Counting the Number From Light to Sound

Makoto looked over her son's homework. Pleased with his progress she announced it was time for a much-anticipated study break and played an episode of his favorite cartoon.

Shin kneaded the cushion he was sitting on.

"Today, in class, we talked about what we want to be when we grow up."

"Oh? And what did you say?" she responded, folding her legs.

Shin flapped his arms excitedly and chirped, "I wanna be a rich person!"

"T-that's an amazing goal, Shin."

"Then I can take care of you and Dad when you're old!"

His mother beamed. "Thank you. That's very thoughtful of you. But we want you to be happy. If you can find happiness in your future, that's enough for us."

"Okay, but what jobs are there if I wanna get rich? Like, really rich?" he asked, continuing to wave his arms.

Makoto put a hand on her chin and with a sly grin said, "A politician is one."

"The teacher said politicians are bad," was her son's instant reply.

"No, Shin. Not all politicians are bad. That's what your father does for a living. You know that, don't you?"

"Is Dad a bad politician?"

"No," she said, with a warm chuckle. "He's a good one."

"Because Mom would keep Dad in check if he ever got out of line! You'd throw him in the slammer and throw away the key!"

"I suppose there's that…" she hummed with an even slyer grin. "Hold on, have you been watching old cop shows with your father? ...Without me?"

Shin's eyes grew wide and watery. "Did I get him in trouble?"

"Well, you know your father. Either he's in trouble or he's going to be."

Shin's lower lip quivered. Makoto tousled his hair.

"I'm joking. Really. There's no need to worry. He's fine." She clapped her hands together. "Oh, yes! You wanted to know what other jobs make a lot of money? How about lawyers?"

"Lawyers are bad."

"No, Shin. Lawyers are not bad. That's what your aunt does for a living."

Shin's eyes sparkled. "Auntie Sae is a lawyer?"

"Oh? Do you want to be a lawyer like Auntie Sae?"

"I dunno, but if Auntie Sae is a lawyer then lawyers are cool!" he exclaimed, flapping his arms in excitement once again.

"Y-yes, they are!"

Wait - no comment for your father?

He swung his legs to and fro. "Or maybe I'll be a cop just like you!"

A dear old memory welled up within her heart. She embraced her son deeply before he could see that outflow of emotions fill her eyes.

"Mom?"

"That's an admirable dream, Shin. It truly is. But it can be a dangerous line of work so mom would rather you aim for something else first."

"You don't want me to be a cop? I'll be super, extra careful! I promise!"

"I know, I know." She patted his head. "You're only five years old. You have lots of time to think about what you want to be when you grow up. There's a big world out there that's worth exploring before you make your decision. But if you're still interested in becoming an officer, we can talk more when you're older."

"When? When?" he chirped.

"Hmm...maybe in ten years?"

"Ten years! I'll be an old man by then!" he wailed.

"No, no you will not."

"Yes, I will! I'll have to grow a beard and shave it off!"

"You'll grow taller is what will happen." Makoto whisked a picture frame off one of the living room displays. "Look, here's a picture of your father when he was sixteen. You'll probably look like this too."

"I know, Mom. I'm just kidding."

"Honestly…"

Even my son's smirk resembles his. But more innocent...

Shin eyes followed what was happening on screen for a bit, twiddling his fingers all the while. Presently he asked, "Dad's late. Is he giving a speech?"

"In the pouring rain? Of course n- yes. He might be." Makoto glanced at the window worriedly.

"We gotta get him an umbrella!"

Shin clambered to his feet and made for the hallway closet. His mother placed her arm in front of him.

"Your father will be alright."

"Wait! He didn't get to eat dinner with us and it's way past dinner time!" he gasped. "We gotta bring him a bento box!"

Shin pivoted and swiveled towards the kitchen. His mother set her hands on his shoulders.

"I'm sure he's eaten something by now."

She sighed with quiet amusement and rose from her seat, smoothing out her tunic as was her habit. "Speaking of which, I need to clean up. Those dishes won't dry themselves. You tell me what happens to the yakuza man, okay?"

"Yakuza-Kazuma!"
"Yes, Shin. Him." she giggled.

Shin trotted after her.

"Mom, can I stay up until Dad comes home?"

"Shin, we don't know how late he'll be and you need to be in bed by a certain time, right?" she said, folding her arms.

"Please, please, please!" He clapped his tiny hands together and dipped his head. "I promise I'll finish my homework early! I'll start right now!"

Makoto chuckled and planted one hand on her hip. "What about Yakuza-Kazuma?"

"Uhhh," Shin's eyes darted back and forth frantically between the TV and his notebooks. His loyalties were being tested.

She chuckled again and checked the time. "Well, we're on the second commercial break which means the episode is halfway through. If you promise to start your homework as soon as the show is over, I'll let you stay up for…another hour."

"Okay! Thanks, Mom!"

He pumped both fists and raced back to the coffee table. Makoto smiled watching her son jerk his head up at the TV and down at his homework, scribbling then erasing. She began rinsing the rest of the dishes in the sink and paused to take a quick glance out the window. The wind had picked up. Raindrops, large and splotchy, pelted the glass at a furious rate. In the space of a blink, a flash of lightning rent across the sky, blinding her for just an instant. She held still, gripping the plate between the towel in her hand. Thunder followed moments later, low and deep. She exhaled slowly and resumed her work. She wiped it dry, stacked it with the other clean plates, and picked up another plate.

"Come home soon, Dear." she murmured to herself.

...

There was a fizzle then a pop like someone pulled the cord.

"Ahh! The TV died! Yakuza-Kazuma killed the TV!"

"Oh, no!" His mother laughed from across the room, playing along.

Then everything went dark. Makoto thought she heard a thump. She immediately rushed over to her son.

"Shin! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Shin blinked calmly and looked up at his mother.

"Mom."
"Oh!" She held him tightly. "Thank goodness! Don't worry, it's going to be all right."

"I know, Mom." Shin patted her shoulder with his small hand. "Where's the lamp table?"

"Eh? You mean the side table? Over, around here..."

She pointed to her right and Shin drifted towards the side table, tugging her along. He ducked under the table and grabbed a cylindrical object. After a couple clicks, he produced a lantern.

"Look, Mom. We have light now. It's not scary anymore."

Makoto sighed with relief. "Yes, you're right. Were you scared?"

He gripped the lantern but shook his head. "Dad said, the scary times are when I have to be brave. So I can protect my family."

"Oh, Shin." She knelt down and smiled with full understanding. "You do want to be more like your father, don't you?"

The lantern illuminated Shin's young solemn face. He gave the tiniest of nods.

"Hello? Makoto! Son! Is anyone home?" Ren's voice called.

"Dad!"

Shin rushed off with the lantern. Makoto ran after him.

"Shin, slow down! Shin!"

"Dad! You're back! You're - eww!"

"Dear! You're soaking wet!"

Makoto skidded to a halt right in front of her husband and immediately began drying his face with the kitchen towel.

"It's nothing! Like a cold shower!" He laughed good-naturedly. "Sorry I'm late you two. None of the taxis were stopping and-"

"Never mind that!" said his wife. "Get changed before you catch a cold!"

Shin hoisted the lantern over his head so his mother could see better.

"Ohh, Shin! Making good use of that lantern, I see." His father said, grinning widely.

"Yup! Just like you told me to!" He nodded proudly.

"Tell you what, after I get changed we'll make hot chocolate. So grab all the blankets and pillows you can and pile it on the couch. It'll be like camping!"

"HOT CHOCOLATE! I LOVE BLACKOUTS!" Shin dashed off.

"Shin, don't run in the dark, please! We don't want you to trip! Geez!" She pouted at her husband. "You had to promise him hot chocolate."

Ren only chuckled. He clasped her shoulder warmly. "Are you alright?"

"I was more worried about you."

"Heh."

They exchanged warm smiles.

Makoto laid her hand over his and squeezed it. "I'm fine, Dear. Shin was with me. He's braver than I was when I was his age. Resourceful too, just like his father."

Ren chuckled again. "But smarter. Better looking too."

"Oh? You think so?" She laughed lightly and brushed his hair back. "Let's get you out of these wet clothes. Let me take your coat."

"Thanks."

After changing out of his wet clothes, and grabbing what they needed from the bedroom and kitchen, Ren, Makoto, and their son camped out in their living room. Shin had grabbed all the throw blankets and pillows and piled them high. His father helped make a tent then his mother wrapped them all in soft blankets, and handed them their mugs of hot chocolate. Shin sat snug between his parents, bouncing his feet all the while.

He pointed at the lantern.

"Campfire!"

He raised his arms towards the blanket roof over him and his parents.

"Tent!"

He lifted his mug with both hands.

"Hot chocolate!"

His parents chuckled and sipped their hot chocolate as their son pointed out other things in their "living room camp".

"This is the best day ever!" Shin declared, glugging his hot cocoa. "I hope we have blackouts every day! Or once a week!"

"That would be problematic, son. I couldn't give speeches."

"Don't worry, Dad. When I grow up, I'll be an electrician and turn on the emergency lights when you need them!"

"How dependable." Ren hummed.

"Shin was talking about what he wanted to be when he grew up." Makoto explained.
"Really? You wanna get into the exciting world of politics like your dad?" he said, flashing that oh-so-familiar smirk.

"Not really." His son gurgled into his mug.

"Oh…"

"I wanna be a police officer like Mom." he said with a wide smile.

"I approve." Ren's smile was just as wide.

"Dear! Don't encourage this. He doesn't know any-" Makoto caught herself and pursed her lips. "We need to talk about it more thoroughly before considering anything. It's a big decision after all."

"I know, Makoto." he said gently. "When that times comes, we'll have that talk. But for now, it's good for Shin to have that dream. Moreover, this is something every kid needs to think about: What do I want to be when I grow up?"

"Even you, Dad?"

Ren nodded. Shin balanced his mug on his knees.

"Did you know you were going to be a politician?"

"I didn't have any idea of what I wanted to be until I was in high school. But it was still just a dream. Ah… It's kind of a long story how I got where I am now."

He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at his wife. She smiled knowingly.

"How long?" asked Shin.

"Very long." responded his father.

"Very, very long?"

"Very, very, very long. Your mother's involved too." He gave Makoto a sly grin. "You could say, I'm here today because of her."

"Really?" he chirped excitedly.

"Yes, but let's save it for another time, shall we? If we started telling you now, we'd be talking all night. And we know when bedtime is, yes?" His mother said sweetly.

"Aww, okay." Shin pouted but nodded with understanding.

"Did you finish your hot chocolate? Let me take it for you."

She took it and handed her and Shin's cups to Ren who stretched out his arm and slid them on to the side table.

Shin let out a huge yawn.

"Uh-oh, someone's getting sleepy!" His mother teased.

"No, I'm not! I'm wide awake! Wide, wide, WIDE awake…"

His protests were interrupted by another huge yawn. His parents chuckled.

"Of course you are." said his father.

He felt his father's hands lift him and brought his head to rest on his lap. He was done protesting.

Shin lay comfortably on his side between his parents. He felt his father's large hand tousle his hair. He felt his mother tuck a comforter around his shoulders, cocooning him in warmth. Even though the power was dead, he knew he was safe, secure, and at peace. Listening to his mother and father conversing like any other day put him at ease and he began to doze off.

"Okay, Shin? Your mother has a tendency to panic when it's too dark. A power outage, for example. The best thing you can do for her, is to ask for her help with something. It'll get her to take her mind off what's scaring her."

Shin nodded, holding the unboxed lantern solemnly in both hands. His father ruffled his hair.

"Okay. I'll be counting on you."

"How come is Mom scared of the dark?"

His father hummed contemplatively before giving an answer. "Everyone's scared of something. That's why we need to look out for each other. Facing your fears isn't so bad when you've got a best friend by your side."

"Best friend? But Mom's…Mom."

"Right. What I mean here by 'best friend' is, the people you care about most. And you care about Mom, right?"

"Lots."

"Good boy. So do I. Both of you." he replied, smiling warmly at his son's candidness.

Shin nodded again and thought for a minute. He looked at the lantern cradled in his small hands, then looked at his father thoughtfully.

"Dad, what are you scared of?"

Ren merely chuckled and ruffled his hair once more before picking up his weathered messenger bag.

"I'm counting on you, son. I'll see you later."

Thunder rumbled, like drums marching across the sky. Makoto nestled her head on Ren's shoulder.

"I used to count the thunderclaps waiting for my father to come home. When the thunder and lightning seemed closer than he was, that's when it was the most frightening." she murmured.

He thought of Makoto, only a child curled up in her dark room, biting down so she wouldn't cry. He tucked the blanket around her and rubbed her shoulder.

"But he always came home." he murmured back.

"Yes," she whispered. "I knew he would and then everything would be okay. I just had to endure it a little longer."

"That's why you didn't let yourself cry." he said quietly, gazing at the floor.

Makoto laughed softly as lightning flashed, illuminating the room for a moment. She knew by his tone he wished he could have been there for her back then.

"I'm all right now. We're all right here. That was just one flash. And the thunder…"

She held up one finger and waited. Thunder followed half a minute later. "More than several kilometers away. We're not in any danger. This storm will pass."

"Hopefully soon and the power will come back."

"Mmm." She raised her head and smiled at him. "Now I count them waiting for you."

He laughed lightly at that. "Now I'm the one you're worried about?"

"Naturally. It doesn't feel like home until you're home."

Their son grunted a sleepy agreeable grunt. They laughed quietly.

"It was supposed to be a short meeting." he said apologetically. "Outline the main points for the second half of the campaign speech, go home."

"It it ever?" His wife remarked wryly but with understanding.

"Right?" he sighed. "Sorry. I keep making you wait for me."

Ren laid his hand over hers, looking fondly at Shin before returning his gaze to her.

"I made you wait. Then I made you wait some more."

Makoto squeezed his hand, following her husband's gaze.

"We both agreed it was better to wait when our lives were more stable. Then we'd have time to spend with our child. Be there when he needs us."

"You managed to get there. But me, I'm still…" He sighed quietly and ran one hand through his hair. "I can't be here all the time. That's why the least I can do is set things up so you two can live a comfortable life."

"Ren…"

"So, you and Shin take care of each other. Okay?"

Makoto knew that tone, that smile, tinged with a hint of loneliness.

"Don't say that. Don't say something so lonely." She held his hand over her heart. "Please don't count yourself out just because you can't be home all the time. Just because you're traveling a little more than you used to doesn't mean you're distant from us."

"I'm just trying to help however I can, Makoto." he said, still smiling that same smile.

"I know you are. You've done so much for us already."

She knew his next response would be something along the lines of "I can always do more", for it was what she would say if their positions were reversed. So she laced their fingers together and spoke in a warm, comforting tone - the way he always did for her.

"You'll get there, Dear. We've made this work. I remember when I was promoted to Chief Inspector, I worried over how I would meet all those endless responsibilities without sacrificing my marriage. Without sacrificing…you." She shook her head slightly. "But you helped me calm down when you told me to just focus on the things we could do at that time. It wasn't easy but we found a way. This is the same. Now it's your turn to focus on what you need to do, and my turn to support you until you reach your current goal."

"Ah, so we're taking turns. I thought it was supposed to be equal?" he asked, now wearing a teasing grin.

"It is though. You supporting me allows me to give my all supporting you. So don't you worry, okay?" she said coyly. "Though I said that… Looks like you worry about me just as much as I worry about you, huh?"

"I can't help it. We're a family, after all."

Her hand found his again.

"Thank you for telling me, Dear. Hey, what if we had more video calls whenever you're traveling? We can have lunch or dinner together (depending on the time) and chat. You won't miss a thing. Shin will make sure of that."

Ren grinned at that.

"I know it's not quite the same but…"

"It's enough." he finished, squeezing her hand warmly. "Thank you, Makoto. For listening."

"Of course."

He laughed mirthfully and settled back against the couch.

"It's strange. I worry about you a lot more now that we're married. But it's not so bad, being able to worry about someone you care about all you want."

He gave her a carefree smile. It was the same smile Shin made earlier. The boy was emulating his father. Makoto smiled back and caressed his cheek. Ren leaned into her touch.

"Shin was right. Blackouts aren't all bad. Kinda forces you to take a break and evaluate where you are. I probably wouldn't have thought to bring this up if not for this blackout." he said a little sheepishly.

"Somehow these conversations we have, seem to crop up whenever a storm happens." she replied, with a wry laugh. "But I do agree with you. Plus, you got to go home earlier than you would have."

"Yeah. And I got to see Shin before he had to go to bed."

"He was waiting for you this whole time, you know."

Ren nodded and smirked. "Like a certain someone did for her father?"

"Like a certain someone who was made to go to bed at a reasonable hour but tried to stay up late anyway." she quipped back, matching his smirk. "Speaking of bedtime…"

Makoto dimmed the lantern. "We should probably get to bed soon."

Her husband hummed in agreement though he looked reluctant to take down the pillow fort Shin had worked so hard to set up.

"But I wanna sleep here." Their son mumbled.

They exchanged amused smiles.

"Well, you could," his mother began, "But you need a proper night's rest for school tomorrow, right?"

"We can do this again on the weekend." His father followed up quickly. "We'll have more time and we can do more camping stuff. We can make an even bigger blanket and pillow fort."

"Mmm." Their son mumbled with all the sleepy enthusiasm he could muster.

"And we can add marshmallows to our hot cocoa this time. Marshmallows, Shin!"

"...I like marshmallows."

"Then that's what we'll do."

Ren inclined his head at Makoto who nodded assent. The Amamiya's weekend had just been booked solid!

"Okay." Shin yawned.

"Good. Shin, you still haven't finished your homework and since you can't work on it tonight, I'll wake you up early so you'll have enough time to finish it." His mother said pleasantly.

Shin's eyes popped open.

"I HATE BLACKOUTS!"