Chapter 4
Ritsu begins to tell Takano about his "daughter", who apparently isn't really his daughter.
Flashback
Ritsu was in England attending college. Him being 20 at the time. Ritsu had decided to go to the library and check out some books. On his way, it started to rain but he was prepared (for once) and just took out his umbrella. As he passed an ally, he heard someone crying. He looked around and found someone next to the dumpster in the ally crying. Ritsu walked over to where the crying was coming from to ask if the person was okay and offer them his umbrella. He did not expect to find a child there.
As he neared, the child looked up with frightened eyes. Ritsu was shocked, again, as he saw the little girl's eyes were two different colors. Her left eye was a deep, mesmerizing blue, and her right eye was a bright green, much like his. What shocked him even more, was that the girl had bruises on her face and her arms.
"Umm…" Not knowing what to say, the 20 year old Ritsu held out his umbrella for the little girl and offered her a small smile. The girl was startled at his small gestures of kindness. Kindness was not something she was used to. "Why…What are you doing?" Ritsu was shocked by the question. "Oh, I'm sorry…" He thought maybe he was being rude and that the girl didn't want him around. "Ummm…What's your name?" Asks Ritsu. "…Grace." He smiles. "Grace is a beautiful name. My name is Ritsu. Why are you out here all alone?"
That's when the girl looks down and squeezes her legs to her chest. "…" 'Maybe she's a runaway?' As Ritsu thinks this, Grace responds. "I ran away. I…I hate…I hate him!" Ritsu is shocked. She yelled out the last part. At this point, Ritsu kneels down on his knees while holding the umbrella for both of them. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" He says this quietly, so as not to scare her. She sniffs. "F-Father is mean. H-he tells me I-I'm no g-good a-and h-hurts me." She starts crying as she tells Ritsu her story. Ritsu is shocked and angry that a father could do such a thing to his own child.
He holds out his hand and smiles softly. "Would you like to live with me?" She looks at him, shocked, and a bit disbelieving. "A-ah! I-I mean…If you want. I could take care of you, give you a place to stay, food…" He trails off, thinking that she thinks he must be crazy, which he probably his.
"…Okay." Ritsu is shocked when he hears her answer. "A-are you sure?" It's then she smiles at him for the first time. "Yes." She was so confident that this man was nothing like her abusive father.
End Flashback
Takano is stunned. He would have never thought Ritsu would do that. Well actually, he would. After all, he's the kind of person who would help anyone in need no matter what.
"When we arrived at my dorm, I called the police and told them about her father. They charged him and sent him to prison."
"What happened to the girl?" Takano was curious. He was glad that he got to know more about his lover.
"…" He noticed that Ritsu had on a sad smile. "When I called about her father, they came and said they had to take her away. I didn't want her to go, and neither did she. She…She actually is like a daughter to me. But, I couldn't do anything about it. She had to go to an orphanage. Also my parents didn't like the idea of me adopting some little girl…"
"What about her mother?"
"Her mother died when she was 4. That's when her father started abusing her."
There was a silence between them. Takano trying to process everything that Ritsu said about his past.
Ritsu breaks the silence first. "Ummm… Takano-san?" Takano looks at Ritsu, and notices Ritsu slightly blush. He smirks. "Yes?" "C-can you please let me go now? I-I have to go h-home. To Grace."
Takano slightly frowns as he remembers that she's staying with Ritsu. He hesitantly lets him go, and as soon as he does Ritsu quickly grabs all of his stuff and bolts out of the office. Not even waiting for Takano, who lives in the same building. Who is also his next-door neighbor.
At RItsu's home:
Grace had successfully arrived at Ritsu's apartment with no trouble at all. She uses the keys Ritsu gave her and unlocks the door. Remembering what Ritsu had taught her about Japanese culture, she removes her shoes and walks in in her socks.
She goes into the living room, which is thankfully still clean from when Ritsu and Takano cleaned it when Ritsu got sick. She puts the keys on the table and sits down on the couch. She was exhausted after she flew here from England. She closes her eyes as she remembers when she first met Ritsu. She smiles at the memories. Sure, she was upset that Ritsu had called child services and she wanted to stay with Ritsu, but she was glad that he cared so much about her. He had saved her. Sure, the orphanage wasn't that great, actually, she hated it. The people at the orphanage never really cared or even noticed her.
They weren't her family, just like her father was never her family. Ritsu's my family. This thought in her mind, she falls asleep.