Time and Family - Ryo

The violent slam of the front door startled Ryo enough to almost make him drop his guitar. Was she home already? But the loud footsteps didn’t sound like hers. He couldn’t even imagine her sounding like that if she tried to stomp. It must be someone heavier.

“Hello?” He realized too late that calling out might not have been the best idea. What if they had found him?

When he didn’t get an answer he peaked out into the living room. A big man was bent over the couch. Whispering to the person laying there.

“What happened?” He was out in the living room before he had time to think. Why was Aki laying there? And why was she unconscious?

“Who are you?” The man stared at him.

Ryo wanted to ask him the same. And what was he supposed to answer? Boyfriend? No, that might be overstepping.

“Ryo, roommate.” That was the most honest, and least suspicious he could come up with. From what he understood, it wasn’t unusual for people to have roommates to feel less lonely.

“Roommate, huh?” The man raised an eyebrow and his eyes looked strangely familiar. The man’s eyes fell back on Aki. “She never told me she had one.” Something in his voice made Ryo’s throat hurt.

“What happened?” Ryo repeated his question. She seemed paler than she had been when she left, and also way more peaceful too.

“Yes, of course.” The man gently stroke a few strands from her face. “I’ve never seen her this peaceful. She always used to toss and turn when she was sick.”

“Because of the nightmares?” Ryo felt a pang of shame. The man talked about the nightmares. Who was this man? How did he know about them?

The man let out a slightly sad chuckle. “So she told you about them? She stopped telling us when she was around twelve. My sweet baby girl. I think she wanted to spare us. I should have known they weren’t gone. And now they have exhausted her.”

The man was her father? Ryo felt his jealousy wash away. But a sting of it lingered him. Had his dad ever been so caring about him.

“Exhaustion?” It shouldn’t be from the nightmares. They hadn’t had those last night. Did this have something to do with the thing this morning? “Does she have a fever?”

He stood up. If he remembered correctly, he had seen some medication in one of the kitchen drawers.

“A mild one.” Her father looked at him when he returned with a bottle of electrolytes and some pills. “But I think it’s better to wait until she wakes up.” Right. Getting her to swallow pills while unconscious would be weird if it wasn’t a bad fever.

“Right. Then put this on her forehead.” He handed the man the cold bottle and returned to his room.

What did his mother do when he was sick? She would wrap him in blankets and tell him to sleep. He looked around. He didn’t have one of those thin blankets, so the one from his bed would have to do. He grabbed a pillow and the fish too. Maybe they could make her comfortable.

“Here.” He handed the items to her father. It was probably more appropriate for him to wrap her up.

“Thank you. Ryo, was it?” The man smiled at him, while making sure his daughter was comfortable. “Do you mind if I ask how you know my daughter?”

Ryo couldn’t help but chuckle a little. What was he even supposed to say? “I think it’s better if she tell you herself.” His fingertips found the spot where his travel device used to sit. “It’s a little complicated.”

“I don’t think she will tell me.” The man looked up from his spot on the floor and turned around, leaning his back against the couch. “She doesn’t really talk to me anymore. Not that I blame her.”

Ryo looked at Aki. She had wrapped her arms around the fish and she seemed to be peacefully asleep.

He sat down beside her father. “What happened?”

“I think we both isolated ourselves when her mother died.” The man forced a smile again. “No, actually, I think she started distancing herself when she stopped telling us about the nightmares. I should have been there more. She shouldn’t have to face it alone.”

“It’s not too late.” Ryp put a hand on the man’s shoulder. It didn’t take a scientist to see that the man cared about her. And despite just meeting him, Ryo could understand him. “You still have time.”

Ryo hadn’t thought about his own parents often, since he came here. Sure, he had thought that he was an independent adult at the time, but at fifteen he had still been very much a child.

“You think so?” The man looked up from the hands he had buried his face in. “Time can be a fragile thing, you know.”

“I am fully aware.” Ryo smiled at him. “I also know she’s trying to keep you safe too.”

“She told you about me? What did she say?” He met Ryo’s eyes.

“Long story short: She said me moving in with her would prevent you from dying early.” How much could he tell this man? Hiro knew, but they had know each other since he arrived. Aki knew, but she had actually met him in their travels. And Shiraki knew because they both trusted her. But Aki’s father? Would that be too risky?

The man laughed. “I might want the long story there, boy.”

“No offense, sir, but I think I might need to wait for her opinion on that before I tell you.” He felt the spot at the back of his neck again. “She’s the time traveler after all.”

“I don’t mind. I understand. I used to be a traveler too, once.” The man stood up. “What do you say I go out and get us some things for lunch. Can you keep an eye on her for me?”

Ryo nodded. He didn’t have any plans to leave his side anyway. Not until she asked him to.

When her father left, Ryo turned back to Aki. The way her body curled against the fish plushie did something to him. The way her hair spread over the pillow. He was not able to ignore her presence when he got his bedding back.

He couldn’t help but smile as he moved a strand of hair away from her face. She seemed so peaceful.

What was it that had bothered her so much this morning?