Some time has passed since summer break. School was back in session. The leaves were already beginning to change color. Ever since that day on vacation, Emi swore to never forget this grateful feeling. The feeling of needing to protect those who are dear to her.
An audience clapping snapped Emi out of her daze. She was sitting on a folded chair, watching her sister's class perform a play called Sort of Cinderella. It was a rather... Interesting performance since they kept getting out of character.
Momiji was video recording the whole thing. "I can't wait to watch this later! It looks like it's almost time for our class to perform."
"Don't you remember, Momiji?" Hatsuharu asked. "We didn't have to participate in it as long as we helped with decorating."
"Right. You and I helped out with that. Which means..." Momiji turned towards Emi who looked like she wished she helped out with the decorating instead.
Emi let out a sigh. "Sumire pushed me to perform in the talent show. I really didn't want to, but... She insisted."
Hiro, who was there along with Kisa, smirked. "What are you going to do? Draw everyone to sleep?"
"No! It has nothing to do with drawing this time!"
"That's the first. You always have that sketchbook with you wherever you go. I just assumed you were going to flip page by page on stage."
"I'm not doing anything like that! I'm, well... You'll just have to see for yourselves."
"Whatever you end up doing, I'll get it on video!" Momiji said.
"Please don't."
"You should get going." Hatsuharu spoke up. "It looks like they're finishing up clearing the stage."
"Right." Emi swallowed, feeling her heart pounding. "I need to change into more... Professional attire."
"Good luck, Emi." Kisa spoke up.
Kisa's adorable smile made Emi's nervousness ease. "Thank you."
~•~
Backstage, Sumire was putting the finishing touches on Emi's makeup. Taking off the brush from her face, she held out a hand mirror towards Emi. "Ta-da! What do you think?"
Emi didn't even recognize her own reflection. "I look like a girl!"
Sumire giggled. "You need to look your best when you perform! You look so pretty that even Momiji can't resist you!"
Emi felt the heat rush up to her cheeks. "D-Don't say things like that!"
"You know, Emi... You need to confess to him sooner than later. You need to tell him it was you who wrote that letter. You shouldn't leave the poor guy hanging."
"Not this again..." Emi let out a sigh. "I was thinking... Of telling him soon. I'm still trying to work up the courage for it, but I'll do it soon."
"How soon?"
"Way before the end of this year comes."
"That's my girl!"
"You look really pretty in that dress, Emi." A sudden familiar voice from behind her complimented.
Emi let out a scream, jumping sideways. She could feel her heart beating 100 miles a hour. Realizing who it was, she felt herself getting agitated. "Dang it, Megumi! Stop sneaking up on me like that!"
"I can't help it. I find your reactions hilarious." Even though he wasn't laughing nor smiling. He walked over towards Sumire, grabbing a hold of her hand. "You're looking beautiful as ever."
Sumire started blushing, flustered even. "Oh stop! You're always saying stuff like that!"
Emi slowly blinked while clearing her throat. "Um... What's going here?"
"Surprise!" Sumire exclaimed. "I wanted to tell you this today. Megumi and I recently started going out."
"WHAAAAAT?!" Emi clasped her hands over her mouth. The shook was unreal. "Are you serious?!"
"Uh huh! When you were spending your summer with the Sohmas, Megumi and I hung out quite a bit during that time. And just recently, we decided to be in a relationship."
"Does Saki know about this?"
"Yes." Megumi answered. "My sister knows about everything."
"Oh my god... It's kind of awkward for me since both of you are my closest friends, but... Congratulations on your relationship."
"Thank you!" Sumire responded. "Whenever you get into a relationship with Momiji, I'll support you all the way!"
"Like that will happen anytime soon!" Emi's face was entirely red.
Both Sumire and Megumi smiled at each other, knowing it will happen in time. "Honda, Irie." One of their classmates said. "You two are up next."
Emi felt her anxiety get the best of her. She couldn't believe she was about to perform in front of people.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, seeing her friend by her side. "Don't worry, Emi. I'll be on stage with you while playing the piano. You won't be alone in this."
Calming down a little, Emi inhaled and exhaled through her nose. "Right. I'll feel less nervous knowing you're there with me."
"Good luck, you two." Megumi said with a small smile.
"Thank you! Come on, Emi!" Sumire took her by the hand, pulling her along towards the stage. The darkness of the backstage turned to the brightness of the stage.
Emi felt all eyes on her. Sumire has released her hand, going towards the piano. Up ahead, Emi saw the microphone. Gulping, she slowly made her way towards it, taking it off the stand.
Emi saw that Momiji was started to record her, making her feel really anxious. Her heart was beating so fast that it felt like she was about to faint. Aw man... It feels like I'm going to throw up and pee myself at the same time...
"Emi." Sumire whispered. Turning around, Emi saw her friend giving her a wink. "You can do this."
Even though everyone she knew was out in the audience waiting for her performance, Emi knew she couldn't back down now. If her sister managed to perform on stage, so can she. Turning back around towards the audience, Emi met Tohru's eyes. As usual, her sister was giving her an encouraging look.
It put Emi at ease. Taking a deep breath, Emi waited for Sumire to start playing the beginning part of the song. Waiting for the right moment, Emi closed her eyes and began to sing into the microphone.
(A/N: This is the song she's singing. I won't be writing out the lyrics, but will post a video about it instead. It's such a good song!)
Waiting for the music to come to an end, Emi opened her eyes, seeing a whole new world. She heard the audience clapping and cheering for her performance. She did it, she really did it.
Feeling someone grab her hand, Emi turned around to see Sumire there. Sunire ended up taking a bow with Emi copying her movements. Taking a long bow, Emi could still hear the loud cheers from the audience.
~•~
Getting off stage, the first two people Emi saw were Tohru and her grandfather. "Oh! Grandpa! I didn't know you were here!"
"Of course. I came to see yours and Kyoko's performance." Grandfather said.
"Sis's name is Tohru, grandpa." Emi couldn't help but giggle at that. "What did you think? About mine and sis's performances?"
"I'm very proud of both of you. I didn't expect any less."
"Thank you, grandfather." Tohru said. "But I say, Emi did a much better job than I did."
"You did good with your performance too, sis!" Emi complimented. "Give yourself some credit!"
Tohru let out a laugh. "You're right."
"Oh, Emi. May I ask you a favor?" Grandfather asked.
Emi tilted her head. "What is it?"
"I need you to come over to my house over the weekend. Don't worry, your relatives won't be there. They're away on vacation."
Emi let out a sigh of relief. "Good. I didn't want to see them. But why just me? How come sis can't come?"
"I only need to talk with you. It's very important. I feel like it's the right time to tell you."
Emi still didn't know what her grandfather was getting at. "Alright. I'll come over."
For some reason, Emi felt an uneasy feeling. But it was her grandpa she was talking about, nothing strange could ever happen with him. He was a sweet old man.
~•~
The weekend finally arrived. Emi was ringing the doorbell to her grandfather's house. The door opened, her grandfather gave her a smile. "Ah! You're here! Please come in, my dear." Emi stepped inside the house, closing the door behind her.
Taking off her shoes, Emi noticed how quiet it was inside. "You weren't kidding when you said they're not here."
"I understand you're not fond of them, so I made sure to have you come over when they are not here."
"You're the best, grandpa."
"You can follow me into the living room. Would you like some tea or a snack?"
"No thank you."
Entering the room, Emi noticed that someone was sitting on the couch. For some reason, this person seemed familiar to her. "Have a seat, dear." Her grandfather said.
Emi made her way towards the couch, sitting across from this mysterious person. Emi was trying to think long and hard of where she saw this person before.
It was a lady with long and wavy brown hair. She was still wearing sunglasses inside of the house. She was wearing a large white fur coat with a black dress to complement the coat.
All of a sudden it hit her. Emi had seen her at her job. Why is she here in grandfather's house?
"We meet again, Emi." The woman said.
"Uh, yeah..." Emi responded nervously. "Your name was Erika, right?"
Erika nodded. "Correct."
"I have to ask... How do you know my grandpa?"
Her grandfather sat next to Emi. "This is the reason why I wanted you to come today. I wanted to discuss about Erika to you."
"Grandpa, who is she to you? How do you know her?"
Silence filled the room. "It's hard to explain, my dear. I didn't think this day would come so soon, but she suddenly appeared at my front door, demanding to meet with you. Erika and I go way back. She was like family to me."
"Was like family? What do you mean?"
Erika let out an annoyed groan. "Let's just get straight to the point, old man. Listen girl, you always thought that orange haired wench was your mother, right?"
Emi gritted her teeth. "Don't you dare call my mom a wench!"
"She isn't your mother, sweetie. I am."
Emi's eyes widen at the news. This strange customer was claiming herself to be her mother? It didn't feel real. "No... You can't be my mother. I never knew you even existed. Grandpa, please tell me she's lying."
Grandfather lowered his head. "She speaks the truth, Emi."
It felt like time has stopped at the moment. Everything felt like it was frozen in place, not a single sound could be heard. "No... No..! You can't just waltz into my life and say you're my mother! You're not..!"
Erika took out a cigarette, lighting up the tip. She released a bunch of smoke from her mouth, the entire room started to reek of nicotine. "But I am. It felt like time snuck up on me. I didn't think a whole 15 years flew by. Ever since I saw you that day, I was thinking about you ever since. I met up with the old man to confirm if it was really you. Once I found out, I wanted to meet up with you again. I want you to come live with me."
Emi creased her brows. "You better hold it right there. I'm not going to drop everything and move in with you. Even if you are my birth mother, it still doesn't change the fact that you basically abandoned me. Where the hell were you all this time?!"
"I knew you would ask that. Ever since your father died, I... Didn't take it very well. I grew very depressed that not even you were enough to give me strength. Out of anger, I even tried to kill you as a vulnerable infant, blaming you for my husband's death. But... I decided to just give you to your grandfather. As for me... I've been spending the last 15 years at the red light district."
In conclusion, Erika did a lot of very... Adult things to get by. Emi was shaking, feeling her blood boil. "Because my father died... You almost ended up killing me and turned to a life of... Of that?!"
"Not my proudest decision, but yes."
"Who was my father anyway?!"
"He was your grandfather's nephew, Raiden Honda."
Emi was surprised to know her father bared the same last name despite knowing that Kyoko wasn't her birth mother. She turned towards her grandfather. "You had a nephew?"
Grandfather nodded. "I did. He was a good man. Though... He ended up getting cancer that was already too late to cure. His last wish was to have a child with Erika who was his wife at the time."
"My father wanted to have me... But..." Emi looked up at Erika. "What about you? How did you really feel about it?"
Erika exhaled smoke from her mouth. "At first, I didn't want to have any children. But since I loved my husband so much, I gave into his wishes. But even so... During the time, I regretted having you." Those words didn't faze Emi since she didn't feel a close bond with her birth mother. "But ever since I saw you working at the cafe, I've been thinking... I want to try to get to know my daughter."
Emi couldn't find any words to say. Grandfather noticed Emi's expression, trying to think of what to say. "It's true that Erika gave you to me when you were only an infant. I know you're thinking how you ended up with Kyoko. I ended up asking her to take care of you in my place since I had too many health problems during that time. I felt terrible, knowing she had recently lost her husband and was a single mother. And having to take care of another child was another weight on her shoulders. But even so, Kyoko was happy to take you in."
Emi felt herself choking up. "Even if she isn't my biological mother and even if sis..." She felt her heart breaking, now knowing that Tohru wasn't her blood sister that she always thought she was. She couldn't finish her sentence as tears started falling from her eyes.
Erika stood up from the couch. "Now that you know the truth, you should pack your bags and come move in with me."
Emi shook her head vigorously. "No! You can't make that decision for me! I'm not going with you!"
"What did you say?"
"Didn't you hear me?! I said I'm not going to move in with you!"
Erika grabbed Emi's arm, forcing her to stand up. "Listen up! I'm your mother and you'll do as I say! You are not to talk back to me! When I say you're moving in with me, you're moving in with me! Do I make myself clear?!"
Emi forced Erika's grip off her arm. Her grasp left a lingering red mark on her arm. "You're not my mother! I don't care if you say otherwise!"
"Why you little! You should be grateful that I even gave birth to you, and decided not to kill you that day! You're so ungrateful!"
"Says the woman who abandoned her child and became a full time whore!"
In result, Erika slapped Emi across the face. "Listen here, you brat! You are not allowed to talk back to me! I will force you to move out of that damn house you're living at! You call me a whore?! You're a whore for staying at a house with three men! That fake sister of yours... I bet you two do all sorts of despicable things!"
Emi gritted her teeth, shaking in anger. "Hey... You can talk crap about me all you want. But don't you dare talk about my sister that way."
"She's not even your real sister, and yet you're still calling her that?!"
"I don't give a damn! She's my sister no matter what!"
"No she's not! You will forget about her, and come with me!"
(A/N: Lots of cussing incoming.)
"I already told you! I'm not going with you! You're nothing but a manipulative bitch who showed her true colors!" As Erika was about to slap Emi once more, Emi ended up blocking her hand with her arm. "You think I'm going to let you hit me again?"
"Stop making this so difficult! Just come live with me!"
"I'll pass, thanks. I rather not live with some bitchass whore who reeks of cigarettes and piss. If you think you can force me into your life, then you got another thing coming, lady. You're not my mother, even if you gave birth to me. You can do everyone a huge favor, and disappear in the red light district for another 15 years or even forever. And I swear, if you come near me or anyone dear to me... You'll regret it deeply."
"Why you..! You..!"
"Don't ever come into my life again. Don't even show your face around me again. You can take your 'move in with me' bullshit and shove it up your ass. I bet you wouldn't mind that, you sick cunt."
Erika looked defeated by Emi's words, shaking in anger. "I don't even want an ungrateful brat like you anyway!" She ended stomping towards the front door, slamming it hard behind her.
Letting out a sigh, Emi sat back down on the couch. "I apologize for saying all those vulgar words around you, grandpa."
Grandfather shook his head. "I'm not angry at you. I understand how you were feeling."
"I just didn't want to move in with my so called mother when I barely her. And seeing she has this manipulative side makes me not want to have anything to do with her."
"I understand. Even if Erika is your biological mother, you shouldn't have to put up with her behavior. I can tell it would make you unhappy. You are a young lady who can make your own choices. No one can force you to make decisions regarding your life. Not even me. You should do what makes you happy."
Emi nodded, tears falling down her eyes. "Yes... Living with the Sohmas and being with sis makes me very happy."
"I will continue to support you and Kyoko's decision for living there."
Emi giggled. "Her name is Tohru, grandpa." It was true. Living there was like a dream. Every day was an adventure, whether she would have to go through easyships or hardships. Either way, it was always fun to spend time with everyone at that house.
Even if Emi thought that, it felt like a dark cloud was hovering over her heart. She just had to keep reminding herself that even though Tohru wasn't her biological sister, she was her sister regardless. But every reminder made her more and more depressed about it.