My American Daughter
Title: My American Daughter
By: arashiforyou
Rating: PG
Characters: Ohno Satoshi and Kawashima Umika
Genre: Family/ Drama
Summary: Ohno decides to adopt a child as a promise for his deceased wife. He filled out the forms to adopt a Japanese child from America, only to realize he adopted a 17 year old and not a 7 year old!
a/n: you know you're not reading this part. if there's nothing bolded or underlined, you couldn't care less! right! we all skip this part. you do it, i do it. we all don't care what the author's note is! just get to the story!! XDD
sorry, i just wanted to be funny there :3
Chapter 4 - This Is Your Home
Ohno ran to find his director and asked to leave early. At first, his director yelled at him and made a big fuss, but he finally agreed. Ohno handed his camera to an assistant and packed his things. When Ohno was about to get into his car, Aiba appeared behind him.
"Ohno! What happened?" Aiba asked.
"It's Umika, She's...I don't know," Ohno frowned. He was about to close his car door when Aiba held it for one last minute.
"Remember, Ohno. Listen to her," Aiba nodded.
"Yeah," Ohno said half-listening and closed the car door.
Ohno had to drive at least an hour to get to Tokyo. When he left it was still sunny, but as he got closer to the school, the rain came pouring down. Ohno ran inside and tried to shake off any water still on his coat. The hallways were quiet since school hours were over. Everyone already went home.
'They could at least keep the lights on,' Ohno thought.
As he walked towards Umika's classroom, he passed by the infirmary.
"It's okay, Kiritani," he heard someone spoke in a soft voice.
Another girl cried. "It hurts, Inoue-san. She really scared me."
Ohno peeked inside. He saw a frail girl badly cut and bruised. She sobbed as the school nurse did her best to apply ointment to the girl's wounds. It looked pretty bad. Two other girls, possibly her friends, stood behind her.
"It's all Kawashima's fault!" One girl said, her arms crossed. "She did this."
"So, I've heard. But Sakurai-sensei will take care of that," Inoue said, calmly.
"That's not enough!" The other girl said. "She should be expelled! Send her back to America!"
Ohno looked away; his heart sank. It felt like a long walk down the dark hallway towards her classroom. When he opened the door, he saw Sho leaning on his desk while Umika stood there looking down at her feet.
"Ohno-san," Sho looked up. "Thank you for coming."
"I'm sorry to trouble you," Ohno bowed. "What happened?"
Sho turned to look at Umika, but she didn't look like she wanted to say anything.
"This morning your daughter was found in the gym alone with Kiritani Mirai. Kiritani claimed that Umika attacked her with a knife and-"
"That's not true!" Umika burst out. "It wasn't me!"
"Umika," Ohno said, holding his hand out to quiet her.
"Kiritani's wounds are quite serious," Sho continued. His voice was low and gravely. "The police are investigating."
"Investigating?!" Ohno gasped.
"They suggested placing Umika under house arrest until investigation is over."
"Suggested for house arrest?" Ohno asked.
"We ask for you to keep an eye on her," Sho summed up. "Until she's proven innocent of assaulting Kiritani, she must not leave home, even for school."
"And...what if she is guilty-"
"I am not!" Umika yelled. "Will you listen to me for just a second?! I didn't even touch Kiritani! She attacked herself, okay!"
"Umika, please," Ohno said, feeling his brow wrinkle deeply.
"You don't believe me, do you?" Umika said. Ohno couldn't bring himself to look at her. "You never believed in me! You're just like everyone else! You think I'm some American criminal!"
"Umika, that's enough!" Ohno shouted, his heartbeat pounding.
Her eyes and nose were red with anger. She marched out of the classroom before she yelled at the top of her lungs.
"I hate this place!"
Ohno rubbed his eyes. "I'm...so sorry for this," Ohno bowed.
"Please don't," Sho said. "I feel...just as guilty."
"I'll take her home, now," Ohno sighed. "Thank you." He was about to leave the room when Sho called after him.
"If she is found guilty, she'll have to spend her time in juvenile hall," Sho said. Ohno turned around, shocked.
Ohno was about to say something to defend her, but the words couldn't come out. He couldn't see anything straight anymore. Ohno bowed one last time and left. When he reached the parking lot, Umika was already there waiting. It was an long and awkward drive back home. Umika hadn't said a word, and Ohno didn't know what to say.
When they got home, Ohno made his way to open the front door, but when he turned around, Umika was still outside in the rain. Her hair felt flat depressingly on her shoulders. She looked absolutely miserable.
"Umika...come inside."
"...."
"Umika, please, let's talk about this inside," Ohno urged her.
"Forget it," she said. "It's not where I belong."
"Just tell me what's wrong and I can help."
"I moved to Japan!" She shouted. "That's what happened!"
Despite the rain, Ohno saw her tears leaking out. He stood there at the doorway, unable to move any closer. His forehead itched with deep wrinkles and his mouth slightly open in shock.
"What? You...you've been living here for the past three months now and-"
"I feel like it's been 3 years!" Umika cried louder. "I hate Japan! I want to go home!"
"H-home?" Ohno felt his own frustration surfacing. "This...this is your home!" He yelled.
"No, it's not!" She cried back, taking a step back. "I want to go back to America!"
After everything he had done for her to make her feel comfortable. After everything he tried to do to be a good father. After everything he did to make her happy, and this was her answer?!
"Umika," he said, angry as well. "I have given you everything I could to make you feel at home. I've done it all for you, and this is how you thank me?! I'm all you have left!"
"It was never for me!" Umika yelled back. "It was only for you."
Ohno felt his skin turn cold.
"What?"
"You just wanted to adopt someone just to make yourself feel better," she said. "You were just a lonely man who's wife died and just wanted to keep some lame promise to her."
Ohno felt like his jaw was stuck open.
"Well, I've had it!" Umika spun around and ran down the street.
"Umika!"
Ohno raced after her, but as she was already around the corner and gone. The rain soaked into his clothes and his hair fell flat on his forehead. He got into his car and drove after her, but she was gone...
* * *
Umika ran down back alleys knowing that Ohno would follow her by car. She easily found her way to the city and ran through crowds, blindly. She couldn't see anything. The rain covered her eyes, or maybe it was just her tears.
'This sucks,' Umika thought. 'Why won't they listen to me? Why won't anyone trust me?'
As she rounded a corner, she bumped into someone.
"Hey, watch it!"
"Sorry," she mumbled, and continued to run.
She kept bumping into people as she ran. She didn't had any idea where she was going. As long as she ran, Umika felt she could get away. She arrived at a deserted playground and took shelter under the slide. The mulch ground was wet and soaked into her pants, but she didn't care.
'Sakurai-sensei was right,' Umika lowered her head. 'Home never leaves you....'
The rain wouldn't stop pouring. She started to feel cold and scared as it got darker and darker. There wasn't a single person in sight, and the lights were so far away from the playground; it was really dark and cold. She shivered from head to toe, hoping the rain will stop. Then, as if her wish came true, the rain stopped pounding on her back, but she could still hear the rain hitting against the playground slide.
She looked up. Someone held an umbrella over her, looking down at her with pity. He was a pale man and skinny too. But he looked nice when he smiled.
"Even a hobo knows a better place to stay out of the rain," he said.
Umika just sniffed, not sure what to say to the stranger. He squatted down with the umbrella covering her mostly.
"Let me help you," he said warmly.
Umika wasn't sure what happened. It was as if he had a magnetic charm to him that made her followed him. He led her to a warm and cozy cafe. He bought her coffee and some cake, and without realizing, she ate it hungrily. He smirked at her, and she couldn't help but think he was a handsome man.
He must be around her teacher's age.
"What's you name?" He asked.
"Kawashima Umika."
She spotted it. A small twinkle in his eyes as if he struck gold.
"Nice to meet you," he said. "I'm Ninomiya Kazunari."
"T-thank you for the food," she bowed.
"Would you mind telling me what were you doing under that slide?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.
Umika looked away, not really wanting to talk.
"Perhaps you ran away?" He brought up, sipping his coffee. "Am I right?"
"Hmm,"
"A family fight?" He dug deeper. "Was it with your...parents?"
"...my dad..." she spoke.
Nino rested his elbows on the table. "Is he being over-protective?"
"He...didn't listen to me," Umika said, thinking back to the time at school. "I tried telling him the truth, but he wouldn't even look at me."
"I'm assuming you were accused of something you didn't do."
"Yeah," she mumbled. "I don't know what's going to happen to me....what if I get deported?"
He frowned.
"Hmm? You're not from Japan?"
"I'm from America."
"Oh!" He smirked. "You know, I once been to America."
"Really?!" She gasped, feeling connected.
"Yup, for my job," Nino said. "That was about five or six years ago. It was my first time to be in-state."
"For how long?"
"Only for a month or two," he said. "But then I had to travel to other countries after that. It was hard work, and I was super homesick."
"How...how did you handled it?" Umika asked.
Nino took a good look at her before he set his cup down.
"Honestly, I was both happy and sad about it," he said. "I was honored to work in a different country, but I felt out of place. There weren't a lot that could speak my language, so I had to force myself to learn English. The food was too greasy for me, but I had nothing else to eat. And I didn't realized how much I missed blending in with my own race."
"Hmm..."
"I really wanted to go home," Nino said. "But I had a job to do, and I wanted to do my best. People were counting on me."
"But didn't people, like, hated you?" Umika asked, almost eagerly. "Like, bullied you or wanted you to leave?"
"Oh, yeah. All the time," he laughed. "But I didn't let them bother me. I know I had my place there even if it was for a short time." He sighed, "Umika, you should go back to your father."
She lowered her head.
"I may not understand what it is you were fighting about, but you should go back."
"Why?" She mumbled bitterly. "It's not my real home. My real home is across the sea...back to America."
"Is home really a place?" He asked.
"What?" She looked up.
"I don't really think a home means it's a place on the map," he said. "I believe that a home is wherever you are with someone you care for deeply. A place you know you can go back to because there are people waiting for you. No matter where they are...it's your home, right?"
Umika remembered the time she lived at the orphanage. A bunch of kids come back from school, eat lunch, and then go out with their friends. There were no parents waiting for them. The guardians looking out for them were too busy with other kids coming and leaving, Umika didn't felt any special.
In Japan, when she comes home from school, Ohno was there in the living room greeting her with a big smile.
'Welcome back!' He would say.
'What do you want to eat this time?' Her old orphanage guardian would say, bored and tired.
'How was your day?' Ohno would ask. 'Do you want hamburger for dinner?'
A warm fluttering filled her up side, and Umika stood up from her seat.
"You're right!" She said. "Thank you, Ninomiya-san!"
"Oh," he nodded, a little surprised.
Umika ran out of the cafe and headed for home. Nino stayed at the cafe and pulled out his cell phone, sending a quick text message to his co-worker and friend.
"Idiot. She's fine. Go home. She's heading there now."
A few seconds later, Nino felt his phone vibrate.
"Why didn't you tell me she was with you?! Oh, whatever. Thanks!"
Despite being late at night, there were still people walking in the city. Umika slowed down her pace as she weaved her way through the busy crowd. She was exhausted by the time she got to her neighborhood. The street lamps were turned on with moths buzzing around the light, but it felt good to be near light again.
She arrived at Ohno's house...her house. She was still standing outside the gate, feeling unsure to walk in after what she just said to him.
"He's probably gonna yell at me again," Umika mumbled. "What if he's really mad? No, he wouldn't. But what if he never let's me shop again? Oh, what should I do?"
She heard the front door open.
"Umika!" She heard him.
He looked so different with the light behind him. She stood there, cold and scared of what he'll do next. He hurried down the stairs, still in his pajamas, and opened the gate. His forehead wrinkled again.
"I'm sorry," she quickly mumbled. "I was just so angry. I didn't mean to run away, and I-"
She saw the hand come up and slapped across her face. They were both still and utterly quiet, but Umika still felt the sting on her cheek. It was the first time Ohno every hit her. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. She felt warm, and it was so comforting. Her heart thudded against her chest more strongly than the throb on her cheek.
"Thank goodness," Ohno moaned. "I was so worried."
Umika tried her best not to shed anymore tears again. But she never felt this safe before-in the arms of her only father.
"Welcome home," he said, and that made Umika cry.
* * *
Ohno listened to her carefully to her story. He made sure not to interrupt her even when she explained about her teacher saving her from the gangsters and the mean pictures posted. Strange how Sho didn't tell him that. But most importantly, he believed in her.
For a week, Umika stayed at home for security and investigation purposes. Sho even came to visit and apologized for what happened.
"Please forgive my thoughtlessness," Sho bowed at Ohno's doorstep.
"Ah, it's really alright," Ohno said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm grateful you protected my daughter at that time."
"I still can't help but think I've started this whole ordeal."
"It wasn't you," Ohno shook his head. "I trust Umika for telling me the full story. It wasn't your fault."
"Thank you, Ohno-san," Sho bowed again.
Just then, an officer walked up behind Sho.
"Excuse me, Ohno-san?" The man said.
"Y-yes?"
"May I come in? I have important information that you and your daughter would like to hear."
"O-of course! Please come on. You too, Sakurai-sensei."
They gathered around the living room. Umika sat nervously across the police officer who looked stern and grumpy. Ohno gulped and hoped for the best.
"You can relax," the officer said. "I bring good news only."
"Am I off the house arrest?" Umika asked.
"Better than that," he said. "You have been proven innocent."
"Really!" Ohno grinned.
"It was that knife," the officer explained. "The weapon that matched to Kiritani's wounds did not had any of Kawashima's fingerprints but Kiritani herself."
"Unbelievable," Sho gasped. "You were right, Umika."
"So, as of now, Kawashima Umika is free of any charges and is no longer under house arrest."
"Yes!" Umika jumped with joy. "So, what happens to Kiritani?"
"She will be charged for false investigation and false information, but her father has already paid for it," the officer grumbled.
"Her father?" Ohno mumbled.
"He's an influential politician," Sho explained.
"Well, that's just...sneaky!" Ohno said, outraged. "And she won't be in any sort of trouble?!"
"Kiritani-san is doing a fine job keeping this under wraps, I'll tell you that much," the officer said, standing up. "My best advice to you, don't mess with that family. Who knows what powers they have to run you over."
Ohno escorted him out the door and felt a rush of relief. At last, the problem was dealt with, but it won't stop Kiritani from bullying his daughter. Sho was about to leave as well, but Ohno stopped him just outside his gate.
"Sakurai-sensei."
"Please, call me Sho."
"Eh...Sho," Ohno said. "I was just wondering if you would, that is, please look after Umika at school."
"Hmm?"
"It's just, I don't want something like this to happen again. I was scared when you called me," Ohno admitted. "If Umika looks like she's being bullied again, please let me know."
"I will," Sho nodded.
"And, please, help her make more friends too."
"Of course," Sho smiled. But then he gasped. "Oh! That reminds me."
He reached into his suitcase and pulled out a flyer.
"The school is having a summer festival," Sho said. "Please have Umika come help us. There will be a lot of activities that students create together. Cooking stands, comedic plays, and sometimes rock bands."
"Rock bands?" Ohno pouted, a little interested himself. "Okay. I'm sure Umika would enjoy it."
"Thank you," he bowed again and left.
Ohno looked down at the colorful flyer. At the small corner, it said there will be a battle of bands at the festival.
"A rock band," Ohno smirked. "That sounds nice...."
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To Chapter 5 - http://arashiforyou.livejournal.com/40630.html
end of chapter! 8O
XDD
so? what do you think?
a little dramatic?
a little touching?
and nino's appearance about him talking about his time in america? XDD and yes, it was around the time he went for iwo jima. but his thoughts and feelings, i had to make up to fit the moment :3
Edit Note (2014.02.19): I added a little part, but it's nothing too major. Everything is pretty much the same :3