It's been so long. Too busy, as always. I wanna have a break. Oh, dear.
Here's a break. Too short. But well, let's just see. :)
Enjoy!
The Rose In Between
by four-eyed 0-0
CHAPTER EIGHT
Her coffee felt cold inside her mouth. The pancake did not taste right. Everything was wrong. The seat to her right was empty and void of the chatterbox who always joined her during breakfast. He instead was up in his room.
Inoue released her fork and stood from the table, having long lost the appetite. She headed to the living room and sat herself on the couch, staring into blank space. Her eyes were still puffy and her nose was runny from the night's events.
She could not believe it yet. Her son was mad at her. And his father had kissed her of his own volition.
Shaking her head as butterflies had come suddenly raging in her stomach, she decided it best to see if her son was in any mood to talk at least civilly.
The door that led to his room was ajar when she caught sight of it and she approached it, walking on the balls of her feet to avoid the excess noise her heels made. Through the narrow opening, she could see Hiro sitting at the foot of his bed, eyes swollen and nose red. She took a deep breath as she gripped the knob, and knocked gently on the door, causing him to jump from his position. She did not wait for him to catch sight of her before going inside, walking toward him at a very shaky way. He was not looking at her.
"Hiro… dear…" Inoue waited, but the boy just stared at the blank space opposite her. She took three more steps so that she was a good two feet away from her son. "Hiro, son, can we now talk?" Nothing. Tears were now forming in her eyes as she watched him, unmoved. "Son, look… I'm sorry," she said, now reaching for his small hand, which he tugged away. Inoue sat beside him, so that he inched farther from her. "I'm sorry I scolded you last night. I was just so… worried, so stressed. I'm so sorry, Hiro. Please forgive Mum,
she pleaded, reaching for his shoulder.
"Just leave, Mum. I don't want to talk to you yet."
"But—"
"I hope you learn from me the art of listening. This is precisely what you did to me. And to my dad."
Inoue's eyes widened and her chest pounded. "Your dad?"
Hiro sighed. "Ku-kun. He is my dad. He will be my dad from now on."
Inoue let out the breath that she was holding in both relief and worry. Mainly because of the fact that her son was so close to the truth and that he was so attached to Kurama now. "What do you mean? I can't have him as my husband."
"I'm not forcing you to marry him, Mum. I just want to have him as my father. He is a father to me. He was there for me yesterday when you were not and it's so unfair for you not letting him speak." He said all this with his back turned at her. "And please leave me alone now."
"Hiro—"
"Just leave."
She wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. "Okay, then. I'll pick you up at two."
"I'm seeing Dad this afternoon."
"No, you're not."
Hiro did not answer and Inoue knew she could not say anything for him to listen. She walked out of his room and headed for her car, thrusting the key in the ignition and kicked at the accelerator, speeding down the road, fuming. She could not do anything. She was pathetic.
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"Mum!"
Inoue whipped her neck to see her son running down the stairs just as she was sitting down the couch. She smiled and opened her arms to him. The boy kissed her cheek and sat on her lap, brandishing an envelope. It had been a week since they made up and occasionally, Kurama would be fetching the boy from school and dropping him home. She and the kitsune were not into speaking terms yet and she did not have to see him for the business project yet, so there was no problem. She just did not like the fact that Hiro had gone from calling him "Ku-kun" to calling him "Dad." It sure gave her the creeps.
"What's this, dear?"
"Open it, Mum."
She obliged and opened the flap, extracting a folded stack of papers, the top most piece read that the school would be holding its annual family day camp and that parents were invited to come.
"A camp? And games for parents and children?"
Hiro nodded feverishly. "And look, Mum, I will be needing a daddy to come along."
Inoue gulped. "Meaning?"
"Can I invite Dad to come with us?"
She knew it was coming. "Is that necessary? It's not said in the letter that both parents should come, if unavoidable."
Hiro slid from her lap to face her and placed both of his hands in her knees. "But, Mum, I wish to have at least a father figure in the camp. Don't you think it would be fun if you have a partner? Please, Mum, please, for me?"
In fear of what he might do, she just said, "Yes, it would be fun. But Kurama-san might not be available for that time."
"I'll take care of him."
"Hiro, he does not even look like a man." Inoue mentally slapped her face. What was she saying?
"What do you mean, Mum?"
Her hands wrapped around his shoulders and she muttered, "His hair's too long." Duh. She was so stupid.
"Don't worry." He smiled.
"But—"
"Come on, Mum. Please?"
She sighed. "All right. When will this be?" she asked, although she was scanning the letter.
"Fifth to seventh of August."
"My birthday?" she blurted.
"Yeah. This would be a great birthday, Mum."
So, that's it. And guess what? I'm uploading the next chapter! Just to make it up to you for the very late update, dears!
KuramaMustangElric: Haha. Real evil. But hopefully this and the next chap will lighten you up a bit. :)
Kaori Minaimino: That's it. Now it's time for the truth to prevail. Haha. :) Daddy Kurama is coming our way!
Reviews?
Thanks!
~four-eyed 0-0