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Far From The Tree
Chapter 6
HIKARU
Miss Fujioka left shortly after we got back to the office, after spending the entire ride back apologising for misleading Nekozawa into thinking Emi was my daughter.
Although the thought of blaming her for that misunderstanding hadn't exactly entered my mind as it had with her. Clearly she was mortified by the idea of someone assuming I fathered her child. I wasn't sure why, but that realisation kind of...stung.
As usual - in her perfectly selfless way - she checked if I needed anything before she headed out, and as usual I tried not to think of 101 ways to keep her here with me so I could simply bask in her presence a little longer. However at dead on 3 o'clock, she was out the door, leaving me to tap my pen against my desk and wonder what the hell to do next.
I thought about making an early start on my schedule for tomorrow, but honestly after the long day we'd had, the last thing I wanted to think about was more work. Thankfully, shortly after Miss Fujioka went home my cell rang, my brother's name flashing on screen.
That's how I found myself heading to his place, stopping for diapers on the way.
Had it really come to this? Me? Buying god-damn diapers?
I guess it came with the territory when you become an uncle. Running errands for your 4 month old nephew. I hated to admit it. But I loved that little chubby screaming devil, way more than I thought I would. And seeing Kaoru so happy and in love with Kazue only made me love the kid more.
I stopped at the first store I saw on my drive out of the city, which happened to be some commoner's convenience store I'd never been into in my life, located next to a derelict looking bus stop.
I never did my own shopping. My food and supplies were always delivered and put away by the staff in my building, but if I ever did need something I went to a high-end store in Bunkyo near Mom and Dad's. But like hell was I going to drive all the way out there only to come back to Kaoru's.
I grimaced at the tacky neon 'open' sign in the window. Like a seedy arrow pointing me into the unknown.
At least no one I knew would see me here. They wouldn't be caught dead shopping in such a place.
I pushed through the glass doors, hoping I could simply sneak in, buy the damn diapers and sneak right back out. However an annoying little bell chimed my entry the moment the door opened, and several sets of eyes shot my way.
Great...
It probably didn't help that I was wearing a pretty expensive suit in a room filled with people in jeans. I must have looked crazy to these commoners.
I wandered the aisles with my head down, and searched the shelves. It felt like I was wandering the pathways of a maze, the only prize being diapers and the exit leading outside.
Damn this place was bigger than I'd thought. It looked so small from the outside.
Where the fuck do they keep diapers? Is there an infant clothing isle? Would they be in toiletries?
I grumbled to myself, knowing full well I must have looked just as lost as I felt.
How the hell had I managed to find my favourite nut-free peanut butter in this place, but not the damn diapers?!
"Mr Hitachiin?" a voice spoke up from behind me.
I felt my heart drop to my gut. Someone I knew was here? Here?! Of all places?!
This couldn't be happening.
I whipped my head around, feeling sweat gather at my collar, to see none other than Miss Fujioka stood at the end of the aisle, looking...well, confused. And she wasn't the only one.
"What...are you doing here?" she asked, her mouth bobbing open.
I stood there gaping at her. Speechless.
And suddenly I realised how creepy this must have looked.
Obviously I never shopped in places like this, and Miss Fujioka knew that more than most since she spent most of the week with me. I could practically hear the questions swimming in that pretty head of hers. "Did he follow me here?",Why is he creepily staring at the women's vitamin shelf?".
Panic was slowly immobilising me. Until I felt a light tug on the sleeve of my blazer, and I glanced down to see a little girl with mahogany pigtails in a paint stained big buttoned dress stood there simply staring up at me with inquisitive eyes. Eyes I immediately recognised.
This must have been Emi.
I cleared my throat and looked back at my confused attorney, "Kaoru wanted me to get some diapers...before I went to his place"
Miss Fujioka raised a brow, before slowly biting back a smirk.
Of course she found it funny. I was the last human being on the planet who had any business buying diapers in a commoner's convenience store.
"I guess that explains the lost look on your face" she chuckled.
"How the hell am I supposed to know where diapers are kept?" I shrugged.
Emi began tugging my sleeve again.
"Baby stop pulling on Mr Hitachiin like that" her mother sighed.
"I know where the diapers are" Emi beamed, "I can show you boy"
"Boy?" I quirked a brow.
"This way" she pulled me down the aisle, and not knowing what else to do, I followed her lead until she took me to the back of the store where aloe and behold was a full shelf of baby supplies. The one section of the store I hadn't found.
I looked down at the little girl, who grinned up at me, looking incredibly proud of herself.
I'd never been particularly taken with kids. They were noisy, messy, sticky, annoying. But something about this one made me pause. She was almost…cute. Maybe it was because I saw so much of her mother in her. Big brown eyes, a small rounded nose with a peppering of freckles. She looked like one of the porcelain dolls Grandma used to keep in her china cabinet. She stared back at me, as if she were studying me as I studied her.
Suddenly I felt a little self conscious.
I cleared my throat, "Thank you Emi"
Emi looked to her mother, who watched us with an amused smile on her face.
"How do you know my name?" the little girl tilted her head at me.
"Emi, this is Mr Hitachiin" Miss Fujioka ran a hand through her daughters mahogany red curls, "Mommy works with him. Remember when you were poorly I had that meeting with him?"
Emi suddenly frowned at me with recognition, and lifted an accusing finger in my direction, "You said a bad word"
Confusion cloaked me, "I'm sorry?"
"At Mommy's work. You said the 'f' word!"
I practically choked on my tongue, "Oh…I uh…I did?" Did I? I thought back to that meeting all those months ago, remembering all those words I let slip through in my frustration, "I did, didn't I...Well, I-"
"No excuses Mister I'm a little girl. Grown ups shouldn't say those words in front of little girls like me" The small child continued, crossing her arms as she scolded me.
Taken by surprise, I lifted a brow at Miss Fujioka, who seemed to be biting back a laugh.
Like Mother like daughter it seems…
I sighed and crouched down to her level.
"You're completely right. I shouldn't have said words like that, especially not in front of you" I forced an apologetic smile, "Can you forgive me?"
She seemed to think for a moment, then glanced up at her mother who shrugged back at her.
"I…suppose" she mused, "Are you going to draw me a 'sorry' card?"
"A what?" I questioned. The fuck was a 'sorry' card?
"When I say sorry to Mommy I always make her a card at Yochien"
"Right…a card…I see…"
"Sweetie" Miss Fujioka spoke up, "Maybe we should let Mr Hitachiin off with the card. He said sorry and meant it, I think that's enough. Don't you?"
"How about candy instead?" I offered.
Why are you offering to buy your lawyer's kid some candy?
The little girl's face suddenly lit up. A bright grin spreading across her fair face and a rosy glow highlighting her rounded cheeks. Suddenly I was struck by the weirdest warmth in my chest as I truly felt that pure elated smile. A smile meant for me. It took me aback like a kick in the ribs and all of a sudden I felt like buying out the entire store just to keep that dumb toothy grin on that little girl's face.
I must have been coming down with something.
Damn you Kaoru for giving me a nephew, that boy is starting to make me not hate kids so much.
"Oh no, you don't have to Mr Hitachiin. But thank you" Miss Fujioka waved away my offer, but Emi was already running to the candy shelves.
Her mother sighed.
"It's fine, really" I said, grabbing the first pack of diapers I saw, before we followed the little girl over to the confectionery aisle.
"I didn't take you for a man who liked kids" She inquired, her eyes trained on Emi as she took her time reading every single candy wrapper.
"I don't" I replied honestly, "But I suppose yours is less…irritating than most others…"
Miss Fujioka chuckled to herself, "I suppose Emi has always been more of a tiny grown up in her own right. She practically puts herself to bed nowadays"
"She seems…advanced for her age…you and her Father must be very proud" I commented.
I waited for her reply but it didn't come right away. She took in a sharp cautious breath.
"Its just the two of us, and my Dad" she answered, her tone more hushed as if she didn't want her daughter to hear her words, "But we are more than proud of her"
My brow furrowed as I tried to ignore the part of me that wanted to delve deeper. I'd wanted to know for months if Miss Fujioka went home every night to her boyfriend. I hadn't really allowed myself to imagine she didn't have one. I wanted to ask why Emi's Father wasn't around, but I caught myself quickly, remembering that I shouldn't really care. Nor was it any of my business or concern. No matter how much I wanted to know. I shrugged off my curiosity as Emi reappeared in front of us with 3 candy bars in her arms.
"One for me, one for Mommy" she handed one to her Mother, beaming, then looked at me with equal amounts of joy, "And one for Mommy's friend" her small hand reached out to me, the candy bar gripped between her fingers as she waited for me to take it from her.
That same weird sensation from earlier hit me in the chest once more. And regardless of the fact that this gift from her was technically from myself, my heart still seemed to swell at the gesture.
What the fuck was wrong with me? The last time I'd seen a child I had to resist the urge to grimace.
Aside from Kazue of course, but he was a baby, and also my nephew. So he didn't count.
Was I running a fever or something?
I took the candy bar from her as a small smile twitched at the corner of my mouth.
"Thank you Emi" I replied, clearing my throat.
Miss Fujioka rung up her own shopping before I did the same with the 3 candy bars Emi had picked out and Kazue's diapers. When we stepped back out onto the street the sun was beginning to set, streetlights starting to illuminate the sidewalk.
"Right. Baby, what do we say to Mr Hitachiin?" Miss Fujioka stroked her daughter's head.
Dimples formed in Emi's rosy cheeks as she grinned up at me. Then without warning, she threw her arms around my legs and hugged me tightly, letting out a giddy little squeal.
Shock immobilised me, and it took a few moments for me to respond. I glanced down at the innocent little girl who gazed up at me with bright brown eyes. I wasn't really sure how to react, so I settled on hesitantly patting her on the top of her head as if she were a dog or something else small.
"Thank you Mr Hitachiin" she said.
"Uh…" I cleared my throat, "You're very welcome..."
I caught Miss Fujioka's eye as she looked from Emi to me, a sad smile touching her soft lips, as if she hadn't meant it to. When she noticed me studying her, her resolute mask returned with a false grin.
"Let's go baby, it's almost bedtime" she said as Emi untangled herself from my legs. She grabbed her Mother's free hand and squeezed it, "Goodnight Mr Hitachiin, thank you again"
"No problem" I replied, "I'll be seeing you tomorrow, yes?"
She nodded, the chocolate highlights of her hair catching the light of the streetlamp above. Once again I caught myself in awe of her effortless beauty. Did she even know how stunning she was? Surely she had to.
Emi waved enthusiastically as she and her Mother turned in the opposite direction. And I caught myself fighting a smile as I watched the way the little girl matched Miss Fujioka's steps, putting her left foot forwards when she did, followed by the right.
"Remember. Don't call me before 7!" Miss Fujioka called over her shoulder.
I laughed back.
HARUHI
The next day I was graced with a phone call at dead on 7.00am, and barely a second later. I would have been irritated if I hadn't been so impressed by the timing, as if Mr Hitachiin had been sat there waiting for the clock to turn over. Or maybe he'd just set an alarm.
That morning I was due in at Ouran Legal for a quick briefing with Mr Suoh and honestly I was looking forward to it. I hadn't been in my own office since Tuesday. I missed Renge and the office banter. That's not to say I didn't like it at Hitachiin Corp, but as they say, there's no place like home.
"Do my eyes deceive me? Or is that my best friend?" Renge called out across the bullpen, her hands lifted to her eyes as if pretending to hold binoculars, "And here I was thinking you'd forgotten about us"
I rolled my eyes, "I saw you 3 days ago"
"I used to see you everyday"
"Well I'm here now" I replied, and swallowed down the guilt. Guilt I'd been feeling a lot recently. Mr Hitachiin was certainly to most demanding client I'd ever had, nothing like any of my previous ones.
I understood I was occupying most of my time with his affairs, so I could see why Renge would be frustrated. But this was my job, so what other choice did I have?
"He let you out for a few hours then?" Renge continued as she followed me to the coffee table.
"He doesn't let me. He knows I need to be here sometimes"
"Best not leave him for too long. Is he even capable of looking after himself?"
"Ren..." I warned.
She sighed, pouring herself a cup and leading us to an empty table. There weren't many people in here today, but I supposed it was Friday; meaning most attorneys were out of the building for end of week client meetings. It kind of made it ironic that I was one of the lawyers who was here.
"I don't get it" Renge grumbled, "Why does he need you around so much?"
"Mr Hitachiin is expanding, he needs an attorney for all his dealings"
"But everyday?"
"Sometimes"
"It's been 5 months. We may as well pack up your stuff and move you over there"
"It won't be forever"
"You said that before"
"I'm sure he'll slow down soon. We just have a lot of meetings right now"
Renge pouted.
"You really miss me that much?" I smirked.
She shrugged in reply.
I chuckled, but before I could respond, my eye caught Mr Suoh walking in the room, a smile on his face the moment he noticed me sat there. Moments later, another familiar man walked in behind him.
It had been a while since I'd last seen Mr Suoh's son, but it was hard to forget a man like him. He still sported the same mop of blonde hair, neatly combed, his bright lavender eyes lighting up much like his Father's as the two of them approached.
"Good morning Mr Suoh" I beamed, standing to greet them with a bow.
"Lovely to see you this morning Miss Fujioka" Mr Suoh replied, "I was just heading out for brunch with Tamaki and wanted to speed through our briefing now if that's okay?"
I nodded, glancing to Tamaki who stood patiently with a polite smile on his face. I held my hand out to him, knowing full well he wouldn't say a word until we did our usual greeting. Tamaki had been one of the first people I'd met back when I'd first gotten this job. Back then he'd been newly married with a newborn daughter, all whilst building up his own hosting business. But you never would have known how much he'd had on his plate. He was always collected and polite, level-headed as if he'd had everything under control. We spoke often, especially when Emi was born and we could share tips on raising children.
However 6 years ago it was revealed in the media that his wife Eclair had been having an affair with one of Tamaki's business partners, leaving Tamaki facing divorce as well as custody hearings over their daughter Sophie and son Kuma. After that he seemed to busy himself more and more with his hosting retreats, rarely stopping by the firm like he used to.
He took my offered hand, planting a kiss on the back of my palm as he usually did.
Mr Suoh and I quickly caught up over coffee, right there in the bullpen. Our briefings were usually quite casual, just a routine check up to make sure I'm still happy with my arrangements. Mr Suoh made sure to state that if I didn't feel comfortable remaining at Hitachiin Corp for the majority of the week I was well within my contract rights to lower my meeting's with Mr Hitachiin to 2 days a week. Honestly as tempting as it was, I kind of liked seeing him frequently, I always felt productive sat there across from his desk, far more than I would exchanging an email back and forth. But I was pleased to hear Mr Suoh had no big issues to raise. Unlike Renge who would have been happy for me to drop Mr Hitachiin completely.
After the briefing, Mr Suoh went back to his office to speak with his PA, leaving Tamaki to hang back with me.
"I was hoping to catch you" he grinned, "I've heard you haven't been around much recently"
"You can talk! I haven't seen you in forever" I replied, "How are the kids? They must be at school now"
"Sophie just turned 7, although you'd think she was going on 15 with the attitude on her" he chuckled, "And Kuma's just started school, pretty sure he loves it more than home judging by the amount he talks about it"
"Sounds like Emi with Yochien" I grinned.
"Sophie still talks about Emi you know?"
"She does? I'm surprised she still remembers her. I don't think they've seen each other since..."
"Sophie's 5th birthday"
"Gosh, has it really been that long?" I whooshed out a breath.
Emi had only been 2 when Sophie turned 5, but since the moment Emi was born all Sophie had wanted to do was cuddle her and share her old toys and clothes with her as if Emi was her new little dolly. Kuma was only a year older than Emi, I remembered how they'd shared nap time during cake and candles that last time they'd all been together.
"How old is Emi now?"
"She turned 4 in January"
"Wow" Tamaki whistled, "Time flies. Any plans to have more?"
I rolled my eyes and chuckled, "No way am I going through all that paperwork again"
He laughed in reply.
Much like most of the other employees who had been around during the time of my pregnancy, Tamaki was also well aware of how Emi came to be - since I couldn't exactly have a child without avoiding the 'who's the daddy?' questions. I knew he'd thought it strange, much like everyone else at the time, but he'd never said anything that wasn't in support of my choice.
"So" he cleared his throat, "You're working with Hitachiin Corp?"
I nodded, "I am"
"Enjoying it? I know you'd always wanted to be a chief business attorney"
"It's a little intense" I admitted with a shrug, "A lot more running around"
"Yeah...I've heard Mr Hitachiin can be...demanding"
I raised a brow, "Who told you that?"
"News travels fast on the business grapevine" he shrugged.
"You've worked with him before?" I questioned.
"Actually we went to college together"
"Really? He never mentioned" Surely he would have mentioned something like that? He knew I worked for Tamaki's Father, but I supposed it was a long time ago. I wondered what he must have been like back then. Was he as driven as he is now? Did he have friends? It didn't seem like he had many now, but back then...?
"He wouldn't have done" he replied, "We didn't exactly swim in the same circles"
I nodded in understanding and just as Tamaki opened his mouth to reply the unmistakable sound of my phone ringing in my pocket interrupted him. I held up one finger, gesturing him to hold on a moment as I pulled it out and caught the name on the screen.
Mr Hitachiin...
I rolled my eyes. Of course.
"Mr Hitachiin?" I answered.
Tamaki anxiously shifted from one foot to the other.
"Miss Fujioka, when will you be here?" Mr Hitachiin's husky voice replied through the speaker, the sound making my stomach clench. It made me remember the evening before when Emi and I had run into him in the store. The kindness he'd shown towards my little girl had given me the same reaction. Seeing the way he made Emi's face light up when he'd bought her a candy bar was enough to make me want to leap on him like a goddamn monkey on a tree.
"I'll be heading over soon" I replied, turning away from Tamaki so he couldn't see the reddening of my cheeks.
"Don't worry about it I'll pick you up, we're going to lunch"
I furrowed my brow in confusion, "Lunch?"
"Nekozawa called this morning, he wants another meeting"
"Already?" I gaped.
"He says he has more to discuss"
"We only spoke to him yesterday, I haven't written up any contracts yet" my chest was hammering, I hated this feeling of not being prepared. What kind of client just springs a goddamn meeting out of nowhere like this? I didn't even have any of my paperwork with me, all of that was back at Hitachiin Corp on my computer.
"No contracts needed. He just wants to talk" Mr Hitachiin replied, "You're at the firm right?"
I nodded, "Yes"
"Okay, I'm on my way. Meet me outside in 10"
The line went dead and I let out a heave.
One day. I just wanted one day where I could just not worry about something. It seemed like a never-ending cycle.
I turned back to Tamaki, ready to explain to him that I had to go. But as I span on my heel I saw that there was no one there.
I sighed, and made my way to the elevator, my heels echoing in the empty hall.
Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoy this new update, I'm having so much fun writing this story!
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- Yuli xx
