Yotsuba woke up. She looked at her clock. She had slept for about an hour it seemed since she got home. She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Part of her hoped that everything that was happening was a dream, but it wasn't. As she rolled off the bed, she could hear Fuuka's voice from outside her room. Sounded like she got home from shopping.
Yotsuba grabbed onto her doorknob but stopped. Part of her didn't want to go out, because she knew that would mean having to talk to her dad and Fuuka. Thinking back to everything that had happened though, she had so many questions that needed to be answered. So, she turned the doorknob and made her way out. She then turned to her right and saw her dad and Fuuka talking to each other in the hall. They both turned to Yotsuba.
"Ah! Hi, Yotsuba! How was the park?" Fuka said. She was smiling from ear to ear.
"...It was fine..." Yotsuba said. Her voice low.
"Is everything okay?" Fuuka asked.
Yotsuba was about to say that she was fine. But she knew deep down that she can't keep running from what was going on. She told her the truth. "No..."
"What's wrong?" Fuuka asked as she bent down to see her eye to eye.
Yotsuba looked at her and then her dad. He was standing there, looking calm and collected as usual.
"Why don't we go into the living room and talk about this?" Her dad said.
"Oh, okay." said Fuuka. She stood back up and made her way to the living room. Yotsuba and her dad followed.
As they sat down, Yotsuba felt the gaze from them both. She was nervous about what she was about to say, but she had to get it out of her system. She needed to know the truth.
"What's bothering you, Yotsuba?" Fuuka said in a soft voice.
"...Dad." Yotsuba said. "Why are we moving?"
"I told you; I need to live closer to my bosses so I can get my work to them faster." Her dad answered.
"...That's a lie. Isn't it?" Yotsuba whispered.
"What did you say?" Her dad's voice started to sound more serious.
"I said, that's a lie! "Yotsuba shouted.
"Y-Yotsuba..!" Fuuka stammered.
"I was talking to Ena at the park today. She told me the truth." Yotsuba said.
"...What did she tell you?" Her dad asked.
"The reason why we're leaving is because of your mom, Fuuka! She doesn't want you guys together! Is that it?" Yotsuba said as she turned to Fuuka.
"Yotsuba. Calm down and listen..." Fuuka said, trying to keep calm.
"But if we convince her that nothing's wrong with you two being together, then everything will be okay right?
"It's not that simple..." Fuuka calmly said.
"That's what Ena told me too! Why isn't it that simple?" Yotsuba said as she was on the verge of tears.
"Yotsuba. Calm down." Her dad said to her.
"B-but... Why does it have to be this way?" Yotsuba said. "Why is this happening?" Yotsuba grabbed the sides of her head. She struggled to make sense of everything that was going through her mind. Tears began to flow out of her. She placed her arms on the table and her head on top of them and she began to cry.
"Yotsuba..." Fuuka placed her hand on the little girl's head. "What... happened between me and my mom... There are just some things that she and I disagree on... And this was one of them. That doesn't mean I hate her or she hates me. This was my choice."
"She hates Dad then. Doesn't she?" Yotsuba said, her voice muffled through her arms.
"No! She doesn't hate him." Fuuka replied. "I...She..."
"Yotsuba." Her dad finally spoke. "You're right... I did lie to you. But, it's only because I didn't want you hating Fuuka's mom. She... simply loves Fuuka a lot and wants what's best for her."
"So, she doesn't think this is best for her?" Yotsuba said as she raised her head to look at her dad.
"She's an adult. When you become an adult, sometimes you and your parents are going to have things you'll disagree on. That's part of becoming an adult."
"That's right." Fuuka added. "This...Has got nothing to do with hate."
Yotsuba let everything she heard sink in. So, because she wasn't an adult, it didn't actually matter what she wanted? Was she going to end up doing something that would make her dad not want her around anymore when she did become one? She looked at Fuuka. She couldn't help but feel resentment towards her. If it wasn't for her, she felt, perhaps things wouldn't be the way they were. Part of her really wanted to tell her all this and force her to leave.
But she knew that would just make both Fuuka and her dad sad. In the end, she wanted them both to be happy. If this was what it took, then it looked like she had no choice.
"Yotsuba..." Fuuka said as she scooted closer to her. "Everything will be fine. We can still visit everybody here every now and again."
Yotsuba looked up at her. "...We will?"
"Yeah! By then, I think my mom will get over what's happening, and everything will be fine!" Fuuka said with a smile. She then hugged Yotsuba. "I love you, Yotsuba."
Yotsuba let Fuuka hold her. She wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to change anything at this point. So, she played along. She hugged Fuuka back. "I...love you too, Fuuka..."
…
Later that night, Yotsuba laid awake in her bed. She felt exhausted from everything that had happened today, but she couldn't get over the idea of her leaving everything she knew behind. She thought back to what Ena and Fuuka both told her.
"It's not that simple. There is nothing we can do. That's just how it is."
Hearing those words made Yotsuba feel defeated. Powerless. Hopeless. If none of the older people in her life had a solution to this problem, then what was she to do then just give in? She couldn't help but feel bitter towards everything. Most especially Fuuka. Part of her wished that Fuuka never decided to be with her dad. Part of her wished that she would just leave. But she also knew, trying to do anything about it now would only make things worse. If it meant her dad could be happy with Fuuka, then this was the way things were going to be.
Eventually, her eyelids became too heavy, and she fell asleep.
Koiwai was sitting alone at a restaurant. It was a place that served barbecue that he only ever been to once before a couple years back. Back then, he went along with his friends and took Yotsuba along.
He thought about how fun that night was. Watching Yotsuba putting stuff on the grill, chatting with his friends. Part of him wished he would have brought along Fuuka and Yotsuba, but he felt his daughter needed time to be alone.
…Or rather, he needed time to be alone. He wasn't happy to admit that to himself.
"Yo! We're here!" A familiar voice called out from across the restaurant. Koiwai looked up and saw Jumbo, alongside the owner of the voice, a blonde, spikey haired man named Yanda. Jumbo elbowed him.
"Hey! What was that for?"
"You're too loud." Jumbo told him.
"Ah, whatever. Let's just sit down." The two sat across from Koiwai, and soon after they had their orders taken, Yanda spoke.
"It's been a while! I heard you were moving far away! What gives?"
Koiwai took a sip from his beer. "It's… complicated."
"Man, it feels like just yesterday, you and Yotsuba moved into town. Now where am I going to eat lunch?"
"At your own home maybe?" Koiwai bluntly told him. "And besides, didn't you get a promotion or something? You should be able to afford your own kitchen supplies."
"Well… yeah… But.. it wouldn't taste as good."
"Are you saying, you're gonna miss him?" Jumbo smirked.
"What? No! I… Well maybe." Yanda frowned. "Plus, I'll admit… I've kinda gotten used to messing with Yotsuba."
A long period of silence pervaded the three. Koiwai continued to sip from his beer throughout. Eventually, Jumbo broke the silence.
"So, uh… how's she doing anyway?"
Koiwai shook his head. "She's been depressed for a few days now. Can't say I blame her. Especially after I've lied to her about why we're moving and then she found out what was really going on."
"Lied? What are you talking about?" Yanda said.
"Koiwai and one of the girls from next door got together, her parents were dead set against it, he tried hiding that from Yotsuba, the truth spilled out and now they're moving."
"J-Jumbo!" Koiwai wanted to explain the situation and Jumbo gave a very blunt summary of it.
"Wait. What?!" Yanda said. "Don't tell me it's that super-hot one that Jumbo likes!"
"No, it's the middle sister." Jumbo replied.
Koiwai sighed.
"I mean… Wow. Like, isn't she like… sixteen or something?"
"Nineteen."
"But that's… kind of a big age gap still don't you think? How did that happen?"
Koiwai sighed again. "I don't know. One day I just sorta realized I liked her and before I knew it… I was in love with her."
Koiwai told Yanda everything about what happened. About how they tried to wait until Fuuka graduated from college, how Yotsuba handled the whole thing, about when Fuuka dropped out and left home. Everything.
"Wow. That's just…Wow." Yanda finally spoke. "I can't help but feel really bad for Yotsuba."
"Right?" Jumbo spoke up. "Have you ever considered how she would feel about all this?"
"I did…" Kowai muttered.
"No! You didn't!" Jumbo started to yell at him. "You let a girl who's barely an adult cloud your judgement and you're taking your daughter away from everyone she knows and loves!"
"That's not true!" Koiwai started to shout.
"It is!" Jumbo stood up and poked Koiwai in the chest. "You aren't man enough to take responsibility for your actions and now it's gonna screw up your daughter!"
"Whoa whoa, calm down, guys!" Yanda found himself darting his eyes back and forth at the two men. Not knowing what to say or do.
The two kept going. "Oh, that's really funny, coming from the guy who was too cowardly to ask Asagi out!"
"Those are both very different things! You put your own feelings above that Yotsuba's well-being!"
"Uh…" The three turned and saw the server holding their food. As well as the entire restaurant staring in their direction. "H-here you go! Please! Enjoy!" She quickly walked off after giving the three their dinner.
The three quietly ate. The tension that was boiling soon began to simmer down. Koiwai and Jumbo continued to exchange glances throughout, but as time went by, the mood went back to how it usually went for the three.
After a few minutes, Yanda spoke. "Look… I know I'm not really the most responsible guy around. So, I'd be a hypocrite for criticizing you." Yanda gulped down a bite of his food. "So, I won't. All I ask is… Just… Do everything you can to help Yotsuba through this. It sounds like she's hurting worse than anyone else."
After a few moments, Koiwai replied. "…I will. I love that little girl so damned much. I wish I was smarter and didn't have to put her through this." He then looked straight at Jumbo and Yanda. "But I also love Fuuka as well. I've never met a woman like her. I want to find a way to make them both happy and do everything I can to make up for what I did to them both. I will atone for my decisions."
Jumbo looked at Koiwai in silence. He eventually nodded. "Just… make sure to come visit again sometime. It's not gonna be the same without that little girl. She, really does make everything a whole lot brighter around her."
"Yeah…"
"…By the way, I've been over Asagi for like a year now. I don't know why you both keep teasing me about that."
"Oh! So, you don't mind if I come down and sweep her off her feet then?" Yanda grinned.
"Their mom is very shrewd. If she ended up not liking me, she definitely won't like you." Koiwai replied.
"But I'm so charming and funny! I'm like Yotsuba's older brother!"
"Don't you dare say that!" Jumbo said as she grabbed and squeezed the top of Yanda's head with one hand.
"Ow! Ow! Quit it!"
And just like that, things seemed to be back to normal for them. Koiwai smiled at his two friends as they argued. He realized deep down that he really was going to miss them and their time together. However, he also knew that he had to prepare for the new life that faced him. And to become the kind of father and husband he had to be for Yotsuba and Fuuka. The three continued to have fun throughout the rest of the night there.
Mrs. Ayase found herself awake in the middle of the night. She had a hard time going back to sleep, so she gave up and went downstairs. She didn't feel hungry, so instead, she pulled out an old scrapbook and stared at pictures of her and her family at the kitchen table.
She took her time to gaze at all the pictures showing her children growing up. She reminisced about the days each of her daughters were born, and how much each of them has changed over the course of the last several years. In particular, she stared intently at Fuuka's photos. In just a few short days, her daughter would go off with a man that she thought she knew for the longest time, and then showed a side that she couldn't bring herself to forgive. This man was taking her baby away from her and was going to make her life miserable. She felt it deep down and couldn't see any other way this would turn out. Tears began to well up in her eyes over how powerless she felt.
"Dear? What are you doing up? Are you alright?" The sound of her husband's voice made her wipe the tears from her eyes.
"…I couldn't sleep. So, now I'm just looking at old photos of the girls."
"Ah! That sounds like a great idea. Mind if I join you?"
"Not at all."
Mr. Ayase pulled a chair close to her and sat next to her. She watched as he smiled while looking at the photos.
"You know…" She spoke. "You're always smiling about something it seems. Even when I first met you, you had this big grin on your face over something. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what you were so happy about."
"Well, why wouldn't I?" He said and looked at her. "There's so much to love about life. There's not a whole lot of point worrying over everything."
"…I guess that what made me interested in you. I've always seen things the opposite way. Life was such a bother most of the time it made me wonder why anyone could find such a large amount of joy in anything."
Mr. Ayase laughed. "So, it wasn't my romantic charm that won you over?"
"You were the absolute corniest and overly sentimental man I've ever met. I couldn't help but feel you were just putting on a show, but no. You really were just that weird."
"And you were the most stubborn and cynical woman I've ever met. I couldn't help but want to put a smile on that beautiful face of yours."
"Hmm…" Mrs. Ayase kept staring at the photos. Then she felt his arm wrapped around her.
"Your face is still beautiful."
"Okay, okay." She leaned into him. For a few moments, she chose not to say anything, and instead felt the comfort of her husband's embrace. "…Seems like she's inherited the best and worst aspects of both of us…"
"…Yeah. I suppose she did. It's funny, I decided to reduce my hours so I could spend more time with you all, and now I'm watching one of my own daughters leave. Funny how that worked out…"
Mrs. Ayase's eyes began to water again. "What did I do wrong? Why did this have to happen? This is all my fault. If I was just a little more careful and attentive to her then maybe…"
"It's okay. You did nothing wrong." Her husband whispered. "She's become her own woman and is making her own decisions. What will happen, will happen. You did everything you possibly could."
"I still remember the day she was born so clearly…" Mrs. Ayase's tears fell down her face. "And it all went by so fast. I wish I could have spent more time with her. And then there's Yotsuba. I love that little girl and wanted to watch her grow up alongside my own children. I hate seeing all this happen to her. It's not fair. It's not fair!" She placed her arms and head on the table and started to cry as hard as she could. All the while, her husband placed his hand on her back.
"It'll be alright." It'll be alright…"
After a few minutes, Mrs. Ayase calmed down and found herself looking at the photos again. She smiled through her tears as she looked at one particular photo of Fuuka holding her little sister Ena when she was a baby. She couldn't help but laugh. "Her eyebrows were hairy even back then."
"She got them from you, you know."
"How rude!"
"No, no! I think they're cute!"
"They are not hairy, and they are not cute!"
He laughed. "Whatever you say." He looked at the same photo. "I wonder what kind of woman Ena will grow up to be."
"We're definitely gonna make sure she grows up right."
"Well, third time's the charm, right?" They both laughed.
"…You know, I just realized something." Mr Ayase said.
"What?"
"Yotsuba's technically going to be our granddaughter."
Mrs. Ayase sighed. "Yeah. Feels weird considering how she used to call me "Mom" for the longest time. Now, Fuuka's going to have to take on that role and they're both going to be so far from us."
"We'll see them again. Somehow, I just know it."
Mrs. Ayase took a deep breath. "…Let's go back to bed."
"Alright."
As Mrs. Ayase began to put away the scrapbook, she took one last look at the photos of her daughters before closing it. Then she turned out the lights and went back to bed. She still had the next few days to endure.
Fuuka was carrying out a box of her old things from her room. She made her way downstairs, brought it outside and made her way inside a truck to place it in.
"Well... That's everything." She said as she stepped back to look at the contents of the truck. Her bed, her shelves, boxes of clothes and stuff from the Koiwai house were all loaded inside. As she left the truck, she saw her dad.
"Is that everything?"
"Yeah." Fuuka nodded.
"You didn't forget anything did you?"
"No."
"Good. Good..." He nodded, looked back at the house and back to Fuuka. "Hard to believe my little girl has grown up so fast..."
"Thank you for helping us, Dad." Fuuka said. Her face was expressionless.
"Like I said, you're still my daughter and I'll help you out whenever I can." He said with a warm smile on his face.
Fuuka looked behind her dad, she saw Yousuke and Yotsuba heading out of their house.
"Are you guys ready?" she asked.
"Almost!" Yousuke called out. Fuuka watched as he crouched down next to his daughter and they both looked at the house. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could only assume that they were taking one good look at their old home before it was time to go. Fuuka couldn't get a good look at Yotusba's face, but she could tell she was hurting deep down.
She then saw her mom and her sisters came out of the house. Well, she thought. This was it. Time to say goodbye.
As she made her way to them, she saw a familiar car drive up in front of the Koiwai house. It was Jumbo. And with him was Yousuke's other friend, Yanda.
"Hey! Don't think you can leave without saying goodbye to me first!" He said with a big laugh.
"And me! Don't forget about me!" Yanda called out.
"Jumbo!" Yotusba shouted. Fuuka watched as Yotsuba ran up to hug him. Jumbo had to crouch to be able to hold her. Yousuke walked over to his old friend. And as soon as Jumbo finished hugging Yotsuba, he stood right back up and slapped Yousuke on the back causing him to stumble slightly.
"You take care now. I'll always be here." Jumbo said.
"Thank you for everything. You really helped Yotusba and I out the entire time we were here." Koiwai said.
"I'll make sure to write, Jumbo! I'll send you all kinds of pictures when we get there!" Yotusba said.
"I'm looking forward to it." Jumbo said with a smile. It looked slightly pained, however. "By the way, you wanna say bye to Yanda too?"
Yotsuba looked at Yanda. Fuuka knew they didn't exactly have the best relationship, so she was curious to see how things would go between them.
"Now, Yotsuba." Yanda said. "Be a good girl, okay? Don't let someone like me mess with you the-..."
Yotsuba ran over and hugged Yanda as well. He had a surprised look on his face, like he wasn't expecting it.
"You be good too! Stop being such a pain!" Yotsuba told him. She sounded genuinely angry at him.
Yanda chuckled. "Alright. But only because you told me too." He slowly hugged her back.
With that done, Yousuke and Yotsuba then walked over to Fuuka. The three looked at Fuuka's family.
"I'll... wait here. Say goodbye to them, Yotsuba." said Yousuke.
"...Okay." Yotsuba slowly walked over to them. Fuuka followed her. They went to Ena first.
"Goodbye, Yotsuba. I'll miss you." Ena said as she hugged Yotsuba. Yotsuba silently hugged her back.
"Tell, Miura I said bye, too." Yotsuba whispered.
"I will." Ena said as she wiped tears from her eyes.
Soon it was Asagi's turn. She bent down to talk to Yotusba eye-to-eye. "Everything's going to be okay. I'll make sure to contact you when you all get settled in. Okay?"
"...Okay." Yotsuba quietly said. It sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Asagi hugged Yotsuba for a while and then let go.
Yotsuba then went over to Fuuka's parents. Fuuka noticed her mother was smiling warmly at Yotsuba.
"It's going to be quiet without you around. I'll really miss you." She then proceeded to hug Yotsuba as well. Fuuka's father placed his hand on Yotsuba's head and ruffled her hair.
Finally, Fuuka went to her family and gave them each one final hug goodbye. She looked at Yotsuba, she was standing still with her head hanging low. She could tell Yotsuba really didn't want to leave. She gently took Yotsuba's hand and led her to Yousuke's car. Where he was waiting.
She sat in the back of the car with Yotsuba. As they were about to go, Fuuka took one last look at her family and home. So much had happened over the past several weeks. Her life went on a completely different direction than she had anticipated. She was sad to have to leave.
She looked over at Yotsuba. She was looking away from everything and looked despondent. Fuuka tried to reassure herself that everything will be okay and Yotsuba will eventually be able to move on and go back to her usual self. Somewhere deep down though, she still felt pangs of guilt for pulling Yotsuba away from her life here. She really wished things would have turned out better for everyone involved.
Regardless, she wrapped her arm around Yotsuba and pulled her close. What Yotsuba needed was love and attention right now and that was all she could give her right now. She could feel Yotsuba lean into her. Fuuka smiled slightly.
Eventually, the moving van began to move in front of them. And soon, Yousuke put the car into motion. She took one last look at her family as they slowly drove away. They were looking at her all the while. Tears began to roll down her eyes as they disappeared from view. Soon, they were out of their old neighborhood and out on the road. Fuuka then felt Yotsuba grip onto her shirt and push her face into her chest. She could hear her silently crying. Fuuka began to hold her tighter. Attempting to comfort the little girl she grew to love so much.
What the future held for Fuuka and her new family was still unknown to her. But all she could do was to make the best of things and be the best kind of mother for Yotsuba. As well as be the best kind of woman for Yousuke.
She looked out into the horizon they were speeding by. It seemed vast and endless. She hoped that one day, they would all be together again.
THE END
Thank you all so much for reading this! Please feel free to leave any critiques and suggestions you may have for my writing. Don't mince words now! I hope you all enjoyed! God bless!