Gintama - Morning's Glory {Kamui X OC}

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"Mama?" 

"Hmm?"

"Why don't I grow older?" 

"Because time is slower for us."

"What does that mean?"

"10 years in the parallel world, the one where I met Papa, is but one year here."

"Does that mean... Papa's already 50 years older than you?" 

"That's right. I'm sad I wasn't there to age with him, able to watch you grow up with him. Time is so slow here, but you are happy I hope?" 

"I am!" 

"I see, good."

"But Mama... where is this place?"

'We're dead. We can't travel to the parallel world to see Papa, I've been lying to you. This place is made from my regrets, you aren't truly living my beautiful son.'  As much as she wanted to tell him the truth, his gleaming innocent eyes prevented her from doing so.

"This is our home."

"But no matter how far we walk, there's nothing out there."

He pointed to the horizon, all that could be seen was a stretching field and distant mountains that could not be reached. Nene walked down the stairs of the porch and felt the realistic feeling of grass beneath her feet, she turned as the wind blew, stirring up her long and cared for hair, her loose and wispy skirt; she held her hands out in front of her in a welcoming gesture. The young boy grinned ecstatically before running and jumping into his mother's arms.

His mother whom had no sickness anymore. 

His mother who suffered from loneliness, yet treasured the time she had with her only son.

He loved his mother the most in the world. 

The woman smiled down at the boy in her embrace and raced off towards the lake nearby. She set the boy down and told him to watch the fish without making a sound. 

"See, your Papa took me to a festival once. We did goldfish scooping together but I was horrible at it, he caught me a black one, like that little guy there," She whispered, pointing to a black shadow near the surface of the water, "Did you know?"

The boy, who was enthralled in the story of a memory of his father, took a while to answer, "Know what!?"

"Truthfully, goldfish are my favourite animal. I don't have a reason though. What's your favourite?"

"I don't know any... There's nothing but goldfish here... There's nothing here."

He was right. 

There was no need to eat, so the house had an empty and unused kitchen. There were no bugs or insects, just goldfish. There was no electricity so the television, yes they had one, didn't work. He'd already read all of the books in the house after his mother had taught him how to read, write, and speak. 

He was bored.

But he was with his mother, his last wish was to see his father and mother together, with him. To meet his father, he'd do anything. 

His mother had the opposite feeling, she didn't want to see him, she wished to see him, but she didn't want to.

Because it meant that he'd have died. 

Days cycled past and even time became a distant memory. Only the little boy's age told the time. Nene made no effort to count the days, but her son on the other hand, he took an empty notebook and tallied up the days. Soon he was 6.