“Dad?”

“Hmm? What is it Yuuko?”

“Why is it scared of us?”

He was rightfully confused. The boy had seen many dogs in his six years of life, but never one quite like the one facing them at this moment. It was covered in dirt, growling at his father when he got too close in an attempt to feed it; nonetheless, his father kept trying. Why did it hate him so much?

“Well Yuuko…. maybs it isn’t.”

“But it almost bit you!”

The dog let out a vicious bark in response to Yuuko having raised his voice, and his father dropped the steak as a result. It was supposed to be tonight’s dinner, them having gone shopping earlier in the day, but upon seeing the animal, his father couldn’t help but try and feed it.

“Why are you being so mean?!” the boy shouted, “You don’t even want food!”

“RAAWHF!”

Yuuko immediately hid behind his father’s leg, small tears forming in his eyes.

“Yuuko, don’t raise your voice or you most certainly will scare him.” he quietly chastised.

“But he almost bit you and doesn’t want our help!”

It was difficult to disagree with the boy.

Yuuko and his father had been walking home from the market, a pleasant day in early April where it was neither too hot nor too cold; Spring had just arrived. His mother had sent him and his father away, partly to get groceries for the evening’s dinner, partly so that they would once again be able to familiarize themselves with the Primary school Yuuko would be attending next month. He had to memorize the route in case there were days his mother or father couldn’t be with him. His mother was against the idea at first, but their home was a quick ten-minute walk from the school; and because both his parents worked, it seemed like an inevitability. It was certainly one of the many reasons why they had moved into a town that leaned toward the smaller side while having a sizeable population.

Yet, he was both ecstatic and frightened for the near future. Scared to meet all of his classmates, but excited to make potential future friends. More than that though, he would finally have his chance to be like his father. Someone people will look up to, someone who always does the right thing.

The bright afternoon sun shone above them as his father talked about their plans for the next few days; and it was on their way back they heard an animal whimpering. Faint, but certainly there. Yuuko didn’t know how his father knew, but he said it sounded hurt. Together, they spent the next few minutes trying to locate the sounds of the animal, each whimper convincing his father that it was surely in pain.

To both their surprise, it was Yuuko that found the location of the noises— an alley, tucked away and hidden between the crevices of street buildings. Finding a box flipped on its side, his father opened it to reveal a small, light brown dog with dirty fur and a rounded tail. It was obviously hurt, but it didn’t look feral; which is why his father began to try and coax it out. The stray turned hostile the instant the two of them got close.

His father took out another slice of meat, shaking it as he spoke—

“Come on little guy, this steak is nice and juicy— yeah— you like juicy things don’t you?”

“Ghhhrrrrrrr……...”

“Oh-ho? You don’t like meat? But I went through the trouble of buying it, so it’s only polite for you to take it, right?”

“GHHHRRRRRR……...”

“………….Still, I bet you must be pretty hungry….”

“RAWHF!! GRRRRRAAWHHF AWHF AWWHF! AWWWHF!”

Even though its cries were much louder than last time; his father didn’t flinch. He simply dropped the meat and slowly retreated.

“Alright, alright. A normal ‘no thank you’ would’ve been fine you know…”

Of course the animal didn’t listen, there was no use trying. No matter how many times Yuuko’s father attempted to feed it, the small animal refused to eat; simply lashing out at the both of them time and time again. His father began to scratch the back of his head.

“Father?”

“Hmm?”

“Maybe he really is scared of you….”

“Ahahahahahah, maybe you’re right. I’m sorry you have such a scary looking father Yuuko.”

As he spoke, he noticed his son still clinging to his leg— his tiny body trembling ever so slightly. In that moment, a brief flash of light was seen in his eyes.

“Yuuko,” his father asked, “Do you want to try?”

“What?! N-No way, it’ll bite me! Can we just go home?”

His son could blink back the tears he formed moments ago, but he couldn’t hide the tremor in his voice. Guiding both he and his son a few paces back from the box, he leaned down until he was eye to eye with his son.

“Yuuko,” his father softly asked. “Are you scared?”

The question caught the boy off-guard. He darted around— to his father, to the dog, and back to his father before settling for the concrete below.

“Yes.”

“Why are you so scared of him Yuuko?”

He looked up at him with a difficult expression; it was not as though he did not understand the question but……...

“He’s scary……... and he’ll bite me.”

His father’s eyes became just a bit brighter.

“Yuuko, did you know that it’s a good thing to be scared?”

Those words seemed impossible to him. That it’s good to be scared? Surely his father would never lie to him, but it was still impossible. There was something Yuuko did not understand after all…..or worse, maybe he can never become……..

“Why is it good?”

“Because this is the first step to becoming a man! You want to be like me someday don’t you?”

“Y-Yes! I definitely want to be like you someday!”

“Do you think I was born brave? That I can do everything I can now because I was born a man?”

“N-No…. I— I don’t know.”

“Do you think men are born brave?”

“I……..I don’t…..”

Small tears began forming in his eyes once more. Of course he wanted to be like his father someday, but this was different. Yuuko could only stand aside as his father tried feeding an angry, scary dog; he could never be like him. He could never be like his father. He wanted to, but it was like his body froze every time he tried getting close.

“A man is brave Yuuko, and we must become good men.”

He stood silently, small drops of clear liquid flowing down his cheeks as his father held him by the shoulders.

“Well, it’s alright. Another day.” He said standing up. “Yuuko, let’s go ho—”

“Father! I— I want to try too!”

A face of temporary confusion turned into a bright grin as his father heard those words.

He smiled as he placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him; wiping away the tears that had run down his son’s face as he did so. Yuuko’s trembling lessened, but his face remained covered in anxiety.

“Father?”

“What is it?”

“Can I really do it?”

His father simply smiled as he handed him another, smaller steak.

Yuuko grasped the food with small hands and slowly approached the dog.

* * * * *

By the time Yuuko and his father made it home, the sun was resting lazily halfway under the horizon; tinting the world in a beautiful shade of red.

“We’re back!” his father exclaimed, “Yuuko, can you carry these into the kitche—”

His father abruptly stopped his sentence and Yuuko understood exactly why. A sudden burst of dark aura had struck the both of them. Yes, they could feel it. Disaster was imminent.

The end was nigh.

“Ara ara,” his mother said as she emerged from the living room, ladle in hand.

“Welcome home you two. It’s quite late. Do you have any idea how late it is? Very late indeed.”

As she walked closer to them, the malevolent aura radiating from her became much more prominent, but much more focused. Specifically, it was aimed for Yuuko’s father.

“N-Now wait a second dear, there’s a good reason for this— just wait a second!”

“Ahh, but I’ve been waiting all day,” she patiently explained. “I even called you, but you wouldn’t answer.”

“What!?” his father said hastily taking out his cell phone. Indeed, he had notifications for eight missed calls, and ten text messages. Quickly checking them, he found that each message was more frightening than the last, both in length and content.

“Yuuko,” his father said as he calmly pocketed his phone. “I hope I did a good job raising you.”

“W-why are you talking like this is the end!?”

“Would you care to explain to your wife what happened?” she asked with a smile.

“Well— we had to go back to get more groceries after finding—”

“Ara? What could you have possibly found?” she said with a smile that didn’t match her aura.

“W—It looked dirty and I—”

“Something dirty? Ohhhh but I spent the day cleaning the house. What to do, ohhh whatever shall I do….”

The dark aura soon devoured the entire front of the house; his father looked down in a *please help me* face at his son.

“Umm, mother, it is not father’s fault,” Yuuko said with uncertainty, “...it is my fault. I made us late.”

There was a small silence that followed, and though his mother’s aura had not gone away, her voice carried a cautious tone.

“Whatever do you mean Yuuko?”

“I….was not brave,” he explained in a fragile voice.

Her aura slowly faded until the lights in their home were visible once again. His mother *fuuahhh* gave a sigh as if she knew exactly what had happened. She crouched down—

“I want you to tell me all about it during dinner. You two came home late, so you must be hungry.” she said gently lifting his chin. “Go wash up, okay— Yuuko?”

Yuuko *hmnn* gave a small, firm nod. “Yes. I am sorry mother.”

“It’s okay,” she said standing back up with a smile.

“But as for YOU,” she said pointing a finger to Yuuko’s father. He backed away, expecting a harsh reprimand, but to his surprise, she acted in quite the opposite way.

She pouted.

“You had me worried sick. Do you know what it feels like to be worried all day?” she crossed her arms and *pmf* puffed her cheeks, as if to emphasize the point.

“Ahaha, yeah,” he said scratching the back of his head. “I’m sorry about that.”

“Goodness. You could have at least called...”

Yuuto’s hand returned to his side as his wife turned around, and suddenly—

“Ara? Yuuto, why are you..”

He grabbed her arm, and spun her in place so they were staring at each other. He said nothing as he kept his eyes locked on his wife.

“Wh-Why do you keep staring at me...” but he did not respond.

Slowly, he placed the grocery bag on the floor and closed the small distance between them. His free hand quickly found its way to her shoulder.

They were now inches apart from one another.

“Wha!? Yuuto, w-what are you doing all of a sudden?!”

“This gap moe………………..Hikari, chastise me more!”

At his unexpected words, Hikari’s face turned a deep shade of crimson, and this was especially true for her ears. Indeed, whenever Yuuto’s wife became embarrassed, her ears were the first part of her to begin blushing.

“I need you to chastise me more, Hikari. You’re extremely cute when you shift your attitudes all of a sudden.”

“A-Ara ara” she said in an attempt to maintain her composure, “Ara ara ara, I-I didn’t know I had such a p-pervert for a husband.”

“Ohhhhh but you did. In fact, this should make it very clear.”

Placing his lips on her ear, he whispered his words.

“That night, two weeks ago? You’ll do as I say again, won’t you?”

“Fuagaehe!”

That strange whimper escaped Hikari’s lips. She knew he was doing this on purpose— was this some sort of competition? If that was the case, then she couldn’t afford to lose!— However, due to the fact her face was dyed crimson, as well as making odd sounds, it was clear she lost.

“Seducing a woman when her guard is down— you must truly enjoy debauchery of the highest caliber! Nothing but a pervert, that’s what you are!”

Yuuto pulled his face back into a smug grin, coming within centimeters of her face.

“So are you if you enjoy being seduced by a pervert this much.”

“Ehueghe!? Tha—That’s not true! I—I————I am no such thing! That’s impure! Lewd! LEWD PERVERT!”

“Yes Hikari! These are the sort of words I deserve, I’m degenerate!— reprimand me more!”

“SHUT UUUAAaAhhhH!! Impure! Indecent! Debauchery! Dirty!——Filthy! Lewd! LEWWD! PERVERT, PERVERT, PERVERT!!”

“Mother? What’s a persh….....a perve……….a pervert?”

“Yuuko!?” his mother squealed as she suddenly remembered her child was, quite literally, four feet away. At the same time, a bright gleam appeared in his father’s eye.

“Take notes Yuuko!” he exclaimed proudly. “This is how you get a girl interested in you!”

“D-Don’t teach our son such strange things!” she managed to stammer. “Go and get ready for dinner!”

* * * * *

It took quite some time for the family of three to begin eating, thanks in large part to Yuuko’s father— who had made his mother turn red for reasons he still did not understand.

The formerly crimson sky could be seen changing to a deep shade of indigo; it would seem the day was finally winding down. In addition, cooking dinner had greatly helped in calming down the atmosphere and was prepared fairly quickly thanks to the use of some of leftover ingredients, as well as Hikari having prepared beforehand. With the plates set, the family of three sat down to eat.

“““Thank you for the food!”””

The dinner for the evening was a simple meal of curry and rice, one of Yuuto’s favorite meals and a simple enough dish that could be prepared quickly.

The food itself was excellent, as expected of Yuuko’s mother’s cooking skills, but for some reason it did not taste as good as it should have. Perhaps it was due to the now quiet atmosphere, or a strange lingering feeling that surfaced with the calm.

After some time, Hikari gave a small sigh.

“Yuuko,” she spoke gently. “You’re not eating your food. You don’t like the curry?”

“Hnn? Oh, yes it is really tasty………….I am sorry...” Yuuko looked to the floor as he spoke, something he had been doing a lot today. His father began to scratch the back of his head.

“We ran into an opportunity earlier today but—”

“An opportunity?” his mother interrupted.

“We saw a dog.”

“Goodness that must have been exciting!” she said putting her hands together and immediately pulled them apart. “It didn’t bite you did it? Are you hurt?”

Yuuko shook his head. “I tried to feed it.”

“........................."

A prolonged silence followed his words. His father simply crossed his arms and stared downward, while his mother had a difficult expression on her face. It was difficult to know how they felt.

After what seemed like forever, his mother simply gave another sigh.

“Why would you do something like that?”

Her words were frightening, but her tone was……... gentle… it was kind. She wasn’t going to get angry, and this only served to make Yuuko’s heart feel heavy.

“Father tried to feed it even though it was being scary and mean to him, but he kept trying!” he poured the weight into his words. “Mom you should have seen him, he wasn’t scared! It kept barking and he kept going!” his words carried admiration, but became heavy leaving his throat. “I wanted to!….......I wanted to……..be brave too…….but I couldn’t.” The tears had come once more, but he was so distracted that he hadn’t noticed his mother wasn’t looking at him anymore.

“After it refused to take the food from me, I offered Yuuko a chance.” his father said, placing a hand on him. He looked at Yuuko, giving a small nod telling him to finish the story.

“I tried to feed it, but I got scared and didn’t. I couldn’t get close. Dad says a man does things even when he’s scared…… dad did it….. and I….”

“Yuuko,” his mother said getting up from her chair to lean down in front of him. “You’re still a boy, you can’t be a man yet.”

“But that was my chance to be like dad! If I can’t do it then I can’t be a man, be like him!”

The tears began to stream down his cheeks.

“I!………...I want to be a man too!”

His mother held his cheeks her hands, gently moving his head so they could look at each other.

“Yuuko, was that your only chance to be a man?”

“.......n-no….”

“Hmmm? It wasn’t huh? Does that mean you’ll get other chances to prove you’re a man?”

“I…..I don’t know…”

“Ara? Never get another chance? I think, someday soon, you will.”

“W-Well yeah….I…….I guess…”

A small glint appeared in his mother’s eyes. That small light made him feel like maybe……….no, she was right. It was a light that spoke of another chance.

“Make sure to use those chances, okay?” she said as she wiped the tears from his eyes.

Though his small tears disappeared, his face still looked solemn.

“Will I get one?”

His father placed both of his hands on his shoulders. “Yuuko, there’s always an opportunity to do better. Even if you don’t get a second chance, you can always stand back up. You can always try again.”

Looking upon both of his parents, he wiped his eyes once more. When he was done, the smallest, most delicate expression was on his face. But however small, a smile will always remain a smile.

“I’ll do my best, mother...father!”

“I’ll hold you to it,” his father said winking at him.

“Now then,” his mother said in a breath of relief, “Would you two like to hear about my day?” she asked putting her hands together.

When dinner had finished, Yuuko went upstairs to prepare for bed. Normally he wouldn't go to sleep right after dinner, but as they’d arrived home late he had no time for entertainment, and just barely finished the study material he read every night. He didn’t like studying, but his parents always made him do it— especially now that school was getting closer. Sometimes they would even ask him about the things he learned…. and if he didn’t know anything…..

He shivered.

By the time he had finally finished, his mother and father came into his room, as they did every night, to kiss him goodnight; his father would even read him a story sometimes. Stories from his father, the ones about heroes who save the day, were always his favorite. He would imagine himself as one of them, fighting spirits, saving people, and becoming strong. Heroes just like….

“I’m sorry Yuuko, I can’t read to you tonight. We can do it next time.”

“Hmm? But, why not?”

“There’s….something important I have to do. But don’t worry, we’ll definitely do it next time! It’ll be a new story you’ve never heard of, and even cooler than all the others combined!”

Yuuko pouted, and Yuuto couldn’t help but notice the resemblance between his son’s pout, and his wife’s.

“Father that’s what you said last time— it’s no fair!” he said pulling his blanket upward. His scrunched eyebrows did not match the delicate features on the rest of his face.

His father gave a small laugh in response.

“Dad!”

He continued laughing as he spoke.

“I’m sorry son, it’s just— you look so much like your mother when you’re pouting.” He inhaled deeply— composing himself. “Also, who are you calling ‘dad’?”

“I mean!....father…” Yuuko corrected.

His father scratched his head. “Ah….well, I don’t mind so much if you call me that, but be careful around your mother. I know you say it by accident sometimes, but—” he trailed off.

“Anyway, we’ll do it next time okay?”

“Hnnnnmm…….promise?”

“Er, well..trust your father, okay? Next time.”

As he left the room, he gave Yuuko a kiss on the forehead; shutting the door behind him, and leaving Yuuko to rest.

Yuuko thought it had been a good and bad day today. Even though he talked with his parents, a small weight still lay in his heart about the stray dog. He was not brave, that was still definitely a part of it; but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it didn’t want help at that time…...so why did he feel so heavy when he thought about it?

If the dog was mean, does that mean he has to be mean too? Or should he be extra nice? But being nice definitely didn’t help; his father proved it.

His father.

Yuuko definitely wants to be like him when he’s older. He had seen him do everything from fixing his bike to carrying heavy bags on his shoulders: “A man needs to be strong!” he would always say. Not only that, but sometimes he helped his mother cook, which according to him is something that girls really liked…..she even liked it when he touched her shoulders today too. He really did know everything.

It only made Yuuko want to grow up sooner...the only downside is that he doesn’t exactly look like his dad; but then again, some people said his father looked scary— even his mother said so once. They had the same pitch black and messy hair that stuck upward at random, Yuuko’s was a bit longer, but he didn’t want to cut it. Sadly, the traits between the two, for the most part, ended there; and the traits he inherited from his mother began.

He had gotten some of her facial features. He didn’t know what exactly, but his father had just mentioned it, and it wasn’t the first time. He was also told that he had the same colored eyes as her— eyes that filled the white part of his eyes; making them look bigger than normal. The name for the colored parts of an eye…..pipils? Pipilis? Whatever it was, his dad had something different…..

“San..paku? Right?” he mumbled. Something about the white part of the eyes that made them scary. His actual eye color was as dark as night.

The only thing Yuuko could completely claim as his own were two small moles he had on the base of his left collar bone. He always liked them because they looked like little bite marks.

Wait, no! It was late, he should be going to sleep now, not thinking about moles!

How much time had passed anyway?

He thought this to himself, but found the more time passed, the less tired he became. He turned over to one side to see a poster of his favorite anime. It was about a hero who gained powers from a falling star and had to defend the Earth against spirits that wanted all of the planet’s energy.

He would never forget the coolest line he said in the show, when the spirits came together and the hero said- “Get behind me!” to his friends.

“Ahhhh, he’s so cool!” he yelled in a whisper. And there’s a movie coming out, but he forgot when. Maybe in a year or two? But now wasn’t the time for that.

He turned over to the other side to avoid getting distracted and closed his eyes. However one minute turned into two, and then three, and then five. It felt like a lot longer than that.

He didn't know how long he remained like this until finally—

*Fuahh* he sighed. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Having an excuse to leave, he got out of bed and made his way to the downstairs bathroom. It wasn’t until he got to the bottom of the stairs that he heard voices that sounded like—

“..............talked about……….he’s a child.”

Mother?

“............................eventually…………….how important it is for him to start.”

Father?

What are they doing in the kitchen, weren’t they supposed to sleep? They don’t sound sleepy….

He moved closer.

“Yuuto...I don’t know how many times I need to tell you. He is a child. A child can not worry about something as abstract as an ideal.”

“He may not know what the word means but he certainly knows what he needs to do. Hikari, you’ve seen how many troubled children are raised nowadays. Yuuko needs something to believe in, he needs something to strive toward!”

“And you intend to give him that by scarring him when he’s unable to accomplish something pointless? Goodness, Yuuto, listen to yourself! Instead of an ideal you’ll just instill in him a fear of dogs.”

“Not if he manages to overcome his fear first.”

Yuuko quickly snuck through to the living room and hid behind the couch that lay there. It was a good place to watch them both without being seen; and certainly he could see them both. They were in their pajamas; with his father sitting down at the table while his mother stood up, leaning against the table. Her hair was tied back.

“His fear? What child can overcome something as serious as that? If it had bitten him, he would most certainly develop a trauma from it; and you know this well.”

“That’s why I was there, to make sure it wouldn’t. Also—”

“......also?”

“Well……..all people have some kind of trauma don’t they? Perhaps it would enable him to face the trials of life more easily; since by comparison he had already gone through something so terrib—”

“Yuuto.”

He had said something wrong.

“I…………….don’t mean it. It was just a floating thought. I’m sorry. You know how I speak when I’m like this. I’m sorry.”

She waited many moments before speaking again.

“I know you don’t mean it. Even so, he isn’t you. He has his own hopes and dreams he wants to accomplish; his own wishes. You shouldn’t thrust yours onto him.”

“But what if that truly is his dream— with or without me?”

“Then that is the path he will choose, but for now he is a child. Please, what part of that do you not understand?”

She sounds…… she’s not mad…. but she’s not okay. Did father do something? Or worse, did he do something wrong with everything that happened today?

These thoughts floated through his troubled mind, but the sound of silence returned him to the present. Why did they stop talking?

He saw his mother pull up a chair and sat down right next to his father, holding his hand.

“Is it coming back?” she asked tentatively.

“I don’t know.”

“You need to tell me if it does. Please?”

His father let out a long drawn sigh.

“You’re right. Of course I…...I’ll let you know.” He let out a small smile. “I’m sorry for worrying you.”

She squeezed his hand, “Goodness me, whatever am I going to do with you?”

She turned her head to the clock mounted on their wall, “Ara, it’s already this late, we should be going to sleep. Do you want me to check on Yuuko while you go and get ready?”

“No I…………. I think I’ll stay down here for a few minutes if you don’t mind. You go on ahead, I’ll check on him on my way up.”

She simply smiled at him, as she let go of his hand to leave—

“Hikari?”

“Hmm? Yes dear?”

“Thank you. I think I have a better understanding now of what I need to do.”

The small smile she gave couldn’t contain the joy she felt, it appeared instead in her eyes. Yes, that smile brightened her eyes that were normally the color of honey— to the color of an early sunrise. Without another word, she left up the stairs.

The clock on the wall kept ticking; like a metronome it never missed the time. Both Yuuko and his father remained in their respective positions in total silence.

Tick………..Tick ………..Tick

Tick………..Tick ………..Tick……….Tick

Tick………..Tick ………..Tick……….Tick……….Tick

Tick………..Tick ………..Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick

Tick………..Tick ………..Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick

Tick………..Tick ………..Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick

Tick………..Tick ………..Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick ……….Tick

Tick………..Tick ………..Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick……….Tick ……….Tick……….Tick

How much time passed was unknown; for it had stretched out into confounding lengths. Perhaps it was the longest few seconds of their lives, maybe the shortest minute, or even an exact hour.

Yuuto finally *houhhhh* stood up with a heavy sigh. As if in a trance, he walked through the hall and opened the door to their backyard.

Yuuko got up and followed.

One of the best things about living in a relatively smaller town was the lack of light pollution to impede the view above. The sky had gone through many forms today, but during the night emerged one of the best scenes— an iridescent coalition of azure and white; the night was pleasantly cool; and the faraway songs of cicadas breathed peace any who heard them. Of course, the stars in the sky were in full view.

He found his father sitting down, basking under the lights in the sky. He must have heard him sit down next to him, because even though his eyes were closed he asked his son:

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“I…. came to use the bathroom and saw you leave…..I am sorry.”

“Don’t be. Sometimes it’s good to have a change of pace.”

“Change of pace..?”

The soft laugh that escaped his lips vanished as his eyes opened.

“Is it still bothering you? About today?”

“Umm…..yes...a little….”

He nodded his head, as if wondering what to say.

“Son, I want you to do me a favor.”

“Yes?”

“I want you to forget about what happened today.”

“Ehhh? But father, I can not—”

“Shhhh, Yuuko, let people finish speaking before saying something.”

“Oh..yes…….I am sorry.”

His father only smiled, and proceeded to tap the space next to him signalling his son to come closer.

“I want you to forget about everything that happened today and look at the sky. Forget what you did or didn’t do, and focus on what you want.”

“What I want?”

“That’s right. Empty your mind Yuuko.”

He closed his eyes, trying to do as his father asked, but it was difficult. Everything rushed back to him— his walk through the town in the morning, exploring his new school, buying the groceries, the walk back home, finding the dog— his fear and hesitation. A man should work through what he’s afraid of. After the dog, they thankfully found a smaller grocery store nearby and bought food there; it was run by a nice old lady. Arriving home, his mother’s fearful presence, their dinner, his conversation with her— his tears and uncertainty. Will he ever at all become a proper man? A good man? A man doesn’t run away, especially when he’s afraid. They told him it was okay though….but he felt heavy when they said that. Dinner ended, a quick study and he got ready for bed…...sleep wouldn’t come. He left downstairs, his mother and father were talking about something. Was something wrong? Something he did? And now…….

He opened his eyes.

“Now look to the sky. Tell me Yuuko, what do you see?”

And upwards he looked. Towards those lights in the sky— he would find an answer. Maybe his father would find one too?….but he’s not his father. He must find his own answer.

His own desire.

I want to be...

“A hero! Father, I see a hero!”

“A hero?”

In confusion, he followed his son’s eyes that were looking upward, just in time to see a light, flying against the night sky. Another soon followed. Then many others.

In seconds, the sky was awash with miniature lights painting the static stars.

Both father and son couldn’t help but to stare in awe at the heavens; but it was Yuuko who first broke the silence.

“It’s just like the anime isn’t father?”

He knew that he was, of course, referencing his favorite anime. A comical sigh escaped his lips; the mind of a child makes the strangest connections…...but his son was not wrong.

“I guess you’re right, it does look just like that anime huh?”

“Hmn!”

“That’s what you must aim for Yuuko. You will follow your own path, instead of mine, you’ll become a hero!”

In his son, Yuuto had never before seen stars reflected in eyes that resembled a sunrise.

“………….but this is real life….” he whispered. “Life is hard.”

“Father, did you say something?”

“Yuuko, do you how heroes are born?”

“How?”

A soft breeze began to sing— carrying the peace brought by the night. It must have seen the moment between them.

“A man— a hero— must be weak before he becomes strong.”

Yuuko said nothing as sensations filled him— with the sights of stars, the smell of clean air, and the resounding lessons from his father were taken in by him. It was all so sudden that his eyelids became heavy before he knew it.

His eyes reflected the luminous lights, and he proceeded to rest against his father’s side.

“Let me tell you that bedtime story.” he spoke.

Yuuto didn’t know from where he fabricated such a story, but his son’s eyes gradually got heavier and heavier, as though hypnotized by the passing of the stars and his own words until finally; his breathing was deep and steady against his father's chest. Gently, his father laid his son’s head on his lap as he stared at the last remaining lights.

“Yuuko,” he began to whisper, “I have made many mistakes. I have never been the father you deserved……... I could only give my best. No one teaches you how to be a father.”

As his voice began to shake, he took a moment to steady himself, and continued with renewed purpose to his words.

“You can do it, you know. The things I never could. I don’t know how or why, but in you is something I never had. One day I won’t be here anymore; so even though it’s selfish, I hope you can listen to a man like me.”

He took a deep breath—

“The world needs someone like you, Yuuko. People need to see.”

…………………….

“If I ever keep anything I say— you will become a great man, a hero to those around you. Inspire them Yuuko. Move by your own strength, and move others. Show them heroes can exist. You can do it. I promise.”

As the last star raced towards the future, Yuuto could only pray that one day his son—

Yes.

That his son will remember that promise.