Moshiro obviously took after his mother. The man was dark haired, tall, and looked like he smelled something nasty. He looked Misa up and down and turned to his son. His expression carried a hint of distaste as he commented, "I didn't think you liked younger girls. Or furry ones." He glanced at Misa again. This time, the sneer crept into his voice. "Where did you find this…thing?"
His words cut to the quick. Misa had felt out of place ever since she got here. Now his words were driving home that truth. She couldn't speak for fear of her voice cracking.
Moshiro stepped in front of Misa. "I met her in the woods. She saved my life. I brought her to the village as a sort of payment for her help. I was hoping she could stay with us."
Now the sneer as fixed on Moshiro. "And why would a son of mine need saving? Don't tell me you ran away?"
"Of course not! I'm no coward."
He only rolled his eyes. Then he turned to his wife. "It is not staying. I won't have that…animal in my house. Let it go back to the woods, where it belongs."
Okay, enough was enough. She might not be like them, but she was no animal. Misa pushed past Moshiro and faced the man's turned back. "I do have a name, you know. It's Misa."
He turned back to her. "I'm sorry. What did it say?"
Now she was mad. "You didn't hear me the first time? Your pride must be clogging your ears." She stepped forward until she was standing on the tips of his toes. Then she drew up to her full height and shouted in his face. "My name is Misa!" She lowered her tone. "I came here because I was invited. If I'm not welcome, I will happily shake the dust of your town off my feet and move on to the next village." She turned back to Moshiro and Haruhi. "Thank you for your kindness. I'll be leaving now." She over the man, landed inside her boots, jumped through the garden and over the gate, and started running.
She didn't stop until she was outside the village. This is what I get for trusting people. I knew I should have stayed in the woods. Why did I ever let Moshiro talk me into going there? She paused, getting her bearings by a pond. No. This wasn't his fault, it was mine. She stared at her reflection in the calm water of the pond. Who'd want me? I mean, look at me. I'm orange! I'm furry! Not to mention I spent the last eight years living like some sort of wild animal. The smooth surface of the pond was broken by ripples as tears splashed into the water. I don't belong with them. I don't belong anywhere. The ripples increased.
She would have happily stayed there for the rest of the night, but she'd left her pack at his house. I'll just have to go and get it. But not now. I don't want to see any of them again. She stood up and started wiping off her face with the end of her braid. I'll sneak in when it gets dark. Then I can leave without having to say goodbye.
She leapt around the edge of the village until she was a good fifty feet from any of the gates. She leapt up over the wall and landed noiselessly on top of a roof. It was a good vantage point for getting her bearings. She spotted the big red cross marking the hospital and headed towards it. Using that as a landmark, she managed to retrace her steps from earlier until she reached Moshiro's house. I left the pack in the front entrance. I'll just swing down and get it.
She jumped from the roof next door into the cherry tree, which she climbed down. She walked through the garden and into the entryway. What she saw made her feel both sad and a little happy. Moshiro had curled up in the front entrance, with her pack as a pillow and his guitar next to him. He'd obviously wanted to see her when she came back for it. How am I supposed to get it without waking him up? She didn't have time to think of a solution. A cat yowled at her from underneath the deck, startling Misa and waking Moshiro.
He saw her almost immediately. "Misa!" He whispered. "I hoped you would come back." She got ready to run, but he grabbed her hand. "Don't go yet. I have something I want to give you." He held out his guitar. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier. My dad's not home much, so he didn't know any of the stories about you. That's why he was…well, you know." He put her hand around the strap of the guitar. "Please take it."
She caressed the leather, but shoved it back towards him. "I can't. Besides, I don't know how to play it. It'd be wasted on me."
He put down the guitar and pulled her into a tight hug. "No, it wouldn't. It's wasted on me." He brushed her hair away from her eyes. "You have so many stories, so many songs waiting to be written. And you don't have to worry about not being able to play." He picked something out of her pack. "I wrote this book of instructions for you. Please." He looked into her face, pleading. "Take them."
She grabbed her pack and took the book from him. "Thank you." She said as she slid the book into her pack. "I promise I'll try to learn it." She laughed a little. "I might even write a song about you!"
Moshiro put the guitar in a hard case and handed it to her. "I hope it'll be a nice song. I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Your dad may not have liked me, but I know you did. Goodbye." Misa gave him a last hug, then with bag and case in hand, jumped onto the roof and off into the darkness.
He watched her disappear. "I'll never forget you." And he didn't. Not for eight years.
