room. When she does, she looks out her window and sees Shuuichi reading a book in his room. "Poor, Suu'chi," she thought.


The Ikeda family gathers in the living room to watch the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Both Kiyoni and her brother, Tai, are in awe of the spectacle. Just as the performances end and the Parade of Nations begin, the family is interrupted by the sounds and lights of an ambulance pulling up in their neighborhood.

"That's the first time I've heard one of them come through here," Ava concludes, "Whomever they're here for, I hope they're okay." The sounds of the ambulance increase in volume as it pulls up to the Minamino home. The Ikeda family quickly take notice.

"It's for next door," Tai states. Kiyoni immediately runs to the door. Once outside, she hears the cries of the mother of the Minamino home, Shiori.

"Natsuno, no," she cries, "Oh, please. Please wake up."

Kiyoni inches herself closer to her neighbors' home, but is instantly stopped by her parents. "Kiyoni," Akio calls out, "Kiyoni, wait."

"But, dad. Mr. Minamino's in there," she responds, "I wanna go see if he's okay. I wanna go see Suu'chi." As Kiyoni argues with her parents, Shiori and Shuuichi enter the ambulance and are headed to the hospital. "Mom, dad, we have to go," Kiyoni insists.

"Alright, we'll go. Go put on your shoes." Akio instructs. He, along with Ava and Kiyoni, enter their home to prepare to leave for the hospital.

"Tai. C'mon, let's go," Akio encourages his son.

"No way! I wanna see the Japanese and American teams," Tai responds.

"Fine, Tai. Stay here. We'll go," Ava says as she leaves for the hospital with her daughter and husband.

The emergency room of the Hirokawa Medical Center is quiet this night. While most are observing the Olympic opening ceremonies, a new patient enters its confines. "Make way, make way! New patient coming through," shouts an EMT as he's leading a stretcher through the hallway.

An ER doctor approaches the group of EMT's, "What's the problem?"

"We have a MI patient, possible 428.40 (heart attack related). Adult male, thirty-three years of age. Condition may be a result of aortic stenosis."

"Alright, I need a defibrillator, an oxygen tank, as well as the usual. This is serious people, let's move," shouts the doctor. The team leads the stretcher into a room for emergency surgery. Shiori and Shuuichi are close behind but are stopped in the hallway. At this point, Shiori is terrified of her husband's condition. At the same time, Shuuichi looks at his mother, wondering why she's showing so much emotion. Youko Kurama has never seen anyone as emotional as Shiori. He's curious as to why humans subject themselves to events like this given their short lifespans.

Just then, he hears a voice in the background, "Suu'chi!" He automatically knows who that is.

"Oh, Akio, Ava. You came," Shiori greets.

"We heard the ambulance and rushed over here as soon as we could," Ava immediately gives Shiori a hug, "How is he?"

"I'm not sure. They just took him to an operating room," Shiori answers, "I told him to be careful. I told him…" she starts to cry.

"It's gonna be okay," Ava assures, "All we can really do now is have faith."

Akio notices the children standing behind them, "Why don't you two go to the waiting area? I'm sure the parade of nations is still on."

"Okay, dad," Kiyoni says, "C'mon, Suu'chi." The two walk to the waiting area where people are indeed watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

As the two sit next to each other, Kiyoni takes a quick glance at her young friend. "A yen for your thoughts," she urges. Shuuichi sits in his chair in deep thought, his inner Youko is contemplating his feelings towards his "father" while at the same time is still thinking about leaving the human world in two years. "Hello, earth to Minamino," Kiyoni waves a hand in front of Shuuichi's face.

"Stop that," he says.

"You know? My uncle says it's not healthy to bottle up your feelings. They can eat you up."

"Whatever."

"Ugh!" Kiyoni stands up and in front of Shuuichi, "Snap out of it, Suu'chi! Your dad is back there fighting for his life and you're sitting here all mopey. You can at least shed a tear like your mom. Do you even care at all?"

Shuuichi sits back in his chair, "Could you leave me alone?"

Annoyed by his behavior, Kiyoni finds another empty seat and takes it. If Shuuichi was fully human, of course he would be worried about his dad. What Kiyoni is failing to realize that inside her best friend is the spirit of one of the most coldhearted demons known throughout demon world, a demon who rarely shows any emotion towards anything or anyone. However, given that he's been in the human world for the last eight years, he's learning more and more about what it means to be human. The situation with his father just so happens to be a test that no one, including the spirit fox himself, can ever be prepared for.

Hours pass. The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games wraps up. Parents of the two young friends join them in the waiting area, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

A doctor from the emergency room enters the waiting area. "Mrs. Minamino," he calls.

"Yes, that's me," Shiori responds. She gets up and walks to the doctor, Akio and Ava are behind her.

"Mrs. Minamino…we have some news," the doctor tells it to her straight, "It seems that…" Waking up from a short nap, Kiyoni notices her parents and a doctor surrounding a collapsing Shiori. Judging from their body language, it seems that Mr. Minamino didn't survive this night. Kiyoni looks to her right to find Shuuichi asleep on a couple of chairs, completely oblivious to what's happening. Her heart breaks for her best friend and his mother.


A few nights later, people gather both inside and outside the Minamino home to pay their respects to Natsuno. At the Ikeda house, next door, the family is making their preparations to visit.

"Mommy, I'm worried about Suu'chi," Kiyoni claims, "He's been really quiet since his dad died."

"I know, sweetie," Ava agrees as she braids her daughter's hair, "You have to understand. Everyone reacts differently towards death. Some cry, some laugh, some remain quiet. Regardless, death affects everyone."

"You think Anubis will take Mr. Minamino to a better place," Kiyoni asks.

"Of course, he will," Ava answers, "Mr. Minamino was a good man. It's Anubis's job as the God of death to take Mr. Minamino to his eternal paradise."

"Ava? Kiyoni? It's time to go," Akio announces as he and Tai wait for them by the door. Ava finishes her daughter's hair and the two of them meet with the men at the door. "Tai? Kiyoni? I want the both of you to be on your best behavior," Akio instructs.

"Yes, dad," the children reply in unison. The family makes their way next door.

Upon entering the Minamino home, the first thing to be seen is the casket where Natsuno lies. White flowers and candles surround the casket with a headshot photo of the patriarch sitting in the center. The Ikeda family performs the traditional grievance ritual before turning their attention to Shiori. "We are deeply sorry for your loss," Ava states as both she and Akio bow to their neighbor, "If there's anything we can do, please let us know." Shiori sits against the wall, completely statuesque and heartbroken. She's just lost the love of her life and is unsure of what to do next as both a widow and a single mother. Kiyoni and Tai are standing behind their parents, waiting to pay their respects to Shiori.

"Can we say something, now," Kiyoni asks.

Still in a daze, Shiori overhears Kiyoni's voice and calls out to her, "Kiyoni…" The Ikeda family immediately takes notice. Shiori calls out again, "Kiyoni…" Kiyoni steps out in front and bows to the woman she considers to be her second mom, "I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Minamino. You have my condu-, my condol-, my…what's the word again?"

"Condolences," says Ava and Akio.

"Yeah, that," Kiyoni bows again.

Tears stream down Shiori's face as she smiles and looks at her young neighbor, "Oh, Kiyoni. I'm so glad you're here. I need you to do a huge favor for me. Something only you can do."

"Sure, anything," Kiyoni responds.

"It's Shuuichi. He's been rather distant since finding out about his father. It's become hard for me to talk to him. I was wondering, could you talk to him? I feel as though it would be good for someone of his age to comfort him."

Kiyoni is just as worried about talking to her best friend as Shiori. His dismissive attitude during his father's final days has annoyed Kiyoni greatly. However, she loves the Minamino family and if there was anything she could do for them in their time of need, she would be up for it. "Yes, ma'am. I'll get right on it," she says.

"Oh, thank you, Kiyoni. He's upstairs in his room. Why don't you go to him now," Shiori insists. Kiyoni nods her head and heads for the stairs.

"Hmpf, good luck," Tai mumbles.

Ava grabs him by the ear, "Outside, now!" Akio follows.

When Kiyoni reaches the second floor of the home, a strange feeling creeps up her spine. "That's weird. It's summer but it feels like winter up here, maybe worse," she thought. Since she's visited the house more times than anyone could count, she makes a beeline towards Shuuichi's room. During her trip, she can feel the aura of the hallway getting colder and colder. "Yep. Suu'chi's definitely behind this," she concludes. Inside his bedroom, Shuuichi is once again in deep thought about the recent events that took place. He's confused. He wants to feel sad and cry over the loss of his father, but at the same time, he wants to brush it off. His thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the door, "Suu'chi? Are you in there? It's me, Kiyoni."

"Hmm," he responds.

"I don't know what that 'hmm' means so I'm coming in." Kiyoni enters the room and finds her friend sitting in complete darkness. "Why are you sitting in the dark, Suu'chi," she asks turning on a light.

"Turn that off," Shuuichi demands.

Kiyoni gives Shuuichi her own version of a "screw you" face, "I will not. You're gonna talk to me, Minamino and you're gonna talk to me now. I came in here for two reasons, one: because you're my best friend and two: your mom asked me to."

Shuuichi sits in silence as Kiyoni closes the door. She climbs onto his bed and sits on her knees right next to him. "We can stay here all night if you like. I'm sure our parents won't mind," she states, "I'm not leaving until you talk to me."

Shuuichi finally gives into her demands, "Kiyoni? What am I supposed to do, now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I never experienced this before, the loss of a close family member. I don't know what to do or how to handle it."

Kiyoni sighs, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, my mommy says that your dad is going to a better place."

"A better place, huh? Too bad it won't be demon world."

"Ugh! You need to stop thinking about that world."

"Why?"

"Because, you idiot, you're not a demon anymore. You're a human boy. A human boy who has an awesome mom who loves you and a best friend who's there for you no matter what. You're also a human boy who's just lost his dad. Things like that hurts, but you can't just say 'screw it' and make plans to leave."

"Why not? I'm sure that woman would be just fine without me."

Kiyoni slaps Shuuichi upside his head, "Are you listening to yourself? Your mom would be destroyed if you leave now. The two most important people in her life have huge spots in her heart. One of those spots is empty now. She can't afford to lose you too."

"You didn't have to hit me," Shuuichi rubs his head.

"Yes I did. It's called 'common sense'. Look, Suu'chi, not having a dad around is gonna suck for a while, but you still have your mom and my dad, too. He does consider you to be his second son. Huh, I wonder if that'll make you my second brother."

Shuuichi starts to laugh a little, "Second brother…" his laughing later changes to crying.

"Ah! You're crying!"

"Yeah," he wipes his tears, "I don't know why, but it feels like my heart hurts. It sucks because my dad died because of his. I don't know how to handle this, Kiyoni."

Kiyoni rushes to hug her friend as she begins to cry with him, "You live, Suu'chi. That's all you can do. That's all your dad would want you to do. You go on and whatever love you had for your dad, you give to your mom. The two of you are gonna need each other, a lot, for a little while. And if that's not enough, you got me to run to."

"It hurts, Kiyoni. It really hurts." Shuuichi sobs in Kiyoni's embrace as she sobs with and for him.

A few hours pass. As the commotion dies down, Ava wonders about the two children. "You think everything's alright up there," she asks as she looks at the stairs.

"I'll go check," Akio walks upstairs. Upon entering Shuuichi's room, he notices something too innocent to interrupt. Returning downstairs, he's greeted by Ava and Shiori.

"Is everything alright," Shiori questions, hopeful for some good news.

"Well, would it be alright if you had two children in your home, tonight," Akio asks back.

"Akio, what's going on," Ava interrogates.

"Shuuichi and Kiyoni are out for the night. It seems our little girl has gotten through to him. They ended up crying themselves to sleep. Hm, those two are definitely something," he concludes.

Receiving the good news she was hoping for, Shiori responds, "Yes! Of course, Kiyoni can stay here. She's always welcome. I knew she can do it." She sheds a few tears of joy, "Thank you so much for having a daughter like her. She has one of the biggest hearts I know."

"Well, your son is just as special," Ava states, "It's getting late. We should head home. Akio will come by to pick her up tomorrow."

"That's just fine. Thank you for all you've done, the both of you," says a grateful Shiori. Akio and Ava take another bow and depart, Tai waits for them outside. Before calling it a night, Shiori takes another look at her late husband, "You'll be greatly missed. However, I think Shuuichi and I will be okay. With friends like the Ikeda family, we'll be just fine."

The next day, Shiori and Shuuichi witness the cremation of the late husband and father. Akio and Kiyoni attend the event per special request from Shiori. Shuuichi holds Kiyoni's hand throughout the entire procedure as he says his final goodbye to the human he called, 'dad'.


Again, this is totally different from my previous chapters. This one is a take on the prompt: Young Kurama contemplates his life with a father. In this case, it's life without one. This is also inspired by chapter sixteen on my original fic, "A Friendship Restored". I hope this hits you right in the feels as it did for me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to do away with my mountain of tissues *sniff*.