Making Amends

"I'm home," Yukari Takeba said, as she stepped through the door of the apartment rented by her mother, Eiko Takeba.

While Yukari had uttered this phrase many times during her childhood, it rang a bit hollow now. She and her mother had been forced to move as a result of the backlash over the disaster that had claimed her father's life, and her mother had moved since then, so this was Yukari's first time stepping through these doors. The same went for Yukari's friend and fellow S.E.E.S. member, Fuuka Yamagishi, who'd offered to serve as a mediator for what would likely be a very difficult conversation.

"Welcome home, Yukari," Eiko said. "I see you've brought a friend."

"That's right," Yukari said. "Mom, this is Fuuka Yamagishi, a friend and schoolmate. Fuuka, this is my mother, Eiko Takeba."

Both Fuuka and Eiko bowed to each other.

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Fuuka said. "Yukari-chan- er, I mean, Yukari-san asked me to come along as a personal favor."

"It's nice to meet you too, Yamagishi-san," Eiko said. "Yukari told me about you on the phone."

"I'm sorry I couldn't come home during Spring Break," Yukari said. "There was... a lot on my mind during that time. Not long after the school year began, I spoke with Fuuka and told her everything."

A few weeks prior

Yukari met with Fuuka in the Paulownia Mall, and told her about her estrangement from her mother, as well as her plans to visit her mother again. Eventually, Yukari got to the point- she wanted Fuuka to come with her.

"So you want me to serve as a mediator, Yukari-chan?" Fuuka said.

"That's right, Fuuka," Yukari said. "I... don't always say things tactfully, so I need someone to come along and make sure I don't get out of line. The last time I talked with Kotone, I asked if she could do this, but..."

Yukari trailed off.

"I get what you're asking," Fuuka said, "but why me? Even apart from Kotone-chan, Mitsuru-senpai might be better for the job."

"There's a few reasons I didn't ask Mitsuru-senpai," Yukari said. "First, she's fairly busy with Kirijo Group duties and college, so I'm not sure she'd have the time to pop over to a friend's house. Second, things might get... complicated if I brought Dad's boss's granddaughter over. Third, Mitsuru-senpai feels indebted to me, so I'm worried she'd take my side rather than try to stay objective."

Fuuka nodded, unable to argue with Yukari's points about Mitsuru, even as she waited for Yukari to say why she thought Fuuka would be better.

"As for you," Yukari said, "you're fairly levelheaded, which was why you didn't immediately pick a side when we fought each other. You also seem like you'd be able to say no if you didn't want to do this. So... do you think you're willing and able to help me?"

Fuuka paused to think for a moment. Yukari was asking a lot of her, but at the same time, Yukari seemed to have thought things over and had good reasons for choosing Fuuka. Moreover, Fuuka wanted Yukari's reunion with her mother to go well, so if Yukari thought Fuuka could help facilitate it, then Fuuka would do everything in her power to make it work.

"I do, Yukari-chan," Fuuka said.

"Thank you, Fuuka," Yukari said. "Will your parents be fine with you seeing me?"

"They will," Fuuka said. "They aren't expecting to see me for Golden Week, anyway. Besides, I've kept my grades up, so they don't have any complaints... at least until I have to explain why I'm studying technology instead of medicine."

Yukari winced, once again realizing that other people also had troubled relationships with their families. That realization was a necessary wake-up call for her, and one that helped her get over her self-pity.

"I'm a little nervous about meeting your mother, though," Fuuka said. "Is there anything I should know?"

Yukari shrugged uncomfortably. She had to admit that she didn't know her mother all that well anymore.

"It's been a while since I brought a friend over, so it's hard to say," Yukari said. "Just be on your best behavior, and you'll be fine."

"I'll do just that, Yukari-chan," Fuuka said, "or rather, Yukari-san. I hope you don't mind me calling you that when I'm around your mother, since I'll have to be polite."

"That's fine with me, Fuuka," Yukari said, "but as long as your manners are better than Junpei's, you'll do just fine."

The two friends shared a laugh, forgetting about their concerns about the meeting for the moment. In the weeks to come, they did roleplaying, discussed what Yukari would say to her mother and otherwise worked to prepare for the visit, hoping that Yukari's mother would be receptive and understanding.

Present day

Yukari, Eiko and Fuuka sat down and talked about life at Gekkoukan High School, save for Yukari and Fuuka's involvement in S.E.E.S.- Yukari said she'd found Fuuka after bullies had locked her in the gym, which wasn't too far from the truth. Eiko had to admit that she was surprised to hear that Yukari was already a third-year in high school, and would soon be moving on to college, but promised to at least attend her daughter's graduation ceremony.

"As nice as it is to hear about what you've been up to, Yukari," Eiko said, "I'd like to get down to why we're here. I owe you an apology for how I've treated you these last ten years."

Eiko stood and bowed deeply in apology. The more cynical part of Yukari still believed that talk was cheap, but this, combined with her mother's promise to not remarry until Yukari forgave her, was enough to convince Yukari that her mother was actually serious about reconciling with her. Of course, there were things Yukari still wanted to say to Eiko, even if they were difficult to hear.

Yukari then took a deep breath, and glanced at Fuuka, who silently nodded. This would likely be the most difficult part of the entire process, but it had to be said, so Yukari proceeded.

"There's something you need to understand, Mom," Yukari said. "I know losing Dad was hard, and everyone blaming us for what happened made it worse, but I was just a little girl back then, and I'd just lost my father. You were the only family I had left, so I needed you to be there for me, too, not neglect and abandon me for ten long years. Even though you've apologized, it won't be easy to forgive that."

Yukari glanced at Fuuka, who waited with bated breath. Fuuka had no complaints about what Yukari had said, so the only question was whether Yukari's mother would accept it.

"I know," Eiko said. "I know that an apology isn't enough for me to earn your forgiveness, but please believe me when I say that I'm truly sorry."

Yukari nodded.

"I believe you," Yukari said. "In fact, Mom, I also owe you an apology. I didn't completely understand your perspective until just recently."

"What do you mean?" Eiko said. "As you said earlier, I lost my husband, you lost your father."

"I did say that," Yukari said, "but at the same time, I think a part of me assumed that since you were an adult, you'd be better equipped to handle it. Another part didn't realize what it was like to feel the same way about someone as you did about Dad."

Yukari turned to Fuuka, who gave her a gentle smile of approval, as well as tacit approval to tell her story.

"A little over a year ago, I met a girl named Kotone Shiomi," Yukari said. "I think I told you about her, didn't I, Mom?"

"You did," Eiko said. "You were planning to bring her over for spring break."

Yukari nodded. She planned on saying why Kotone wasn't coming over, but for now, there were more relevant things to discuss.

"I didn't mention this before," Yukari said, "but Kotone was one of the few people I talked to about you, after she was around during one of our conversations. We became closer over the next few months, as I confided in her more. I felt I could trust her to listen without judging me, especially after I ended up spilling all my personal issues shortly after meeting her."

"Your father played that role for me, too," Eiko said. "As much as I loved him, I don't think I ever fully appreciated him for that while he was alive."

Yukari winced, knowing that now was as good a time as any to get to the most relevant- and uncomfortable- part of her story.

"Anyway, I had a bit of a rude awakening in that regard, too," Yukari said. "One day, when I was crossing the street, I wasn't looking where I was going and almost got hit by a car. Kotone stopped me, but fell and hurt her hand. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but I got really scared, and wondered what would've happened if I'd lost her."

Yukari was well aware of the possibility of danger in fighting Shadows- not that she'd ever mention that to her mother- but the incident with the car had happened before Shinjiro's death, so the team had yet to experience losing one of their own. The latter incident was an even more potent wake-up call for Yukari, one that happened shortly before she heard from her mother.

"That wasn't long before you called and apologized to me, Mom," Yukari said. "Since I'd started to understand what you were feeling, I was actually willing to listen this time. Kotone, who'd lost both of her parents around the same time you and I lost Dad, was in favor of my reconciling with you, and even offered to come along with me to mediate. Unfortunately, the world apparently didn't think I'd learned the lesson well enough."

Both Fuuka and Eiko remained silent, waiting for Yukari to continue. Fuuka knew all too well what happened next, while Eiko could easily guess.

"That was the last time we talked," Yukari said. "On March 5, Graduation Day, Kotone went to the rooftop and died of unknown causes. Just like you lost your husband... I lost the girl I loved."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Yukari," Eiko said.

Yukari nodded gratefully, for Eiko's sympathy. Yukari would probably have lost her temper if Eiko had judged her daughter for loving a girl in spite of all her shallow affairs with men, so Yukari had to admit she was glad Eiko had refrained from doing so.

"The rest of March was... hard on me," Yukari said. "I ended up clashing with my friends, saying and doing things I regretted, even though they'd also lost someone important to them."

"Kotone-chan was also a good friend of mine," Fuuka said. "She got along with everyone else in our group of friends, so I think all of us had some idea of how Yukari-san felt after losing her."

"Of course, I forgot that when I was angry with everyone," Yukari said, "at least until they helped me work through my loss. I'm grateful to them for forgiving me, which is why it wouldn't be fair if I can't at least try to forgive you, too, Mom."

"Thank you, Yukari," Eiko said. "I wish I'd been there for you back then."

Yukari paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully before she spoke.

"There's another reason why I came to talk things over with you," Yukari said. "The worst part about Kotone's death was that it was so sudden- I couldn't introduce her to you, tell her I loved her or even say goodbye to her. It got me thinking- I'm still a little bitter about the way you acted after Dad's death, but I don't want to lose you with hard feelings between us."

"I feel the same way as Yukari-san," Fuuka said. "My relationship with my parents is... less than ideal. That's why when I heard that you and Yukari-san could potentially reconcile, I wanted to help her do it."

"I'm glad to hear this," Eiko said. "It'll take time and effort to fix our relationship, but I'm willing to do my part, starting with being a good hostess to my daughter and her friend."

Fuuka let off a sigh of relief. From here on out, the process of reconciliation was up to Yukari and Eiko, but today, the mother and daughter had taken the first and most important step. It was too soon to pat herself on the back for a job well done, but for now, she could hope for the future.

Yukari and Fuuka had dinner at the Takeba apartment, and stayed the night. The fact that the apartment had two bedrooms was not lost on Yukari, who perhaps wondered if her mother had held out hope in reuniting with her daughter all this time.

"Thank you for your help with my mom today, Fuuka," Yukari said.

"I didn't do much, Yukari-san," Fuuka said, "er, Yukari-chan. Your mother was honestly sorry, and you were kind enough to accept her apology. It wouldn't have worked out unless both of you were serious about it."

"You're probably right," Yukari said. "The most important thing I learned from being around Kotone and the rest of you is how much people can change, just like my mother did. Our Personas didn't evolve until we'd reached important epiphanies about who we were and why we were fighting."

"True," Fuuka said. "Of course, Koro-chan's still using his original Persona."

Yukari chuckled awkwardly, embarrassed at having forgot about the one exception to her rule. Perhaps Shinjiro's Castor would have evolved to something else if he'd lived past that October night when he'd been forced to confront his mistakes- and die atoning for them- but they would never know now.

"I know," Yukari said. "In all seriousness, though, this fact is also my biggest hope- that the day will come when people will no longer desire death. Of course, it won't just happen, but I'll do what I can to make it happen."

"Me too, Yukari-chan," Fuuka said.

Yukari smiled. Changing the world in the way she desired would be a difficult endeavor, and quite possibly impossible. That said, she'd never imagined the possibility of her mother changing for the better until recently, so perhaps by working one person at a time, one day at a time, the world would change the same way.

Author's Notes

Thank you for reading this fic.

I decided to write it to show how Yukari's reunion with her mother might go without the MC to mediate. I decided to show Yukari being honest about how hurt she was, but still somewhat sympathetic toward and willing to forgive her mother.

Fuuka works fairly well as a mediator, given her personality and that she's probably Yukari's closest friend besides the MC and Mitsuru (who, as Yukari mentions, might not be the best choice for a few reasons).