Hello, all.

Been a long time, but I finally had something interesting to share with you all. Now, I did not care much for the 02 movie at all, but the question of what happened to Rui's dad to put him in that comatose state would not leave my mind. They never told us, so I set out to come up with something myself because I like to know those kinds of things. Based on when the time travel sequence took place, and thinking of events that happened in Japan around that time, I came up with the idea that he was a potential victim of the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo Metro by members of Aum Shinrikyo, a religious cult that was infamous in Japan around that time. That to me made a lot of sense for how his mom became so unstable to where she beat him.

Here is the story of how I believe it could have happened.

Enjoy, if you can say that.

Taking care of a sick child is never fun.

Taking care of a sick three-year-old as a first-time parent is way worse. It is the most terrifying experience for any new parent. Everything is so new and you're completely clueless on what to do. Common sense is thrown out the window like a Hail Mary pass because you're not sure what usually works will work here.

As the sun rose on another day in the Tokyo suburb of Hikarigaoka, the mood inside the Owada apartment was burdened by fear and uncertainty. Luckily, it was calm now as all three occupants were fast asleep.

The lack of sleep was evident in Mr. Owada's eyes as they struggled to flutter open. Looking at the clock next to the bed, he saw he had only slept an uneasy three hours. He moaned softly as he rubbed his eyes. He looked at the clock that was on his son's bedside. The red digital numbers read 6:30 a.m.

At around two in the morning, he and his wife heard crying from their young son Rui's bedroom. When they got there, the three-year-old was sweaty and pale. He was also hot and clammy to the touch, which confirmed their worst fears. He had a fever, and a pretty high one at that. The thermometer at that time read 40.1ºC. This was the first time he ever had one so it was a terrifying experience for both parents.

It took almost an hour before they were finally able to get him comfortable. Once Rui fell asleep, the two of them dropped where they were and conked out. They were not comfortable going back to their room at that point so they stayed in Rui's room to be there for him in case something else happened.

When his eyes registered the world around him, Mr. Owada saw he was still beside Rui. The boy was still sleeping with the cold compress on his forehead but his breathing was normal. His chest rose up and down like it was supposed to as he breathed. If he wasn't sick, this would have been the best way to wake up. Mr. Owada took the compress of the boy's forehead because it had to be hot by now. He went and soaked it in a basin of cold water that was on the dresser and put it back on his son's forehead. Rui murmured softly, but didn't wake up. He stirred slightly, adjusting his body position, before settling down.

Mr. Owada's eyes wandered around the room in search of his wife. He soon found her sleeping in the rocking chair next to their son's bed. He smiled. At least she was able to sleep somewhat too. She had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was slightly out of place, but she still looked beautiful to him. He felt so blessed to have been given such a wonderful family.

He and his wife were childhood sweethearts since they were little. She never had it easy in life after her father abandoned her and her mother when she was young. Her mother was also emotionally and physically abusive, which left deep scars. He had a brother and sister at home while she was an only child. She spent so much time at his family home that she became just another kid at the house to his parents.

Deep down inside, he knew there was a scared little girl inside of his wife that yearned for someone to tell her everything would be okay. He knew that it did not take much for this side of her to reveal itself when she was stressed. Even knowing of that side of her, he knew there was a lot of goodness in her as well. It seemed all he had to do was look into her eyes, smile, and show her that everything was okay; whether that was through a simple touch, a kiss, or a hug. Whenever he did that, the kind-hearted woman he knew was there came back out.

When Rui was born, she was so worried about whether or not she would be a good mother. He assured her constantly that she would be and that they'd do it all together. As long as Rui was happy and healthy at the end of the day, then they did their job. So far, he had held true to that promise and he always would. His family was his greatest joy.

Mr. Owada placed the back of his hand on Rui's cheek to check him. He was still so hot and clammy. Maybe the medicine they gave him last night had worn off. He reached for the bedside table and poured the grape medicine into a paper cup next to it.

He gently nudged his son's shoulder.

"Rui," he whispered softly. "Daddy needs you to open up now for medicine."

The boy groaned unhappily.

"I know. I know. But it'll help you feel better. Please? Open up for Daddy."

After a few seconds of no action, Rui opened his mouth just a little bit. It seemed that was the best he could do, so Mr. Owada made the most of it.

"Drink," he said, tilting the cup slightly to let the medicine flow into his mouth. Rui then swallowed before presumably falling back asleep. Mr. Owada smiled and stroked the boy's lavender hair. "Good boy."

With that now taken care of, other things came to the forefront of his mind. It was Monday. He would normally be getting ready for work at this time, but he did not feel comfortable doing that with Rui still like this. His wife never responded well under stress, so leaving her alone to manage all this was out of the question.

Mr. Owada went into the living room and called his supervisor at work to ask for the morning off, explaining that Rui had gotten a high fever the previous night and he wanted to make sure his condition stabilized before coming to work. His supervisor didn't sound very receptive, but he wasn't taking no for an answer. His son's health was more important than anything. Ultimately, his request was granted, but on the condition that he stay behind later that night to catch up on the work that he would miss that morning. He reluctantly agreed, deciding it was better to not look a gift horse in the mouth.

When he returned to Rui's room, he saw that his wife was now awake and had the thermometer placed in Rui's mouth. The boy's eyes were still closed, but he had to be at least awake for that to be possible. Mr. Owada reached his wife's side.

"What's his temperature now?" he asked.

Mr. Odawa watched as his wife took the thermometer out of Rui's mouth and put it under the light to look at the temperature reading. The anxiety swirling around in his stomach got worse as he saw her eyes widen with fear and worry. She then showed it to him.

39.6ºC.

"It's still too high," she said. Her voice was fraught with worry as she mumbled to herself. It was still loud enough for him to hear every word she was saying. "Nothing we have done so far has worked. Maybe we need to –"

Mr. Owada grabbed his wife's shoulders and gently squeezed them. That snapped her out of her daze. She instantly became quiet at his touch. He smiled as their eyes made contact.

"Everything is going to be okay," he assured her. "I gave him medicine a few minutes ago. It just needs a little while to kick in before it can break his fever."

Mrs. Owada sucked in her bottom lip. "I don't know," she replied. "We can't take that risk."

Mr. Owada watched as her brow furrowed in thought.

A small part of his heart broke when he laid eyes on the feverish three-year-old lying in bed. He was tucked in nice and tightly under the covers with the cold compress still on his forehead. It was fighting a losing battle as Rui was sweating like crazy and looked pale as a ghost. His eyes were shut as he breathed shallowly.

"I'm calling the pharmacy," Mrs. Owada said, rushing out of the bedroom. "They should have some stronger children's fever medicine."

Mr. Owada stayed next to his son, but calmly called out to his wife. "Even if they did, Rui wouldn't be able to take it until four hours later. Honey, he'll be okay."

"Are you blind? It's not working!"

Mr. Owada sighed. As expected, she was overreacting. He tried to be the voice of reason once more.

"I'm concerned too, but at least the fever dropped a degree. That's a good sign. I bet he'll be better by tonight and we'll celebrate with hamburger steak." He chuckled. "At least for us. Rui can have butter rice, his favorite."

"If he gets worse, I'm taking him to the hospital and it'll be your fault. No one told you to give him that medicine without taking his temperature." His wife then shouted, "You hear me? Your fault! Now shut up! You're making me mess up dialing this number!"

Rui whimpered from all the shouting. Mr. Owada gently stroked his head, assuring him everything was okay. He then pinched the bridge of his nose before taking a deep breath. Don't get worked up. Don't get worked up. She was only acting this way because she was worried about their son. He was too, but someone had to be the cool head and it was going to be him.

"Honey, I'm not your mom. I'm not going to let you fend for yourself with our son's fever. Toshio gave me the morning off, so I'm staying right here."

It was pointless. Mrs. Owada was ignoring him and speaking with someone at the pharmacy. He'd try to calm her down when she returned.

His hand gently stroked the side of Rui's head. The boy was still clammy, but the man wanted to give him whatever comfort he could. His son stirred and opened his eyes slightly. If he blinked, he would have missed it.

"Cold, Daddy," Rui squeaked.

The weak sound nearly broke his heart. Mr. Owada smiled and gently stroked his son's cheek.

"I know, Rui," he said softly. "But it's okay. Mommy and I will be here until you stop being cold. I promise."

Rui gave him a soft smile before closing his eyes again. The peaceful silence was soon shattered by the sound of the phone being slammed onto the switch hook. His wife let out an expletive what sounded like under her breath, but it was loud enough for him to hear it. Luckily Rui was sleeping so he didn't hear it.

The man instantly got up to see what the problem was. When he got into the living room, his wife wore an exasperated, angry frown. That had to mean only bad news. As if they needed any more of it.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "What did they say?"

Mrs. Owada looked at him. Her face was a combination of anxiety and annoyance.

"They don't have any more of the stronger children's fever medicine," she replied angrily.

He sighed. His wife beat him to the punch before he could even try to say anything.

"That's not the worst part. The worst part is that they said the only one that had any available right now is all the way over in Ginza. Ginza!" she shouted. "Can you believe it? I hate people!"

Mr. Owada grabbed her cheeks this time to calm her down. Luckily his touch soothed the beast inside as the fire in her eyes dulled slightly.

Once she seemed to have calmed down enough, he said, "Honey, it's okay. The medicine I gave him will work. We don't need to go all the way to Ginza to get medicine we don't really need. Trust me."

His wife said nothing, but he could see that she wasn't as convinced of that as he was. She looked at him with pleading eyes. She didn't need to say anything because he knew what she wanted him to do. He wanted to say no, but something inside him made him look back toward Rui's bedroom, where the sweet little angel that their love produced was still laying his sweet head. The sight formed another crack in his heart. He wanted so badly to just take the fever away and have Rui once again be the happy, sweet, energetic boy that he was.

He looked to his wife, then his son. She was putting on the puppy dog eyes for him. Oh no. Not the puppy dog eyes. He repeated the process a few more times, trying to find a reason to say no, before finally giving in. His fatherly sense of duty to his family took over. He sucked in a deep breath through his nose.

"Okay, I'll go get it," he relented.

His wife smiled relieved. "Thank you."

Mr. Owada rushed back into Rui's room. He gave him a loving pat on the head and assured him that he would be back soon with something to make him feel better. The boy responded with a low mumble that he couldn't quite make out. He then returned to his spot by the phone. His wife handed him a folded up piece of paper. He opened it and it had the address of the pharmacy in Ginza he needed to go to.

"Page me if something happens, whether good or bad," he said.

"I will."

Mr. Owada smiled and kissed his wife's cheek. He rushed to the genkan and put his shoes on before rushing out the door. Luckily he and his family were on the first floor of the apartment building so there were no stairs to run down nor was there an elevator to wait for. Any little way that he could save time was a blessing.

It took him five minutes to reach the entrance to Hikarigaoka station. Mr. Owada rushed down the stairs, making sure not to run into the other people making their way down as well. As to be expected around this hour, large crowds of people were packed into the station to make their morning train into the city. The only thing he cared about right now was his mission of getting the medicine.

At the ticket dispenser, he looked up at the board showing the entire Oedo line from that point. He could take the usual route of riding the whole line to Shinjuku station and then transfer to the Maronouchi line from there. Then again, by the time he reached Shinjuku station, the rush hour would probably be at its peak and he'd have a hard time getting anywhere quickly. It was probably better to take an alternate route.

His eyes landed on the Nerima stop. That gave him an idea. Maybe he could transfer to the Ikebukuro line at Nerima, take it to Ikebukuro station and then transfer to the Maronouchi line from there to get to Ginza. Yeah. That sounded like the best idea. Ikebukuro station would not be as packed as Shinjuku station at this time, so he could save time there.

He paid for the ticket to Nerima station. He would have to pay for another one to the Ikebukuro line, but it was a price he was more than happy to pay. The ticket was dispensed after paying for it. With the ticket in hand, he went through the gates and quickly reached the platform. He looked up at the board to see what time the train would arrive. The time said 7:05 – five minutes time. It would likely take an hour or so to get to Ginza station, possibly more depending on how the journey went.

Mr. Owada sighed anxiously.

'Hold on, Rui. Daddy will be back soon. You'll feel better in no time.'

Two minutes before the train was scheduled to arrive, he decided to grab a newspaper from the newsstand on the platform. He briefly noted the date at the top.

March 20, 1995

Something was not right.

Mrs. Owada looked nervously at the clock on the living room wall. It was almost 9:30. Her husband should have been home by now, even with the rush hour being in full swing. She had that strong feeling in her gut that something was dreadfully wrong.

At least it had nothing to do with Rui. He was still laying in bed, but was more cheerful than he was earlier. Her husband was right – all they needed to do was wait for the medicine to kick in. Not long after he left, Rui showed signs of feeling better and his temperature slowly began to fall. His fever wasn't completely broken yet, but it was better than where they were earlier that morning. She now felt bad for begging her husband to run off on that wild goose chase to Ginza.

What was keeping her husband? Was it the crowds in the stations? Did he get lost on the way there? Did he miss the train? All these possible situations ran through her head at least once as she tried to think of why her husband would be this long. At around 8:30, she paged him but did not receive a call back.

The phone then rang. Hope rose up in her chest. Maybe it was him. Maybe all that worry was for nothing. Maybe he just wanted to call and say that he got the medicine and he was almost home. She went to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

All that hope vanished when the voice she heard on the other line was not her husband's. It was a woman's voice.

"Yes, this is she," she replied. "May I ask who's calling?"

The woman introduced herself as a nurse from St. Luke's International Hospital in Tsukiji. Mrs. Owada instantly felt cold. Hospital? What could have happened to put her husband in the –?

As she listened, that cold, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach got bigger and bigger with every second. It was like a sinkhole that slowly expanded before completely caving in on whoever was unfortunate to provide the final bit of pressure to send it collapsing. The news didn't quite hit her yet. She wanted to believe that this was just a prank or her husband's idea of a cruel joke on her. It wasn't until the nurse said he was unconscious that it hit her like a ten-ton truck.

Her knees buckled and she collapsed to the floor. Her whole body went numb. Instantly she felt sick. Somehow, she still held the phone tightly in her hand. The nurse's voice calling to her was loud enough to be heard through the phone, snapping her back to reality.

She lifted it up to her ear and replied in a hoarse voice, "I'll be there soon. Thank you. Bye."

Mrs. Owada put the receiver back on the hook. She stayed on her knees for what felt like hours as she tried to take in the impossible. A small voice in her head told her to get up and turn on the television. She somehow summoned the strength to stand up and do just that.

A news report blasted onto the screen with the words "Trouble on the Subway: Mysterious Gas Leak Kills, Injures Many" along the bottom. The footage showed the middle of Tokyo and various subway stations. People were laying on the ground with handkerchiefs pressed to their mouths or noses, being carried on backboards and stretchers, and emergency services were rushing back and forth. It was complete chaos. That anxious knot in her throat and stomach tightened like she was in a boa constrictor's coils.

Despite her despair, Mrs. Owada found the strength to will herself into Rui's room. In her mind, he was well enough now to go with her to the hospital. She did not have time to call someone and ask if they could watch him or even ask one of the neighbors. She went to his dresser and picked out some clothes for him to wear, then helped her son sit up and began changing him.

"Where are we going, Mommy?" the young boy asked with a yawn as she put a shirt over him.

"We're going to see Daddy, honey," she replied as she slid shorts up his legs. "We need to get going. Now."

"He's not coming home?"

Her heart cracked a bit. The side of her that was panicked beyond all capacity took it to mean that there was a chance he might possibly die before they got there. Rui was only three and not aware of the implications of his words. She shouldn't let it get to her, but it did. Mrs. Owada sucked in a breath through her nose. She had to keep it together right now, even though it was growing more difficult by the second. She forced a smile as best she could.

"Daddy just…" she took a moment to find the right way to phrase this, "…needs us to go see him. That's all." She kissed his forehead. "It'll be fine. I promise."

Mrs. Owada picked him up out of bed and carried Rui out of the room. She knew those words were only wishful thinking the moment she said them. The woman slipped into her shoes and helped Rui put his on as well before they rushed out the door and to the sidewalk out in front of their apartment building. Thank goodness it did not take long to flag down a taxi.

As they rode along the highways of Tokyo, Mrs. Owada grew more and more nervous about what she would see when they reached their destination.

What happened to make her deserve this?

Mrs. Owada stormed through the hospital hallways with the focus of a shark that smelled blood in the water. She had to do all sorts of acrobatics and maneuvers to avoid nurses, doctors, and gurneys that were being pushed around the hallway. Everywhere she looked was completely jammed with people. In her determination to get to her husband, she begged a passing nurse to keep an eye on Rui. Whether she did that or not, it didn't matter. All that mattered was seeing her husband.

On the way over to the hospital, the radio reported that a military doctor diagnosed the phenomenon that gripped the subway system that morning as the result of sarin gas. Several years earlier, before she and her husband had Rui, she heard about sarin being used by Saddam Hussein to gas thousands of people in the Middle East. As many as 5,000 people died from that. She hoped and prayed that was not the case here.

It was not long before she reached the room that the receptionist had told her. Once she turned the corner, her worst nightmare smacked her dead in the face. Her hands shot up to cover her mouth seeing the figure on the bed. One look at his face confirmed that it was her husband. She felt sick all over again.

Her husband laid on the hospital bed hooked up to a ventilator through an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. He was completely still as the heart rate monitor beeped at a rate of every few seconds. His dark hair hung all over his forehead like he had taken a shower. Mrs. Owada's knees got weaker and weaker as she stepped closer to the man's bedside.

Once she reached it, she collapsed to her knees and took his hand. She gently squeezed it. There was no response. All that strength she had maintained the whole trip over finally ran out and she sobbed into the sheets.

Why did this happen? Why him? Why her? Mrs. Owada's whole world had been completely torn apart and she did not know why this was happening. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Tomorrow was a national holiday and the three of them were going to have a relaxing day until this happened. Now nothing was ever going to be the same again.

A short while later, she heard footsteps at the doorway. Mrs. Owada lifted her head and saw her son coming running to her. She scooped him up in her arms and held him close. The nurse was leaned up against the open doorway until Mrs. Owada met her gaze.

The news was devastating. It seemed that wherever the sarin came from, Mr. Owada got full blast of it. The sarin affected him so deeply that he collapsed onto the platform at Tokyo station. He was rendered unconscious and slipped into a comatose state on the way to the hospital. He was still alive, but only in the most technical sense of the word. The nurse also said that whether he would ever wake up again was anybody's guess but not to put any hope in it. With that, she left the room, leaving only Mrs. Owada and Rui in the room.

Mrs. Owada was completely dazed now as she and Rui sat down in a chair the nurse provided next to the bed. She held her son on her lap as tunnel vision crept in. A coma? As in…he was never going to wake up again? As if this day could not get any worse. She had now moved past the devastation phase and was now in the completely numb as the bad news piled on phase.

That left many questions running through her head. Who was going to take care of everything now? Who was going to make sure they stayed afloat? Not to mention the fact she had a three-year-old to take care of as well. So many questions and almost no answers at this time. How was she going to do all of this by herself without her life partner next to her?

"Why's Daddy sleeping, Mommy?" Rui asked.

She was not in the mood to answer any questions right now. Why couldn't Rui just be quiet for a few moments while she processed all of this? Mrs. Owada took a sharp breath and answered the best she could.

"He was just tired after going to get the medicine for you. That's why he came here to rest for a bit."

"When will he wake up?"

Mrs. Owada bit her lip. How could a mother answer a question like that to her child? How do you explain to your child that his father will probably never be able to play with him again or be there for all the various life stages? It was an impossible position to be in. Nevertheless, she thought how she could put this in a way that a three-year-old could understand.

She was so lost in thought that the next thing she knew, Rui was standing on the floor and toddling up to the machines curiously. His hand stretched out toward the equipment. Her vision went black as something inside of her just took over.

"RUI!" she screamed, snatching his wrist and squeezing it tightly. "DON'T TOUCH THAT! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH IT! DO YOU HEAR ME? DO YOU HEAR ME?"

Her breathing came out in shallow heaves as she came down from that emotional outburst. Thank goodness she stopped him in time. If Rui touched the wrong thing, then her husband would never wake up. Why couldn't he understand that? The boy's eyes filled with tears and he silently cried. She felt…absolutely nothing. Any other parent would have instantly felt bad and apologized for shouting so intensely, but she was so wrapped up in her own distress over the situation that she couldn't care less.

A new, dark thought entered her mind. The reason she felt nothing after screaming at Rui was because it was his fault for what happened. If he hadn't gotten sick, then her husband would not have needed to go to Ginza for the medicine. If he hadn't needed to go to Ginza, he wouldn't have been on the subway when these attacks happened. He would have been safely at home with them. Why should she care about her son's feelings when he was more or less responsible for what happened?

She noticed people staring at them through the windows outside the room. Crap. She needed to keep up appearances so she picked her son up, put him on her lap and softly stroked his hair.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm sorry," she said in the best motherly voice she could muster. "I didn't mean to shout at you. I'm just worried about Daddy is all. I didn't mean to take it out on you. I'm so sorry, baby."

Rui slowly calmed down until he stopped crying. She kissed his forehead.

She did not believe a single word that she said.

After a few minutes of nothing being said, Mrs. Owada broke the silence after remembering her husband's promise earlier.

"We're having hamburger steak for dinner tonight," she said. "Just like your daddy wanted."

"But I don't like hamburger steak, Mommy," Rui replied.

She gently shushed him. "Of course you do. Don't be silly."

"No I–"

"Hush, baby. We're having it. It's what your daddy wanted, so we're doing it with him or without him."

Rui became quiet, but it was an uneasy silence. She was grateful for it. If he continued complaining, there was no telling what she was going to do.

The only thing that was clear was that the coma was her husband's way of punishing her for not listening. That's why he left. That's why her father abandoned her. That's why her mother beat her and told her she was worthless. She'd make sure everything would be perfect in her family so that her husband would return and everything could be normal again. Raising her son by herself until her husband woke up, if ever, was going to be challenging, but there was only one solution:

Hamburger steak.

They'd have it every night until her husband returned. She and Rui would play perfect family, even if she had to shove it down his throat. That selfish boy. How dare he catch a fever. So help her, she wasn't going to let Rui take the last sliver of sanity she had left.

Not if she could help it.

Hope you guys liked it. Let me know in the comments what you thought and what your possible theories are about what may have happened to Rui's dad.

Conversion:

40.1ºC= 104.2ºF

39.6ºC = 103.4ºF

If you'd like to learn more about the sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, this is a great dramatization/documentary of the events: youtube . com watch?v= dGI5lL9lv5o

Tootles.