Hidden Love

How Things Were

"H-how old is she...?" This is ironic,no matter how much I wanted to know. I shouldn't have asked. 

"S-she just turned 12." I was still patting her small back,while she rested her face on my shoulders. "Just turned 12." 

"It's getting late...you can stay the night." I don't want her to go through what I did. Who was she going to call her dad? Her dad...our dad...if only you didn't leave. If only you never left me,then we would still be what people call "a family". 

You simply touched the sea and formed a ripple,but that small ripple came back to me as huge waves. 

'Mommy is going out okay? Stay here until I come back.'

Waves that swallowed me whole.

'Sora! Oh my god. That crazy woman...don't worry,dad is here...'

Drowning everyday in my own thoughts.

'I can't take care of him like this.'

Why...

'Hey big guy...'

...wasn't I enough?

'I'm sorry Sora...b-but...d-da-dad is gonna take a nap...when I wake up,you have to be good kid...a-alright? Take care of Sora for me...'

They all left in the end.

"Onii-chan?" a small,insignificant hand was wiping my tears. "Onii-chan" she says. Right. Even if I wasn't enough,I'm sure you'll fill the hole inside her. The endless void might end. 

"Do you like cake?" I asked.

"Mhn! Miou loves cake!" Chuckling at that fact,I gave her a slice. I left Miou with Akira who welcomed themselves upstairs. I hate that it had to come to this. 

"Sora...h-how is Tsubaki?" I scoffed at her question. Did she had so much fun that she forgot?

"Tachibana-san. 12 years ago, you left me on the side of the park,"She didn't flinch when I called her by her family name instead of "mom" . Then why is she here in the first place?
"I just turned 4 then,but it was a birthday that I had to celebrate without my mom. Thank dad that he took me in,but unfortunately. Takahashi Tsubaki, my biological father..." 

"He died a year ago. Funny right? My mother left me for another man,and my father died in a car accident. Yet in years of his care,I barely got to see his face. And he left just like that."

"I'm-"

"Since you're being very apologetic,after dad died," I pointed towards my "dad" . 
"Takahashi Shuu. My uncle became my foster father. And that's how things went on,so Tachibana-san. Would you mind sharing me your part?" I asked sincerely. Oh what lengths did she desired to reach? 

"After I...went away...I found out that I was p-pregnant with Miou...I-i tried! I tried to come back but your father wouldn't allow me to see you. He...even refused to see his daughter,our...daughter...s-so I re-returned home,and raised Miou there...bu-but when I saw Shuu's photo and how much you've grown...I-i...agh...I wished that I could've watched you grew...." Rolling herself inside out,she started crying. 

Am I the cruel one? Too cold that now,not even a single drop of tear is shed. 

No.

If my dad is known as cold and heartless,then my mom is a monster. Then it makes sense...why I've dried out of tears.

"And now you come back saying you want to restart? Hey,Tachibana-san what about-"

"MOM! P-please...c-call me mom..."

"Ha." 

It really is ironic.

Onii-chan - Older brother, used frequently by women to address men who are their superior in age. Onii-chan may be used with or without actual blood ties between two parties.
San - A title of respect added to a name. It can be used with both male and female names, and with either surnames or given names. It can also be attached to the name of occupations and titles.