After The Longest Winter
By: M14Mouse
Summary: Slowly, Yu's mom notices the changes in her son after he returned from Inaba. She thought nothing of it…until her son and his husband get into a fight.
Disclaimer: Don't own them.
She didn't notice the changes in her son at first. His appearance was the same. He may have grown taller but she wasn't quite sure. She was far too busy with work. She didn't have to worry about her son. He was very quiet boy. He did well in school and he could be left to his own with little or no trouble.
She almost wanted to brag to the other parents that her child was better than those brats that she saw running around.
But bragging wouldn't be good for her image.
First time, she noticed a change was when she came home after a business trip. She opened the door to hear this strange music coming from the kitchen. She approached the kitchen to see her son humming to the strange song while stirring something in a pot.
"Yu…turn off that music. Where did you get that music from?" She asked.
She watched her son turned off the music and turned his head slightly toward her. He turned back around and turned off his Ipod from the portable speakers on the kitchen counter.
"My friend…Yosuke," Yu said.
"Ah…well…turn it down," She said as she turned to leave the kitchen. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his son slip on a pair of headphones.
-P4P4P4-
She heard some voice coming from her son's room. It was sort of surprise. Most of the time, her son's room was quiet. She opened the door slightly to see her son in front of his computer.
"I can't figure it out, Senpai," A male's voice said from the computer.
"I think that you are trying too hard, Kanji. You need to take a break," Her son said.
"But…ma needs those designs."
"I know that your mom doesn't need those designs now. You want them done to make her happy."
"You have been talking to ma?" The other voice said in surprise.
"Only when she calls…"
"Senpai!"
Her son started to laugh softly.
"Kanji, you are the most creative person I know. It will come to you. I have faith in you and so does your mom. So give it time and stop worrying about it, okay?"
She moved away from the door but she could have sworn that the other voice mumbled a thank you.
-P4P4P4-
"I joined a fencing club, Chie. Yes, yes…I know that isn't basketball or soccer. I already heard about that from the others."
She listened from the kitchen as she heard her son come into the house.
"Yes…yes…it isn't too bad."
"Well…it had a ton of rules and what areas that you can hit. I have been so limited on what to do. The coach said that I was good. Of course, I am…I had practice. Don't forget the outfits. I'm pretty sure that Yuiko would have a giggle fit if she saw me in one."
She nearly jumped when her son started to laugh.
"No, I will not take a picture of me in the outfit and send it to you."
Suddenly, she couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. Her son must have gone to his room. She didn't want to pop her head out of the kitchen to see what they were talking about. She didn't want to appear that she was listening to her son's conversation.
"It's strange. The coach said that I need to stop being so brutal and just go with the flow of the fight. I don't know anything but to be brutal in a fight."
What does that even mean?
-P4P4P4-
She walked into his bedroom to find Yu in front of the computer screen showing what look like a group of children and a strange boy with a huge flower on his shirt on how to make paper cranes.
She just closed the door behind her and didn't ask.
-P4P4P4-
"What does the directions say, Yukiko?" Her son's voice said from the kitchen.
"Add a cup of milk but you don't think that I should add…" A female voice said
"Yukiko." Her son said.
His tone wasn't angry or impatience. It was calm…maybe even amused.
"I know. I know. You said to follow the instructions but it looks so different when the cook makes it."
"How long has your cook been cooking?"
"Oh…about 20 years or so. Why?"
"When I started cooking for myself, I followed the directions to the last detail. When I got comfortable with making that dish, then I thought maybe…I should add a little pepper or a little salt. It is small steps."
"So…you think that I should master the basics before I start trying to experiment?"
She saw a small smile formed on his face.
"You're right. I'm going to follow the instructions and won't add anything else. But Yu…what if it doesn't turn out or it doesn't mix right…"
"Yukiko…"
"Oh, okay. Who should I get to try it? Chie?"
"Definitely Youske."
-P4P4P4-
She didn't remember her son having a scar that long on his back. It was a nasty looking scar. It looked liked that something tore into him. When she asked how he got it, he just tilted his head and said it was a bike accident.
It must have been some accident but she was sure that her brother handled it well.
She thought nothing of it again.
-P4P4P4-
She heard screaming from her son's room. She pressed her ear against his door.
"Dude…why did you say my name?!" The male voice said.
"Would you like me to say Nanako to try it?" Her son said.
"No! NO! I mean…I'm not that evil. I would never do that to Nanako-chan."
"So, it wasn't bad."
"Bro…you…why do you say that?"
"You aren't dead for one. Two, you would have rant and rave that Mystery Food X was trying to kill you."
"I hate you."
"No, you don't. Now, how was it?"
"It was okay. Pretty bland but it wasn't too bad. Wait…are you trying to teach her how to cook again?"
"In small steps…very small steps."
"Good luck with that one, bro."
-P4P4P4-
She heard a few things about her son. She heard about her son sticking up for some younger children at school. She heard that he joined a few clubs and helped some little old lady. He also took a part time job as a tutor.
She wondered when her son started to grow up.
-P4P4P4-
She heard her son's phone on the kitchen table. She shouldn't pick up. It wasn't her business but the ring tone was quite annoying. She picked up to open and shut off. When she opened it, she saw a video of a cat running back and forward on a piano because of a laser pointer.
Underneath the video was the text…
U r n suppose to send me funny videos at work. U r evil!
Pay back! -R
She frowned at the name. Who in the world is R?
She strolled through their old messages of cat videos and cat pictures with strange quotes.
She is beginning to question her son's taste in friends.
-P4P4P4-
She heard a loud shouting from behind her son's door.
"SENTAI!"
"Hello, Teddie."
"I CAN SEE YOU! Why can't I touch you? Is it working?"
"Teddie…it isn't the tv."
"BUT I CAN SEE YOU!"
"Bear…stop doing that."
"BUT…BUT…SENTAI!"
"Teddie…stop touching that. You are going to break it!"
"No, I am not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"No, I am not."
"Stop it, Bear!"
"Make him stop, Sentai!"
She heard a loud crash behind the door.
"….I think I am going to leave them alone," Her son said.
-P4P4P4-
She noticed that her son held his head a little more higher. He walked a little bit straighter and move a little faster. Most of all, she notice the eyes.
Her son's eyes always remembered of her of the winter. They almost show never anything unless he was angry or upset. When he talked to his friends, she could warmth in them that she didn't see before.
She wondered what else she missed.
-P4P4P4P4-
She didn't know what started the fight between her husband and her son. It might to do something with her son going back to visit her brother for summer break.
"You know that we are moving again. This is a waste of money. You should be saving for college. You know it."
"I already have enough money saved up. You have nothing to worry about it."
"Wasted trip if you asked me….your friends won't remember you anyway."
She was about to open her mouth to speak up. Honestly, sometimes…Souji's temper got the better of him. He also didn't have the treat of listening to Yu and his friends talking. The next words that came out of her son's mouth made her mouth drop.
"The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walketh in the fog," Yu said calmly.
She picked up her mouth and stared at her son. She stared at her son's eyes…she thought that he would back down. He would bow his head and call off the trip. But she saw something…something that she never saw before. She saw emotion and determination. He looked directly into Seta's eyes without fear. If he was a public speaker, she felt that he could command the room with his body alone.
If Souji said no, she believed that Yu would walk if he had too.
In the back of her head, she thought that little boy was gone. Gone was the boy that would follow their directions with little or no problem. Gone was the boy whom eyes were cold like the endless winters. Gone was the boy who was quiet and polite.
In his place stood, a man. She caught glimpses of the man that her son was becoming in the last couple of months. It was someone who could be counted on, someone who could listen and offered guided when asked. It was someone who loved and cared deeply. She wasn't quite sure what happened at her brother's place. Maybe, she should call and ask. Standing there…staring at her son.
"And I am no fool."
She wondered how she could have miss it.
End.
A/N: So…I change a quote that I found slightly…Original quote was the wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walketh in darkness from Ecclesiastes 2:14. So, I finally watched the anime. It gave me so many feelings! SO MANY FEELINGS! And bunnies…don't forget those. So, I have a few fics planned for this. I can't wait! ^_^ So, read and wish if you wish.