I don't own free or it's characters

"Hey Sei, come over here a second." Rin called to his nephew who was playing the garden with his dog Mac.

Running up the few steps Sei took a seat on the bench bedside his uncle, Mac joining them and laying at their feet.

"I want to tell you a story that I think your old enough to hear now." Rin told the 11 year old boy. The boy nodded in return. "It's about your Mama and your Papa." Sei's golden eye's seemed to spark to life at the mention of his parents.

Rin settled into the bench looking out over the back garden, already lost in a story that had not even begun. "It hadn't been love at first sight for Gou, but Seijuro would tell her over and over that it had been for him. He'd known that she would been the only woman he would ever love from the moment he laid his eye's upon her. He tried every trick known to man to try get a date from her, but Gou hadn't given an inch. She was always stubborn you see?" Rin said, smirking thinking about how she's never lost that suborn side.

"It wasn't until Gou had found him waiting at the train station for her with flowers, during one of the worst storms Samezuka had seen in years, that she realised that this man was a catch worthy of any woman. What started as one date, turned in a relationship and soon the two were married."

"Were they happy?" Sei asked looking out into the garden as if seeing the whole thing play out before his eye's.

"Married life suited Gou, her life was complete and it was added bonus when the two found out they were to be parents." Smiling down at the lad who looked to his uncle in wonder.

"Me!" Sei said.

"Of course you." Rin said running his fingers threw the boys red hair the same shade as his father.'s "I've never seen your father beaming with that much pride before." Rin confided, before his face lost the happiness it once held.

"The war had come as a surprise to us all. Any well able man was called to the line, which meant Seijuro didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Gou had been almost ready to pop when me, along with you father, and many other's were drafted into the army."

"He never got to meet me, did he?" Sei asked looking down, Mac whined and nudged his hand trying to comfort the boy.

Having decided to tell him the truth Rin nodded even though Sei wasn't looking at him. "No he didn't. Your uncle Momo and I were there the day Seijuro got his first picture of you. I think the whole camp seen your picture that day, Seijuro had gone around bragging to everyone about you."

Rubbing his bad knee Rin continued. "I was badly injured and sent home, I stayed with Gou and it was while I was there that we got the bad news." Rin paused and smiled sadly as Sei. "Your dad had died, Momo placed the photo of you and your Mama in his breast pocket, then they'd buried him down by the creek, where he used to sit and write your Mama letters." Sighing Rin wiped the tears that had slowly started to fall down Sei's cheeks. "Gou had planned for the two of them to grow old together and what a wonderful thing it would have been."

"Sei?" Sei wiped at his eye's and turned to his Mama looking at him sadly with tears in her own eye's. "Come here." She said holding her arms open for him. He wasted not a second running into the comforting arms of his Mama. "Your Father would be so proud of you."

"I wish he wasn't so far away." Sei cried quietly into the folds of his mother's dress.

"Its not really true about him buried so far away, where he really lays is right here." Gou tapped over her heart before tapping over Sei's heart. "Now, come inside. Your father wrote some letter's to you and I think it's time you finally read them." Gou said leading Sei and Mac inside.

Rin stayed seated on the bench watching them go, finally when they were out of sight he turned back out the garden. "You made a fine kid Captain, you should be proud.." Rin said softly, unaware that the spirit of Seijuro was stood watching over his little family, ever watchful of the woman he loved and their son.

Thanks for reading and Review