It's A Secret
***
By: Ryoko
***
Track 02:02:00
***
"You're wasting your TIME. . . " The white-haired teenager complained, allowing Yuki to tie a blindfold onto him.
"Nuh-uh. Trust me. You'll like it." The nezumi smiled brightly, now that Haru was completely blind from seeing the glimmer in his eyes. "We put all of our time and effort into getting you this present. . . and I guarantee you'll like it. Promise. So stop being so glum. After all, it's CHRISTMAS!" Yuki said softly, walking the oushi out of the kitchen, toward the living room.
This wasn't the first year, that the separated part of the family didn't spend Christmas at the main house. However, this WAS the first year it was because of Haru's lack of will to live, that they stayed put. Fearing that a change of scenery too quickly might anger him or make him even worse.
Out in the living room, Momiji's hyper voice drowned out all of the others, laughing occasionally along with Shigure and Hatori. (Whoa! Hatori LAUGHS too! YAY-ness!) While Kyou fought to get just a LITTLE wine or alcohol.
"Here we are. Just stand right here." Yuki smirked, waving over Kyou and point Momiji into position behind the present.
'Everyone ready?' the neko, behind Hatsuharu, mouthed.
Receiving nods, Yuki reached up for the oushi's blindfold. Just as his fingertips touched the cloth, everyone held their breath.
"You ready Haru?"
"I. . . guess. . . " he mumbled.
Off came the cloth and down came the jaw.
"A. . . a. . . " he couldn't speak. . . no words wanted to come out. . . but tears DID.
"Merry Christmas Haru." Momiji shouted, throwing his arms into the air.
"A. . . a. . . a. . . oh. . . god. . . a. . . "
It was really HER. The little angel had come back to him!
She smiled softly, tilting her head somewhat to the side and throwing her arms out as she ran into Hatsuharu as fast as she could.
"Daddy!" she yelped, jumping into the air and hugging him as tightly as her little arms could.
"Ashura. . . !" he sighed, reaching his own arms out around the child. "Oh god. . . THANK YOU!" He cried, nuzzling her cheek like a mother would.
The rather large audience let their breath go, clapping, and laughing once again, with relief.
"See? I told you. Your efforts weren't wasted. I told you, Haru. See?" Momiji wiped his eyes in secret.
"Mhmm. You deserve to be happy, just like the rest of us. So now, you CAN be." Kyou smirked, sitting cross-legged on the rug by the door.
"Oh god, you're back! You're really BACK! Ashura!" he whimpered, kissing her gently on the forehead. "It's really you!"
***
Ashura sat in the oushi lap, clinging to him gently as Tohru approached, kneeling down and holding out a small box, wrapped in silvery paper. "For you, Hatsuharu-kun." She smiled, holding it out further.
Hesitating, he took it from the girl, starting to tear apart the wrapping carefully.
"It's beautiful. . . thank you so much Tohru. . . " He stared at the newly acquired necklace in his hands: An onyx cross on an authentic Indian-style lace.
"And for YOU." She held out a larger box toward Ashura. "Merry Christmas Ashura!"
The girl looked up at Hatsuharu, who nodded.
Taking the package, she peeled off the paper slowly.
"Hey. Don't be afraid. TEAR THAT BABY APART!" Hatsuharu laughed. "Go ahead and rip it up! Umm. . . just the paper that is. . . "
"Huh? Uhh. . . okay. . . " the girl blinked dumbly, starting to tear the silvery paper from the box and getting down to the gift itself. "WOW! Pretty!"
"Do you like it?"
"YEAH!" she grinned brightly, hugging the new clothes like treasures.
"That's really nice Tohru. . . did you make it all by yourself?"
A small white tank-top and darker jeans shorts to go with it. . . along with a necklace that matched Hatsuharu's new one.
"Hehe. . . with a little help from Kyou and Yuki. . . although they don't wanna admit it." He laughed nervously, pointing behind her at the nezumi and neko. Both of them staring, with puppy-dog eyes, at the wine bottle being passed around.
***
"Those two will NEVER get some alcohol at THAT rate. . . " Ayame sighed, half chuckling at the sight, as he sat close to where Hatsuharu and Ashura were sitting. He leaned against the wall, sipping a little of the steaming tea in his hands.
"Heh. . . TELL me about it." Haru laughed.
"That's the first time you've laughed in MONTHS. . . " the hebi smiled the same, patting him on the head. "And YOU, little one." He shifted his gaze to the girl in the oushi's arms. "My how we've missed you. It's good to have you back."
"Is. . . she here to stay?"
"Yes. Ashura is here to stay. She's all yours, and NOBODY can say otherwise."
"You MEAN it?! Ayame! I could kiss you!"
"Please don't, Haru." He looked down in embarrassment.
"I won't. Promise. But GAWD! I'm just so HAPPY!"
***After dinner and the whole she-bang of stuff that they usually do for Christmas. . . (I think. . . )***
"How in the world did you get her back?" Hatsuharu leaned back against the couch's arm, cradling the sleeping Ashura in his arms.
"Something. . . happened. . . that's all." Hatori sighed, smiling at the sight before him.
"C'mon. I wanna know."
"Alright. . . but don't bring it up around the girl. . . I'm not too sure how she'll react. . . "
"Don't worry about it."
The doctor sighed. "Her parents were caught dealing drugs overseas. Ashura was immediately taken from them and handed over to the court. Since there was nobody she could stay with, the judge, being the same one that WE saw, instantly remembered US. He gave me a call a few days ago, and asked me to come and pick her up. So, in short, her parents are imprisoned for a good LONG while. . . and probably won't be released until they kick the bucket, if you know what I mean. In other words, as far as the law is concerned, this girl is officially YOURS, from now ON." He smiled softly. "How does it feel, getting her back, after all that you went through for her?"
"I feel. . . fulfilled. I feel a HELL of a lot better with her around. . . now that I know she's gonna be safe and have a nice, warm home to come to. Come tomorrow, we'll start anew. Everything awful that has happened to us, in the past six months, will have no longer existed."
"That. . . sounds good."
Hatsuharu smiled down at the child in his arms. Her expression, a soft grin streaking across her face, was priceless and would no longer be rare.
"Dad. . . y. . . " she whispered, clinging closer to the teenager.
"Starting tomorrow. . . we'll have a new life, you and I, little one."
***
A/N: Surprisingly, there IS more to follow. . . so don't review the WHOLE story just yet. . . but please review! It's just. . . after watching the last episode of (Weiß Kreuz) Glühen, I feel like writing something that happens in the future. And how come nobody told me Aya kicked the bucket in WKG?! WAHHH! *Weepage* IT'S NOT FAIR! HE WAS TOO PRETTY TO CROAK!!!! NO!!!!!!! WAH!!
I'll stop my whining now. . . umm. . . .please read the epilogue to follow! I think you might like older Haru. . . (I promise I won't change him TOO much! *If any at all*)
***
Game Over?
Continue?
***
By: Ryoko
***
Track 02:02:00
***
"You're wasting your TIME. . . " The white-haired teenager complained, allowing Yuki to tie a blindfold onto him.
"Nuh-uh. Trust me. You'll like it." The nezumi smiled brightly, now that Haru was completely blind from seeing the glimmer in his eyes. "We put all of our time and effort into getting you this present. . . and I guarantee you'll like it. Promise. So stop being so glum. After all, it's CHRISTMAS!" Yuki said softly, walking the oushi out of the kitchen, toward the living room.
This wasn't the first year, that the separated part of the family didn't spend Christmas at the main house. However, this WAS the first year it was because of Haru's lack of will to live, that they stayed put. Fearing that a change of scenery too quickly might anger him or make him even worse.
Out in the living room, Momiji's hyper voice drowned out all of the others, laughing occasionally along with Shigure and Hatori. (Whoa! Hatori LAUGHS too! YAY-ness!) While Kyou fought to get just a LITTLE wine or alcohol.
"Here we are. Just stand right here." Yuki smirked, waving over Kyou and point Momiji into position behind the present.
'Everyone ready?' the neko, behind Hatsuharu, mouthed.
Receiving nods, Yuki reached up for the oushi's blindfold. Just as his fingertips touched the cloth, everyone held their breath.
"You ready Haru?"
"I. . . guess. . . " he mumbled.
Off came the cloth and down came the jaw.
"A. . . a. . . " he couldn't speak. . . no words wanted to come out. . . but tears DID.
"Merry Christmas Haru." Momiji shouted, throwing his arms into the air.
"A. . . a. . . a. . . oh. . . god. . . a. . . "
It was really HER. The little angel had come back to him!
She smiled softly, tilting her head somewhat to the side and throwing her arms out as she ran into Hatsuharu as fast as she could.
"Daddy!" she yelped, jumping into the air and hugging him as tightly as her little arms could.
"Ashura. . . !" he sighed, reaching his own arms out around the child. "Oh god. . . THANK YOU!" He cried, nuzzling her cheek like a mother would.
The rather large audience let their breath go, clapping, and laughing once again, with relief.
"See? I told you. Your efforts weren't wasted. I told you, Haru. See?" Momiji wiped his eyes in secret.
"Mhmm. You deserve to be happy, just like the rest of us. So now, you CAN be." Kyou smirked, sitting cross-legged on the rug by the door.
"Oh god, you're back! You're really BACK! Ashura!" he whimpered, kissing her gently on the forehead. "It's really you!"
***
Ashura sat in the oushi lap, clinging to him gently as Tohru approached, kneeling down and holding out a small box, wrapped in silvery paper. "For you, Hatsuharu-kun." She smiled, holding it out further.
Hesitating, he took it from the girl, starting to tear apart the wrapping carefully.
"It's beautiful. . . thank you so much Tohru. . . " He stared at the newly acquired necklace in his hands: An onyx cross on an authentic Indian-style lace.
"And for YOU." She held out a larger box toward Ashura. "Merry Christmas Ashura!"
The girl looked up at Hatsuharu, who nodded.
Taking the package, she peeled off the paper slowly.
"Hey. Don't be afraid. TEAR THAT BABY APART!" Hatsuharu laughed. "Go ahead and rip it up! Umm. . . just the paper that is. . . "
"Huh? Uhh. . . okay. . . " the girl blinked dumbly, starting to tear the silvery paper from the box and getting down to the gift itself. "WOW! Pretty!"
"Do you like it?"
"YEAH!" she grinned brightly, hugging the new clothes like treasures.
"That's really nice Tohru. . . did you make it all by yourself?"
A small white tank-top and darker jeans shorts to go with it. . . along with a necklace that matched Hatsuharu's new one.
"Hehe. . . with a little help from Kyou and Yuki. . . although they don't wanna admit it." He laughed nervously, pointing behind her at the nezumi and neko. Both of them staring, with puppy-dog eyes, at the wine bottle being passed around.
***
"Those two will NEVER get some alcohol at THAT rate. . . " Ayame sighed, half chuckling at the sight, as he sat close to where Hatsuharu and Ashura were sitting. He leaned against the wall, sipping a little of the steaming tea in his hands.
"Heh. . . TELL me about it." Haru laughed.
"That's the first time you've laughed in MONTHS. . . " the hebi smiled the same, patting him on the head. "And YOU, little one." He shifted his gaze to the girl in the oushi's arms. "My how we've missed you. It's good to have you back."
"Is. . . she here to stay?"
"Yes. Ashura is here to stay. She's all yours, and NOBODY can say otherwise."
"You MEAN it?! Ayame! I could kiss you!"
"Please don't, Haru." He looked down in embarrassment.
"I won't. Promise. But GAWD! I'm just so HAPPY!"
***After dinner and the whole she-bang of stuff that they usually do for Christmas. . . (I think. . . )***
"How in the world did you get her back?" Hatsuharu leaned back against the couch's arm, cradling the sleeping Ashura in his arms.
"Something. . . happened. . . that's all." Hatori sighed, smiling at the sight before him.
"C'mon. I wanna know."
"Alright. . . but don't bring it up around the girl. . . I'm not too sure how she'll react. . . "
"Don't worry about it."
The doctor sighed. "Her parents were caught dealing drugs overseas. Ashura was immediately taken from them and handed over to the court. Since there was nobody she could stay with, the judge, being the same one that WE saw, instantly remembered US. He gave me a call a few days ago, and asked me to come and pick her up. So, in short, her parents are imprisoned for a good LONG while. . . and probably won't be released until they kick the bucket, if you know what I mean. In other words, as far as the law is concerned, this girl is officially YOURS, from now ON." He smiled softly. "How does it feel, getting her back, after all that you went through for her?"
"I feel. . . fulfilled. I feel a HELL of a lot better with her around. . . now that I know she's gonna be safe and have a nice, warm home to come to. Come tomorrow, we'll start anew. Everything awful that has happened to us, in the past six months, will have no longer existed."
"That. . . sounds good."
Hatsuharu smiled down at the child in his arms. Her expression, a soft grin streaking across her face, was priceless and would no longer be rare.
"Dad. . . y. . . " she whispered, clinging closer to the teenager.
"Starting tomorrow. . . we'll have a new life, you and I, little one."
***
A/N: Surprisingly, there IS more to follow. . . so don't review the WHOLE story just yet. . . but please review! It's just. . . after watching the last episode of (Weiß Kreuz) Glühen, I feel like writing something that happens in the future. And how come nobody told me Aya kicked the bucket in WKG?! WAHHH! *Weepage* IT'S NOT FAIR! HE WAS TOO PRETTY TO CROAK!!!! NO!!!!!!! WAH!!
I'll stop my whining now. . . umm. . . .please read the epilogue to follow! I think you might like older Haru. . . (I promise I won't change him TOO much! *If any at all*)
***
Game Over?
Continue?