To Be Happy [A 'Sweet Pool' Fanfiction]

To Be Happy

Tetsuo couldn't help but be bothered as he went back from that one stop beside his own. He knew that that memory was from a past that wasn't his - a past that he couldn't and wasn't supposed to remember... but his instincts wanted to respond to that faint voice that called his name, even though he had no clue how. It was like a piece of his soul, something really important, was left at that station. And all he could do was let it be.

Heaving a sigh, the blond got off the train and began to walk the road back home, accompanied by the silence of the night. 'The more I think about it, the more I'll just get bothered...' he thought. 'I should just focus on my studies and repay my debt to my parents.'

Closing the gate behind him, he looked towards the garden. The stray cat was still there, probably waiting for him to come home and feed it. It seemed to be looking at something by the bush.

He went inside first, took off his shoes by the doorway, and headed over to feed the black cat and check whatever it was looking at, though it was probably just some trash or something. Passing by his parents' room, he figured they were asleep at this hour.

He went up to the cat after getting the food from his room. "Hm?" He walked over to the bush, and the cat stared at him, seemingly asking him what was behind that bush. Taking a rake resting on the fence, he stealthily walked over and poked at the grass.

And out came another black cat. No, as Tetsuo looked closer, he realized that this one was the stray cat he had been taking care of.

Then, the other cat... He turned around, and the cat stared up at him almost knowingly. Its features, he noticed, were reminiscent of something - or rather, someone.

Black fur.
Gray, lonely eyes.

...Forever.

"I only have one wish... and that is for you to be happy."

--

Tetsuo found himself walking back to his house in the quickly approaching evening. He had strayed from his route home again, stopping by that one station just before his. He never could figure out just what had happened years ago, and what exactly he lost. Either way, he had long since given up on trying to unlock his memories.

As usual, he locked the gate, took off his shoes by the doorway, and headed for the garden. A cat sat calmly, waiting for him to feed it.

"I'm home, Youji." Tetsuo petted the black cat affectionately, earning a purr from it. This was the cat that had recently decided to join the earlier one in waiting for him to come home. Tetsuo decided to call it Youji, since that name seemed to bring a sense of nostalgia from within him, much like this cat did a lot.

He looked around the garden. "Where's Ryouka?" Ryouka was the earlier cat who first came for food. He decided to name it as well, since it wouldn't feel right to neglect it after naming the newer feline Youji. 'Ryouka' was a combination of his parents' name, since he had always felt indebted to them, and this was the least he could do.

Shironuma sat down and began to feed the two while still in deep thought. Truly, even though his past was jagged and incomplete, he didn't mind anymore. He thought that if forever really existed, then he wouldn't mind staying in a forever like this, even if everything was a lie.

None of that mattered anymore, because beside him were the people he treasured the most: his parents, and Youji, whoever that nostalgic name belonged to.

--

A/N: I just invented the name of Shironuma's parents. I don't think it was mentioned, but I might have missed it, who knows... Well, if anyone does know, feel free to tell me :3