Songs for Daddy- Chapter 41: The Real Me
Author: bar_ohki
Title: Songs for Daddy
Rating: This chapter is rated T.
Summary: After receiving a phone call, Hiruma abandons his job, his football team, and his friends, disappearing into nothing. After several years pass, Mamori finds a strange girl in her Kindergarten class, a girl strange enough to have the only remaining connection to the missing quarterback….
Notes: The Real Me is by Zebrahead, I do not own it.
Links: To song on youtube: Video
To lyrics of song: Lyrics
To a list of chapter links: Links
To chapter 40: Part 1 Part 2
Songs For Daddy
Chapter 41: The Real Me
Anezaki woke up because she was too hot and heard unfamiliar noises. It took her a few moments to get over the initial shock of Hiruma being in her bed and recall the night before. She brought him and Emiko here because they had no where else to go-! A small gasp escaped her when Anezaki realized Emiko wasn’t in bed with them and Hiruma’s face was flushed red and his breathing labored.
Hesitantly, Anezaki reached out and touched Hiruma’s sweating forehead. It was hot, very hot. She pulled her hand back as if to keep herself from being burned. Praying his fever hadn’t been caused by infection from his injuries, Anezaki slipped out of bed to find Emiko pacing about the bedroom, her arms flapping. The little girl was making very distressed noises.
Certainly Hiruma had been sick around Emiko before, he had even mentioned it to Anezaki once. But it was still strange to see the little girl pacing in the room with her hair down. There were always ribbons in Emiko’s hair, even when she lived with Saburo.
“Emiko-chan?” Anezaki asked and Emiko went on pacing.
“Fever Papa fever….” Emiko muttered. She was supposed to call Grandma but she didn’t know where Papa’s cell phone was and Anezaki’s didn’t have Grandma’s number in it. Ack! Touch!
“Emiko-chan.” Anezaki called to the girl a little more firmly after she touched the girl’s shoulder. “Can you help me take care of your Papa?”
Of course Mom could help take care of Papa. Moms take care of Papas and their babies. That’s what Saka-chan said.
“Y-yeah!” Emiko stopped pacing and nodded, determined.
Hiruma only moaned and rolled away from the light. Fucking morning, go away!
“Youichi, you need to get up and change your bandages.” Anezaki told him only to get growled at. He was still a swollen mess from yesterday’s attacks, which made him look only more pitiful.
“Papa!” Emiko called out worriedly. “You have to be good or you’re not going to get better!”
At the sound of Emiko’s voice, Hiruma opened the one eye that wasn’t injured and looked at his daughter. Emiko was distressed and upset again. He sighed and managed to sit himself up very slowly. His body was aching and heavy. Everything was tiring, even breathing.
Emiko’s smile was radiant enough to cast a small smile on Anezaki’s and Hiruma’s faces. The little girl climbed onto the bed and sat down next to her Papa.
“You have a fever.” Emiko told him in her usual toneless voice.
“Really?” Hiruma asked. If that was true it’d explain why he felt so exhausted.
Anezaki touched Hiruma’s fevered skin again. It was so sweaty, that couldn’t be good for the wounds.
“You need to shower off,” Anezaki told him, “you’re covered in sweat.”
“Bandages.” Emiko added and poked one of them to make her point. Hiruma only let out a loud gasp and forced his face to hide his pained expression. His job of it was very bad, but Emiko didn’t seem to notice.
Anezaki only shook her head a little. “Let’s get started then.”
After a fucking cold shower and getting his bandages changed, Hiruma found himself in some more borrowed clothes from the man next door, under a very girly quilt, and carefully tucked in on Anezaki’s couch. Emiko was on the floor beside the couch, playing with some of Anezaki’s old Rocket Bear plushies happily. Anezaki was in the kitchen preparing some sort of overly nutritious rice porridge and a damp towel for Hiruma’s forehead. He’d already been forced to take some fever-reducing pain medication before Anezaki allowed him out of bed; the result was that now he was getting to be very sleepy and extremely lethargic. But pain medication always did that to him, so Hiruma didn’t think anything of it.
Since she was currently graced with a little time to herself, Anezaki was in thought. Hiruma has always been shameless. He hadn’t seemed to care or notice how Anezaki had been next to him, naked, in the shower helping him get clean and stay upright. Nor did he notice when she changed his bandages in just a bra and panties. There was a part of her that wished he had noticed and gotten aroused but there was another part that was extremely grateful he didn’t. If he had it would have made for a very awkward morning.
Little did Anezaki realize that it was going to be a very awkward morning and by awkward we are referring to an unexpected visit from her parents.
Hiruma Youichi, their daughter’s infamous boyfriend, was coming to meet them today and Anezaki’s mother, Anezaki Mami, had gotten some nerves and wanted to make doubly sure that her daughter really was madly in love with the man she called ‘a devilish fiend’ more than once in high school and college. Anezaki Tateo, Anezaki’s father, had not only humored helping his wife’s nerves, but he also wanted some assurance his daughter really did love this widower.
So they knocked politely on the door of Mamori’s home, waiting for their precious daughter to open the door and quell their fears. Mami waited in a traditional blue kimono with a purple band and her hair up in a bun. Tateo was also wearing a traditional kimono as well, but his was a dark green. Like most Japanese men, Tateo was brown eyed and black haired. His wife had brown hair and blue eyes, just like her daughter. But unlike Mamori, Mami’s features were rounder, more western.
Imagine their shock when a little girl with a heart-shaped face, big brown eyes, and black hair up in a single ribbon opened the door. On her arms were some pretty large bruises, some of which were hand shaped. She glanced at the parents for a moment, taking in all the details of their person with her wide eyes. Both Mami and Tateo felt like they were being examined on a very personal, deep level by this child. It was unsettling.
“Oh, uh, hello.” Mami greeted the child.
“Hello.” Emiko responded while rocking on her feet as she looked fixatedly at the shiny belt Tateo was wearing.
“E-emiko-!” Hiruma’s voice rasped from the couch. He’d gone off in a small doze out of exhaustion, medication, and fever. When he came back into awareness Emiko wasn’t by the couch. He doubted she could have wandered far, but he should be watching her.
“Coming Papa!” Emiko called back. She bowed and trotted back into the house to go stay by her Papa. After sharing a look, Tateo and Mami decided to follow the girl into their daughter’s home. Upon entering the living room they were greeted with the sight of Hiruma. His skin was flushed with fever, his face was sporting a black eye on one side, a giant bruise on the other. Because the black eye was so swollen, Hiruma was using a single green eye to tiredly watch over his daughter as she played with Mamori’s toys on the floor.
Tateo and Mami shared another look. Hiruma and Emiko both shared those distinctive ears that made them recognizable despite all of the years it had been since they last saw the devilish man. To Mami’s horror, Hiruma still wore piercings and still bleached his hair. And he’d clearly been in a fight of some sort! There was no way their daughter was seriously considering marrying this man!
“M-mom! Dad!” Mamori gasped, startled enough she nearly dropped the tray with Hiruma’s breakfast and damp rag. She hadn’t heard the knocking from the kitchen and was very alarmed to see her parents in the house so unannounced.
Hiruma had turned his eye onto the older Anezakis. They looked only slightly older than the last time he had seen them and they were clearly displeased with him. Faintly he recalled, in horror, that he was supposed to meet them today. But the distress over that was soon lost. Mostly because a new distress concerning the smell of the food Mamori had brought him was making him very unhungry (a state he always was when sick).
“Is this Youichi?” Mami asked, making no effort to hide her distain. Emiko flinched. Bad feeling, bad twisting inside-!
“Mom-!” Mamori was cut off by her father.
“Is it?” Tateo almost demanded. All Mamori could do was nod slightly and make her way around her parents to give Hiruma his breakfast.
“I don’t want it.” Hiruma muttered. The thought of food made him almost nauseous.
“You’ve got a 39 degree fever and you will be eating some food.” Mamori informed a very small Hiruma. Because he was so sick and weak, he felt very intimidated by her and that made him want to be small and fast like Kobayakawa so that he could escape.
“You said breakfast was the most important meal of the day.” Emiko reminded her Papa as she continued to play quietly.
“Fine.” Hiruma submitted and tried to sit up to eat. He hurt, he ached, and his energy was low. It was slightly humiliating when Mamori set a gentle hand on his back and helped him upright. She set the tray on his lap and turned to her parents.
“So why did you two stop by?” Mamori asked. It was about 11 am, not an unreasonable time for guests but....
“We wanted to talk to you,” Tateo explained, “about your boyfriend.” The last part was all but spat out.
Emiko flinched again. Hiruma frowned.
“Really?” Mamori asked. She did remember they were supposed to meet Hiruma today, but finding him here on her couch obviously hadn’t conveyed the best impression. How to explain what happened and why Hiruma was on her couch with a fever and facial wounds that clearly marked him as having been in a fight, Mamori just didn’t know.
“Alone.” Tateo added harshly with a pointed look at Hiruma. Emiko abandoned her toys and tried to burry herself under the quilt that was covering Hiruma. She didn’t want to be around the bad feelings, nor did she want Papa to be alone.
“Anezaki-san,” Hiruma’s voice was weak and quiet, “I can’t really stand.”
“What?” Mami frowned, looking at the man carefully.
“He’s hurt and sick!” Mamori protested to both of her parents. “If we really must talk alone, we can go in the kitchen. Besides, I don’t really see the reason to not all discuss this together-”
“You want to talk about this together?” Tateo asked dangerously.
“I don’t see what the issue is….” Mamori admitted. Hiruma looked tense, mostly because he didn’t have a voice strong enough to carry if they started yelling. He didn’t think Tateo knew about what yelling did to Emiko.
“You are asking me to have a conversation with that man?!” Tateo snapped, unabashedly pointing a finger at Hiruma. “You were the one that told me of his previous exploits and he clearly hasn’t changed at all!”
“Dad-!” Mamori protested.
“Look at him Mamori! His face, his illness! And that bizarre behavior of his kid!” Tateo ranted. “Its clear he needs help but you shouldn’t be forcing this on yourself-!”
Emiko screamed. She screamed loud, trying to tune out all the noise and feelings. Hiruma moved the bowl aside and managed to pull Emiko up onto his lap. Her expression was pained and her hands were grasped over her ears.
“Emiko really, really doesn’t like it when people say bad things about me.” Hiruma explained in the silence that had filled the room. “And yelling hurts her.” He was holding her close and stroking her quivering head.
“Look at that,” Tateo went on, “he’s not even defending himself!”
Emiko tried to make herself smaller and whimpered.
“Dad!” Mamori snapped, angry now. “Look at what you are doing to Emiko!”
Mami felt sorry, she honestly did. That small child was in pain and Hiruma looked defeated and powerless, something all parents did when their children suffered and there was nothing they could do to ease the pain.
“Dear,” Mami grabbed Tateo’s arm, “stop.”
Tateo turned slowly and looked into Mami’s eyes. She was deadly serious. Carefully, Tateo moved his gaze towards his daughter. Mamori had moved to Hiruma’s side and was now helping clam down Emiko. The girl was crying a little and Hiruma turned and gave him a particularly murderous look. Then, without any warning, Hiruma shut his eye and turned back to Emiko, his gaze helpless and concerned. Just like a father’s should be….
“…What happened?” Mami asked the three people on the couch.
“Big-smelly-men came.” Emiko answered with a sniffle. “They made a big mess and lots of noise and then I had to stay with Grandma, there were lots of yelling and me and Saka-chan had to go in this really black hole then there were lots of bad noises and then Papa was there and he was hurt and crying then Mom came and we all went home and went to bed because we were tired, but then Papa got sick!” Emiko flailed slightly in her father’s arms. She had spoken fast, but she was painfully honest and Tateo could only stare at the girl in awe. What the heck was that all about?
“…Mamori-!” Hiruma requested in a harsh whisper, unable to voice his entire request. His expression was somewhat desperate and he hoped she knew what to do. Thankfully for Hiruma, Mamori was still adept at reading him and understood.
“Mom, Dad,” Mamori began softly, “Emiko had been kidnapped yesterday.”
“K-kidnapped?” Mami gasped, alarmed by the very thought. Tateo was staring at the hand-shaped bruises on Emiko’s with a new light. The poor child had been manhandled yesterday; no wonder she was acting strange…!
“My mother-in-law hired yakuza.” Hiruma added in his small voice. Mamori watched her parents pale at the thought. They’d heard about the whole child custody case, so they understood the motive.
“Youichi and I spent all of yesterday evening trying to track down Emiko….” Mamori continued. She chose to trail off and leave it right there because she wasn’t sure how exactly to explain Hiruma’s wounds.
“You fought them didn’t you?” Tateo observed as he looked over Hiruma’s face.
Hiruma only held Emiko a little tighter and nodded. He’d do anything to keep Emiko at his side and safe, the pain he was in was proof enough. Tateo saw this and felt like an idiot. Yesterday was probably just about hell for Hiruma and his daughter, and Tateo was a fool for accusing the man of being anything less than a father.
It took Hiruma few seconds to look at the hand that had been placed on his shoulder, then to trace it up to the face. His mind was muddled by the fever and he wasn’t reacting quickly, but Tateo appeared to understand both this and the reason for this condition.
“I’m sorry for earlier.” Tateo apologized.
“S’fine.” Hiruma muttered. He knew it was too easy to jump to conclusions when he looked like this.
“Papa,” Emiko began, “you need to eat your breakfast.”
Everyone laughed when Hiruma moaned theatrically.
Both Mami and Tateo wound up spending the rest of the day helping Mamori and Emiko take care of Hiruma. Both of the older Anezakis learned a great deal about Emiko and about Hiruma that they hadn’t before and they liked what they learned. Mamori almost burst into tears with relief when he was told this and Hiruma managed a small ‘thank you’ before he passed out again.
“Tell him that I approve of you two getting married.” Tateo told Mamori as he left.
“I-I will. Have a safe trip.” Mamori had been a little startled by the prospect of marriage with Hiruma coming out of her father’s mouth but now she was pleased that he approved.
After her parents left, Anezaki went about doing the many things that needed doing. She contacted Kongo Unsui and managed to arrange to get what could be salvaged from Hiruma’s apartment moved into her home, after it had been recorded as evidence. She also contacted the Azuma family and arrange for Chizue to be delivered to her home tomorrow.
A quick call to Takekura revealed the mess of Saburo Teru’s condition. The man was mostly better, but his medication had been in amounts too small then too large and left him particularly weak with some added complications. Since Takekura was very familiar with the staff at Joukamachi Hospital and they were very understanding when he said this was one of those ‘Hiruma matters’, they let him in on the exact amount of damage that had been done and took his word as if he was a medical advocate’s and started to do what they could to heal Teru.
Maruko called Anezaki before she had a chance to call him. Since he was also Kongo Agon’s lawyer, he had been able to quickly get to the bottom of the legality of what happened yesterday. Kongo hadn’t wanted to press charges or anything of that sort, but he did want a discrete check from Saburo Haruka paying for some of the building damage and medical fees. Saburo’s lawyer apparently was very willing to help convince her to provide the check, mostly because this wasn’t a court case they could win.
Yuuya called not long after Maruko did and asked if he should go and try to retrieve some of Saburo’s clothes. The answer had been yes, mostly because Hiruma was in no condition to do anything to change that situation. Yuuya had been rightfully alarmed to hear exactly what happened the night before and of his son’s fever and the visit of Anezaki’s parents. After she was done explaining everything, Anezaki found herself chatting pleasantly with Yuuya about other things.
Other things like how helpful Emiko had been all day and how her parents approved of a marriage. Yuuya whole-heartedly agreed with them that he thought this was a wonderful idea.
Hanging up the phone, Anezaki returned to the living room where Hiruma was sleeping and Emiko was carefully tucking her baby blanket around him. Kongo Unsui had brought it by since he thought it was something pretty important and he’d been right. Emiko turned her head and looked at Anezaki, a little startled.
Anezaki only smiled back and tiptoed into the room to join Emiko on the floor next to him.
“I just did most of the work your Papa’s been worrying about.” Anezaki whispered gently to the girl.
“He’ll rest better now?” Emiko asked quietly.
“I hope so.” Anezaki agreed.
“…Are we going to stay here forever?” Emiko asked.
“Maybe.” Anezaki supposed. She saw no reason Hiruma had to move out.
“…I like it here.” Emiko muttered with a yawn. “I like being with Papa and Mom….”
Anezaki caught the small girl as she passed out. Hiruma had told her in the past Emiko had a bad habit of running herself ragged until she literally had no energy left and collapsing if she was stressed. Much like her father in that sense, Anezaki realized, as Emiko’s face relaxed into sleep. She looked so much liked her father when she slept.
Carefully, Anezaki pulled the blankets away and laid Emiko on her father. With a mutter, Hiruma shifted in his sleep and wrapped an arm around Emiko, holding her close. Anezaki giggled a bit and got a green eye glaring slightly at her.
“T-There isn’t enough space on the couch for me!” Anezaki protested, having read Hiruma’s look.
Hiruma only patted the side of the couch where there was, in fact, a small bit of space. Anezaki sighed and climbed over the two to settle into the very warm spot. Casually, Hiruma tossed the blankets back over them and sighed contently.
“G’night.” Hiruma muttered.
“Goodnight.”
Anezaki wasn’t afraid of what would come of tomorrow, nor was she particularly worried about Hiruma forcing himself to get better too quickly. Right now this family had all of the time in the world and that’s what mattered.
_=_=_=_=_
I promise more fluff!