A Promise Fulfilled Chapter Four: A Father's Wrath
Haru cracked the door open again, scanning for people. No one again, the lights down low. She hurriedly came through the door and shut it behind her. Suddenly the lights came on full blast, making her jump around to see who was intruding on her paradise. Her heart froze over.
Hasho Yoshioka, superintendent of the Yashi school district, was standing at the front of the room, one hand over the lights. Slowly, he raised his other arm to show her a small disc. Her eyes widened further, and she dropped her schoolbag. They stared at each other for a solid moment.
"I guess you know, then."
He nodded, walking over to her to pick up the bag. Opening it, he took out the ballet shoes.
"Where did you get these?"
She was clearly scared, but still looking him in the eye, privately making him proud.
"A garage sale. The security cameras in malls frightened me."
He glared as he rifled through the rest of her bag, trying to find other contraband. Satisfied that there was none besides the iPod, he shoved the bag back at her, getting her to step back twice to avoid falling on her back.
"I thought I made my feelings clear about dancing, young lady."
Haru's eyes lost some of the water to stiffen into ice.
"You did, as did I. I'm not hurting anyone and I don't know how that disc came into the picture-" she was cut off as he suddenly threw his arms around her and squeezed.
"I thought soccer would be enough for you. I thought letting you learn music would be enough. Why? Why do you persist in this useless hobby?"
Haru's entire body stiffened.
"It's not useless! Dad, I can express myself better through dance than I can any other way. I'm happiest when I'm dancing." She wriggled free from his grasp enough to look him in the eye. "What's so terrible about something that makes me happy? I still plan on being a writer after college, how come you don't get on me for that? It's just as risky of a career."
Her father shook his head.
"No, it's completely different. Haru, since I can't trust you to behave yourself, I'll be hiring a bodyguard. I've received some threatening notes concerning your future, and it will not do to have you in secluded areas alone."
She grumbled under her breath at him.
"Make sure it's a girl, or I'll be alone in the rest room. You never know what mischief I can cause in there." She pushed him away sharply, grabbed her bag, and slammed the door shut behind her. Hasho listened to her storm down the hall, his heart breaking for her.
'You'll understand one day. I promise.'
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Naoko looked up from her quilt swatches as her daughter stormed into the sewing room, still in her school clothes.
"What happened, Sweetheart?"
Haru grumbled something incoherent as she sank onto the chair next to her mother's.
"Dad found out that I've been dancing."
Naoko's eyebrows shot up.
"I know I promised that you wouldn't catch me doing it again, but I didn't plan on getting caught."
The red-haired woman sighed as she held her girl comfortingly.
"I don't know where this dancing obsession came from, or why your father is so against it. Please, can't you two come to a compromise?"
"No can do. Dad wants me to never even move my feet in a fancy manner, and I want to dance until I pass out from happiness, then start again. There can't be a compromise between 'never' and 'forever'."
The woman sighed again as she squeezed her daughter.
"I'll try to talk to him again, Sweetheart. He'll have to come around eventually. Any homework today?"
Haru nodded miserably and stood up to leave. Her mother didn't let go of the slim hand, directing her attention back to her.
"He does love you, you know. He just has a strange way of showing it."
She nodded again, moving away from her mother's grasp.
"If he just said it without locking me in a cage, maybe I could have a civil conversation with him."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Haru finished the math homework with a final slash, happily slamming her book shut. Dinner an hour earlier had been a miserable affair, the stony silence clear underneath her mother's chatter. The teenage girl smiled; the grounding her father had given her not hurting in the least. If anything, it gave her a rock-solid excuse to turn down dates from Machida. He was a nice guy and all but… Haru giggled as she slipped between the sheets of her bed.
He was no match for Baron.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The orange cat was finishing his own homework, still apprenticed to his father. A few seconds later, Haru appeared on the sofa, slightly see-through like a ghost from a movie. She always took great care with her attire, still slightly embarrassed to be out in public in pajamas. Baron waved a hand slightly, making a ghostlike bathrobe for her. She put it on gratefully.
"Thanks. Dad caught me practicing during lunch hour today."
His head shot up.
"And?"
She sighed.
"What else? He took my shoes, tried to guilt me out of doing it again, and promised to hire a bodyguard so I couldn't sneak anymore."
The orange cat shook his head in disgust as he set the papers aside.
"I'm really looking forward to having a talk with that man."
Haru giggled.
"Oh, I could just picture that. You know he hates cats with a passion."
He grinned at her, knowing why her father did, but not sharing the information. He stood up and walked over to her.
"I don't mind being your partner, you know. And I say good luck to your father if he can find out about this."
She smiled and then hugged him.
"Thanks, Baron-san. Thanks for everything."
He smiled and took the opportunity to hug her back.
"My pleasure."
'Soon, Haru. I'll tell you soon.'