A New World

Chapter 5 - Homecoming

Hayato and Rouge called it a day and returned to their respective homes. It was an understatement to say that Hayato was feeling tired - he was exhausted. The three hour journey from God's footstool back home took its toll on him. The only thing on his mind now was to get reacquainted with his bed and call it a night.

He arrived home to see his dad's car parked outside the house; a beautiful red and white streaked sports car. An ancient relic from several centuries ago. The car would make any collector jump up like a child in a candy store. His dad has received his fair share of offers for it over the decades, being one out of fifty that still existed in relatively good condition. Despite this, he's turned down each one. Money was never a concern for him. He simply enjoyed collecting antiques, a hobby that meshed well with his love of history.

The events of the day made him forget his dad, Juno, was coming back home tonight. He hasn't been back home in a few months so Hayato knew this was the best time to catch up.

He nearly tripped over a pair of boots and a worn out bag his dad left at the front entrance, something his mom had often told him not to do. "Well look who finally decided to come home, Hayato!" Juno poked his head out of the kitchen after hearing the noise from the front entrance. He was busy taking care of the mess he made after making himself dinner.

Juno enjoyed cooking but often left it to Grace. She had principles she fervently stuck to, one of them being a clean house was always a must. Juno, on the other hand was more laid back in this area and rarely met his wife's standards of cleanliness. They were polar opposites in a few areas but that never got in the way of their love for each other.

"Have you grown a bit since I last saw you?" Juno grabbed Hayato putting him in a headlock, and ruffled his hair.

"Nice to see you too dad-" The surprise attack caught Hayato off guard, making him flinch, but this behavior was nothing unusual between the two; it was their way of communicating.

"But-!" Hayato tickled his dad right under the arm where he knew he was the most sensitive. "I'm not the same kid I used to be. I won't fall for that anymore."

"Whoa! That's not fair. You know I'm ticklish there." The two burst into laughter from their mini-wrestling match.

Juno noticed the fatigue showing on his son's face despite the good time they were having.

"Have you been getting any sleep lately son? Even I look better than you and that's saying a lot!" Juno said bursting into laughter.

"I've been up late for the past couple of days. Just more of the same, studying and reading. How've you been dad? How's work?"

"Ya, that sounds like you. You were never the easiest kid to get to bed early. I'm doing great. I'm glad to be back home after a few months. Work is as exciting and busy as usual. I'm always learning a whole lot. What have you been up to recently?"

A lot was racing through Hayato's mind. Should he fess up and tell his dad about his dreams? What would he think and how would he take it? Aside from his own personal experiences, Rouge was also in the thick of it with her visions. How would he talk about those when the both of them were left dumbfounded by their recent experiences? This was all so new to them and they weren't sure if their experiences would be seen as mere hallucinations and waved off or taken seriously.

On the upside, due to his dad's occupation, he may be able to provide Hayato with some answers or at least a bit of guidance. For now, he decided it would be best to keep it to himself a bit longer, at least until he had a better idea of what was going on. "Rouge and I went to Mori Forest today. We also checked out God's Footstool. It was amazing!"