Moment of Change
Twelve Years Later
Aoyoma Motoko looked up from where she was setting the table and gazed out of the window to the training ground, unable to restrain a small, glad sigh at what she saw. Her husband of twelve years was giving their eldest daughter her daily lesson in the Shinmei Ryu. Young Kyoko was a promising student and a source of pride to both her parents. As were all their children, Motoko thought happily. She shook her head with mild disbelief as she returned to her task. If she had been told when she was younger that her life would turn out like this she would have called that person a liar. Indeed, she may well have attacked them for mocking her. When her sister had first married she'd felt as though the foundations of her life had been torn out from under her. Unable to understand her sister's actions she'd sublimated her confusion into blind anger. Until she'd met him. Remembering their first meeting never failed to make Motoko smile and this time was no exception. They hadn't gotten off to the best start, but he'd persevered and eventually she'd been won over. Motoko went back into the kitchen to bring out their lunch as Kyoko and her father finished the lesson. After setting down the food she made it to the door just in time to greet them as they came in. Her husband favoured her with the same unselfconscious smile that she had been so attracted to all those years ago - and still was, for that matter.
"Lunch is ready, husband, daughter."
"Hello to you too, Motoko-chan" her husband replied, the faint friendly amusement he always felt at her traditional formality creeping into his tone.
"Where's Ki-chan" Kyoko asked petulantly, craning her head around in an effort to locate her younger sister.
"Kikuko and Senko went to town with your aunt Tsuroko" Motoko told her daughter.
"Awwww" Kyoko cried.
The two parents shared a knowing grin over their daughter's head. Ten-year-old Kyoko's favourite activity was giving orders to her six-year-old twin sisters. She was full of advice for her younger sisters on everything from their kendo forms to how to be good wives when they played house. The frequency with which Kikuko and Senko listened to their elder sister was inversely proportional to how much advice she gave them, which led to considerable frustration on her part and considerable amusement on everyone else's. Even Tsuroko had commented that she would be a great training master one day, provided she could get her students to listen to her.
"Come on Kyo-chan, let's get you cleaned up before we have lunch, okay?"
Kyoko nodded agreement to her father's question and followed him toward the washroom while Motoko waited for them. Listening to father and daughter cleaning themselves up while teasing each other about their dishevelled condition post-training she was reminded just how much she loved the life she had now. Keitaro, she mused, was the best husband a woman could have. She had regrets, of course, but it was too late to do anything about them. She had only fought for what she wanted, as was her right.
Motoko had been telling herself this for so long she had almost come to believe it.
Konno Mitsune, Kitsune to everyone who knew her, sighed as she looked in on her oldest friend. Narusegawa Naru was bent over her computer, presumably, thought Kitsune, poring over this year's tax return, despite the fact that she had completed it a week ago.
"It's late, Naru. Why don't you go home?"
"You're still here" Naru retorted "and you won't be leaving until half past five in the morning!"
Kitsune snorted.
"That's different and you know it. Unlike you, I work nights and sleep through the day, which suits me fine, but you work days which means you shouldn't still be here! Go home already, Naru."
Naru smiled at her friend's exasperated tone. She could hardly recognize her sake-swilling job-hopping friend of old in the mature, hard working woman who was currently nagging her to go home. Between them they ran their small, successful nightclub quite effectively, Naru's business degree complementing Kitsune's flair for the practical side of the business. Even now it amused Naru a little that the reformed alcoholic ran their bar so well.
"Hello, anybody in there?" said Kitsune in a sing-song voice as she waved her hand in front of Naru's face. Naru batted the hand away as she broke out of her reverie.
"Lay off, Kitsune, I'll be leaving soon, I just have to-"
"The only thing you have to do is leave" Kitsune interrupted her, annoyance creeping into her voice.
"You work too hard as it is. A job is no substitute for a social life."
Naru knew Kitsune worried about the restricted scope of her personal life, but really, what could she do? There had been men in her life, certainly, but relationships of a romantic nature just hadn't interested her after . . . Naru gave herself a vehement mental shake. It was no use dwelling on the past.
"What about you, Kitsune" she responded to her friend, having learnt long ago that in such discussions attack was the best defense.
"You work the bar all night, stagger home at sunrise and then sleep through the day. When do you do your socialising?"
"I socialise and work at the same time, Naru-chan" Kitsune shot back with a grin "it's called effective time-management."
"Funny, Kitsune, real funny. Now are you going to get off my back?"
"Are you going to go home?"
Naru sighed at her friend's stubbornness.
"Fine, fine, I'm going, just let me - hey!"
Naru's exclamation was caused by Kitsune reaching over and turning off the computer. Kitsune just grinned at her.
"Now you have to leave."
"Hey! What if I lost something because you-"
"You didn't lose anything. I know how paranoid you are about saving and backing up. Now quit arguing and go home and get some sleep."
"Yes ma'am" Naru sighed, surrendering to Kitsune's particular brand of mothering.
Walking out to her car Naru wondered about Kitsune's ongoing interest in her personal life. It sometimes seemed to Naru that Kitsune preferred to meddle in other people's relationships over having her own. True enough, settling down simply was not in Kitsune's nature, but Naru sometimes worried about what would happen to her friend in later life. The one time she had tentatively raised the subject, Kitsune had calmly told her that she would always have her friends, before making a joke about 'babysitting everyone else's kids' while giving Naru a pointed look. Naru had not raised the subject again, which had probably been Kitsune's intention to begin with. The thought had occurred to her that not too many of them even had children, or were likely to. Like so many things in the lives of her and her friends it remained an unspoken concern, suppressed out of deference to an unwritten code of conduct that saved them from having to confront the worst of life's cruelties.
It's amazing, Naru thought as she opened the car door. After all these years it still hurts, a little bit. I wonder if it always will.
Maehara Shinobu rubbed her eyes groggily as she stumbled out of bed. Little Keiko had only recently made the change from a crib to the western style bed she now slept in and was not taking it well. Shinobu often found herself awoken in the early hours of the morning by her daughter's cries, the little one convinced that something terrible was hiding in the space between bed and floor. It had gotten to the point that she was seriously considering getting a futon for her daughter instead, but Shinobu knew she would never be able to bring herself to make her daughter sleep on the floor.
"Mama, mama!"
"I'm coming Kei-chan" she called out in response to the girl's cries as she made her way down the hallway. Entering Keiko's bedroom she crossed the floor to her daughter's bedside and knelt down so she could wrap her arms around her child.
"It's alright sweetheart, I'm here now."
"I'm scared mama. Please can I sleep with you tonight?"
Keiko looked up at her mother with the cutest expression she could manage, apparently sensing Shinobu's reluctance and doing everything she could to overcome it.
"Alright Kei-chan, just for tonight."
Shinobu heaved a mental sigh as she hoisted her daughter out of bed and into her arms. She'd never been able to refuse Keiko anything, Shinobu reflected, and she probably never would be able to. As she tucked Keiko into bed next to her Shinobu found herself wishing that she was sharing it with someone else. But childish dreams must be left in childhood, where they belong. Besides, she had a family now - even if the circumstances that led to Keiko's birth hadn't been . . . ideal.
She had friends and family, that was the important thing Shinobu told herself as she settled down for the night.
"Heya Su!"
"Hey Kitsune."
"So what brings the high and mighty business tycoon to our not so humble establishment?"
"I'm desperately in need of a stiff drink and good music."
"Well you came to right place" said Kitsune with a grin. "The usual?"
"Please."
"One double strength banana daiquiri - with extra banana - coming up!"
Kitsune watched on with interest as Su drained the potently alcoholic concoction - which Kitsune had created just for her - in a single gulp.
"Rough day at the office?" she asked dryly.
"You could say that. I didn't think deregulating trade between Japan and Molmol would be easy but the amount of bureaucratic nonsense I have to deal with is insane."
"Well don't be too hard on yourself Su, last I heard Molmol Enterprises was making cash hand over fist" Kitsune replied as she set another drink down in front of Su.
"Yeah. Things are getting better back home. That's something."
Su stared moodily into her second drink. Recognising her friend's desire to brood in peace Kitsune moved away, thinking as she did so that Naru wasn't the only person she knew who buried herself in work.
Author's Notes
I wrote this story out as a oneshot but I've decided to split it up into chapters for effect. Since the whole thing is almost completely done expect new chapters once every one or two days – if you stick with the story you'll eventually find out what's going on.