"Do you think we should tell him?"
Samekichi perked up a bit at Wadanohara's voice, looking down at where she was nestled against his side. She had a frown on her lips and her brows furrowed some, having lost interest in her book a while ago.
"Tell him about what?" She closed the novel to look up at the shark.
"You know what. Please don't act like you don't because I know very well you do."
The familiar sighed, pinching the space bewteen his eyes. He could tell this would be one of those conversations he really did not want to talk about.
"I do...we don't tell him."
"Why not? After what happened at Cherryblod's don't you think he'll ask again?" Wadanohara sat up to properly look at Samekichi, brows turned up in concern. "He has the right to know, Samekichi."
"Wada, I doubt he'll like what we tell him anyway so we might as well spare him hearing it." The shark curled one hand into a fist in order to keep himself calm and fight down the urge to raise his voice. Not only would he wake Lucas but he hated yelling in front of Wadanohara.
"That hardly seems fair to Lucas! If he asks about his father than he should hear the truth!"
"And what exactly is the truth, Wadanohara?" He asked, a little bit more snarl in his voice than he was hoping for. "That his dad was a traitor? That he single handedly destroyed the barrier and allowed a couple hundred people to die in a singe hour? That he tried to kill you?" He didn't realize that he was for a fact raising his voice with each accusation until he saw the witch flinch away with tears climbing to her eyes. He sighed heavily, already able to feel the guilt setting in as he pulled her close again. "I'm sorry."
"No. No, you're right. Lucas wouldn't want to hear any of that. He shoudn't have to...we won't tell him."
"He doesn't deserve to have that hanging over his head." There was still the nagging fear that Lucas would ask about his dad again once he got older, more curious and confused as to why he wasn't around. But he didn't need to know what his father was. Who he was.
But for now he was four. Too young and innocent to learn half of where his genetic coding had come from. For now he would go about his days coloring and dreaming up impossible things.
At no point in time would Lucas ever know about Sal.
No one would speak his name or say what he did. As far as Lucas was concerned; Sal never existed.
"That is a very drastic move on Samekichi's part." Uomi sipped her tea, Wadanohara and Tatsumiya sitting on either side of her and Lucas off with another of the royal staff so he may go read or play in safe hands while he was discussed about behind closed doors.
"Yes, I know. But believe me, he only has Lucas' well-being in mind."
"We understand that," Tatsumiya interjected. "But this is something I would have never seen him considering. Keeping Lucas in the dark like this?" Wadanohara sighed heavily.
"It's so unfair to him. I would rather tell Lucas so that he might learn from it; become something Sal only pretended to be. But it seems Samekichi doesn't want him to know he was even here before."
A warm hand on her shoulder stopped the witch from her short rant and she looked up to the Princess when she gave a gentle squeeze.
"I understand that through personal experience you know what it is like to grow up without a father. And I understand that you want to do everything in your power to help Lucas grow up the best he can-" She pulled back and folded her hands in her lap again. "-But I agree with Samekichi."
"Princess?" Tatsumiya asked exasperated. Uomi held up a hand.
"Let me explain. To keep Lucas in the dark completely is nothing I wish to see, but to limit his knowledge of his father's actions are within better intentions. What I mean is, if Lucas asks about his father, and he asks for the truth, then we are inclined to tell him everything. Until then-" She rest her hands on the table top, looking to her closest friends. "-He remains unaware of Sal's true identity."
"Will you read me a story, Uncle Same?" Samekichi was just about to flick off the light in his nephew's room until the boy spoke up and he turned to see him sitting up in bed with the blanket clutched in his tiny fists.
"A story, eh?" He asked as he went back to him and sat on the edge of his bed. The boy smiled up at him and nodded eagerly.
"Yeah! One of Aunty Wada's stories!"
"Then I should go get Wadanohara."
"No!" Lucas grabbed onto Samekichi's arm, clinging to him and giving him his best puppy dog look. "I want you to tell me a story, Samekichi. Please?"
He could never say no when Lucas gave him that face and he gave in with little fight, settling beside him and letting the boy curl up against him ready to listen. But before he began, Samekichi glances out the window, and through the waves he saw a giant orb in the sky that glowed brightly and sent light dancing over the water.
"The moon's full tonight..." Just like that night all those years ago. "...I think you'll like this story, kid." He looked down to Lucas was who still waiting patiently, bi-colored eyes wide in excitement. "Because this is a story about a witch..."
Lucas yawned as he walked through the door, dropping his bag on the ground and kicking off his shoes. It was late. Way later than he knew Samekichi ever wanted him home by. But it seemed the house was empty of any other sharks, witches, and familiars. So technically, he was home on time and off the hook.
He slipped on his headphones and turned on his music, knodding to the beat and beginning to dance his way into the kitchen for something to eat before he went to bed. He was hungry.
He muttered the lyrics under his breath as he rummaged around in the fridge, deciding on just warming up some left over take out that Chlomaki had brought over some days ago. Fried rice with lobster sauce? Yes please.
"Your feet stuck in the sinking sand, your mind is reeling, shaky hands," He hummed as he tapped on the counter and waited for the microwave. He made sure to keep his music low enough that he would be able to hear the tell-tale ding of his dinner. However he heard the door first and he shifted one ear-piece off so that he could listen.
Yup, those were footsteps.
"Ay, I'm in here!" He called before going back to his music and humming. He knew Samekichi was going to be a little peaved as to why he was up so late, but he would deal with the rant. Right now his priority was food.
Couldn't that microwave be any faster damnit?
Lucas never had the chance to realize just what was happening before it was too late. He never saw the bright red eyes staring into the back of his head or the way the intruder raised a small bat up above his head.
Just as the microwave beeped, the bat came down over Lucas' head, the teen yelping as he went down. His headphones were knocked to the ground, still faintly playing the last song he had been listening too. He shook his head, vision doubling and splitting pain spreading through his cranium.
That was not Samekichi.
He turned onto his back just in time to see the bat come down again and for darkness to settle over his eyes as he slumped against the tiles.
