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A cheerful giggle echoed through the restaurant as Takuto and Rumi enjoyed their conversation. They had been dating for a couple of months now and Takuto had figured that it was about time he told her something important.
"Thanks so much for bringing me here, Takuto. It's such a nice place and the food is delicious!" Rumi laughed as she took a sip of her drink.
"It's fine, I'm glad you like it! Honestly, I've been wanting to come here for a while myself; a few of my colleagues have been raving about it for months now." Takuto replied with a fond chuckle.
"Well, those colleagues have excellent taste!"
Takuto laughed at Rumi's jokey remark before quickly falling silent again. His heart pounded as he prepared himself to make his announcement.
"So, uh, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while now, but I just couldn't really find the right time…" He nervously declared.
"So serious… What's up?" Rumi encouraged him to continue.
"... I have a son."
Rumi's eyes widened at that reveal.
"Oh."
"Sorry for not telling you sooner…"
"No! No, it's fine! You just caught me off guard is all! So, um… How old is he?" Rumi awkwardly reassured her boyfriend.
"He's six years old."
"R-Really? But, you're the same age as me…"
"Yeah, yeah, um… Well… I had a girlfriend in highschool and you know how it is… We were in love and stupid and weren't careful and she didn't want a kid, so I took custody of him. It was tough studying for school and raising a kid, but he's my son and I love him so… Yeah." The glasses wearing man explained, worried that Rumi wouldn't want to stay with him after learning about his past relationship.
"Does he ever see his mother?" She enquired.
"No, she doesn't want anything to do with him."
"Well, that's her decision, I guess…"
A silence fell over the table as the two tried to think of what to say.
"So, is someone watching him right now?"
"Yeah! I wouldn't leave him home alone, my mum is babysitting him for me." Takuto hurriedly replied.
"Of course! So, what's his name?"
"Ren."
"'Ren'. Like the lotus flower? What a lovely name."
"Thank you."
"So, what's he like?"
A big, beaming smile appeared on Takuto's face at that question.
"He's my pride and joy! He's a little shy but he's very polite. He absolutely adores animals, especially cats. You have no idea how many times I've had to tell him that he can't bring a stray cat home with him… It's so hard to say no when he looks up at me with those sad eyes, though… And he loves Feathermen… I have to sit down and watch it with him every morning."
Rumi couldn't help but smile softly as she watched Takuto gush about his son. She felt as if she was falling in love with him all over again.
"He sounds adorable; I can't wait to meet him." She giggled lightly, resting her chin on her hands. Takuto's eyes widened at that last comment.
"R-Really?!"
"Of course! He's an important part of your life, why wouldn't I want to meet him?"
"I-I just didn't want you to feel like I was lying to you or forcing you into being a parent or anything…!" Takuto nervously stuttered. Rumi giggled at her boyfriend's cuteness again.
"I know. But, I won't know if I want to be a parent until I meet him, right?"
A relieved smile enveloped Takuto's face after hearing how understanding Rumi was. He had spent the entire evening worrying that she was going to leave him after learning he had a child with someone else.
"I love you so much…"
"Aww… I love you too."
Takuto hummed quietly along to the tune on the radio as he cooked some dinner. His stomach was churning anxiously as he added some seasoning to the meat.
Today was the day that Rumi was finally going to meet Ren, not to mention it was the first time Rumi had come to his apartment. He'd told Ren that he was going to have a very close friend round for dinner but he wasn't sure if the small boy had been listening when he told him. The meal was going pretty well; he just had to let the meat cook for another twenty minutes and chop up some vegetables and it would be done.
As he went through a mental checklist of his preparations, the doorbell rang. Takuto's heart leapt up into his throat.
"Okay… Relax… It's fine, everything's totally fine, no need to panic." He muttered to himself as he jogged over to the front door. He took a deep breath to compose himself. And opened the door.
"Hey, great to see you!" He greeted Rumi with a pleasant smile.
"Good to see you too!" Rumi replied as she gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"I hope the traffic wasn't too bad on the way here… That one way system can be a real pain in the ass sometimes…" The chestnut haired man made conversation as he invited Rumi inside.
"It actually wasn't all that bad, but I can imagine how much of a nightmare it could be during rush hour…" Rumi responded as Takuto shut the front door behind her. She turned to look at her boyfriend with an excited smile.
"Sooooo… Where is he?"
Takuto smiled back at her, adoring her enthusiasm.
"Ren-Ren! Can you come here for a sec, please?" He called for his son.
"Kaaaaaaay!" A young boy's voice called back from one of the bedrooms.
Seconds later, a raven haired boy jogged out cheerfully before freezing in place at the sight of a new person in the living room. The anxious boy shuffled over to his father, hiding behind his leg and burying his face into his thick, blue cardigan.
"Ren, this is Rumi. She's very special to me and she was really excited to meet you." Takuto informed the child, giving his shoulder an encouraging pat.
"Hello! It's lovely to meet you!" Rumi sweetly greeted the flustered boy, crouching down to his eye level.
"....... -llo…" Ren shyly replied, clinging onto his father's leg and hiding his face in his cardigan. Takuto chuckled softly as he stroked his son's hair. Rumi couldn't help but giggle at the adorable sight. Takuto gently pried Ren's arms off his leg and bent down to talk to him.
"Okay, listen, I've gotta finish up dinner. It'll be done in about fifteen minutes, so do you think you can sit down with Rumi and get to know each other? Hm?" He requested quietly.
".... Mm-hm…" Ren answered with a nervous pout on his face.
"Good boy." Takuto cheered as he stood up, sneakily gesturing to Rumi before returning to the kitchen. Ren stared down at the floor and fiddled with his fingers.
"So, your daddy told me that you like Featherman… Which ranger's your favourite?" Rumi asked as she took off her shoes in an attempt to start a conversation and make Ren feel more at ease around her.
".... Feather Red." Ren bashfully answered.
"Ooh, he's a cool one! What do you think of his special attacks? I like the Scarlet Shower of Swords!"
"I… I like the Crimson Fist of Justice…"
"That's a good one! What about the combo attack they did with Feather Black? I can't remember what it's called but they defeated the Snow Queen with it…"
"The Midnight Rose Rush."
"Wow, you really know your stuff! Very impressive!" Rumi giggled, noticing a sparkle forming in the small boy's eyes. Ren chuckled shyly as his cheeks flushed a light pink.
"The Snow Queen arc was my favourite…" He admitted.
"Oh, I really like the Forest Of Lies arc." Rumi replied, glad that she was getting him to open up.
"I like that one too! ...Um… Do you want to sit down?" Ren asked, gesturing to the nearby sofa.
"Thank you very much, that's very sweet of you." Rumi giggled at Ren's politeness.
"Daddy said that that's what gentlemen say to ladies… He said that it's important to make sure they're comfy." Ren explained as he lead Rumi over to the seats. Yeah, that sounded like something Takuto would say alright.
"Well, you are a lovely little gentleman, Ren." Rumi assured him with a soft smile. The raven haired boy blushed a bright red at the compliment.
"Um… What was your name again?" He asked, a little embarrassed by the fact that he'd already forgotten.
"It's Rumi."
"That's a pretty name…" Ren mumbled, looking away from the woman as he spoke.
"Awww… Thank you so much!" Rumi cooed in response. It was official. She was completely smitten by this boy.
Takuto watched them over the kitchen counter with a loving smile as he added the finishing touches to the dinner. He couldn't have asked for a better start to their relationship. He chuckled softly to himself before picking up the plates.
"All done! So, who's hungry?"
"I'm home!" Takuto huffed out tiredly as he shut the front door behind him and pulled his shoes off. He could hear the TV quietly murmuring in the living room.
"Hello?" He softly called out as he poked his head around the corner.
"Over here." Rumi whispered to him from her seat on the sofa.
"How is he?" The father asked as he walked over to the sofa. A very pale Ren was sat next to Rumi, leaning on her arm as he watched Feathermen with tired eyes. Rumi gently ruffled his hair.
"His fever's gone down but it's still pretty high… Although, he ate some chicken soup and has been able to keep it down. So, he is getting better." Rumi reported.
Takuto let out a relieved sigh. He panicked when he was called to an important meeting while Ren had a cold. He was so grateful that Rumi was willing to look after him while Takuto went to work.
"Hey, kiddo… You doing okay?" He asked with a whisper.
"Mm…" Ren vaguely replied as he blinked sluggishly.
"Has he had his medicine?" Takuto enquired as he helped himself to the pack of biscuits on the coffee table.
"Yeah, he had it about an hour after his dinner." Rumi answered, glancing over at the half asleep boy leaning on her arm.
"Thanks so much for this, Rumi… I didn't expect for this to happen…" Takuto expressed his gratitude.
"Hey, it's not your fault. I've heard that Kawanishi-san is terrible for barely giving any warning to his meetings." Rumi reassured him as she watched Ren's eyes droop even deeper.
"He is, he really is… Anyway, Ren, are you gonna thank Rumi for looking after you?" Takuto softly called out to his sickly son.
"Mm…. Love you… Mama…" Mumbled Ren as he finally drifted off to sleep. The two adults' eyes widened at those slurred words. An ecstatic smile spread across Rumi's face.
"He said he loves me…! He called me 'mama'...!" She squeaked excitedly.
Takuto couldn't even bring himself to say anything from his sheer happiness. He really said that! The chestnut haired man could feel himself tearing up. Ren's head flopped onto Rumi's lap as he began snoring through his blocked nose.
"Oop! Runny nose!" Takuto gasped, grabbing a tissue and quickly wiping Ren's nose before any snot could drop onto Rumi's clothes.
"Poor lil baby…" Rumi chuckled quietly as she smiled down at the bunged up child. She couldn't help but feel bad for him with his bright red nose, and his tired eyes and the way he was much, much quieter than usual… She was just glad that she could help him feel at least a little bit better.
"Well, I should probably get this little guy to bed." Takuto whispered as he carefully lifted Ren off of Rumi's lap.
The sleeping boy groaned slightly as he nuzzled his head into Takuto's chest. Rumi chuckled lovingly as Takuto carried him off into his bedroom. The room was cleaner than it had ever been before since Ren didn't have the energy to play with any of his toys. The father carefully pulled the duvet back before slotting his son into his bed. Ren quickly snuggled in and got himself comfy.
"Is he gonna be alright like this? I should check his temperature…" Takuto murmured, placing one hand onto Ren's forehead and the other onto his own forehead. Still pretty high… It would probably be best to lower his fever a little more…
"Hey, are there any cooling pads left?" He whispered, leaning through the doorway into the living room. Rumi quickly stood up and began rummaging through the carrier bag of supplies.
"Here ya go." She whispered back as she handed over her discovery. Takuto quickly slipped back into Ren's room and plastered the cooling pad onto Ren's forehead.
Having that on during the night should hopefully lower Ren's fever to a more comfortable temperature. A tired sigh left Takuto's mouth as he re-entered the living room and collapsed onto the sofa.
"You need dinner? There's some soup left over." Rumi offered as she watched her exhausted boyfriend stretch his aching back.
"That would be great, thanks sweetheart… I've barely eaten anything all day…" Takuto replied with a yawn. Rumi patted his thigh before pushing herself off the sofa and walking into the kitchen. Takuto heard her giggling to herself as she prepared a bowl of soup.
"You okay in there?" He asked with an amused chuckle.
"He called me 'mama'…!" Rumi giggled with delight as she carried the bowl over to Takuto.
"I know, I heard!" Takuto giggled back as he took the bowl from Rumi. "Thank you."
"I'm so happy I could cry…" Rumi murmured, leaning her head on Takuto's shoulder as he began eating.
"Mm~! This is delicious, thanks so much, honey!" He cheered, flashing a grateful smile to his girlfriend. Rumi smiled back.
"Y'know… If you told me this time last year that I'd have a happy family in just a year's time, I wouldn't have believed you… But, here we are and I've never been happier…!" Rumi remarked with a wistful expression. Takuto reached down and intertwined his fingers with her's.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Hellloooooo? Anyone home?" Rumi called out as she entered the apartment that had become her second home.
"We're in my bedroom!" Takuto shouted back to her.
"In daddy's bedroom!" Ren repeated. Rumi giggled quietly as she slipped her shoes off.
"I brought some sushi with me for lunch!"
"Yaaaaaaay sushi!"
"Hey, hey, clean first then sushi, okay?" Takuto chuckled as Rumi entered the room.
"Fiiiiiiiine…" Pouted Ren as he continued cleaning up the drawers.
"Whatcha doing?" Rumi asked, placing the carrier bag of food onto the bed.
"Having a spring clean. Ren offered to help but has done nothing but complain since starting…" Takuto explained while flashing a knowing smile at his son.
"No, I haven't…" Ren mumbled under his breath as he began rummaging through the drawers again. Rumi giggled as Ren's face clearly displayed the fact that he was lying.
"So, what are you having a clean up for?" She asked as she knelt down next to Takuto and had a closer look at what he was putting into the trash bags.
"Oh, I noticed that I had a load of old letters in my desk that I really don't need anymore, so I figured I might as well just clean out my entire room, not just my desk. Plus, Ren's gone through a growth spurt and a lot of his clothes don't fit him anymore." The chestnut haired man explained.
"Ahh, I see. Well, I could always take Ren clothes shopping while you're at work one day." Rumi offered sweetly.
"That would be great, thanks. I'll give you the money for it."
"Ooooh, pretty!" Gasped Ren as he pulled a small discovery of his out of the drawer and stared at it with wonder.
"What is?" Rumi asked, leaning over to see what Ren had found.
"Wait, Ren, no! Put that back!" Takuto wailed in a flustered panic, but it was too late. Rumi had seen it.
A small black box with a silver ring inside, a pale blue gemstone shining brightly in the middle. She stared at it in disbelief.
"Wh-Wha-?"
Takuto sighed bashfully as he took the small box from Ren's hands.
"Well, it looks like the cat's out of the bag…" He muttered, positioning himself on one knee and displaying the ring to a stunned Rumi.
"Rumi, every day I spend with you is better than the last… And I would love to find out how wonderful those days could become if we spent the rest of our lives together…" He took a deep breath to steel his lives. "Will you marry me?"
Rumi stared at him in disbelief. Was this really happening?! A surprised giggle left her mouth as her brain processed the sight in front of her.
Takuto gulped nervously as he awaited her answer.
Ren kept glancing between the two, excited to see what happened next.
"Yes! Of course, I will!" She exclaimed as happy tears filled her eyes. Takuto sighed in relief as he stood up and slid the ring onto Rumi's finger. Ren giggled happily at the sight of how happy his parents were.
After gazing lovingly at the gorgeous ring, Rumi wrapped her arms around Takuto's neck and kissed him. Takuto smiled against her lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Blegch!" Ren groaned childishly in disgust. The two adults pulled back and laughed at his reaction.
"Aww, I'm sorry, Ren! Did you want a kiss too?" Rumi asked with a sneaky smirk. Ren's eyes widened in fear.
"Nooooooooooooo!!!!" He screeched as he ran out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him. Rumi chased after him with a cheeky grin. She caught up to him in the living room and pulled him into a tight hug, planting a wet kiss on his cheek, deliberately making it as sloppy as possible.
"Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!" Ren whined despite giggling loudly.
Takuto leant against the doorframe, watching the two most important people in his life laugh delightfully. The only thought that crossed his mind was just how unbelievably lucky he was.
"Son of a bitch…" Muttered Takuto under his breath as he hung up from his phone call.
"Swear!" Ren shouted, not looking away from the game he was playing. Takuto clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes as he dropped a five yen coin into the swear jar.
"Is something the matter, sweetheart?" Rumi asked as she slipped on her coat, noticing the stressed grimace on her fiance's face.
"Guess who's just been called into a sudden urgent meeting…" Takuto huffed in irritation as he lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
"Again…?!"
"Yeah… And apparently it's about our sponsor and budget, so I have to go…"
Takuto ruffled his own hair as he stretched his back and glanced over at his son who was completely engrossed in his game.
"What am I gonna do about Ren…?" He uttered with a frown.
"I could take him with me to my parents' house? They love him and they've been asking to see him again for a while now." Rumi suggested as she picked up her phone and car keys.
"You sure?"
"Yeah! Takuto, they consider him their own grandchild, they'd be thrilled to see him."
Takuto sighed in relief at the new option Rumi had presented.
"Okay, Ren, get your coat and shoes on, you're going to Granny and Grandpa's house." He informed the fluffy haired boy.
"Wait!" Ren whined as he hurriedly tried to finish the level he was playing.
"C'mon, chop chop!" Takuto tried to speed him up by poking the ticklish area on his waist.
"Eep!" Ren squeaked as he flinched away from his dad's hand.
"If you don't get ready, I'm gonna tickle you~" Takuto warned him with a smirk.
"Okay, okay!" Ren quickly saved his game before shutting off the console and flinging himself over to the shoe rack. Rumi chuckled quietly and shook her head.
"You know what, Ren? I was chatting with Granny earlier and she said that she had been baking… You might be able to have some cookies while we're there." She spoke up, hoping to make Ren more excited about the visit. She knew that he loved her parents, but she also understood that it was irritating to have to turn off your game to go out somewhere.
"I love Granny's cookies! They're the best!" Ren cheered excitedly as he stood on his tiptoes to reach his coat.
"Well, I've gotta go, so I'll meet with you at your parent's place, yeah?" Takuto suggested as he threw on his own coat and opened the front door.
"Sure thing, I'll see you there, sweetheart." Rumi replied, pecking Takuto on the lips.
"Behave yourself, okay? Bye, Ren." He called out as he jogged down the corridor towards the stairs.
"I will!" Promised Ren as he waved goodbye to his dad.
"Welp, let's get going, yeah? Granny and Grandpa don't know you're coming, so let's surprise them! Sound good?" Rumi suggested as she held Ren's hand and locked the front door behind them.
"Sounds good!"
"Sir! This is a crime scene! We have to ask you to stay back!"
"Let me through, my family's in there!" Screeched Takuto as he shoved his way past the police officers and into the house. The first thing that struck him as he entered the building was the strong smell of blood.
His heart was pounding.
His head was swarming.
His lungs felt as if they were about to pop.
An acidic taste rose up in his throat.
Everything was normal just three hours earlier… What the hell happened? What the hell happened?!
"Ren! Rumi! Where are you?!" He cried out desperately as he searched through the house. He averted his eyes from the splatters of blood on the wall as he flung himself up the stairs.
As he scanned the doorways on the upstairs landing, he found Rumi. Her pale skin stained by the puddle of blood she was laying in. Her eyes half laden and faded. A large gash on her arm and back, staining her favourite white shirt a sickening shade of red.
"R-Rumi…" Takuto uttered in a broken tone as an immense dizzying feeling consumed him. He rushed over and knelt down next to her. A police officer quickly clamped their hand onto the grieving man's shoulder.
"Sir, I understand how you feel but you mustn't touch her… This is a crime scene after all… Please understand…" They explained as they gave Takuto's shoulder a sympathetic pat.
"R-Ren… Where's Ren…? Where's my son?!" Takuto demanded an answer as the scene in front of him grew more and more overwhelming.
"Son? I-I'm sorry, Sir but we haven't seen any children…" The police officer anxiously apologised. Takuto clutched his head as he tried to make sense of the insanity he was experiencing.
He froze as a sound reached his ears. It sounded like sobbing… A child's sobbing. Takuto's head whipped in the direction of the sound, leading his attention to a large closet. He rushed over, begging for his assumption to be correct.
"Sir?"
Takuto ignored the police officer and flung the doors open. No one. His eyes fell to the floor in disappointment. But, he still heard the sobbing… Wait… There was a bloodstain on the floor… And one of the boxes looked like it had been shifted…
"...Ren?" Takuto called out hopefully as he pulled the boxes out of the closet.
There he was.
Ren was curled up in a ball, sobbing fearfully as he buried his face into his knees.
"Ren!" Takuto gasped thankfully. The idea of losing Ren terrified him, so all he could do was thank god that Ren was okay.
The raven haired boy flinched at the sudden mention of his name. He cautiously lifted his head and looked up at his father with wet, frightened eyes. There was a large gash on his arm and blood splattered on his face.
"Da...ddy…?" He whimpered as he continued crying.
"Shh… It's okay… It's me, I'm right here… You're safe now…" Takuto whispered soothingly to the shook up child, stretching out his arms and inviting Ren in for a hug. Ren threw himself into his father's arms and wailed loudly, scared tears spilling down from his eyes.
"Thank god, you're safe…" Takuto muttered quietly as he cradled his son against his chest, carefully lifting Ren off the floor as if he were the most fragile object on Earth. He could feel Ren trembling uncontrollably against his body and pulled him closer. Takuto noticed that the gash on Ren's arm was very similar to the one on Rumi's arm.
That was when it hit him. Rumi was… protecting Ren… She hid him right at the back of the closet and kept the culprits away from it… Takuto held back the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. He had to be strong right now… For Ren.
"One survivor has been found. A young boy. Will bring him down now." The officer reported into their walkie-talkie as they watched the traumatized child cling onto his father's clothes like a koala.
"There's an ambulance out front, you should take him down and let them patch him up." They informed Takuto.
"Right. Thank you." Takuto bluntly replied as he glanced down at Ren. He quickly gazed over at Rumi with a concerned expression. Ren had been through enough already…
"Close your eyes." He softly ordered the child. Ren complied and squeezed his eyes shut as he buried his face into his father's chest. The officer couldn't help but watch the two disappear down the stairs with a woeful expression.
"Poor kid…" They muttered to themself before getting back to work and taking photos of the crime scene.
"Over here!" A medic called out to Takuto as he exited the house, gesturing for him to come over to the ambulance.
Takuto could feel everyone's sympathetic gazes burning into him as he carried Ren over to the vehicle.
"Hey there, kiddo… Let's get you all cleaned up, yeah? And let's get some bandages on that arm of yours." The medic spoke softly so not to spook the poor child any more than he already was.
Takuto sat him down on one of the seats as the medics prepared the rubbing alcohol and bandages. Ren couldn't stop shivering as he refused to let go of his father's hand. Takuto comfortingly stroked Ren's hand with his thumb as one of the medics began washing the blood off of his face.
Takuto's mind was in overdrive. Everything was going so well… He had a dream job, a beautiful fiancée, a wonderful son, a step family that loved him… And now? All he had left was his son… How did he lose it all so quickly? Why did he lose it all so quickly?
He was pulled out of those thoughts by Ren's trembling growing more fierce as he began crying again. Takuto carefully lifted him and placed him on his lap.
"It's okay… You're safe now… Daddy won't let anyone hurt you, okay? Never again…" Takuto whispered soothingly as he placed a soft kiss on his baby boy's head.
"M-Mama…" Ren shakily sobbed, clinging onto his father's jacket as the medics began cleaning the wound on his arm.
"I know… I know…" was all Takuto could say. It was clear that Ren was, understandably, left scarred by this.
If only… If only Takuto could stop his suffering… What if… What if his theory on cognitive psience was right…? He could heal all of Ren's scars… That was it. That's what he was going to do. No one was going to stop him. He gave Ren's hand a comforting squeeze as he rested his chin on his fluffy head.
"Daddy's here…"