Mayou walked down the pathway. His silver hair blew around in the wind. He was tall, had long silver hair that went down to his feet and covered one eye, red demon eyes, horns, and a tail. The moon was high in the sky, and Mayou let out a sigh.

"Where am I?" he asked himself. "Why does this place seem so familiar? I don't know my way around here... I..... I feel as though I've been here before." He shook his head to ignore it and walked on.

Continuing going straight, Mayou eventually ended up at a split in the pathway. One pathway continued straight, another went to the left, and the third went to the right. I have been going straight this whole time. I may as well continue. He lifted up his foot to continue, but suddenly, he heard someone.

"Mayou! Don't go down that pathway! It's dangerous!" someone called out. Mayou looked around to see who it was, but could find nobody. It sounded like an old man. "Please! Don't get hurt! Take the left pathway! It's the only safe one!"

Mayou, being as stubborn as he was, challenged what he heard. "I don't know who you are, but I'll have you know that I have been walking straight this whole time and I have yet to encounter a single problem." He walked forward, and with one step, he just had to look down the road to want to turn back and run.

"Come with me Mayou!" someone said. It was someone different. Mayou looked down the road that lead straight, and a white figure stood with a dark aura radiating from it. "Come with me! This is the safe path! I know you have forgotten something, and I can lead you to it! Come with me Mayou!"

Mayou stepped back and stumbled in fear. "H..... how......... how do you know my name?! Both of you! How?!" He stood back up and began walking backward.

"Come with me Mayou!" the white figure called out.

"N..... no!" Mayou yelled. He ran backward and stumbled once again, but he fell down... this time on the split pathway. The white figure frowned and then faded away into the darkness.

"See? I warned you that the left was the only safe pathway," the man's voice said. Mayou huffed.

"Why? Why do I feel like I've forgotten something? And why does this place feel so familiar?" Mayou asked. Millions of questions raced throughout his mind. "How do both of you know my name?"

"As for that dark spirit, I don't know. But I know your name for one reason, and to find it out... you must follow me to where I tell you to go," the voice said.

"Fine," Mayou said. He walked down the left pathway.

The pathway was long and just continued in one direction. "Is this going to end any time soon?" Mayou asked. He got no response. "Come on. Can't you answer my question?" There was still nothing. He huffed once again and continued walking.

Lots of time passed, and Mayou finally reached a split once again. One road went to the left while the other went to the right. "Which way is it now? Are you going to answer me or are you just going to ignore me like last time?" Mayou sounded cocky and expected no response.

"Go to the left once again," the man called out. Mayou gasped at the response.

"Y..... you actually responded!" Mayou said. He looked around a bit. "Why can't I see you? And how come you answered me this time but not last time?"

"I said I would guide you. I never said anything about answering questions. Now hurry along. When it hits sunrise, you will have to wait until the night comes once more to continue," the man said. Mayou nodded and this time ran down the pathway.

Time passed, and Mayou knew the sun would be rising soon. "How much longer until the sun rises?" he asked.

"You still have two hours," the man replied. "That will be more than enough time if you continue to run."

Mayou panted. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees, ready to faint. He had little to no energy left. "I......... I can't take this anymore..." he forced out of himself.

"But you must. Mayou..." the man began. "I can return what you have lost. You need this. Please continue. I must return this to you, but I cannot come to you myself."

"I might as well wait until tomorrow night to continue," Mayou said.

"No. You can't. This is very important. Please... please come and retrieve it!" the man said.

Mayou sighed. "Alright. I'll continue. But which way now?" He looked at the current split. One way went to the right while the other continued straight.

"Keep going straight from here on. You're almost there," the man said. Mayou nodded and continued running.

Mayou ran down the pathway, but this time, he was faster than before. He was determined to see what it was that this man had that was so important. What could I possibly be missing? I don't have much time... How much longer is this path? He continued running straight.

Suddenly, Mayou reached a split in the road. But this one was different. All the paths winded and curved, meeting with one another at certain points. He stood in shock.

"This is your final test. You must follow which one you feel is right and find which way it leads. I warn you though... do not lose your way because one wrong step and what happened the first time can happen again," the man called out. Mayou nodded.

Mayou gulped and looked down at the pathways and thought to himself. Left or straight? He's only told me to go straight once... and left all of the other times....... But he said to trust in what I think is right......... What do I think is right? He looked around, then placed his left hand on his heart. He took in a deep breath, then let it out. He imagined the pathways in his head, and then let his breath out. I will no longer trust going straight. Not after what happened last time. Instead... I will go the only unused direction... right. Mayou opened his eyes and smiled. He ran down the right pathway, very confident in himself.

Mayou reached a cross between two pathways, and both headed off into different directions from which they came. "I know it's the right again. I can feel it," Mayou said. He felt himself getting full of joy as he followed the pathway that went left.

Mayou continued running down the pathways, running right every time. He knew that it must have been the only direction to go. I'm coming. I know I'm almost there. He smiled.

Minutes passed, and Mayou looked ahead of him. He just saw a small hut made of rocks, and inside it was an old man. The old man had his head hung, but Mayou could see he had the same eyes as him. The old man also had similar hair, and it too was silver. He also had the same tail and horns.

"F... father......." Mayou let out. His eyes filled with tears. "Father!!!" He ran up to him as quickly as he could, the memories flicking throughout his mind.

Five years ago, Mayou's father left home.

"I'm going to go out Mayou. Please stay inside," Mayou's father said. Mayou nodded.

"Ok daddy," Mayou said. his father walked out of the house.

Later on that day, Mayou's father didn't return. He couldn't help but go and walk to the town to look for him. And he never knew he'd regret it.

"Daddy!!" Mayou called out. He ran up to him... not knowing that it would barely be him. "Daddy!" He looked as his father turned around, tears in his eyes.

"Run Mayou!" Mayou's father called out. "Run!!" He faded away, his necklace falling to the ground. Mayou bent down to pick it up, but someone came and took it instead.

"I doubt you'll be needing this," the person said. Mayou looked up and saw who it was, and it was none other than the town's trickster. "You won't be seeing daddy for a long time. I placed a curse on him, and if you go near him, you too will be cursed with the same fate." Mayou ran.

Mayou snapped back into reality. He looked forward. "Father," he let out once more. "You... you were cursed... weren't you?" His father nodded.

"I broke it though. I broke it for one reason... and that was to give you this," his father said. He held out his hand and looked up at Mayou. In his hand was a gold necklace. "Take it."

Mayou was motionless in shock. He walked up to his father. "Father... how did you get this?"

"He is no clever man when you know how to outmaneuver him," Mayou's father replied. "Take it." He grabbed Mayou's hand and placed the necklace in it, then took Mayou's other hand and placed it over the necklace. "This is yours. It was always meant to be."

Mayou cried. He looked at the necklace. "Father. Why? Why is it so important? Please tell me!" he urged. The sun began to rise.

"I must go now Mayou," his father said.

"But you need to explain this importance to me!"

"Goodbye Mayou." His father began to fade as the sun washed over him. "Goodbye..." He was gone.

"Father!!!!!!!" Mayou leaned forward to grab him, but fell... There was nothing there anymore. "Father!!!!!!!!!!!" Tears streamed down his face. "Father! Please don't leave me!"

"I haven't left you," someone said. It was his father's voice.

"Huh?" Mayou then looked at the necklace in his hand. The charm on it had a small button. He pressed it, and on the inside was a picture of him and his father, standing inside a castle. Suddenly, the memories came back to him.

I remember now! I used to live in a castle with Father! Mayou smiled and stopped crying. "Thank you Father." He ran off, knowing exactly where it was.

It was nearly night again when Mayou had arrive at the castle. It looked dirty, but that was how it was in the picture. the castle was made of black brick, and the windows were all glass. Mayou looked up at the window that was his and his father's room. He smiled.

Mayou ran inside the castle and looked around at all of the stairs. He wondered which ones he should use. He thought back to when he lived there and remembered running up the staircase ahead of him. He ran up it, smiling.

Eventually, after running up several flights of stairs and losing his way a lot, Mayou reached his room. He looked at the door. Ten years and nothing has changed at all. I'm glad. He placed his hand on the door handle and opened up the door.

"Welcome home Mayou," someone said. Mayou looked on the bed that was his father's... and sure enough.... his father sat there.

"Father!!" Mayou shouted. He ran up to him and hugged him tightly. His father hugged him back. "I missed you so much!"

"I told you that I never left you to begin with," his father said with a smile. "I am free to do as I please, but I am bound to this castle during the day."

"I don't care. I'll stay with you, and we can go around to different places during the night."

"I'm fine with that." His father smiled. "I love you Mayou."

"And I love you back," Mayou said with a smile.

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I decided to write this since I love stories that make you cry in happiness. I hope you like it! I know it's long, but I just love to write long stories, so I thank you if you took the time to read all of it. smile