Her Favorite Boy
By Y. M. H.O
Chapter 13: Is Too Much
"Come, come, Mikan. I'll teach you how to swim!" A melodic, light voice cut through the air and through the cold granite walls of the manor to reach the eras of an unsuspecting child.
And quite unfortunately, it had come at the expense of half the servants' eardrums as well. A head adorned with short, boyish, auburn hair turned to attention.
"What's happening, Mum?" Her voice, although quite small due to her young age, cut through the air as horribly as her mother's. She set down the train and muttered a quick apology to Thomas.
"I'll teach you how to swim!" Came the muffled reply, and the servants had yet to cover their ears once more. A splash was heard.
"What?" The child bellowed once more and went to the window. She stood on her tiptoes to reach the lever to no avail.
"I said… I'LL TEACH YOU HOW TO SWIM!" A maid dropped a glass vase in shock at the volume of their master's voice. The remaining servants in the area huddled together in the corner in fear; hands to their ears.
"What do you… MUM I CAN'T UNDERSTAND A WORD THAT-" The little girl stretched further to get a better view, and was about to release another reply of eardrum's doom when a cool voice interrupted her.
"And what is the need for all this shouting?" A young man in his early thirties walked forward in a steady pace. The little girl turned around with a frown.
"Mummy's saying something but I can't understand her…" She trailed off and reached for the lever, frustrated. The man chuckled and took a peak out of the window, while the child's brow furrowed in impatience.
"Gods, what is your mum doing in there?" He muttered and looked down at his daughter.
"She said she wants to… something?" The five-year-old replied uncertainly. Her father glanced out the window once more.
"I think she wants to teach you, er, how to swim?" It was Izumi's turn to frown. He opened the window nonetheless.
"Yuka, what in the world are you doing there?" He spoke in a well-regulated voice that the servants in the corner clapped in appreciation. Yuka flashed a grin.
"I'm going to teach our daughter how to swim! I'll teach you too, Izu!"
"But… In a fountain?" Came an exasperated reply.
Mikan grinned and turned to gather the train parts she left a few minutes ago. Izumi spun around.
"Aren't you going to join your mother downstairs?" Mikan nodded calmly and reached for the train tracks cautiously. This is one of the most important parts, she muttered to herself. Thomas might not complete his journey—
"Why don't you let the servants fix those for you? They'll be happy to do so, I'm sure." She nodded absent-mindedly, counting the pieces.
"I can do this by myself, Father. I'm alright." She grinned, surprising him into silence before running for the door.
A cold hand closed around hers, and she jumped in surprise.
"Are you not alright?"
Natsume leaned towards her in worry, raising his hand still enclosed around hers. The gesture was not lost to Hotaru who was sitting across them. Mikan quickly withdrew her hand from his and smiled shakily.
"Yes."
"I asked if you are not alright."
"Oh. I'm alright." She laughed awkwardly and tried to smile at Hotaru who was staring out of the window to ignore them.
"You said you aren't fine. What's wrong?" He asked, this time more pressing. She glanced at Hotaru and imitated the action.
"Nothing. I'm fine, really." She responded, and yelped when she found her hand in his once more. Mikan stared at him, wide-eyed, while Natsume merely avoided her gaze.
"At least let me hold you like this." He mumbled and squeezed her hand. Mikan smiled and squeezed back.
"Oh look. The car's stopped." Hotaru voiced out suddenly and pointed at the windshield. Truly, the limousine carrying Yuki, Kaoru and Aoi has stopped before a restaurant. Their car followed soon after.
"We're really dining here." She continued, just to clear the air and pointed at the sign.
Wal Fu
She grabbed the handle and stepped out without another word.
The windows rattled; the harsh winds howling outside, sending a spark of fear to a young boy hiding behind a pillar.
But there was nothing to fear, he reasoned with himself—the manor was unyielding despite its age. The walls were a variance of granite, bricks and marble from different countries all over the world, and the repairs were done as soon as a fault appeared. He was safe, they were all safe, there was nothing to fear—
"Come, Tamaki. Let's sit here by the fire." The voice of his mother startled him from his thoughts, and he dared a peek.
All inhabitants of the manor have gathered at the living room where a huge fireplace was. The fire was raging, he noticed, the hearth filled with enough wood to last a few hours.
"Come, Tamaki. You must be cold." Another voice urged him, and he glanced shyly at the other servants before taking a step towards the huge circle they've made. After the small step, he felt the immediate change. He felt the warmth seep in his cold, bare toes and to his fingertips. It felt good that he found himself smiling.
DUMPH
The smile was wiped off his face when a loud thunderclap was heard. He ran.
"Tamaki, be careful, you might have slipped." His mother scolded him when he cowered behind her. Then he heard a light laugh from across the room, quite unfamiliar in all the months he's stayed there.
"You have quite a boy there, Anne." An attractive woman smiled at him and he ducked once more, earning a new round of laughter.
"Don't be scare, come here." His mother whispered and placed him on her lap. He felt himself blush at the babyish action.
"Oh, he's handsome, albeit an easily frightened one." The woman cooed and waved at him. He blushed again, torn between leaving the room or staying in the warmth, before he caught sight of a girl sitting beside the attractive woman.
She had wavy, auburn hair that shone in the firelight, and it was cut just above her shoulders. He vaguely wondered how it would feel like if he ran his hands through her hair.
Tamaki averted his gaze when he noticed himself staring, and hoped that it went unnoticed as the chattering continued in the room. He let himself glance at her again and almost hid behind his mother when he saw her staring straight at him. Unsmiling.
"Tamaki, isn't it.?" She called out with a small voice and reached out for a chicken drumstick from the box before her. He looked behind him, uncertain that he was the one she was talking to. Finding no one in attention, he pointed at himself hesitantly. The girl across him didn't make any movement and after a few seconds, he nodded nervously.
Then she smiled.
"Hi Tamaki. I think you're brave." She reached out and offered him the drumstick, which he took with trembling hands. He didn't know if it was the cold or the nervousness. He tried to smile back when the attractive woman gasped.
"Mikan! Why did you give him the Chinese honey-dipped chicken!" She exclaimed, staring with horror at the piece in his hand.
"What's the matter, Yuka?" A handsome, young man sitting on the other side of the girl chuckled.
"Chinese! Chinese food is terrible!" She shouted and closed the lid of the box before her daughter, pushing it away from the rest of the food.
"Chinese food is terrible, it corrupts the soul!"
"I didn't know Uncle Yuki loves Chinese food." Hotaru remarked, walking by Natsume's side while Mikan lagged behind.
The restaurant was adorned in magnificent gold and red, the sign before them raised like the sun. The steps were embedded with broken tiles, positioned to resemble a dragon with its mouth open, breathing fire.
Beyond the glass doors, everything exuded elegance.
"My mother loves Chinese food, apparently, he does too." Natsume hummed and nodded at the receptionist. Hotaru smiled up at him.
"Yes… Well, I heard that Chinese food is food for the soul."
Mikan stumbled on the marble surface that the two before her, stared.
"I'm okay, I'm okay."
"Oh children, there you are!" A high-putched voice sounded and they turned to a beaming Kaoru seated beside Yuki. Mikan stiffened at the sight and was almost out of the door if not for Natsume's hand on her arm.
Kaoru motioned them forward enthusiastically and they sat down in the circular table of six, with Kaoru between Yuki and Aoi, Mikan between Aoi and Natsume, and Natsume between Mikan and Hotaru. Hotaru sat down conveniently beside Yuki, who nodded silently.
'I've already ordered for us so the food would be served sooner…" She tattled. Yuki placed an arm around her shoulders and she paused, a blush forming on her cheeks.
"Oh gods, I love Chinese food, they're food for the soul, you know that? This restaurant serves authentic Chinese food."
Mikan felt numbed as she watched her father's arm around Kaoru, and the smile they exchanged.
Why didn't he tell me?
Questions kept on forming inside her head, questions that repeated over and over again—but wait. That was to be expected.
Her father had been alone for too long, too long with without her mother beside him to make him laugh, and kiss away his troubles. It's only natural for him to find someone else, no one could blame him for that.
But why, why didn't he tell her? Her mind questioned. She found herself nodding at the simplicity of the answer.
Her father hated her.
She didn't know why, only when. He started shunning her when Yuka died, when he was left alone. Oh.
It was alright, after all. This was his happiness and she wasn't going to stand in its way.
She raised her head to meet Yuki's hard gaze, and smiled. Her father blinked in surprise.
"Umm, sorry. I was too caught up in my head a while ago, but I want to congratulate you. Congratulations for finding each other and falling in love." The table quieted and Kaoru smiled gratefully.
"Oh, Mikan. Thank you." But Mikan wasn't looking at her; she was staring at Yuki, who had very different emotions in his eyes, quite far from gratitude. Guilt, maybe? Guilt for not telling her sooner?
'When are you going to tell them that I'm your daughter?'
Kaoru's babbling was interrupted when the waiters, clad in glinting crimson and gold uniforms, arrived with their food, carrying several plates and a huge casserole. Aoi squirmed with anticipation that Natsume had to crack a smile.
"So let's eat. Dig away, children." Kaoru clasped her hands together and reached for one of the plates. The others soon followed.
"This is delicious, Yuki! I'm glad we stumbled upon this restaurant years ago." She praised, raising a dimsum with her fork while Yuki just chuckled and tucked away a stray strand of raven hair.
"Mom, you just don't stumble upon a restaurant this big." Aoi grumbled, a noodle dripping sauce at the side of her mouth.
"But honey, we did. It was a summer last…" She giggled, leaving the sentence hanging, to sip the chicken soup. Mikan looked up with interest.
"If you don't mind me asking, Aunt Kaoru. How did you two meet?" She asked in a polite tone, giving a reassuring smile at Yuki whose eyes narrowed a millimeter. Hotaru stared between the two of them before feigning interest at the shrimp on her plate.
"How we met? Hmm. It was all those years ago, I can't exactly remember—and please don't look too shocked." She warned and pointed at them with her fork. Aoi nodded excitedly and leaned forward.
"We met at a club."
Mikan watched curiously as her mother retrieved clothes from the wardrobe and placed them inside the small, brown duffel bag she gave her last Christmas.
She was humming to herself, a distinct tone that Mikan didn't exactly know the title of, only it had the hooking melody and lyrics: 'wouldn't it be nice to be young forever…'
"Mikan?" Her mother had zipped the bag and was gazing at her with a raised eyebrow. She shuffled forward.
"Umm… Where are you going, Mum?" Yuka sat on the bed with a 'plop' and motioned at the space beside her. Mikan obliged.
"You want to come with me?" She asked and stroked Mikan's hair once she had settled beside her. Her daughter's eyebrows creased.
"Where are you going, Mum?"
"Well, I'm feeling a bit lonely." Yuka smiled down at her and pointed at the latter's filthy hands. Mikan hid her hands behind her back with a glare.
"Where are you going, Mum?" She repeated and Yuka sighed, her facial muscles relaxing.
"I'm going to the sea, Mikan. Would you like to come with me?" She asked, a gentle smile gracing her lips.
"But why the sea?" Mikan was confused and her hands were itchy. A part of her regretted playing with the garden rake from the shed…
"I'm… I'm just lonely. So would you like to see the sea?" She tilted her head at the homonym and began to laugh, only to be racked with coughs. Mikan regarded her worriedly but the other raised a hand before she could speak. The coughing stopped after a few minutes, and Yuka quickly hid her hand from view. She smiled at her daughter.
"If you're lonely, why not go to parties where there'll be a lot of laughs and jokes and drinks and food?" She questioned and the older merely grinned.
"Mikan, when you're lonely, don't go to discos, parties, clubs and the likes. You won't be happy there." She reasoned and grabbed a handkerchief to wipe her hand with, without her child noticing her actions. Mikan just stared at her, puzzled.
"You don't lose your loneliness because of other people. Being around others just hides it from view, under what you mentioned earlier… under the laughter and the smiles and everything that should exude happiness.
"After a while, when all is done and you are walking away back into your own life, you would feel the layers of laughter and smiles and everything slowly peel away from your loneliness, and that's leaves you raw. The loneliness hits you, slow and piercing, that you would wish you have never dared to hide it."
Mikan stared at her blankly, trying to process the big words and the meaning of their bizarre arrangement. Yuka stared back at her and laughed, ruffling her hair.
"So do you want to come with me?" She asked once more and tugged at her tiny hand.
"At a club? What do you mean 'at a club'?" Aoi asked incredulously, dropping a strand of noodle onto her plate. Hotaru continued eating quietly while Natsume simply stared.
"I know you're too young to know these details, but yes, we met at a club." Kaoru smiled wistfully and glanced at Yuki from the corner of her eyes.
"What? What's happening to the world?" Aoi exclaimed once more, altogether abandoning her food and flailing her arms. Some of the guests glanced at their direction before resuming their businesses.
"My dear… Okay, okay. If you wanted to know the details you should've told me earlier. We met at a club on one, hot night." I was lonely, you see, and I was dancing in the middle of the crowd when I felt as if… someone was watching me. And there he was, sitting casually by the bar, an untouched drink in his hand. He was staring right at me.
"I was lonely, and I figured that he was, too. So I gathered enough unfeminine courage and sauntered over to him. Then we hit it right off, we met every Thursday—"
"So where in the story do we fit in?" Aoi demanded. Natsume was past his shock and was nodding in agreement.
"Well, Natsume was at home but you weren't born—" Kaoru broke off and coughed the last words. Her crimson eyes widened, different emotions flashing in them—caution, guilt and all the things in between, but most dominant was guilt.
Mikan, who was listening quietly, felt a tug in her gut, warning her that something was wrong. She kept her mouth shut.
Kaoru laughed awkwardly, snatching a piece of chicken leg and dumping it on Aoi's plate.
"Well! The details… the details don't matter. We just knew that we were right for each other, that's all. Eat some more, children!" She was stuttering and her voice raised an octave higher, that the tugging in Mikan's gut was more insistent. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
"I think your mother's exhausted. I think you should ask for the details some other time, but not now." Yuki's eyes flashed a warning into his daughter's, but she stared at him, filled with dread.
Yukiharas' intuition is never wrong.
"Oh… Okay." Aoi relented and picked up her fork, the relief was obvious in Kaoru as her shoulders slumped, the tension in them diffusing. Yuki squeezed her hand beneath the table.
"Yuki, I almost forgot. Today's also the graduation of your delinquent daughter, right?" Kaoru asked, a smile flitting to her lips. A figure across the table froze.
"Yes." Was only Yuki's reply, turning his attention to his plate.
"Ooh… It's a miracle she even graduated. The way you talked about her screamed delinquent, reckless and—"
"Dumb." Hotaru was surprised at her sudden outburst, and so was everyone else. Yuki turned to her with a smile, and Hotaru froze. It was the first time he showed her this kind of recognition, this kind of respect—
"Yes. I think I might've told you that she's delinquent, reckless, and dumb." The gentleman smiled, earning a giggle from the woman sitting next to him.
"Oh, Yuki. We should meet her before you leave her alone to what she wants. Who knows, she'll be a spectacle." Kaoru giggled and clasped her hands. Hotaru smiled in encouragement.
"What do you mean by 'leave her alone to what she wants'?" Natsume demanded, shooting his mother a look.
"She means that I will set my daughter free, with my money of course, to her own free will. No more privileges from me after." Yuki gently explained, as if it was simple addition to a child. Mikan's eyes widened but Natsume was too occupied to notice.
"What?" He snapped. Kaoru gave him a disapproving look.
"It's what the daughter wants; it's what the daughter gets. Simple as that dear—" Natsume stared at his mother with disbelief then at Yuki who was looking back at him coolly.
"—so let's continue eating now. The food is getting cold… it might do the same to the soul!" She finished and kicked Natsume's shin. The latter gave no reaction and simply stared between the two of them.
"I don't think—"
"Oh, you are so right Aunt Kaoru and… Uncle Yuki. Your daughter is delinquent and reckless and dumb, meaningless altogether." The cold crawled to her neck, like ice that clenched its claws around her heart. Goosebumps appeared on her bare arms and Mikan's knuckles were white from the strain. Natsume found no words. She felt her blood run cold.
"Yes." Kaoru nodded approvingly, stabbing a piece of meat with her fork.
The three-tier chandelier that burned gold suddenly seemed brighter, the people walking past them a blur, and time, time slowed.
"She's cold and cruel, who bullies her classmates just for the fucking heck of it." The people around the table froze, as the other guests on surrounding tables within earshot. But Mikan was smiling, smiling so manically that no one dare interrupt her. Yuki spoke.
"Yes."
"Oh my, hun. I remember you telling me that she even edited her class cards to make it seem she wasn't failing…" Kaoru's hand flew to her lips, her eyes widening in memory.
"Oh my gods, Aunt Kaoru, you're so right. She's s totally horrible person you wouldn't want to meet. She even loathes Chinese food because it corrupts the soul!" Mikan continued, mimicking the lady's expression and chucking a piece of chicken into her mouth.
"She's all that… and more." Yuki finished, snaking an arm around Kaoru's shoulders. The temperature dropped as the conversation silenced, all observants but Yuki staring at Mikan.
"But how do you know all those, Mikan-nee?" She voiced, tilting her head in confusion.
Mikan laughed.
"Because I know her. I know her quite well, actually. She's such a pitiful creature. Her mother died when she was just seven," Natsume gasped.
"and.. and after that she was left all alone. She was the only child, you see. Her father hated her so, so much to the point of abandoning her after years of loathing and neglect. Yes," She nodded enthusiastically at the struck faces of her little audience.
"Izumi Yukihara. Known to you as… Yuki. Nice nickname, by the way." She grinned at her father so forcefully that the dimple on her left cheek showed.
"But the layers upon layers of hatred weren't enough! He suddenly decided to have a new family! Imagine that, she was left all alone in their home for countless Christmases, birthdays and death anniversaries of his wife, while he went on having lunches, dinners, and celebrations—being a father to his new family his daughter knew nothing about!" Mikan's voice rose and she was trembling so much. Natsume couldn't bring himself to touch her. She stood up stiffly, smoothing the edges of her white dress.
"Oh, and just to clear things up. I'm Mikan Sakura Yukihara…. Whew, I haven't heard of that for a long time." The restaurant hushed, that even a single drop of fork could be heard. The guests and servers alike turned to her outburst.
Mikan lifted up her plate silently, and just as slowly, tossed its contents at Kaoru and Yuki. Gasps were elicited from every direction while Mikan just set the plate down, and smiled her sweetest.
"You make a lovely family, Father."
It's done and the secret is out! But is that the only secret the couple is hiding? Mwahaha. If you read closely enough and go back to another chapter, you'll see.
The Tamaki here is the Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club. I just tweaked his story so that instead of France, they stayed in Japan, shunned by his grandmother. He'll come back soon.
This story had me thinking.
What's worse? Having a father who hated you all along, or a father who was once kind and loving, but hated you eventually?
Reviews are hugged and appreciated!
Y. M. H. O