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"Daaaaaaaddyyyyyy…"
The small boy called out as he fidgeted restlessly in his bed. The man who was walking past the slightly ajar door stopped and peeked in.
"Ren… Your mum told you an hour ago that it was time to go to sleep…" Takuto huffed in exasperation as he entered the room, using the star shaped night lights to guide his way over to the bed.
"But, she didn't do what helps me sleep…" Ren protested, clinging to his cat plushie as he pouted.
"What are you talking about? She gave you some warm milk and she read you a story…" Takuto rebutted as he carefully placed some toys back into the toy box from the floor.
"But she didn't sing to me…" puffed Ren.
"So, you've been sitting here for an hour because you haven't got your lullaby?" Takuto asked, stifling an amused chuckle behind his hand.
"I don't want mummy to sing for me. I want you to sing. You sing way better than mummy." Ren stated simply. Takuto couldn't help but laugh at that.
"That's not true! Your mother's got a much better voice than me, besides I've got some work to do…" The father replied as he ruffled his son's thick black hair. The small child grabbed onto Takuto's sleeve and stared up at him with wide raven eyes.
"Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaassssseeeee~" He pleaded sweetly, keeping up his puppy dog eyes.
'Oh god… Not those eyes…' Takuto thought to himself worriedly. He was weak for those eyes. He just… had to… stay strong...
"...You'll go to sleep after I sing your lullaby, won't you?"
He failed. He frowned and pushed his glasses back up as he realised that.
"I will! I will! I promise!" Ren happily agreed, stretching his pinky finger towards his dad. Takuto intertwined his pinky with his son's with a loving giggle.
"Alright, alright…" He mumbled as he perched himself on Ren's bed. An excited grin made its way onto the small boy's face.
"Okay… Are you comfy?" Asked Takuto, smiling softly at his son. Ren hurriedly snuggled himself up next to his dad, his head leaning on Takuto's hip as he squeezed his favourite plushie.
"Mm-hm!" Ren replied blissfully. Takuto gently ruffled his son's hair, making the boy giggle, before wrapping his arm around him protectively. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath and…
Ren groaned as he regained consciousness. Why was he remembering something that had happened when he was a little kid? The memory made him happy, but still…
"W-Where…?" He mumbled as he tried to reconnect with reality.
His whole body ached painfully. He could feel a mask on his face. He could hear the wind billowing past his ear. He could see the deep starry sky. His mouth was dry. He could smell… blood? What the hell happened? Ren frowned as he tried to remember what happened.
He remembered that dream world…
Everyone being so happy…
Goro…
Kasu- no, Sumire…
Maruki-sensei…
Wait.
Maruki-sensei.
Dad.
Ren fought him.
He didn't have a choice…
He wouldn't listen to reason…
Why couldn't Ren remember anything else? He grimaced worriedly as he tried to push himself off the cold, hard ground.
"Dad…" Ren whispered exhaustedly as his arms and legs trembled. His muscles strained with each small movement. It was excruciating. Ren had to grit his teeth as he stood up. He steadied himself as the wind blew past him. He glanced around his surroundings.
Ren had forgotten how high up he was… A nervous shiver went down his spine as the sight of the city miles below him. The phantom thief quickly looked the other way. Now that he thought about it, Ren thought he could hear a helicopter. He glanced upwards to see exactly that, although he couldn't make out any details from his distance.
The helicopter wasn't important right now. Where was his father? He couldn't have disappeared… could he? Just how long had Ren been unconscious, anyway? He slowly scanned the area… and spotted him. Takuto was lying on the ground on the opposite side of the platform… His white clothes stained a disgusting red.
Ren's eyes widened in panic.
"DAD!" He screamed fearfully as he ran towards him, stumbling as his knees buckled underneath him. As he reached his father, Ren collapsed down onto the floor and knelt next to him. Takuto slowly glanced over at Ren with hazy eyes. He forced a smile onto his face as blood dribbled down his chin.
"Hey, kiddo… That was a good shot…" He shakily chuckled.
"What…?" Ren gasped out in confusion as he carefully held his father in his arms.
He… did this…? He… hurt his own dad this badly…? Panic surged through him, his eyes filling with tears as he began hyperventilating.
"It's not your fault, Ren… Don't blame yourself…" Takuto gently assured his son.
"N-No, dad, don't talk! Save your energy! Just hang on! Please!" Ren screamed.
"Raoul!" He called, determined to heal his father's wounds. His mask disappeared. But no persona appeared. A wave of fatigue washed through him. No… He wasn't going to let a lack of energy stop him!
"Ame-No-Uzume!"
Nothing.
"Bishamonten!"
Nothing.
"Daisoujou!"
Nothing.
"Lakshmi!"
Still nothing.
Ren's body felt heavy, every muscle was screaming in agony, his lungs were gasping for breath. But he didn't stop trying.
"Norn! Parvati! Sarasvati! Seiryu! Mitra! Neko Shogun! Kikuri-Hime! Kohryu! Kushinada! Ishtar! Yatagarasu! Attis! Cybele! Gabriel! Oberon!"
Ren was gasping for air as the fatigue felt as if it were crushing his entire body.
"Raoul!"
His persona still wouldn't appear.
"Arsene…?" He called out, hoping their initial name would make them appear.
They didn't.
"Please…" He pleaded desperately with a whisper as tears began to stream out of his eyes.
"Hey… It's okay… Don't cry…" Takuto cooed, lifting his hand and gently wiping away Ren's tears as blood continued to slowly ooze out of his body.
"No… it's not… It's not okay!" Ren whimpered as he furiously shook his head. Takuto couldn't help but frown at those words. He shakily lifted his hand higher and softly ruffled his son's hair.
"I'm sorry, Ren… All I wanted was for you to be happy… That's all I wanted…" He apologised, guilt clear in his voice as his own eyes grew wet.
Ren remained silent as he squeezed his eyes shut in a fruitless attempt to stop his sobbing. Takuto stared up at Ren sadly. He couldn't bear seeing his son this shaken up.
"I love you, kiddo… You know that, right?" He asked seriously. Ren choked through his tears.
"Mm-hm…" was all he could say with a heartbroken grimace.
"Good boy." Uttered Takuto. Blood poured down Takuto's chin as he coughed weakly. Ren's eyes widened in panic at the sight.
Takuto didn't want him to be scared… He didn't want him to be sad… He just wanted him to be safe and happy… He just wanted to protect him… That's all… A nostalgic chuckle left Takuto's mouth as a memory popped into his head.
"Do you… remember that lullaby you used to… used to love?" He asked.
"What…?" Mumbled Ren.
"That lullaby… You used to make me sing it every night… I used to sing it whenever you… you were sad, too."
"Y-Yeah… Yeah, I know the one." Ren answered, his voice trembling with each word.
"I always loved… seeing your face light up when I sang it for you… You'd go from crying to grinning in seconds…" Takuto reminisced fondly.
As he lay there, breathing heavily, he had an idea. He gently cupped his son's cheek and looked him in the eye with a big smile… and with a weak, shaky voice, he began to sing.
"Mabayuku kagayaku... hitotoki minna to issho datta"
"Dad, please…"
"Kakegae no… nai toki to shirazuni… watashi wa sugoshite ita…
Imawa tada… taisetsu ni… shinobuyou
I will embrace… the feeling"
Takuto's voice grew shakier and shakier as he gripped onto Ren's cheek, not wanting to let go of his precious son. Ren let out a choked sob as he gently held onto his father's hand, praying for the inevitable to not happen as he watched his father's skin grow paler.
"Kimi wa ne tashika ni… ano toki… watashi no soba ni ita…
Itsudatte… itsudatte… itsudatte… sugu yoko de… waretteita…
Nakushitemo… torimodosu…"
The life drained from Takuto's eyes.
"Kimi wo… I will never… leave you…"
His hand fell limp.
The entire area was silent.
Ren stared at his father through hot tears. Despite his lifeless eyes, Takuto was still looking at him with a loving smile. A few teardrops landed on his face as Ren came to terms with what he saw.
"I… I love you, dad…" he eventually whispered. That was all it took for the barrier to break and the emotions to come flooding out.
An anguished scream left his mouth as he pulled his father into a hug, clinging desperately to his clothes like a lost child. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face, blurring his vision.
All those years apart from his father… Finally reuniting with him mere months ago… and this… This was how it ended? Why? Why did everything have to have a cruel twist at the end? Why did everything have to go wrong somehow? Why did life hate him?
What did he do wrong?
What did he do wrong?!
"Joker!"
"Ren!"
"Senpai!"
"Are you alright?!"
Ren could hear his friends calling out to him. But he couldn't react. He just clung to the man who used to be his father,
And cried.