All's Fair in Love....
Cager: Hey Guys! This fic is going to be like no other I have written. It is a love fic. Very dramatic and real-life... ish. Um, this will be a bit... uh, angsty? This is also going to be one of my 'relief fics', kay?
Taichi Kitty: Please, read and remew!
Jouti the Anti-Joey: Just remember Cager don' own any of 'des characters or kitties. Just us Anti Clones.
Chapter 1
Seventeen-year-old Matt Ishihida looked down at his cold, tear- streaked hands. They were strong hands, muscle having been built in them from the countless hours of playing the guitar. They were also soft hands, hands that loved. They were the hands that gotten him into this position.
His father looked down at him, lines of, not only age, but of disappointment and resentment creasing his face. Matt didn't have to look up at his dad to know that in his eyes, rage for his son's mistake blazed angrily.
T.K. had his back against the wall, his head down with his Gilligan hat casting shadows over his face, making it impossible to read his expression. The tension in the air was so thick it was palpable. Finally, Matt looked up from his hands and up at the wall in front of him. He knew tears weren't going to take back what he had done.
"Father, I... I'm sorry," muttered Matt, new tears breaking free from his eyes. Hiroaki Ishihida locked his angry gaze onto his son until it fell back down to look at the ground.
"Matt, I have taught you better than that," snapped his father in a calm, yet angry, hiss.
"I... I know, sir," muttered Matt wiping the tears away from one eye.
"Then why did you do it?"
"I... I...," was all Matt could sputter out before burying his face into his hands again and weeping. It was his fault this was happening, he had no one else to blame. He did it because he thought it was right. He thought he needed it... but he didn't.
He loved her. He truly, deeply loved her. He had just gone a bit too far this time. He hadn't meant for anything to happen. He just wanted to love her, but now it seemed no one loved anymore. His world was falling apart before him. Maybe something miraculous would happen to make it all better. Maybe something supernatural would happen and it would be alright again to love. Maybe-
"Mr. Ishihida?" asked a woman's voice in front of him, making him snap his head up. The woman in the white uniform gave him a sweet, kindhearted smile. "Mr. Ishihida, she's just fine. Everything was carried out perfectly and everything is normal. You are now the pr-"
"Can I see her? Can I see her now?" demanded Matt jumping up to his feet and cutting the woman off.
"Well, yes, of course. But don't you want to kn-" Whatever else she had to say never made its way to Matt's ears because by the time she had said 'yes' he had bolted from the room. Matt ran as fast as he could down the corridors until he reached the door, which he opened quietly.
Matt stood in the doorway for a minute, taking a deep breath before entering. It was a regular hospital room with the bed, a suspended TV and a large window. A few cushioned chairs were situated around the bed in which she lay in. She was pale and tired but she smiled at him as he entered. He sat down on the chair closest to the side of the bed and placed his hands on the armrests.
She looked up at him through her light brown eyes that twinkled with love. His own sky blue eyes wandered from her face to what rested in her hands. Wrapped carefully in soft, white cloths lay a small, pink baby. Subtly, a small smile crept upon his lips.
"Matt," she murmured catching his attention once again, "what should we name our daughter?"
"Mimi, don't you want to name her?" asked Matt as he rested one of his hands over hers.
"I'm too tired to think of a name," she muttered partway closing her eyes. Matt sighed and leaned forward. He kissed her gently and took the baby from her arms to get a better look.
"Hmm," muttered Matt in thought as he gently rocked the baby back and forth in his arms. "I think... we should name her Haruka."
"Oh, Matt," sighed Mimi completely closing her eyes, "that's a wonderful name...."
* * *
Four Months Later....
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!" demanded Hiroaki Ishihida as he slammed his fist down on the counter. He glared at his son who, in turn, glared back.
"I am going to adopt Haruka. That is what I meant," replied Matt with a sniff.
"I will NOT allow you to do that! It's bad enough as it is bringing this family disgrace by having a child before you're even married but adopting it?"
"That 'it' is my daughter!" growled Matt.
"We had a deal, Ishihida Yamato!" shouted Hiroaki. "You and Mimi both agreed to me and her parents that after she had weaned her child it was going to be put up for adoption."
"HARUKA IS NOT AN 'IT'!" yelled Matt. "She is my daughter and I will keep her. I will NOT stick her up for adoption when I am perfectly capable of taking care of her myself."
"Matt, this is a serious matter and you already said you would put her up for adoption. You said that before she was even born."
"Well, that was then and this is now. I want to be her father, not a stranger," insisted Matt folding his arms across his chest. Being a Ishihida had made Matt a very proud person when he was younger, too bad he had inherited that trait from his father.
"NO! I will not have it!" said Hiroaki, his face reddening with rage. "I will not allow you to take in that child while you are living under MY roof!" Hiroaki and Matt glared at each other hard, each one daring the other to move first. Hiroaki had thought he had been pretty smart coming up with that last comment but he never expected the outcome.
"Fine then," said Matt finally breaking the silence and walking to his room. Hiroaki was a bit astonished that his son would do this and a bit confused. The next thing he knew, Matt was walking towards the door with a buldging suitcase in his hand and a large coat on, for it would soon be autumn.
"Wh-where are you going?" asked Hiroaki still in shock. Matt stopped at the door but didn't turn around when he answered:
"I'm going away to live on my own, since you will not permit me to take care of Haruka when I am living in your house. I will meet Mimi at the park tomorrow at 4:00 as planned but instead of walking away with release forms, I'll be walking to my home... with Haruka." Matt paused for a moment as if wondering if there was something else he had forgotten to add but nothing came to mind. "... Good-bye, Ishihida Heroaki." And Matt was gone.
* * *
4:15p.m. the Next Day....
Matt and Mimi sat on a park bench in front of the fountain, not speaking but listening to all the sounds around them. Haruka, in the baby carrier, was sleeping quietly at their feet. Mimi enjoyed the noises of the park--the birds singing, the water splashing, kids laughing. But today... today something was different. Something was wrong and Matt knew it. Mimi didn't at all seem happy to see him and didn't even show any emotion when he had told her earlier of his plans to take care of Haruka. She seemed as if she were on another planet.
"Mimi," said Matt breaking the silence, "I want you to know that... I still love you." Matt knew that statement would get a reaction from her, even a little one, but the reaction he got wasn't what he had hoped for or even expected. She flinched, as if something sharp had stung her. Matt frowned.
"Mimi, what is wrong with you? What have I done to you to make you like this?" begged Matt as he reached out and touched her arm. She stiffened and Matt gasped. He pulled away and sighed. He leaned back in the bench and looked up at the sky.
"I'm sorry, Mimi. I'm so sorry about what I did to you. I didn't expect it to...," Matt stopped in mid-sentence and looked back at her.
"I know, Matt," she muttered. Matt didn't understand. She seemed so sad, so detached from him now but when she had just had Haruka she had been pleasant and happy. What had happened to her?
She leaned back on the bench and looked up at the sky, her eyes filling with tears. She was sobbing, and there was nothing Matt could do about it. He hated to see her this way. He had always hated it when she cried! He had always helped her smile again... but now, it seemed everything he did was wrong. He couldn't touch her, he couldn't talk to her, he could just sit next to her, keeping her company.
"Matt, I'm going to leave now," said Mimi flatly as she stood up. Matt looked up at her but she looked down at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes or even face his direction. "I'm going to pick up my stuff from my aunt's house, and I'm going to go back home to my parents in New York. Whatever you do later on in life, Matt, please don't come looking for me. Promise me, you will not come looking for me?" Matt nodded but he felt his heart breaking. He could feel his bottom lip quivering, just as a child's would when he had just been caught stealing cookies straight from the jar and knew he was about to be punished.... But why was Matt being punished? As she began to walk away, Matt realized he didn't understand. He wanted to know!
"Mimi," said Matt, and she stopped so he could ask her, "why are you doing this? Why can I not come looking for you?" She sighed and her shoulders sagged, as if she had been dreading him asking this question. She only wished she had the power to deny the inevitable.
"Because, Ishihida Yamato," she murmured with a broken voice, her sobs making it almost impossible to make out words, "I never want to see you again!" And she walked off, leaving Matt alone with his child and his dreams ripped to shreds, like discarded newspapers on the cold ground.
* * *
"Welcome home, Haruka," whispered Matt quietly as he opened the door to his small apartment. He had enough money from his latest concert to get him by for a while but he didn't know how long it would all last. Matt looked down at Haruka in the small baby carrier and smiled. At least he wouldn't forget what he left home for.
He looked back up around the apartment and his smile turned back into a frown. There wasn't much to say about the small place he had been able to rent. It consisted of only three rooms. The door led into the small living room and beyond that was the bedroom and the bathroom. A small kitchen-like area was built into the far right side of the living room. There was only one window in the entire apartment and that was in the bedroom.
The furnishings were pathetic. In the living room was an old couch (which had come with the apartment), a small, static-y television, and a refrigerator (also came with the apartment), a microwave and a small AM-FM radio in the kitchen area. The bedroom consisted of only of a bed that pulled out of the wall, a small clothes rack and an ironing board. The bathroom contained all the usual appliances.
Matt sighed and closed the door behind him. He walked into the bedroom throwing the diaperbag on the ground and carefully placed the carrier on the bed before falling down beside it. He was still a bit unsettled by what had happened between him and Mimi half an hour earlier and all he really wanted to do was sleep that unexpected experience away.
"Uhh... uhh... uhh," fussed Haruka just as Matt was starting to doze off. He leaned up on one of his elbows and looked down at her. He smiled and sat up, taking her in his arms and rocking her back and forth while whispering soft reassurances to her. Even as he did this, she continued to fuss and then started to cry. He frowned and reached for the diaper bag, taking out a bottle of baby formula and putting the rubber nipple to her mouth. She eagerly put her small hands the plastic bottle, as if to hold it, and sucked hungrily. Matt chuckled. He was going to have to get used to this.
As she ate, Matt thought about what was ahead, what needed to be done, what had been done, and many other things but what he thought of most was his Haruka. He looked down at her and what he saw surprised him. She had his intense blue eyes. She had his mouth, too. 'Even my appetite,' mused Matt with another chuckle. The rest of her appearence saddened him, though. The soft, fuzzy hair that lightly covered her head was light brown... like Mimi's. Her nose was Mimi's, too. He sighed. He'd just have to get used to seeing Mimi everytime he looked at Haruka, even though it hurt him.
"You know," said Matt to the hungry baby in his arms, "you're the most beautiful daughter a father could ask for." He smiled back down at her before leaning down to kiss her forehead. Yes, he would get used to it eventually. He was also going to show them, all of the people who said he couldn't do it. He was going to show them how good a father he really could--no, would--be.
"Haruka, daddy loves you," muttered Matt as her sucking slowed when she grew tired. "Daddy loves you. Daddy loves you so much."
To be continued.
Cager: Hey Guys! This fic is going to be like no other I have written. It is a love fic. Very dramatic and real-life... ish. Um, this will be a bit... uh, angsty? This is also going to be one of my 'relief fics', kay?
Taichi Kitty: Please, read and remew!
Jouti the Anti-Joey: Just remember Cager don' own any of 'des characters or kitties. Just us Anti Clones.
Chapter 1
Seventeen-year-old Matt Ishihida looked down at his cold, tear- streaked hands. They were strong hands, muscle having been built in them from the countless hours of playing the guitar. They were also soft hands, hands that loved. They were the hands that gotten him into this position.
His father looked down at him, lines of, not only age, but of disappointment and resentment creasing his face. Matt didn't have to look up at his dad to know that in his eyes, rage for his son's mistake blazed angrily.
T.K. had his back against the wall, his head down with his Gilligan hat casting shadows over his face, making it impossible to read his expression. The tension in the air was so thick it was palpable. Finally, Matt looked up from his hands and up at the wall in front of him. He knew tears weren't going to take back what he had done.
"Father, I... I'm sorry," muttered Matt, new tears breaking free from his eyes. Hiroaki Ishihida locked his angry gaze onto his son until it fell back down to look at the ground.
"Matt, I have taught you better than that," snapped his father in a calm, yet angry, hiss.
"I... I know, sir," muttered Matt wiping the tears away from one eye.
"Then why did you do it?"
"I... I...," was all Matt could sputter out before burying his face into his hands again and weeping. It was his fault this was happening, he had no one else to blame. He did it because he thought it was right. He thought he needed it... but he didn't.
He loved her. He truly, deeply loved her. He had just gone a bit too far this time. He hadn't meant for anything to happen. He just wanted to love her, but now it seemed no one loved anymore. His world was falling apart before him. Maybe something miraculous would happen to make it all better. Maybe something supernatural would happen and it would be alright again to love. Maybe-
"Mr. Ishihida?" asked a woman's voice in front of him, making him snap his head up. The woman in the white uniform gave him a sweet, kindhearted smile. "Mr. Ishihida, she's just fine. Everything was carried out perfectly and everything is normal. You are now the pr-"
"Can I see her? Can I see her now?" demanded Matt jumping up to his feet and cutting the woman off.
"Well, yes, of course. But don't you want to kn-" Whatever else she had to say never made its way to Matt's ears because by the time she had said 'yes' he had bolted from the room. Matt ran as fast as he could down the corridors until he reached the door, which he opened quietly.
Matt stood in the doorway for a minute, taking a deep breath before entering. It was a regular hospital room with the bed, a suspended TV and a large window. A few cushioned chairs were situated around the bed in which she lay in. She was pale and tired but she smiled at him as he entered. He sat down on the chair closest to the side of the bed and placed his hands on the armrests.
She looked up at him through her light brown eyes that twinkled with love. His own sky blue eyes wandered from her face to what rested in her hands. Wrapped carefully in soft, white cloths lay a small, pink baby. Subtly, a small smile crept upon his lips.
"Matt," she murmured catching his attention once again, "what should we name our daughter?"
"Mimi, don't you want to name her?" asked Matt as he rested one of his hands over hers.
"I'm too tired to think of a name," she muttered partway closing her eyes. Matt sighed and leaned forward. He kissed her gently and took the baby from her arms to get a better look.
"Hmm," muttered Matt in thought as he gently rocked the baby back and forth in his arms. "I think... we should name her Haruka."
"Oh, Matt," sighed Mimi completely closing her eyes, "that's a wonderful name...."
* * *
Four Months Later....
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!" demanded Hiroaki Ishihida as he slammed his fist down on the counter. He glared at his son who, in turn, glared back.
"I am going to adopt Haruka. That is what I meant," replied Matt with a sniff.
"I will NOT allow you to do that! It's bad enough as it is bringing this family disgrace by having a child before you're even married but adopting it?"
"That 'it' is my daughter!" growled Matt.
"We had a deal, Ishihida Yamato!" shouted Hiroaki. "You and Mimi both agreed to me and her parents that after she had weaned her child it was going to be put up for adoption."
"HARUKA IS NOT AN 'IT'!" yelled Matt. "She is my daughter and I will keep her. I will NOT stick her up for adoption when I am perfectly capable of taking care of her myself."
"Matt, this is a serious matter and you already said you would put her up for adoption. You said that before she was even born."
"Well, that was then and this is now. I want to be her father, not a stranger," insisted Matt folding his arms across his chest. Being a Ishihida had made Matt a very proud person when he was younger, too bad he had inherited that trait from his father.
"NO! I will not have it!" said Hiroaki, his face reddening with rage. "I will not allow you to take in that child while you are living under MY roof!" Hiroaki and Matt glared at each other hard, each one daring the other to move first. Hiroaki had thought he had been pretty smart coming up with that last comment but he never expected the outcome.
"Fine then," said Matt finally breaking the silence and walking to his room. Hiroaki was a bit astonished that his son would do this and a bit confused. The next thing he knew, Matt was walking towards the door with a buldging suitcase in his hand and a large coat on, for it would soon be autumn.
"Wh-where are you going?" asked Hiroaki still in shock. Matt stopped at the door but didn't turn around when he answered:
"I'm going away to live on my own, since you will not permit me to take care of Haruka when I am living in your house. I will meet Mimi at the park tomorrow at 4:00 as planned but instead of walking away with release forms, I'll be walking to my home... with Haruka." Matt paused for a moment as if wondering if there was something else he had forgotten to add but nothing came to mind. "... Good-bye, Ishihida Heroaki." And Matt was gone.
* * *
4:15p.m. the Next Day....
Matt and Mimi sat on a park bench in front of the fountain, not speaking but listening to all the sounds around them. Haruka, in the baby carrier, was sleeping quietly at their feet. Mimi enjoyed the noises of the park--the birds singing, the water splashing, kids laughing. But today... today something was different. Something was wrong and Matt knew it. Mimi didn't at all seem happy to see him and didn't even show any emotion when he had told her earlier of his plans to take care of Haruka. She seemed as if she were on another planet.
"Mimi," said Matt breaking the silence, "I want you to know that... I still love you." Matt knew that statement would get a reaction from her, even a little one, but the reaction he got wasn't what he had hoped for or even expected. She flinched, as if something sharp had stung her. Matt frowned.
"Mimi, what is wrong with you? What have I done to you to make you like this?" begged Matt as he reached out and touched her arm. She stiffened and Matt gasped. He pulled away and sighed. He leaned back in the bench and looked up at the sky.
"I'm sorry, Mimi. I'm so sorry about what I did to you. I didn't expect it to...," Matt stopped in mid-sentence and looked back at her.
"I know, Matt," she muttered. Matt didn't understand. She seemed so sad, so detached from him now but when she had just had Haruka she had been pleasant and happy. What had happened to her?
She leaned back on the bench and looked up at the sky, her eyes filling with tears. She was sobbing, and there was nothing Matt could do about it. He hated to see her this way. He had always hated it when she cried! He had always helped her smile again... but now, it seemed everything he did was wrong. He couldn't touch her, he couldn't talk to her, he could just sit next to her, keeping her company.
"Matt, I'm going to leave now," said Mimi flatly as she stood up. Matt looked up at her but she looked down at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes or even face his direction. "I'm going to pick up my stuff from my aunt's house, and I'm going to go back home to my parents in New York. Whatever you do later on in life, Matt, please don't come looking for me. Promise me, you will not come looking for me?" Matt nodded but he felt his heart breaking. He could feel his bottom lip quivering, just as a child's would when he had just been caught stealing cookies straight from the jar and knew he was about to be punished.... But why was Matt being punished? As she began to walk away, Matt realized he didn't understand. He wanted to know!
"Mimi," said Matt, and she stopped so he could ask her, "why are you doing this? Why can I not come looking for you?" She sighed and her shoulders sagged, as if she had been dreading him asking this question. She only wished she had the power to deny the inevitable.
"Because, Ishihida Yamato," she murmured with a broken voice, her sobs making it almost impossible to make out words, "I never want to see you again!" And she walked off, leaving Matt alone with his child and his dreams ripped to shreds, like discarded newspapers on the cold ground.
* * *
"Welcome home, Haruka," whispered Matt quietly as he opened the door to his small apartment. He had enough money from his latest concert to get him by for a while but he didn't know how long it would all last. Matt looked down at Haruka in the small baby carrier and smiled. At least he wouldn't forget what he left home for.
He looked back up around the apartment and his smile turned back into a frown. There wasn't much to say about the small place he had been able to rent. It consisted of only three rooms. The door led into the small living room and beyond that was the bedroom and the bathroom. A small kitchen-like area was built into the far right side of the living room. There was only one window in the entire apartment and that was in the bedroom.
The furnishings were pathetic. In the living room was an old couch (which had come with the apartment), a small, static-y television, and a refrigerator (also came with the apartment), a microwave and a small AM-FM radio in the kitchen area. The bedroom consisted of only of a bed that pulled out of the wall, a small clothes rack and an ironing board. The bathroom contained all the usual appliances.
Matt sighed and closed the door behind him. He walked into the bedroom throwing the diaperbag on the ground and carefully placed the carrier on the bed before falling down beside it. He was still a bit unsettled by what had happened between him and Mimi half an hour earlier and all he really wanted to do was sleep that unexpected experience away.
"Uhh... uhh... uhh," fussed Haruka just as Matt was starting to doze off. He leaned up on one of his elbows and looked down at her. He smiled and sat up, taking her in his arms and rocking her back and forth while whispering soft reassurances to her. Even as he did this, she continued to fuss and then started to cry. He frowned and reached for the diaper bag, taking out a bottle of baby formula and putting the rubber nipple to her mouth. She eagerly put her small hands the plastic bottle, as if to hold it, and sucked hungrily. Matt chuckled. He was going to have to get used to this.
As she ate, Matt thought about what was ahead, what needed to be done, what had been done, and many other things but what he thought of most was his Haruka. He looked down at her and what he saw surprised him. She had his intense blue eyes. She had his mouth, too. 'Even my appetite,' mused Matt with another chuckle. The rest of her appearence saddened him, though. The soft, fuzzy hair that lightly covered her head was light brown... like Mimi's. Her nose was Mimi's, too. He sighed. He'd just have to get used to seeing Mimi everytime he looked at Haruka, even though it hurt him.
"You know," said Matt to the hungry baby in his arms, "you're the most beautiful daughter a father could ask for." He smiled back down at her before leaning down to kiss her forehead. Yes, he would get used to it eventually. He was also going to show them, all of the people who said he couldn't do it. He was going to show them how good a father he really could--no, would--be.
"Haruka, daddy loves you," muttered Matt as her sucking slowed when she grew tired. "Daddy loves you. Daddy loves you so much."
To be continued.