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Far From The Tree

Chapter 11


HIKARU

The impromptu trip to Miss Fuji- I mean...Haruhi's house, had somehow turned from a quick stop by, to a full day spent with her and Emi. We had lunch, we talked, we even sat and watched the entire of 'Frozen', a movie Emi pitched to me as the greatest movie of all time. From the way Emi made it sound, I'd been expecting 'The Godfather' level of movie making when those opening credits rolled. But as the minutes ticked by, I quickly realised why Haruhi had given me such an amused smirk when I'd agreed to sit down and watch it with her. Overall I wouldn't have called it the worst movie...but if anyone asked – I hated it. Even if I had to bite back a laugh when that stupid fucking snowman did his dance number.

"You know, you're surprisingly good with her" Miss F- fuck, no, Haruhi, grinned as Emi dozed off on her beanbag in front of the TV.

I shrugged. Honestly I wasn't really sure why I enjoyed Emi's company so much. Other kids annoyed me, but something about Emi reminded me of...well, me. She was independent, she was confident; not to mention I'd always prided myself on being pretty charming, and if Emi had shown me anything, it's that she'd managed to charm me. It made me hope that Kazue would grow up to be like her. To be so creative, and welcoming, and strong. I also saw so much of her mother in her of course, sometimes it almost felt like I were getting a little peek into the past when Haruhi had been a child. I imagined she'd always been fiercely independent like her daughter was.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a day like this. I hadn't even thought about work once since the moment I stepped into Haruhi's welcoming home. I couldn't remember the last time I'd laughed so much, especially when the 3 of us were sat wearing our ridiculous crowns. Nor had I smiled as much as I did as I watched Emi and Haruhi sing along to the movie together, so carefree.

It was strange. I had everything I could have ever wanted. I had money, power, my own business, I lived in one of the most expensive penthouses in Tokyo, ate only the best foods in the country, and yet...I never felt even an ounce of the happiness I'd felt sat in this cosy home, eating jelly sandwiches with glitter caught in my stubble whilst laughing at a dancing snowman.

"Sorry if I imposed on your Sunday" I cleared my throat, "I hadn't planned to stay for so long"

Haruhi smiled, "Don't be. It's been nice" she admitted, "And I think Emi had fun introducing someone new to her favourite movie. God knows me and Dad are tired of it"

I bit back a laugh, "If you tell anyone I watched it I swear I'll fire you"

She raised an unconvincing brow, "Like you could survive a day without me"

She was right. I wouldn't.

"I'm sure I could snatch someone else up to replace you" I lied.

"Oh really?" she smirked, "If that's how you feel I may as well hand in my resignation now"

"Don't you dare"

She laughed, "You know you'd fall apart without me"

In so many god-damn ways.

I liked this. I liked just sitting there beside her. No desk between us, no paperwork spread out in our line of sight. Just the two of us. And I would have been lying if I didn't note how dangerous it was. I hadn't ignored how many times I'd caught myself simply watching her in awe. Dressed in jeans and a blue sweater, her hair pulled back with a tooth clip, not a lick of make up on her perfect face. Her legs were curled up on the sofa, bare feet, a blanket draped over her lap, it made me fantasise how she would look sat on my couch, looking just as relaxed as she did now.

Just friends...that's all.

But I couldn't quite remove the desire to simply lean in just a little and claim her lips with mine. Something I'd been trying my hardest not to act on.

That might be a little too friendly.

"Haruhi" I murmured, and she raised a brow expectantly, "I was just testing it again" I smirked, "Kaoru always used your name"

She shrugged, "When I found out about Kazue we kind of just started talking. I don't think he and I have ever really spoken about work. Only the kids"

Once again, there came the jealousy monster, looming over me like Elsa's magical ice giant chasing down Anna and Kristoff.

I blinked, stunned by my own ridiculous, yet very accurate analogy.

"I saw him on Friday" I said, thinking back on the conversation he and I had, "He mentioned that you'd spoken to Kimiko...about the gala"

Her reaction was a little more embarrassed than I'd expected, her cheeks heating up with a rosy blush.

"Nothing bad" I continued, "I just...wanted to make sure you're okay. I know you were a little hesitant about accepting Nekozawa's invitation. I'm sorry if I backed you into a corner about it" - when we'd been in my office, when I'd wanted so badly to kiss her, to have her.

To make her mine.

Friends. Just friends.

Haruhi seemed to think for a moment, and I scolded myself for forcing that beautiful carefree smile off her face.

"It's okay" she replied, "I don't mind going, I just..." she trailed off. More thinking, "I've worked with a lot of elite clients, I've seen how they work, how they spend their time, how they dress and talk. But I was raised in a 2 bedroom apartment complex with just myself and my Dad, who worked 2 jobs. I only managed to go to a good school because of a scholarship. And even now, I still buy my food on sale, I still wear donated clothes, and I raise my daughter on the same beliefs that money and status mean nothing as long as you are a good person. I don't fit in with those people who were raised with a silver spoon in their mouths"

"You mean" I swallowed, hearing the blood rush to my ears, "People like me?"

She hesitated, for a long uncomfortable moment, a moment that made me wish I hadn't said anything, "You're...an exception I suppose" she finally answered, and I whooshed out a breath.

"You know none of that matters" I replied, "Who cares if you didn't come from the same place as these other people, or even me. You said it yourself, as long as you are a good person, what does status and money even matter? I've never even given it a thought when it came to where you came from or how you live, you won me over just by being yourself"

I'd hoped my words were some sort of comfort to her. And by the way she stared at me with those deep brown eyes, her lips slightly parted, and a look of pure wonder on her beautiful face, I felt like maybe they had been.

The air around us suddenly felt...thick. Not in an awkward way, but there was certainly some kind of tension. Every hair stood on end, my fingers itched, my mouth turned dry...I didn't even want to take a breath, in fear the sound would only disturb whatever was passing between us.

She bit her lip, and my pants immediately grew a size smaller. I balled my hands into fists, trying my hardest to resist the urge to reach out and palm the back of her neck, to pull her onto my lap and make out with her on this couch like a horny teenager.

"You're right" she breathed heavily, then cleared her throat, "I should lead by example. I wouldn't want Emi feeling uncomfortable around others just because they had a more fortunate upbringing to her. It makes me a hypocrite. She deserves the right to enter any room, just as I do"

I smiled. I loved how strong this woman was. Then my palm covered hers. Neither one of us flinched or moved. It was so...natural.

"And just for the record" I grinned, enjoying the warmth of her hand under mine. So warm, so soft, so right. "You could show up in your green elephant crown and you'd still be the most beautiful woman in the room" I said, but that smile on my face was almost instantly replaced by a look of horror, as I quickly realised what I'd actually said.

The most beautiful woman in the room.

Fuck.

Haruhi gaped at me.

Fuck, fuck, fuuuck.

Friends told other friends they thought they were the most beautiful right? RIGHT?

I pulled my hand from hers, and Haruhi simply stared at me as if she hadn't noticed, wide eyed, telling me she'd heard every word I'd said, and noticed every signal I'd thrown her way. Suddenly I wished the ground would open and swallow me whole. Hell, I'd dive right into that pit willingly.

"A-anyway" I gulped, "It's getting late...I should...I should probably go"

And like a deer in headlights, she quickly jolted to her feet, "Uh, yeah. Sorry. I need to get dinner started and get Emi's bath ready and get her to bed. And I still have to call Dad and-"

"It's okay, it's okay" I stood up, feeling rigid as hell, "I understand. I still have some emails to answer before tomorrow"

She nodded awkwardly, "Okay"

"But uh...I'll see you at 9?"

She nodded again, "Of course"

Dammit Hikaru.

It had been going so well. Why the fuck did I have to stick my foot in my mouth?

Stupid, stupid!

I left her house, waving goodbye uncomfortably as I walked down the path. But just as I got to the gate, a little voice called out behind me, and I turned to see Emi running towards me, her princess pirate costume billowing like a cape behind her as she flew into my arms.

I caught her the moment she struck me, lowering myself to her level, suddenly scared she'd knock herself out on my knees or something.

"You'll be back soon right Mr Hikaru?" she asked, her tone heartbreakingly hopeful.

I opened my mouth to reply but was cut off as Haruhi came to her side to pat her head. She looked down at me, and with the little girl between us, her uncomfortable expression slowly melting away.

"Mr Hikaru can come back anytime he likes" she uttered, a small hesitant smile polishing her lips as our eyes met.

"Tomorrow?" Emi asked.

Haruhi and I chuckled quietly.

"Maybe not tomorrow" I replied, "I'll speak to Momma"

Emi nodded, beaming up at me. She then lifted a blue jagged creation up to me, which I immediately recognised as my homemade lion crown.

My heart swelled, so much so, I thought it may burst.


HARUHI

"Morning" I smiled, passing Hinako her usual coffee, the same one I picked up for her everyday.

"Good morning Miss Haruhi" she beamed back, "He's all ready and waiting for you"

I rolled my eyes, "When is he not?"

I had a lot more to say on the tip of my tongue, but bit them back as I continued towards Mr Hit- I mean Hikaru's office. My entire night had been spent tossing and turning in bed replaying the surreal day we'd had. From the moment he'd stepped into my home, to the moment he left, and everything in between. I'd remembered the smiles that took over his face as he watched Emi jump up and down in front of the TV when 'Let it Go' came on, and the way his elbow brushed against mine as we made sandwiches in the kitchen, and the way his hand felt on top of mine, how right it felt having him sat there beside me as we talked like long time friends.

Then he told me I was beautiful. Me. He told me I was beautiful. The man who'd seen models strut down runways in his Mother's designs, the man who'd worked with some of the most stunning and perfect women all across the world. And he thought I...was beautiful.

I couldn't remember the last time a man had called me that.

Even now I could feel my cheeks blushing at the memory. Even though at the time I'd simply frozen up, like Elsa's ice palace.

Damn I need to stop watching that movie...

But then again, perhaps it was just a slip of the tongue and he was simply being nice to me. Maybe he thought it was what I wanted to hear.

I stepped into his office, his black coffee practically burning a hole in my palm as my eyes settled on the tall statuesque man facing out the window, his hands tucked in his navy blue pant pockets, as if he hadn't heard me enter.

"Good morning Mr Hitachiin" I said, trying not to let my nerves meet my tone.

He faced me, a smile slowly parting his lips.

"I'm back to being Mr Hitachiin now?" he chuckled, stepping towards me and taking the paper cup from my hands. I tried not to notice how his fingers brushed against mine as I passed it to him.

"I mean...we're at work so...I didn't think you'd find it professional if I were to use your name" I tripped over my words, worried I'd already offended him with my first sentence of the day.

"Hikaru is fine" he smirked.

I nodded. Even though I knew full well it would take a lot of getting used to to remove the 'Mr Hitachiin' from my daily vocab. It wasn't like I knew him as anything else. The casual man in jeans who sat on my sofa in a blue crown was Hikaru, the man I saw in the office everyday in a three piece suit was Mr Hitachiin. Now they were both Hikaru.

The 'Thank you' card Emi had made caught the corner of my eye. Still sat there on his desk for everyone to see. I smiled to myself.

We spent the day going through the contract I'd drafted for Nekozawa. Typically I'd go back to the office he had set up for me, but today Hikaru insisted on working at my side, asking questions about every line and every clause. It was almost a little tedious and perhaps unnecessary, but I supposed he just wanted to be sure I had everything covered.

At lunch he ordered food up to the office from the cafeteria, which told me he had every intention of holing us up in that room for the entire day. Thankfully Emi was staying at Dad's tonight since I knew I'd be late at work with this contract, so I didn't need to keep an eye on the time, especially when 6 o'clock passed by and we were still sat at his desk.

My eyes struggled to focus on the same screen I'd been staring at for the last 9 hours, and eventually I simply closed the lid of the laptop and groaned.

"I've overworked you haven't I?" Hikaru asked, a hint of remorse in his tone.

"No. Just need a break for a moment"

"Don't worry about it. We can call it a day on the contract for now"

He stood from his seat and wandered over to the compact bar across the room, pouring out two small glasses of scotch before returning to my side. I stared at the offered drink in confusion and he chuckled.

"Don't worry, I won't tell if you don't" he winked.

I breathed a laugh and took it from him, eyeing the amber liquid cautiously, "We're drinking on the job now?"

"Work has finished, now we're just two friends having a drink before heading home"

"You're not worried I'll call in sick tomorrow with a hangover?"

"Hangover? You can't handle one drink?"

I raised a brow, "I can handle my drink just fine" Which was a complete lie. I never drank aside from the odd glass of wine on a Friday night. My tolerance wasn't exactly what it used to be since having a child.

"However, I'm not comfortable driving home with scotch in my system"

He scoffed, "I can have your car sent home. It's really no problem"

"You do realise there's been a Disney CD stuck in the stereo for almost 2 years now? I don't think I'd wish that torture on any of your valets"

"They're paid well"

"They may need a hefty tip"

"I'll cover it" he smirked, then slowly took a seat across the room on the grey plush couch. He looked at me expectantly, which made me recall the day before when we'd been sat in the same position. It were almost as if he were trying to recreate it without realising...unless he did realise? I know I'd enjoyed the comfort I'd gotten from it, maybe he had too?

I sucked in a breath, feeling brave as I took a large gulp of my drink - Damn I forgot how much I love scotch - and moved to sit beside him, facing out towards the city as the sun began to set.

"I can't remember the last time I had a drink with a friend" I admitted, "Well, unless you count hot coco, and the friend is my child"

Hikaru laughed, the amusement meeting his hazel eyes.

"You know what, honestly me neither. Even when I head to bars it's always alone"

"That sounds sad"

"It is" he murmured with a smirk.

"I would have thought you'd have countless friends"

He shrugged, "I don't have time for friends. My life is here. Once I head home it's just me"

"Not even friends from school? Childhood friends? Neighbours?"

He shook his head, "Nope" he admitted, "Just me"

Wow. I'd always thought people like Hikaru would have a black book filled with friends. I imagined Saturday brunches and dinner dates booked weeks in advance. Maybe some buddies to watch football with? But no one?

Maybe we were similar in that way. My entire life was centred around Emi. I had Renge of course and a couple of friends from college I still texted back and forth, but I never went out for dinner, I never took a day off to have a girls day. Even when Emi was with Dad I simply took the time to clean the house or prepare for work. Honestly Hikaru was probably the only person I could really consider a close friend. I did see him everyday after all, and yesterday had been the first time in months I'd had someone over who wasn't my father. Even now, just sitting together, drinks in hand, talking so casually, was the first hint of freedom I'd had since I couldn't even remember when.

"I had fun yesterday" he said, "It was nice not thinking about work for a change"

I nodded, "Me too"

"And Emi is..." a smile touched his face, "Well, she's great. You must be so proud of her"

My heart beamed.

"I am" I replied, "Although I do worry sometimes that she's missing out. There's only so much I can do and be there for"

"Why would she be missing out?"

I blew out a breath, taking another drink of scotch to earn an extra moment to collect my thoughts.

"I'm only one person, and when I decided to have her I thought I had it all figured out. But honestly. I was 24. I didn't know a goddamn thing about having a kid" I admitted, laughing dryly.

"Isn't that what all parents say? Kaoru and Kimiko were all rose tinted glasses until Kazue arrived. Then all those fantasies they had went out the window when they began panicking if they were doing things wrong. I can't imagine how hard it probably is"

"Before Emi I could barely keep a plant alive"

"You're 4 years in, you seem to be going a good job"

I smiled sadly. I hoped I was.

"Hey" he breathed, then much like the day before, a grounding warmth enveloped my hand, and I felt Hikaru's thumb trail gently over my knuckle. I didn't give it much thought, nor did I weigh any meaning behind it. Because it was nice. It was what I needed. Tingles trailed up my arm, cradling my heart that honestly could have been breaking, "I know I can be a sarcastic ass, but...you can talk to me"

I took a sobering breath. And for some reason, I couldn't help but take his every word as fact.

I allowed myself to enjoy the feeling of his fingers laced between mine for a moment longer before continuing. Letting all the words I'd kept to myself settle on the tip of my tongue.

"My Mom passed away when I was 5" I said, "And aside from not having her there, I never felt like I was different to the other kids, or missing out on anything my friends had. But as I got older, I started to wonder how different it would have been to have at least one parent home all the time I was. My Dad worked a lot to keep us going, to make sure I had all the things my friends had so I wouldn't notice that we didn't have as much money as the kids who had two working parents. But that meant he wasn't home a lot, I had to learn pretty young to take care of myself. I ended up having to grow up pretty fast, to be my Dad's rock when he came home exhausted after a double shift. He was doing his best, I know that, he had no other choice"

I scanned Hikaru's reaction.

He was calm, attentive, hanging on my every word. It was comforting.

So I continued.

"I'm lucky to have my Dad around for Emi. It means she doesn't have to shoulder any responsibilities like I did. And yes, it was my choice to have her so young, and I knew it would only be her and I. But I worry she's going to grow up remembering how her Mother was working so much, and I can already see how independent and strong she is, just like me when I was her age. I get scared she'll grow up too fast because she feels like she has to, I want her to enjoy being a kid. Maybe that's why I make sure all my free time is spent with her, I want her to have all the experiences of being a child before responsibility smacks her in the face and takes away that smile"

I'd never voiced these worries out loud before. Not to Dad, not to Renge. These thoughts had been saved only for me. A torment I never intended to speak out loud. And yet, here I was. Spilling out my deepest fears, to my boss no less.

No. Not boss. Not right now. Not in this moment.

In this moment he was my friend. My confidant. The one person I felt like I could trust.

Hikaru had somehow become a grounding technique for me, I wasn't sure how or when, but he was. I knew anything I told him he would listen, and above all, he would tell me the truth.

"Look at me" Hikaru said, a cool and steady tone that caught me in a spell.

I did.

"You are an amazing Mother" he said, "Emi is happy, she's taking care of. She's bright, and she's creative, and she's caring, and she's everything you could ever wish a child to be. And she will grow up to be just as amazing as you are. Hell, I hate kids, but Emi even managed to win me over with just a candy bar. She's not missing out on anything. Sure, she doesn't have a Dad, but you're worth more than just a Mother or a Father. You're her everything Haruhi"

His words trailed off. And I felt my heart hammer in my chest.

All I saw was him. This man. A look of pure honesty in his eyes, and perhaps something more.

I could barely bring myself to blink, in fear that beautiful sight in front of me would simply disappear.

Then his palm lifted to my cheek, cradling it gently, as if he were scared I'd break. I couldn't help but lean into his touch, enjoying just how right it felt to be held by him. No rational thought, no questioning. Feeling was the only thing I could act on. I was a slave to it.

Instinct.

Then my eyes fell shut.

And my lips were finally claimed by his.


Anyone else feeling hot or is it just me?

Sorry about the delay on this one, I'm starting a new job in 2 weeks so I've been a busy bee handing over my current job to my replacement. But hopefully this was worth the wait! The next update will be quicker I promise!

Please remember to Review/Favourite/Follow!

Stay safe and be kind to one another!
- Yuli xx