Chapter Text
"You said you were going to show me a waterfall."
The boy looked up at the larger person standing next to him and pressed his lips together in dissatisfaction. The man returned a wry smile.
"I did."
"This isn't a waterfall," the boy said, pointing at a stack of rocks.
The man briefly scratched his head.
"You're looking at one right now."
"These are just a bunch of rocks."
They were in in the garden of Daikaku-ji in Kyoto. The boy and the boy's mother decided to go visit his father and do some sightseeing while they were there. The man lived apart from them due to a job transfer.
"There is no water," the boy said, sounding a little more irritated now. In fact, there was no water to be seen anywhere unless they walked back to where they came from.
"I know, but its name is Nakoso no taki. So it really is a waterfall."
The man looked back at his son. The blue in the boy's eyes swirled in confusion. He chuckled a little.
"I bet you're thinking, 'so why does it have a taki in its name when there's no water', right?"
The boy merely settled for looking away from his father and the rocks that were supposed to be a waterfall. At that moment he noticed his mother closing in on them. She had tagged along far behind them and was looking a little bored.
"Well, what do you think? Haruka."
Haruka shrugged at his father's attempt at getting another response out of him.
"Michihiro, what are you doing?" Mother asked.
"Oh, I'm showing Haruka a waterfall."
"Waterfall?"
She frowned at him.
"You know what I mean! From 'The waterfall is no more, but its name lives on.'"
"Oh, I see," She smiled. "That explains Haruka's expression."
Haruka looked away from her at the mention of his facial expression. His gaze rested on the rocks. He still had no idea why it was called a waterfall. It looked more like a spring than anything else. His ideal waterfall was at least a few meters high, so he was a very upset that it failed to meet his expectations.
His mother continued, "Is this about Souhei-san's friend?"
Haruka tilted his head back towards them.
"The one who passed away?"
"Ah, yeah."
His father's expression looked blank. Last week he had returned from Kyoto to attend the funeral together with mother. The deceased was a friend of a friend. Haruka's mother happened to know the mother of the deceased. To tell the truth they would be acquaintances at best. Haruka had never heard of these people before his parents mentioned this funeral. He's already forgotten the family name.
Father changed the subject.
"Haruka, what do you know about poetry?"
He gave a quick answer.
"Nothing."
Mother went to stand next to them, putting Haruka in between her and her husband.
"They read a poem about a waterfall at the funeral service," she said.
"Yeah. I just wanted to show you what no longer is, but still is there in some form."
Haruka stared at his feet. What did that have anything to do with him anyway?
His father crouched down to his level.
"Although the sound of the waterfall has ceased, and that long ago, its name, indeed, has carried on and is still heard. – That’s the poem."
Haruka glanced back at his father in surprise.
"You know about poetry?"
He smiled brightly. People often said that it was a shame that Haruka himself didn't smile as often as his father did.
"Of course! I did tons of poetry reading for karuta."
"Karuta? You did that?"
Come to think of it, he did remember seeing his father watch some karuta matches on television, but he never pegged him down as the type who played karuta.
"Yup! I used to play it a lot with Souhei in middle school. I was pretty good at memorizing the cards and sweeping them, but I never got the hang of distinguishing the sounds," he said, "Unlike Souhei I ended up going to a high school without a karuta club though. Oh man, this is really nostalgic. I wish I could play it again."
His father sounded terribly excited. This was no good.
"You should try it. It's fun!"
Haruka scrunched his nose.
"Sounds boring."
His father grinned.
"Then how about Makoto?"
Haruka frowned. Why talk about Makoto? Is he going to drag Makoto into this too?
"That's right. Makoto-kun likes to read. I'm sure he'd love to play karuta with you."
Haruka heard excitement in her voice. If mother got mixed up in father's whims and fancies, then...
"Haruka?"
"I don't know."
Makoto liked reading books, but Haruka wasn't interested so he never asked about what he read.
"Anyway, karuta is a beautiful sport. Those hundred poets have left some interesting thoughts behind... I was reminded of that when they read that poem. It's comforting... in some way."
His voice tapered off a bit. Mother turned around to look at him.
"Michihiro?"
He stood up.
"Seeing those children at the funeral reminded me of myself... But they're so much younger than when I lost my dad."
Father was staring at the pond in the distance. His facial expression hidden from Haruka. Grandfather passed away long before his parents got married. Mother looked worried.
"They'll be alright. I'm sure."
He whispered, "I wish I could be at home more. These days I get scared..."
Haruka froze at those words. Scared?
"That's enough," she said.
"I'm sorry," his father said, as if suddenly remembering that his little son was standing next to him.
She sighed, patting father's back. "Come on. Let's go back into town."
"...Let's do that."
Father is scared... Is this about grandma?
"Coming, Haruka?"
"Yeah."
Haruka took one last look at the waterfall before following his parents.