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Far From The Tree

Chapter 8


HIKARU

My fingers tapped rhythmically against the table as my family around me busied themselves in conversation. My mother cooing and swooning over my 4 month old nephew laid out asleep in Kimiko's arms, Kaoru and our father talking about some article they'd read online. I simply listened, zoning in and out of their separate conversations.

Every Sunday for as long as I could remember my parents hosted a family meal at the old estate Kaoru and I grew up in. We'd eat, we'd drink, we'd catch up, and more often than not Dad and I had an argument that would swiftly end the evening only to be continued the Sunday afterwards.

"How is the company doing Hikaru?" Dad's attention turned to me and my fidgeting hands stopped.

"It's going well. We've secured 3 new contracts for the new security program over the last 4 months. We're on our way towards the 4th" I replied.

Dad seemed to hold back a grimace.

When he'd started Hitachiin Corp almost 30 years ago his dream had been to produce computers, laptops, phones, he fancied himself the new Steve Jobs or Bill Gates. But when I took over I made the rash decision to steer the company in a different direction, focusing more on software development and specific tech products to be used in hospitals and schools. He hadn't liked that decision. Not one bit. But that was the price of handing me the title of CEO. I saw a better avenue for the company, one that would propel us into the top spot in the computing industry. And I wasn't wrong in making that choice.

I expected he probably would have preferred Kaoru to take over the business, seeing as he had never given Dad much grief. However by the time he retired Kaoru was married and already talking about starting a family, I on the other hand was single and always willing to work, which meant the weight of the company landed on my shoulders, Kaoru continuing to work in the development department up until Kazue was born.

Dad and I had always had a rocky relationship. We never outright hated each other, but since I was a teenager we'd only seemed to be able to communicate through arguing. When I was a kid I used to idolise the man sat in that big important chair behind his desk. But as I got older, I realised the only time I ever saw him was behind that desk. He had no time for Kaoru and I, and although she never complained, I could always see how lonely Mom was with him never being home. He had also been incredibly strict and harsh, never showing any outright affection; no hugs, no bedtime stories, no games in the park after school. Nothing like that. The only interest he'd ever shown was when he was pushing Kaoru and I, drilling it into our heads that one day we would work for him. I remember when we were younger and showed an interest in Mom's clothing designs; he took her aside and told her we couldn't afford that distraction, putting his foot down and snubbing out any flicker of interest we may have had in Mom's own empire.

He'd chosen our colleges and our majors, chose our dorms, set our schedules, all control in his hands. And that was when everything came to a head.

I'd had enough of being told what to do, I urged for some kind of freedom, even if it was something as simple as staying out all night partying, or skipping a lecture just because I wanted to. I used my allowance for drinks, music, nights at the bar, and for the first time in my life I felt like I was the one in charge.

It didn't last long however. Because of course he checked my accounts, and when that happened he froze my cards and scolded me like a child. I remembered how much he'd shouted and threatened, trying to stuff me back into that little box of control he'd built and hammer down the lid. I'd had no money other than what I had for essentials after that, but once I'd tasted freedom I knew there was no going back. I worked on the side without Dad knowing, set up a new account that he couldn't monitor, and did some wild shit for money just to fund my own little bubble of freedom. When Kaoru and I graduated and came back home, I was a picture perfect golden child on the outside, him none the wiser of all the sneaking I'd done behind his back.

Kaoru knew, but he was sworn to secrecy. Now it was something we simply joked about.

"Seems you've been busy" Dad murmured, taking a sip of his bourbon.

"He's got a great attorney" Kaoru interjected, "She really speeds the process along"

"Really?" Dad raised a brow with interest, "She came form Ouran did she not?"

I nodded, "She came with high praise. I don't know what I'd do without her" And I meant it. I really didn't know what I would have done if I hadn't had Miss Fujioka by my side of the last few months. I wondered how I ever managed to cope before her.

Dad formed a tight lipped smile, "I see. Nice to know you finally found one who is competent"

At least we agree on something...

"She's been really helpful with Kazue as well" Kimiko grinned from down the table, "She gave Kaoru so many tips and old toys. She's been a lifesaver"

I frowned in confusion, turning all my attention over to Kimiko and Kaoru. Kaoru looked back at me expectantly, as if he'd been prepared for my reaction, "Miss Fujioka did what?" I blurted.

He smiled, taking another bite off his plate, "When Kazue was born I asked for some advice on some things. And she had some old stuff from back when Emi was a baby. Kaz loves them"

Kaoru was talking to Miss Fujioka outside work? Why the hell was this the first time I was hearing about it? When had they spoken? Where? Miss Fujioka was pretty much by my side all day.

Were they friends now? And why had no one mentioned it to me?

For some reason it irked me. Not because I thought they weren't allowed to talk, there were no rules or policies being broken by speaking outside of business hours. No, I was annoyed because I'd spent countless evenings sat in my apartment on my phone, my thumb hovering over her name, tempted to send her a text or give her a call but had never gone through with it in fear I'd be overstepping boundaries.

Although I wasn't sure whether those boundaries were hers or mine.

"She never told me" I replied, trying to disguise my bitter tone.

Kaoru smirked, "Are you jealous?"

Yes.

"No"

His smirk only grew, "Don't worry, Haruhi's never said a bad word about you"

He was using her first name too?! How fucking close had they gotten over the last 5 months?

"Such a sweet girl" Mom spoke up with a smile, finally looking away from her grandson for more than a few seconds, "And her little girl, oh so so precious"

"They went to the park today" Kimiko grinned, "She shared pictures on her Facebook"

On her fucking what?

Kimiko gingerly passed Kazue into my brother's arms before pulling out her cell, scrolling down the screen for a couple of seconds and showing it to my mother.

I resisted the urge to leap to my feet and snatch it off her to see for myself.

Mom pouted as if looking at a brand new puppy, "Oh so lovely"

My fingers began tapping on the table again. Should I ask to see? No. No, why the hell would I care about photos of Miss Fujioka and Emi at the park?

Why in-fucking-deed? Because dammit I did want to see. And also, why the hell did Kimiko have her added on Facebook?! Were they best friends now? How was it that everyone in my damn family had some kind of relationship with my attorney? Especially when our relationship stretched to nothing more than contract briefings and a quick morning coffee in the office.

Dammit, I wanted to be her friend on Facebook, and I didn't even have a "Facebook".

Kaoru flashed me a knowing look, clearly aware of how much I was itching to look at those damn photos. It must have been written all over my face.

My brother slowly ushered the phone out of his wife's hand, passing it to me.

I feigned nonchalance, as if I couldn't care less about it, and stared at the images opened on screen.

There she was. Going down a metal slide with Emi on her lap, both their faces lit up with joy. The next of Miss Fujioka pushing Emi on a swing, followed by another of them both with Emi in her mother's arms. It was strange seeing Miss Fujioka wearing such casual clothes when all I'd ever seen her in was office wear. She donned a pair of fitted jeans and a grey pullover, her hair pulled back with a large clip. She looked so youthful and bright, her expression free of all stresses and worries. And little Emi could have been a tiny version of her, so carefree with a look of unique curiosity behind her big brown eyes.

That feeling I'd had back when I'd seen them in the store suddenly seemed to warm my chest, and I quickly handed the phone back to Kaoru, worried it would induce a heart attack or something.

This woman was doing something to me, and I wasn't sure if I liked it or not.

My thoughts shot back to Friday afternoon in my office when she'd agreed to join me at Nekozawa's anniversary gala. She'd been so close, the scent of her perfume engulfing me, intoxicating me. I felt the warmth of her shoulders under my palms, saw the unmistakable look of desire in those unforgettable eyes. I'd wanted to pull her against me. To feel her heart hammering against my chest as I crashed my lips to hers. I wondered what the lust tasted like on her lips, how she would sound as her breathing turned ragged. That woman awoke something primal in me, something no woman at any random bar or hook up had done before. She was something different.

The meal ended as predicted. Dad and I got into a fight about work, I insulted his parenting, he insulted every detail of my character, right down to my goddamn peanut allergy - all very typical for us - before he stormed off to his study and left the rest of us to say goodbye to one another. I of course saved the biggest goodbye for Kazue, who had stirred awake some time during the argument, not that he complained since it meant he could have another feed.

I was just climbing into my car when Kaoru came to my side, resting his arm on the roof and looking at me expectantly.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You're not mad at me are you?"

"About what?"

"About Haruhi"

I sighed. There it was again, "You mean Miss Fujioka"

"She lets me call her Haruhi" he shrugged.

A frown tugged at my lips. She didn't let me call her Haruhi.

Not that I've ever asked if I could.

I grumbled under my breath.

"You really are jealous aren't you?" Kaoru breathed, a slight chuckle to his tone.

"I'm not jealous. Why the hell would I be?"

He raised his brows accusingly, "Are you serious?"

"Yes" I lied through gritted teeth.

"Hika, I've seen dogs look at bones with less hunger in their eyes than you when you look at her"

I rolled my eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about"

"I'm talking about how you can't go a day without seeing her. How you keep her by your side even when you don't need her to be. How you talk about her when you're out of the office" he said, "I mean hell, the other day you came over with diapers and spent hours talking about how you'd seen her at the store"

I felt my skin turning both hot and cold at the same time, "She's a smart and incredibly attractive woman. Can you blame me?" I grumbled.

"Haruhi isn't like those girls you kick out of your place at 4 in the morning"

"I fucking know that" I seethed, hating how her name had been placed in the same context as those other women, "It's not like I'm going to pursue anything. She's my attorney"

Kaoru sighed, "Just...be respectful" he replied, slapping a palm on my shoulder.

Silence passed between us, the heat settling down. I exhaled, staring at my brother with a quiet apologetic look.

"I meant what I said earlier by the way" Kaoru smiled, "She's never said a bad word about you. Actually she thinks you're pretty amazing"


HARUHI

"No more bubbles" I laughed, pulling the bottle of bubble bath away from my daughter's grabbing hands. She splashed the water at me with a giggle as I fought to dab away the wet spots flying from the tub onto my sweater. Thankfully I still hadn't changed my clothes from the park, so if anything the soap and warm water would do it some good. But right now my main priority was getting rid of the dirt and mud that covered 80% of my daughter; after she'd decided to go fairy searching around the base of a particularly muddy tree stump most of the afternoon.

I scooped a wavy lock of hair from her face, fishing out the stray leaf caught within the strands.

"Can we please clean this hair now?" I pleaded.

Emi pouted.

"I won't get any soap in your eyes. I promise"

"Cross your heart?" she frowned, the suds on her chin popping as she looked up at me with suspicion.

"Cross my heart" I repeated, and reached over to find her strawberry shampoo with the Disney characters collaged around the bottle.

I squirted some into my palm, and delicately, as if defusing a bomb I began running it through the length of her hair, making sure to avoid her face at all cost. The last time I'd accidentally gotten a bubble near her eye she screamed, throwing herself out of the tub and running through the house wearing nothing but bubbles. It took me almost half an hour to catch her in a towel and put her to bed. Never again.

Thankfully I managed to lather up the shampoo without injury, rinsing the bubbles away with a jug, and watched the water turn a murky grey as the dirt washed out.

"Momma" she uttered.

"Yes sweetie"

Her big brown eyes looking up at me expectantly, "When is that Prince buying us candy again?" she asked.

I paused my actions, lowering the jug to the side of the tub, "Prince? You mean Mr Hitachiin?" I asked, confused "The man from the store?"

She nodded, "Is he coming to see us again soon?"

I was surprised she even remembered him. Emi met so many people on a daily basis at Yochien, I hadn't expected her to remember a man she'd barely met for more than 15 minutes. But I supposed he did buy her a 'Honey Bar' and if Emi loved anything more than she loved her opposable Elsa doll, it was 'Honey Bar's.

"I don't think so baby" I breathed, "He works with Mommy, so we don't get to see him when I'm not at work"

Emi suddenly looked a little disappointed, her bottom lip protruding into a cute little pout, "I liked Mr Prince" she said, "If I make him a card do you think he'll come see us again?"

It was impossible for me to love this little girl more. But oh my god she sure was trying to test that. My heart swelled at her suggestion, I wished more people could be like Emi.

"I'm not sure baby" I answered honestly. As much as I had been tempted to see him outside of working hours, I knew there was little to no chance of that happening. I had no reason to see him. Well, no PG-13 reason, "Why do you keep calling him a Prince?"

"Because he looks like one" she beamed.

I chuckled. Even my 4 year old daughter could see how good-looking he was. I guess it wasn't all in my head.

After towelling her off and spending a pain-staking 20 minutes bickering over which pyjamas she wanted to wear, the 2 of us settled down in the living room with Emi's overplayed 'Tangled' DVD on the television, although I knew full well she would be fast asleep before Rapunzel even made it to the lantern festival. However tonight she seemed overly awake and focused, pulling out coloured paper and pens from her art box in the corner of the room and settling herself down on the rug, lying on her stomach with her legs swinging in the air as she drew.

I glanced over her shoulder a couple of times, watching as she scrawled a pen across the front, making the most zig-zagged rainbow I'd ever seen, predominantly made out of the colour blue. After a while I realised what she was doing.

"You're making him a card?" I questioned, surprised she'd meant what she'd said.

She nodded enthusiastically, "It says 'thank you'"

"It does?" I noted the lines across the top, some what resembling letters. I smiled, "Very good sweetie"

"You take it to work tomorrow?"

"Would you like me to?"

"Yes please Momma"

How the hell could I say no to that?

"Of course baby" I replied, "I'm sure Mr Hitachiin will love it"

Her smile beamed back at me as she stood up and placed the card in my hands, "Don't tell him. It's a surprise"

"Okay little one" I cooed, kissing her on the forehead, "You're so lovely, did you know that?"

"You're lovely too Momma"

My heart squeezed so much I could have cried. No one. And I mean no one, could ever love another living thing more than I loved my little girl.

By the time the end credits rolled on screen, Emi was fast asleep with her head in my lap, the hood of her unicorn onesie pulled over her closed eyes. Lucky for me she slept like the dead, so I had no problem carrying her to bed without waking her. As per my usual routine, I spent a few minutes just sitting with her, holding back the tears as I thought back on how big she'd gotten and how it seemed like only yesterday she was just a bundle in my arms. I almost wanted to freeze time just to keep her the way she was. I hoped I wasn't the only mother who did this.

When I returned downstairs I poured myself a glass of wine in the kitchen, my eyes catching the card Emi had made on the end table. I picked it up, a smile touching my lips as I looked at the colourful rainbow she'd drawn with 3 smiley faces beneath. 2 big ones, 1 little one, all sharing mine, Emi's, and Mr Hitachiin's hair colours. She'd drawn the 3 of us.

This child was going to give me a heart condition.

Without thinking, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and opened up Mr Hitachiin's number. As I stared at it I recalled Friday afternoon in his office, and from there I remembered the gala at Nekozawa's hotel.

We'd be going together, all dressed up, food, drinks, dancing.

I'd been to functions with clients before, but only because meetings would coincide with them. And after those meetings I would simply leave. This would be nothing like that. Mr Hitachiin could have taken a date, a woman worth 100 of me, perhaps even one of the models who worked with his mother. But he hadn't wanted a date. He'd wanted me.

I felt my face flush at the thought. Then tried to rationalise.

He just doesn't want to lose focus. If he took a date he would be distracted.

But why the hell couldn't I stop thinking about him? Why couldn't I stop thinking about the 2 of us in the office? All weekend I'd been recalling it. Every breath that passed his lips, the feeling of his hands, the lustful stare in his eyes as we stood in silence.

My finger tapped on 'New Message', and I finished off my glass of wine with one long gulp.

This is fine. Nothing strange. It's just a text.

I tapped out a message, going back to correct my rushed misspellings and took a breath. Then clicked send.

I hope you had a good weekend. I'll see you in the morning.

Goodnight.

Short. Simple. Borderline unprofessional? Maybe.

Too late now.

I didn't wait for an answer. I simply took myself to bed, set my morning alarm and shut off the light. I laid in the darkness, closing my eyes.

I then slowly drifted off to sleep, only vaguely hearing my phone vibrate as I slipped away.