On another note, some of you might notice that one of the things Shia's mom says is a direct quote of Momiji's mother from Natsuki Takaya's Fruits Basket. As I'm a fan of that as well, I wanted to add it as I saw it fit, so note this as a disclaimer for that.
As always, I do not own The Prince of Tennis or it's characters. And don't worry, everyone else comes back next chapter, I swear it!
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If Nanjiro Echizen had thought the things he learned from the daughter were terrible, they didn't even compare to the things the mother had told him. At his side a golden retreiver waged it's tail, seemingly oblivious to the mix of emotions Nanjiro was feeling. He shivered, he couldn't help it, and then shook his head as he walked over and opened the back of the truck for the dog to get in. The dog, Samson, ignored him and jumped into the empty door for the drivers seat, but moved over respectfully when Nanjiro came to climb up. He had decided a while ago to just let the dog be at times like this. He turned the key and started the car, the purr of the engine the only seemingly good thing he had heard all day. As he drove away his thoughts drifted back to the events that had happened in the house he was leaving behind.
(Just a memory people, don't be confused, please.)
He knocked on the door, a bit nervous to meet this woman he had heard had done so many things that were just immoral. The person who came to the door, however, was not what he had expected at all. The woman who stood before him depicted a happy live at home mom, an apron on and a still warm cookie tray filled with freshly baked cookies.
"Hi," she said in a cheery vioce, which he noticed, was a allot like Shia's, "Can I help you Sir?"
"Yeah," he said, quickly regaining his composure, Shia had warned him not to fall for her act, "Could I come inside? I'd rather not talk about this on your front step."
"Of coarse!" Her voice seemed to sing and she lead him inside, then hurried off to put the tray of cookies in the kitchen to cool. She came back in and made herself confortable on the couch as Nanjiro settled into a chair. "Now," she said,"What did you wish to talk to me about?"
"I've come here about your daughter," he said, and he saw the woman's shoulders tense up a bit, but she forced herself to look fairly calm, if not a bit worried about her daughter.
"Oh! She's alright isn't she?" she asked in a worried tone, "She hurried out yesterday and never came home! I haven't called the police because you have to wait 24 hours before you place a missing person issue, but I've been worried sick! Where is she?"
"She's at my house, ma'am, she's fine," His eyes flashed in a way they hadn't for a long time, "At least she is now, when we found her she was a mess, but I don't need to tell you about that, you already know." Her shoulders tensed up a little bit more.
"Oh? How could I know such a thing? I haven't seen my daughter since she ran out yesterday," the woman said, looking slightly hurt and confused.
"You know perfectly well what happened to your daughter because you did it to her," Nanjiro told her looking her straight in the eyes to let her know that he'd seen past her disquise. "She was lucky that my son found her passed out on the sidewalk and brought her back to our house. I'm not even sure how he got her to talk to us, but I found it all sickening." The woman was looking down now, her eyes shadowed.
"You find what I've done disgusting?" She asked, "Then you've seen nothing of that child. Not a thing. You've been deceived in a way you can never comprehend." She looked up, her eyes hard, "She's only told you half of the truth and a half a truth is of no use." Nanjiro didn't say anything for a moment so she continued, "I do not regret what I've done. My only regret in this life is that that thing came from my body." She looked at him with the eyes of a wounded animal that refused to be captured, in her he could see the wolf snarling, "If you want to take her away from me you can, I'll sign every document you put before me to get the demon out of my life. I'll move again, settle down where no one knows me and live a life uncursed or burdened by a child like that." Nanjiro stood up and carefully pulled out some documents that he had gathered before he came there.
"I didn't plan to leave here with Shia still in your custody," He told her, "I don't plan to take her in, but anywhere would be better for her than here. I see that very clearly now. All you have to do is sign the papers." He looked her in the eye with a bit of sorrow, "Sign the papers and you'll be free of this thing you call a demon. I hope you one day see that she is still a child and you have judged her too harshly." The woman took the papers without another word and signed on every dotted line she could see, then thrust the papers back at him.
"I'm leaving in a week," She said.
"I'll be back with Shia before then to get her stuff out of here," His eyes were ice and his tone matched, "I'll come when you're sure to not be home so that you never see you demon again. You don't deserve it. I'm taking the dog now." The woman said nothing else, but called the dog, which was wimpering, put a leash on it and then shoved the leash into his hands. He took the dog and the papers and headed out the door.
(End flashback)
Ryoma glanced at his watch as he and Shia took a break. What had started out as a tennis match had quickly changed into something of a joke for Shia, where she would make him lose concentration right before he hit a ball, causing control to be lax. She kept reminding him of earlier and making him blush. Still, it had been a while since his father left and he couldn't help but notice the time that had passed. He was about to tell Shia this when a string of shouts told him that his father was home and, judging by the curses Nanjiro was thundering, he had managed to get the dog. This was comfirmed when Samson bounded around the corner with his leash still on his collar and sniffed out his master, who greeted him happilly.
Nanjiro rounded the corner soon afterward, rubbing his head. It hurt because the dog had knocked him over when it raced past to get to Shia. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the happy look on the girl's face and it didn't hurt that Ryoma looked ever so slightly less annoyed than usual. As he watched, he sighed, thinking about what Shia's mother had said about not telling the whole truth. He had known that they were keeping something from him when they said that they didn't quite know what the beatings were for. Her mother was right about one thing, despite everything else, a half a truth was of no use.
Shia didn't know how long she would last. It was much harder to lie to people she saw at school, but if she was going to stay with these people for a while... She didn't like even the thought of deceiving these people, even though she had been deceiving for so long. She forced herself to think about it as something else, it wasn't nesicarily lieing was it? She had never lied to these people. Ryoma had in saying that they didn't know the reason for the beatings, but her silence could not be called disception could it? She never misslead them from the truth. Ryoma told her to trust him, that he would protect her. It scared her to admit that she was leaning on another human being so much. She had never done this before, it stirred up an odd feeling inside of her that she couldn't quite place. Her eyes were lowered to the ground, but she knew what faces were around her. Nanjiro was smiling, but there was concern hidden behind the mask and Ryoma was scowling as they all got ready to head for the house for dinner. She lingered behind for just a moment, the father and son to rapped up in an arguemnet to really notice. Shia took a deep breath, then spoke in a shaking voice before she could stop herself, "I'll tell... I'll tell you everything... just..." She looked up with sad eyes, but refused to cry, "...Don't hate me."
Ryoma was stunned, he moved over to Shia, "What are you doing?" he asked quietly, "You don't have to do this. I'll protect you, I promise." Shia looked at him with a faint smile.
"I know you will Ryoma, but not now," She said, "Now... I have to tell... You've all done so much for me... I never dreamed I could experience something like this."
"Soon you'll be living like this," Nanjiro said, his sharp ears having caught their words. "Your mother has signed off all custody of you." He smiled, thinking it somewhat comical, "I never thought I'd be so happy to tell a kid they're an orphan" Shia laughed and hugged Nanjiro, and then Samson.
And finally Ryoma, whom she hugged tighter then anyone else and her expression seemed to brighten even more. He was only slightly annoyed that she had hugged the dog first, since the smell stil hung on her clothes slithly, but he forced the thought away, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered right now. Nothing but her happiness, her embrace, the smell of her hair (Which served as a great substitute for the dog smell), and his own happiness for her. Still, fear lingered at the back of his mind and he had to wonder. What happened from here?