DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OURAN IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM
Mitsu backed up against the wall in fear.
Mommy Daddies help!" he called out again as the shadowy figure came closer only to have it stop just in front of him,
"Mitsu?" it said, the voice sounding very familiar. The figured turned on a flash light and it was so bright Mitsu could see who it really was.
"Daddy Hikaru?" he said in surprise.
"Hey buddy, are you okay?" Hikaru asked with concern.
"Uh yeah you just scared me Daddy," Mitsu explained timidly.
"Well I'm sorry," said Hikaru, "Here can you hold this flash light for me real fast?"
Mitsu cautiously took it and pointed towards his father and noticed he had a bunch of different things near him like sleeping bags and pillows.
"Daddy what's all of this?" Mitsu asked confused.
"Well since you're insisting on still running away and it's cold outside I figured I bring you something to help keep you warm so your mother won't have to worry so much," Hikaru explained as he started laying two different bags down, one more of Mitsu's size and one more of his size. He also lay down a bunch of different blankets along with two pillows.
"Daddy why do you have two of everything?" asked Mitsu.
"Well I'm staying out here tonight with you so you're not alone at night so your mother won't worry so much," said Hikaru, "Oh and I also brought you this from her as well." He held up a pork bun. Mitsu grabbed it quickly and gobbled it while Hikaru watched smiling.
"If you were that hungry you should have come down and eat that stew pot your mother made specifically made for you," he pointed out to his son. Mitsu looked up at his father.
"Is Mommy really upset about me running away?" he asked.
"Yes she is," said Hikaru, "She really misses you. So does your Daddy Kaoru and so do Hisano and the babies. We would really like it if you would come back into the house and be with us again. We promise we'll do everything in our power to not ignore you like we've been doing. And we're sorry if we do have to sometimes. But you know there's going to be time where we may wind up ignoring Hisano or even one of the babies when they get older. It sadly something that happens sometimes with a big family. But it doesn't mean the mommy or daddy loves their children even less then their other siblings." Mitsu thought about it for a moment.
"Will I get in trouble for running away?" he asked.
"No, your mommy, Daddy Kaoru and I all agreed you aren't going to get in trouble. We're going to be happy over the idea that you deiced to come home," Hikaru assured him.
"I don't know Daddy," Mitsu said.
"How about we sleep on it? You might as well get use to sleeping like this if you're going to be living up here from now on," said Hikaru as he climbed into his own sleeping bag and patted his pillow, "Good night Mitsu."
"Uh Daddy?" said Mitsu.
"Yes?" said Hikaru with his eye closed.
"What if I have to go to the bathroom?" Mitsu asked weakly.
"Do you have to go?" asked Hikaru. Mitsu looked a little bit disturbed. Hikaru reached over and grabbed a bucket. He dropped it at his son's feet.
"Don't let it get too filled now okay?" he said without a second thought before closing his eyes again.
"I have to go in a bucket?!" said Mitsu.
"Of course that what you do you when you run away to a tree house, you go to the bathroom in a bucket," said Hikaru, "Me I can go back inside the house since I'm not running away. It's well known rule."
"It is?" asked Mitsu in disgust.
"You didn't look up the rules before running away?" asked Hikaru, "Oh dear well I'm sure you'll still make it. Now get some sleep. You only get a little bit of sleep when you run away because you have a lot of other responsibilities when you run away."
"Like what?" Mitsu asked. Hikaru could hear the confusion and worry in his voice.
"Well you have to go hunting for your own food and drinks. You have to make sure you shelter is secured and safe so it doesn't break on you. Oh and I think their maybe some more but now I can't remember. Oh well I'm sure you'll figure out since you're still determined to run away like this," Said Hikaru, "Now come on get some sleep." Mitsu reluctantly climbed into his sleeping bag thinking about what it was his father had just told him. Now he was really afraid of the idea of running away. As he lay in his sleeping bag trying to sleep the coldness was really starting to get to him. It made him shiver like crazy. Suddenly he felt him being pulled out from his sleeping bag. He looked up and saw his father had started fidgeting with the sleeping bags until he had it that the two of them could lie down next to each other.
Hikaru then wrapped his son up in most of the blankets along with the boy's little sleeping bag and lay down next to him with his arms wrapped around his son.
"Is that better son?" Hikaru asked.
"Yeah but won't you be cold too Daddy?" Mitsu asked.
"Nah I'll be fine," said Hikaru.
"Thank you Daddy," said Mitsu.
Haruhi stood at the window of her bedroom looking out towards the tree house. She could still see a little bit of light out there. She wondered how Mitsu was doing out there and if Hikaru had managed to do help convince him to come down tomorrow. She flinched a little when she felt Kaoru's hand on her shoulder.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm still nervous of the idea of Mitsu being out there," Haruhi confessed. She turned and buried her face in Kaoru's shoulder. Kaoru held her close.
"Don't worry," he said, "Something tells me that he won't be up there for too much longer." He rubbed Haruhi's back hoping to help clam her down.
"I'm such a terrible mother!" muttered Haruhi.
"No Haruhi of course you're not!" said Kaoru, "It's a big family and even if there is three of us, I'm sure there's going to be times we may wind up ignoring one of them at some point. I'm sure it won't be as bad as what our parents did to me and Hikaru, but something tells me it's going to happen at some point whether we mean to or not."
"I guess," said Haruhi looking up towards Kaoru face. She hugged him even tighter.
"Come on let's go to sleep," said Kaoru leading her to the bed carefully laying her down. He had just about tucked her in when they heard the sound of the babies crying.
"I better go see to that," said Haruhi as she tried to get out of bed.
"Don't you dare!" insisted Kaoru, "I'll go take care of that. You get yourself some sleep so you feel better tomorrow."
"I won't feel better until my son has decided he doesn't want to run away anymore," muttered Haruhi as Kaoru walked out of the room. She tried going to sleep but just couldn't bring herself too until finally she got up and looked out towards the window at the tree house again sitting on the window seat.
By the time Kaoru came back to the room he found Haruhi asleep on the window seat. He shook his head. He gathered up some blankets and wrapped them around her. He then looked outside himself towards the tree house.
'Mitsu I really do hope you come down soon for your mother's sake,' he thought. He snuck out of the room and headed towards Hisano's room to check in on her just so she didn't start to feel neglected and runaway as well. The little girl slept peacefully in her bed smiling holding one of her many dolls.
'That's a good girl, sweet dreams,' he thought leaving her be.
The next morning when Hikaru looked up he saw his son sitting next to bucket rocking back and forth looking disturbed.
"Do you need to go potty Mitsu?" he asked.
"Yeah," Mitsu muttered sounding a bit like he was in pain.
"Well why not go in the bucket like you're suppose to?" Hikaru asked as he stretched.
"I don't want to do that Daddy!" whined Mitsu, "It's gross!"
"Yeah you got a point there," said Hikaru, "Lucky for me I can go in the house. Plus I can change out of these clothes into fresh ones." He sniffed his son a little. "Whoa it sounds like you could use with a good bath. Oh I can also get something to eat. What were you thinking of having for breakfast?"
"I don't know," said Mitsu.
"Well you know what you can do if you whish to come back to us in the house," said Hikaru about to climb down the ladder out of the tree house.
Mitsu crawled to the trap door and watched his father climbed down. He than moved and looked out the window. There he saw his other two parents waiting for Hikaru. Hikaru told them both something and it made both look disappointed. His mother buried her hands in her face upset. Both his fathers moved in to comfort her while Kaoru looked up at him.
Mitsu walked out onto the balcony of the tree house and could actually hear the sound of crying. Was it his mother?
"I'm such a bad mother!" he heard her say.
"No you're not," he heard his Daddy Kaoru say, "Remember what I told you last night? I'm sure there's going to be times when we may unintentionally ignore the others like we were doing with Mitsu. Who knows they may try running away too." Haruhi started to cry harder at that.
"I don't think that helped Kaoru," said Hikaru.
"Yeah I think the only thing that's going to make her happy again is if she gets Mitsu back," said Kaoru.
"Mommy really truly wants me back," said Mitsu. He immediately climbed down the ladder and ran towards his mother.
"Mommy, Mommy I'm so sorry I ran away!" he shouted as he ran towards her. Haruhi looked up and saw Mitsu running towards her. She immediately shook Hikaru and Kaoru off of her and raced towards her son, hugging him tightly.
"Welcome back Mitsu!" she cried.
"I'm sorry I made you cry like that Mommy," Mitsu apologized.
"I'm sorry I made you feel ignored to the point you wanted to run away!" Haruhi apologized back still holding her son, "I promise I'll do my best not to let that happen again!"
"That's great, but Mommy," said Mitsu.
"Yes honey?" asked Haruhi letting her son go just a little.
"Can I go potty?" asked Mitsu sheepishly.
"Oh sure!" said Haruhi.
"And after that I'm sure you can have a bath," said Hikaru.
"Can I play afterwards with some of my bath toys?" asked Mitsu.
"Sure you can!" said Kaoru.
"I got you some new ones yesterday when you wouldn't go to the toy store with me," said Hikaru.
"Yay!" cheered Mitsu.
"Ewe what's that smell?" Hisano asked when they made it upstairs.
"That's the smell you make when you run away," Hikaru told her. Hisano looked past him and saw her brother with their mother.
"Mitsu you're back!" she said, "Now we don't have to worry about eating outside while it's cold!"
"Yeah," said Mitsu. Hisano ran over and hugged her brother.
"I'm glad you're back. I missed you. I was lonely without you," she said.
"I missed you too Hisano," Mitsu admitted.
"Let's worry about missing each other after Mitsu gets a bath okay?" suggested Kaoru leading Mitsu to the bathroom.
Mitsu found himself the center go attention through out the day by his parents and sister. No matter where he went it someone was with him. He liked it a little but at the same time he whished he get a little bit of privacy.
Finally late at night Mitsu thought he was going to rest alone in his own bed. It sure did feel good to be in his nice warm bed with heater and electric blanket if needed. He was about to fall asleep when he heard someone coming into the room.
"Mitsu?" asked Haruhi sitting down next to him, "Do you want a story?"
"Sure Mommy," said Mitsu smiling. He wasn't sure if he was going to make it to the end since he was nodding off, but somehow he managed.
"Did you like that honey?" Haruhi asked when she was done. Mitsu nodded and smiled.
"Mitsu I really am sorry I made you feel ignore and that I couldn't read to you the other night. I don't know if I can promise that it'll happen again but never ever think I don't love you alright, because I love you more than anything."
"Thank you Mommy," said Mitsu.
"Would your mommy to sleep with you tonight?" Haruhi asked.
"Sure!" said Mitsu happily. Next thing he knew his mother was laying down next to him on his bed that was really too big for him, "Good night Mommy."
"Good night my sweet little boy," said Haruhi. Both were sound asleep when Hikaru and Kaoru came to check on them.
"Oh would you look at that," cooed Hikaru.
"Do you think Mitsu may try to run away again?" Kaoru asked.
"He may I'm not 100% sure or not, anymore then Hisano or one of the triplets when they get older. At least we have a good idea of how to handle it should it happen," said Hikaru.
"Agreed," said Kaoru, "That's one down who knows how many more to go."