Rui, Talon, and Yuta all sit on the couch leaning forward, eyes out of sight, hands splayed like villains planning an evil scheme, with Kaito and Karasu stand on opposite ends of the couch, hands held like Italian mafia bodyguards.
“Daddy. You’re late. Where ya been?” Rui speaks up, raising her head like a mafia boss, talking with a noticeable Italian accent.
I get the memo instantly, and flick a cigarette out from my pocket and light it up and stick it in my mouth as I stuff one hand in my pocket.
“I been, uh…collecting debt. That’a problem boss?” I ask her.
“Yeah Daddy. It is a problem. We been missin’ you. And what you gonna do about it? How you gonna fix these two horribly hurt children?” She asks, as Talon and Yuta raise their heads, and let out tears they’ve practiced.
Eva stands to my side, very confused by the events.
“I think I’ma…I’ma give these two some sweet kisses.” I say.
“These two…they’a happy with. But this one, sweet ‘ol Rui, she knows what’s going on. You’re leaving soon aren’t you.” Rui says, as I take a dramatic drag of my cigarette.
“You’a keen one, ain’t ya? You right, I am leavin’ soon. So then, what you need ta make ya happy?” I ask.
“Take me with ya.” She responds.
“I don’ know. This’ll be hard work…It may be uh…dangerous. You sure ya wanna come?” I ask her.
“Yea Daddy. I am sure.” She responds, her face turning grave.
“Great, fine, I’ll take you.” I yield, dropping the accent.
She smiles, and all three run to me as I kneel down to hug them.
When my face is in grabbing distance, Rui reaches up, and grabs the cigarette before pressing it to her burned forehead to put it out.
I gasp, and swat it out of her hands before she can press it any longer.
“Why did you smack my hand?” She asks, frowning.
“It’s not ok to do that! What’s the motto?” I ask her.
“But it’s against the rule to smoke inside!” She explains.
“Doesn’t matter! What’s the motto?” I ask her.
“Fine.” She grumbles.
“Just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean it doesn’t damage scarring.” We say in unison.
“Okay. Remember that.” I tell her.
“Fine…But you are taking me along right?” She clarifies.
“Fine, yes, I’ll take you along Rui.” I yield.
She smiles, and wraps her arms around my neck when I hear grumbling to my side.
I turn to look, and I see Eva grumbling under her breath, with a dangerous look in her eyes.
“You had kids with another woman…?” She asks quietly.
“No, dumbass. I adopted them.” I explain, with an irritated look.
“Oh.” She mumbles.
I turn and introduce them. “This is Rui, my little fireball of scars. This is Talon, my crazy little girl with the grip of eagles. This is Yuta, my professional little fighter, with the cheeky smile of Yuji Itadori from JJK. Or the colossal titan from Attack on Titan.”
She glares at them, muttering something about how they could’ve been her kids.
I roll my eyes.
“So, I’m putting you guys to bed, and then you are coming with me, Rui.” I say.
“Yay!” They cheer as I stand and hold Rui in my arms.
As the kids run up the stairs to their individual rooms, Kaito comes up to me, lookin’ all serious.
“What are you planning? I swear to god if my little sister gets hurt because you pull some dumbass shi–” He gets cut off.
“There is no chance in hell, heaven, or the entire earth, that she’s getting hurt. But you seem to have forgotten who I am, Kaito. I built the fortune that bought this house and feeds my little ones with my damn bare fists. I have broken faces with these knuckles, so that these kids would not have a broken hear–” I get cut off as well.
“I can hear you, you know. This is kinda cringe.” Rui butts in.
“Hey! Pick between acting your age, and acting like a bored twenty year old” I scold her, tapping her lightly on her head.
She places her hands on the spot, tears welling in her eyes before kicking her feet against me and burying her face in my still bare chest. Did I seriously forget to change…?
“Your chest is really warm Daddy, and your heartrate is fast. Is it because that lady is watching you shirtless?”
“Uh…no?” I answer, not completely sure. I think it’s because she didn’t put the cigarette out, and it's currently pinned against my stomach and searing into my skin.
“Right…I never introduced you…Well, this is your new mommy. I knew her a long time ago, but we got separated, and just found each other again.” I explain, as I hold her up to Eva.
Rui holds her hands out, and makes a grabby motion for Eva to hold her.
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Eva stands there awkwardly, shifting side to side, clearly unsure of the motion’s meaning.
“She wants you to hold her, dumbass.” I answer her unasked question.
I’m just desperately trying to hand her off so I can get burn cream, this really hurts.
“Oh!” She exclaims, and takes Rui into her arms.
As she holds Rui, I run into the kitchen and rummage around from the burn spray.
“Hey daddy?” Rui asks.
“Yeah baby girl?” I respond.
“Is the new mommy gonna burn, screaming like how old mommy did?” She asks, with nothing bad in her tone, simply innocence.
“Hurk!” I grunt as I stand up, bumping my head on the counter, and dropping the burn spray.
“She gonna what?!” I ask, with my voice raised slightly, scaring Rui. This time, my voice scares Rui, and tears well up in her eyes, as she clenches her fists.
“Oh little spitfire, I didn’t mean to scare you…” I reassure her, as I return to hold her. “There there, no, new Mommy isn’t going to burn to death like old mommy. It’s ok…” I answer her very freakin’ morbid question.
I turn to Kaito and mouth to him.
“Why the heck does she remember that? I thought I crushed that memory?!” I convey silently.
Kaito shrugs desperately and starts making signs with his hands, before one look of “What the hell does that even mean.” stops him.
“Is daddy gonna burn, screaming at Kaito to go to hell, like how old daddy screamed at Hōka?” She asks, as her tears start drying.
My face locks in, my teeth grinding as I remember that smug, smirking face amid the flames.
Hōka can burn in hell.
He is Rui’s biological brother, one and the same as I mentioned earlier. The one who set fire to his home, for reasons I don’t know. I assume he was just psycho.
I was just taking a walk when fire trucks whizzed by, and I followed them, and I heard a wee little baby crying in the fire. One that the firemen couldn’t hear. I attribute it to Wrath.
I dashed in, ignoring the flames, and pushed off a charred woman, her mother, who sacrificed herself to save her daughter. Her father battled with the brother, fist to knife from what the first eye witness said they heard.
Under normal circumstances, I can’t adopt. It’s my age, I’m too young. But on account of how I dived in to save her, they deemed me as a kid who’d be a good dad.
I’m actually rather famous among the adoption area of the government, probably because of me adopting so many unfortunate kids.
If I put in forms now to adopt someone, it’d probably get approved in minutes.
“No, my little spitfire. You never have to worry about that. Daddy isn’t going anywhere.” I reassure her as I glare at the floor, hatred burning in my belly.
If I get the chance, I’ll burn him inside out. Letting magma settle in his belly as it sizzles its way through spasming muscles and breezes of air, made from the screams of his agony.
“Daddy?” Rui calls, recalling me to reality.
“Sorry baby. I got distracted. Let’s go put the others to sleep. We need to pack for you after as well?” I sigh as I speak. “So much to do. Never done lately.”
I turn and look at Eva.
“Stay here while I put Talon and Yuta to bed. I’ll call you up so you can chat with Rui after, while I pack. It’s good she gets to know you right now. But warning, even with how much I love you, Eva, I love my kids more. Break their heart, and I will rip yours out.” I threaten coldly, before turning and heading up the stairs.
I can’t see her expression, but I sense the hostility as I ascend the stairs.
It’s not the same as it used to be, and I need to remember that.
She has changed, and now, she isn’t my whole life anymore.
I’m not even sure we can trust her. She’s clearly not stable. She’s obsessed with me, but it’s not the same as true love. I have the sneaking suspicion this won’t last, and that she’ll go behind my back to cheat.
I’m no fool. I expect it.
I sigh as I shake my head.
But my fear of being left behind won’t ever let me leave first.
“Daddy? Why are you sad? You are thinking about something sad?” She asks.
“Yeah, I’m fine baby.” Stupid empathy bond. “I’m just thinking about one of my fears.” I tell her as I reach the top of the stairs.
“Daddy gets scared? What does Daddy have to be scared of? Daddy’s so strong!” She yells.
I chuckle and kiss her on the top of her head as I set her down. “How many times can you say daddy in one swoop?”
“A lot!” She shouts.
I grin and pat her head. For the most part, Rui looks like a mean demon with the glares she gives you, but it’s half distrust, and half scarring. She’s really sweet once you get past the initial brambles.
“Well, baby, I’m scared of being left behind, lil spitfire. Before Daddy’s life fell apart with his family, his friends were all super smart! Daddy also didn’t like people being better than him at anything. But that made him more mad then sad. My friends kinda got distant as they got smarter and I didn’t. They got cold. So I hit the books, the gym. That stuff…” I trail off, as I realize I’m talking to a small child.
Right…
I creak open Talon's door and pad over to her bed as she wiggles and giggles in her bed.
“Get all the jitters out yet Tal?” I ask as I sit down on the edge of her bed.
“No!” She shouts playfully.
“Oh, really?!” I roar as I dive in and start tickling her sides.
“N–no! Daddy!” She gasps as she bursts into a fit of giggles and squirming as my fingers prod into her sides. “Q-q-quit it!” She shouts as she pushes my hands away.
“Are the squirms out now?” I ask innocently as Talon glowers at me.
“Yes. I don't like the tickles Daddy.” She folds her arms as she pouts.
I chuckle at her actions.
“Alright alright. Now let me tuck you in.” I tell her.
“Fine.” She pauses before her face lights up.
“Daddy, what did sis mean by your going away?” She asks, her big eyes reflecting my face as I sigh.
“Remember how daddy took Yuta to Jamaica last year for a couple weeks? This time, Daddy’s going to Alaska with Rui, but for a very long time. Do you get it?” I ask for confirmation.
“No.”
I sigh.
She is only what, seven? She is eccentric though.
My whole family is. In fact, Yuta is a master blacksmith, with his identity concealed, and has half the private collectors coiled around his finger. He even got half the DnD groups to buy his swords.
Quite the feat.
They all qualify as craftsmen I suppose.
All very good with their hands.
Yuta has a fascination with blades and weaponry, probably a result of his past. He always did…stare at knives when I would cook for him, right when I first adopted him.
He loves katana though. He's my little apprentice.
You probably noticed how I said katana instead of katanas. Both are technically correct in English.
For instance, you can say, ‘He owns several katanas,” as well as say, “His collection houses five katana.”
Both are right.
I'm very proud of my English.
I'm ranting to nonexistent people in my mind about my pride in my English.
“I'm existent. I'm proud of your English. You should learn Latin next.” Wrath rumbles in my head.
You don't count.
I smile and tuck Talon into bed before I turn on her nightlight and close the door.
God, my exhaustion is catching up, the mental rambling has started. I can't wait to sleep in the airport.
Do you like him when he's soft and loving with his kids?
