Author's Note: This chapter hated me and didn't want to be written in the worst kind of way. It's done now. Summer term's started and taken me along as one of its victims. Meh…!
Song: Lullaby for a Stormy Night is by Vienna Teng, I do not own it.
Songs for Daddy
Chapter 23: Lullaby for a Stormy Night
Emiko's question was innocent enough, though Hiruma looked rather caught off guard by it. He opened his mouth once then shut it, completely unsure of how he should respond to it. Thankfully Anezaki was there to watch his back, like she had all those times when they played football together.
"I think I might, your Papa owes me a cup of coffee after all…." Anezaki smiled softly, knowing Hiruma would be able to catch on.
"I do, don't I?" Hiruma chuckled for a moment then picked Emiko up. "Let's go home."
"Oh, I have to tell Musashi you're giving me a ride, so I'll be just a minute!" Anezaki hurried out of the room. Takekura had driven her to the shrine initially and she had been planning on leaving with him, but Emiko had a way of changing other people's plans, just like her Papa.
"You're ready to leave?" Takekura asked her, a bit of disappointment in his voice. The man had been hoping to spend some time with Kurita and Hiruma to catch up.
"Oh, no," Anezaki waved her hands to emphasize he point, "Hiruma-kun is taking me home, I just thought you'd want to know!"
"Hiruma's leaving already?" Kurita sounded completely defeated.
"Sorry, it's almost bedtime." Hiruma came in and apologized with a small, sad smile.
"I'm not going to bed." Emiko frowned disapprovingly at Papa.
"We'll see." Hiruma chuckled. Emiko didn't find the joke funny.
"I'm not going to bed!" Emiko poked Hiruma's chest to make her point crystal clear. Anezaki only shook her head.
"Why don't you call one of us and we can hang out again later?" Takekura suggested.
"I'll do that." Hiruma promised. "Now, why don't you say goodbye to your Uncles?"
"Bye bye!" Emiko waved booth arms and smiled happily. "See you later!"
"Bye!" Kurita waved enthusiastically back, a few tears of joy running down his face. Takekura only smiled slightly and gave a small wave of his own.
"No goodbye for me?" Maruko asked, looking mock-offended.
"Bye Marco-sama." Emiko managed a small bow in her Papa's arms.
"No goodbye for me?" Mizumachi looked emotional and hurt. Kakei was standing behind the other man, rubbing his temples.
"Bye crazy guy!" Emiko waved at Mizumachi.
"Whoo! Bye!" Mizumachi waved back before Hiruma could remind his daughter not to call people 'crazy'.
"Bye Kakei-san!" Emiko waved at Kakei who smiled and waved back. Now that the goodbyes had been said, Hiruma and Mamori quickly took their leave of the party. They walked to Hiruma's car in a comfortable silence that was occasionally broken by Emiko's tuneless humming. Once they arrived at the car Anezaki opened the passenger door to see there was already a car seat inside. All of the padding had been removed from the seat, and despite the fact Emiko was a small, waif of a girl, she was rather snug in the seat.
"When you come home, we are going to buy you a booster seat." Hiruma told Emiko firmly as he watched her clip herself into the seat.
"No." Emiko argued with a glare that made her look like her Papa.
"Yes, we are getting you a booster seat." Hiruma's tone left no room for argument. "You are too big for the car seat."
"I still fit!" Emiko protested.
"No, you don't." Hiruma gave his daughter an annoyed look then turned to Anezaki. "Sorry about this."
"It's alright." Anezaki waved it off. Hiruma took this time to turn around and shut the door.
"She's not fond of changes, so I have to remind her a lot before I switch something." Hiruma ran a tired hand through his hair. "I've been at this one for six months."
"Oh my." Anezaki empathized a little, having had the experience of having an emergency drill that freaked Emiko out pretty good the other day.
"I hope you don't mind sitting in the back…." Hiruma muttered, eyeing Emiko sitting in the front seat. She was watching them intently through the window.
"No, I don't." Anezaki assured him as she opened the door and got in behind Emiko. Hiruma got in the car and checked Emiko's seat belt and made a point to look and see that Anezaki was buckled in before he strapped himself in and turned on the engine.
"Ah-oo-radio?" Emiko asked as she looked pointedly at the car stereo.
"The Jets game might be on…." Hiruma muttered as he turned on his satellite radio and tuned into ESPN.
"-and here comes Eyeshield 21!" The announcer broke out in crisp English. The background sound of the crowd got louder during the comment.
"Kobayakawa Sena!" Emiko squealed happily.
"Sena!?" Anezaki was a little wide-eyed. She didn't follow Sena's games exactly anymore, mainly because he'd been in the NFL so long it took all the amazement out of it. She knew he had a game coming up, just not so soon.
"Oh that's right…," Hiruma muttered, recalling something, "the Jets are playing the Patriots tonight…."
"Go!" Emiko squealed happily in English. Hiruma chuckled and moved the car out of the garage. Everyone sat down and listened to the game. Occasionally Hiruma would translate something the announcer said, or Emiko would complain about one of the teams' blunders.
"Bad Clifford, he should have back-pitched it to Sena." Emiko complained when she heard about the line breaking, sending Clifford D. Lewis running backwards. Apparently Sena had been open and ready for a pass, but Clifford chose to keep the ball and get sacked for a seven yard loss.
"From the sound of it, that would have just been a pass." Hiruma remarked with a snort. "I know shrimp's fast enough to have gotten himself into a favorable position."
"But his name is Sena, not shrimp." Emiko gave her Papa a confused look.
"That's my nickname for him, Emiko." Hiruma explained. "We've been over this."
"I know!" Emiko smiled and laughed.
"Do you two watch a lot of football games together?" Anezaki asked despite already knowing the answer. Hiruma knew exactly what to translate and when, that's a skill only gained from practice.
"Yes!" Emiko answered. "I've never been to a game live but Papa said he'd take me to one if I did well in school!"
"Well she's been doing very well in school…." Anezaki informed Hiruma with a small grin.
"I've been talking a little to Musashi," Hiruma began, "if I transfer back to his work by the end of this week, I'll be eligible to play this season."
"What's that mean Papa?" Emiko asked, her eyes really open.
"He means he'll be playing games soon." Anezaki answered.
"Papa's gonna play?" Emiko's eyes were wide with wonder and hope.
"Yeah, hey Anezaki," Hiruma addressed her, "would you mind taking Emiko to my first return game?"
"Why can't you take me!?" Emiko cried, distressed.
"Because I'll be playing?" Hiruma pointed out.
"Oh!" Emiko understood. "So I'll go see Papa play?"
"Yeah!" Hiruma smiled.
"Good thing I would have said yes before you decided I would have." Anezaki chuckled.
"Home!" Emiko cried upon seeing the apartment building come into sight.
"Yeah, home." Hiruma had a huge smile as he maneuvered his car through the little parking garage. Once parked everyone got out and traveled the rest of the way to the apartment in squeals and laughs. Having just put the key into the lock, Hiruma's intent to get the door open was halted by the barking on the other side.
"A dog?" Emiko furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"Yes, a puppy." Hiruma answered. "She's your real birthday present."
"I have a puppy!?" Emiko gasped, really happy about this.
"A puppy?" Anezaki couldn't help but to remember Cerberus and prayed this dog was nothing like Hiruma's last one. Without any further waiting, Hiruma opened up the door and used his foot to keep Chizue, the puppy, from escaping into the hall. Squealing and grinning, Emiko rushed forward and grabbed the puppy. Chizue yipped in surprise and let herself be held by Emiko without any complaint.
"Don't let her out into the hall." Hiruma told Emiko firmly as he ushered his daughter inside. Anezaki followed quickly and shut the door behind her. Everyone took off their shoes with Chizue dashing around underfoot playfully.
"Does he have a name?" Anezaki asked as she petted the puppy.
"Her name is Chizue." Hiruma answered.
"Chizue the dog." Emiko remarked.
"Yup." Hiruma smiled.
"Anezaki-sensei, would you like to see my room?" Emiko asked. "I think Chizue wants too!"
"Sure." Anezaki smiled and allowed herself to be led into the back rooms of the apartment. Behind a door that had fallen victim to a young artist armed with crayons more than once, was Emiko's room. Anezaki was amazed at the verity of stuffed animals Emiko had (the girl recited all of their names for Anezaki) and the amount of pictures that were on hand (for Papa). Chizue had simply started exploring the room, sniffing everything as she went.
During the middle of Emiko's long explanation of everything that was happening, thunder boomed, freezing the girl stiff. Anezaki was shocked by how quickly Emiko had shut up and froze. Chizue froze up too and started to whimper slightly. Not really sure what to do, Anezaki just stood there, frozen herself.
The sound of Hiruma's feet pounding frantically through the apartment was quickly drowned out by the sound of the rain pounding against the building. Hiruma came into the room with a panicked expression on his face. He dove past Anezaki and stopped right in front of his daughter. Carefully he set his hands on her face and pointed her eyes to meet his.
"Emiko," Hiruma told his daughter in a calming, soft voice, "its okay, I'm here now."
"P-papa!" Emiko cried, finally unfreezing, and threw herself into Papa's arms. Hiruma held her close and ruffled her hair softly. Chizue seemed to have recovered from the thunder and quickly bounded over to cower next to Hiruma's leg.
"Shush." Hiruma whispered softly to his crying daughter. "It's just rain."
Thunder boomed again, making Emiko start to wail unhappily.
"That's just thunder, it can't hurt you...." Hiruma told Emiko gently as he turned around and mouthed to Anezaki 'tea'.
With a nod, Anezaki left Emiko's room and quickly wandered around the apartment to find the kitchen. Hiruma was a man of habit, Anezaki quickly realized, because his kitchen had the exact same set up he had six years ago with the exception that the entire thing was spotless. The fact the apartment was fairly clean was something Anezaki found down right amazing because Hiruma was a very messy person.
Opening a few cupboards, Anezaki found the tea. There was one flavor of tea that had stickers and whatnot all over it. Hoping this was Emiko's tea, Anezaki took a pack out and started to make some up. Since Hiruma was one of those people that had a kettle ready at all times, Anezaki used it to get the hot water in what was the most cute looking coffee cup in Hiruma's cupboard (it was pink).
Upon returning to Emiko's room, she had found that they had changed positions. Emiko had somehow been convinced to put on pajamas and was now cuddled up on her bed. Chizue had cuddled in right next to her and Hiruma was laying on the bed beside the two humming just loud enough to be heard over the storm.
Walking up softly, Anezaki made eye contact with Hiruma for a brief second before kneeling beside Emiko. Emiko heard Anezaki kneel down and turned to look at Anezaki with her big, frightened eyes. When Emiko was frightened she looked like she was in so much pain and fear it was heartbreaking.
"I brought you some tea…." Anezaki told the girl, holding out the steaming mug.
"T-tea?" Emiko asked, her breathing still unstable from all the crying she had been doing.
"Let's sit up to drink it, okay?" Hiruma invited his daughter as he sat up slightly. Emiko latched onto his chest and shut her eyes and braced herself. The thunder boomed again and Emiko and Chizue both yelped and huddled against Hiruma.
"Papa!" Emiko cried again, scared.
"I'm not going anywhere." Hiruma told Emiko as he petted her head gently. "Now, come on and drink some tea, you'll feel better."
Trying to be brave, Emiko managed to pull away from Hiruma slightly to accept the mug from Anezaki. Her little hands were shaking, so Anezaki didn't let go of the mug and instead helped keep it steady. Emiko stared at Anezaki's hands, a bit confused.
"You're not alone right now," Anezaki assured Emiko, "we'll watch over you and keep you safe, okay?"
Emiko nodded once and took the cup to take a drink. Anezaki kept it steady while the girl slowly drank all of the contents. After having the tea, Emiko seemed extremely relaxed and tired. Again the thunder boomed, this time extra loudly and the building shook.
"Ahh!" Emiko cried, more tears flowing down her face.
"When I was your age," Anezaki began, "I used to find thunder really scary."
"Uhh?" Emiko turned and looked at Anezaki, clearly amazed.
"My mother used to tell me that this rain we hear right now falls over everything, plants, trees, our houses…." Anezaki listed a few of the things her mother used to say. "And by landing on everything on all of that, it washes away the dirt and makes the plants nice and strong so that everything is beautiful in the morning."
"R-real-ll-lly?" Emiko asked, having to take more sucking in breaths. "S-song?" The last was directed at her Papa.
"Yes, exactly like the song." Hiruma assured her. "Do you want me to sing it for you?"
Emiko only nodded. Hiruma opened his mouth and began to sing the same song he had been humming earlier. To Anezaki's amazement the song was in English and Hiruma had a soft, calming singing voice. He sang the lullaby slowly and started rocking Emiko back and forth, making her smile and shut her tired eyes. By the end of the song, Emiko's breathing had evened out and she had clearly fallen asleep. Chizue had also passed out, curled up next to Emiko.
"I had no idea you could sing-!" Anezaki whispered in amazement.
"Only for her." Hiruma told Anezaki with a half-serious face. He simply gazed down at his daughter lovingly and kissed her forehead. Anezaki simply stared, amazed at how loving Hiruma was capable of being. He carefully slipped out from beside Emiko and Chizue then tucked them both in.
With an understanding smile, Anezaki followed him out of the room and they shut off the light and left the door cracked open. The two journeyed into the living room and sat down on the couch.
"She's a handful…." Hiruma muttered tiredly as tilted his head back.
"…You were amazing just now," Anezaki began, "I would have never been able to imagine you having the patience to handle-!"
Thunder cut off Anezaki making her eep slightly.
"Still afraid of thunder fucking teacher?" Hiruma asked with an almost mocking grin.
"H-Hiruma!" Anezaki blushed, flustered.
"Ke ke ke!" Hiruma cackled, completely too amused at Anezaki's expense.
"You are so childish!" Anezaki snapped at him, offended.
"So?" Hiurma asked, still chuckling. "It's not like you don't childishly gorge on fucking creampuffs behind everyone's back still."
"Gah!" Anezaki cried and threw a pillow at him. Hiruma just laughed and caught it. This made Anezaki a little grumpy and she leapt at him with the other couch pillow, only to find herself slipping on one of the plushies that happened to have been left right by the couch. Fate was a very evil woman because she decided that Anezaki should not just land on Hiruma, but to land lip to lip.
After a surprised squeak, Hiruma and Anezaki pushed themselves apart, blushing madly.
"I-I think I'll be leaving now." Anezaki announced quickly.
"Don't you need a ride?" Hiruma asked her before she got too far. "The trains stopped running half an hour ago."
Booming thunder made Anezaki shiver unpleasantly before she could admit he might have a point there.
"…Or maybe you should just stay the fucking night." Hiruma suggested.
"Stay the night?" Anezaki turned around and looked at Hiruma like he was crazy.
"We'll probably be losing power soon," Hiruma warned her, "and I have no intention of climbing 40 flights of stairs. Besides, if Emiko wakes up, she'll want me."
"…That would make me stuck here then…." Anezaki still felt embarrassed about the kiss.
"Do you mind sleeping on the fucking couch?" Hiruma asked.
"It doesn't seem that comfortable." Anezaki observed, eyeing the couch wearily.
"The only other fucking bed is mine and that's where Emiko's going to go running if she wakes up." Hiruma informed Anezaki.
"Then I'll take the couch." Anezaki nodded.
"Lets get you fucking comfy." Hiruma stood up and disappeared into the back of the apartment. Soon the couch was outfitted with some spare pillows and blankets and made as comfortable as possible. Anezaki would occasionally jump when the thunder boomed and Hiruma would either laugh at her or just nod. After the couch was ready, Hiruma threw her a pair of clean boxers and one of his spare shirts for her to sleep in.
Anezaki retreated into the bathroom to clean herself up and dress for bed. Upon exiting she found the door to Emiko's room open. Having found that strange, since Hiruma had shut the door earlier, she went to investigate. Peeking her head into the room, Anezaki saw that Hiruma had sat himself on the side of Emiko's bed and was just watching her sleep.
After a few more moments Hiruma got up silently and began to make his way back out into the hall. There, of course, he found Anezaki spying in on him.
"It's good to have her home." Hiruma said gently, his eyes still looking into the room fondly.
"…I wouldn't have thought you'd make sure a good father," Anezaki admitted, "but you really do make an excellent one."
Hiruma didn't say anything, but it wasn't until he became a father that he realized he could have been a good one. Again the thunder boomed, but this time rattled the building and shut off the power. Emiko yelped and sat up in the strange, new darkness. Chizue woke up when her human-pillow moved and started to whine uncomfortably.
"Papa!" Emiko cried, picking up Chizue and leaping out of bed. She ran frantically into the hall and her Papa's waiting arms. "Turn on the light! It's scary!"
"I can't," Hiruma admitted, "the power just went out."
"I can't see!" Emiko cried, really upset by this.
"Do you have a flashlight anywhere?" Anezaki asked.
"…The batteries are dead." Hiruma recalled after a moment. "There's a few candles in my room, let's go there."
"Papa…." Emiko cried and huddled against him tightly. Chizue whined too. Carefully, Hiruma carried Emiko and Chizue while Anezaki followed him to his bedroom.
"It's a bit messy." Hiruma muttered as he managed to get the door open. Anezaki was almost relieved to hear that Hiruma had at least one truly messy room in home, though she chose not to voice this. She tread carefully across the floor to make sure she didn't trip over anything.
"Ouch!" Anezaki gasped when her knees crashed into the footboard of Hiruma's bed.
"Just stay on the bed." Hiruma instructed her, knowing Anezaki had found it. "Emiko, can you stay with Mamori for a minute while Papa finds some candles?"
"But it's scary!" Emiko sobbed.
"I know, that's why I want you to be brave for a minute, okay?" Hiruma asked in a soft voice. Anezaki had taken this time to get on the bed and felt Hiruma sit down on the side. Emiko sniffled more than once, but she crawled out of her father's arms and squeaked the second she didn't find anyone to grasp on the bed. Anezaki reached out and touched the quivering girl's shoulder. Without needing any prompting, Anezaki grabbed Emiko and pulled her tight and close.
"Shuush, you're safe now, I'm here now." Anezaki was faintly aware that Chizue had found her and was now curled up next to her. Hiruma's weight left the bed and moments later there was the sound of a lighter being clicked and light started to poor across the room. Hiruma turned around and held out the candle he had lit. It was a tall, white candle and it cast a gentle light over the room. Emiko turned around and looked at her Papa with tears.
"Let's just stay here until morning, ne?" Hiruma suggested as he sat down on his large bed. Emiko nodded, looking somewhat relieved by the notion. Even Anezaki found herself comforted by the notion, since she wasn't fond of storms and would definitely like the comfort of another person. They all crawled under the covers and Emiko firmly planted herself between the two adults. Hiruma moved close enough to put an arm around Emiko's waist while Anezaki hadn't let go. Chizue snuggled in next to Emiko's head which the girl seemed to find comforting.
"Song?" Emiko asked, her eyes starting to drop as she relaxed.
And Hiruma opened his mouth and sang. Anezaki found the words reaching out and calming her upset mind. It was true, the storm would pass and leave a beautiful world in the morning. She and Emiko fell asleep quickly.
Watching the two females sleep made Hiruma really happy. Having Anezaki be comfortable with the idea of staying in his home, in his bed, with him in it, also comforted him. He looked down at his sleeping daughter with a wry smile.
"You're going to be the death of me…." Hiruma muttered to Emiko. "Already out playing me…."
It was true, he'd played right into Emiko's small hands, he'd fallen right in love with Anezaki Mamori, just like she wanted.
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This chapter hated me in the worst sort of way. It would not be written, gah…. Please comment.