A Song For Another Time - A Hikaru Hitachiin Story

Chapter Twenty Six - She Deserves Respect, That's What She'll Get

The walk back to the house seemed much shorter than it had felt to Hikaru on the way out, but that could have been because he chased Rose halfway home. She had run away after teasing him and didn't slow her pace until she was doubled over gasping for air from both laughing and exerting herself.

As they neared the Richards' house, a blue Honda minivan pulled up alongside them and jolted both of them with a single, loud honk.

"Hey kiddo!" A voice rang out as the passenger side window slowly rolled down. Although Rose looked collected, the interaction put Hikaru on edge. He didn't know what was happening, but he had heard horror stories about lone teenage girls being pulled into minivans in America, and he was ready for anything.

"Toddddd," Rose whined, pushing Hikaru's protective arm out of the way. "You scared me!"

The tension in Hikaru's body immediately dissipated. If Rose wasn't frightened, he certainly wasn't going to be. He dropped his arm and turned to her with a questioning brow.

"We'll meet you at the house in a moment," she said toward the van and moved to continue walking down the street. She answered his question without even acknowledging him. The blue colonial house was only a few yards away and the pair arrived at the house just as the van was unloading.

Despite being forewarned, Hikaru was amazed at the amount of children piling out of the van. The only thing he could equate it to was watching a clown car unload. The driver ran around the front of the car and pulled Rose into a crushing hug.

"I missed you so much, my little flower," the man said before releasing her. Rose smoothed down the pushed up arms of her coat before giving him a small smile.

"I miss you too," she said. "But not enough to stand out in the cold. Let's go inside."

The Richards' living room looked packed to capacity once everyone was inside and Rose was feeling a little suffocated. Todd and Molly were looking on to the gathered company with something akin to pride in their eyes as Molly leaned against Todd on their overstuffed love seat. Across the couch sat Rose's foster siblings - three of whom she was well acquainted with and one who was new to her, and frankly looked quite unapproachable. Rose, herself, was sitting on the only accent chair in the room with the twins each leaning their arms onto its back.

Introductions were quickly made as the Hitachiins were presented to six-year-old Luci White, eight-year-old Russell Marks and 14-year-old Becca Stevens. The last to be introduced was Diego Rosalez, the newest member of the Richards household. He was 13. Right at the age where you don't know if being a jerk was a result of the hormones or his actual personality - and he played the part accordingly, laying his feet on the coffee table (even though he knew he wasn't supposed to) and zoning out of the conversation until he heard his name, then tuning it right out again.

Rose analyzed him from her chair, taking in every movement. Molly had phoned her several times while she was at school to talk about the new foster and his desire to push everyone away. In a way, he was a lot like the other fosters and his new family had thought it would only take a few weeks for him to warm up, but now they were months in and he still refused to speak more than a few sentences to anyone.

There was a sort of tranquility to family gathering in the living room as everyone sat around and got to know each other, but such moments couldn't last forever and soon enough Luci was chasing Russell from the couch, shouting about her ruined hair.

Quickly the family dispersed into their after school routine - Diego rushing into his room before firmly shutting the door, Becca pushing in the earbuds connected to her knock-off brand MP3 player while spreading out on the couch, Todd brushing Molly's cheek with a quick kiss before pulling test papers out of his briefcase to grade all while the two youngest continued to chase each other around the house.

A small laugh escaped Rose's mouth as she pushed off of her chair and scooped Luci up in her arms. She held the small blonde against her hip with one arm and used the other to brush her fingers through the child's knotted hair.

"Why don't you and I go get some ice cream for the boys," she asked, pushing the bangs out of Luci's face.

"Russell doesn't deserve any," Luci said, with the authority that only a haughty six-year-old could muster.

"Hmmmm. You're right. I don't think Hikaru and Kaoru deserve ice cream either," Rose said, bringing her free hand to her face in an over-acted form of thinking. "But you know what? Sometimes ice cream makes someone a better person, so why don't we give them some and hope they magically change into nice boys?"

Luci giggled and gave a fervent nod as the trio of boys let out a whiny "heeyyy."

Together, the five of them ate chocolate ice cream in the heated kitchen, paying no mind to the fact that it had started to snow outside. With melted chocolate framing their lips, Luci and Russell animatedly talked about school and asked Rose dozens of questions.

The twins looked on in amusement as they continuously marveled at the ice cream in their hands. It was their first time ever eating ice cream they had scooped themselves from a frozen box and they found the whole ordeal intriguing. Later, they were amazed further by take-out boxes and revelled in living a full day of commoner life.

Soon enough, the younger children were sent off to take baths and prepare for reading before bed. Becca had retreated to the confines of her room and Diego had only surfaced briefly to grab a slice of pizza before escaping back to his room.

Rose was left alone with the twins while Todd and Molly were each corralling a youngster in their night routine. As they sat on the plush furniture in the living room, she told the two what she knew about each of her foster siblings until they became bored and started asking about her life again.

"Show us your room," Hikaru pushed after getting, basically, nothing out of Rose. In his mind, a girl's bedroom was sacred and would encapsulate her personality. Everything in the room, from the books she chose to adorn her shelves, to the posters on her wall, would tell him more about her.

"I don't have one," she said shrugging. Well, so much for that.

"What do you mean," Kaoru began.

"That you don't have a bedroom?" Hikaru finished.

"Well, Diego has my room now," Rose stated plainly. "While I'm home, I'll be sleeping on an air mattress in Luci and Becca's room."

No individual bedroom? The idea was beyond Hikaru and Kaoru. I mean, sure, they share a room, but that was by choice. To not have one at all, or worse - to have one and then to have it given away - that was just outrageous!

The lives of the poor are just so sad, they thought simultaneously as they wrapped Rose up in a dual hug. She shrugged them off, not seeing the bedroom thing as a real issue, but they continued to coddle her.

A sudden throat clearing from behind them is what finally made them detach.

"Rose, why don't you go get ready for bed," Todd said. "I'd like to speak to the boys for a few minutes."

Shrugging, Rose got up from the chair and made her way down the hall. When Todd heard the bedroom door close behind her he turned the boys with a stern look on his face.

"Now, knowing my wife, Molly probably probably tried to pull some joke on you boys when she picked you up from the airport, so let me preface this by saying, this is in no way a joke," he said, a frighteningly new tone. All the suburban dad-like qualities from before melting away. He had moved closer to the twins, wrapping his arms around each one's shoulders and pushing their heads closer to his. "You touch my daughter and I'll end you."

He let go of them simultaneously and ruffled their heads before flashing them a toothy smile.

"We clear," he asked.

The Hitachiins gulped before resounding in unison.

"Yes, sir."

Satisfied, Todd turned his back to them and walked down the hall to his shared bedroom with Molly, switching off the lights on his way. Hikaru and Kaoru turned to each other, their eyes still wide.

Were all commoner parents this scary?