Uncomfortable Truths

Chapter 18

So here you guys go, the final part.

I want you all to knwo that I took this seriously and if you guys don't want to continue reading after this, I understand.

I'm not trying to be angsty or anything, but a lot of what's said here is stuff...I wish the series would touch on because unfortunately, citrus follows one of my least favorite tropes when handling Mei and Sho's relationship and truth be told I wanted to elaborate on that.

I hope you guys enjoy and I hope someone can answer my Hideki questions lol because I'm kinda tripping about that.

~Six years Prior~

"Aw man," yawned Sho as he and Ume walked down the street carrying the bags filled with their daughter's belongings. "Why did they have to ask us to go through their closet? I thought they got everything when they moved out."

"So did I." Ume smiled up at him and moved a little closer to him, brushing her arm against his. "But you know Yuzu. She always forgets something."

"I guess so," laughed Sho, giving his wife a nervous smile."But I'm surprised Mei didn't clean out everything either. That's so unlike her; I guess Yuzu's had more of an impact on her than we thought."

Though he'd been around a lot more over the past few years, Sho still found a little himself getting used to his stepdaughter's quirks, but he couldn't deny he'd grown fond of the energy Yuzu brought into their home.

It reminded him of the days back when Mei wanted him around. How she'd smile whenever he'd teach her something new or buy her some new toy and on the rare occasion show up to one of her school events.

But thanks to his selfishness and insecurities those days had long passed, and Sho found himself regretting his decisions after learning about some of the things his daughter had gone through during his absence.

He was well aware of Mei's divorce and was surprised that she'd handled it so effortlessly. But, Sho was confident that much of it was thanks to Udagawa's influence over his family. Despite having only met his son-in-law a handful of times, Sho liked the man almost instantly and was glad that Mei and he would be maintaining a friendly relationship after hearing about what had happened with the previous man his father had chosen for her.

As much as he despised his father for forcing Mei into those situations, Sho was at least grateful to the old man for learning from his past mistakes. Though that didn't keep Sho from saving a few choice words for his father after hearing about what the teacher had done to his daughter.

Not that he had any room to talk.

It was his fault Mei had ended up in that predicament and why his family had gone through so much pain over the past several years.

He knew he could never make up for it, there was no possible way, but he could try and he hoped whatever effort he was putting in wasn't too little too late, especially not after finding a certain notebook hidden in one of the boxes Mei and Yuzu had stored in their closet.

"Sho?" Ume reached out for his hand and squeezed it. "Sho, what's on your mind?"

"What?" Sho looked down into his wife's eyes and smiled nervously. "What are you talking about?"

"You're thinking about that again aren't you?" Ume nodded down at the bag in Sho's left hand.

"What?" Sho lifted the bag and chuckled nervously when he saw the title of the book peeking out over the rim of the bag. "No, well I mean kind of. But I was thinking more about the other stuff, like Mei having a kid and what she went through while I was away. Not...not this."