Riccardo Di Rigo // Shindou Takuto
It all started with darkness.
It was peaceful, with nothing but inky blackness stretching out in either direction.
But the peace didn't last long.
Two faces slowly materialised out of the darkness. The first was a beautiful woman of about thirty, her brunette hair swept over her shoulder. The second was a man, not much older. He had black hair and wore glasses over his hazel eyes.
The two had their arms around each other, and were smiling happily like they didn't have a care in the world.
But suddenly out of nowhere, the squealing of car tires could be heard. Before either adults could react, a white car drove right through the middle of them, shattering their image like glass.
All that could be heard was the scream of the woman, and Riccardo's eyes flew open.
He was drenched in sweat and was panting heavily. The scream of his mother flashed across his mind once again. Riccardo took a deep breath, trying to slow his rapidly beating heart.
The dimly lit clock read 3:48, and Rick knew he wouldn't get back to sleep. So instead of lying in bed, he shoved the covers off himself and swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood.
Riccardo found himself out on the balcony of the mansion he lived in, looking up at the stars.
He couldn't shake the image of his parents out of his head, even though they had died in the car crash over ten years ago.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the footsteps behind him until someone was right next to him, leaning up against the railing.
Rick looked over, startled about how quickly someone had snuck up on him. But he recognised the figure right away, and turned his eyes back on the night sky.
"You're up early, aren't you?" The person standing next to Rick said.
"Yeah. Nightmares again." He replied simply.
Riccardo was surprised to be suddenly engulfed in a warm hug. His adoptive mother pulled away to look him in the eyes.
"Just know that no matter what we love you Rick." She whispered, pulling him into a tight hug again.
They stayed there for quite some time, Riccardo silently sobbing into the woman's shoulder. Eventually they released each other once again, and stood side by side.
Riccardo Di Rigo had always remembered his parents' love for astronomy, and he usually felt sad looking up the night sky.
But as he stood there gazing up at the stars with the person who had cared for him for over ten years, he realised that the stars didn't have to be a symbol of heartbreak and loneliness.
They could be the symbol of family.
