If you have watched the movie Definitely, Maybe then you would know the flow of the story. But some scenes are different from the movie of course. i'm not really a hardcore fan of that movie and i didnt memorize each scene that happened there so i improvised. as you can see it is also a one shot, so its kind of a little hurried. haha
Disclaimer: i dont own Mai-Hime and Definitely, Maybe.
But if you had the time, i'd recommend you to see the movie. its nice. i also dont know if someone already wrote about it. the idea just popped into my head and before i knew it, i was writing it down.. (my friend doing the typing)
Natsuki Kuga, a motorcycle specialist has gotten off early from her work to pick up her daughter from school. Upon arriving at school, she was greeted by a swarm of angry, crying and confused students, questioning their parents about how they were conceived. Learning from one of the parent that there has been a sex education conducted and have caused the current uproar.
Her daughter emerged from the mass of bickering and exasperated kids and parents, wearing a you-have-something-to-explain look and Natsuki knew that this is going to be a long day. On their way home, Irra has been talking about how a woman is impregnated by a man by using his penis. Natsuki flinched at the word penis.
"Honey, why don't you use "little thingy" instead of penis" she whispered as they pass by the valet that was standing by the entrance of the condominium. They stood by the elevator, waiting for it to arrive as Irra still went on her little discussion.
"Penis!"
Natsuki tried covering her mouth but was too late as their fellow residents heard what her daughter just said. They arrived at their room and flung their belonging on a nearby couch, Natsuki went straight ahead to the kitchen to cook while her daughter went to her room to change.
After a few minutes, Irra got out of their room wearing her blue pajamas and sat herself on the table. Natsuki was already their waiting for her.
"If children are made through the union of sperm cell and egg cell, how did you and mama made me?" she asked. If this were a normal circumstance, Natsuki would have been proud; her child is one smart kid. But the question was one hard thing to answer. Even she was having a hard time understanding it too.
"Well you see.. I'm not really good with those genetic crap but you are one very special kid. Some genes were taken from your mom and me, and the scientists did something to it and then they planted it inside your mom. After 9 months, viola!"
Her daughter's face contorted trying to understand what her mother was trying to say. But knowing fully that anything that deals with hardcore science isn't really her thing, obviously not her mother's too, she dropped the case.
Thinking of a new topic to talk about, she drank her milk straight up before starting to talk. "So how many times have you dated?"
Natsuki almost chocked on her food. The sex education certainly did much more than getting her daughter curious on human reproduction. Wiping the spilled food on the table, she cleared her throat before answering.
"Besides you mother, I have been in a few relationships, two of them serious" she said casually.
"Mom, what's the other word for slut?"
"Hey! Watch your mouth young lady"
"Okay, Sorry sorry. Then, tell me about them"
Natsuki stood up, taking the empty plates with her and dropping them on the sink. "It's not really interesting" she took the towel that was hanging by the fridge and wiped her hands. "And you" she placed the towel back and went to her daughter. She placed her arms around her waist and hoisted her up, carrying her back to the room. "You should go to sleep rather than asking me silly questions." She dropped her daughter softly on the bed, bringing up the blanket up to her chest.
"I'm not going to sleep unless you tell me!" her daughter argued.
"Your mom is picking you up early tomorrow, she will be mad if she knew you stayed up late" Natsuki reasoned back.
Irra crossed her arms and pouted, showing that she's not gonna close her eyes unless her mom agrees to her request. Seeing this side of her daughter shows Natsuki that she is really her daughter, their stubbornness was just uncanny.
"Okay fine!"
"Yipee!"
She walked back to her daughter's bed and sat beside her. "But, in the story, I'm going to change each person's name, including your mother's. So it's up to you to guess which one your mother is."
"Okay!"
"Well then here goes, don't you dare sleep on me!"
"Try me!"
"Thirteen years ago, I was a sophomore at Tokyo State University. To support myself I was also working as a part time mechanic at one of the local mechanic shop. One weekend afternoon, I was working in the said shop when a certain customer dropped by asking one of the mechanics to check up her car. But the said mechanic wasn't really good with cars and he ended up referring the customer to me."
Irra slightly shifted her position on the bed. She was now facing Natsuki to have a better angle while listening to her mom's story. "And?"
"And so, I did check her car and found some problems but not that serious."
"Mom, the name? I'm not really interested on what's going on with her car."
Natsuki just sighed at her daughter's eagerness. "Let me name her Nami" Irra nodded and repeated the name, remembering it for future references.
"After the said encounter, she would frequently visit me in the shop, and sometimes at school. She's a very outgoing person, a little intimidating but once you get to know her, she is really nice and fun to be with. One time she asked me to a date, which I accepted. It turns out not to be a date DATE, she brought along a friend of hers. Mikan.
"Is she one of the serious relationships?"
"You will find out.. Anyway, it wasn't hard for me to get along with Mikan. She turns out to be a very friendly person. No wonder Nami decided to bring her along, that and she just broke up with her boyfriend."
"Ohhh…"
"The three of us would spend most of our free time together, mostly me and Mikan since Nami was working as a painter and her job take up most of her time. This went on for about a year, until at a night-out; Mikan broke the news to us. She was going abroad and she wasn't sure when she will be coming back. It was hard for us, but we have to let her go. She needed space to think for herself and to rearrange her life. After that, Nami and I started dating; within a few months, we became steady. Life with Nami was like a whirlwind. You don't know where you'll be heading next. This went on for 8 months until it hit me; it is not the life I wanted. I can't go on living without preparing for the future. Don't get me wrong, I do care for Nami a lot but her lifestyle just doesn't suit me."
Natsuki stopped when she realized that her daughter was glaring at her. "What?"
"Picky!"
"Hey! Would you rather have me not think about the future?"
"Whatever"
"Will you just listen and keep your side comments to your self until I finish the story."
"Fine"
"Good! Now let me continue. So we broke up but still maintained the friendship. Then one day, I got a call from a dear friend. We have been friends since middle school and we only got separated when she and I chose to go to different universities."
"Name?"
"Let's call her Shizuru. Shizuru and I were very close. More like sister close. And from the initial call, our friendship was rekindled. She would call me almost everyday, either to just tease me or scold me for my unhealthy lifestyle.
"Let me guess.. Mayonnaise?"
"Bulls eye! We would talk about normal stuff; it's more of a routine really. If she had the time, she would visit me in my dorm, when I have problems, she would always be there even if I call her in the middle of the night. Then by the end of my final year of college, a surprise came my way. Mikan was back and back into my life once again. We resumed where we left off and started to go out. She also knew about what happened between me and Nami. She was a little sad but at least we parted as friends. The calls from Shizuru became less and less, she didn't even visit me anymore. When I called her one time, she told me that there is no reason for her to spend time with me anymore because I already have someone to keep me company."
Natsuki stopped to look at her daughter who appears to be quiet. "Go on, I'm not sleeping, I was just a little sad for Shizuru" Natsuki just shrugged then continued her story.
"Mikan is a wonderful person. I couldn't ask for more. She is really caring, if I ever had a problem or sick, she would always caress my face and look at me tenderly. That would be enough to bring me back all my energy. She was also a really good cook. She takes care of my needs and loves me endlessly. She is-"
Natsuki stopped as she heard soft snoring coming from the person beside her. She looked at her daughter's peaceful sleeping face. She gently got up from the bed, trying her best not to wake her up, then adjusted the blanket. She gave her a peck on the forehead before heading out and closing the door.
The next day, Irra woke up earlier than she usually would. By the time Natsuki knocked on her door, she was already dressed and ready to go, but not before breakfast. That day, they are going to meet her mother at a theme park. Natsuki parked her Ducati in one of the free spaces of the parking lot and helped her daughter off the bike. They walked towards the ticketing booth and bought tickets. They will be spending their time walking and enjoying the view while waiting for her mom. As they were strolling inside the park, Irra asked Natsuki to continue her story.
'Sorry for sleeping out on you mom. Could you still continue your story?"
"I can but I think I'm going to leave it to where I stopped last night coz if I tell you more, it would only be a give away to who your mom is" They spotted an empty bench and sat themselves on it. They have been walking for a few minutes now and she could see her daughter growing a little tired. "So have you guessed who your mother is?"
"Yes I do!
"And how did you come to a conclusion that that person is your mother?"
"Because!"
"So who is it?"
"Its Mikan! Mikan is my Mom!"
Natsuki eyed her daughter, then her attention shifted to a person walking toward them wearing a smile. "Would you care telling me on how you have came into that conclusion?"
"It's simple, Mom is the best cook in the whole world! You also mention that Mikan went abroad for a while, I do remember that grandpa and grandma lives abroad and the last is, every time I am sick or have a problem, she would always caress my face softly."
"So you are absolutely, 100 sure that the woman walking toward us now is Mikan, your mom?
"Yes!" and with that, her daughter looked back at the direction Natsuki was staring and saw her mom smiling back at them. She ran to her and gave her a tight hug.
"I'm so glad it's you mama!" she cheerfully said.
The woman and Irra walked to where Natsuki was sitting and sat beside her.
"Hi Natsuki, sorry if I was late." She gave Natsuki a tender smile and was about to reach out and tuck the hair that has fallen on her face but retracted her hand at the very last minute. Natsuki couldn't help but feel a little sad at the action. She was secretly hoping she would do that for the last time.
"It's okay Mai. I had a good time with Irra. So how are things going on with you and Mikoto?"
"Oh its going great, she is still busy with her kendo and she is also eager on teaching little Irra here. And you?"
"Oh, I'm fine. The work is hard as usual, it's more demanding lately. I already sent the divorce papers to the attorney yesterday."
"Oh thank you, by the way, Nao called me 2 days ago, she said that she will be having an exhibit next month and she wanted us to come."
"Really! Sure! I would love to."
Then there was silence, this went on for a few minutes with Mai and Natsuki staring at each other. Irra also felt the impending tension and decided to intervene. "Mama, I still have some homework left undone, I was hoping I could start with it sooner?"
Mai and Natsuki instantly snapped out of their staring fest, feeling a little awkward. "S..sure honey, I think we should go now" Mai stood up. "Natsuki, see you on Thursday, when I come by and drop Irra."
"Okay.. I'll be waiting then."
Natsuki stood up and went in for a kiss. It was still awkward but Mai smiled as their lips parted. She focused her attention back to her daughter. "Irra, see you on Thursday, don't give your mama a hard time okay?" as she bent down and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead.
"Yes Mom"
Natsuki watched as ex-wife and daughter disappeared in the crowd before turning back and went to the parking area.
Thurday came so fast. By 3 pm, Irra was already knocking on her door. When she opened it, she saw her daughter was quite excited over something. She rushed past Natsuki and dumped her bag on the couch. She then took her mother's hand and pulled her towards the kitchen counter.
"We need to talk"
Natsuki eyed her daughter curiously. "And what is this about?"
"I know you are sad and I want you to be happy"
Natsuki was taken aback by her daughter's declaration.
"I am happy"
"No you're not, trust me"
"Okay, what makes you say that?"
"I have noticed some things about your story"
"And what is that?'
"Well, I was thinking, of all the girls that you mentioned, this Shizuru seemed to be the only one with no closure. You also said that you would change all the girls name in your story, why didn't you change hers?"
'And how can you be so sure that I didn't change hers?"
Irra smirked. "For one, I know now that Mikan is mom, I'm pretty sure that Nami is aunt Nao and that fact mom told me that she knew Shizuru solidifies it. And that, she wasn't the only one romantically involved with you and yet you still considered her as part of your "serious relationship". And why didn't you change her name again?"
Natsuki just stared back at her daughter, impressed at how perceptive she was. But now, she was a little nervous at what her daughter might have in mind.
"Where are we heading with this?"
"Well, why don't we look for her!" she squealed.
Natsuki almost slipped off her stool. She wasn't expecting that kind of suggestion especially from her daughter. "Honey, we haven't seen or talked to each other for ages, how do you expect me to just show up on her door and say, o hi Shizuru how are you, are you ready to hook up with me again?"
"Why don't we just give it a try, if she turns you down, nothing changes… oh maybe except a broken heart."
"Ha Ha funny"
"So?" Irra impatiently taps her foot while crossing her arms. She have her backpack ready incase her mom goes with her plan. Natsuki seems to be in deep thought; in fact, she is really considering her daughter's outrageous idea.
"If I said yes, how will you know where she lives?"
"Easy, Mom gave them to me"
"Your mom?"
"Yeah, she helped me find her address last night and her it is!" Irra gave her a piece of paper with an address written on it.
Without a moment's hesitation, Natsuki took her jacket and her keys. "Irra, backpack"
"Roger that!"
The two raced outside to the parking lot where her Ducatti was parked. Then both of them bounded out near Kyoto station, where they think Shizuru is currently living. It was a long ride for the mother and daughter team, it was dark when they arrived at a small town. Irra was slowly dozing off; Natsuki had her transfer in front rather than have her clinging on her back. She was afraid the kid might fall off in her current state. Looking at the address, she stopped in front of a fairly big house. As she looked around, the houses were in fact luxurious. She found out that the neighborhood they were in was an exclusive village. She slowly woke her daughter up. "Honey, we're here."
Irra looked up at her groggily. "So why are you still standing there?"
"You want me to just stand up and leave you to fall down the bike?" she retorted back.
"Fine fine, I'm getting off.."
As Natsuki looked for a place to park her Ducatti, Irra ran towards the gate and pressed the doorbell and from the speaker, a woman with a distinct Kyoto accent answered her. "Fujino residence, how may I help you?"
Tiptoeing to level her mouth with the speaker, Irra answered back. "Uhmm good evening mam, sorry for imposing on you on such time, but is a Shizuru Fujino living there?"
"Hold on for a minute"
She could hear the speaker crackled and another woman was put through, this one also has a kyoto accent but it was beautiful, almost melodic in Irra's opinion. "Yes, this is Shizuru Fujino, may I know who is speaking?"
From her peripheral vision, she could see her mother walking towards her so she hurried up, clutching the speaker and quickly spoke. "Miss Shizuru, I'm here to bring you back your happiness. If it's okay with you, could you kindly step out of the house and see for your self?"
Shizuru's POV
What a weird kid. Her voice is somewhat familiar though. Do I know someone who has the same voice?
"Miss Shizuru, "I'm here to bring you back your happiness. If it's okay with you, could you kindly step out of the house and see for your self" came a reply from the speaker, jarring her out of her current thoughts.
Feeling a bit odd, Shizuru still followed what the kid had instructed her to do. She went to the main door and opened it.
-End of Shizuru's POV-
As soon as Natsuki reached her daughter's side, the little kid gave her a smirk and ran to where the bike was parked. "Hey! Where are you going!"
Irra stuck her tongue out. "You're a big girl now Mom, I know you can handle it on your own." Then gave her mom a thumbs up, encouraging her.
"You know this isn't-"
Natsuki didn't get to finish what she was trying to yell back when she heard a lock open. She immediately straightened herself up and waited anxiously for the door to open.
The door creaked open, revealing a beautiful woman clad in a purple color bathrobe. No matter how long she haven't seen Shizuru, the image of the beautiful woman was long been carved into her mind that she could identify her even if she was miles away. Then it hit her, she didn't know what to say.
"Hello?" a voice called out, bringing back Natsuki to reality.
She raised her head and met the crimson eyes she has long missed.
"Good evening Shizuru"
Shizuru's jaw dropped. She wasn't expecting, not in a million years, seeing Natsuki, standing before her. "W.. what are you doing here Natsuki?" The name still tastes sweet in Shizuru's mouth even after all those years.
Natsuki scratched the back of her head. "Well, I..I was in the neighborhood and I though I could give you a visit and…" She stuttered.
"And?"
"Ahhh well, I…."
"Oh geez! I knew we should have rehearsed before coming here" her daughter interjected after seeing her mother, literally breaking apart in front of the beautiful woman.
"And you are?" Shizuru focused her attention to the little one. She could see the resemblance between the kid and Natsuki but she wanted to be sure.
"Oh I'm sorry" she stepped forward and offered her hands to Shizuru. "I'm the kid who spoke with you on the speaker, nice meeting you, Shizuru-san"
Shizuru took the offered. "So what were you talking about?" she continued.
"Oh yes" the little girl focused her attention to her mother and gave her a warm smile. She leaned in and whispered something to her. Natsuki giggled then gave her daughter a tight hug. "Thank you, so would you like to stay here or wait for me on bike?" (if you are worried about Irra's safety, the bike is parked only couple of meters away, Natsuki could see her from where she stood)
"I think I'll wait on the bike" and walked toward the parked vehicle.
Natsuki shifted back her attention to the woman in front of her. "Shizuru, I'm sorry" She looked deep into those crimson eyes, seeking any reaction that could tell her how the brunette felt. "I-"
"Natsuki, why are you apologizing? As far as I can remember, you didn't do anything wrong."
"No, I did. I left you"
"As long as Natsuki is happy then I'm happy"
"I wasn't entirely happy. Don't get me wrong, the years I spend with Mai were happy but.."
"Where are you trying to get with this Natsuki?"
"Well, what I'm trying to say is… uhmm… I love you Shizuru, I always had but I was too coward to accept it. I'm so sorry"
"Natsuki, you can't just barge into my life like this, it's different now."
"I know and it's okay. I just wanted to say it. I just wanted you to know how I feel. Her eyes started to sting. She knew this would happen and she mentally prepared herself for it. But to actually experience it now was more painful than she have ever expected. Rejection is weapon that could kill you inside out. She forced her tears back; she didn't want Shizuru to see it. When she finally sure that she looked fine, she gave the older woman a smile. "I think I should go now Shizuru, I'm sorry for imposing on you at this time."
Natsuki slowly walked back to her bike. She was feeling like shit right now. Irra looked at her worriedly as soon as she saw her mother's gloomy face.
Shizuru watched as Natsuki turned her back and walked away from her. Again. She saw this scene very often in her dreams and imagination and now, it was happening for real right before her eyes. Natsuki nooo, don't leave. Not again! And before she could realized it, her feet started to move on it's own. She found herself running, reaching out for her beloved Natsuki before she vanishes yet again from her life.
"Natsuki!"
Upon hearing her name being called out, Natsuki whipped around, just in time to catch a crying Shizuru in her arms. "Shi…Shizuru?"
"Don't go!"
"But you said"
"You didn't even let me finish" Shizuru looked up at her with tear-stained face. "I said my life is different now, but are you willing to accept the new me?"
Natsuki hugged Shizuru tighter. "Of course!"
"I love you so much Natsuki"
"I love you too" Natsuki whispered as she leaned in and captured Shizuru's lips.
The two was too immersed into their own world that they have momentarily forgotten about the little girl with them. She cleared her throat. "Ahem, I don't wanna rain on your parade but could you two keep it PG."
The two shyly separated. Natsuki was trying her best to fight the blush that was slowly crawling into her face. Shizuru was better at composing herself. "You still haven't tell me you name yet" she said as she walked over the little girl, gently ruffling her hair.
"Oh! haha my bad. Irra Tokiha Kuga, it's really nice to finally meet mom's true love!"
"And I'm also happy seeing a small version of Natsuki"
"Ah wait till you really get to know her" Natsuki decided to butt in, apparently she have recovered from her previous embarrassment.
"And what do you mean by that!" Irra shot back, giving her mother with her version of death glare.
Shizuru couldn't help but smile. One moment, she was in her room wasting her life away, but now, in front of her are her future, waiting for her to spend her life with them.