“Emiko’s getting really big…” Hiruma Youichi commented to the photograph he was holding. The picture was of a woman with a heart-shaped face, long black hair, and large brown eyes. She had soft, gentile features. It was impossible to tell in the photograph, as the woman was simply standing in front of a tree trunk, exactly how tall she was. Hiruma, having known the woman for several years, knew that she was almost as tall as he was. In the bottom left corner of the picture were a few words written carefully in pen. It read ‘Chizue, 1 month’.

 

            Hiruma put the photograph back into the album he had left out on the table. Hiruma Youichi was a gaunt-looking man, with a thin face and pointed features. His hair was a spiky, uncontrolled black mess. Hiruma’s most memorable features were his green, cat-like eyes, his fanged teeth, and his pointy, elf-like ears. He was muscular and athletic, despite having retired from sports years ago.

 

            Carefully, with his long fingers, Hiruma shut the photo album. The cover of the red leather album read ‘Hiruma’ in letters that matched the small golden band on Hiruma’s right ring finger. After shutting the album, Hiruma left it on the table in favor of tending to the mass of dishes in the sink. He hummed quietly to himself as he scrubbed all the crap off the plates.

 

            There was a door slamming loudly from another part of the apartment.

 

            “Youichi where are you!?” An old woman’s voice shrieked loudly from around where the door slammed.

 

            “Why did the fucking old bat have to come?” Hiruma hissed under his breath. He turned his head and then bellowed, “the kitchen!”

 

            Angry footsteps stomped across the apartment, stopping just inside of the doorway to the kitchen. Hiruma didn’t have to look at the old woman to know who it was.

 

            “Have you heard the words that have been coming out of my granddaughter’s mouth recently!?” Saburo Haruka ranted as she stormed up to stand next to Hiruma.

 

            “I believe it was something on the lines of ‘Papa, make the old bat go away!’…. Why do you ask?” Hiruma didn’t bother to look up from the dishes.

 

            “You son of a-!” Saburo was cut off by the deadly glare Hiruma was now giving her.

 

            “Don’t insult my mother because you can’t take a small joke.” Hiruma’s voice was calm and furious. He took a breath and turned back to the dishes. “What words?”

 

            “She keeps on demanding to know where her mother is!” Saburo ranted, unconcealed rage in her voice. “You said you’d take of that!”

 

            “I did,” Hiruma answered, “Emiko knows who her mother was and visits the grave once a month. Now, I believe the word Emiko has been actually saying is ‘Mommy’, which she does not have.”

 

            “What are you talking about!? Chizue was her mother-!” Saburo protested.

 

            “Exactly.” Hiruma’s hands stopped. “Chizue was her mother, not her ‘Mommy’, not her ‘Mom’, just her mother.”

 

            “…You don’t really know how to raise a child.” Saburo commented, glaring. “Everyday it becomes more and more obvious just how inept you are at parenting.”

 

            “The match is far from over, you bat!” Hiruma glared at Saburo. “Don’t call it a loss until the ref calls game.”

 

            “Don’t call me ‘bat’, you heathen!” Saburo growled.

 

            “Why don’t you make yourself useful and dry these?” Hiruma offered her a towel. “After all, you said that I quote ‘could not ever hope to fill a woman’s place in the house’ twice last week.”

 

            “I’m not here to do your dishes!” Saburo glared.

 

            “You’re such a hypocrite.” Hiruma rolled his eyes at her. “Either I can or cannot do housework, figure it out already.”

 

            “What’s this you’ve left out?” Saburo decided to change the subject to avoid losing an argument to Hiruma.

 

            “Just some photos I wanted to show Emiko.” Hiruma answered simply. “She’s big enough now to understand what’s happening in them.”

 

            Saburo didn’t understand Hiruma’s meaning, so she opened the album. The first photos were of Chizue in a white wedding gown and Hiruma in a black tuxedo. Two pages later there were photos of the couple moving into their new apartment. After the apartment were photos of Hiruma and Chizue separately, sometimes with friends, sometimes not. There were several photographs of Hiruma playing football.

 

            “Take these out.” Saburo demanded pointing at one of the football pictures. “I want Emiko to have nothing to do with that primal war game you like to play.”

 

            “I will not.” Hiruma answered her as he dried a plate. “Football is part of who I am, part of who she is and I will not hide it from her.”

 

            “Youichi, I will take her from you if you continue forcing your nonsense on her.” Saburo hissed.

 

            Hiruma shut the photo album. “…Emiko is my daughter and I am raising her to the best of my ability. If you continue to claim I am not up to this task, I will have her cut out from your life, your family, and your precious business.”

 

            “That is only if you win the custody case.” Saburo gave Hiruma a flat look.

 

            “I’m going to lose?” Hiruma looked as though he was confused by this.

 

            “Yes you are!” Saburo snapped angry.

 

            “Hmm….” Hiruma looked like he was thinking hard about something. “Idiots are welcome to dream, I guess....”

 

            “You bastard!” Saburo hissed.

 

            “Language!” Hiruma snapped back at her. “I don’t want my daughter parroting those words back to me or her teacher!”

 

            Saburo didn’t have a counter argument for that.

 

            “Now, would you humor me and tell me where my daughter is before I call the police?” Hiruma asked her, his voice showing his lack of patience.