For those little of you who had read the crappier and earlier version of this story, I'm editing and resubmitting the story. Why? Because it utterly...sucked. This one, probably sucks a little bit less. You see, I'm not a fan of fanfiction very much to be clear, but even I have my...Idunno what to call it...uh...fetish? xD To write dumb stories of a fandom. When I finish a chapter I feel... relieved.

xDD

Nyeh...whatever. I don't care if you like this or not, it was done to kill time.

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Little Redd Riding Hood

The First Step

Since I was a child, I loved traveling around the country. Luckily enough for me, I got to live my childhood traveling to different towns, villages and cities for years. The Fishing Tourneys I got to participate in and win prices, when all of the monarch butterflies returned to Apple Village and dance in the air for us, as the sky burned into colorful flames in the Famous Firework Festival, and of course, when everyone in the city turned off the lights to see the meteor shower -- are all part of my distant memories as a little kid.

I was able to see and witness so many sights and wonders of this world. And yet, I could never be able to thank my father for letting me accompany him on his trips. You see, he was a salesmen of the sorts. Well, people thought of him as a scammer, really.

'Crazy Redd, is not to be trusted' or so they said. Most people were even surprised to see that a 'shady' kitsune like Redd would (or could) even have a daughter. He tried keeping it a secret really, so I wouldn't get tangled with the authorities as much. But due to that, I had more ease in hearing what people thought about him and had people badmouth my father right before my eyes.

The thing is, as my dad had explained to me, my parents were rather 'broken up' since they weren't married to begin with, I think. But since my mother was pregnant of him, instead of taking other 'measures', when she gave birth to me she dumped me off to my father when he was having a poker night in town. Not only was everyone in the room stunned to see a woman dump her only child to her old boyfriend, they were even more shocked to see that he decided to keep the kid.

'Ha! If he had an offspring he'd sell it for a three thousand bells and an orange!' Clearly, most people didn't know what truly happened, nor were they very fond of my father at all.

And you know...I can't blame them, him and Uncle Lyle were all about mischief and havoc, and stealing people's money was just part of it. But even so, ever since I was welcomed as his daughter, we both traveled quite a lot around the country. We visited many towns and villages, of course, we even got chased by the authorities every now and then for obvious reasons. But no matter what, I was side by side with my father the entire way. I was his little Reddy after all.

Years passed, and I grew older. I was told to have my mother's looks and my father's habits and personality traits, even so I was sure I took after him much more. I was nineteen now, my education was all homeschool material, and I had no idea what it was like to have friends or living on my own. I no longer wished to stay in the nest, I dreamed of having friends and living my own life, instead of following my father's. I had thought it over quite much and expected for me to forget about that wish and just toss it aside.

But a few days back, I was running a few errands for my dad, when I saw someone waiting in the bus stop. The bus quickly arrived as always, and when he climbed aboard he dropped his wallet. I rushed over to return it to him, but he asked me why I hadn't ran off with his money while I still could.

Rather in a hurry and carrying all of the heavy grocery bags, I just told him "I'm not much of a thief or a lier," He smiled, and out of nowhere, the raccoon offered me a job.

I shook my head, but he was very persistent. He told me he had been searching for someone to run errands for him at his store but had found no one trustworthy enough or that looked the part.

The job wasn't very tempting to begin with, but I already had made up my mind on what to say. "I'm very sorry, but I can't take a job. I live with my father and I don't have enough bells to afford to live somewhere else. If I was able I would do it, but I can't,"

That's when he offered me my very own home. A small wooden house just for me. He guaranteed that I would have to pay for my house, but that he would pay me for my work and that all items I bought at his shop would be at a lower price just for me. Before he left, I took a quick look at him.

I think life had shown me enough events to spot a faker or a scammer a mile away. I lived with one, for goodness' sakes. But this man just seemed more desperate than wanting to get my wallet or trick me. He looked different -- by that I mean, he looked honest. And I knew not to judge a book by it's cover, but his words never seemed to twist in any way. It was either hide away from this uncertain menace, or go with it and see what was instored for me. I don't know what was worse, that I believed him or that I considered it and told him I would think about it.

He gave me his number to call him whenever I made up my mind. And that's where it all began.

I paced the wooden floor of my room, looking for some sort of answer to my two-way question. I was never good in making up my mind, nor was I at making such big decisions. I knew what I wanted, but I couldn't deny that I was scared and worried about the consequences. About leaving my loved one's behind and how they would maintain without me.

A small picture frame stood on top of my dresser. A picture of me and my dad when I was only six years old and we were at Firefly Forest. Those days have come and gone, but it doesn't mean it's over, right? I'm no salesman like him, I can't take the family business, no matter how much it pains him. And come to think about it, it's going to hurt me too. Having no one tell me about his day every evening, telling me about all the bells he earned by just selling a counterfeit painting is going to be something I'll miss out on...

It was almost nine 'o' clock in the morning and I had been walking all over my room for almost an hour, trapped in thoughts. I looked at the door, I could go out and sit down on the table and have breakfast with dad, just like any other morning. Then I spotted my luggage next to my closet door -- or fill it up with my clothes and items and get ready to go on my journey.

I held the picture frame in my hands and sighed "I guess...this is just my decision."

I picked up the phone and slowly dialed the number. After a few rings I heard the oddly familiar voice of that raccoon. "Hello? Mr. Nook...? It's me Rose, we met at Pearl City a few days ago, remember?" he seemed surprised to hear from me "Well, I'm calling because I was...I was thinking about that offer of yours and," I paused before continuing, trying my hardest to let those words out. "...I was wondering if it was still open."

I had packed all of the clothing that I was going to take with me to Golden Acorn village. I also grabbed my backpack and filled it with all of the important things I needed with me, with them I brought the bells that I was saving too. I called a cab to take me to my town that would arrived soon enough as well. I was ready to go. But I still hadn't even mentioned a word to my father.

"Rosy!" 'Speak of the devil.' I gulped as I heard his footsteps climbing up the stairs. "Time for breakfast, kid. Aren't you awake yet?" I could hear him say just outside my room's door.

I rushed out of my room before he entered, closing the door behind me in a hurry. "Yeah, I'm awake." I hadn't noticed that he stood just a few inches away from me, quite stunned because of my abrupt action. I gave him a sheepish look "...hi." then threw my arms around him uncontrollably.

"Um...g'morning?" I heard him say in a blank tone.

I forgot to plan out what and how I was going to tell him about this. "Good morning..." I breathed quietly still hugging him.

He grabbed my shoulders and eyed me oddly "Something wrong? You seem...down, oh and a little weird too. Are you hiding something in there?"

No sense in lying now. I glanced at my door, but didn't look back at his face when I turned around. I just sighed and headed down the hall. "I'll explain downstairs."

We both sat down in our small kitchen. Dad eyed me as I drank my coffee nervously and quietly looking for the right words to say. Also, with the thoughts in mind that if I didn't spill something soon, dad was going to start to grow impatient. I felt like a child who had just broken a glass window and was too scared to tell her parents about it.

I settled down my cup on the counter, and tried to look up at him. "Dad, I have something to tell you. I just don't know how to start --"

He waved a hand to stop me "Say no more. I know what it is."

"...you do?" I blinked

He sighed regrettably "Yeah... I sort of prepared myself for this a long time ago."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow at him confusedly.

He nodded and shrugged "I was going to be a grandfather someday, I guess..."

"...what?"

"I'm just worried as to why didn't you tell me that you're pregnant sooner? I mean, I would have warned you about --"

"Not pregnant, dad."

"...oh." Even though his ears lowered it was obvious he was quite relieved. But he wasn't done yet, he looked over his shoulder at me with a glare. "Did you get caught with drugs?"

"I don't do drugs..."

"Are you going to get married or something?"

"What? Not that --"

"Boyfriend?"

"No!"

"...girlfriend?"

"NO!"

"Oh, good." He sighed quite calmly, even though it ticked me off when he would do this. "Then go ahead and spill it already!"

"If you would just let me talk instead of jumping to conclusions!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Please, start." He said standing up and swiping away my cup of coffee from me.

As he drank I did my best to be calm and straight forward with my words. One wrong word and there goes his smile. "Dad, I love you with all my heart and...I really don't want to hurt you when I said this but..." Here came the worst part. "I'm moving out."

His eyes instantly widened and he almost choked on his drink. "W-WHAAAT!?" He shouted instantly regaining himself, still coughing slightly. He looked at me with a more shocked expression instead the expected anger. "B-But why!? Did I do something to --"

I shook my head "No, no, it's not you...i-it's me." Feeling suddenly shy to look at his stunned face, I rubbed my arm nervously and looked away. "I've told you before that I wasn't sure that I wanted to run your business when I grew older, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but I was hoping you would reconsider," he grabbed my shoulders and shook them dramatically "C'mon, Rose, you can't just go, you're too young to live on your own!"

Hearing this, I looked at him straight in the eye with a frown. I hated when he said that to me. "I'm nineteen years old -- I'm not a child anymore!"

"But you're my child --" Just as he said this, we both heard tires screeching outside. The soft purrs of the motor was audible as the unknown driver honked his horn as a sign that he had arrived to pick someone up. Though, we both knew who he was going to pick up in an instant, and I really wished he would have been at least a little bit less punctual with the timing.

Dad didn't even look at me as he was still caught with a blank expression listening to the noises of the cab outside. "...don't tell me."

"I...I've already called a cab and have a place to stay." I whispered bashfully.

"A cab!?" He blurted out while running to the window. He pulled the curtain and looked out on the street to see the car parked there. "You planned this out!? All by yourself!?"

"Well I...I had a little bit of help..."

"Who!?"

"Someone I met offered me a --"

"Someone you just met!? A stranger?"

"Yeah, but --"

"Oh, jeeze, haven't I taught you anything!?" He exclaimed going to the kitchen and taking out one of his cigars from his stash. He pointed at me with it. "Never trust anyone, if people like me and Lyle exist than there's no hope in giving trust to anyone!" Right after he lit it, he stormed out of the kitchen.

I quickly followed behind him "That's not true! I trust you and Uncle Lyle,"

He continued pacing the floor with me behind him. "Rose, you're my kid, who else are you going to trust in?"

Before he could continue smoking stressfully, I grabbed on to his arm to get his attention. "Well, then as your kid you should know that being a parent you were going to let me go someday, right?" Not the best choice of words apparently, since he continued marching off all over the house and halls. He was fuming, I could tell, but not as much as he was disappointed and heart broken. I hated to see him like this. "It's not like I'm leaving your life, I'm just...moving out." I tried again, still following his tail. "It's a hard decision for me too, dad. I've been living with you for all my life, but I want to start my own family and live my own life for a change." I paused and looked down at the floor realizing what I had just said. "I think...it's something I've wanted for a while now."

He turned to me. I wished that when we had fights he could find a way to calm things down, but as always, he never let it down so easily. "If you trusted me so much, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He was such an immature father. "Because I knew you would get like this and scream!" I shot back stubbornly.

"I don't scream!" he shouted quite infuriated "...my voice is just...really loud sometimes!" And with that he turned around and continued his impatient pacing, only to stop at the couch and fall on the cushions. He laid there like a dead man, but with an annoyed, and scowling expression and with puffs of smoke coming out of his mouth.

I sat on the couch next to him, looking for someway to somehow convince him. Only one thing came to mind, "Wasn't it like this when you moved out of your parents' house?"

"I was kicked out...twice." he said subtlety. without even looking at my direction.

"Oh..." My ears lowered -- I wasn't really presuming something like this. In fact, I hadn't really thought how he would take me moving out. I thought he'd be a bit more relived at most. Maybe, even I doubted my father's emotions and feelings for others, and perhaps, I too thought sometimes that he was just a mischievous kitsune with no need for anyone in the world. So what now?

After silence completely overflowed the room, I heard him sigh deeply. I slowly turned my head to his direction, only to see him sitting up straight again and throwing away his cigarette. "Reddy -- I mean, Rose..." he corrected himself. I noticed how he winced slightly when saying so. "I'm going to keep my cool while in conversation, so bear with me if I sound weird to you." I could tell he was being pensive. Wow, dad, pensive...he was really serious about this.

He stood up from the couch but his eyes still remained on me as I looked up at to him. "You're a smart and beautiful girl, but life out there isn't as pretty or kind when you look at it in person, instead of through a T.V. set or through pictures on magazines." He wandered off to the kitchen -- I followed behind to hear his words. "It's dangerous and hard and it won't take mercy on a cute face," glancing at me as I stood closely behind him, he made a small smile. "but as your Pops I think I know you enough to tell that you were never easily frightened and were always so daring when it came to exploring or adventures." He opened a drawer and started searching for an item inside, but he never ceased speaking to me. "You're right, you are grown up, and you're allowed to make your own decisions, so don't let me be your obstacle." He turned to me and raised a finger "Now, I don't approve of you leaving so abruptly without telling me or the fact that you accepted an offer from someone you don't even know," he handed me a manilla folder "but in which case, I suppose you'll need this."

I opened it and inside laid some white paper and a pen "...what's this for?" I asked.

"You said you weren't going to leave my life, so I guess I'd like to hear from you every now and then." He showed me his crooked grin as he said this: "You're going to write back to me every month or so, got that?"

Overjoyed, I instantly, I wrapped my arms around my dad and hugged him tightly "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best!"

"Yeah well...I'm awesome, I know."

After so, I cheerfully ran up the stairs and grabbed my luggage and backpack. "I'll write to ya every week if I have to, I promise! And I'll visit, Golden Acorn Village isn't too far off, and I can take the cab to here." I told him as I hopped down the stairs "I'll even give you permission to sell my stuff."

He placed his hands on my shoulders before I could continue "Rose, just tell me something. Are you sure about this? I mean -- are you ready?" he asked me.

I took in a deep breath, but still smiled widely up at him to show him I meant this. "I'm ready, Dad."

"Good." He turned away from me and pointed to the back door with his thumb "Now get the hell out of my hideout you don't live here anymore, do ya?"

I laughed and hugged him again "I'll miss you, you know that right?"

"Well...there's the first." He chuckled, and with the warmest smile my father could ever pull off, he let go of my hands and gestures me again to the door. "Go on."

"You know, I can call another cab to pick me up later. Want me to stay a little while more for breakfast?"

"No. Go before I change my mind or start screaming." I giggled and opened the door -- "Ooh! By the by, err..." he called out from behind me "If you ever...marry a rich bloke, oh say a doctor, please don't hesitate to give a holler. I'd love to meet his wallet." I let out a laugh with him. I would miss laughing like this every day, I was sure, but I was grateful enough to say that I was able to laugh like this once in my life.

I smiled widely before stepping outside. I waved him goodbye, hiding the tears. "Goodbye, dad." and as I said those words, I realized that I had really pulled it off, and although this meant I was trailing of to my own path in life, this didn't meant I wouldn't miss my father.

The Crazy Redd family is all about the family after all, even if it is just of two people.

~*~*~

I exited through the back door like how father asked me to, but after so, I couldn't just appear from behind the old abandoned house. I had to take a route and appear on the other side of the street so I wouldn't expose my father's secret hiding place.

When I made it out, the cab was just about to leave. "Wait! Hold on!" I called out and knocked on the window. The driver quickly stopped and allowed me to get in.

"Hop aboard, lass." the Kappa driver with the pirate accent said to me from up front.

Once I had opened the back door, I stepped inside and settled my things beside me. I panted after having to run after him. Though, I was tardy, after all. "Sorry, I'm late. I was...saying goodbye to my relatives." I explained -- sort of.

"Gar, I get ya. You seem rather teary still." He told me as we drove off. I brushed off the moisture in my eyes as I looked out the window. With just a glance of my now old home, I received many flashbacks and memories that only made me more tearful, but yet happier somehow.

"And where may we be off to?" the cabbie's voice made me snap back to reality.

"...Golden Acorn village, please."

"Ah, visiting a friend there?"

My old home was no longer visible from the back window or the rearview mirror. The first step to my new life is always the hardest, and so is acknowledging it for the first time.

I acknowledged it. "Actually, no. I'm..." But I found myself smiling in the end anyways. "I'm moving."