No copyright infringement is intended. This is only my humble tribute.
Once again, I have no idea where this came from. I plan on adding two, maybe three more chapters to this. I have them in mind, but how quick I work on and release them depends on how much feedback I get. If you like this story, let me know.
This is a slightly dark peace, with some adult themes thrown in (read maybe-Lime definitely not Lemon). If you too young, you probably shouldn't read this. Although nothing is really "seen" in this fic.
Any ways, on with the Fic!
"I think I missed the club meeting," she spoke softly.
"Would you have rather have been there?" the soft voice of Mariko asked. The slight lilt in her voice sent shivers up and down her body.
"You don't think that would have distracted anyone?" she replied with a smirk. She pushed herself up on her elbows in time to see Mariko blush and turn slightly away. "Wow, I never thought I'd get you to blush like that."
"Just for that, I'm taking these home with me, Ka-chan," Mariko hopped up from the student desk that was directly in front of the teacher's desk, and consequently her still spread and exposed legs. Mariko held up something white, which she quickly realized where her panties, before stuffing them in her school bag.
"Wait!" the Ka-chan called, slightly alarmed. "I can't go home like this!" Jumping off the desk she ran after Mariko, who flipped her own skirt up revealing what she had already known, that Mariko had gone the entire school day without.
"It'll just help give you something to think about on your way home," Mariko remarked with a perverted grin on the way down the stairs to the front lobby. "Just remember not to run to fast, unless you want everyone to know."
Ka-chan turned a very rosy shade of red as she reached her locker and began to change her shoes.
"One thing, Mariko," Ka-chan called as smoothly as she could once they reached the school gates.
"Yes?" Mariko turned to look at her friend as she started her way home just to see her flip up her skirt. Mariko's eyes went wide open and she quickly looked around to see that no one else was in site. 'If we keep pushing each other like this…' Mariko let the thought go.
Kasumi resisted the urge to skip all the way home. She was glad she was old enough to walk by herself home. With a frown, she realized she would probably be walking her sisters home next year. 'Oh well, I still have the rest of this year before I have to think of that,' she beamed inwardly. 'This was is the best year ever!'
She quickly looked around blushing as she realized just a second too late what a bad idea jumping for joy was right now. Luck was on her side as no one was around.
"I'm home," she almost didn't call out, anxious to get to her room and change.
"Wait! Don't change take off your shoes! We have to get to the hospital quick!" Mrs. Getsubi, their neighbor called, jumping up from a seat in the living room.
"Wh- what are you doing here?" Belatedly, Kasumi realized how rude that sounded, but was caught completely off guard.
"Your father tried to reach you at that meeting of yours, but they couldn't find you. We have to hurry now, everyone else is already at the hospital."
"What's wrong?" Kasumi asked shakily, this was going down hill fast.
"Your mother collapsed, they took her about an hour ago."
"Uh, can I change first…"
"Don't worry about it. You look fine. Now let's get going. I promised your father I'd get you there as soon as you came through the door."
Quietly, Kasumi slipped into the room. Her father looked up at her, and for a second she thought he was going to start yelling at her. Not that he ever really yelled at any of them, but she knew at any moment, they would look at her and realize where she was and what she was doing instead of being here with her mother. Then he turned back to gaze worriedly at their mother.
Nabiki was standing impatiently by the bedside, while Akane was sitting on the bed.
Very slowly, Kasumi approached the open side of the bed and took her mother's hand. No one said anything, just waiting for their mother to wake up.
Kasumi berated herself. She knew her mother had been having dizzy spells for sometime now, but had refused to go to a doctor. She should have known something was wrong. But where was she when her mother needed her most.
"It's going to be okay," her father's voice broke through her thoughts as he brushed her tears along her cheek.
"I know, I just feel so…" Kasumi, brushing some stray hairs out of her face, unable to finish. Then looked back toward her mother.
"I know," he said. Kasumi tensed up. "What use are my skills, if I can't even help your mother."
Relaxing somewhat, she felt guilty for even feeling relived while her mother was so sick. She reached up and patted her father's hand. "It's not your fault." 'It's mine. Maybe if I wasn't such a bad child, this would never have happened.' Kasumi returned to her mother's face.
She had started having the dizzy spells a few months before she met Mariko. The kami must have known what she was going to do, and had warned her. But she had ignored those warnings. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but it had felt so right. 'I promise I'll be a good girl from now on. Just, please let mommy wake up and be okay.'
None of the girls went to school the following week. They had stayed in the hospital that first night. Their father had stayed the first three days. They still spent most of the day with her, while returning home in the evenings, with the promise that if anything changed they would be called immediately.
Mariko had called. Kasumi told her they couldn't be friends anymore and that they needed the phone line cleared. She had attempted to stop by several times, but Kasumi wouldn't speak to her, which hurt Mariko, that she couldn't be there for her friend, but eventually she stopped trying. Hoping Kasumi would open back up on her own.
It was a dark day on the Tendou household when she passed on. Akane couldn't understand why their mother wouldn't come home with them and impatiently demanded to know when she was coming back.
Nabiki coldly told Akane that she wasn't coming back, which sent Akane crying to her room. Nabiki only understood a little better than Akane though. She remembered the family pet that she had been very close to having to go away. It still didn't make a lot of sense, but she understood that things sometimes had to go somewhere. Not that it helped when that something was your mother. Why did she have to go?
After the funeral, the only time anyone saw their father was either at the shrine he had built, or the few times taught Akane. And that was becoming less and less. First he had stopped sparring, choosing instead, to direct her exercises and critique her kata form.
Nabiki had been jealous of the extra attention Akane got, until she saw the effect it was having on her as he withdrew from even that.
Kasumi cried herself to sleep every night. Hadn't she given up Mariko? Hadn't she promised to be a good girl from now on? She had even thrown all her favorite clothes to the back of the closet. She started wearing the more conservative clothes her parents had wanted her to wear instead of the trendier mini- skirts and short shorts she liked to wear that they had felt were inappropriate for such a young girl. Still it wasn't enough for the kami. She had prayed every night, but received no answer. The household was falling apart. Everyone was being punished. It was all her fault. And there wasn't anything she could do about it.
Then she found their mother's cookbook. They had been eating out every night, and that had to hurt their savings. They needed to find ways to save money until their father felt well enough to start teaching classes again.
Walking into the kitchen, she felt so small and helpless. 'Sure mom had let her help with dinner a few times, but this…' Softly walking to the fridge, as if at any moment someone would barge in and demand to know what she thought she was doing in their mothers kitchen. She sorted through the foods, disposing of what had gone bad over the past week. Looking over what they had left, she went to the cookbook and began to plan a simple meal.
That night, she surprised her sisters with a home cooked meal. She had left a plate in the dojo for her father. She was pleased when she checked later, and found the food gone. It was the first thing he had eaten in days.
From that day forward she knew, or at least hoped, that everything would be okay, as long as she was tried her best to be the good daughter she should have been all long. To keep her family together, she had to give up a lot: her after school clubs, social life out side of school, even during school as the friends she still kept didn't understand the pressures she was under. But it was worth it if it kept her family together, if it made up for her mistakes.
Auther's Notes: Hmm. It is kinda short, and not too much in the way of character interaction. As for the plot, well I guess this is less a true short story than just a character debate. There is a story in here, I think, and I will unearth it. Maybe. Anyway, what do you think? Does this make since to anyone but me? : )
*On knees begging* Please let met know if this works.