A/N: So it's been exactly a year since I've uploaded the first chapter of Love Like You to AO3! I feel like I've come so far with my writing, and it's fun to look back and see how the story has evolved! I can't wait to continue, and this story wouldn't be where it is without all of you! Thank you guys, and I hope you enjoy this one-year-anniversary gift!
The morning that was exactly a week from when Rohan brought (Y/n) into his care was a rainy one; though it was a gentle rain, the kind that furnishes spiderwebs with dewdrop chandeliers and promises rainbow skies after a calming period of gray—nothing like the storm the week prior. It was also a good morning, and (Y/n) came to learn through the passing of days that all mornings at the Kishibe residence were good, no matter what the weather may bring.
By now (Y/n) learned many things about her new home and the people within it: she knew that the cabinet to the left of the kitchen sink held dinner plates and glass cups, and the fifth floorboard from her bedroom door creaked when stepped on. She knew of Rohan's collection of baseball cards from when he was twelve, tucked away in a dusty old cardboard box in the closet of his studio, and knew that Reimi put exactly two creams and three sugars in every cup of coffee she had in the morning. She also knew that Arnold could not fall asleep without his banana squeaky toy. (Y/n) had grown so familiar with her surroundings that she could even navigate the entire upstairs with her eye closed (at least that's what she liked to believe, because the first time she tried was her last—tumbling down the stairs she went, but Rohan dove and caught her like a football before a bump could sprout on her head)!
And added to her collection of familiarities was a daily schedule written on a piece of paper hanging up on the fridge. After (Y/n) explained to Rohan and Reimi that she would sometimes wake up frightened of the new day, as the days back at her old home were nothing short of unpredictable, they created an agenda for (Y/n) that would guarantee safe and cheery mornings, afternoons filled with laughter and fun, and nights of relaxation and comfort. This is what Rohan wrote:
—When (Y/n) awakes (between 8-8:30) she will freshen up by getting dressed (only in Gucci and the greatest clothes brands!), brushing her teeth and hair, making her bed, and changing her bandage. Then she will join me in my fitness room to do 20 minutes of morning stretches as I jog on the treadmill. (Side note: I've yet to beat my 25 km/h personal record. Get on that, Rohan!) After exercise time we will all eat a nutritional breakfast courtesy of Reimi.
—(Y/n) will then have some time to do as she pleases, whether that be coloring, playing with her dolls, exploring outside, or taking Arnold on a walk with Reimi. I will make lunch for all of us, then (Y/n) will have her therapy session. Once that's finished, (Y/n) can watch TV for one hour (and none of your ridiculous, mind-numbingly dumb horror movies, Reimi).
—That leads to bathtime for (Y/n) as I help Reimi prepare dinner. We will all eat together (we can't forget dessert), help each other clear the table and wash the dishes, then wind down with either a board game or a drawing session. Reimi and I will give (Y/n) her medication, then she will freshen up for bedtime. The day will end with me telling her a bedtime story.
*Don't forget (Y/n)'s honey-milk tea before storytime!
(Y/n)'s mind slowly satisfied itself with familiarities, though she always left room for more, like a full stomach saving space for dessert. So when (Y/n) joined Reimi and Arnold on a rainy-day walk that morning, garbed in the cutest little frog raincoat and matching rain boots while holding up a frog umbrella that gleamed against the silver rainfall like a torch, she asked her guardian a special question: "Reimi, what do you like about the rain?" She followed up her question with a jump, a splash, and a giggle.
Ahead until the end of the sidewalk seemed but a dream Reimi looked, and it was as burnished as sunlight hatching water out of a chrysalis of mountain snow, hiding any and all imperfections. The water-glazed sidewalk was bordered with green from the reflection of trees on the left and bushes on the right; they were emerald, but could never live up to the green of Rohan's eyes, and the entire sidewalk squirmed and rippled from the raindrops tickling it. Slight murmurs from tiny amphibians swarmed the area along with the pittering of rain as Reimi puzzled over the question.
"What do I like about the rain? Let's see now...well, the rain..." a single question flickered in her pink eyes like crowds in cities blossoming with skyscrapers. She did not ask herself what had been asked to her, but rather why she couldn't answer such a simple question. "The rain...gives me a feeling that is difficult to explain. It's almost like...ah, I'm sorry dear, I need to think about the question a little longer. What about you, (Y/n)? What do you like about the rain?"
(Y/n) splashed from puddle to puddle, switching legs with every hop while humming a pleasant little tune. She had to hold her arms out to her sides to keep herself from falling over. "Hm...I like the rain 'cause I can splash in puddles, find wriggly worms," (Y/n) hopped over an earthworm in her path and tenderly placed it back in the soil so it wouldn't drown. After she sniffed the air and closed her eye. "And I love the smell!"
"Do you know what that smell is called?" Asked Reimi. (Y/n) looked up, shaking her head. "The smell of rain is called petrichor."
"Petrichor..." The girl giggled at the funny-sounding word. She melted Reimi's heart with a little jingle about the rain as they continued to stroll along the sidewalk, unfortunately ending on a sour note that could make a violin shiver when (Y/n) stopped in front of a puddle she would have otherwise jumped into if not for an afterthought obstructing her way. "I like the rain when it's happy and kind like this...but I don't like it when it gets so angry it becomes a storm...those scare me."
Reimi turned around and asked, "(Y/n), what do you find scary about storms?"
"Storms yell a lot, and they make the entire world around me shake! They'll knock down trees and telephone poles and send branches flying through the air...it would always get foggy after a storm at my old home..." (Y/n) dipped her foot into the puddle hesitantly, as though it was her first time learning how to jump. "One time a storm got so angry it threw lightning onto our house, breaking off a part of our roof!"
There was a pause. A long, uncomfortable one.
"I don't understand, Reimi...why can the rain be scary and angry sometimes?"
And the pink-eyed woman found the answer to the question observing her from within a fear-mocked window to the soul. Reimi chased the fear away with an expression kinder than butterfly wings.
"You see (Y/n), the rain is like a person. It nurtures plants and rivers like we nurture our young, and when rain clouds journey across the sky every day, they're always a little different from the way they were the day prior; the rain creates rainbows as we would create paintings, and it composes music that can be understood by all walks of life; but sometimes, the rain can lose control of its emotions, thus creating a scary storm. But once it takes a deep breath, and that fresh batch of wind comes around and blows the storm clouds away, everything is calm once again."
"Reimi?" (Y/n) shook like a hatching egg. "What if the storm doesn't take a deep breath? What if it rages on for a long time?"
"Then that's the rain choosing to hold onto its anger. When it does that, it's only damaging itself and the world around it."
"I see," (Y/n) finally splashed into the puddle and stood there for a moment. "Um...Reimi? What if a storm comes our way? I don't want you or Rohan-Sensei to be in danger..."
Reimi, keeping her kind expression, knelt down until her knees were just sweeping the puddles. She pressed her forehead against (Y/n)'s and reassured, "Rohan and I will never let a storm bring you any harm—or anything for that matter; and if you ever feel like a storm is brewing inside of your heart, you know what to do, right?"
Of course she did! She and Reimi talked about anger during one of her therapy sessions, which were (Y/n)'s favorite part of the schedule. The emotions that had been locked away in her heart by a key of negligence could now be vented out and understood by people who actually wanted to listen, and further assisted in identifying sources of sadness or happiness or fear, improving self-image, and bettering her ability of self-reflection; and each word of wisdom given to her by Reimi and Rohan she held close to her heart, like a locket shaped as such.
"Yep! Whenever I feel like I'm about to blow my top, I stop what I'm doing and do my special breathing exercise!" To demonstrate, (Y/n) plucked a stray shasta daisy from the ground and inhaled the scent of the flora. "I breathe in, then on the count of four I breathe out, until I start to feel better!"
"Exactly; and Rohan and I will do the same thing whenever we start to feel angry. Everything will be ok, (Y/n). I promise." The females exchanged adoring smiles and nuzzled their noses together. "I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you too, Reimi." She then felt Arnold's snout tickling against her ear, giggling when he licked the side of her face; "and I love you, Arnold."
They continued to stroll along the sidewalk, and a little green frog no bigger than (Y/n)'s pinkie finger introduced himself to her rain boots, mistaking them for fellow frog friends. The girl leaned over to get a better look at the amphibian, laughing when it croaked and jumped into some tall grass. (Y/n) got on all fours and hopped alongside it, pretending to be a frog.
"(Y/n)," Reimi called out, "don't wander too far now!"
"I won't Reimi, I promise! Ribbit, ribbit..."
(Y/n) followed the frog all the way to the open edge of a silver pond. Bulrushes and cattails crowded around the opposite side to watch snails sail their lily pad boats across the, from their perspective, sea that rocked from the yawns of snapping turtles. A mother duck kept her ducklings dry under her wings as they dreamed of fresh watercress and taking off on their first flight until the laughter of a young boy woke them up. (Y/n), digging up grubs along the muddy rim of the pond to feed her frog friend, stopped to look at the boy, whose strawberry-red rain boots were dipped in mud; his raincoat of matching color was surprisingly clean. He too was on all fours, stalking what was perhaps the plumpest, greenest, most slippery bullfrog that (Y/n) had ever seen!
The girl wanted to invite the boy to play with her, though she was afraid of slipping up. She had never really interacted with other children before, aside from this one girl who was apparently traveling to Singapore to meet her father, but that is a story for another time. She decided to observe from afar instead, breaking out into a fit of giggles when one of his boots sunk so deep into the mud it slipped off of his foot when he jumped at the frog, resulting in him falling face-first into the muck and the frog escaping into the murky depths of his home. (Y/n) tried her hardest to get a look at his face, but it was obstructed by the mud and his hood.
Hobbling on one foot, the hooded boy tried pulling his boot out of the mud like a farmer harvesting carrots, falling back on his bottom a few times before he successfully hauled it out of the earth. Afterward he went back to chasing frogs as though the fiasco never happened, and so did (Y/n), neither of them paying mind to each other until they got close enough to leap after the same frog. They crashed heads like two mountain rams at play.
"I-I'm sorry," (Y/n) whimpered, clutching her now sore head. She still couldn't see the boy's face, despite their three-feet distance from each other—and he couldn't see hers. "I di-didn't mean to crash into—"
But the boy quickly hushed her by pressing a finger to her lips. He nodded towards the pond, and she once again saw the mammoth of a bullfrog resting by the water, catching flies with his earthworm-thick tongue. "Look," he whispered, "there's Hidetoshi Nakata. I've gotta capture—"
(Y/n) interrupted, "Hidetoshi Nakata?"
"Yeah, that's what I've named him!" (Y/n) tilted her head in confusion, and the boy groaned in annoyance, "...you know, the greatest soccer player in the history of Japan? Scored a total of 53 goals in his career, was named athlete of the year in 1997 and 1998—geez, have you been living under a rock or something? Anyway, I'm trying to capture him so I can bring him back to Pendleton Orphanage to gain the respect of the other kids!" Then his smile twisted into a mischievous one, and he twiddled his fingers as he darkly chuckled, "maybe I'll even use him to pull a prank on that Hayato Kawajiri; they'll respect me even more if I manage to scare that creep!"
"Um, I'm sorry," (Y/n) twisted her foot in the mud, "but you're not going to hurt the froggy, right?"
"Of course not!" The boy sounded rather insulted at such an accusation. "I'm bringing him right back here after, dontcha worry! Now come on, we have a frog to catch!"
(Y/n) and the boy crept towards the bullfrog, mud squelching under their boots as though it were gargling the puddles to freshen its breath, like mouthwash. The bulrushes and cattails froze in anticipation; the snails anchored their lily pad boats with vine and stone, and the ducklings foraged for savory watercress to snack on as they watched the hunt unfold. Squeals of laughter rummaging around their throats and threatening to give their position away, the boy raised a hand, signaling (Y/n) to stop. Then he waved his hand, telling her to inch closer. He licked his lips, snickered menacingly through clenched teeth, paused along with (Y/n), and...
Splat! Into the mud their faces went, then splash! into the pond jumped the mighty bullfrog, or Nakata according to the boy. The faces of the two children fell saturnine as they brooded over their failure, inquiring where they possibly went wrong. However, like most children, they let little worries roll off their back like the raindrops on their coats, and began to howl and squeal with laughter, removing their hoods as they did so...
And they were taken aback when they did so.
He just so happened to be the boy with the hole in his cheek—the one who belittled poor (Y/n) back at Cafè Deux Magots. His golden eyes broadened, and they almost seemed apologetic until (Y/n) hid her eye away behind sodden hands; the touch of cotton stung like nettle for the first time in days. The boy, angered at the action he deemed to be mockery, pulled his hood back up to hide away the insecurity of his own, stood up, and walked past the girl with a curt "hmph." He did not bother to look back.
"Oh (Y/n), what happened?" Reimi suddenly called out from behind. She helped (Y/n) to her feet and wiped globs of mud off of her face. "You and that boy were having so much fun!"
(Y/n) glumly glanced at her rain boots. Barely above a whisper and wanting to forget about the whole ordeal, she said, "Yeah...he told me that his Mama wanted him back home at a certain time...and he was running late." She felt odd saying that because he had previously mentioned an orphanage.
"I see..." Reimi raised her head to catch a quick glimpse of the boy in the red raincoat. He seemed to be in no hurry. Then she gasped upon looking back at (Y/n), "honey, your bandage is dirty! Let's head back home now, we certainly don't want your wound getting infected..."
"Mhm."
And during the walk back home, (Y/n) splashed in every puddle so she couldn't see her reflection.
<><><>
"Here we are, a bandage as good as new. I'm quite surprised that you only dirtied your hands and face, considering that I could barely see the green of your raincoat and boots."
The objects of conversation were indeed as filthy as Rohan said they were--they were hanging up on the rail of the front porch, where Reimi was currently washing the mud off of Arnold's paws. The mangaka returned to making the perfect rainy-day lunch—grilled cheese and tomato soup—after changing (Y/n)'s bandage, but the guilty glance at her bare feet and her apology troubled him.
"You don't have to feel bad about the mud, (Y/n)," Rohan said, seemingly reading her thoughts like a book. "I don't mind as long as you don't track it in the house. In fact, it just shows me that you were having fun."
"Ok..."
A warmth unique to its own caressed the girl's face. It was Rohan's loving touch, the gesture of placing his palm under his daughter's chin and stroking the area that connected the cheek and temple with his thumb. He did this every time (Y/n) looked as crestfallen as a frostbitten lake (a sight that made his heart just as fragile) or to help her fall asleep during a story. "Did you and Reimi have a nice walk?"
"Mhm..." Her father's touch could always pull her out of a pit of sorrow. (Y/n) wrapped a hand around his thumb (it was surprisingly little enough for her to do so) and closed her eye, cooing at the soft, healing sensation. "We walked all the way to the pond, and I saw the biggest, slimiest, greenest frog I've ever seen in my whole life! Its tongue was pink, like the earthworms it eats, and it kept flicking like this!"
She stuck out her tongue and retracted it several times over, and Rohan chuckled the most cherishing laugh he had in a long while. "Well," Rohan began to ladle the rich tomato soup into porcelain bowls and placed the grilled cheeses on matching plates, "sounds like you had quite the adventure; and my little froggy needs to refuel for her therapy session with some lunch."
Her woebegone of the incident back at the pond disappeared like tears in rain from the taste of freshly made lunch and Rohan and Reimi and Arnold by her side. Upon hearing that a special surprise was awaiting her after therapy, (Y/n) shoved an entire sandwich half (or what could at least fit) into her mouth, and Rohan tore off the remainder sticking out her mouth, reaching across the table to do so. "Heavens (Y/n), slow down; you'll choke that way! The sandwich isn't going anywhere!"
"Buf I wernna shee da surprife an do mah ferapy sheshion!"
"(Y/n)," Reimi crossed her arms and her eyebrows, "what did we tell you about talking with a mouth full of food?"
The child's eye rolled up and her nose twitched, trying to recall her mini-lesson on manners after she accidentally sprayed bits of chocolate pudding all over the table during dessert a couple of nights prior from chattering. "I kner I herv—" —Swallow— "I know I have many songs to sing, but only momma birds show what they're eating to their babies."
"That's our girl," Rohan and Reimi said.
So they politely finished lunch and made their way upstairs. Many a guess (Y/n) made about the therapy activity and the surprise after, soon coming to the conclusion that it had something to do with her bedroom when the fifth floorboard yelped from underneath her feet. Rohan and Reimi uncovered their hands from (Y/n)'s eye, and when she adjusted to the light, she was shocked to find another (Y/n) staring back from the opposite side of the room!
But that was simply a trick by the full-body mirror now hung next to the window on the wall. Silver margins with great swirling corners like clouds in Chinese art, (Y/n) wondered if it was possibly forged from moonlight from the way the light from her iron chandelier inched around its border, gold on silver, sunrise settling the horizon of the night.
"It's beautiful!" The girl's mouth was agape with wonder. She looked up at her guardians and asked, "Rohan-Sensei, is this mirror a part of today's therapy activity?"
"It sure is!" Rohan and Reimi led her towards the reflective piece of furniture. There he continued, "for today's session, you are going to look at your complexion in the mirror in front of you. Tell yourself what you see in a positive light, and be honest with yourself."
(Y/n) made eye contact with the girl in the mirror after requesting that her guardians stay with her in the room (they offered her privacy beforehand). She stood there staring and analyzing, loose in the body but tight and active in the mind. With all of her mental might she tried to piece together the words they were looking for—so hard that she started to shutter and sweat in her place, as though she were giving a public speech to, in this case, herself.
"Positive? Um...I'm sorry, I don't know...I can't think of anything right now."
"And that's ok," said Rohan; "but that doesn't mean you quit while you're ahead. Take all the time you need. Look carefully...find the beauty inside of you. What is there to look at in the mirror in front of you?"
And she eventually found something within that reflection. It was not a dull, dreadful something, nor something flamboyant in gaiety: it possessed two simple words, and when Reimi heard its meek utterance, she wanted to believe that (Y/n) said it as acceptance of her flaws and talents; but she knew the words sprang up from nine cold, loveless years, and her heart broke thereupon.
"Just enough."
On the other hand, Rohan couldn't hear what she said because Arnold entered, his nails clicking against the hardwood floor. "My apologies (Y/n), could you speak up?"
"Just enough, I guess..."
Rohan could not be fooled by that veil of false confidence. It shook like a gladiator readying his final strike on his knees, the lie ready to tear (Y/n) apart as though it were a furious lion. He stood up and stepped towards his daughter along with Reimi, noticing (Y/n)'s stiffened body and her head hung on a cheerless neck.
"I know I am loved, Rohan-Sensei and Reimi; by you two and everyone else I've met in Morioh; and I love you all in return...so why? Why is it so difficult to feel the same about myself?"
Then the tears began to fall. Rohan and Reimi hesitated not to rush to her side and comfort the child. In a way the two adults felt guilty, for this was the first therapy session where (Y/n) broke down sobbing—but they knew it wasn't their fault, of course. Reimi brought her into her arms, and Rohan touched her face lovingly and said, "Sweetheart, can you look at me, please?"
(Y/n) turned her head and rested it on Reimi's chest. She brought her father's hand close to her heart as Arnold snuggled up against the two females. Rohan said, "(Y/n), you are enough. The fact that you're alive in this world and was given the chance to experience the things in life that make it wonderful proves that you are enough; you have a beautiful soul (Y/n), and being able to watch it grow and flourish is the best thing that has ever happened to Reimi and I."
Then Reimi said, "And I know it may seem difficult now, but you are still very young and have a future ahead of you full of opportunities for you to grow; and through those opportunities, you'll learn things about yourself that you'll love," the woman brought the child closer to her chest. "Never give up on yourself, (Y/n); cause Rohan and I believe in you."
"I-I won't give up, Rohan-Sensei and Reimi..."
Reimi knew that the advice she and Rohan gave would not be forgotten, though she wanted (Y/n) to have that little reminder for the days to come. She retrieved a sticky notepad and fountain pen, placed the pen in (Y/n)'s palm, then took her hand in her own. The girl looked up in confusion while Rohan caught on, and they guided (Y/n)'s hand to write:
I am enough.
And it was all done in silence, including the hanging of the note on the mirror.
"This is just one of the many notes to come," Reimi said. "Every morning when you wake up (Y/n), say positive things to your reflection, write them down, and hang them up on this mirror. Rohan and I will even leave notes of our own every now and then."
The rain clouds sought new skies, thus allowing the sun to bless Morioh once again. A sunbeam crossed over (Y/n)'s (h/c) hair and (e/c) eye as her tongue twitched like a magic wand casting a spell, that being the words that no haggard hex could overthrow: 'I love you;' but she was drawn into a group hug from her guardians, including Arnold licking her face. So she instead giggled and snuggled up to her family, and the four of them stared into the mirror for a few moments while enjoying the silence. This would make an excellent family photo, Rohan and Reimi and (Y/n) and even Arnold thought to themselves. None of them were aware that they thought the same exact thing.
"And now I think it's time for you to see your surprise, (Y/n)," Rohan said. With a gasp, (Y/n) sprang from the arms of her guardians and stumbled to her feet. She grabbed their hands and started running, though she went nowhere because she couldn't pull their combined weight. The adults broke into a fit of laughter and Arnold drummed his tail against the floor like a flicked doorstop.
"Come on Rohan-Sensei and Reimi! Come on come on come on!"
"Alright alright, we're coming!" They laughed aloud.
Even though she was in the lead, (Y/n) fell behind to glance back at the mirror in her room. It wore a yellow crown of words, and it bore a fruit of knowledge anyone could easily pluck off the branch. The girl turned on her heel when she heard her family calling out to her, stealing one last glance to read the scripture hanging from the furniture.
"I am enough."