Goodbye, Hello

"Daddy, do you have to go?"

Minoru asked with a hint of hope that maybe his father would not leave. However, his spark of hope quickly dimmed when his father answered with a small nod. Dark brown eyes welled up with unshed tears as Minoru gave his father a pleading look. Said father knelt down to his son's eye level and slowly began to speak.

"I'm sorry Minoru, but I have to go. We all knew this day would come, and now it is finally time. Remember? I have to go help play the hero." Yusei said lightly, in hopes of cheering his son up.

"But," Minoru began, as his voice wavered. "Y-you promised that you wouldn't leave! You promised!"

The small boy whimpered as he began to sniffle. Yusei gave his son a soft smile, "I'm not leaving. I am still with you."

He then lifted his hand and placed it right above his son's heart.

"In here. Never forget that, alright?"

Minoru sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand as he gave his father a slow nod. Yusei gave him another sad smile before laying a kiss on Minoru's forehead.

He stood up and looked in the direction of his wife, who was staring at the floor, trying her best not to cry. She finally made eye contact with her husband and felt her tears threaten to spill over. The sound of heavy boots echoed against the floor as Yusei made his way over to his wife. He gently wrapped his arms around her and laid his cheek on the side of her head.

"Please don't cry, Kagome. I'd much rather see a beautiful smile on your face before I leave."

He felt her raise her arms and hug him back tightly. He felt the front of his shirt moisten and the sound of muffled sobbing. Kagome looked up at Yusei with tears streaming down her face.

"You better come back alive, Yusei. I love you too much."

Yusei gave a small chuckle as he tightened his hold on his wife. After a few moments, he lowered his gaze and gave Kagome a soft kiss. He heard the sound of a horn and glanced at the door. With a small sigh, he released his wife and reached for his bag. He hoisted it over his shoulder and walked outside. He could see his fellow soldiers on the bus, quiet and most likely moping. He paused on the step onto the bus and looked back to his home. Kagome was carrying their son as they looked on mournfully. With the best smile he could muster, he waved at his family, leaving them with a final word.

"Goodbye."

It had been two long years since Yusei left to fight in the war. Kagome and Minoru went on with their lives, but they missed him dearly.

About a month after Yusei left, Kagome found out that she was pregnant. She wished she could write to him about the great news, but his troop was part of the special forces. They couldn't reveal their location in the war, and a letter would be a dead giveaway. Kagome only hoped that Yusei would come home to see his beautiful daughter.

One afternoon however, there was a news report of a bombing at an army camping ground. Apparently, it happened about a week prior to the discovery of the ruins. She felt a wave of horror and panic as she waited for the broadcast to reveal what group the camp belonged to. After several minutes of anxiety, she heard the listing and felt her heart stop. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she tried to consol herself, knowing that Yusei wouldn't have wanted her to cry so much. She was wiping her eyes with her handkerchief when she heard a small voice.

"Mama?"

She turned to see her son looking at her with concern.

"Oh, Minoru. Did your sister fall asleep in the crib?"

Minoru gave a small nod. "Yes, Mama."

Kagome noticed that her son seemed a little... worried.

"Are you okay, Minoru? What's wrong?"

Minoru stared at the door for a moment and then whispered in a low voice. "There's a weird man outside with a creepy coat on."

Kagome's eyes shot in the direction of the door as she stood up abruptly.

"Minoru. Go to your sister's room and keep the phone with you. Watch carefully from the window. Stay put."

Her son scurried away as she headed for the kitchen. She grabbed a heavy metal spoon and tied back her hair. Then she swiftly made her way to the door and slowly opened it. She took a quick look around and then stepped outside. She walked up as far as her mailbox and then decided to turn back home. Then she came face-to-face with the man her son warned her about. A black coat covered his figure, and the hood shadowed his face.

Startled by his sudden appearance, she delayed in raising her weapon of choice in time before he reached out...

And hugged her.

He twirled her around merrily and threw back his head to let out a laugh.

A laugh that she hadn't heard in two years.

Kagome dropped the spoon in shock. The look of disbelief quickly morphed into relief and joy as she looked into the eyes of her husband. His appearance looked worn but his eyes were dancing with glee and he was grinning wildly. They pulled each other into a short but sweet kiss before Yusei released her and smiled.

"Hello, beautiful. I told you that smiling suited you better, didn't I?"

A/N: I wrote this story about two years ago. I'm not sure why I picked the name Minoru, ahahaha... The prompt was Goodbye, Hello. Sorry for being such a slacker. I'll upload new stories soon.