Beautiful Affection

CHAPTER 5

Just wanted to tell you, I totally made up some of Tokiya's family background ^^

CHAPTER 5

Neatly wearing her school attire, Harumi slowly pushed the door. The urge to meet and apologize to her father was jumping around in her mind. She wanted Masato to know she never hated him. Instead, she would support him as much as how he always supported her before.

Yet, she could not find him on his bed.

"Where is..." Harumi had her words stuck in her throat as she was served with the sight of her father, walking slowly out of the bathroom. His hands shivered as they clung desperately to all the furniture that assisted his way to his bed. The fact that he bit his dry lips showed his growing edginess in case he would lose his balance out of the blue. The other manifest feature was his face. It was so pallid and when he sighed heavily, Harumi could see that his lips were quivering.

Are Daddy's legs sick too? Why couldn't Daddy walk by himself? Her mind whispered in dismay. This sight was too heart-breaking. She was not used to seeing the weak Masato.

Harumi held herself on her spot while her small hand still holding the knob. The blue eyes started to glisten with tears when Masato finally sat up comfortably on his bed. He stroked his chest, feeling something stung the part even after him vomiting up his breakfast. His hand moved to knead his legs when Harumi jogged into the room. She paused, meeting eyes with the perplexed Masato.

"Hi, dear," Masato greeted, awkwardly. "You're... Harumi, right?"

"Yes, I am," she murmured sadly, taking one step nearer to him.

"You are my daughter, right?" He asked again, sending an inexpressible but wonderful feeling to Harumi.

Her father just acknowledged her. Her father just said that she, Hijirikawa Harumi was his daughter.

"Yes, I am your daughter, Daddy," she replied before throwing herself into his arms. The girl embraced his stiff waist tightly, bursting into tears right away.

Masato was startled with the sudden affection but when he felt his yukata stuck to his skin due to her tears, his heart sank.

"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He awkwardly patted her back before stroking her long hair. His response just made her snuggled closer to him.

"I am sorry, Daddy. I am so sorry," she pulled away, looking straight into the blue eyes which had the same color as hers. Her father might be a famous celebrity which was the reason why she gained too much attention from her friends but she felt the proudest when they said she took after his good looks.

"Hey, what's this all of sudden? I am the one who should apologize to you. I forgot you..."

"But I screamed at you. I shouldn't say something rude like that. You're sick and that's why you forgot about me. I am sorry, Daddy," she climbed onto the bed before hugging his neck afterward. Her sobs echoed in his ears and he did not like it at all.

"Hey, really, it's okay," Masato replied, still patting her back. "Now, we know each other's mistake and we already said sorry to each other, I don't think you need to cry anymore. Let's forget about this, shall we?" Masato said, pulling away so that he could wipe her tears with his thumbs.

"I can't help it. I saw you walking just now," Harumi said, silently liking the caresses on her cheeks. "Why did you walk like that? Are your legs also hurting somewhere? Is it because of your disease as well, Daddy?"

"Yeah, my legs have become weak," he curved in a small smile, touching his knee. "It suddenly happened like that."

"Maybe if I massage you every day, it'll be fine," she remarked innocently as she rested her hands one of his legs and quickly massaged it. "Tokiya ojichan told me to help you and Mommy so I think, first of all, I should help you walk normally again."