Disclaimer: I do not own "Happy Lesson," its characters or concepts. Reader discretion is advised and certain celebrities have been impersonated. No celebrities were harmed in the creation of this story.
Okay, I guess I should explain this idea about this collection of stories, huh? Well, "Mama's Pasts" is about what happened with the teacher-moms (Mutsuki, Satsuki, Yayoi, Uzuki, Kisaragi) before they came into Chitose's life. Please note that these wraparounds take place in between episodes of the original OVA and TV series.
This saga here explains how Uzuki Shitennou, our fine arts teacher, first met the self-appointed leader of the Cosplay Group, and her "brother from another mother," Takashi Suzuki.
"Well, that's it for today, everyone. Class dismissed!" The happy-go-lucky Uzuki said to her class as another long school week came to an end. While most of the class left the classroom (and the school), one student remained behind and walked up to Uzuki's desk. He had shaggy brown hair. "Can I help you?"
"Miss Uzuki, could you please take a look at this?" the student said as he showed his teacher a drawing that he did.
"Well, what is this?" Uzuki asked.
"It's a drawing of my girlfriend," he said. "I was going to give this to her after she was done with club activities, but I don't know if she'd like it."
"Well, I think it's beautiful," Uzuki said as she handed him back the drawing. "You should definitely give it to her." At that moment, one of the student's buddies (with dirty blond hair) peeked his head through the doorway.
"Hey, come on, chumly," he said. "We've got to get to football practice!" Then, a dark-haired student with glasses peeked in as well.
"Yeah," the student with glasses replied. "Coach is going to kill us if we're late again!"
"I'll be right there," he called out to his friends. He then turned to Uzuki. "I'll see on Monday, Miss Uzuki."
"Bye. Have a good weekend," Uzuki said to her departing student. As soon as the three students were out of earshot, Uzuki sighed then walked over to her easel. She then grabbed a pad of paper and pen, sat down by the easel, and started drawing something. While she was drawing something, she began to think back to her past…
Despite what many people think, Uzuki Shitennou had a pretty turbulent childhood. She never knew her real father, and her mom had gotten married to several men who were abusive towards the both of them, especially Uzuki.
(Flashback; Wednesday, September 26, 1990-Kyoto)
Thirteen-year-old Uzuki Shittenou seemed to enjoy school a lot. Her problem was that she never wanted to leave, because she'd have to go home to her abusive stepfather. Her mother, Kumiko Shitennou, had gotten married for the fourth time, and like her previous three husbands, bridegroom number four was abusive towards Uzuki. Kumiko had given birth to Uzuki when she was 19, and she couldn't remember who fathered her child. And no matter what she did, Uzuki would always get beaten by her stepfathers.
One day after school, Uzuki was called into the principal's office.
"Sit down, Miss Shitennou," the principal said. He had a full beard and was wearing thick glasses. Uzuki nervously sat down in the chair across from the principal's desk. She was wearing an all-blue sailor fuku. "Now, Uzuki, you've been staying after school for the past three weeks, even though you aren't in any clubs, nor have you been issued any detentions. Why are you staying here? Why don't you go head on home?"
"Well, to tell you the truth…" Uzuki started to say.
"Hold on a second," the principal said. "Let me look at your arm." Reluctantly, Uzuki showed him her left arm, which had bruises all over it. "My word. How long have you had these bruises?"
"I don't know," Uzuki said.
"Who did this to you?" the principal asked, with a bit of anger in his voice.
"I…I…"
"Was it your mother?" Uzuki shook her head. "Your father?" Uzuki nodded. Sighing, the principal said, "My God! What kind of father would beat their own child like that?"
"He's not really my father," Uzuki said, almost in a whisper. "I never knew my real father. My mom's been married four times, and just like the first three, my new stepfather always seems to beat me without any reason at all."
This is serious, he thought to himself. "You know what, this gives me an idea," he then said. "Have you ever considered joining an after-school club?"
"Huh?"
A few minutes later, the principal was showing Uzuki all the different clubs she could join. Not surprisingly, Uzuki turned them all down—the basketball club, tennis club, volleyball club, ballet club, literature club, music club, even the paranormal club.
"Let's face it, sempai," Uzuki said. "I'm not fit out to join any of these clubs."
"Well, there is one club left, but I'm rather reluctant to tell you about it," the principal said. Just then, a classroom door opened, and a student with long blond hair, as well as wearing glasses with blue-tinted lenses, emerged from it.
"Well hello, boss man!" the student exclaimed, then extended his arm upwards for a high five. The principal just stood there with a stern look on his face. "Well, come on, boss man, don't leave me hanging!" Reluctantly, the principal gave the high five to the student. "Well, you're getting better at it, bro."
"Mr. Suzuki, as much as I would like to 'chill out' with you, I am here on serious business," the principal said. He then stepped out of the way and gently push Uzuki towards Suzuki. "This is Uzuki Shitennou. She's been staying here after school for the past three weeks due to…personal problems. I've shown her some of the different clubs around the school, but she's turned them all down. Could you please show her around your…rather exclusive club for me? Mr. Suzuki?" Suzuki stepped in front of Uzuki and removed his glasses. He got a good look at the cute female student standing in front of him. He then grabbed her arms, much to her surprise.
"I have found you at last," Suzuki said.
"Ex…cuse me?" Uzuki was a bit confused.
"I must show your future," Suzuki said, then he pulled Uzuki into the classroom, much to her surprise.
"Whoa!"
The door then shut as soon as Uzuki and Suzuki were in the classroom. The principal, somewhat in shock, then knocked on the door. Suzuki then peeked his head out a bit.
"Mr. Suzuki?"
"Yes, sempai?" Suzuki said. His glasses, by the way, were in his jacket pocket.
"I want to thank you for showing Miss Shitennou your…club," the principal said with a bit of reluctantly.
"Thank you." Suzuki was about to peek back into the classroom when…
"And, Suzuki?"
"Yes, boss man?"
"Do me a favor and get your hair cut," the principal said before he turned around and walked down the hall.
"Does he really think I'm getting my hair cut?" Suzuki said out loud before shutting the door.
As soon as Suzuki fully brought Uzuki into the room, he let go of her.
"I'm afraid I haven't introduced myself yet," Suzuki admitted as he put his glasses back on. "I am Takashi Suzuki. I am the founder, leader, organizer, etcetera, of the Cosplay Club."
"Cosplay?" Uzuki asked.
"You do not know what cosplay is?" Uzuki shook her head. "Well, some people consider cosplay as simply dressing up as characters from various forms of entertainment. I believe that in order to cosplay, you must become the character, not just dress up as one." He then walked over to a curtain. Portions of the rooms were covered in curtain, by the way. "Let me show you what I mean." He then snapped his fingers and a silhouette of a female student appeared behind one of the curtains. "For a long time, this young woman was unsure about herself, both mentally and physically. I was able to bring the cosplayer out from deep down inside of her and now…" The curtain then parted, and the female student was now dressed in a somewhat skimpy outfit, and had her hair done as well. "She's currently cosplaying as Kei of the Lovely Angels." He then turned to Uzuki and whispered in her ear. "If I said Dirty Pair in front of her, she'd kill me."
"Oh…" Uzuki said. At that moment 'Kei' pointed her 'gun' at Suzuki's head.
"Suzuki-chan, who is that girl you're talking to?" 'Kei' asked.
"She happens to be someone that's going through some personal problems, just like you were," Suzuki said. 'Kei' then put the 'gun' back in her holster. "Now, go back to your spot." 'Kei' then went back to her spot and the curtain closed in front of her. "And this young man right here," Suzuki said as he pointed to another curtain that had a silhouette of a male student behind it. "He didn't feel he was strong enough to do anything useful." The curtain then parted, revealing a man dressed in some sort of superhero costume. "Now he's cosplaying as the Kamen Rider Black RX." At that moment, the Kamen Rider came to life and walked over to Uzuki. He then removed his mask, revealing a guy with dirty blond hair and brown eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Shitenou," the unmasked Kamen Rider said as he extended his hand. Uzuki looked at him nervously.
"Okay…" Uzuki said, still a little nervous. Suzuki then walked up to 'Kamen.'
"What are you doing?" Suzuki asked him.
"I was simply greeting her," 'Kamen' said to Suzuki.
"You were not," Suzuki said. "You were flirting with her."
"I was not."
"Whatever. Just go back to your spot."
"Do I have to?" 'Kamen' asked.
"Now!" Reluctantly, 'Kamen' walked back to his spot, muttering along the way.
"Um…Sempai?" Uzuki said nervously.
"Yes, Miss Uzuki?"
"This seems like a very interesting club," Uzuki said, "but I don't know if I'll be as any good as these people I've seen." Suzuki then walked up to her, and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Uzuki, I wouldn't have brought you were if I didn't seen potential in you," Suzuki said. "You have potential as a cosplayer. No, youare a cosplayer. You just haven't discovered your talents yet. Let me show you." He then snapped his fingers, and two students, one dressed as Ranma-male, and the other dressed as Ranma-female, dragged Uzuki to an open patrician and placed her inside there, much to her surprise. Before she could say anything else, the curtain then closed. After a minute or so, Suzuki took a look at his left wrist, which contained three watches. He then checked his right wrist, which had two watches on it. He then took out a Game & Watch game and checked the time. Then he walked over to one of the curtain then gently tapped on it. "Do you have the time?" he asked the person behind it. An arm with a pocketwatch in his/her hand emerged from it, and Suzuki took a good look at it. "Thank you." The arm then went back behind the curtain. He then stared at the clock on the wall, then looked at the watches on his arms again. He then heard the curtain open again.
"Sempai?" Uzuki asked him. Suzuki turned around and was amazed at Uzuki's costume. "So, how do I look?" Suzuki simply snapped his fingers, and another student, holding a large mirror, stood in front of him. Uzuki then checked herself out. She had her hair tied up in two pigtails (she was wearing her hair down beforehand), and was wearing a beautiful pink dress with angel-like wings on the back (the same costume that she wears in "mom" mode in the "present"). She was amazed at how she looked. "Wow!" At that moment, Suzuki snapped his fingers again, and the student took the mirror back.
"Do you like it?" Suzuki asked her.
"I…I feel like a real angel," Uzuki said, blushing a little.
"You definitely have the skills to become a true Cosplayer," Suzuki said. To his surprise, Uzuki then leapt on top of him, causing him to lose his balance. "Oomph."
"Oh, thank you very much, Sempai!" Uzuki said.
"Uh, Miss Shitennou?"
"Yes," Uzuki said, noticing that she was right on top of Suzuki. "Oops." She then got off of him. "Sorry."
"It's all right," Suzuki said. He then helped himself up and readjusted his glasses. "I have much more to show you."
After the club meeting was over, the principal came by the classroom to talk to Uzuki and Suzuki. Uzuki was now back in her school uniform with her hair back down, and Suzuki had tied his hair back into a ponytail.
"So, how was the club, Miss Shitennou?" he asked.
"I really enjoyed it," Uzuki said. "So much so that Suzuki-sempai let me join his club, no questions asked."
"Speaking of whom," the principal said. "Mr. Suzuki, I would like you to do me a favor for me."
"If it involved me cutting my hair…" Suzuki started to say.
"No, it doesn't involve that," the principal said. "Miss Shitennou has had some…problems with her stepfather, and her mother works during most of the day, so would you mind walking her home?"
"Not at all," Suzuki said. "This'll give us an opportunity to get to know each other better."
"Swell," the principal said out loud.
Soon, Uzuki and Suzuki were talking home through the park.
"I've never known my real father," Uzuki said to Suzuki. "My mom's been married four times since I was born. I really don't know why, but all four of my stepfathers keep beating me."
"Beating you?" Suzuki pondered. "Why would someone beat their own child?"
"I don't know," Uzuki said, "but all four of them said that I wasn't really their child. In fact, one of them said that if it wasn't for my mother, he'd kill me on the spot." She then started crying a little. Suzuki then tightly embraced her.
"It's okay," Suzuki said while stroking her hair. "I will never let anything bad happen to you."
"Thank you, Sempai," Uzuki said.
"Please," Suzuki said. "Sempai sounds too formal. You can call me by either Takashi, my given name, or by Suzuki, which is what everyone else calls me."
"You mean nobody calls you by your real name?" Uzuki asked him.
"I really don't know," Suzuki said. "Suzuki's not even my real name. I'm adopted."
"You…are?"
"Yeah," Suzuki said. "You know something…you've never known your real father, and I've never known my real parents. I've got it!"
"Got what?"
"From this moment forward," Suzuki stated, "you will be known as my sister from another mother?"
"WHAT?!"
"You don't want to be my sister from another mother?" Suzuki asked confusedly.
"I don't mean it like that," Uzuki said. "It's just that we've just met. We hardly know each other."
"But I do know that we have a lot in common, Uzuki," Suzuki said. "And I have a feeling that we were destined to meet each other. So…what do you say?"
"Well…all right," Uzuki said, "my brother from another mother."
"That's the spirit," Suzuki said as he embraced her again. They continued walking arm-in-arm until they reached Uzuki's apartment.
"Well…we're here," Uzuki said.
"It's appears so," Suzuki said. "Do you think I could meet your parents?"
"Well, mom's working right now, and my stepfather should be asleep right now," Uzuki said. "So…see you tomorrow?"
"It's a date," Suzuki said just before he kissed her on the cheek. Uzuki was definitely shocked at what just happened, but she held her cheek and managed to back herself into the house. Suzuki gave her a two-fingered salute as soon as she reached the door. As soon as Uzuki entered the house and shut the door behind her, she tried to sneak through the house to her bedroom, but she didn't make it.
"WHERE HAVE YOUR BEEN?!" Uzuki heard the drunken voice of her stepfather, who was sitting on the couch with a belt in one hand and a half-drunken beer bottle in the other. Several beer bottles were all over the floor. "You were supposed to come home immediately after school!"
"I was a club meeting!" Uzuki tried to exclaim.
"Silence!" her stepfather yelled, pounding his fist on the chair's armrest. "Go to your room. I expect you to be fully disrobed by the time I get there."
"Yes, sir," Uzuki said, with tears in her eyes. As she was leaving the living room and go into her bedroom for her anticipated beating, her stepfather drank the rest of the contents of the beer bottle before throwing the bottle on the floor and standing up, belt still in hand. He then made his way to Uzuki's bedroom and opened the door, revealing that Uzuki was fully naked.
"Now hold still," the stepfather growled before striking Uzuki with the belt.
(Friday, November 30, 1990)
Several months later, Suzuki and Uzuki were walking through the park on their way home from school.
"So, I was going to talk my parents into getting me a Super Famicom this Christmas," Suzuki was telling Uzuki a story of what happened to him this week, "when, lo-and-behold, my parents tell me that they already bought one, and they were giving it to me! So, this weekend, we're going to go out and try to find an F-Zero game, since I already got Super Mario World." He then noticed that Uzuki had a somewhat sad look on her face. "Are you okay, sister?"
"I, uh…I've got some bad news, Suzuki," Uzuki told Suzuki, with a tear in her eye.
"Is there something wrong, Uzuki?" Suzuki asked.
"My mom's getting divorced," she said.
"Oh?"
"When she found out about what happened that night…"
"What night?" Suzuki was curious.
"It was the night we first met," Uzuki said, fighting back tears. "As soon as I entered my home, he showed up."
"Your stepfather?" Uzuki nodded in response.
"He yelled at me, and even though I explained that I was still at school, he ordered me to go into my bedroom and disrobe," Uzuki continued, still fighting back tears. "And then…"
"Then?"
"Then…he beat me with his belt." Uzuki then lost it and started crying. Suzuki immediately brought her head to his shoulder and embraced her.
"It's okay," Suzuki said. "He's out of your life now."
"Suzuki…can I show you something?" Uzuki asked, somewhat embarrassed. "Over there." She then gestured towards a nearby cabin.
"Sure," Suzuki said. They both then walked over to the cabin and went inside, with Suzuki letting Uzuki go in first, being the gentleman that he is. He then went in himself and shut the door behind him, turning the light on in the process. As soon as he turned around, it looked as though Uzuki was about to undress. "Uzuki?"
"I want to show what he did to me," Uzuki said. "You can turn away if you want."
"Miss Uzuki, I have no intention of watching you undress," Suzuki said just before he turned around.
"I'll tell you when you can look," Uzuki said as she removed her neckerchief. Suzuki, in the meantime, checked the watches on his left wrist, then the watches on his right wrist, then he checked his Game & Watch, and then he lifted his left pantleg up to reveal two watches on his left shin. Then, he scooted over to a nearby pay phone, all while not turning towards Uzuki. He picked up the receiver, put a 100-yen coin in the machine, dialed some numbers, and awaited a response.
"At the tone, the time will be 5:00 p.m.," the operator said, before the tone rang, signaling the top of the hour.
"Suzuki?" Suzuki then hung up the phone as soon as he heard Uzuki call his voice. "You can turn around now." Suzuki then turned around, and he was shocked at what he saw. Uzuki was stripped down to her bra and panties, and had marks all over her body, including some scars from a recent beating.
"Sweet Setsuya Tanaka," Suzuki exclaimed as he saw his sister from another mother.
"That's not the worst of it," Uzuki said. She then turned around and showed her back, which had visible welts and bruises on it.
"Oh, Dear Lord," Suzuki said as he saw the welts on Uzuki's back. He also noticed some bruises on her legs as well. "No wonder you've been wearing pantyhose these last few months." Uzuki then turned around and covered her chest with her arms.
"Could you turn back around please?" Uzuki asked him. And being the gentleman that he is, he complied. He then pulled out a Game Boy and turned it on.
"So…what else do you have to say?" Suzuki asked her.
"Huh?" Uzuki had started to put her uniform back on.
"This isn't the bad news you wanted to tell me, Uzuki." Suzuki was playing Tetris while he was talking to her. "What was the bad news that you really wanted to tell me?"
"I'm moving," Uzuki said.
"You're…moving?" Suzuki then turned off his Game Boy, put it back in his pocket, and turned back to face his 'sister.' She was fully dressed in her school uniform again, pantyhose included. "Where will you be going?"
"I don't know," Uzuki said sadly. "My mom wants to start her life over again, after what's happened over the past few years."
"Where will you be moving to?" Suzuki asked.
"I don't know," Uzuki said. "But mom wants to get as far away from Kyoto as she possibly can."
"Well, I was born in Hokkaido," Suzuki said. "Are you going there?"
"My mom doesn't really like the cold," Uzuki said.
"Oh," Suzuki said. He then brought in Uzuki for a hug. "No matter what happens, I want you to keep in touch with me, okay?"
"Okay," Uzuki said, smiling a little.
"Here's my phone number and mailing address," Suzuki said. "Oh, and I almost forgot about these." He then took a couple of bracelets out of his pants pocket and handed one to Uzuki.
"What are those?" she asked her 'brother.'
"They're friendship bracelets," Suzuki said. "I made them myself." Uzuki checked her bracelet over, which read 'Takashi Suzuki, My Brother From Another Mother.'
"Oh," Uzuki said. "Well, shouldn't this be yours?"
"Look closer," Suzuki said. He then showed her his bracelet, which read 'Uzuki Shitennou, My Sister From Another Mother.'
"Oh, I see what you mean now," Uzuki said. "This is so we have something to remember each other by."
"And something else, too," Suzuki said as he pulled out an instant camera. (Where does he get this stuff?)
Uzuki and Suzuki both took turns taking pictures with the camera. Soon, they each had a picture of the other, along with their friendship bracelets.
"So, you want me to walk you home…one more time?" Suzuki asked.
"I'd like that," Uzuki said. And with that, Suzki and Uzuki left the cabin (with Suzuki making sure to turn off the light before he left), and they walked home.
Two days later, Uzuki and her mom were leaving Kyoto to move to Chiba. Suzuki was there to send them off.
(end flashback)
Uzuki has just finished her drawing. She was feeling a little sad thinking back to when she first met Suzuki, as well as the times she was abused by her numerous stepfathers. At that moment, there was a knock on her classroom door.
"Come in," Uzuki said. The person then entered the classroom, wearing a trench coat, dark sunglasses, and a fedora hat. "Um…can I help you?"
"Yes," the mysterious figure said. "I'm looking for a Miss Uzuki Shitennou."
"You're talking to her," she said. "Who are you?" The figure chuckled in response.
"Silly Uzuki," he said. "You don't recognize me?" He then removed his sunglasses and hat, revealing him to be…
"Suzuki!" It was indeed Takashi Suzuki. His blonde hair now had streaks of varying colors all through it, and his normally amber eyes were now blue.
"Hello, my sister," Suzuki greeted her. Uzuki then ran up to her 'brother from another mother' and embraced him. Suzuki returned the embrace. They let go after a minute.
"It's so good to see you again," Uzuki said. "Are those contacts?"
"Yep," Suzuki said, pointing to his eyes. "Just put them in this morning. Listen, Uzuki, I wanted to ask you something."
"Yes, Suzuki?"
"Would you like to have dinner with me at Akira's tonight?" he asked.
"Akira's?" Uzuki was definitely shocked at Suzuki's offer. "Isn't that one of the most expensive restaurants in town? The one that's booked months in advance?"
"THE most expensive restaurant in all of Tokyo," Suzuki said. "And I happen to have my own personal table there."
"Wow, I have been out of it, haven't I?" Uzuki said.
"Don't worry, Uzuki," Suzuki said. "We'll have plenty of opportunity to catch up at dinner…" He then checked his watch, and the clock on the classroom wall. "That is, if you accept."
"Of course, I'd like to have dinner with you," Uzuki exclaimed.
"And maybe you'd like to join me at my apartment afterwards."
"You have an apartment here in Tokyo?" Uzuki wondered.
"I happen to have six apartments all over Japan," Suzuki said.
"I have definitely been out of it," Uzuki said. "Is seven o'clock all right?"
"Seven o'clock is fine," Suzuki said. "So…I'll meet you at Akira's at seven?"
"It's a date," Uzuki said before gently kissing him on the cheek. Suzuki was definitely shocked at what just happened, but he held his cheek and managed to back himself out of the classroom Uzuki gave him a two-fingered salute as soon as he reached the door. As soon as Suzuki was out of the classroom, Chitose Hitotose, the "son" of Uzuki, walked in.
"Who was that, Mama Uzuki?" Chitose asked.
"A friend," Uzuki simply replied. "What are you doing here, Chitose?"
"Club activities were cancelled," Chitose said. "I'm going to be walking home now, so I'll meet you there."
"Actually, Chitose, I won't be coming home tonight," Uzuki said as she was packing some things up for the weekend.
"You…won't?" Chitose was confused.
"I was invited to dinner tonight by an old friend of mine," Uzuki told him. "And I'm going to be spending the night at his place afterwards."
"Who is this 'old friend?'" Chitose asked.
"That's none of your business, Chitose!" Uzuki exclaimed, somewhat angrily.
"I was just wondering, Mama Uzuki," Chitose said. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Chitose, I can take care of myself," Uzuki reassured him. "So, don't worry about it."
"Okay," Chitose said. "I'll tell the other moms you won't be able to make it home tonight."
"Yeah."
"You know, Mina's going to be disappointed," Chitose said. "She and Hazuki are going to have dinner with us tonight."
"Oh, I almost forgot about that!" Uzuki exclaimed.
"Well, that's okay," Chitose said. "I'll just tell Mina that something came up."
"Well, all right," Uzuki said. "Well, see you tomorrow, Chitose."
"See you tomorrow, Mama Uzuki!" Chitose said his farewell before leaving the classroom and heading on home.
While Uzuki was going through some of her stuff in her classroom, she kept thinking back to the times when she was younger…
(Flashback; Monday, April 6, 1992-Chiba)
Uzuki Shitennou was beginning her first day at her new high school. She was wearing a new school uniform with a white blouse, red collar, yellow neckerchief, and red skirt. She also had her hair up in two pigtails. She was walking to the school when she accidentally bumped into someone and knocked them both onto the ground.
"Oops," Uzuki said. She then noticed a pair of glasses right next to her. She grabbed them and handed them to the person she took down with her. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay, my sister," the person said to her. Uzuki then gasped.
"S…Suzuki?"
"The one and only," he said. Takashi Suzuki now had a red streak going down the middle of his golden blond hair, and was wearing a black school uniform. He then put on his blue-tinted glasses. "It's so good to see you again."
"It's good to see you, too," Uzuki said as her 'brother from another mother' helped her up. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still going to school in Kyoto."
"Well, I transferred here," Suzuki said. "So that means we'll be going to the same school again. Would you like to walk with me?"
"Oh, of course I would," Uzuki said as she picked up her school bag and began walking to school with him.
Soon, they reached their new high school.
"So, this is where we'll be going to school together," Uzuki said, admiring the new school.
"And the same class, as well," Suzuki said. This surprised Uzuki.
"The same class? Suzuki, you're a year older than me," Uzuki said. "How can we be in the same class?"
"Well, you see," Suzuki was about to explain, "I inadvertently walked into class naked one day, so I got held back." Uzuki was definitely shocked at Suzuki's explanation.
"You were held back because you walked into class naked?" Uzuki said. "How can you be held back for walking into class naked?"
"Well, it was either that or be expelled," Suzuki said. "And if I was expelled, my parents would kill me."
"Are you serious?" Uzuki asked him.
"Yes, I am," Suzuki said. "And to answer your other question, I haven't the slightest idea."
They then entered the school. Soon, numerous students were checking the bulletin board to find out what classes they were in.
"Suzuki, I can't see who our teachers are going to be," Uzuki said, trying to see through the numerous students. Suzuki then snapped his fingers.
"I got it!" Suzuki exclaimed. He then went behind Uzuki and ducked under her.
"Suzuki, what are you…WHOA!" Suzuki then lifted Uzuki on his shoulders and held her by the legs.
"Uzuki, can you see the board now?" Suzuki asked. Uzuki was freaking out now that she noticed that she was several feet above the ground. "Uzuki!"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SUZUKI?!" Uzuki yelled at him, with her arms waving wildly.
"Just calm down, Uzuki," Suzuki said. "I've got your legs, so don't worry about falling. Now, I need you to look at the billboard. Can you do that for me?"
"Uh…okay," Uzuki said, still a little freaked out. She managed to regain her balance and check the bulletin board.
"Do you see anything, Uzuki?" Suzuki asked.
"Yes I do, Suzuki," Uzuki said. "It look as though we're in the same homeroom. Room 3-A."
"Excellent," Suzuki said. "I'm going to bring you down now, Uzuki." He then lifted her off of his shoulders and gently guided her down onto the ground. As soon as Uzuki was on terra firma, she grabbed Suzuki tightly. "Relax, Uzuki. You're okay now." He began stroking her hair as well.
"Suzuki…"
"Oops." He then realized what he was doing, and he stopped stroking her hair. "Sorry about that, Uzuki."
"It's okay," Uzuki said. "Let's just get to our class." And with that, the two of them headed off to their new homeroom.
Soon, they reached their homeroom, where they had a few minutes to talk before class started.
"Hey, Suzuki?" Uzuki asked. The two 'siblings' were sitting right next to each other.
"Yeah?"
"How were you able to lift me over your shoulders?"
"Well, I've been working out," Suzuki told her. His hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. "You can thank my father for that. He's real tight on physical fitness. By the way, I didn't see anything."
"What didn't you see?" Uzuki asked him, then realized what he was talking about. She then playfully hit him on the shoulder. "You sick, twisted pervert!"
"I'm twisted, but I'm not a sick pervert," Suzuki reassured her. At that moment, two female students walked up to Uzuki. One had brown hair and brown eyes, and the other had black hair and gray eyes. (no, they're not who you think they are)
"Who is that guy, Uzuki?" the brown-haired girl asked her.
"Is he your boyfriend of something?" the black-haired girl asked. Uzuki immediately blushed at that question.
"He…he…" Uzuki stuttered. At that moment, Suzuki stood up and appeared between the two students.
"I am Takashi Suzuki," he introduced himself to them. "I am Uzuki's brother from another mother. And you two are?"
"We're…Uzuki's junior high classmates," the black-haired student said. "I'm Mizuki Takahashi, and this is Natsuko Watanabe."
"You look like an idiot," Natsuko said. "I mean, who in their right mind would come to the first day of school with their hair dyed yellow and red?"
"First of all, this is legit blond hair here," Suzuki said. "Second of all, I style my hair the way I like, and nobody can change that."
"Well, sorry," Mizuki said. "We thought that your hair was dyed, like Uzuki's."
"My hair is natural blonde as well, thank you very much," Uzuki said. "I've known you two for just over a year now, and you still don't get that this is my real hair color. I've always had blonde hair as long as I can remember."
"Never mind. We'll sit down now," Natsuko said. And with that, the two of them went back to their seats.
"Your hair is really blond?" Uzuki asked Suzuki.
"Yes, ma'am," Suzuki said.
"I didn't know that," Uzuki said.
"Well, we've got lots of time to catch up with each other," Suzuki said. At that moment, the homeroom teacher, a middle-aged man with short, black hair, walked into the classroom.
"Good morning, class," he said to the students.
After school was over, Uzuki and Suzuki were walking through the hallways when Mizuki and Natsuko caught up to them.
"Hey, where are you two going?" Natsuko asked the two of them.
"We're going to the principal's office," Uzuki said. "We're going to ask him if we can start a Cosplay Club for the school."
"Cosplay Club?" Mizuki asked. "What's a Cosplay Club?" At that moment, the two girls could hear evil laughter from behind them. "What was that?" Just then, Suzuki put both of his arms around the two girls.
"My dear sisters," Suzuki said. "In the Cosplay Club, you have the ability to become whatever you want." He then leapt over the girls and appeared in front of them, dressed as Five Red of Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman. "Whether it is a masked superhero of the Sentai variety..." He then snapped his fingers, and he was now dressed as Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi. "…or even a Jedi Knight of a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." The girls were unquestionably confused, as a hook soon appeared over Mizuki's left shoulder.
"AAAH!"
"You can even be a pirate," Suzuki said, wearing a pirate's hat, eye patch over the left eye, and hook on the right hand. Natsuko then freaked out after seeing a gun over her right shoulder. "Or even a cowboy from the American West." Suzuki was dressed up as an outlaw from the 1880s.
"Are you even allowed to have those things in school?" Natsuko asked.
"Uzuki, that boyfriend of yours is nuts!" Mizuki said.
"He is NOT my boyfriend," Uzuki said, blushing a little. Suzuki then appeared right next to her, back in his normal (if you can call it that) attire.
"I may be a little be on the eccentric side," Suzuki said, "but I would never harm anyone."
"Whatever," Natsuko said.
"We'll see you tomorrow, Uzuki," Mizuki said, and the both of them went off.
"I'm sorry about that, Suzuki," Uzuki said to her 'brother from another mother.' "They just don't understand you like I do."
"That's fine, Uzuki," Suzuki said. "They'll understand soon enough. Now, where were we?"
"We were going to go to the principal about starting the Cosplay Club," Uzuki said.
"Oh, yes," Suzuki said. "I remember now."
Soon, the two 'siblings' were walking home, almost arm-in-arm.
"Can you believe it? Our first Cosplay Club meeting will be next Monday," Suzuki said.
"I'm worried that not a lot of people will show up," Uzuki said.
"Sis, do you recall how many people I had in my Cosplay Club when you first joined?" Suzuki asked her.
"Not exactly," Uzuki said.
"I had over twenty club members, and almost forty by the time I graduated from middle school," Suzuki told her.
"Forty club members?" Uzuki was definitely surprised by that number.
"Yes, indeedy," Suzuki said. "You know something?"
"What?" Uzuki asked him.
"I think we should all have dinner together one night," Suzuki said. "My parents and your mother."
"Are you serious?" Uzuki told him. "I don't what my mother would say about that. Besides, she's been working day and night ever since we moved here, so I hardly get a chance to see her. She should be home by now, though."
"I'll ask her when we get there," Suzuki said. "Oh, there's something I need to give you." Suzuki then handed Uzuki a card that had some writings on it.
"What is this, Suzuki?" Uzuki asked him.
"It's my new phone number and address," Suzuki replied. "By the way, I noticed that you're still wearing the friendship bracelet I have you two years ago."
"I wear it every day," Uzuki said, showing it off to him.
"So do I," Suzuki said. The two of them then clashed wrists.
Soon, they reached Uzuki's apartment building, which looked like it had seen better days.
"This is where you live?" Suzuki asked Uzuki. "Sister, no offence, but this looks worse than the dump you lived at in Kyoto."
"None taken," Uzuki said, "but you have to remember, we don't have much money. Mom's barely making enough to pay the rent."
"I understand that," Suzuki said. He let Uzuki lead the way to her apartment, because you have to remember, this is the first time he's been at her place since she moved. They soon reached the apartment, where Uzuki knocked on the front door.
"Just a second," Uzuki heard her mom from inside the house. About twenty seconds later, the front door opened, revealing a woman in her mid-30s with teal-colored hair and blue eyes, wearing a white bathrobe.
"Hi, mom," Uzuki greeted her.
"Welcome home, Uzuki," her mom, Kumiko Shitennou, said. She then noticed Suzuki. "Who are you?"
"I am Takashi Suzuki, madam," Suzuki said as he took her hand and kissed it. "It is an honor to meet you."
"Wonderful…" Kumiko said. "Uzuki, can I talk to you…alone, please?" Uzuki then entered the house, removed her shoes, then walked with her mom into her bedroom.
"May I come in, please?" Suzuki asked. Uzuki then peeked out of her bedroom.
"You might as well, Suzuki," Uzuki told him. "Go ahead and make yourself at home." Suzuki the entered the house (taking his shoes off, of course) and shut the door behind him.
"Who in the world is that young man, Uzuki?" Kumiko asked, somewhat angrily. Uzuki was laying down on her bed.
"He's my best friend, Mom," Uzuki said. "We met when I was at the middle school in Kyoto. He's actually a nice guy…once you get to know him."
"This…Takashi…"
"He actually prefers to be called Suzuki, Mom," Uzuki said. She then sat up on the bed, and swung her legs over the bed. "Don't ask my why, though."
"Okay," Kumiko said. "This…Suzuki…was this the boy that sent us off two years ago?"
"Yes, Mom, he was," Uzuki said. "I only knew him for only a few months then, but we have so much in common…it's almost like we're brother and sister."
"Brother and sister?" Kumiko was definitely confused.
"In fact…" Uzuki stood up off of her bed, "we call ourselves siblings from different mothers."
"Wha…"
"Look, why don't you go see him?" Uzuki asked her. "He really doesn't bite." Kumiko just sighed.
"I'm sorry, Uzuki," she said. "I'm just a little apprehensive after all those bums I married, plus the fact that I haven't been spending too much time with you. I tell you what. Next time I get time off, I promise to spend some quality time with you. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Uzuki said. Then she gave her mom a hug.
Soon, both mother and daughter exited the bedroom, and found Suzuki fiddling with the TV.
"Suzuki, what are you doing?" Uzuki asked him.
"Are these all the channels you get, sister?" Suzuki asked her. Just then, the knob he was turning broke off. "Oops."
"Oh, dear God, help me," Kumiko said out loud. Suzuki then tried putting the knob back on the TV, but couldn't, so after a minute, he threw the knob to the side.
"Well, forget that," Suzuki said. He then turned off the TV. "You're TV's going to be stuck on channel 13 for quite a while." Uzuki and Kumiko just stared at him. "I was bored, and my Game Boy was out of batteries."
"You should have asked before you decided to break the only TV we have," Kumiko said. Suzuki then showed up directly behind her.
"I apologize for my actions, Miss Shitennou," Suzuki said. "I hope this will make it up to you." He then showed her over 50 10,000-yen bills.
"You…oh, my!" Kumiko said. "That's a lot of money!"
"It should be able to help you out for the next month or so," Suzuki said. "And you don't even have to pay me back."
"Y…you're giving this to us?" Kumiko asked him.
"Yes, ma'am," Suzuki said. Kumiko couldn't believe it.
"T…thank you, Mr. Suzuki."
"Please, just call me Suzuki, Miss Shitennou," Suzuki said.
"Well, thank you, Suzuki," Kumiko said. "I'll be sure to put this in a safe place." She then went over to her bedroom. Now, Uzuki and Suzuki were alone.
"Suzuki, where did you get that money?" Uzuki asked her 'brother.'
"My dad's job pays him over ten million yen per project," Suzuki said.
"T…ten million yen?!" Uzuki was surprised at that large figure.
"You'd be surprised how much my allowance is," Suzuki said. "Uzuki?"
"Yes?"
"Why is your mother wearing a bathrobe?" Suzuki asked her.
"I guess she was about to take a shower before getting dressed for her night job," Uzuki said.
"Oh," Suzuki said. At that moment, Kumiko came out of her bedroom, the money in a safe place.
"I almost forgot about my shower," Kumiko said. "Uzuki, your dinner is in the cabinet. Just pick whatever one you want." She then went into the bathroom for her shower.
"The cabinet?" Suzuki asked.
Suzuki then opened the cabinet, which had loads and loads of canned food.
"You actually eat this stuff?" Suzuki asked.
"Yes," Uzuki said, somewhat ashamedly. "Sometimes, I have to eat it cold because the stove won't work."
"Sister, I am going to fix you and your mother the finest dinner this side of the Kanto region," Suzuki said.
"You can cook?" Uzuki was definitely surprised. "I didn't know that."
"You never asked," Suzuki said. "My parents work most of the day, so I usually end up making my own dinner. Or, if I'm not in the mood to cook, I just eat out."
"Could you make dinner for us tonight, Suzuki?" Uzuki asked.
"It would be my pleasure," Suzuki said.
Soon, Suzuki, wearing an apron, began making dinner for the Shitennou residence.
"Be sure to add ridiculous amounts of oil when making a meal of this caliber," Suzuki spoke in a ridiculous English accent while adding something to the meal. "Then again, this'll just make you fatter than a whale, but it tastes marvelous." At that moment, Kumiko came out of the shower, wearing a towel around her body, and another around her hair. She then noticed Suzuki in the kitchen making dinner. She saw Uzuki (still in her school uniform and with her hair down) reading a book on the couch.
"Uzuki?"
"Yes, mom?"
"What is Suzuki doing in the kitchen?" she asked her daughter.
"Oh, he's making us dinner tonight," Uzuki said.
"He's making…dinner?"
"Yep."
"I just hope he doesn't poison us," Kumiko said. "I'm going to get dressed now."
"Okay, mom," Uzuki said as Kumiko went into her bedroom to change. She then saw Suzuki continuing with his culinary craziness.
"Be sure to grate the cheese before adding it to your confection," Suzuki said with a perfect Julia Child impression. Uzuki chuckled at Suzuki's little cooking show. Suzuki now spoke in his normal voice. "Did I ever mention that you look simply ravishing with your hair down, Uzuki?" Uzuki immediately blushed at that.
"You…you really think so?"
"Definitely," Suzuki said.
About two hours later, after dinner was finished, Suzuki was on his way out. Kumiko was dressed for her night job, BTW.
"Dinner was fantastic, Mr. Suzuki," Kumiko said. "You'll have to teach me the recipe sometime."
"Why, thank you, Miss Shitennou, and I prefer to be called just Suzuki," Suzuki said.
"Sorry, M…Suzuki," Kumiko bowed as she apologized.
"You are forgiven," Suzuki said as he bowed back. He then faced Uzuki and Kumiko. "Thank you both very much for having me here."
"No problem," Uzuki said.
"Thank you again for watching over my daughter," Kumiko said. "You know, you're not so bad after all."
"I'll take that as a compliment, Miss Shitennou," Suzuki said. He then turned to Uzuki. "So…see you tomorrow at school?"
"It's a date," Uzuki said before gently kissing him on the cheek. Suzuki was definitely shocked at what just happened, but he held his cheek and managed to back himself right into the railing and flipped over it. "Suzuki!" Uzuki screamed as she saw Suzuki fall over the railing…and land perfectly on the ground below, with a ta-da pose. (Note: Uzuki lives on the second floor of the apartment complex.)
"That was unbelievable," Kumiko said. "I didn't know he could do that!"
"There's a lot of things I don't know about him, mom," Uzuki admitted to her mother. Suzuki then looked up at Uzuki and gave her a two-fingered salute. Uzuki saluted back and kept smiling as he turned and went off into the distance.
"Uzuki…" Kumiko called out to her daughter. "Uzuki…"
(end flashback)
"Uzuki?" This brought Uzuki out of the daydream, and as the school custodian, who had dark blond hair and blue eyes, had walked into the classroom.
"Oh, hello, Takeru," Uzuki said. "Are you locking up now?"
"Yep," Takeru said. "You're the last teacher in here, Uzuki. It's almost 6:00."
"Six o'clock?" Uzuki double checked the clock on her wall. "I didn't realize how late it was! I'm going to be late for dinner!"
"Dinner?"
"Yes, a old friend of mine invited me to have dinner with him tonight," Uzuki said.
"That old friend wouldn't happen to be Takashi Suzkui, would it?" Takeru asked.
"How did you know about that?" Uzuki asked.
"You forget, we were in the same class together," Takeru said.
"Oh, yeah," Uzuki said. She then packed up her stuff and was ready to leave the school. "Have a good weekend, Takeru."
"You too, Miss Uzuki," Takeru said.
And with that, Uzuki left the building.
"Wow, it is definitely six o'clock," Uzuki said to herself as she was walking towards the bus stop. As soon as she reached the bus stop, she sat down on the bench and took a bus schedule from a nearby holder before reading it. While she was reading, two young women walked up to her, and one of them spoke up.
"Hey, Uzuki!" Uzuki gasped and turned around to face the person that spoke to her. It was actually her two friends from school, Mizuki Takahashi and Natsuko Watanabe. Mizuki was the one that spoke.
"Mizuki! Natsuko!" Uzuki was definitely surprised to see her former classmates and ex-Cosplay Group members (You'll find out why later) at the bus stop. "I haven't seen you two in years!"
"Well, we're here now," Natsuko said.
"So, what have I missed?" Uzuki asked them.
"Well, shortly after we left the…you know, I decided to go into law school," Mizuki said. "I'm specializing in cases involving child abuse."
"Oh…" Uzuki said.
"I'm sorry if I upset you," Mizuki said.
"It's okay," Uzuki said. "No problem. So, Natsuko, what have you been up to?"
"Well, I tried out for the track and field team for the Sydney Olympics," Natsuko said."
"And what happened?" Uzuki asked. Natsuko refused to answer, so Mizuki answered for her.
"Natsuko totally screwed up at the tryouts," Mizuki said. "And she got so upset, that she started throwing hurdles and other equipment all over the field."
"Talk about a sore loser," Uzuki said.
"It's gets better," Mizuki said. "When some of the officials tried to calm her down, she basically beat the crap out of them. She made Ken Shamrock look like a Purin (Jigglypuff for the American audience)."
"I thought I told you never to tell anyone about that," Natsuko said, gritting her teeth.
"Sorry," Mizuki said. At that moment, the bus arrived.
"So, where are you guys headed?" Uzuki asked them.
"Well, Natsuko's dad invited us to dinner at his place," Mizuki explained.
"Yeah, he just came back from Malaysia," Natsuko said. "He's got some pictures that he's been wanting to show me. Where are you headed?"
"Akira's," Uzuki said. "I'm having dinner with Suzuki over there."
"S-Suzuki?!" both girls said.
"Mm-hmm," Uzuki nodded. "And afterwards, I'm spending the night over at his apartment."
"His apartment?" both girls asked.
"Hey…" the bus driver called out, "are you girls getting on or not?"
"Oh, sorry!" Uzuki said just before she got on the bus. Soon, Mizuki and Natsuko followed her in before the driver shut the doors and the bus took off. As the bus took off, someone was remaining in the bus stop, sitting down on the bench and reading a newspaper. He was wearing a trench coat and fedora hat, along with a pair of dark sunglasses.
You think this is over yet? You've got to be kidding me! I'm just getting started! In the next part of "My Brother From Another Mother," Uzuki and Suzuki have their dinner, and Uzuki remembers the time she and Suzuki formed the Cosplay Group, plus the tragedy involving her mother (you'll have to wait and find out what it's about), and subsequent times the 'siblings' crossed paths over the years. We'll also find out what Uzuki was drawing earlier.
Yes, I borrowed Takato, Kazu, and Kenta from "Digimon Tamers" for this story. I don't own them. And yes, that picture that "Takato" drew is that of Jeri Katou.
Take a wild guess of where I came up with Setsuya Tanaka for Suzuki's exclamation on seeing Uzuki's bruises.
Also, in future "Mama's Past" episodes, expect to see…
The "incident" between Mutsuki Ichimonji and Takahiro Kobayashi.
A newborn Kisaragi being discovered by Hiroshi and Yoshiko Ninomai.
Yayoi's strained relationship with her father.
Uzuki meeting Natsuko and Mizuki for the first time.
Satsuki dealing with the death of her mother.
And more…
