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“Good morning.”
That’s what they always heard every morning when they’d wake up. Each day was the same routine. Kara would greet them every morning. Then, they would wake up in order: Choromatsu, Jyushi, Todo, Oso, Ichi. But… What about Kara? Shouldn’t he be the first to wake up? Well, the thing is… He doesn’t sleep.
Kara, being a child of the Moon, is a special type of star child… Or so he says. He claims he doesn’t really need to sleep since, of course, he is associated with the Moon. But one of them doesn’t really buy into it.
“Mornin’ Kara…” Oso would take in a huge yawn before taking a glance at him. “Didn’t sleep again, I see?” He smirked.
“Heh, my dearest Oso. Us Moon children do not necessarily need to sleep. Our bodies are made to need less rest than other star children. And besides…” Oso could definitely see his eyes shine brighter than usual. “I am the brightest of all. I cannot possibly wake you from your slumber. You’d mistake me for the Sun and never get to sleep again!”
“Agh! It hurts Kara! Stop watching those dramas, please!” He clutched his chest as if a knife stabbed his poor heart.
“Hm? You’re absolutely wrong! The brightest here is Jyushi.” Todo came in and interrupted, holding the Sun child next to him.
“Heh. You’re right, Totty.” Kara set his fingers into a gun shape, pointing towards Todo.
“Eh…? You’re contradicting yourself, Kara…” Oso scratched the back of his head. “I thought YOU were the brightest of all.”
“I am.”
“EH?!” Everyone except Kara screamed in annoyance. Their bickering aside, Choromatsu came in on time to call them for breakfast. They all excitedly went to the table and began feasting with the food around them.
“Hey! Manners, please.” Choromatsu banged the table to get their attention. The star children tamed their actions on the dining table. They never really enjoyed it when Choromatsu got to his boiling point. Eventually, a conversation rose from Todo. It was something about an event going on later at night. Oso didn’t really concentrate on the topic however, and was instead looking at the one across him. Kara. He was completely curious about him and whether or not what he says out loud are even true. Despite Oso never having siblings of his own, he can sense something was up.
‘I suppose that’s the nature of Moon types, huh?’ He thought to himself as he took a sip from his soup. They were always described as mysterious and cold; sometimes even described as emotionless. Those words used to describe Kara. But ever since he landed on Earth and observed human emotions, it seemed he has changed entirely. From an honest yet quiet type to a loud but secretive type. His brows furrowed in annoyance, not being able to solve this curious case. ‘What the hell is this kid…? Is this even the same one I tried to save when he fell?’
“Oso?”
“Huh?” Oso snapped back into reality. He blinked a few times only to realize those eyes that looked like the Moon in the night sky were looking straight back to his red ones.
“Is something wrong?”
“No.” Oso coughed and placed down his bowl. “Nothing’s wrong. I just sort of… spaced out…?” He chuckled at his own joke. It was then he felt something hit his head. Oso rubbed the area that hurt and turned to see a floating bowl next to him. He knew instantly who this was.
“Ichimacchan, how dare you use your powers on me!” He wailed as he saw a timid smile coming from the other.
“Ah, sorry. I was supposed to do that when you were out of it but I was too late.” He responded with his usual monotone voice.
“Haha! Homerun, Ichi!” Jyushi exclaimed, throwing his hands up and began clapping.
Thud.
Oso had woken up to a sound from above. He turned to the others seeing if they were awake too. There were only a few sounds coming from them and a bit of changing in position. So he was the only one awake… Well, not really.
He silently slipped out of the futon and made his way to the rooftop, where he assumed the noise was from. Climbing up the ladder, he spotted a certain star child gazing up at a full moon. He watched intently as he watched his cape flow along with the winds.
Kara eventually turned his head after taking notice of a presence aside from him. “Good morning, Oso.” He joked. It was clearly late at night. He was just surprised Oso decided to join him.
“Yo.” He approached the other and sat beside him. The two sat in a comfortable silence, both looking towards the same thing. The night was kind of pleasant. It was quiet and calm. A few lights lit but mostly from sky. But despite the calming atmosphere, Oso couldn’t help but itch in annoyance. He just wondered what Kara did all night instead of taking some rest.
“What do you usually do here? The whole night in general.” Or every night rather… He’s been doing this since they’ve first met.
“Hm? Ah, nothing really.” He chuckled. Oso frowned at his response. He thought it wasn’t really funny to begin with.
“Really? Nothing?” He asks just to make sure. Kara responds with a shake of his head.
“So, why don’t you sleep if you have nothing to do?”
“Oso, have I not told you already? We—“
“Don’t give me the same answer, Kara. I know it’s not the case.”
There was silence. One was staring intensely at the other, while one was frozen in time. He was surprised with the sudden shift of mood. Kara clenched his hands into a fist, thinking of what to say.
“There’s no need to hide anything, you know?” Oso placed his hands on the Moon child’s shoulders “C’mon what’s wrong?”
Kara couldn’t really answer. This was the first time he was confronted about something like this. He shifted into a more comfortable position before he could formulate his reply. “I guess I’m not used to it.” He murmured.
“Used to what?”
“Being away…” He pointed towards the glowing light in front of them. “…Away from home.” Oso understood him. He held the younger closer to him, giving him a few pats on the head.
“Anything else?” Oso can hear shaky breaths next to him.
“It’s not really the same… being with you guys.” Kara laid his head on the elder’s shoulder. “Don’t get me wrong. I think all of you are amazing. You’re like my brothers but…” He tries to hold it in. “I just… miss them. My family. They’re so close yet… I can’t reach them. My sister might be worried sick.”
“Sister?” Oso jolted at the sudden mention.
“Don’t get any ideas. Karako is not interested in star children like you.”
“Ah, Karako is her name? Hehe… What’s she like?”
“This is getting off topic, Oso.” Kara’s cheeks puffed in frustration.
“Sorry.” He gave a toothy smile before returning back to the original conversation. “But… Yeah, I kinda get you. It explains it, huh? Why you’re so sleepless and all.” Oso just wished he addressed this earlier. The elder let the younger lay on his lap, ignoring the confused expression on the other’s face.
“Eh?”
“It’s okay to cry now, little Kara—“
“I’m not going to cry.”
“Ah? That hurts… I just care, you know?” He pouted in his sudden defense. But he was even more surprised when he saw little stars come out from the other’s eyes. “I… I didn’t mean it, you know? You don’t have to cry!” He began to panic, patting his face as if it would magically grant his wish to stop the tears.
“Oso-niisan…” From a sniffle came a sob. Oso was definitely in panic right now.
“Eh?! Who is this? Kara never calls me that!” He placed his hands on the other’s cheeks and began squishing his face. “Kara? Karamatsu? Karamachu?! Are you alive?!”
“Stop it, Oso! I’m alive!” He chuckled while trying to hold his tears. “I’m well, brother.” Despite his face being covered with liquid-like stars, he managed to bring a grin to him. The Red Dwarf child gazed at his face a little longer. This was him. This was the Kara he knew. Honest. He was being honest about he felt; his emotions were genuine. He wasn’t hiding anything at all. But, there was another thing he noticed.
“Hey… You’re light isn’t as bright as it was the first time I saw you.” He pouted.
“Ah, is that so?” He began to dry his tears, his voice a little tired. “Is that bad?”
“It means you should go and rest.” Oso messed with his hair a little and smiled playfully. “Would you like me to sing you a lullaby?”
Kara’s eyes widened. He couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m a good singer.” He grinned.
“I don't think I want to belie—“
“Okay! Oso’s signature lullaby coming right up!” He announced as he placed his hand on the Moon child’s mouth. Kara would honestly prepare his ears for the worst. He wished he could get some earplugs before an eternal Hell would happen. That was until…
La la lu, La la lu
Oh, my little star sweeper
I'll sweep the stardust for you
To be honest, the Moon child wasn’t expecting anything that amazing from the elder. His eyes looked up intently, making sure that voice was coming from the right source. He was in awe, feeling how calming and soothing the tone was. He felt a hand brush against his hair, giving gentle strokes up and down repeatedly.
La la lu, La la lu
Little soft fluffy sleeper
Here comes a pink cloud for you
His eyes began to grow tired. He would constantly jerk with a sudden wake but it seemed Oso was never distracted by it and kept petting his head. He could feel his body relaxing as he felt the breeze comforting him as well. It was as if he could feel his family was there watching him despite being so far away.
La la lu, La la lu
Little wandering angel
Fold up your wings close your eyes
Kara couldn’t tell anymore. Was he dreaming? Was he awake? He didn’t really care. He could already feel his body drifting away slowly into slumber. His eyes already closed. Everything in his body was relaxed. All he can hear is the sweet lullaby still playing softly to his ear.
La la lu, La la lu
“La la lu…” Oso stopped singing as soon as he heard a small snore. He looked down amused at the sight. There, the once sleepless Kara, was resting peacefully in his arms. It was something he’d never thought he’d see: closed eyes both tired from crying and restless nights, a small drool on the corner of his mouth, a hand on his chest which rise and fell softly. He sighed as he messed with his hair once again. He felt accomplished.
“Goodnight.”
