Title: Grandchild

Summary: Yuki contemplates all that has transpired as he sits with Tohru, watching their grandchild, the daughter of his and Machi's daughter and Kyo and Tohru's son, play in the yard.

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Family

Rating: T

Word Count: 861

I wasn't a very good father or husband. I think Machi realized early on that I hadn't proposed out of love, and yet, she still bore me my only child, my daughter. I think I love her, though I'm not sure. She's my child, so in an obligatory sense, I do love her, but I was distant and not very affectionate. I'm sure, even as a child, that she knew I wished she had a different mother. She resented me for this when she entered high school, and we fought, or she fought with me. I didn't argue back. It's probably not what you think. I'm not a pushover father. I don't just let her win arguments and don't fall into tears because she's angry. I can't argue with her because all her accusations are right.

I don't love her, and I don't love her mother. We reconciled somewhat before she left for college. I say reconciled, but she just seemed to accept the fact that I couldn't love her or her mother. She grew as distant as I had always been, and I can't say that really hurt me. Seeing her, however, did hurt me. She looked just like her mother, and it was just a guilty reminder of what I was doing to both Machi and my own daughter.

I grew more withdrawn after she left for college because it was just me and Machi then. I must admit I grew some respect for Machi during our marriage because never once has she shown any resentment towards me for what I did to her or our daughter. She never once asked for a divorce. She never once even said a bad thing about Tohru, but I guess it would have been rather difficult to realize I was in love with Tohru and had been all along since I dutifully avoided her as much as possible as well, though for different reasons. I think I've seen her a total of six times since her marriage to Kyo, but I know she's happily married, unlike me, and she has a son. A son with bright orange hair and amber eyes. She has a son and husband she loves very much.

Maybe Machi noticed when we began seeing Kyo and Tohru more often after our daughter and their son got engaged. I was surprised at their announcement, but how could I have seen any of the signs when I barely talked to or even saw her? Tohru was overjoyed at the news and did most of the planning with my daughter and my brother. I think I saw more of my daughter in those few months of her engagement than I did in her whole life, though it's evident I didn't have the purest reasons for showing my face so often then.

I think I am to blame for the hastiness of her marriage and the start of her family. She must have been eager to have a proper loving family after living with me as her father. She must have been eager to have the happy family she saw that her new husband had. I can't blame her.

This all happened two years ago. Now I was at my daughter's new house, sitting on their porch with Tohru beside me, my hand on top of hers, casually, and watching our one-year-old granddaughter wobble around on the front lawn while Kyo was sparring with his son in the backyard and Machi was catching up with our daughter inside.

"She's adorable, isn't she, Yuki-kun?" Tohru gushed as our granddaughter, Kyoko, ran up to us, giggling and holding out a daisy for Tohru.

"Yes… she looks just like you, Tohru-san," I noted as Tohru lifted the child onto her lap.

"Really? You think so? I think she looks like you. She has your eyes anyways."

I just smiled. Kyoko had gray eyes, but they resembled mine only in color. They were large and round like Tohru's. She has mahogany hair like Tohru's, rather than dark brown like Machi's. Actually, she didn't seem to have any of Machi's or Kyo's features. I'm sure if a stranger saw us right now, they'd think Kyoko was Tohru's and mine. We'd both had our children rather young after all, so we didn't exactly look like grandparents yet.

What the strangers passing by on the sidewalk in front of us saw was all I ever wanted. To sit next to Tohru with a child on her lap who grasped at my shirt, in front of a newly built house, surrounded with blooming flowers, with all three of us smiling.

The problem with this scene was that it was an illusion, so as all ephemeral idealizations must, it fled with the encroachment of reality.

It ended minutes later when Machi and our daughter walked out, done with their talk, and Kyo and his son moved their sparring match to the front. My daughter took Kyoko, and Tohru left to go tend to her son, who had just missed dodging one of Kyo's kicks. Then, Machi took the seat Tohru had vacated.

I sighed, and my smile vanished with the dream.