Future

It felt as if only yesterday, Yumi was six years old.

Then, he practically blinked and his little girl was suddenly a married woman.

He could still hear that soft growling of hers when she couldn’t get her way. He could still see that adorable half smile she’d get when teaching her little brother, genuinely proud of his progress. He could still feel her fragile little hands wrapping around his own, those very hands went on to become skilled at Pencak Silat. They became so strong and tough that it worried him.

But most of all, he could still remember how, whenever he and their mother would argue, she would wrap her arms Hiroki and shut her eyes tight, as if defending them both from their poisonous words. He could still hear her whisper to his little brother that ‘things would be okay and mom and dad are just tired’. Later, he would hold her firmly to his chest and assure her that she was right. They were just tired. Eventually she would relax, falling asleep snuggled against his chest.

He sighed and turned his attention back to his beautiful little girl.

She looked simply stunning in her wedding dress. She looked more happy the she’d been in a very long time. She was a sight to behold.

She turned and made eye contact with him from across the room with a smile on her face, which widened exponentially.

He smiled back in response.

He was so proud of her…So proud indeed.

He wanted nothing more than to see his little girl be happy with the man she loved.

But, there was a part of him that couldn’t shake the concealed feeling of loss. Despite how happy he was for her, his heart still clenched in his chest painfully. Because as he watched her twirl around the dance floor with her new husband, he felt as if a torch had been passed without his consent.

He would no longer be the first person she would turn to whenever she felt scared or alone. He would no longer be the person to whisper soothing words in her ear to calm her whenever she was in doubt. He would no longer be the person at her side at all times.

That was Ulrich’s job now.

He sighed and refused to let the pent up tears flow, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall behind him as he watched his daughter dance with his new son in law.

He had to accept the fact that his little girl was now grown up. He had to accept that she had fallen in love. He had to accept that he was being replaced.

He always knew it had to happen eventually…He just wished it didn’t have to happen so soon.