Fruits Basket Fan Fiction ❯ Custody ❯ Grandchild ( Chapter 16 )

Momiji walked to Brigitta with his pajamas neatly folded in his arms. He was so happy at that moment that he was actually grinning. He couldn't help it but to think that he was one lucky rabbit. He felt like bouncing up and down like a bunny. He was going home with his grandmother for Christmas. She asked him to come.

 

Brigitta stood facing away from him. She was looking at a book or something like that, and he got curious about it. She didn't notice him approaching her from behind until he could peer over her shoulder at whatever it was that she was holding. His smile disappeared when he realized exactly what she was looking at. He stood rooted to the spot as she slowly leafed through the pages with trembling hands. When she got to the picture of her daughter, his mother, she stopped.

 

She almost dropped the album, shocked. Just as she was starting to let go of it she felt more than saw a pair of strong hands close over her own, holding them. The sudden movement resulted in her standing in between Momiji's arms in a loose embrace.

 

Momiji was shocked beyond words. `What am I going to do? Did she know about me? How am I going to explain this to her? Will she believe it?'

 

Brigitta squeezed her eyes to get rid of the tears. When she could focus clearly, her eyes lingered on their joined hands for a while. She didn't know what to say.

 

`Does he know? Why didn't he say something before? What is he going to say? What am I going to say to him?'

 

They stood like that for what they felt like hours, just enjoying the feeling of each other's proximity in silent hesitation. Momiji broke the moment when he took the photo album from her hands and stepped away from her to put it inside the suitcase. He closed it carefully, trying not to make a sound. All that could be heard in the room was the slow zipping and strapping until Momiji finally stood in front of his luggage, arms hanging at his sides. Brigitta stayed in the same spot the whole time, drinking in his every move and feature.

 

Throwing caution to the wind, she turned to him fully and smiled affectionately with her kind eyes full of tears.

 

-“They told me you were dead.” -it was a whispered apology, but he heard it clearly in the silence of the room.

 

Momiji wasn't surprised by her words. He had to make a decision at that moment, though.

 

`Do I tell her a new lie or… do I take the risk and tell her the truth? Lying is the safest way out, but I'm so tired of pretending…'

 

-“Once, I actually wished that was true.” -he answered slowly and quietly, afraid of ruining the moment by raising his voice above hers. He looked down, his bangs concealing his eyes.

 

-“How can you say that? Why would you think so?” -What could have made him think that?

 

-“I'm nobody, I have no one, and I don't belong anywhere, I thought back then.” -he was struggling to find the right words to say what he wanted to tell her. He wished that he could just speak in Japanese… It would be so much easier!

 

He could feel his grandmother's eyes on him. He knew that she was waiting for him to continue.

 

-“It was on the day that Momo went to my house to say goodbye. I heard her talking to Tohru about their plans. She didn't want to leave. I hid so that I didn't have to face her then. I knew that I didn't have the strength to do it. After she left, I was alone in my house again. I thought a lot about what was happening, about my family, and me. My parents were leaving me behind and they were taking my little sister with them. I had begged my father to let me get close to Momo, but he wouldn't let me! I had seen him only a few days before and he didn't say anything to me about them going away! He never thought about me when he agreed to move… That day I realized so many things that for a moment I wished that I could just close my eyes and…” -his voice faltered, and he had to breathe slowly a few times to regain his self-control.

 

Brigitta noticed that his voice was strained and pained. `What did they do to you?' Momiji finally lifted his head to continue. He was smiling sadly at her.

 

“I know better now. I realized that no matter what my parents did, there were people who cared about me.” An image of Tohru flashed through his mind. His smile gained confidence. “I grew up; I don't need a mother and a father anymore.”

 

Brigitta fought hard against the urge to hug him. She saw him struggling to find the right words and to force a smile on his face for her sake. `How can he try to do that when I can clearly see that it's taking everything he has to not to break down and cry?' She kept herself from moving, however, afraid of what his reaction would be to her. She still remembered how uncomfortable he looked at first whenever Momo clung to him. She didn't want to make him feel worse. She could only say one word:

 

-“Why?” -it enclosed every single question that she had at that moment. She said it like a plea; she didn't dare to make any demands to this broken boy.

 

He thought for a moment before he began his story.

 

-“When I was born, I had a… something was wrong with me.' -at her questioning look he replied. “I'm fine now.” -He continued. “My mother couldn't accept it. She refused to take care of me or even see me. She was so scared! My father tried to make it up to me whenever he could. We spent time together, we played and we went out. He didn't care that I wasn't a `normal' child. But Ma… Mother got sick. She was so sick that Father asked me to help her. She said that she could get better if she forgot about me. Father asked me to let them erase me from her memory. He said that he would love me for the both of them. I believed him. I didn't really want her to forget me, but I said yes. After that, I could never go back to their house, and I didn't have a mother anymore. I was raised by the Soumas in the Main House. She got better with time, and some years later, Momo was born. Father asked me not to go near them, or even speak to them. He was afraid that she would remember me and get sick again, and I did as I was told. And then, six years ago, they left me. They came here to meet their `real family', right?” -He said it all quietly but clearly.

 

Brigitta couldn't see his face, since he was looking down, but she could see the wistful smile on his lips as he spoke. She felt like she had been stabbed when he used her own words against her, even if his voice didn't hold any kind of reproach. She didn't know then…

 

-“How old were you when…” -she asked after a long pause.

 

-“Four.”

 

-“So that's why you said…” -she recalled their previous conversation, when he talked about the `deaths' of his parents.

 

-“Yes. It wasn't like they died for me. It was the other way around.” -he explained.

 

-“I didn't know that you were alive. They told me that you were dead.” -she apologized again in a broken voice.

 

-“They never told me about you either. The first time I heard about you was when Father's secretary called to tell me about his death. She said that Momo was with her grandmother.” -His voice was calm, but stronger now.

 

-“Momo needs to know.” -She thought abut the girl and thought about how happy she would be to know that she had a big brother.

 

-“Don't tell her anything yet. Please.” -He begged. “I will find a way to tell her myself.” -He said with that same nervous smile that he shared with his sister.

 

-“I won't fight you for Momo's custody. She's your little sister. You have the right to have her with you.” -Brigitta had made up her mind. She couldn't fight against him. Ever.

 

-“I was curious at first and a little scared that you wouldn't like me.” -He said, not mentioning the issue of Momo's custody. He didn't want to talk about that yet. They said they would do that after the holidays. “I like you.” -He said simply. He smiled broadly as he spoke while he combed his hair with his fingers again.

 

-“I knew it was you almost from the start. It took me a while to figure it out, and even more time to get a proof, but you grew on me during these days even though I didn't know for sure. How could I not like you? You are my grandchild.” -Her smile was so kind and loving that Momiji felt the sudden urge to hug her. He stopped, however, not sure of what her reaction would be. His smile kept growing with every passing second, though.

 

They stood there, facing each other for a moment, both enjoying their silent company.

 

And then, Momiji saw his grandmother open up her arms for him hesitantly. He saw once again her eyes so full of love that…

 

…he stepped forward. She took him in her arms like the little child that he once was, caressing his blond locks with one hand. Momiji didn't mind bending down. He put his arms around her once more and allowed her to play with his hair, touch his face and look into his eyes for as long as she wanted.

 

Brigitta wanted to make sure that he was real. She enjoyed the fact that he was letting her touch him.

 

She kissed her grandchild on both cheeks. He kissed his grandmother back. He laughed like a little boy. She messed up his hair again.

 

`So this is what it feels like to be hugged and spoiled by my own grandmother.'