You're My One and Only Rose [An OHSHC Fanfiction] (Undergoing Editing)

Chapter 3

"Welcome home, Riko-chan," Haruhi smiled, allowing me to step inside first.

Slowly, I entered the house. Looking around my surroundings of my old home, a soft smile graced my face. I felt all the memories of my childhood come flooding back into my mind. Turning to look at the walls, childhood pictures of my family hung proudly. A few more steps in, I gazed over at Mom's shrine in the other room. 

Before I knew it, my feet had brought me to it before my mind could realize it. Resting down on my knees, I picked up the picture frame of Mom. My finger gently grazed the glass frame, over my mother's long brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail, her bright brown eyes, to the loving smile she always wore. Beautiful as ever.

"I'm finally home, Mom. Sorry it took me so long to get back," I whispered.

Kissing the picture, I let my lips linger for a few seconds before placing the frame back on the shrine. I didn't move from my position on the floor. I simply stayed there and closed my eyes, taking in the fact that I was finally home. Haruhi watched from a short distance away with a small smile, heading to the bedroom to leave me some privacy.

"Haruhi, are you home?" a voice broke the tranquil state that I was in.

There was a loud thud. Snapping my eyes open, my head whipped to the front door. A woman who I wasn't sure I knew was stood at the door. The person had long, wavy maroon hair and wore a violet themed female office worker outfit. Lying on the floor was a shoulder bag which seemed to be the cause of the loud thud from earlier.

Looking closer at the woman's face, I realized that the person seemed awfully familiar. If it weren't for the outfit and the long hair, I would even dare say she looked like my father. Eyes widening at the realization, I looked into the person's eyes once more to see if I was right. They stared right back into mines, seeming to be in a shocked state.

"Daddy?" I whispered, tears beginning to brim in my eyes.

"My little Riko," he whispered.

Before I could even stand from my spot, he had rushed to my side and fell to his knees. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me straight into his arms. Clutching onto his shirt, I buried my face in his chest and was more than willing to hold him tightly. Before I knew it, I was sobbing into his chest.

"I missed you so much," I choked out, my voice breaking between each word.

"Shhhh. It's alright. Daddy is here now," he coaxed while stroking my head softly. Feeling something wet hit the top of my head, I knew he was crying too.

Hearing footsteps approach, I felt another pair of arms wrap around us. I didn't need to look up to know that it was Haruhi. She didn't cry nor did she had to say anything. She took it upon herself to be the strong one among us, so she only held us in her safe embrace while rubbing our backs as a silent comfort.

We weren't sure how long we had stayed in that position, but we didn't care. All that mattered was that we were together again. Eventually, we composed ourselves enough to get off of the floor. Moving to the living room area of the apartment, Dad had me explain everything much like I had to do for Haruhi earlier. 

"Dad, can I ask you something?" I hesitantly asked.

"Of course, sweetie. What is it?" he replied. The look he had in his eyes already told me that he knew what I was going to ask.

Biting my lip, it took me a minute or two to ask him what I wanted to know. "Please don't think that I'm being rude by asking this, but... When did you begin cross dressing?" I inquired, looking down at my lap in fear he would be upset at me for asking.

Hearing him chuckle, he placed his hand over mine and gave it a light squeeze. I took it as a gesture that he was perfectly fine with the question. He took a moment to think over the question. Not wanting to rush him, I waited patiently.

"You already know how hard it was for us when your mother passed away. I loved your mother as much as I love you and Haruhi," he began.

Smiling gently, I nodded my head. In the few memories I still had of Mom in my head, her and Dad were deeply in love. They never failed to express their love for each other and for Haruhi and I. I looked to Dad again to continue with his story.

"Sending you to the states made it even harder. I felt like I was losing both a daughter and a wife. At the same time, I realized that you and Haruhi had also lost a mother."

"That was when I realized something. I vowed that I would never love another woman. No one could compare to your mother. She was the love of my life and the best mother you could ever have. In order to keep my vow, I've decided to work as Ranka, just as you see me as now. It may serve as a job, but more importantly, it serves as a promise to my family," he concluded.

There was a moment of silence after Dad had finished speaking. Just as Haruhi and I had gone through a lot about losing a mother, I almost forgot that Dad had lost his wife, his love. Seeing that he was willing to become Ranka, I could see just how devoted he was to Mom and us. My love and admiration for my father grew even more than it already had.

For the remainder of the day, I never left my father's side. Or rather, he never left mine. Not that it bothered me. I was always such a Daddy's little girl as a child and I still remained one now. Over dinner, we reminisced over the past and I told them about my life back in America. Catching up over the years we missed, the three of us were set on making brand new memories as a family.

"I'm so happy that you're home, Riko. Our family is together at last," Dad said, his eyes already beginning to tear again.

"Hey, no more tears! I'll start crying again if you do," I jokingly scolded him. He only chuckled, wiping away his tears. 

"It feels like things are finally complete again," Haruhi comment. 

Exchanging looks with each other, we all shared the same thought. Across the table, Dad reached for my left hand, locking his fingers with mines. Beside me, Haruhi did the same for my right hand. Squeezing them both, I couldn't stop the smile that appeared on my face. Haruhi and Dad glanced at each other for a brief moment before turning to me.

"Welcome home, Riko."

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After the revamp of YMOAOR, scenes have been deleted from this chapter! Some comments may not make sense because they were from said scenes. Sorry for any confusion!