Title: Home
Author: Ree
Theme: Preseries - Daddy's girl
Genre: general
Version: Anime/Manga
Rating: G

I asked for their stories and this is what they told me. I can't guarantee they're the truth, you will have to ask Takeuchi Naoko, to whom they belong to.

Home

Hiroki Aino had no idea how he had survived the plane crash. He had been traveling to Hong Kong on a business trip with a lay over in Indonesia. They never reached the layover. Instead, the plane plummeted to the ground over one of the smaller Indonesian islands. There had been nothing salvageable from the wreckage and he had found no other survivors after he had woke up on the hard ground. He could only assume that he had been blown clear before the plane caught fire; he had been sitting next to the emergency door. All that he had on him was one set of torn up clothes, a few yen in his pocket, and a picture of "Daddy's Girls". That had been two and a half years ago. Sometimes it felt like a lifetime ago.

He leaned against one of the pylons that the boat was tied to and pulled out the worn picture. Minako and Megami were smiling back at him. 'I'm almost home, girls. Almost.' Looking over his shoulder he waved to the captain. It had taken him almost a year, but he had succeeded in learning his shipmates' language and making friends with captain. But no matter where they went to port, he could not get a phone call home. It cost too much, more than he was carrying or his shipmates could lend him, and if there was an embassy, he could not gain access. His passport was lost and they were typically closed when he got to their gates. 'If it wasn't for the Captain taking me on, I would have never made it here.' He had worked his way home, doing his best as a seaman on board a cargo vessel that had finally landed near Tokyo.

He tucked the picture into his pocket. 'It is time to go.' Pushing off the pylon, he started across the pier. A hand on his shoulder stopped him. Turning about quickly, he saw the faces of the men who had become his friends over the past couple of years.

"Here Hiroki, we pulled together what we could. Hopefully it will help you get back to those girls you love." Santo shoved a wad of yens into his hand.

"I....I don't know what to say." Hiroki accepted the offered money and bowed towards them. "Thank you."

" 't'salright. Now get going. They have waited long enough." His shipmates cheered him on as he left the dock.

-------

With his heart beating fast, a small sea bag over his shoulder, and "Daddy's Girls" clutched between his fingers, Hiroki knocked on the door.

Minako scampered from the living room and peered through the peephole. "Dad? Dad is that you?" Minako flung the door open. "Daddy!?" As Hiroki stepped in, she tackled him. "You're Here! You're Alive!!!"

It was Minako's screaming that brought Megami running from the kitchen. The sight that greeted her eyes almost caused her faint. Instead, she ran full tilt to the man that stood in the doorway only to skid to a halt about a foot away from him. Her eyes drank in the familiar shape. It was weathered, but it was still the one she saw every night in her dreams. 'Am I dreaming this? Is this for real?' "Hiroki?" Her voice cracked with uncertainty. She dared not to hope.

Hiroki looked at her, taking in the fear-clouded hope that seemed to surround her. Taking a step forward, carrying Minako who wouldn't let him go, he reached out to her and wrapped her in his free arm. "I'm home."

The smell of the sea that clung to him and his clothes convinced Megami she wasn't dreaming. None of her dreams had included smells, and she would never associate him with the sea. Collapsing into his embrace, she felt a relief so intense it almost matched the joy that was flooding through her. A million questions rushed through her mind. She dismissed them for now as she snuggled deeper and let out a small sigh. "Welcome back."

Hiroki knew that there was going to be a lot of questions and explaining to do. There was a lot of pieces of his life that he had to pick up and see what was repairable. But for just that moment, he refused to contemplate that. Instead he savored the feeling of holding his two girls in his arms again.