Pictures of Ours
Chapter One: Things That Shine
When Mutsuki was little, his family lived in an apartment. His father would go to work and his mother would stay home with him, and later, his siblings. She would take them with her when she ran errands. She would make them meals, read to them, teach them small projects and, sometimes, watch a movie with them. Throughout the day, she would do some cleaning. At one point in the day, she would set the older children up with some toys (sometimes she would pop in a Mogeta movie) and keep the baby close to her, while she worked on some papers.
Every evening, when his father came home from work, he would sweep the children up in hugs as they ran to him, and then look for his wife. Whether she was cooking, cleaning, still working on the papers or taking a nap; he would kiss her on the cheek and she would smile. The evening would proceed with his father going back and forth between spending time with the children and helping his wife (although she hit him if he tried cooking). After dinner, they would either do something as a family or the children would run off to play while their parents caught spent some time together, before sending them to bed.
On his days off, his father would spend the day with them. Some days they would stay home and some days they would go out together. It was on a day out, when he was four years old, that he began to wonder about his family and whether or not they were strange. They were at a park and his two year old sister, Miyuki, wanted their parents to play with them. While Miyuki ran to their father and pregnant mother, Mutsuki continued playing ball with some older kids and his cousin, Hajime, who was visiting with his family. The ball got kicked too far, so he and Hajime ran into the trees to retrieve it. They ended up in the bushes, behind a bench occupied by three women, and that was when he heard the conversation that made him begin to wonder.
"Oh! What a beautiful man!" One of the women exclaimed.
"Which one?" Another asked.
"The one with the silver hair." The first replied.
Mutsuki realized that they were talking about his father and peeked his head out of the bushes, to see that Miyuki had succeeded in her quest. Both of his parents were now walking across the playground, with Miyuki directing them from atop his father's shoulder, while her brown pigtails flopped in the wind.
"That's Yuki Sohma." The third woman supplied. "He works at the flower shop I go to, and he's also gardener at one of the estates around town."
"Really? You know him?" The second woman asked.
"Barely, I'm just one of his customers, but Nyoko went to university with him. She's even visited his home on a few occasions."
"Ms. Aguni knows him?" The first woman asked.
"Does she know how he ended up with a woman like that?" The second asked.
"Yeah, how does someone so beautiful end up with a woman so plain and boring?"
Plain? Boring? Mutsuki had always though that his mother was beautiful, and he had heard plenty of people call her beautiful. How could these women say something like that?!
"That's what everyone says." The third woman replied. "Aguni told me that their classmates were all shocked when she came for a visit. They thought that his girlfriend would be a model, not someone like her."
"Does she have a job?" The first asked.
"No. She moved in with him right after she graduated high school, and married him not long after. Never got a job and barely cleans. Nyoko says the place is filthy."
"It sounds like she's taking advantage of him." The second said. "The poor man must be the only one taking care of the child as well, and with a second on the way, how do you think he'll cope?"
"Third, actually." The informer corrected. " They have a boy too, I've seen him a few times at the shop. Looks just like his father, silver hair and all."
"Three children?!" The first woman exclaimed. "How does that even happen? Especially with a couple like that!"
"Aguni supposes that it's because he's friends with her brother
"Why would that matter?"
"She said that they're both from wealthy families, but she got disowned. Her brother begged Yuki to marry her so that she'd be provided for. Normally, I wouldn't approve of an affair, but in this case, I think that there should be an exception." She sighed. "But he's too afraid of upsetting his friend so he just stays with her."
"That's awful!" The second woman gasped. "How could anybody do that to their friend?"
"Even if it's for your sister, that's low." The first commented. "And now that beautiful man is stuck with that awful woman!"
Mutsuki did not fully understand what he had heard, but what he did, he could not believe. He thought that his parents loved each other. Did Uncle Kakeru really beg his father? Were his parents lying to him? Were they even happy?"
"AT LEAST HE'S NOT WITH A MEAN OLD LADY LIKE YOU!"
Mutsuki looked up to see that Hajime was no longer crouching in the bushes, but standing and yelling in the ears of the women.
"AUNT MACHI IS WAY PRETTIER THAN YOU UGLY PIGS! AND SHE PLAYS WITH HER KIDS! YOU DON'T! YOU'RE THE BORING ONES!"
The gossipers were rather startled by the screaming five year old. Two of them had fallen off the bench and the third had stood up and now looked down upon Hajime.
"Such a rude child, should not be lecturing adults."
"You think my kid is rude?"
Mutsuki looked up and saw that Uncle Kyo had arrived and heard Hajime's outburst.
"It sounds like you were the one being rude and saying some nasty stuff about his aunt."
"Well I -I-" The woman was flabbergasted and struggling for an excuse.
"What's going on here?" Mutsuki's father asked, as he arrived.
"DADDY!" Mutsuki burst out of the bushes and jumped into his father's arms, as Hajime began his explanation.
"SHE CALLED AUNT MACHI PLAIN AND BORING! BUT SHE'S NOT! SHE SAID THAT SHE'S DIRTY AND A BAD MOMMY! BUT SHE'S LYING!
"Will you get this child under control!" The woman snapped. "He's causing a scene!"
"WELL THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!" Yuki and Kyo yelled at her.
"She said that you don't love Mommy." Mutsuki mumbled into his father's shoulder.
"What?" Yuki asked, stunned.
He pulled his son's head away from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. His heart almost broke, upon seeing the tears that the four year old was trying to hold back.
"She said that Uncle Kakeru m-made you marry h-er..." Mutsuki sniffled. "A-and that you only have u-us... so that he w-won't be mad!" He finished, before he began wailing into his father's shoulder.
Yuki hugged his son close to his chest. Most of the park had been watching the scene unfold. Many had been murmuring and taking sides, but now that a child was crying, most were glaring at the women who had caused it. Machi and Tohru had been asked to stay behind with the two younger children while their husbands dealt with the situation, but upon seeing her son crying, Machi could not stay back. She handed Miyuki to Tohru (who was already holding her own daughter) so that she could get to her son as fast as her pregnant body would allow.
Yuki, after seeing his son cry and hearing what the woman had said, was now furious. He looked back up at the woman who he recognized as one of his regular customers, and spoke in the calmest voice he could muster.
"Mrs. Kazetani, you have been a valued customer for years; But if you are going to spread lies about my wife, I'll have to ask you to take your business elsewhere. If you have an issue with that, you can take it up with Mr. Hamasaki, but I don't think that he'll be happy to hear what you've said about Machi. He's quite fond of her, and also the accounting work that she's been doing for him."
Machi had finally arrived by her husband's side and was now reaching for her son. Yuki shifted the four year old into his wife's waiting arms, and wrapped his own around both of them as he walked away. Machi gently wiped her son's eyes as she began whispering words of comfort to him. Yuki smiled at his wife and son, once again thanking whatever higher power had brought her into his life, as they walked. Before they got far, however, they heard a yelp and turned their heads around.
Hajime had kicked Mrs. Kazetani in the shin. She grabbed his arm, only to have her wrist grabbed by Kyo.
"Control your child!" She snarled at him.
"We've already been over this, lady! I'll control my kid when I need to, but right now, you're the one that needs some fucking control!"
"Kyo!" Tohru exclaimed.
She handed Miyuki to Yuki, and her pushed her daughter, Kazumi, into Kyo's arms, forcing him to let go of Mrs. Kazetani. She knelt down and began easing the woman's grip on her son, as she spoke.
"It was wrong of Hajime to kick you, but what you did was wrong as well. I don't know why you were talking about Machi, but you should not have been saying such hurtful things. Especially when they are not true."
Tohru picked up her son.
"I'll talk to Hajime, but please promise me that you'll think about what you did as well. You hurt a lot of people today, especially these innocent children." She finished, before she walked away with her family.
When they returned to the apartment, the adults tried their best to explain what happened, to the two boys. It was a difficult subject, but in the end, Tohru was able to help.
"Somebody once told me that 'People throw rocks at things that shine'." Tohru said. "I think that those women were jealous of your parents' happiness. They thought that saying mean things and spreading rumors would make them feel better, but that never works. It only hurts others and forces you deeper into your own pain."
Mutsuki felt better after hearing his Aunt Tohru's words, but he still could not get what he had heard out of his head. His family said that the women were lying, but he now realized that he did not know how his parents had met, or fell in love. When it was time for bed and he, Hajime and Miyuki were tucked into the same bed, with his father about to start the bed time story, he finally asked the questions that were on his mind.
"How did you and Mommy meet?" Mutsuki asked.
Machi looked up from the drawer, that she was putting clothing in, and Yuki looked surprised for a moment, before answering.
"In high school. We were on the student council together."
"What's that?" Hajime asked.
"Student council? It's a group of students in the school, who represent the student body's interests and work with the staff, to organize events and help the students."
"...What?" Both boys asked.
"We helped the other students and set things up." Machi supplied.
"Oh..." Mutsuki thought for a moment. "I understand, now."
"Me too." Hajime agreed.
Yuki looked between his wife and the children.
"What was wrong with my explanation?"
"It was too long and you used too many words and phrases that they've never heard."
Yuki looked back at the kids, who were nodding -even little Miyuki, who did not know what was going on.
"Fine. Let's just read the story, now, okay?"
"How did you fall in love?" Mutsuki interrupted.
His parents glanced at each other.
"That..."
"It's a long story." Yuki finally said. "We didn't fall in love at first sight. In fact we butted heads a few times -your mother nearly killed me once, because of something your uncle Kakeru did."
"What did he do?"
"You don't need to know!" Mutsuki's parents snapped in unison.
The three children stared at the two adults, slightly afraid.
"Why are you asking these questions, all of a sudden?" Yuki asked. "Is it because of what those ladies said?"
Mutsuki twisted part of the blanket between his hands for a few moments, before nodding. The two parents sighed. Machi left the laundry basket next to the dresser and came over to her husband, who pulled her into his lap.
"You know that everything those women said was untrue, right?" Yuki asked.
Mutsuki nodded.
"But it still worries you, doesn't it?" Machi said gently.
Mutsuki nodded again, and his mother reached out and stroked his hair.
"Your father was one of the first people to care about me, and the only one who understood me." She told him.
"Your mother was also the only one to really understand me, and she was one of the few people I didn't feel lonely around and made me feel like I was worth something... She once chased me around the school just to say hello to me!" Yuki told them, causing his wife's face to turn red.
"DON'T TELL THEM ABOUT THAT!" She yelled, as she turned around and smacked him with a stuffed rabbit.
Yuki, however, was not deterred. Instead, he held his wife's arms at bay while telling the children more.
"And then she hit me with the worst paper flower in the world and said that it was for me!"
"Yuki!" Machi yelled, again, as she finally broke out of his grip and smacked him with the rabbit again.
The children were laughing now.
"Plus I found it cute whenever she got like this."
"What else happened?" Mutsuki asked.
"Your mother rescued me from a closet that I was locked in."
"And then your father vomited." Machi added, still, slightly upset.
"Ew." The boys said, causing Yuki to laugh.
"What else?" Mutsuki pressed.
The night proceeded with stories of Yuki and Machi's high school days, rather than the usual bedtime stories. Hajime wanted to hear stories about his parents, as well, so Yuki told some stories from when he lived with them and Machi told about her first time visiting the house. Tohru and Kyo, came in soon afterwards to see what all the laughing was about, and joined in with the stories. Eventually, the adults decided that it was time for the children to sleep, and ended the stories for the night. Mutsuki went to sleep with his mind at ease that night, but unfortunately, a door in his young mind had been opened.
So, before anybody complains about Machi being a stay-at-home mom, I'll explain my reasons for thinking she that she would be.
1. Unlike Yuki, Machi didn't have a chance to discover anything that she really had a passion or talent for, until much later in life. I know from experience, that it takes a very long time to discover such things and decide on what you'll pursue.
2. While Machi has had extensive character development, there are some things that you simply cannot put behind you. I feel that she wouldn't be able to leave behind enough to last long in most workplaces, which is something that both she and Yuki would acknowledge.
3. As shown with her little brother, she is a very caring and nurturing individual; and after being separated from her brother at such a young age, I do believe that she would have some serious reservations about having someone else taking care of her children and missing part of their childhood.
4. It wouldn't be very cost-efficient.
5. Having been deprived of the love and attention they needed as children, I imagine that Yuki and Machi would do their best to ensure that their children grew up having that. The best way to ensure that is to have one parent who is always present and isn't distracted by work.
I had some other reasons as well, but dude... it's past midnight, and I have work in the morning.
Thank you for reading!