Love of a Father

"A helicopter?" Claude and Tsugumi said in unison as they hear the sound of a helicopter nearby.

"Claude-sama you didn't have to send more men just to stop Ichijou Raku." Tsugumi said to him.

"I didn't send any helicopters here." Claude said as he adjusted his glasses. "Let's go. Ojou's safety is our main priority." Claude said as he led Tsugumi to where Chitoge was.

Tsugumi followed him and was glad that there fight was interrupted since no matter how strong she is she can never beat Claude when it comes to fighting.

They entered the woods passed the mansion only to see no one was there but noticed that the helicopter sound was nowhere to be heard, that made them ran even faster to where Chitoge is.

At last they found her but…

"It's too late." Claude gloomily said for they saw that Raku is already talking to their Ojou but what made them sad was seeing their Ojou in tears.

Claude realized that he should interfere no more and sat down on the grass while Tsugumi leaned on a tree.

"This is why I didn't want that Yakuza brat to get near Ojou." Claude sighed and adjusted his glasses again.

"Why, Claude-sama? Isn't Ichijou Raku Ojou's boyfriend? If they fought they should talk it together." Tsugumi defended.

"I know that Tsugumi and I know that their faking it." Claude said.

"Fa-fa-faking it?" Tsugumi said very surprised.

"Yes, they are faking it, form the beginning I knew they were faking it." Claude said. "I understand why they didn't tell you."

"But if you already knew from the beginning that they were faking their relationship, why are you still stalking them saying you wanted to find proof that they're faking it?" Tsugumi wondered.

"It's the only excuse I can have other than being Ojou's bodyguard for stalking them making sure that that brat won't hurt her again." Claude said firmly.

"Again? What do you mean? Ojou and Ichijou Raku already met before?" Tsugumi asked.

"Yes. Long long time ago when you were still little kids." Claude said looking up at the sky. "Tsugumi…"

"Yes, Claude-sama?"

"Do you want to know the reason why I can't let Ojou be friends with anyone except you?" Claude asked.

Tsugumi began to stay silent and Claude took it as a yes.

"Back then I could still remember the very happy Ojou who played with all of you and that brat. Ojou would run around the house, play in Tachibana's room to entertain her although they would fight often, share her toys with the two Onodera sisters, inviting you to play tea house with her, combing each other's hair with Kanakura, and playing chase with that brat around the backyard and here in the plate." Claude said all of that looking at the night sky.

"Ojou and you were very happy back then, until that day where all of you have to go in your own ways and we have to go back to America. I was leaning on the wall just outside the door of Tachibana's room doing my job to take care of Ojou listening to the little ones' conversation that day.

You weren't there for you were helping some of the maids with cleaning even though Ojou kept persistently pulling you to talk with the other girls but you refused since you wanted to help and Ojou has no other choice but to let you.

I was happy at Ojou's declaration that all of you will meet here again when you grow up but then turned angry when Ojou suddenly said that she was going to marry that brat. But since it was Ojou's happiness I couldn't help but be happy for her. She then talked to Kanakura to make some kind of keys and lockets for promises. The next day she and Tachibana fought again to who would be the one that will hold the princess key, then they consulted that brat asking who he wanted to marry, the brat to my relief chose Ojou, because if he didn't oh, who knows what may come to him.

The keys weren't to be distributed until the final day, the day before that everyone was in the house except for that brat and the older Onodera who are nowhere to be found, Ojou volunteered to find both of them and I secretly followed her to ensure her safety, as we got near here, Ojou hid behind that very tree your leaning on, eavesdropping on that brat's conversation with the Onodera.

That was the first time that summer that Ojou cried, knowing that that brat didn't really like her but instead liked Onodera and Onodera in turn liked him to. It was painful to see Ojou devastated. She saw the two playing around then carved something on that stone and run back to mansion very happy. After they have left, Ojou ran to the stone where the two wrote something and saw something that made her realize she was being very selfish but in point that she just wants to be happy.

The next day was the final day, she gave Onodera the key and the lock which surprised everyone including myself since I thought Ojou would still hold on to her first love but she didn't, she sacrificed her feelings for the sake of her friend and loved one.

I still remember how she ran into my arms wailing. From that day on, I vowed never to let Ojou ever feel this hurt again which resulted to me scaring children who wanted to be friends with her away."

At that Tsugumi was bursting into tears from leaning on the tree to her knees on the ground crying.

"I just didn't want Ojou to feel broken again. She was just a child for goodness sake!" Claude said a little loud that thankfully the wind made it unheard by the two.

"Tsugumi you understand that right? Why I kept my eye on those two, why I would go as far as shooting that brat, and why I desperately kidnapped Ojou and didn't give up and stood tall until Boss stopped me because Boss and Madame Flower was the only one who can stop me." Claude said sadly.

"I did all of that because to me you and Chitoge are not just an apprentice and Ojou to me…

To me you are my…

Flashback

"Claude! Claude! Claude!" A little blonde girl wearing a red ribbon called out as she entered the kitchen running to meet a blonde man wearing glasses who was sitting in the counter.

"Yes Oujo?" Claude said as he stood up, scooped the little girl into his arms and carried her.

"Look what I made! Look what I made!" Chitoge said cheerfully at him showing him a flower shaped pendant.

"Hmm… let me see." Claude said as he carried her making her sit on the table while he sat on a chair.

"You made this Ojou?" Claude asked overwhelmed by the pendant.

"Ahuh! Teacher helped me since she said we are not allowed to touch permanent paint! But she made us draw in small paper to make figure and design of pendant first!" Chitoge exclaimed with her hands. "See isn't it pretty!"

"Not pretty Ojou…" Claude said which made Chitoge sad, "It's beautiful!" Claude exclaimed.

"Really!?" Chitoge said a little jumpy.

"Yes! It is!" Claude said laughing a little at Chitoge's cuteness. "So is this me?" Claude pointed at the stick figure of a man with glasses outline coloured with white.

"Yep!" Chitoge said.

"This is you." He pointed at a stick figure of a little girl with ribbon outline coloured with yellow except for the ribbon whose colour is red.

"Yep!"

"And this is Tsugumi." He pointed at another stick figure of a little girl wearing a headband outline coloured light blue.

"Yep! Yep! Yep! Because Claude will protect me and Tsugumi and in turn we will make Claude happy!" She exclaimed.

At that, Claude burst into tears.

"Claude did I make you cry? No sad face!" Chitoge panicked.

"Yes Ojou you made me cry…" Chitoge's expression saddened again. "…of happiness!" At that Chitoge smiled.

"Well I still have to give this to Papa and Mama!" Chitoge said showing him a paper with childish drawings then she jumped of the table to a chair and then to the floor running to her father's study.

Claude smiled and left the kitchen walking to his room, sitting on his chair as he looked at the wall full of his Ojou's drawings of him, her and Tsugumi.

End of Flashback

To me you are my daughters." Claude said then finally the tears were out of his eyes.

He looked up the night sky with a flower pendant still hanging on his neck.

'My dear daughters…' He thought.