The Sun Scratched in the Stars

A Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS fanfic

Summary: A boy on the run from a dangerous home situation falls asleep at a dojo in the countryside. Discovered and taken in by the owners, he grows to understand what love – and loss of that love – truly means, with the help of a rambunctious, fiery-spirited boy close to his age.

Chapter 10

Kamishirakawa Residence

Kiku hummed, skipping down the hall and hearing Mama and Papa's muffled voices as she got closer to the kitchen bathed in the late afternoon sun. She felt a sad tone in the voices. Very serious. It stopped her in her tracks. Should she talk with them? Serious talk made her feel icky inside, and she wanted no part of that. But then she thought about Takeru, about how much she missed his bubbly laugh and wide smile, how much she missed his hand in hers when he would get spooked, how much she missed him. It was the longest the two of them had been apart since they met, and Kiku didn't like it one bit.

She made up her mind. She was going to find out what Mama and Papa talked with the Homuras about, even if the mood scared her.

Finding her parents by Benji's crib, Kiku once again snaked past the toy landmine to the space between Mama, who was holding Benji, and Papa. She studied their faces—Mama's creased at the forehead, Papa's serious and full of concern. It was as she thought. But she had to be stronger if she was going to find out if she was going to see Takeru anytime soon.

"Welcome back!" Kiku said cheerily.

Papa's eyes instantly softened as he bent down to her level, smoothing the top of her head. "We're back, Kiku. Thank you for waiting."

"Are you ready for lunch?" Mama asked. Kiku nodded halfway before remembering what she was there for. She turned to Mama.

"What did you two talk with the Homuras about? Was Takeru there?" Kiku rattled off, trying to get as many questions in as possible. "I really want to see him again!"

Mama and Papa looked at each other with unhappy faces. Kiku's heart sank a level. Papa turned back to her as Mama, sleeping Benji still in her arms, walked towards a rocking chair in the kitchen and sat down, the silence occasionally interrupted by the creak-creak-creeeeeaking of the chair.

Papa cleared his throat. "You'll be able to see Takeru soon, Kiku. We promise you that," he said. "But we have to find Ryoken first."

"But why?" Kiku blurted out. "What does that have to do with anything? Takeru is annoyed by Ryoken, right? So why?"

Papa cleared his throat again. "Well, er . . . that's right, Kiku. But—"

"—people can change, Kiku," Mama's gentle voice came in. "Even someone bouncing off the walls like Takeru. We thought we could finally let you see him while we searched for Ryoken, since it isn't good for him to be by himself. But . . ."

"But?"

"He . . ." Mama trailed off, and Benji cooed in his sleep. Mama sighed heavily, which was unlike her. "He doesn't want to see anyone else. He wants to see Ryoken."

Kiku's eyes softened. She knew it. The adults might have been confused as to why, but, even for her five-year-old brain, it was perfectly clear. Something about Ryoken attracted him, and the other way around was true. And because of that, she had no chance of seeing her best friend if Ryoken didn't go back to the Homuras.

Kiku wanted to know how much Takeru had changed, how much he wanted to see Ryoken. So, she asked, "Did Takeru really say that? Did you see him?"

"We did," was the reply from Papa. "He was holding his grandparents' hands as we were talking with them and Ryoko and Hisahito. But he seemed so . . . quiet. Not like himself at all."

"Until he heard Ryoken's name," Mama lightly laughed. "One moment, he's determined not to give the poor boy a chance, the next? He's crying for him. 'Let me see him, let me see him,' he kept saying." Mama adjusted her hold on Benji so that his head was on her shoulder. "Even with Ryoko reminding him they couldn't see each other, Takeru kept at it. Truly a curious little boy."

Kiku hummed. That was that. Kiku's next phase of her grand plan was to get Ryoken to the Homuras soon. She might not have Ryoken fully figured out yet, and Ryoken couldn't tell her some things for whatever reason. But if he were with Takeru, if the three of them could be together once more, she could find the missing pieces.

It was no longer only about her. It was about Takeru. And as much as she teased him about him sobbing all the time, it bothered her knowing Takeru was so upset about Ryoken being gone when Ryoken was right here, even if no one knew but her and Ryoken. But the key was getting Ryoken out of the house and to Takeru. Ryoken seemed to be in no hurry to leave, yet he must know by now Kiku could only keep him hidden from her parents, from the Homuras, from the world for so long.

As Mama and Papa prepared lunch, Kiku thought of her next move.

Ryoken had pulled out a different book to read this time. The other book he was reading—full of numbers and formulas and theories—had given him a headache. He's so close to being done with that book too. Only fifty more pages. But every time he thought about picking it up, dread filled his soul, as if it were a difficult duty that he didn't want. So, he needed to swap books. Fortunately, he thought to stuff more than one book in his satchel.

This other book was far more interesting than the numbers and formulas and theories. It was a fiction book, Dr. Taki had told him—or whispered to him, rather. If Father had known Ryoken was reading anything other than bulky textbooks, Father wouldn't have been pleased. But if Father could read not-textbook books, why couldn't he? Surely, the entire world wasn't contained in formulas and numbers and codes slapped on pages bound by heavy felt covers that Ryoken could barely lift himself.

So, in the confines of the pale blue walls, made even brighter by the sunlight, Ryoken abandoned his dull, bulky textbook for the bright green fiction book of whimsical, fantastical folktales and fairytales full of colorful people and creatures who may or may not have existed at some point in time. He always liked that there was something to learn, some lesson that he should take to heart. It made him feel smarter, wiser with each tale, each read of each tale. Of course, he's already finished the book many times over—the tales weren't hard reads at all. Millions and millions of books out there in the world yet to be discovered, but Ryoken couldn't seem to let this one vanish from his mind—or rather, it refused to leave.

Ryoken was in the middle of re-reading "The White Hare and the Crocodiles" when he heard a soft knock at the door and jumped out of his skin, dropping the book on the floor, his beige napkin bookmark in the wrong spot. He sighed as the door opened, revealing Kiku with two white bento boxes with dark blue swirls on the sides.

"Lunch time, Ryoken!" Kiku announced, her grin stretching from ear to ear. She put one box in front of Ryoken, then sat down and put the other in front of her. Looking carefully at Ryoken, she hummed as she opened her box.

"You like to read?"

Ryoken slowly nodded as he pushed his fairytale book aside and opened his bento box, the steam from the meatballs warming his face. He poked the chicken cutlets and omelet with his chopsticks. It'd been a long, long time since he'd seen food like this. He usually got frozen-to- microwave food that either Father or Dr. Taki got for all of his meals, and while that was edible enough, it was nothing like what was in front of him. Kiku smiled.

"This . . . isn't your first time having food like this, is it?" she asked.

"No, but—" Ryoken continued to poke the meatballs. Very squishy. "—it's been so long since I've had any of this. I mean, the Homuras' food is great, but it's mostly fish and veggies—"

Kiku laughed. "City people don't eat this good all the time, huh?"

Ryoken thought about the two hot dogs he had in the city he was in, dribble threatening to fall out of his mouth. He immediately swallowed it and shook his head. "That's not true! It's . . ." he frowned. "When I get food from Father, it's nothing like this."

"A lousy cook," said Kiku. Ryoken didn't respond, so she put her hands together. "Thanks for the food!" Ryoken imitated her, and both ate their food silently, Kiku devouring her contents in record speed as Ryoken divided everything in his bento box in pieces, savoring each bite. He wasn't sure he'd get food like this ever again—he had to enjoy it. Everything melted in his mouth, leaving behind all sorts of sweet, salty, sour tastes. He was so busy trying to enjoy his food, Ryoken wasn't halfway done with his meal before Kiku had finished hers. This wasn't unnoticed by Kiku, of course.

"Sloooooooow, Ryoken," Kiku sighed.

"I'm not slow. You're just too fast," Ryoken retorted, shoving the last of the meatball in his mouth. "I like enjoying my food, thank you very much."

"Heh?" Kiku widened her eyes. "But if you take too long, the food gets really cold! You gotta eat fast. Careful so the food doesn't get stuck, but fast."

"Really? My food's fine now, even though it's been several minutes."

Kiku huffed. "Whatever, Ryoken. Do what you want."

Ryoken held back pressure bubbling in his throat as he swallowed the last of the omelet, but a snicker still escaped—again, not unnoticed by Kiku's strong ears.

"Did you just laugh?"

Ryoken shoved the last of his rice in his mouth, another laugh threatening to escape. "N-No?" Kiku glared at him for a few moments before getting up with her empty bento box and she looked at his, reaching out her hand.

"You done?"

Ryoken nodded as he gave her the empty box, and Kiku made her way to the door. She stood by the handle for a few seconds, smiling. Ryoken tilted his head and blinked.

"You know," she said as she reached for the handle, "you really are a lot like Takeru." Not waiting for a reply, she disappeared to the other side, leaving Ryoken to think on what she meant. That didn't make sense. There's no way he was anything like him. The two were polar opposites! As he leaned against the side of the bed, a fuzzy sensation overtook his brain, his eyes drooping. Not even the door opening again and Kiku reappearing startled him this time. Kiku sat next to him, knees against her chest as the two sat in silence, the muffled sound of people excitedly talking breaching through the blue walls.

"Ryoken."

Ryoken turned towards Kiku, her dark brown eyes concerned, hurt. "What's wrong, Kiku?"

Kiku took a deep breath and exhaled, tears clinging to the corners of her eyes, and Ryoken prepared for any possible answer she could give him.

"You need to go back to Takeru."

Well, that was an answer Ryoken hadn't prepared for.

"What's this all of a sudden?" Ryoken asked, folding his arms tightly around his chest. "I told you. I . . . I can't go back there. Not now."

"But Takeru needs you!"

Ryoken's back stiffened, throat tightening but he didn't verbally respond. That couldn't have been right. Takeru said that things were better off without him. Even with the adults looking for him, Takeru didn't mind that he was gone. Takeru shouldn't. It wouldn't make sense otherwise. There's no way what Kiku was saying was true. Well, she wouldn't lie to him, but she couldn't have been right about Takeru—not after all that Takeru's said and done to him.

A tiny part of Ryoken's heart, however, clung onto the possibility that maybe Kiku was telling the truth. Or maybe it was Ryoken being selfish, once again wanting to go against his reason.

"You . . . you don't know that." Ryoken didn't believe what he was saying.

"But I do!" Kiku said right back, shattering Ryoken's doubts. "Mama and Papa told me! He wants to see you so so so soooo much."

Ryoken looked at the plush, fuzzy green rug he was sitting on, his heart beating a little bit faster. Takeru practically pushed him out of the Homuras and Ryoken merely went along, but now he wants to see him? What's going on? It didn't make sense. But neither did Ryoken also wanting to see him again, to be close to him. Neither of them made sense to the other to the point of them screaming and yelling, yet, now that they're apart, they want to see each other.

Nothing made sense.

What was it about Takeru Ryoken—or his heart, rather—was holding on to? What was it about Ryoken that Takeru was reaching, crying, yelling for?

Ryoken, at that moment, wanted to go back. He wanted to go back not only to find the answers to his heart's burning, its fast beating, but for Takeru. Even if he could only see him for a few seconds, that would be better than nothing. Anything would be better than wallowing, drowning in this sea of doubt and uncertainty without him. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, for sure, he would go back. He'd apologize to the Homuras, and he'd ask for Takeru and wouldn't take no for an answer. And then . . .

Then what?

Ryoken shook his head. He'd figure that out later. He had to get back first.

"Okay," Ryoken exhaled.

Kiku blinked. "'Okay,' what?"

"I'll go back to Tak-the Homuras," Ryoken sighed. "But tomorrow. Let me stay here until tomorrow." He swallowed. "Please. If it's not too much trouble."

Kiku stared at Ryoken for a few seconds, blinking occasionally. Then she smiled. "Sure, Ryoken. You can stay." He sighed in relief as Kiku moved to in front of him. "But why tomorrow? Why not right now?"

Ryoken folded his hands, curious about Kiku's persistence. "I . . . I'm not ready to face him. Them."

"Why not?"

"Because . . ." Ryoken let his sentence trail off. He had his reasons for running. Those same reasons kept him from the Homuras. Kiku only stared at him, however, expecting an answer, so Ryoken had no choice but to finish his sentence. "Because I'm afraid. Afraid of what they'll say. What they'll do."

"But the Homuras aren't like that!" Kiku replied, as expected. "They just want to see you safe!"

Ryoken closed his eyes. "Maybe if you were the one that ran away, yeah. But you weren't the one who showed up out of nowhere. You weren't the one who got in trouble for fighting with Takeru, for . . ." Ryoken swallowed, ". . . for attacking him."

"Ryoken–"

"Maybe Takeru does want to see me, but—" Ryoken wiped his nose with his sleeve, "—but why? Does he want to get back at me for hurting him? I'm scared, Kiku. I don't know."

"Come on, Ryoken, will you listen?!"

Ryoken snapped even more to attention, the trembling in Kiku's voice hitting him in the heart. Kiku's eyes were tearing in the corners, and Ryoken frowned. He didn't know how to talk with others without making them cry.

"I keep telling you the Homuras are nice!" she said. "They would never do anything bad to a child. Never! If I never met them, I—"

Ryoken's eyes widened. Had he been wrong about the Homuras, even with as long as he had stayed with them? Kiku's family and they seemed to be close, so it'd make sense Kiku would know more about the Homuras than Ryoken did. After all, Ryoken had been on that island his entire life, dependent on what Father and his coworkers said about the outside world. And Ryoken believed in, hung on, clung to every word. The people outside weren't necessarily bad—they only didn't know any better and were prone to hurting others. But Father and his coworkers knew better, so Ryoken needed to stay with them.

But Ryoken, as with everything else he'd been told, wondered how much of that was true. It was time, he decided, to let go of what Father and his coworkers told him. What Ryoken knew was wrong. What he knew was hurting others, and he wanted to change. And to do that, he was first going to find the truth.

"What . . ." Ryoken sighed, ". . . are the Homuras like then?"

Kiku dried her tears with a plush blue blanket and sniffled, a smile replacing her unhappy expression. "The nicest, most loving family I know!" she said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "They might argue sometimes, but they really want what's best for the family and for everyone here in town. They're so thoughtful and caring and loving, especially Mama Homura and Takeru." Kiku laughed. "Mama Homura really goes over the top sometimes too, with how loud she can get and everything. It can be a little much to others, but Takeru and me don't mind."

Ryoken closed his eyes, thinking back on that night. "I can see that."

Kiku smiled. "And Mama Homura gives the best hugs!" Then she hummed. "I guess Takeru's up there too. But Papa Homura and Homura ojii-chan and Homura obaa-chan really are nice too. Tough a lot of times, especially Homura ojii-chan. But they mean well. That's how they are: a loving, funny, bubbly family."

Ryoken noticed a sparkle in Kiku's eyes as she talked about the Homuras, the way he must've looked when he talked about Father to Dr. Aso or Dr. Taki when he was small—well, smaller. But Kiku wasn't related to the Homuras, so Ryoken didn't understand how Kiku could feel like that about people not related to her.

"How did you meet the Homuras anyway?" Ryoken asked.

Kiku kicked her legs. "Welllll, it's a long story."

Ryoken smiled. "I got time."

Kiku then looked towards the picture—the one of her and Takeru as younger kids—on her dresser, then smiled back.

"One time, I ran away from home on accident."

"Accident?" Ryoken's eyebrows shot up.

"Yup. There was this really pretty yellow butterfly. I really, really, really wanted to catch it. So, I kept after it. Before I knew it, I was very, very, very far from home." Kiku laughed. "I was so far away, the mountains—poof—were gone. And I got so scared. Mama says as long as I can see the mountains, I can find my way back. But that day, they were gone."

Ryoken sat straighter. "So what did you do?"

Kiku pouted, her face dusted with a light shade of red. "I sat on the grass and cried," she mumbled, as if not wanting to admit it. "I was really scared, Ryoken. What if I never saw Mama or Papa again? What if I never got home? It made me so sad."

Ryoken closed his eyes, thinking how scared he was to leave Father all those months back. But Ryoken was special—that was something he had to do. He couldn't help but feel bad for Kiku, though, being upset over being so far from where she wanted to be. It wasn't that much different, Ryoken realized, from how he was feeling about returning to the Homuras.

"Then what happened?"

Kiku smiled. "Then Takeru showed up, crawling on the grass. That was the first time I saw anyone else my age. I got so scared, I stopped crying. I can keep it together when I get scared, you know. Then Takeru asked if I was okay. Then I cried again. I told him I really wanted to go home. But I cried so much, it probably sounded like sobbing. The next thing I knew, Takeru was patting me on the head, telling me it was okay." Kiku paused. "It was the first time anyone other than Mama or Papa was that kind to me."

"Even though you two just met?" Ryoken's mouth hung open.

"Takeru is like that," Kiku laughed. "That was also when I met Mama and Papa Homura. They told Takeru to leave me alone, thinking he was messing with me. But Takeru told them I was lost, that I wanted to go home, that I was scared. So, after Mama Homura cheered me up, the Homuras helped me get home." Kiku's face softened.

Ryoken relaxed against the side of the bed. "The Homuras helped you out, even though they didn't know you at first?"

"Yup yup! That's how they are," Kiku nodded. "Then Homura ojii-chan and Homura obaa-chan even cooked a small meal for me, since we stopped at their house along the way. It was so good! Not that I remember what it was now. But after going through that, anything tasted good."

Ryoken sighed. "But they treated you nicely because they didn't know you. How are they going to treat someone they know who's run away?"

Kiku groaned and kicked her legs, louder than Ryoken had expected.

"Why don't you get it, Ryoken?" Kiku whined. "I keep telling you! The Homuras are nice!"

"R-right . . ." Ryoken mumbled. She was right, though. He didn't understand. Yes, the Homuras took him in when he was outside that night. They gave him a place to stay. They fed him. They made sure he was comfortable. But it didn't matter. From what Kiku was saying, they could do that for anybody. Ryoken wasn't special.

Kiku must've sensed Ryoken's doubt, the way she peered at him. "You still think that's not true."

Ryoken looked away. "It's not that I don't think they're nice. They . . . they've done so much for me too. It's . . ." Ryoken folded his arms. "Well, you were there! That time!" When Kiku blinked, he continued, "When they wanted to send me back to Father! They wanted to get rid of me then. What if they still feel that way?"

"Ryoken . . ." Kiku's shoulders slouched. "That was a long, looooong time ago. They clearly changed their minds."

"But—"

"Stop looking for excuses," Kiku said with a bluntness that froze Ryoken in place. Then, shaking her head, she said, "Your papa, the other people you lived with . . . maybe they never told you. But sometimes, people just care about each other, no reason needed. That's how the Homuras are. They just care."

Ryoken smiled, relaxing his arms. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?"

"Not until you go back to Takeru," Kiku huffed.

Ryoken sighed deeply and stared at the picture of Takeru and Kiku on Kiku's dresser. After everything that's happened, after everything Kiku's told him, his heart pounded at a faster pace. This—This was the feeling he had after that fight with Takeru. It didn't make sense. He had been scared, nerves all over the place then. Its beating like that at the thought of seeing Takeru again was ridiculous. It wasn't normal.

But, this place, this town was anything but normal. Ryoken couldn't compare it to a normal he experienced if he tried. No matter where Ryoken would've ended up if not in this town, it wouldn't have been normal. Yet, Ryoken tried to make it a normal he was used to, and, time and time again, it failed.

Kiku was right. Ryoken had to be here. If he didn't feel safe going back to Father, if he was questioning everything Father, Dr. Taki, Dr. Genome, and Dr. Aso taught him, the answer was simply to let go of it all and accept the way things were here, taking in even what he didn't understand. Why the Homuras were being so nice to him, why Takeru wanted to see him if not to find out what happened that night—he needed to accept that the reason was because that's how it was.

He wouldn't be afraid of the unknown or his heart anymore.