"Hello?" I whisper into my phone.
"Hatsumi? Are you sick darling? It's your mother." I breath a sigh of relief.
"No I'm fine Mom, um did you need something?"
"I was hoping you'd come over for dinner tomorrow. Your father will be home and...we should all talk." She sighs and I sigh as well.
"Alright, I'll be over around six."
"Thank you Hatsumi, you always were the polite one." Mom hangs up and I look at Ryoki, whose falling asleep again.
"Come on, we'd better go to sleep." I say leading the way. We lie on the bed, and I turn away from him.
Don't look at me Ryoki, I almost...cheated on you. I'm so pathetic.
I don't deserve any of this, Ryoki, Mizuku, I don't deserve any of it.
Ryoki puts his arms around me, and I lean into his chest. Ryoki...
"Daddy it tastes icky!" I hear Mizuku scream out.
"Just swallow it!"
I open my eyes and sit up. I hear Mizuku freaking out in the kitchen and run to her.
"What the hell are you doing?" I yawn.
"She says her head hurts but she won't swallow it." Ryoki frowns. Mizuku gives him the same frown and I roll my eyes.
"You have to give her something to drink with it." I pull some juice from the fridge and hand it to her.
She smiles at me and puts the now scratched up pill on her tongue and drowns it in juice. Ryoki grumbles and goes into our room to change clothes.
"Mama, Takae-san came in to clean and she threw all my stuff on me and pretended I wasn't there!" Mizuku says upset. I wrinkle my nose in hate and pick her up.
"I know darling, I'll make Ryoki fire her." I whisper. "Don't say a word to her though, she's holding the aces in this game."
Mizuku looked up at me confused, but I only kissed her forehead. "Come on Mizu, let's get you dressed."
"I'm scared." She whispers into my ear. I close the door to her room, and set her on the bottom bunk.
"Of what? Takae?" I ask. She shakes her head and I pull a shirt from her dresser.
"Daddy." She says softly. I turn around and look at her, tears filling her eyes.
"Scared of Ryoki." I sit beside her and put her on my lap.
"Yes." She looks down at her feet, as if I had punished her. I help her change shirts, then into a plaid skirt. We don't speak though, and as I tie the laces on her shoes, she starts crying.
"I'm a bad girl Mama, is that why daddy pushed you?" She covers her face and I want to cry myself.
"Oh no Mizuku, it's not your fault it is mine." I say softly. "I've been the bad one. Ryo would never want to hurt you on purpose, he loves you as much as I do."
Mizuku wipes her eyes and stands up. I feel her small chubby fingers pulling the hair from my eyes, and she hugs.
By the time we leave Mizuku's room, Ryoki is sitting in the kitchen, a can of beer in his hand. Mizuku looks at him a moment, then sits on the couch, holding her knees to her face, frightened still.
"Ryo, you alright?" I ask softly. He looks at me a moment, and sighs.
"She called again, and said she'd have Subaru's parents fired if I didn't agree to speak to her at dinner tonight." Ryoki frowned.
"Your mother? That's strange." I mutter. Is there a parent kill children meeting I wasn't aware of?
"Why's it strange?" He looks at me giving me a glare.
"My mom called saying I have to go to dinner to talk to her and my father."
He takes a sip of his beer, and I look closely at him. His eyes are red, and...oh my gosh Ryoki Tachibana had cried!
"Ryoki you okay?" I say softly. He shakes his head, and looks at the couch.
"I didn't mean to." He says softer then I ever heard him speak. "I'm a really fucked up dad huh."
I shake my head. "No Ryo. It really was my fault."
He throws the can away, and sighs. "I'm gonna go out for a while."
"Mizu and I are going to meet up with Akane in an hour." I say before he leaves.
"Then we'll meet up at the complex. Weird our parent's won't move away from each other."
I roll my eyes. Is everything in Tokyo against us?
Mizuku and I sit in Akane's apartment as she goes in and out of her room in different outfits.
"Akane we're in a hurry." I moan.
"But Hatsu, I haven't seen dad in a long time, and I want Subaru to make a good impression." She comes out in a long black dress, her hair tied up in a bun.
"That looks nice, wait Subaru's coming?" I say shocked. What's going on?
"Ya, Mom said it'd be smart for dad to meet him. Plus isn't Ryoki going?" She says fixing her straps.
"No, his parent's are having him at dinner tonight." Suddenly the alarm on my watch goes off, and I go red.
"Oh we're late!" I scream. I almost run out, when Akane turns me around.
"Wait we didn't get you an outfit." I sigh and walk into her room. Her closet is so full, I almost get lost in the lace, leather, god what does she do with it all?
"That one, and that oh you'll look so great." Akane orders. I look at the denim skirt and matching green top.
"Alright then." I sigh and change quickly.
We stand in the elevator, Mizuku, Subaru, Akane and I. I almost fall over as I think about Dad's reaction to Mizuku.
The doors open, but we don't get a chance to get out, because a woman with greying hair pulled tight on her head, and a man get in and close the door.
"Oh thank God you are here. We were worried we'd be late." I look at the woman and sigh.
"Where are we going Mom?" She looks at me a moment, but instead of speaking she fusses with my hair.
"Ya Mom, I mean I thought we were eating dinner together." Akane frowns. Subaru looks atDad, then faces the wall.
"We're not, we're all eating with the Tachibanas didn't I tell you?"
My eyes widen, and my heart stops. Oh no, this isn't happening.
"My God what happened to you?" Dad says looking at Mizuku. She grabs my hand and doesn't speak.
"Dad this is Mizuku, our table broke and we had to take her to the hospital." I pick her up and let dad look at her, but Mizuku doesn't like the attention.
"Here we are, oh Akane pull your dress up a bit, Subaru tighten your tie, and God's sake Hatsumi don't forget to prepare that girl to meet Satan reincarnated." Mom calls as the elevator stops.
We file out, Mom, Dad, Akane, Subaru, then me and Mizuku. Mrs. Tachibana opens the door, and greets us.
"Hello Hello, you all look wonderful. Ah Hatsumi it's been a while hasn't it?" She says giving me a smile.
Mizuku flails her arms to be let down, and I let her stand on the floor. Mizuku looks up at Mrs. Tachibana and smiles.
"Hi old lady, my name is Mizuku Tachibana, are we eating dinner here?" She says looking around.
Maybe I should grab Mizuku and run, we could go to Spain...
Mizuku smiles up at the woman, not aware she is staring at the fearsome Mrs. Tachibana. The woman gives an evil-smile and nods.
"Hello darling, yes I'm glad you've come." She gives my mother a grin, and goes in, the rest of us following.
Mr. Tachibana is sitting at the table, as well as Ryoki. My eyes meet Ryoki's, and we both know that we'll be through hell and back before this dinner is finished.
"Come sit down everyone." Mrs. Tacibana says sitting beside Ryoki. I sit across from him, and Mizuku sits beside me and across from Mrs. T.
"Dinner will be done in a few minutes, come we should all be happy." Mr. Tachibana says addressing all of us. "I mean look at us Narita, our children married, your daughter finding a steady boyfriend, we should all be happy. Look at our granddaughter."
Ryoki and I both gasp, and everyone looks at us. Mizuku takes a sip of the water in front of her, and then looks at me.
"Mama, when did you marry daddy?" I want to strangle her, but instead I fuss with my napkin.
"Yes Hatsumi when did the two of you marry?" My mother asks curiously.
Ryoki looks at me, and coughs into his hand.
"Well you see, we..." He begins but Mizuku puts a hand on her forehead.
"Mama, I want some more medicine stuff." She whispers. Thank god for you Mizuku baby...
"Oh Ryoki do you have it?" I say putting Mizuku on my lap.
"No, maybe we should go get it. I mean if it really hurts that bad." Ryoki looks at Mizuku and she gives him a sneaky grin.
"Oh it hurts Mama, it hurts!" Mizuku moans. I pick her up and Ryoki leads us all out of the apartment, and down the elevator.
"That was hell." Ryoki sighs pushing the down button. I nod and Mizuku grabs my hand as the elevator moves.
"We can't avoid them forever." I say releasing my worries onto him.
"We can sure as hell try." He mutters. Mizuku finally grows tired of me, and goes to Ryoki making me smile.
"Daddy, hold me." She whimpers. He picks her up and she puts her head on his shoulder.
They look so cute...
Suddenly the doors open, and we look up to see Takae-san, a smile on her face.
A/N: I love cliffies :)
Hint for next chapter:
"How dare you! Call her that again and I won't let you walk away from here alive."
Reviews:
Momo-sama: you win the reviewer of the chapter ribbon! Congrats. Oh and she isn't, though I would be mad...
The littlest weasley: I know, but it was an accident. :)
HARU is my LOVELY: He looks hot in sunglasses LoL. I love suspense in my chaps :)
RyokiLover: he does feel bad. They forgived him :)
Mizerableh: thanks I'm glad to inspire :)
MirokuRox: first off I love the name, 2nd I love to cliffie :) Truthfully I have chapters done ahead of time, I just wait for 8 reviews before I post.
Waitingforlove: I know, he has problems but we all love him.
The little emo: I know, maids are young and evil now LoL. Azusa is evil, but hot. I know I love the Kari and Shinogu thing :)