Archive of Our Own

The irritating sound of a phone ringing cut through the quiet stillness of the night.

Ren and Morgana flinched as the sound jolted them from their slumber.

"Who's calling at this time…?" Morgana grumbled from his position at the end of the bed.

"Beats me…" Ren uttered back as he fumbled around for his phone with bleary eyes. He was too tired to even check the caller ID before taking the call and speaking in a slurred, groggy voice.

"Hello…?"

"Hello, Ren. Sorry for the sudden call, I just had something to ask you." A pleasant voice responded.

Ren's brow furrowed as he quickly checked the time.

…

2:43AM…

"G-Goro…? Why are you calling at this time...?"

"What do you mean? It's not- Oh. Oh wow. When did it get that late?"

"You weren't working late again, were you…?"

"... No?"

"Goro…"

"I'm sorry! I know I said I wouldn't but I lost track of time…"

Ren couldn't help but chuckle tiredly. He noticed the black cat glaring at him and quickly tried to move the conversation along.

"It's fine… Just don't do it again, okay? What was this question you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh, right, yeah. So, I got two tickets for free entry to the planetarium in Ikebukuro from someone I met in the TV station today. I've got a day off tomorrow, so I wondered if you'd like to come with me?"

"A planetarium…?"

"Yeah. It's quite famous, especially for it's 'Journey Through The Stars' display. I've been wanting to see it for a while now! I'm sorry for asking so late, I've been busy all day…"

"It's okay…"

"So… Are you interested?"

Ren's tired brain carefully thought about it.

He didn't have any plans for tomorrow… And it's not like he had any deadlines for anything to worry about. Plus a day out to learn about space sounded nice.

"Yeah, I'd love to."

"Great! So, what do you say to meeting up at one?"

"Yeah, although… I've never been to Ikebukuro before… You'll have to show me the way."

"That's fine! We'll meet up at Shibuya Station and I'll show you which lines to get on, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks…"

"Well, I should probably go… I'm sorry for waking you up, Ren…"

"It's fine. Go get some sleep, Goro."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Well then, see you tomorrow. Good night, Ren."

"Good night, Goro. Sleep well."

Hanging up from the call, Ren placed his phone back onto its usual spot on the nearby shelf before noticing Morgana staring at him with a funny expression.

"Really? A planetarium? With Akechi? Sounds more like a date spot to me, not somewhere you go with someone trying to arrest you…"

Ren smirked and gently petted Morgana's fluffy head. "It's not like he's gonna figure out I'm the leader of the phantom thieves by staring at stars… Besides, it'll be fun."

"I suppose… I'll pass, though. I'm not really interested." Sighed Morgana.

"That's fine with me; they probably wouldn't allow cats anyway."

"I'm not-!"

"Besides, I remember Futaba saying she wanted to try walking around the neighbourhood tomorrow. It'd probably be a good idea for you to tag along, just so she still has someone keeping an eye on her."

Morgana twitched his ear thoughtfully. "Yeah… That's a good idea. Alright, I'll escort her!"

Ren smiled as he snuggled back under his duvet. "Thanks, Mona… That's a huge help."

"It's what a gentleman does!" Morgana swished his tail with pride before noticing the sleepy look in Ren's eyes. "... C'mon, let's get back to sleep already."

"Yeah… Night, Mona…" Ren mumbled as his eyes drooped. Morgana chuckled quietly, padding up the bed and snuggling against Ren's stomach.

After getting comfortable, it wasn't long until the two drifted back to sleep.

"Are you really writing the train lines down in your phone's notes?" Goro let out an amused chuckle as he watched Ren type.

"I have the memory of a goldfish, okay? I need to write down the directions or I'll forget and get lost…" Ren snapped back, playfully smacking Goro's arm. "Besides, this is the first time I've lived in a city."

"Were you this hopeless with directions in your hometown?"

"No, 'cause we only had one train station and it took us in and out of town."

"Oh wow, so you really are a country bumpkin."

"Bite me."

"What happened to your country accent?"

Ren looked up with an unimpressed huff meeting Goro's cheeky grin challengingly.

The ever-so-pleasant detective prince could be such an annoying little shit when he wanted to be… Although, Ren didn't particularly mind; it just meant that he felt comfortable enough around him to show his true colours.

"You really think I'd talk in my natural voice and let everyone at school mock me along with spreading rumours?"

Goro raised his eyebrows and nodded thoughtfully. "You make a fair point."

"I know I do, that's why I said it. Catch up, detective."

This time, Goro playfully smacked Ren's arm. "You really are insufferable sometimes, you know that?"

"I'm aware. I could say the same for you."

The two laughed quietly amongst themselves as they wandered through the streets of Ikebukuro, making quick turns and sliding through side alleys whenever a fangirl happened to spot Goro.

"So, how much further to the planetarium?" Asked Ren as they crossed the road.

"It's really not that far now. See that big building over there? That's it. Just a few streets now." Goro answered, pointing to a large building in the distance.

Ren raised his eyebrows at the sight. A planetarium, huh? He didn't really know what to expect.

"Have you ever been to a planetarium before?" Asked Goro, striking up another conversation.

"No, we don't have anything like that in my town or the nearby cities… Not like it bothered us, though. I mean, we can see stars every night unlike you poor fools in the city." Ren replied with a smirk.

"Ooh, listen to Mr. Country Bumpkin showing off about his visible stars" Goro rolled his eyes.

"Oh, what? You jealous?"

"Mmm… Maybe a little bit… I mean, the idea of stargazing late at night does sound lovely… Did you ever do that?" Goro hummed curiously.

Ren puffed out a quick laugh as a smile spread across his face. Goro tilted his head at the sight of the smile.

It was a sweet, fond smile and yet… There was a hint of sadness in it too…

"All the time. My mum loved stars, and I mean loved them. She studied them; had a fancy telescope and everything. We had a big back garden so sometimes, when I was on school breaks, my mum would lay out a blanket on the grass and we'd lay there and look at the stars…"

The story brought a smile to Goro's face. He decided to brush off the use of past tense when Ren described his mother. "That sounds lovely."

"Yeah… Ooh! The best ones though, were when we'd go camping in late Autumn! We'd sit just outside our tent, next to the campfire. And we'd have drinks of hot chocolate and eat roasted marshmallows and we'd watch the stars. Sometimes, she'd bring her telescope along with her and let me look through it. She'd even point out all these different constellations!"

Goro couldn't help but giggle quietly to himself at the enthusiasm in Ren's eyes and voice.

The raven haired boy and froze and flushed a deep pink as he realised he had spoken much more than his companion.

"O-Oh… Sorry… I didn't mean to talk your ear off…" He awkwardly uttered an apology.

"It's alright. If anything, I'm glad it was you I asked to accompany me. Seems like the perfect place to bring you… I'll have to keep it in mind so we can come again." Goro reassured him with a gentle hand gesture. "Although, I do have one request."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"Once you go home, you have to invite me on one of these camping trips you remember so fondly." He stated with a smirk. It did sound so wonderful… He wanted to experience it with Ren.

Ren's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected that… He wasn't opposed to it, though. "Yeah, okay. That sounds great… Ooh! We could invite the rest of the group and have a huge camping party! That'd be so much fun!"

Goro's strained to keep his smile on his face. That… wasn't what he meant at all…

"Y-Yeah… That sounds… fantastic…" He struggled to feign enthusiasm.

"We could bring a barbeque and have a feast! Plus, I know all the best places to pitch tents in the area! Oh, I can't wait! And we haven't even arranged it yet!" Ren continued with an excited sparkle in his eyes.

Goro's smile faltered slightly again.

"Y-Yeah… I'm… looking forward to it too…"

He let out a disappointed sigh while Ren was distracted. At least he was happy…

A small genuine smile appeared on Goro's face as he listened to Ren's cheerful humming. "Well, we're here. Shall we head in?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"You weren't kidding about this exhibition being popular…" Ren murmured as he tapped his aching feet against the floor in an attempt to get some feeling back into them.

"Yeah, sorry… I had no idea the queue was gonna be this long…" Goro apologised, masking his irritation.

Usually he wouldn't mind the long waiting time, since it meant he could chat with Ren more, however it unfortunately meant that more people noticed him and asked for autographs. Was it really so much to ask for a peaceful day off where he could just be a teenager? At least the building had air conditioning…

"It's okay, it's not your fault. Anyway, we're almost there now so just a few more people and then we can sit down." Ren remarked, pointing to the next group of people moving past the sign in desk and into the amphitheatre.

Goro carefully analysed everyone in front of them and figured out who was in what group.

One…

Two…

Three…

Four…

Four groups left before they could sign in. The largest was a group of six.

That shouldn't take too long. Yeah, he could deal with that. He glanced back over at Ren while he considered a topic to pass the time.

"So, I've been wondering something…"

"Hm?" Ren looked over with a curious expression.

"You always seem so optimistic… How do you do that?" He was genuinely curious about that, especially since it was hard to stay positive in the current standings of the world.

The raven haired boy awkwardly chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, truth be told, I'm really not all that optimistic. Usually, I'm pretty pessimistic…"

That genuinely shocked Goro. "Oh? But then, why do you say such cheerful things?"

Ren chuckled again. "My dad's a therapist. He really doesn't like it when I expect the worst case scenario or I make self depreciating jokes, so he forces me to look on the bright side and voice those thoughts. According to him, it's a method commonly used to train people into becoming more positive."

"Huh. So how exactly does it work?"

Ren tilted his head as he tried to think of an example. "Hmm… Okay, so think of this: I got a D on my math exam. It sucks and makes me feel stupid but I really wasn't surprised because math is one of my worst subjects."

"Okay…"

"But. I got an A in both literature and music; two of my favourite subjects. And considering that last term I got an E in math, this term was an improvement. So I am slowly getting better and I think that's rather sexy of me."

Goro couldn't help but laugh at Ren's closing remark. "I think I see where you're coming from… So, it's basically rewiring your brain to adopt a more positive outlook on life?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Huh… That's interesting."

"Yeah, kinda scary, though…"

"How do you mean?"

"I mean… It's weird thinking about how easily our minds can be manipulated…"

"... You make a good point… So, you do see where I'm coming from when I say distrust the phantom thieves?"

Ren rolled his eyes and smirked. "This again?"

"Hey, you're the one who brought up the topic, answer the question."

Goro watched Ren intently as the bespectacled boy sighed and tapped his foot thoughtfully.

"... I do see where you're coming from. However, while the end doesn't always justify the means, the same can be said for the other way around."

"Oh?"

"Just because the people who have been given a change of heart admitted to their crimes, it doesn't necessarily mean that the Phantom Thieves did anything bad to them. In fact, there could be a chance that they're helping them regain their conscience in some strange way."

Goro raised his eyebrows, intrigued by Ren's point of view on the subject. "That's a very intriguing notion, in its own way… But, still, there is the possibility of the opposite."

"There's always possibilities, you just have to hope for the best case scenario."

"The optimism training speaking, I presume? You have to admit though that sometimes pessimism is more akin to realism."

"Oh c'mon man, don't send me straight back to square one… My dad's gonna cling to me and cry again if that happens…" Ren huffed tiredly.

Goro burst out laughing.

"Is he really like that?"

"Oh yeah… 'Please don't say such sad things, Ren! You're a wonderful young man, why don't you realise that?!'" Ren performed an overdramatic reenactment of his father's reaction.

"I-Is he like that with all his clients…?" Goro queried in between amused giggles.

"Nah, just me. He's just a little too protective, you know how some parents are. Nothing too bad, though! He's not like, creepy protective or anything!"

"Ahh… Must be annoying at times."

"Yeah… I mean, I know he has his reasons but still…" Ren murmured as he absent-mindedly rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I suppose he has to be protective… Y'know since his son is a fool with no impulse control." Goro snickered.

Ren glared at him. "I have never done anything wrong in my life ever."

"You and I both know that's a blatant lie."

"... You win this round, jackass."

Goro laughed brightly as Ren admitted defeat; a very rare occurrence. But he could tell that Ren wasn't offended by the soft smile on his face.

"Next, please!" The person behind the sign in counter called out.

"Oh! Our turn, come on." Goro gently pulled on Ren's arm to keep the queue moving.

"Cool, we can sit down now."

"Sure can, oh hey, I gave you your ticket right?" Goro asked Ren as he pulled out his own ticket and handed it to the woman.

"Yep, kept it in my bag to keep it safe." Ren replied, opening his bag and digging around for the ticket in question.

"Thank you, Sir! Okay, you're in seat 21D, so you're… Right over there. Fourth row from the front on the left hand side." She pointed out to the chestnut haired detective.

"I see. Thank you, ma'am." Goro politely responded as he waited for Ren.

"I take it that you two are a group?" The woman enquired.

"That's correct, yes."

"Well then, you'll most likely be sat together, however I do have to check each ticket before the show."

"Yes, of course."

"I've got it!" Ren cheered as he finally pulled the ticket out of his bag. "Sorry for the wai-"

He suddenly fell silent and his eyes met with the woman behind the counter.

His eyes went wide.

The colour drained from his face.

He could have sworn that he had stopped breathing for a few seconds.

The woman tilted her head, her short scarlet hair framing her face delicately as she carefully gripped onto the ticket. Her deep burgundy eyes stared into Ren with concern.

"U-Um, are you okay, Sir?" She quietly enquired.

The sound of her voice pulled Ren half back into reality.

"U-Uh… Yeah, sorry… Y-You just look like someone I used to know… That's all." He uttered back stiffly.

The woman smiled at him. "Oh, I see. Well then, I was right: you two are sat next to each other. You're in 22D."

"Thank you."

"No problem! Enjoy the show!"

Ren nodded awkwardly as he joined Goro and walked towards their seats.

Goro looked at him with a concerned frown.

"U-Um… Ren, are you okay? You look kinda pale…" He enquired. That strange exchange worried him slightly.

"Fine." Was Ren's blunt response.

Goro could barely tell if Ren was actually listening to him at all.

"Are you sure?"

Ren rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Goro didn't really believe him… But it didn't seem like Ren was going to tell him anything…

"Alright… If you say so…" He eventually conceded and dropped the subject. "Our seats are right here. Let's enjoy the show, shall we?"

"Yeah…"

Goro could barely focus on the exhibition. His thoughts were too preoccupied with Ren.

Something was wrong; that much was obvious… It was just a question of what. The chestnut haired boy kept glancing over at his friend during the show.

Ren, while he was staring up at the stars the entire time, had a dazed look in his eyes. It looked as if nothing was registering in him at all. It was unnerving…

Goro was pulled out of his thoughts by the lights coming back on. He blinked to help his eyes adjust to the sudden change in brightness, while Ren simply looked down at his lap, his expression unchanging.

"Thank you for visiting us today. We hope you enjoyed your journey through the stars. We ask that you please leave in a calm and orderly fashion. The souvenir shop is located at the end of the hallway to your right. Have a nice day." A voice spoke through the speakers.

At the sound of that announcement, everyone in the audience stood up, chattering amongst themselves as they shuffled along the rows of seats.

Goro glanced over at Ren again. His skin was a sickly pale tone and that empty look in his eyes was still there.

He gently tapped Ren's shoulder in an attempt to get his attention.

"That show was fantastic, huh? I can definitely see why it's popular." He remarked, despite not remembering most of the display.

"Yeah." Ren replied, shakily pushing himself out of his seat.

Goro frowned worriedly. He seemed like a completely different person from the Ren he met up with in Shibuya… Just what happened?

He started acting weird after they spoke with that lady…

"W-Well then, you wanna check out the souvenir shop?" The detective desperately tried to keep the conversation going as they slowly wandered over to the exit.

"No. I'm good."

"Yeah… It's probably mostly just kid's toys and cheesy gifts for tourists. You know the kinds I'm talking about right?"

"Yeah."

Goro fell silent. An anxious pit was forming in his stomach.

Something was very, very wrong… He'd never seen Ren like this… It was… honestly a little scary…

As those thoughts crossed his mind, another audience member barged past Ren, almost knocking him over and causing him to spill some of his bag's contents onto the floor.

Ren silently bent down and began collecting his belongings.

Goro clicked his tongue in irritation as he bent down and helped. "Oh sure, don't even apologise or anything, asshole…"

The two of them returned Ren's belongings to his bag. Simple things like mints, throat sweets, books, snacks, etc. It didn't take long for them to clear everything up, although Goro was quite pissed off that no one passing by offered to help… Wasn't really surprised either.

As Ren reached for his wallet, arguably his most important item, another hand reached out and picked it up. They handed it over to him.

"Here you go! Make sure to be more careful next time, okay?" They cheerfully spoke up. The two boys looked up to discover the red-headed woman from the sign-in desk.

Ren's face grew paler as the three of them stood up.

"Thank you…" He mumbled with a whisper.

"It's not a problem! I hope you two had fun today! Stars are so fascinating, aren't they?" The woman chatted with a friendly smile.

"Yeah, I enjoyed learning about them." Goro quickly replied, glancing over at Ren who somehow looked even worse than before.

"I'm glad to hear it! I enjoy sharing my passion with people!" The scarlet haired woman giggled happily.

Her smile quickly fell as she noticed Ren. "Um… Excuse me, young man… Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Was Ren's shaky reply.

Goro's anxiety spiked at the sight of him.

Sweat was dripping down Ren's face and he looked as though he was mere seconds away from passing out.

The burgundy eyed woman gingerly placed her hand on his forehead.

Goro was genuinely terrified by Ren's current state.

"Re-"

"I-I don't…" Ren quietly spoke up.

"Hm?" The woman pulled her hand back.

"I don't… feel well…" Ren choked out before suddenly jogging out of the amphitheatre and down the corridor.

"Ren?! Hey, wait up! Are you alright?!" Goro cried out in surprise as he hurried after him, leaving the stunned woman stood by herself.

"Ren! Slow down! What's wrong?!" Goro called out as he chased after his friend. Ren continued running, clamping a hand over his mouth.

As they neared the entrance hall, Ren made a sharp turn and flung himself into the bathroom. Goro followed close behind.

"Ren?!" He called for the raven haired boy.

Another man in the room, stood in front of the hand dryer, pointed to a cubicle with a concerned expression. Goro peeked round to see Ren on his knees, face over the toilet as he gagged breathlessly. He carefully approached his friend and bent down next to him.

"It's okay… Let it happen. Get all that crap out of your system." The teenager detective spoke in a soothing tone as he gently patted Ren's back, comforting him as he continued vomiting.

"S-Sorry…" Ren gasped out in between retches, bile dripping down his chin.

Goro softly shook his head. "You don't need to apologise, you haven't done anything wrong."

"Um… Would he like some water? I've got a bottle I've literally just bought from the vending machine. Haven't drank out of it." The man from the hand dryer offered, holding out a bottle of water towards Goro.

"Are you sure?" The chestnut haired boy asked.

"Yeah. He clearly needs it more than me."

"I see. Thank you."

Ren sat there, breathless as he recovered from the sudden bout of sickness.

Goro pulled a clean tissue out from his bag and wiped Ren's chin before handing the water bottle to him.

"Th-Thanks…" Ren quietly gasped before taking some cautious sips.

"No problem. Do you have any idea what caused this?" Asked Goro.

Ren stared thoughtfully at the tiles floor, rubbing the back of his head before responding with a quiet

"No…"

"It could be heat stroke. There's been a lot of cases of that this past Summer." The man suggested.

"I suppose…" Ren murmured in response.

"Make sure you keep yourself hydrated, okay? … Do you want me to call a doctor for you?" The adult gently offered.

Ren shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm fine. I'll just head home and rest."

"Ren, no… You're in no state to get the train home…"

"I-I'm fine…"

"You're clearly not."

"L-Look, I just need to go home… I'll- I'll be better if I just rest." Ren refuted as he pushed himself off the ground, his legs trembling beneath him as he flushed the toilet.

A stressed sigh left Goro's mouth. He couldn't decide if Ren was just being stubborn or if he really was this stupid.

"Ren, look at yourself. You look like you're about to either collapse or straight up pass out. Do you really think you'd be able to walk back to the train station and then get two separate trains home in that state?" He snapped, crossing his arms.

Ren frowned and averted his eyes.

"... What else am I supposed to do?"

… He raised a good point. It wasn't as if he could drive himself home. Letting out another sigh and pushing his hair out of his face, Goro gently nudged Ren over to the sinks.

"Wash your hands and face. I'll take you home."

Ren looked up at him in surprise. "O-Oh, no, you don't have to troub-"

"Did I stutter?"

Ren fell silent under Goro's intimidating glare. "... No… Thanks, Goro."

Goro quietly chuckled and patted Ren's back as the raven haired boy did as he was told. "Idiot. You don't have to thank me."

"Take it easy. One step at a time." Goro quietly ordered Ren as the two walked down a flight of stairs in Ikebukuro's bustling streets.

The chestnut haired boy had his arm around Ren's waist, holding him steady while they walked. Ren's arm was held over Goro's shoulders as well, with Goro having a tight grip on his wrist.

Goro could feel the stares of the public burning into them but ignored them, prioritising Ren's well-being.

God, those mindless fans of his pissed him off so much… He could imagine their comments already…

"I'm really sorry about this, Goro…" Ren muttered, guilt deeply laced into his voice.

"Ren, for the last time, you don't need to apologise. You got sick, you couldn't help that." Goro huffed.

"But, still…"

"But nothing." Goro quickly cut him off. "... Do you have any ideas of what could have caused it yet?"

Ren looked away.

"... No."

Goro didn't believe him.

"No ideas at all?"

"No."

"Is there a chance it could be food poisoning or something?"

"I don't think so… I haven't eaten anything unusual…"

"Hmm…"

Goro frowned as he thought about it. The timings seemed way too suspicious… But how would that cause sickness…?

"Ren?"

A voice he didn't know pulled the teenage detective out of his thoughts.

He looked up and found a middle aged man with chestnut brown hair and glasses looking at them with a concerned expression.

"Ren, are you alright? You don't look well at all…" The man asked worriedly.

"May I ask who you are?" Goro asked cautiously, tightening his grip on Ren.

"I'm Ren's father, my name's Takuto Maruki. Can I ask what happened?" Maruki responded, stepping closer to the pair and checking Ren's temperature.

"I-I…" Ren stuttered. Goro took note of his nervousness.

"We went to the planetarium when Ren suddenly fell ill and threw up. We're not really sure what caused it, but our biggest suspicion is heat stroke." Goro informed Maruki, believing his explanation would be more coherent than Ren's muttering.

The raven haired boy nodded to tell his father that Goro's story was the truth.

"I see… Leblanc's quite far away from here, though… It's not a good idea to go back there…" The father mumbled thoughtfully. His eyes widened slightly as an idea hit him. "Come on, I'll take you back to my apartment. We can get a taxi and it's closer than Yongen."

"Okay… Thanks, Dad…" Ren tiredly agreed, letting his dad gently pull him away from Goro. That earlier vomiting had really drained him of all his energy…

"You don't need to thank me…" Takuto softly chuckled before turning to look at Goro. "Thank you so much for helping him, I dread to think what state he'd be in if you weren't with him."

"Oh, no, it was no trouble at all. I couldn't just leave him." Goro replied, shaking his hands slightly.

Maruki simply smiled thankfully and nodded at him, pulling out his phone and dialling for a taxi.

"Take care, Ren." Goro called out as the father and son began walking away.

"Thanks Goro… See you later…" Ren called back, weakly waving goodbye.

Goro waved back, smiling softly until the two of them had left his line of sight. His smile fell the moment they disappeared.

He placed his hand on his chin as he thought hard about today. The whole sequence of events in the planetarium was too suspicious.

Ren was fine until he saw that woman…

His condition worsened when he saw that woman for the second time…

He was clearly lying when he said he didn't know why he was ill…

Goro knew it would be wrong for him to dig into Ren's personal affairs… But still… Something just felt… wrong. Very, very wrong.

"... Just who was that woman…?"

Takuto smiled softly to himself as he dug around his medicine drawer. After bringing Ren home, he had made him take a cold shower and then change into some cooler clothes. Now, the raven haired teen was sat on the sofa, watching the TV.

Ren had been almost silent the entire time… That was usually a sign that something significant was bothering him. But Takuto knew that he needed time to gather his thoughts, so he left him be for a while. But, now… Now was probably a good time.

"Here you go." He announced, placing a glass of water and two tablets onto the coffee table in front of his son.

"What're those?" Asked Ren with a whisper.

"They'll help settle your stomach, get rid of any excess stomach acid." Takuto explained. Ren nodded understandingly before picking them up.

He placed both small tablets into his mouth before taking a large sip of water, gulping them down in one go.

"Well?" Takuto asked as Ren washed the tablets down with more water.

"Hm?"

"Are you gonna tell what's wrong?"

"... I threw up."

"I know that much. What I meant was: when I bumped into you and Akechi-kun, you looked quite shaken up. What happened?"

Ren's eyes widened before he quickly broke eye contact.

Takuto couldn't help but chuckle at Ren's shock.

"Ren, I am your father, you know. I can tell when something's bothering you, I know all of your little tells." He explained as he took a seat next to Ren.

The raven haired boy looked away. He fiddled with his fingers on his lap.

That was another tell of his. It said "I don't know if I should tell you or not."

Takuto gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "If you don't want to talk about it, I'll drop it. But if you change your mind later on, I'm always happy to lend an ear."

"... Mm."

Silence fell over the father and son as Takuto gently pulled Ren closer, resting the teen's head on his shoulder. The bespectacled man carried on patting Ren's shoulder, hoping to soothe him as he arranged his thoughts.

"Are you watching this?"

"No."

"Do you mind if I change the channel?"

"It's your TV."

"Alright then." Takuto carefully leaned forward, not wanting to move Ren too much, and grabbed the TV remote. "Let's find something actually interesting to watch, yeah?"

Ren remained silent as Takuto flicked through the channels. The father tutted quietly to himself in annoyance. "There really isn't a lot on, is there?"

"Hm."

Takuto glanced over at Ren. The teen's fingers were gently twirling around and poking each other. So, he was still thinking about it…

"Oh, hey, I remember this movie! Do you remember it, Ren? It was one of your favourites for a while." Remarked Takuto, placing the remote on the arm of the sofa.

Ren glanced up at the screen, not saying a word. His eyes lit up a little at the sight.

It was an old favourite of his growing up. A cute animated movie about a group of Phantom Thieves being hired by an apprentice detective to steal back a priceless treasure from their hometown that had been stolen by some money hungry officials.

He could remember everything about the movie, but he still remembered how much eight year old Ren adored the protagonist: A suave, cheeky and daring gentleman thief named- … Arsene Lupin… Huh. That explained a lot.

A relieved smile wormed its way onto Takuto's face as a little bit of colour returned to Ren's cheeks. He had a feeling this movie would help him cheer up. Nostalgia was a powerful thing, after all.

This movie made a lot of memories come back to Takuto. It did come out when Ren was finally recovering from… that. He could still clearly see Ren making his own masks and leaving calling cards for him on his desk. Although, most of Ren's calling cards were small reminders for Takuto; things like 'Don't forget to eat lunch!' and 'Grandma called while you were out, make sure you ring her back!'.

There was one time Takuto's father even set up a treasure hunt for Ren in their house. What was the treasure again…?

Takuto tilted his head thoughtfully as he tried his hardest to remember. There were chocolate coins hidden with each new hint… What was that final treasure?!

"I…"

Ren's shaky voice pulled Takuto out of that train of thought. Was he ready to talk?

"Mm-hm?"

Ren took a nervous gulp.

"I-I… I saw mum."

Takuto's breath hitched in his throat.

"...What?"

Ren anxiously gripped onto his shorts.

"I saw mum… at the planetarium."

Takuto's mind was swimming after hearing that information.

"Is… that why you were sick?"

"Probably…" Ren mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.

Another tell of his… The one Takuto hated to see.

"She works there… She…" Ren paused, his hands trembling as he worked up the nerve to continue. "She called me 'Sir' and 'young man'... Even after all this time… She still doesn't remember me, does she?"

Takuto grimaced as Ren's face scrunched up, the teen trying desperately to hold back his tears.

"Oh sweetheart… It's okay…" The father cooed as he pulled his son into a hug. He gently stroked the boy's back as his shoulders began to tremble.

"I… I thought I had gotten over it by now… Wh-Why am I crying?" Ren gasped out, burying his face into Takuto's shoulder.

Takuto looked down at him with sad eyes. "Ren… Remember what I told you. Stuff like that never really goes away, it just becomes easier to deal with…"

"B-But, it was easy! Why am I like this again?!"

"That's just how it happens, Ren. Small things can bring all the pain back, and seeing her face… It probably just brought back too many memories, both happy and painful."

Ren's eyebrows knitted together as he considered his father's words. "Then… What am I supposed to do?"

Takuto sighed stressfully. "At the moment, there isn't really a lot you can do… Just… Don't dwell on it too much, okay? And remember that when things are painful, like they are now, it's okay to ask for help. I'm always here for you and I know that all of your friends are too."

Ren quietly frowned, taking in Takuto's suggestions as tears continued streaming down his face. But even so… He was doing so well… To break down now, after all this time…

Takuto noticed Ren's expression and softly ruffled his hair. "There's nothing to be ashamed about, Ren. You were just caught off guard is all. It happens to everyone."

"Okay…"

"This is just a minor setback. You'll bounce back, you always do."

"Yeah, okay."

"You feeling better after talking about it?"

"Yeah, kinda… Thanks, dad."

A relieved smile spread across Takuto's face. He gently lifted Ren's hair and placed a soft peck on his forehead.

"Never forget how strong you are, kiddo. Now… How's your stomach feeling?"

"It's feeling better."

"Do you think you could stomach having something to eat?"

"... I am hungry but I think I wanna play it safe."

"Alright then, I'll make us some lunch. I'll keep it plain, though." Takuto announced as he carefully shifted Ren off of him and stood up.

"...Hey, Dad?" Ren called out as Takuto walked towards the kitchen.

The chestnut haired man stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"... I love you."

Takuto grinned as Ren quickly looked away, turning his attention back to the TV.

"I love you too, kiddo. Now, you just watch the TV and relax, okay?"

Ren finally smiled after everything that happened today. "Okay."

The scarlet haired woman let out an accomplished sigh as she finished packing up a final box.

"And that's everything." She huffed to herself as she glanced around at her co-workers. Everyone was working on their own tasks, clearing everything up and locking cabinets and doors in preparation for closing time in five minutes.

But… It was weird… All day, her mind was preoccupied with that boy… There was just something about him… That fluffy black hair and the deep onyx eyes… Why did he seem so familiar? She was sure she'd never met him before…

"Rumi-san? You okay? You're staring into space again." A voice brought her back to reality.

"O-Oh, right! Sorry about that! I've finished everything, just waiting for Iwasaki-san to finish with the cash registers." Rumi apologised with a bashful grin.

Her co-worker didn't seem convinced. She tilted her head to the side and stared at Rumi with a scrutinising gaze.

"Are you still thinking about that kid?" The blonde asked.

Rumi's burgundy eyes widened. "How could you tell?"

"Well, I mean, you looked pretty shaken up after he ran off… Apparently he threw up and got taken home by his friend." The blonde recounted the information she had been told from some of their other colleagues.

"I hope he's alright… Did anyone figure out what was wrong with him?" Rumi murmured worriedly.

"They think it was heat stroke… Not really surprising, considering how hot it's been this year…"

"Yeah, that makes sense…"

The blonde woman noticed the troubled expression on Rumi's face.

"Are you sure you're okay, Rumi-san?"

Rumi frowned as she tried to explain her muddled up feelings. "It's just… He seemed really freaked out when he saw me… I mean, you should have seen his face; he looked like he'd just seen the dead… And there's something about him that felt so familiar, but I don't recognise him at all… So, do I know him? Or is it just an uncanny resemblance?"

"I wouldn't think about it too hard, Rumi-san. Don't trouble yourself, it was probably just a misunderstanding. Like I said, it could just have been the heat making him a little delirious. It happens."

Rumi nodded thoughtfully. Yeah… That was probably it… She was overthinking, that's all… right?

"Um, Oikawa-san? The cash register's messing around again. Can I get a little help please?" Iwasaki anxiously pleaded from behind the souvenir shop's counter.

"Again?! God, we really need to replace those hunks of junk already…" The blonde woman grumbled as she walked over to help the younger employee.

Rumi chuckled to herself at the sight. Poor Iwasaki… He'd been working here for two months and he still hadn't been able to cash up without at least one cash register giving him problems…

The scarlet haired woman's smile fell as her thoughts wandered back to that boy. He really did look familiar…

"Now that I think about it… Didn't I meet a kid with fluffy hair like that in hospital…?"

The sound of clinking metal echoed through the living room as Takuto collected the empty plates and cutlery from the coffee table.

"You feel better now that you've got some food in your system?" He asked as he placed them into the sink and filled it with warm water.

"Yeah, a lot better. Thanks for that, dad." Ren sighed happily.

Takuto smiled softly to himself as he poured some washing up liquid into the water. He was glad that Ren had perked up, the teenager's face had a lot more colour in it now. Grabbing his rubber gloves to wash the dishes, Takuto glanced up at his clock.

18:02PM

"Is that the time already?!" He gasped in surprise.

"Hm? … What?!" Ren shrieked as he made the same discovery. "I should probably head back to Leblanc, Sojiro will be worried…"

As the raven haired boy stood up, Takuto noted the way his legs were still wobbling slightly.

"Wait, Ren. It's probably not the best idea to go to Leblanc… After all, I don't think you should go into a café if you've been sick." Takuto pointed out.

Despite it not being very likely, Takuto still thought Sojiro wouldn't be very happy if Ren made some of his customers sick.

Ren nodded in agreement. "Yeah, okay, you make a good point… So, what should I…?"

"Just stay here for the night. I've got a spare futon you could use." Takuto stated, scrubbing a mug until it was spotless. He thought it was obvious.

"Are you sure?"

"Ren, why on earth would I not let my own son stay the night?"

"... Fair point. Although, won't Sojiro get worried if I don't turn up?"

"Give him a call. I'll explain everything to him for you."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Alright." Ren agreed with a nonchalant sigh as he scrolled through his contacts and clicked on Sojiro's number.

As the phone rang, he held it out for his dad to hold. Takuto went to take the phone but froze when he saw his hands: wearing rubber gloves that were soaking wet and covered in soap.

"O-Oh, uh… Okay… Um…" He stuttered as he tried to figure out what to do.

Ren simply snickered and held the phone next to Takuto's ear. As the chestnut haired man picked up another plate to wash, the barista on the other line picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Sakura-san. It's Maruki."

"Ren's dad? The counselor at Shujin?"

"Yep, that's me."

"Can I help you with something?"

"No, no, I was calling to tell that Ren's gonna be spending the night at mine."

"Oh… Okay. Did something happen?"

"Nothing too major, don't worry. I just bumped into him and his friend after their trip to the planetarium and Ren had thrown up, thanks to the heat. He's feeling better now but I thought it would be better to play it safe and keep him away from the café until he's fully recovered."

"Really? He seemed fine when he left this morning… He was the happiest I've ever seen him."

Takuto chuckled at that information, noting Ren's suspicious glare. The teen was clearly wondering what was so funny.

"Is that so? Well, it was a warm one today and I've seen him out and about a lot recently, I suppose it just crept up on him."

"Yeah, makes sense… Can't wait for this heatwave to end…"

"Ahh yeah, must be tough working in a kitchen in this heat…"

"You're telling me… Well, thanks for telling me, I was just about to start making dinner. Good to know that I'll just have to make some for Futaba."

"Hehe, always makes things easier, doesn't it?"

Ren let out a quiet gasp as he remembered something.

"Something wrong, Ren?"

"Morgana. I fed him this morning before he went off with Futaba. He needs to be fed again."

"What was that? I just heard Ren mumbling." Sojiro questioned through the speaker.

"He was just saying that Morgana needs to be fed."

"Oh right, of course. I'll ask if Futaba's fed him yet and if she hasn't, I will. Don't worry, the cat's in good hands."

"Thanks for that, Sakura-san. Well then, we'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing. Tell Ren I said to take care."

"Will do. Bye."

"Bye."

Takuto nodded at Ren to let him know the conversation was over. The raven haired boy pulled his arm back down and ended the call. Takuto chuckled again.

Ren glared at him with suspicion again.

"... What?"

"So, you were excited for your little outing with Akechi-kun, huh?" Asked Takuto with a knowing smirk.

Ren frowned in confusion. "Well, yeah? He asked me to the planetarium, why wouldn't I be excited?"

"You sure it was the stars you were excited about?"

"What're you getting at?"

"You sure it wasn't your little date with Akechi-kun that you were excited about?"

Ren grimaced in embarrassment as his face flushed a deep red. "What?! No! It wasn't a date!"

"Are you suuuure~? You two were pretty close~" Takuto snickered.

"No! He was just helping me walk!"

"Awwwww, you're blushing~! Do you liiiike him~?"

"Oh my god, shut up already! Dad, you are so annoying sometimes!" Ren huffed as he stomped back over to the sofa and collapsed onto it, hiding his face in one of the cushions.

"I'm your dad, that's my job."

"No, your job is to take care of me not to make me cringe into my next life."

"I can do both."

"Ugghhhh…."

Takuto laughed in amusement to himself as he placed the final few pieces of cutlery onto the drying rack. "Okay, okay, I'll give you a break. Sorry."

"You better be…"

Slipping off his gloves and placing them next to the sink, Takuto smiled.

He wasn't a fool. He saw the way Akechi smiled at Ren. And really? Taking him out to look at stars? That was one of the oldest tricks in the book. Hell, that's how Takuto and Rumi celebrated their first anniversary.

Speaking of the past, that reminded him…

"Hey, Ren?"

"What now?" Ren grumbled back, readying himself for another bout of embarrassment.

"I was thinking while we were watching that movie… Do you remember when your grandad set up that treasure hunt for you?"

"... Uhh… Oh! Oh yeah, I remember that! Why?" Ren eyes widened with childish wonder as that memory rushed back into his brain.

"I remember each hint had some chocolate coins hidden with them, but… Do you remember what the final treasure was? I've been thinking about it since we watched the movie earlier and I can't remember it at all…"

Ren looked up at the ceiling as he began wracking his brain.

What was it…? It had been so long since then… He knew it wasn't chocolate… Because he could remember his grandmother saying that he shouldn't eat too much chocolate at once… What was it?!

Takuto lifted his hand to his mouth, stifling the giggles that left it at the sight of Ren. The teen pouted childishly as he softly drummed his fingers on the arm of the sofa. He was clearly very deep in thought.

All of a sudden, his eyes shot wide open. A lightbulb had clearly flickered on in his brain.

"Do you remember?"

"It was a photo."

A confused frown enveloped Takuto's face. "A photo? A photo of what?"

Ren's face softened, a slight sadness shining in his eyes.

"It was a photo of you and mum holding me after I was born…"

Takuto blinked in surprise. Now that Ren mentioned it, he could picture the photo in question. But…

"Why did he make that the treasure?"

Ren squeezed one eye shut as he tried to recall.

"... I think it was to teach me a lesson."

The memory was hazy… But that sounded right to Takuto. Yeah, it was. It was to teach Ren… Oh come on, he'd remembered this much, he had to remember that last detail!

As if to answer his question, Ren continued, absent-mindedly rubbing the back of his head as he spoke. "That was around the time… I kept blaming myself for what happened to mum… You know, when I kept saying I wished I wasn't around…"

That one sentence made everything click into place in Takuto's mind.

Smiling softly, he urged Ren to continue. "And do you remember what he said when you found it?"

Despite the conflicting feelings, Ren still had a loving smile on his face. "Well, first, he scolded me for being greedy when I was upset it wasn't more candy…"

The father and son laughed. Ren continued with his recollection.

"And then he said 'You're the treasure, Ren. You're precious to everyone in the family. Your mama and daddy worked very hard to bring you into the world, so saying you don't want to be here is incredibly selfish. Always remember that there is someone who wants you.'"

Ren's eyes watered and his voice faltered as he finished quoting his grandfather's speech. He remembered how sobering those words were at the time. They really did bring him to his senses.

Sniffling quietly, Ren wiped his eyes.

"Did I ever thank him for that?" He asked his father.

Takuto gently sat himself down next to Ren and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Not that I recall… But it's not like he's gone, you can call him right now and thank him if you want to."

Ren choked out a soft laugh. "Oh yeah, that won't sound weird at all. Just ringing him out of the blue 'Hey, yeah, thanks for knocking some sense into me when I was seven.'"

"You know what I mean… Just make sure you tell him how much that meant to you, okay?" Takuto sighed, rolling his eyes with an exasperated smile.

Ren smiled back.

"Don't worry, I will."

"I'm glad you liked your present, Rumi." The middle aged woman chuckled softly as she watched her daughter munch on her cake.

"It's lovely, mum! Thank you so much!" Rumi cheered with a beaming smile as she folded up the sweater her mother had bought for her.

The family were quietly sat in the living room of Rumi's childhood home, celebrating the scarlet haired woman's birthday.

Takuto perched next to her on the sofa, holding her hand and gently rubbing his thumb against the wedding ring on her ring finger. Her parents were sat opposite to them in their own seats, happy to enjoy quality time with their daughter.

Ren was knelt on the floor, playing with his usual action figures that he insisted on bringing everywhere with him along with the assortment of toys his grandparents kept at their house.

"We're sorry for not visiting as much recently… We've both just suddenly been swamped with work and then my mother had that accident and we just haven't been able to find the time…" Takuto apologised with a guilty frown.

"Takuto-kun, you really need to stop apologising for everything. We understand, life just happens sometimes." Rumi's father chuckled quietly.

"How is your mother, by the way?" Mrs. Amamiya enquired.

"Oh, she's fine. Got away with just a fractured wrist; could have been a lot worse. Although, she's not allowed to do anything too strenuous for a while, which means she's not allowed to do any cooking… Which is gonna be hell for her…" Takuto replied, laughing slightly as he remembered the expression on his mother's face when she received the doctor's orders.

"Ah, yeah, because that's her hobby isn't it?"

"Yeah…"

"Although, Takuto's father seemed happy enough. But then again, he's rarely allowed to touch anything in the kitchen… I think he's excited to actually cook for once." Rumi added with an amused smirk.

Takuto burst out laughing.

"Yeah, probably!"

"Well, I hope she has a speedy recovery." Mr. Amamiya expressed his well wishes before turning to look at his grandson. "But, I have to say… Ren has certainly gotten big, hasn't he?"

"I was just thinking that! I mean, I know it's been a while since we last saw you, but it definitely hasn't been that long!" His wife agreed with him.

Ren perked up at the mention of his name and turned around to face his family.

"I know… He's going through another growth spurt at the moment. I've had to buy so many new clothes for him because he just keeps growing out of his old ones!" Rumi huffed, gently ruffling Ren's hair as she spoke.

The young boy pouted at her remark.

"We had to throw out my favourite shirt…" He muttered dejectedly.

"Really? Not your feather grey shirt…"

"Yeah…"

"Yeah! He went to put it on and he could barely get his arms through the sleeves! He's grown that much!" Takuto exclaimed. He still couldn't believe just how quickly Ren was growing.

The middle aged couple couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, just you wait until he's a teenager! When he has a growth spurt then, you'll know about it!" The greying woman chortled.

"Yep. He'll shoot up and he'll probably empty all your cupboards with his appetite." Her husband agreed.

"Oh, trust me, he already does…" Rumi sighed, looking down at Ren with a knowing expression. Takuto laughed as Ren awkwardly looked away.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Ren. Your body needs more fuel than usual when it's growing. Everyone eats a lot when they're growing." The chestnut haired man reassured his son.

Ren looked up with a thoughtful expression.

"But that doesn't mean it's okay to eat loads of sweets… That won't help you grow, that'll just make you sick." Rumi quickly added.

Ren looked down with a pout, playing innocent.

"So, Ren, how are you doing at school?" The boy's grandmother changed the subject to save him any more embarrassment.

"Hmm… I think I'm doing okay. I like the subjects where I have to write and describe stuff, but… I really hate using numbers…" was Ren's answer.

"So, you don't like maths or science?"

"They're boring…"

"Your daddy works in science." The grandfather pointed out.

"I know."

Rumi had to stifle her laughter as she noticed her husband's slightly hurt expression. She quickly spoke up again to change the subject again.

"Speaking of Ren and school, his piano recital is coming up next month!"

"Really?! What song are you playing, Ren?"

"The teacher chose Claire De Lune by Debussy."

"Really? Isn't that quite a difficult song?" The grandmother murmured in surprise.

Ren shrugged. "Not really, I found it pretty easy. I've got memorised already."

"Ren's just got a real talent for the piano. It's amazing." Takuto bragged, proud of his son's dedication to his passion.

Ren quickly looked away, returning to his game, but Takuto could still notice the bright red on his ears. The father chuckled quietly to himself.

"So, yeah, if you want to come, let us know because we only have a couple more weeks left to buy tickets." Rumi returned to her original point.

"What date is it?" Mr. Amamiya queried. Rumi quickly pulled out her phone and checked her calendar.

"Ren, what are you doing?" Asked Takuto after noticing Ren trying to squeeze a bunch of toys into the same box. "That's not gonna work… Put them in one at a time."

As he spoke, a ball pinged out and bounced out of the room.

"Ah!" Ren gasped, hurriedly stumbling to his feet and chasing after it across the hallway.

"It's on March 20th." Rumi informed her parents.

"I don't think we have anything going that day…"

"Not that I recall… We'd love to come!"

"Great! I'll order tickets for you two as well!"

Takuto smiled softly. It seemed there was going to be quite the party attending this recital. He glanced out of the living room door at Ren stood in the doorway to the garage across the hallway.

The small boy glanced to the side and froze. Was he looking at something?

"Ren, what's wrong?"

An anxious look appeared in the fluffy haired boy's eyes as he pointed to the side of the garage.

"Da-"

Before he could even finish a single word, a plank of wood appeared from behind the wall, swinging down and smashing into the back of his head.

The boy fell to the ground, knocked unconscious.

Panic coursed through Takuto's entire body.

"Y-You just attacked a child…" An unfamiliar voice whimpered.

"Just shut up! Someone else might be-" Another voice snapped, cutting themself off as three men stepped around the corner, freezing at the sight of the family in the living room. "Shit!"

"I thought you said the house was empty?!" The smallest man shrieked.

"I thought it was!" The leader grunted back.

"Ren!" Screamed Rumi, her body moving on it's own as she rushed over to her son.

"Who the hell are you?! Get out of my house!" Amamiya boomed with ferocity.

It all happened so quickly.

Takuto's mind could barely keep up.

Rumi shoved the men away from Ren, grabbing him and cradling him protectively against her chest.

Blood poured from the wound of his head.

The men in ski masks shouted something. Takuto couldn't hear it. His hearing was muffled by his own heartbeat.

His father-in-law charged towards the intruders.

A gunshot.

His pale blue shirt being stained a sickening shade of red.

A scream.

His mother-in-law rushed to the phone in the hallway.

Takuto's feet moved on their own, hurrying to Rumi's side.

The second man ran towards Mrs. Amamiya, shouting something.

The phone knocked to the floor as a vase slammed into the woman's head.

Red.

An overwhelming amount of red.

A burning sensation rose through Takuto's stomach and chest.

He turned to look at Rumi and Ren.

The third man sped towards them.

Takuto reached out to her, fear coursing through his veins.

"Ru-!"

Pain.

Nothing.

When Takuto next awoke, he was in a hospital bed. Days had apparently passed. The doctors explained everything… and gave him the bad news.

He had been knocked out as he tried to project his family.

Rumi's parents had died…

Rumi was severely traumatised…

Ren still hadn't woken up…

But, the men had all been caught and arrested. Takuto couldn't help but wish that they'd suffer. His thoughts went to a place that scared him.

Once he was cleared to walk around, he immediately paid a visit to Rumi.

It… didn't go well…

Her trauma was so deeply rooted, he could barely get a response out of her… until he triggered those horrific memories of hers…

And then… He wasn't entirely sure what happened…

A strange voice echoed in his head. It said it could erase Rumi's suffering… It sounded as though it knew of Takuto's research… But upon taking the voice's offer…

Rumi lost her memories.

She had no idea who he was…

It… hurt.

Takuto didn't know what to do…

Rumi was the one he had fallen in love with. Rumi was the one he started a family with. Rumi was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Rumi was the one he wanted to grow old with. But… If he stayed with her… She'd only remember that nightmare over and over…

It was for her sake… That he had to let her go.

Of course, since he was still required to stay in hospital to receive treatment for his head injury, he saw her around.

She'd start conversations since they had 'met' in her hospital room and it was nice chatting to someone… It made the hospital experience less anxious, she said.

Takuto would be lying if he said it wasn't painful. He was talking to his wife, but she was talking to a complete stranger.

One day, as he sat in his hospital bed, trying to figure out just who on earth that voice was, one of the nurses poked her head around the door frame.

"Maruki-san, could you come with me please?" She requested.

Takuto tilted his head with a questioning expression. The nurse's smile grew.

"Ren-kun's woken up."

Takuto gasped as he quickly threw himself out of bed, almost collapsing onto the floor. "Ren…!"

The nurse rushed over and caught him before he fell. "Easy! I know you're excited but don't push yourself! Come on, I'll take you there, just take your time."

It was the most agonizingly slow walk of Takuto's life. He didn't want to walk! He wanted to run! He wanted to hurry and see Ren!

His heart pounded excitedly as the nurse knocked on the door.

"You've got a visitor!" She sang, smiling knowingly at Takuto as she opened the door.

There he was.

Ren was quietly sitting in the bed, bandages covering his head. He stared intently at the doctor speaking to him, taking in every word he was being told.

"Ren!" Takuto choked out, tears spilling down his face at the sight of his son, finally awake.

Ren's eyes widened and his head quickly turned in the direction of his voice. An ecstatic smile spread across his face. "Daddy!"

Takuto shoved himself away from the nurse and flung himself over to the bed.

He wrapped his arms around his son and clung on for dear life. His breathing was shaky as he couldn't stop himself from sobbing. He focused on his son's heartbeat pounding against his own as Ren hugged him back, clinging onto his shirt with his tiny hand.

He was here.

He was alive.

"U-Um, sir, I understand you're relieved to see him awake, but I have to ask you not to hug him too tightly… " The doctor awkwardly spoke up, his colleague laughing quietly.

"O-Oh, right, sorry… I didn't hurt you, did I, Ren?" Takuto apologised as he eased his grip on his son.

Ren softly shook his head. "Mm-mm. I'm really glad you're okay, daddy…"

The small boy leaned back into his father's chest to hug him again. Takuto smiled as he sat down and cradled Ren against him.

"I am too… I was so scared when I saw those men hit you… So, so scared…" He muttered, grimacing as he tried to push that image out of his mind.

"I tried to tell you those scary men were there…" Ren mumbled, burying his face into Takuto's chest to hide his tears.

"I know you did and that was very brave of you." Takuto froze as he felt Ren trembling against his hand. He gently rubbed Ren's back to console the scared boy. "It's okay, Ren… The police found all of them and arrested them. We're safe."

Ren looked off to the side with a pained expression.

"... One of the doctors told me that Granny and Grandpa are dead… Is that true?"

Takuto's eyes widened in horror. They really told him this soon after he woke up?!

The head doctor turned and glared at his colleague.

Takuto took a deep breath and looked down at Ren with a sorrowful expression.

"... Yes, it's true… I'm sorry, Ren… I know it hurts…"

Ren looked dazed. He couldn't make sense of this information. He wasn't going to see them again? They… weren't going to come to his recital…?

"Ren, this is very important, so listen to me. It's always difficult when you lose someone you love. So you need to let yourself feel every emotion you need to feel. If you need to cry, then cry. If you're angry, let that anger out. If you're lonely, tell someone who can keep you company. Just… don't bottle it up. Things will only get worse if you keep it to yourself. Understand?" Takuto advised his son.

He could still remember when he lost his own grandparents. Granted, it wasn't anything like their current situation but… Those were still words Ren needed to hear.

Ren stared down at his lap as he tried to make sense of his father's words. They were just… gone?

A small gasp left his mouth as it hit him.

"What about Mama?! Is Mama okay?!"

Takuto didn't know how to respond to that one. He kept opening and closing his mouth as he tried to think of a way to explain.

"M-Mama… Sh-She's okay… She's not hurt anymore but… It's for the best if you leave her alone for a while… Okay?"

That just seemed to make Ren more nervous.

"Why..? What's wrong?!"

"Maruki-san? I'm sorry, I know you're glad that Ren-kun is awake now but we still need to give him a full check up, so if we could ask you to return to your room…?" The head doctor quickly spoke up.

Takuto dejectedly nodded. "I understand… I have to go now, Ren… But don't worry, I'll come visit you everyday. And I'll call Grandma and Grandad and tell them that you're awake; they've been worried about you as well. Shibusawa too! Everyone wants to see you. I'll see you tomorrow, okay kiddo?"

Ren nodded understandingly. "Okay, daddy… I'll see you tomorrow."

As Takuto stood up, he leant down and placed a soft, loving kiss on Ren's forehead. "You listen to the doctors and rest up, okay?"

"...Okay."

"Good boy…"

Takuto let the nurse slide his arm over her shoulder as she prepared to help him back to his room.

"Daddy!"

Takuto flinched at the sudden yell and turned around to see Ren leaning on the side of his bed, the doctor carefully holding his arm in front of the child to keep him from losing his balance.

"I love you!" He shouted, catching the attention of several passers-by.

Takuto couldn't stop the smile that consumed his entire face. After everything that had happened, those were exactly the words he needed to hear.

"I love you too, sweetheart. More than you'll ever know."

An irritated huff left Takuto's mouth as he slid a coin in the vending machine slot and pressed a button.

He felt completely fine now, sure he had started getting migraines when he was stressed but other than that he had completely recovered. But for whatever reason, his doctors insisted on keeping in the hospital for a while longer.

He didn't want to be there, he wanted to go home. He wanted to sleep in his own comfortable bed without having to hear all of the other patients. Not to mention, he felt guilty for having his parents take care of not only their own home, but his too. He didn't ask them to take care of his apartment, but they did it regardless.

A loud, long sigh left Takuto's mouth as he sat himself down on a nearby bench and opened his can of drink. He took a long sip as he pondered what to do.

He had received a phone call from Shibusawa a few days ago; his research had been cut off. He was crushed. His entire life's work had been snatched away from him. But he had to push his personal feelings to the side for now. He needed work. He needed money to take care of himself and Ren.

What was a profession that would pay well and was a good fit for his specialities?

"Everything just has to happen at once, doesn't it…?" He dejectedly muttered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. God, he could feel another migraine coming…

He tried not to think too hard about it as he downed the rest of his drink. It was better to ask for others' opinions with this kind of predicament. He'd have to ask for his parents' advice when they next visited.

"Should we tell Maruki-san?" A voice anxiously muttered from around the corner.

The mention of his name caught his attention. Takuto slid over to the corner and listened in to the conversation.

"No way. He'll panic if we do and Ishida-sensei said we need to keep his stress levels low." The other voice replied.

Well, considering his current situation, that wasn't gonna happen no matter how hard they tried…

"Then what are we supposed to do? We've already got security looking for Ren-kun but we've still got nothing."

Takuto's eyes widened.

Ren was missing?! Where was he?! Oh god, he hadn't wandered off somewhere had he?!

He had been complaining about being bored lately, but Takuto never expected him to actually sneak out of his room! He had to find him! He couldn't lose Ren too!

Takuto's head pounded as he jogged around the hospital, scanning each and every area thoroughly for any signs of Ren.

"Mama!" An all too familiar voice cried out excitedly.

Anxiety coursed through Takuto's veins. Oh no…

He turned around in the direction the voice came from. What greeted him was the sight of the wide open door to Rumi's hospital room.

The colour drained from his face.

His head throbbed painfully.

"Mama! I'm so glad you're okay! I missed you! Hey, so, I've been a good boy! I've done everything the doctors told me too and they said I'll be able to go home soon! You're coming home too, right?!" Ren excitedly chattered away.

This was bad… Takuto gritted his teeth and pressed through the pain to hurry over to Rumi's room.

"U-Um…" he heard Rumi mumble.

Oh no…

"I-I'm sorry… I think you have the wrong room… I don't have any children." She answered awkwardly.

The silence that came after was deafening.

"Wh-... Th-That's not funny, Mama… You know it's me…" Ren whimpered.

"I'm really sorry but I don't know what you're talking about… You've probably got me mistaken with someone else. I'll help you look for your mama, if you'd like." Rumi sweetly offered.

"Ren!" Takuto cried as he flung himself around the door frame.

The two looked over at him.

Rumi was sat daintily in her bed, surprised by his sudden appearance.

Ren was leaned on the bed, half hugging Rumi. But… the look in his eyes… They seemed broken… As if his entire world had come crashing down.

It was excruciating to look at…

"Daddy…?"

Takuto took a deep breath to steady himself before walking over.

"Ren, you should know better than to sneak off… All your doctors are worried about you. I was worried about you." He softly reprimanded him, not wanting to upset him any further.

"Oh, is he your son?" Rumi asked with her usual beautiful smile.

Ren looked back at her with that dazed expression.

"Yes, he is. Sorry for him barging in like this." Takuto quietly apologised, wanting to keep the conversation as brief as possible as he carefully lifted Ren off the floor and held him against his chest.

Ren looked up at his father with that same dazed and baffled expression.

"Oh no, it's quite alright! You've got quite the adorable son there!" Giggled Rumi.

"Yeah, I sure do." Takuto forced a smile onto his face. "Well, I should probably take him back to his room so his doctors can stop freaking out."

Rumi laughed again, waving at the two as they left the room. "Yeah, that's probably for the best! I hope you find your mama soon!"

Takuto's smile fell the moment they were out of Rumi's line of sight.

"Daddy?" Ren mumbled, obviously wanting some answers.

A stressed sigh left Takuto's mouth. "Ren. We need to talk."

The young boy gulped anxiously. His father had never looked so serious before…

"O-Okay…"

The two remained completely silent while Takuto carried Ren back to his own room. If he took him back to Ren's room, the doctors would rush to scold him and ask him questions.

This was a conversation that required privacy.

After reaching their destination, Takuto sat down onto the bed before placing Ren down next to him.

"God, how do I explain this…?" Takuto stressfully muttered to himself, brushing his hair up and out of his face. It was hard enough trying to talk about this kind of subject with a child but adding his own jumbled up thoughts and feelings into the mix made it a whole lot worse.

Ren sat silently, staring up at his father as he patiently waited for the explanation about what happened.

"O-Okay… So… There's this thing called trauma and what it basically is is when something scary happens to someone, it can change the way their brain works… Does that make any sense?" Takuto shakily started his speech.

Ren frowned in confusion and shook his head.

"Okay… Let me think of an example… Oh, okay, so do you remember the episode of Feathermen where Feather Purple was nearly drowned by that mermaid monster? And how in later episodes, they were terrified of water?" He tried to make it more understandable for the small child.

Ren nodded.

"That was because of trauma. That attack was the scary event which traumatised Feather Purple and that made their brain change so whenever they saw water, it would send signals that told them they were in danger." Takuto continued, expanding on the point he was trying to make.

Ren frowned and looked off to the side as his brain processed his father's explanation.

"So… Because the scary thing happened in water, Feather Purple's brain changed to tell them that water was dangerous?" He asked, wondering if he understood it correctly.

"That's it, very well done. But it's really not that simple… Basically trauma can damage the brain… and when that happens, the brain tries to protect itself. And it protects itself in a variety of ways… One of those ways is pushing away the memories that it deems dangerous." Takuto struggled to explain.

He was still making sense of how cognition and the psyche worked in his research… And explaining that subject to his own son was… difficult. In more ways than one.

Ren scowled as he tried to understand what his father was trying to say.

That's when it clicked.

He looked up at his father with wide eyes.

Takuto continued. "Y-... Your mama saw everything that happened that night… and… That put a lot of stress on her brain… S-So…"

The father struggled to speak as his throat closed up and tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

"So… Mama's forgotten about me…?" Ren whispered, staring down at his lap with a broken expression.

Takuto couldn't hold back his tears any longer as he pulled Ren onto his lap and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry, Ren… I know how much it hurts… I didn't want you to go through that pain, so I tried to keep you away from her… Just remember this: that night… the first thing your mother did was run to protect you… so… don't ever think that she doesn't love you anymore… she will always love you more than anything."

Ren clung to his father's shirt as tears spilled from his blank eyes.

What… was happening? His head was swimming. Nothing made sense. Everything felt numb.

But… There was some warmth… That warmth was the only thing connecting him to reality.

"Daddy…?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"You… won't forget me… right?"

Takuto's heart shattered at that question.

"I will never, ever forget you, Ren." He declared, pulling back from the hug.

He grabbed onto Ren's hand and gently grasped onto it, forcing Ren to look him in the eyes. "Now, listen to me, Ren. It hurts. It hurts so much, but we can't give up, okay? We're still here. We're still together. We've still got people to help us. So, we're going to keep going, right? We're gonna fight through this pain and help each other live happily. Promise?"

Those words made Ren's chest feel warm. He didn't understand the feeling, but he liked it. He shakily nodded his head.

"Promise."

Grunting quietly, Takuto's eyes fluttered open as he stirred from his slumber.

That dream again… He wanted to move on, but those memories still haunted him all these years later.

It was still dark outside, the only light coming from the streetlights below and his alarm clock on his bedside table. Takuto couldn't tell what the temperature was like; he was covered in sweat but his body was shivering.

"What time is it?" He mumbled groggily as he glanced over at his alarm clock, squinting to read the time displayed on it.

3:06AM

An irritated huff left his mouth as he flopped back onto his bed. Great… Now he probably wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep.

A slight wave of pain pulsed through his forehead. He recognised that feeling… It was an early sign that he was going to have a migraine. That didn't really surprise him; he always seemed to get migraines after those dreams.

Figuring he'd take care of the problem before it really became painful, Takuto fumbled around for his glasses before shoving himself out of bed and tiptoeing towards his door.

Yawning quietly, Takuto wandered towards the kitchen to fetch himself a glass of water and a couple of painkillers. He froze when he entered the living room.

The futon he had placed down for Ren was empty. Where on earth…?! Panic began rising in Takuto's tired mind as he glanced around for any signs of Ren.

That panic quickly dissipated when he looked out the window and spotted Ren on the balcony.

"What's he doing out there at this time…?" He pondered out loud as he began to walk towards the door.

However, he quickly stopped himself when he noticed the phone held up to Ren's ear. Takuto quietly watched Ren as he sneaked into the kitchen. The teenager seemed quite cheerful as he chatted to whoever was on the other line.

It only took a minute for Takuto to take his tablets and down his water, now he just had to wait for them to kick in.

Although… He did feel a little bit peckish… He'd just have a quick snack and then head back to bed. After rummaging around in his cupboards, he decided to munch on a granola bar.

Throwing the wrapper into the bin, Takuto glanced back over at the balcony. Ren was… blushing.

'Ah. So, that's who he's talking to, is it?' Takuto thought to himself with a knowing chuckle.

Ren always liked to think that he was unreadable, thanks to his ability to keep a poker face in most situations… But, Takuto always saw through him. He knew all of his little habits. It was obvious that Ren had a little crush on that detective. And to be fair… He didn't exactly put on a convincing act when Takuto teased him earlier.

But still… Seeing Ren at sixteen, happily chatting to his crush in the early hours of the morning… It warmed Takuto's heart.

To think that several years earlier, Ren had completely shut himself off and cried almost every day… And now here he was, a smile on his face, talking to a close friend after having a day out with him.

… He really had grown.

He went through something no child should… and came out the other side smiling. It wasn't like it was over; that pain was going to stay with him for the rest of his life… Takuto wished that wasn't the case… No one should have to bear with that kind of suffering…

But, he fought through it. He tried his best to move on and smile. And at the end of the day, that was incredible. Just going from one day to next… It was hard. So, even doing something most people considered simple, it was amazing.

Takuto's mind wandered back to what Ren told him that afternoon.

So, Rumi worked at a planetarium now, did she? It seemed she still loved stars… A bittersweet chuckle escaped Takuto's lips as he recalled bringing out mugs of hot chocolate to Rumi and Ren as they lied in their old back garden watching the stars. He missed Rumi dearly, but… He was glad to hear that she was doing well in her new life.

As long as she was happy, that was all he could ask for.

Ren quietly laughed as he continued talking to Akechi. He was probably going to be out there for a while…

Smiling softly, Takuto turned around and returned to his room.

A distressed sigh echoed throughout Goro's room. He felt guilty for prying, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong about the woman in the planetarium.

It took a little while but after some digging, Goro learned her identity and by extension, her connection to Ren.

Rumi Amamiya.

Formerly married to Takuto Maruki with whom she had a child named Ren.

She lost her parents in a burglary gone wrong and fell into a catatonic state.

After suddenly recovering, she had lost all memory of her life after her college days.

Goro didn't really know what to think. He knew he shouldn't have been so nosey, but… he just wanted to help Ren in some way. That probably wasn't possible, though, considering the circumstances.

Looking back, it seemed that she still hadn't recovered from amnesia… After all, she only referred to Ren as 'Sir' and 'Young man'...

It… must have been painful for Ren… Goro couldn't even imagine how much it must have hurt to see her face after all those years.

He let out a loud huff as he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

How would he feel if that happened to his own mother…? He desperately wished she was still alive… So, of course he'd be happy that she was alive but… The idea of her forgetting his entire existence and talking to him as if he were a stranger… He didn't know if he could bear that…

"I should have minded my own business…" He reprimanded himself, ashamed by his own selfish actions.

He looked back down at his laptop, which is when he noticed the time.

2:59AM

"Shit… Not again…" He muttered, quickly turning off his laptop and preparing to go to bed.

As he threw his clothes onto the chair in the corner of his room, telling himself that he'd wash them tomorrow, his phone rang. Flinching at the sudden sound, Goro returned to his desk and checked the caller ID.

Ren…?

What did he want?

Goro picked up the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Goro. Sorry for calling out of the blue like this."

"It's okay, although it's pretty late…"

"Well, I had a feeling you were still awake at this time."

Goro remained silent, frowning slightly.

Ren continued. "Working again?"

"... No?"

Goro could hear Ren giggling through the speaker. The sound brought a smile to his face. It was good to hear Ren laughing again.

"Although, what are you doing awake at this time?" Goro asked as the question popped into his head.

"No special reason. I just woke up 'cause I needed to pee."

"... Fair enough."

"Anyway, I just called because I wanted to apologise."

Goro tilted his head in confusion. "Apologise? For what?"

"For this afternoon, obviously. You were nice enough to invite me out on your day off and I ended up ruining it… So, I'm really sorry about that…"

Goro sighed quietly, sitting himself down in his bed as he replied.

"Ren, you have nothing to apologise for. What happened was completely out of your control… Are you feeling any better?"

"Oh yeah, I'm good again. Still a little shaky but my stomach's settled and I can keep food down. Thanks for helping, by the way. I don't really know what I would have done if you weren't there with me."

"I'm just glad to hear you're doing better." Goro chuckled, relieved to hear that Ren had recovered.

"Yeah… Still, though, I wanna make it up to you." Ren announced.

Goro was caught off guard.

"Make it up to me? What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, you basically wasted a day off and those tickets because of me… So, let me take you somewhere to make up for it. My treat." The raven haired boy offered.

For some reason, that proposition made Goro feel really flustered.

"O-Oh no, you really don't have to do that!" He stuttered bashfully, glad that Ren couldn't see his face as heat flushed through his cheeks.

"But I want to! C'mon let me! Look, how about this? I've already made plans with some friends throughout the week and I've got some shifts coming up at work, but I'm free next Wednesday. What do you say to meeting up and going to that Karaoke place on Central Street?"

That suggestion came out of nowhere.

"Karaoke?"

"Yeah. I know you don't like going to public places because your fans always come over and pester you, but if we go to karaoke, we can have some fun while singing, have something to eat and drink, and we'd have our room so we could have some privacy, just the two of us." Ren explained his reasoning with a sweet voice that told Goro he was smiling.

Goro sat there in stunned silence. He'd really put that much thought into it just to make sure Goro would be happy and comfortable?

"I-I mean, unless you'd want me to invite the others or-" Ren anxiously backpedaled.

"N-No! No no no! I love your idea! It's perfect! I'd like it to be just us! I'll be there on Wednesday!" Goro hurriedly interrupted, not wanting another day out being walked in on by one of Ren's acquaintances… Like that journalist…

"Y-You do?" Ren gasped, sounding rather surprised that Goro accepted his offer.

"Yeah, I'd love to." Goro assured him. He honestly didn't know if he had work that day or not, and right now he didn't care. Either way, he wasn't going in. "So, what time do you want to meet up?"

"I dunno… I mean, Happy Hour starts at around 3 or 4 in the afternoon so it'd be cheaper then… But it'd probably be a lot busier at that time too…" Ren pondered thoughtfully.

"Then… How about we do what we did today and meet up at one?" Suggested Goro.

"Yeah… Yeah, good idea." Ren agreed with an excited giggle. A loud yawn left Goro's mouth as a wave of tiredness washed over him.

Ren laughed at the sound.

"Sorry for keeping you up."

"No, it's okay… Although, I should probably head to bed…" Goro sleepily chuckled.

"Yeah, so should I… Well, I'll see you on Wednesday. Sleep well, Goro."

"Good night, Ren."

Goro couldn't stop a giddy smile from spreading across his cheeks as he hung up from the call and plugged his phone on charge.

Would this day at the karaoke count as a date? Or was that just him being overdramatic? It didn't matter to him either way, he was just excited to spend some time with Ren.

As he snuggled down under his duvet, all he could think was

"I hope Wednesday comes soon."