Mommies Dearest, a mega man fanfic

Hey everyone, it's been a while since I wrote a story for Megaman StarForce. Originally, this story was incomplete, but I was inspired to finish this after watching some Viddsee videos on youtube. These videos got me choked up and I wanted to continue this with a little do over.

Just to let you all know, this is a prequel to Tendou's Story!

If there are any mistakes, I apologize, and please don't flame. If there are, please do PM me and I'll fix my errors. Thank you and enjoy!

Note: English is my second language!

It was lunchtime and the Stelar family was about to have a nice lunch together. At this moment, Geo and Kelvin were the ones making lunch for the women who they loved dearly.

It is Mother's Day after all.

Kelvin made a toast with scrambled eggs on top and Geo made a toast with three slices of bacon with barbecue sauce on top.

"You boys do know this feels more like breakfast than lunch, right?" Hope giggled.

"I guess my sense of lunch has gotten rusty." Kelvin rubbed the back of his neck, "Let's eat!"

They were about to eat, but immediately stopped, realizing someone was missing.

"Where's Tendou? He should be joining us by now." the 38 years old Sonia asked.

"Well, he did come home very late last night. Maybe crime is going overtime." the 38 years old Geo replied.

They heard footsteps coming from the stairs and saw their 17 years old son Tendou and his partner Draco came in the dining room.

"Sorry, we missed breakfast. What're we having?" he asked his parents.

"Tendou, it's already lunchtime, but please be aware of your health, okay? I don't want you to overwork yourself every night." Sonia told him concernedly.

"Here you go, Tendou. I made extra." Geo handed a plate of a toast with scrambled eggs with two slices of bacon. "And Draco, as usual, your afternoon coffee."

"Thank you very much." he bowed in a polite manner.

They all began to eat their lunch.

"Oh man, that hit the spot." Tendou rubbed his stomach, almost burped.

"Master Tendou, when is the right time?" Draco whispered.

"In a moment." Tendou whispered back.

Both Geo and Kelvin were already working on the dishes as Sonia appeared in the hallway in her knee-length pink dress.

"Going somewhere, Sonia?" Geo asked his wife.

"I have a small errand to do." Sonia replied.

"You sure you don't need me to come with you?" he asked again.

"Honey, it's just a small errand. I'll be back soon. Tendou, let's go!"

"Kaa-san, wait!" Tendou called, causing his mother to face him. "Before we go, I have something I want to give you." This made his mother widened her eyes in suprise.

"Really? What are you going to give me?" she asked, feeling a bit excited.

Geo, Kelvin, and Hope had an unexpected look on their faces. It was very rare for him to give something to his mother. He had never done that before.

Smiling in glee, Tendou took out his Hunter-VG and pressed some buttons. Sonia heard an alarm sound coming from hers, including Hope's. Both women took it out and couldn't believe what they just saw on the screen. Her son just transferred 500,000 zenny in their respective Hunter-VGs!

"Happy Mother's Day!" he exclaimed happily.

Unfortunately, silence was in the air.

He looked at his mother and saw her smile disappeared.

"Tendou, how did you manage to get this kind of money?" Sonia asked.

"Draco and I had been farming zenny all night until we've reached that amount! Glad I used Zenny Finder." he answered proudly.

"Tendou, I appreciate it, but that's not going to work. There's an old saying, money can't buy happiness."

Tendou wasn't expecting this, but lost his excitement.

"*sigh* Fine, Kaa-san. I'll keep that in mind next time. Anyway, where are we going?"

"The usual." Sonia answered.

Tendou groaned and knew it would be the exact same place.

"Kaa-san, why do we keep going to that same spot? It has nothing to do with me. It's just a tombstone with someone's name I don't know." he said bitterly.

Sonia frowned at him, "Tendou, that someone was a very special person who I loved dearly with all my heart when I was very young. Don't you use that tone on me!" she raised her voice.

"Look Kaa-san, I traveled back to the past to save Tou-san for our existences, and it took me a long time to free him from under Skull's control! Also, I nearly died in the past! What more do you want for me! ?" he shouted, feeling his anger increased.

"I want you to respect my wish! How hard is it for you to understand! ?"

The boy was near his breaking point, and couldn't take it anymore.

"KAA-SAN, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL! ! THAT PERSON IS GONE, AND WHOEVER THAT WAS ISN'T COMING BACK! ! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT PERSON IS RELATED TO YOU OR ANYTHING! !"

A loud slap was heard in the house.

Geo and his father widened their eyes than before. Hope gasped at the terrible sight.

Tendou had his head turned right with a slap mark on the left side of his face. He touched that spot with his left hand and felt the sting. He slowly turned to face his mother and saw a trail of tears falling down from her eyes.

Sonia was furious at him. She couldn't believe her son would say something like that to her.

"Tendou, you don't know anything about me! You have no idea what I had been through!" More tears began to fall as the anger inside her increased.

The boy couldn't find the words to counter his mother. All he felt was anger boiled up inside him even more. "I'm gonna go cool off." his face turned into a scowl and made his way towards the door. He closed it with a loud slam as the adults approached the sobbing mother.

"Sonia, I'm deeply sorry for Master Tendou's-"

"No, Draco, it's my fault. I shouldn't... *sob*"

Geo had his arms around his wife, trying to comfort her. He led her back to the chair until she calmed down.

"Sonia, it's gonna be okay."

Hope gave her daughter-in-law a glass of water. Sonia took it and drank slowly.

"Pardon me, Sonia. I know this isn't my business, but may I ask who is this special person?" Draco asked.

Looking down at the glass of water for a moment, Sonia knew this would be the right time to let everyone know about her errand.

"Tendou wasn't ready to learn about death. I was going to tell him about my mom today."

Elsewhere

Tendou was still steamed about earlier, and had both hands in his black jacket pockets. He was thinking about taking a long walk to get it out of his system, but turned out it wasn't helping. The conversation scene was still replaying in his head.

"Seriously, Kaa-san, for five years, all this for a dead person! ? Women! I can't understand them." he huffed.

As he continued walking, he saw an argument between a thug and a girl around his age in a maid outfit. He decided to ignore them until he unintentionally heard the thug's question.

"How about you give me your address so I can have fun with you all night?" he requested, but the maid was uninterested.

"You think I'll give you my address so you can have your way with me! ? Fat chance! First of all, I hate men! All you men think of is take advantage of women so they can be helpless and weak!"

The thug grabbed her collar and pinned her against the wall hard. "So you wanna do this the hard way, huh! ? Once I see a hottie, I'll-" he was interrupted by someone's finger poking on his right shoulder, "Hey! Beat it, would ya-" He turned his head to the interrupter, but met a punch in the face.

The maid nearly fell and couldn't get a chance to see her savior's face, who was standing in front of her.

"Hey, if the girl's not interested, she's not interested! How hard is it for you to understand! ?" Tendou shouted angrily.

The thug wiped the blood off his nose and took out a switchblade from his pocket, taking the blade out.

"You're gonna regret this, punk!"

The fight didn't last more than five seconds.

He was on the ground with a few broken teeth with three little birdies spinning around his head.

"I've already called the police. They should be here soon." he told the maid and walked off with both hands in his black jacket pockets.

Unfortunately, the girl was disappointed that she didn't get a chance to thank him for saving her nor get his name. She hoped to see him again and return the favor someday as she returned back to the café that had a Maid Latte sign by the front door.

At the playground

Tendou sat on the bench, and hadn't calmed down after a quick beatdown with that lowlife. On the bright side, he was glad the girl was safe and sound.

"Oh great, I'm starting to sound like Kaa-san!" he realized, using the same line from their argument without thinking. He took out his Hunter-VG and noticed it was 2pm, and it was almost three digits. "Maybe a ride in DenLiner might help." he began to search for the nearest door.

Tendou was sitting in a solitary passenger seat with a cup of coffee. In the next train, there were four Imagins who were minding their own businesses. Momotaros was reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee. Sitting across from him was Urataros, who was playing a toy fishing rod. Kintaros was sleeping in his own seat with a loud snore. Ryuutaros was happily spreading bubbles around him with a bubble gun.

Momotaros took his cup of coffee and noticed it was empty all of a sudden. He knew who the coffee culprit was.

"Hey, quit drinking my coffee!"

"What are you talking about? You finished it yourself, right?" Urataros countered innocently.

"Oh yeah! Then why do you have this cream on your face! ?" Momotaros pointed.

"I've been like this from the beginning!"

"Gimme my coffee back!" the hot-headed demanded as he grabbed the latter's collar.

The red and blue duo began to bicker.

Tendou sighed at the ruckus. He could hear the fight from his side of the train. Suddenly, DenLiner made an emergency brake as everyone in the train nearly fell on the floor. Momotaros was nearly crushed by Kintaros's heavyweight, who was still asleep.

"Hey, guys! Help me out! I'm stuck! Kumo, get off of me! You're too heavy! Wake up!" he tried slapping him, but it was useless.

The door slid open as an old man with a cane walked towards the young boy.

"Something happened, Owner?" Tendou asked.

"DenLiner is having an engine problem. It might take a while to repair. Please step outside until DenLiner is fixed." he guided him to the exit.

Tendou sighed and didn't have a choice. He hopped off the train and saw a door in front of him. Better than waiting, he might as well explore outside for a bit. He opened the door and saw hospital hallway, and there was no one in sight. He took out his Hunter-VG and activated disguise mode to change his outfit into a hospital uniform.

Pretending to blend in, he walked around the hallway to kill time until DenLiner was fully repaired.

The door was heard open as a little girl walked out of the room.

"I'll be back soon!" Without looking, she bumped into him, "Oh, I'm so sorry, sir!" she apologized with her head bowing down.

"It's okay. Just be more... careful." When the girl raised her head, Tendou paused and widened his eyes in complete disbelief. He was beyond astonished. He recognized that little girl: her face, her pinkish-purple hair, her green eyes, her yellow guitar, her blue boots, her yellow shorts, her pink hoodie.

There was no mistake at all.

It was none other than his pre-teen mother, Sonia Strumm.

"I will." She eyed at him with a smile and ran off.

Tendou hadn't moved for more than five seconds as he quickly turned his back, but sadly the girl was already gone. He didn't know what was happening to him. Then, something hit him! He immediately took out his Hunter-VG and couldn't believe the time on the screen.

It was April 19, 223x.

"No way! This is the year Tou-san quit going to school." his eyes were wider than before. He turned to the same door where his pre-teen mother came out. He wondered why she was in that room.

He reached for the door and opened it to see a woman in her early 30s on the bed, wearing a hospital gown and a pink with a solid pink short shawl on her shoulders. She had a bunch of papers in her hands.

(A/N: I took her mother design based on megaman wikia in sonia strumm.)

"Hi, there." She greeted politely; her voice sounded soft and gentle. She had dark purple hair with a pink hairclip on the left side and green eyes. "Are you my new nurse?" she asked.

"Umm, uhhh, yes, I am." he lied, "M-My name's Tendou." he greeted shyly.

"My name is Serenity. It's nice to meet you. Please come sit." she gestured.

(A/N: Her name was never given so I decided to give her one. Hope you all don't mind.)

Tendou complied and took a chair that was close to her. He just sat there like a normal nurse would do. He also wanted to know why his pre-teen mother was with this woman. Serenity gave the young boy a warm smile as he shyly looked away.

"May I?" she reached her right hand and caressed his face, "You're so young, and you have the same face." she said before retrieving her hand.

Tendou had to change the subject quickly before she started to get suspicious about his disguise. He saw papers in her hands and decided to ask her that.

"So~ um, are those stories?"

"Oh no, they're sheet music. They're for a special little girl. We wrote a lot of songs together. Music has always been her mind. She likes to sing about flowers in the Spring, the sea in the summer, the leaves changing color in the Fall, and snow in the Winter. She sings whatever comes into her mind - all the pretty things and fun things. They were all for me, and I enjoyed them. That's what makes us happy. Music is our bond. She has a natural talent. Right now, she's at the TV Station singing her new song for the audition."

"That sounds just like my mom." Tendou thought sadly. He remembered his mother used to sing his favorite song for him whenever he was sad or hurt. Thinking about that made him smile a bit.

Soon, her eyes caught at the strange object in his hand. "What kind of device is that? That's not a Transer, is it?" she asked.

"Oh, uh, this! This was a Transer! I made some modifications." He lied, didn't want to let her know about the new devices from the future. He decided to show her the basic.

He showed her video record, the weather status, and some new things that weren't installed in the Transer.

"That's very interesting." Serenity was amazed by his technician skill.

"I'll be right back. I have to use the bathroom." Tendou stood up and headed to the doorway.

"Oh wait, you forgot your-" the woman sighed and waited for him to return. She just stared deeply at his Hunter-VG in her hands.

Tendou made to the restroom and locked the door.

"Damn it, diarrhea! Why at this time! ?"

Later

Tendou felt refreshed and wanted to continue where he left off explaining about his Hunter-VG. He opened the door and saw papers scattered on the floor. His eyes traveled from the floor to Serenity who wasn't moving as if she just died. He gasped at the terrible sight and tried to wake her up.

"Serenity! Hey! Hey, are you okay! ? Hey!" he shook her gently.

The woman opened her eyes slowly, "Tendou... " Her voice sounded weak.

Tendou's body was shaken. He was afraid of this. He didn't want this to happen so fast. He wanted to spend more time with her. He saw the emergency button on the wall and quickly pressed it more than five times.

"Don't worry, Serenity! Help is on the way!" he took his Hunter-VG and immediately reverted his disguise back to his original clothing before putting it in his pocket. He grabbed her right hand and held it tightly. "Listen, you have to stay strong! There are so many things you haven't seen yet!" he pleaded, almost had the urge to cry.

Serenity gave him a weak and sad smile. She also wanted to spend more time with him, but knew her time was running short.

"Tendou... I have... a request."

"A request?"

The woman slowly nodded. "The... drawer." she said.

Tendou removed her hand and quickly headed to the drawer. He opened both doors and paused at the sight. He couldn't believe what was inside. His hands slowly grabbed the object and took it out. It was a red Transer.

"Come... "

He complied, standing in front of her with the red Transer in his hands. Her left hand slowly reached for her short shawl and took it off her shoulders. She placed it on the red Transer and reached her right hand to his face, caressing it.

"Give them... to that little girl... She need it more than me." she saw sad tears starting to form in his eyes. "Don't be sad... Please... make sure... she gets them... "

Tendou sniffed and held her right hand. He determinedly nodded and gave her a hug. The latter returned the hug. Somehow, it felt very warm to him.

"I will! " he smiled and removed the hug before dashing down the hallway.

Serenity reached out her right hand to him, but decided not to. "Please... take care of my dear Sonia... " she smiled sadly.

Tendou exited through the backdoor and rushed his way to find the TV Station. However, a certain young girl with a pink hoodie entered through the front entrance with a happy look on her face.

"Can't wait to tell Mama about my audition!"

Tendou ran as fast as he could. He didn't care if he bumped into people nor if they talked badly about his hastiness. He had to make sure to deliver them to his pre-teen mother. Maybe he could ask her about the connection between those two. Suddenly, he stopped running.

"Oh crap! I forgot I'm 27 years in the past, and I don't know where this stupid TV Station is!" he looked around and saw a Satella Police patrol car. "Great timing!" he approached the vehicle and knocked the window. "Hey mister, I need your help! It's an emergency!"

The man came out of the vehicle with an antenna on his head that looked like a mini siren.

"What's the emergency, kid?" he asked.

"Where's the TV Station! ? I'm in a hurry!"

"The TV Station? It's over there, just five blocks away." he pointed.

"Thanks, old man!" the boy dashed off.

"Old man! ? Hey, kid, I'm only 42! Ahh, kids these days. Always in a rush." he shook his head.

TV Station

Tendou was covered in heavy sweats as he searched for the audition room as soon as possible. He saw the audition sign, and was glad he made it. Panting heavily, he opened the door and saw the room was completely empty.

"What the hell? This can't be right." he looked around in confusion.

A man in a purple suit wearing orange sunglasses approached him with a suitcase on his right hand.

"Sorry, kid. If you're here for the audition, it's already over."

"Huh? It's over? Then that means... " Tendou's eyes widened in horror, "Oh crap."

Behind the TV Station, he took out his Hunter-VG and placed it in the center of his waist, shooting out belt straps.

"Henshin!" he called out and transformed into Megaman with Cygnus Noise's wings. He leapt in the air and flew his way to the hospital at a quick speed.

Echo Ridge Hospital

Tendou stopped running down the hallway and panted heavily in exhaustion. He reached his right hand to open the door, but stopped, hearing a person crying from the other side.

"Why! ? You can't die! You can't!"

He knew that voice. It belong to his pre-teen mother's. With his head down, he realized he was too late. Retrieving his hand back, he refused to open the door.

"You can't leave me! What will I do without you! ? Please don't go, Mama! MAMA! !"

"Mama! ?" he shot his head up, astonished to hear an unexpected word from her. Blinking thrice in bewilderment, he backed away and couldn't believe what he just discovered.

If that woman was his pre-teen mother's mother, then that means she was his...

Inside DenLiner

Tendou sat in the solitary passenger seat with heavy tears falling down from his eyes. He couldn't believe it. That woman was his young grandma the whole time. He suddenly remembered his argument with his mom earlier.

"Tendou, you don't know anything about me! You have no idea what I had been through!"

He started to understand why she never talked about her past. It was the pain of losing the person who she loved dearly. Wiping his tears, he saw the red Transer and a short shawl on the table. Sighing in disbelief, he couldn't believe he accidentally took them with him. Now he wasn't sure what to do with them.

He took out his Hunter-VG and noticed the time. He had to get home soon. Suddenly, there was a recorded video inside his gallery. He was very sure he didn't make any video. Checking on that video, he found out who made that video!

It was Serenity, no, his young grandma who made that video when he was in the bathroom.

"Tendou, by the time you see this video, it means I may be gone. Our time together was short, but it was nice spending time with you. I happened to see your family pictures on your device, and I was very surprised to see you're my daughter's son from the future. When I first saw you, I had a strange feeling why there was a strong resemblance between you and my daughter, Sonia. I didn't mean to be nosy, but my curiosity got the best of me. I'm not exactly sure how you are able to time travel, but seeing my daughter with a nice young man and his happy family on your device, it makes me happy to see my daughter all grown up. I'm also glad to see Sonia has made so many nice friends, especially umm... those strange creatures. What really surprised me the most is you. My grandson... a superhero! That's really hard to believe! I'm pretty sure my sweet Sonia will be proud of you. Tendou, I want you to promise me something. Promise me that you will take care of your mother, and make her happy. Sonia is my only child, and I love her very much. I love her more than music. She's my sweet angel that helps me keep on writing more music." She began to cough roughly, "I'm sorry I don't have much time left. I wish I have more time with you-*cough* Please make sure to deliver it to my sweet Sonia. *cough* Tendou, as my handsome grandson from the future, I want you to know that I will always cherish our time together. Take great care of yourself and your family. I love you." Her rough cough continued as the camera aimed at the ceiling.

As the video ended, more heavy tears of sadness continued to fall on his eyes. He covered his mouth with his right hand and painfully sobbed from listening to his young grandma's first and last message.

"Th-Thank you... Obaa-san... I-I love you, too... Obaa-san... "

He stayed inside DenLiner for more than an hour. His crying was heard from the other side of the train.

"Hey, Owner. Did you have to lie to him about Denliner's engine problem? You were the one who pulled the emergency brake, right?" Momotaros asked the old man, who was eating his ball of fried rice.

"The boy must learn more about his family. Without it, there won't be any memories of the past - including their loved ones."

6pm

Sonia was sleeping with her head resting on her arms on the table. She slowly roused and wondered how long she had slept. She remembered Geo, his parents, and Draco were out buying groceries for the night. In front of her, she saw a small box-like object that was wrapped up on the table.

She began to untie it with a frown. "Tendou, if this is another joke, it's going to the... trash?" When she did, she looked at that clothing in her hands and it looked very familiar to her. "Isn't this... " Hesitating for a bit, she brought it closer and took a small sniff, then recognized that scent. No doubt about it. This short shawl belonged to her late mother! "No way! How is it possible?" she questioned, but soon figured it out. Her son time traveled by using DenLiner. She turned to the red Transer, and hadn't seen that little device in many years. She slowly opened the top and saw three videos on the screen: My dear Sonia, Forever, and I love you.

She wasn't sure which one to start first, but decided to go for "My dear Sonia". As the video started, the screen showed her loving mother, who hadn't seen her in more than two decades.

"Mama?" she gasped.

"Sonia, sweetie, by the time you see this video, Mommy has gone to heaven, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you perform in the audition. Mommy didn't have much time left. I want you to know that mommy will always love you until the end. I don't want to blame yourself for my passing. I know I can't give you anything, but what I can give you is something that I will always be remembered. My shawl. I am passing it to you so mommy will always be by your side. I want to let you know that the moment you were born, you gave me happiness. Mommy was very happy to have you as my daughter. I'm sorry I didn't have enough time to spend with you, but I still want to take care of you... always. Sonia, Mommy may be gone, but my love and spirit will remain within you, and it always will be. I want you to have a happy life out there, make some new friends, and find someone who will love you back. Remember to sing for mommy. Mommy will always listen to your songs. I will always love you, Sonia. Take care."

Once the video finished, Sonia couldn't stop her tears from falling. She hadn't seen nor heard her mother's voice in a long time.

"I... I love you, too... Mama... !" she cried for more than ten minutes.

As her crying stopped, she proceeded to play the second video.

"Sonia, if you're seeing this video. This is a song that I've been secretly working on. Every time you didn't get accepted at the audition, Mommy have been working hard to a write a song just for you. My mother told me failure is a mother of success, and I'm teaching you not to give up in life." She took her moment before singing her first song for her daughter.

(Forever by Mayumi Gojo in Mahou Sentai Magiranger based on episode 28. I apologize for not having a full translation. I only got the one based on that episode.)

Dakishimeta nukumoriyo (You embrace me, warmth.)

Eien ni... konotede furete itai (Eternally... I want you to always touch my hands)

Sorega ganawanai negai demo (Even if that is a wish that cannot be granted... )

Nakanaide (Do not cry.)

Nakanaide kokoro (Do not cry, heart.)

Itsumademo (Always... )

Dareyorimo tsuyoku (More than anyone else... I will always... )

Eien ni... anata o wasurenai wa

Aiwa keshite kienai kara

Mouichido Mouichido daite

Arigatou (Thank you... )

Utsukushii yumewo

Nakanaide (Do not cry.)

Nakanaide kokoro (Do not cry, heart.)

Itsumademo (Always... )

Dareyorimo tsuyoku (More than anyone else... I will always... )

"Thank you, Mama. I love it."

Sonia was very happy to hear her mother's first song. Just like her, her mother sang very well. She continued smiling with her tears falling as she proceeded to the last video; I love you.

(A/N: This one is based on Filian Haven on Viddsee at around 5 minutes.)

Daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~
Daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~
Daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~
Daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~~
Daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~ daa~

She clearly remembered that song. It was the same song her mother used to sing to soothe her disappointment numerous times whenever she didn't get accepted at the audition. Until one day, she finally got accepted; it was that day her mother passed away.

Wiping her tears away, she got up and knew exactly where to go.

At the small field

There was a small vase filled with water and four pink roses placed in front of the tombstone that had a name of Serenity Strumm. Behind the tombstone was a cheery blossom tree.

Tendou looked at the tombstone with sadness in his eyes. "Obaa-san, I'm sorry it took me 27 years to deliver it to Kaa-san. If I went in and save you with my power, she wouldn't have met Tou-san. However, I'm not the only superhero in the family, Kaa-san and Tou-san were also superheroes after you went to heaven. It might sound crazy, but it's true. Being a superhero is fun, but it can be tiring. They told me stories about their origins, and they were fantastic, but mine was very... amateurish. Kaa-san and Tou-san did better than me when they first got their powers with their new friends from outer space. You know, those strange creatures you mentioned." He let out a low chuckle as tears began to fall, wiping them away. "Obaa-san, it'll be nice to have you around. Kaa-san never said anything about you, but now I know why."

A shadow appeared next to his. He turned and saw his mother standing behind him, who was now wearing her late mother's short shawl on her shoulders. Instead of being angry, she was smiling at him.

Hesitatingly, the boy stood up and gave his mother an apologetic hug, crying on her chest. Sonia returned the hug and patted his back to soothe him.

"Kaa-san, I'm sorry... What I said about you... I didn't mean it."

"I'm sorry, too, Tendou. It's my fault for not saying anything about my mom."

"She was a great person. Now I know where you got your singing skill from."

Sonia planted a kiss on his forehead and deepened the hug.

"Tendou, you may be tough on the inside, but you're still my baby on the outside."

They stayed like that for a few moments before breaking the hug and facing the tombstone together. Sonia linked her left arm around her son.

"Mama, it's been a while. I really miss you. I see you've already met your grandson... in person... literally. *sigh* You know what I mean. My baby has inherited our superhero skills. He's not really a full-fledged superhero, but to me, he's still a work in progress." They both let out a small laugh, "Mama, if you hadn't gone to heaven, I wouldn't have met Geo and healed his pain, and our son would've never been born. But guess what? Geo was the one who saved me. He has always been there for me. We had some of our ups and downs, but he's not the type who will give up that easily. Mama... I want to thank you for everything you did for me, and I won't forget that. We'll see you again next year, Mama."

Both mother and son began to leave, walking slowly as Tendou rested his head on his mother's left shoulder.

A gentle breeze blew past them as a spirit of Serenity appeared sitting on the branch of the cherry blossom. She smiled at her adult daughter and her grandson before vanishing along with the sakura petals.

Omoide shite goran moyuru kusaki chiru hana BIRA (Thinking back, there were budding plants and fluttering petals)

Tomoni warai te wo tsunaide aruita namikimichi ni (As we walked smiling, hand-in-hand along that tree-lined path)

Nanigenaku atta hibitachi (From among those innocent days)

Kakegai no nai mono datta (Which are so irreplaceable)

Afureru omoi hitotsu (One memory floods out)

"Arigatou kagayaku hoshi no youni ("Thank you. Like a shining star)

Eien ni soba ni iru kara" (I'll be at your side eternally")

"Arigatou kitto tsuyoku naru ne ("Thank you. I'm sure it'll be tough, won't it?)

Kimi no youni kagayaku kara" (But I'll shine just like you")

Omoide shite goran somaru yubi nami no michi ni (Thinking back, it was along that sunset-dyed path)

Kimi to boku ga aishiatte mirai no YUME wo tsukuru (That you and I loved and dreamed of a future we'd create together)

Sarigenai sono yasashi sa ni (I won't forget)

Wasurerarenai nukumori mo (Your nonchalant gentleness or your warmth)

Afureru namida hikaru (These overflowing tears will shine)

"Aishiteru habataku tori no yoni ("I love you. Like the beat of bird wings)

Eien ni mimamorutteruyo" (I'll watch over you eternally")

"Aishiteru sotto namida nuguu ("I love you. I'm happy I got to meet you)

Kimi ni aete shiawase dayo" (The one who wiped away my tears so softly")

Waraikata wo wasurete namida kare hateta kedo (I'd forgotten how to smile and my tears had all dried up)

Nakushite wakattanda (But you understood how lost I was)

Soko ni nokotta no ha kazoekirenai hodo no (And just how countlessly long I had been left there)

Oh glory days, oh glory days