Matsuru: Hey guys!
D: Woo hoo wamu! Mother mouse!
Matsuru: Well, as you can see, daisukezgirl is still out of it because she got one review on her last chapter…I'm afraid that if this continues, she'll discontinue this story and I'll have to institutionalize her.
D: Mommy, I want a lollipop and cherries and strawberries are beautiful!
Matsuru: Guys, you have to save her! DISCLAIMER: Dasiukezgirl13 owns me, Sakura, Saka, Ayame, Kaori, Cole, Kyle, Sam, and the Tokyo Mew Mew characters belong to Mia Ikumi. Onto the chappie!
Chapter 7: Masaya Aoyama
"Hey Matsuru, honey, wake up!" Matsuru felt her mother lightly touch her shoulder and shake her a bit. Matsuru felt her head loll to one side and snap up quickly. She looked around and saw everyone around her getting up and grabbing their belongings. She rubbed her eyes and said in a slurred voice, "…we in London?" Ichigo nodded and Matsuru unbuckled. She grabbed her bag and slowly followed her mother off of the plane.
The two women walked down the metal hallway connected to the plane and out into the lobby. It was adorned very tacky, like any airport. The stiff carpet under the women's feet crunched weirdly. Ichigo looked around and walked over, Matsuru following, to a service desk. Ichigo cleared her throat and the brunette woman at the desk turned around and said in her heavy British accent, "Hello. How may I help you two ladies today?" Ichigo smiled a little and spoke a little uncertain.
"Um…I was wondering if you could point us to where flight 137 to Tokyo is leaving." The woman smiled and her fingers began to fly across the keyboard. Not a few seconds later, the woman looked up and said, "Flight 137 is leaving from gate 17, terminal 3. The flight was delayed a bit so you'll have to wait for about a half an hour. To get to the gate, go out of those doors to the left," she pointed to the direction she spoke about. "And then you keep walking straight, following the signs leading to gate 17." Ichigo nodded uncomfortably and thanked the woman. She and Matsuru walked out the doors and down a glass paneled hallway.
In a few minutes, the two women sat down on the seats in front of gate 17, terminal 3. The plane wasn't there yet so the women waited. Matsuru looked over at her mother as she looked at the people speaking around her in British accents. Ichigo shied away and Matsuru raised her eyebrow. Ichigo looked at her and asked, "What?" Matsuru shook her head and questioned, "Why is it that you looked so uncomfortable when talking to or around people with British accents?" Ichigo gave a chagrinned smile and said, "Oh, you noticed that huh? Well, I can handle people with little accents or no accent at all. But, because I grew up speaking Japanese and I only learned English recently, I have trouble with speaking to and understanding people talk with accents." Matsuru nodded in understanding and suddenly had a thought strike her.
"Mom, how will I be able to understand and communicate with everyone when I speak English?" She looked very concerned and Ichigo laughed at her expression.
"Oh, don't worry about it honey. Do you remember my friend Ryou Shirogane?" Matsuru nodded, wondering what he could have to do with her language skills. Ichigo continued. "Well, Ryou is sort of…and inventor-scientist I guess you could say. He invented a device that stimulates the nerves in a specific part of your brain and can either help you to speak and understand English or Japanese. That's how I learned English, although, Japanese is the stronger of my two languages because it is what I speak normally. For you, it'll be English that's stronger but, you'll be able to converse and understand Japanese well enough." Ichigo finished speaking and then, she and Matsuru sat in silence, both trying to think of something to say. Matsuru pulled out her sketch pad while she waited and she flipped unthinkingly to the picture of Ichigo and the green haired man hugging her. She closed the book and looked at her mother again as she spoke.
"Hey mom…" Ichigo looked at her thoughtfully and nodded at her to continue. She sighed and played with her black sweatshirt before she continued.
"Um…Do you have any idea why I might have drawn those women or you with that other guy? And in those weird outfits too…" Ichigo looked down to the floor, hoping that this conversation could have been avoided, at least until they got back to Tokyo. She gave a fake smile as she turned to face Matsuru, letting a lie slip through her lips.
"I don't know why you would have drawn me, and I don't even know who that man is!" She gave a nervous laugh excused herself to get something to drink. Matsuru watched her go, beginning to piece some things together in her mind.
Okay…Mom has no idea why I might have drawn her or those women. Those three alien like men are also a mystery. But, I still feel some sort of…connection to the green haired man.
She stole a glance at her mother who was standing at the drink counter, impatiently as she tapped her fingers against the counter.
Something's up with her, but I can't place it just yet…She seems worried…nervous about something…
She tried to shake off her thoughts as she grabbed her sketch pad and began to draw. Her hand glided effortlessly over the paper and she began to draw an image dug from the deep recesses of her brain, a dormant part not touched in years.
Minutes later, Ichigo returned, seeming much calmer than she had been. She was holding a glass of amber liquid and had taken a sip when she looked at what Matsuru had drawn. That sip was strewn from her mouth as she sputtered and coughed at Matsuru's newest drawing.
It was a man; a handsome man and he also appeared very stern. His jet black hair grazed the collar of his white button up shirt and it was an untidy mess. His brown eyes were cold and they seemed to stare right through the person gazed upon. His tan skin was unblemished and flawless. He was tall and in addition to his white button up shirt, he was wearing a pair of formal black pants and black dress shoes. He wore no smile, but that somehow made him seem even more handsome.
Ichigo grabbed the picture with a shaking hand and her heart began to pitter in an abnormal way. Matsuru looked cautiously at her mother and saw her unsteady reaction. She touched her mother's shoulder and it shook violently. Matsuru drew her hand back and asked, "Hey, are you okay? You don't look well at all!" Ichigo closed her eyes and shook her head as she mumbled a few words, trying to form a sentence.
"No…you…too young…he…impossible…no…" Ichigo gave up and handed the picture back to Matsuru as gently as her shaking hands would allow. Matsuru saw her mother's reaction and just blurted out the first thought in her mind.
"Mom…do you know who this man is?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Matsuru wished she could take them back. Her mother grew pale and she clenched her fists. Matsuru immediately apologized.
"Mom, I am so sorry! I shouldn't have…That was…I mean, you don't have to-"
"Stop Matsuru, it's okay." Ichigo mused, lifting her hand to quiet her daughter. Ichigo sighed and looked down at the picture, sighing. Matsuru waited on edge for her mother to continue.
"That Matsuru," Ichigo began as she folded her hands in her lap. "Is Masaya Aoyama…your father and my husband."
Matsuru stared wide eyed down at the man as a million thoughts flew through her mind.
This man is my father? Why did I draw him then? If what mom says is accurate, I haven't seen him for fourteen years. So, why did I draw him, and why now?
She looked back down to the picture and tried to find a similar feature of her's in his face. She looked and looked, finding nothing…nothing matched. Matsuru was troubled.
If this man ids really my father, wouldn't I have inherited something from him in looks?
For once, Matsuru looked over at her mother, questions bubbling from inside, but she didn't ask them. She saw her mother's pale face and her tight muscles and she backed down. She didn't want to hurt her mother anymore. She sighed and Ichigo tensed a bit more as Matsuru began to speak.
"Mom…" She pinched the bridge of her nose with the fingers in her right hand before she spoke again.
"Mom…I won't ask any questions because I see how uncomfortable you are right now." Ichigo eased up and relaxed a bit.
"But," Matsuru continued. "I would like to have my questions answered when we get to Tokyo…okay?" Ichigo nodded, thankful for the hours she would have to prepare for the conversation she was now dreading. Ichigo looked over at her daughter and was caught in her eyes. The shone intensely with passion and burning curiosity. She saw, not her daughter's eyes, but those of a green haired alien. She remembered on many occasions when his eyes burned with the same intensity. She had to look away before the hole in her chest was ripped open.
Matsuru watched her mother's actions and she sighed, looking down at the picture. As she looked closer, she saw something that she had not noticed before in the man's eyes; pure and unadulterated hate and seething anger. A shiver racked her spine and she quickly put the picture in her folder, wanting to get the cold expression put of her mind quickly.
Ichigo was freaking out. She was spiraling out of control and she knew she needed help. She quickly excused herself and got up quickly. She walked as casually as she could manage, trying not to break down in the middle of the airport. As she approached the payphones, she whipped out her pink cell phone again, frantically typing in the same number as before. She waited for the other person to pick up. When they finally did, she didn't even wait for them to finish their greeting. She practically screamed into the phone, "I need some serious help here!" The person on the other end shouted back roughly and took a second to calm themselves before they continued, much quieter. Ichigo sighed, answering the person's question. "Matsuru drew him…Masaya…and I don't know what to do!" The other end fell silent in shock and Ichigo asked, "Do you have any idea how I can deal with this?" The other person thought a minute and then responded. Their response made Ichigo's eyes grow wide as she responded harshly. "No! I will not do that to her! I won't tell her that! I want my daughter to have the normal childhood that I didn't. I don't want to throw her into a world that I know she's not prepared for. I won't do that to her." The other end tried to reason with her, but Ichigo shook her head. "No…I won't listen, no matter how many times you reassure me or try to tell me that everything will be alright. You would-" The other end interrupted her with a suggestion. Ichigo closed her eyes and listened. She nodded slowly and said, "Yes I know that…But, I still don't want her to know." The other end agreed and Ichigo continued. "I guess we'll do our best…We'll talk about it when we get back to Tokyo. I'll see you then." The other end said their goodbye and Ichigo did the same. She leaned against the wall and the sweat on her face rolled down her neck. She walked slowly to the bathroom, walking through the swinging door, and over to a sink. She turned on the facet, letting the water collect in her cupped hands and then, she splashed it on her hot face. The water was refreshing on her skin. She grabbed a towel from the counter and patted her face with it to wipe off the excess water. She placed the towel in the counter and looked up at her reflection in the mirror.
Her red hair was up in its normal pigtails. She was wearing a red button up shirt that was short sleeved. Her skirt went to just above her knees and it was white with a red flower pattern on it. Her skin was pale and her chocolate brown eyes showed her fear. Her strawberry red lips quivered as she thought of Masaya.
No! she mentally scolded herself. Don't you dare even think about him! He caused you so much grief and pain…he tore you apart and left you alone. He tore apart your family, your life, and your love. And, thank God he is finally-
Her thoughts were interrupted as a voice rang over the intercom in a British accent. "Flight 137, London to Tokyo is now boarding. First class passengers first please." The same message repeated in Japanese, which made Ichigo smile. She shook her head clear of all her worries as she exited the bathroom and walked over to Matsuru, who was standing. She took her bag and the two women walked to the gate. As they walked, Matsuru looked over at her mother and asked, "Mom, are you okay now?" Ichigo nodded, letting a smile spread across her lips. Matsuru looked and saw no sense of the smile in her mother's eyes.
Loading into the plane took a few minutes. Matsuru took the window seat again and Ichigo was in the aisle. They ordered drinks and bedding while the other passengers loaded.
After about ten minutes, the captain's voice filled the cabin.
"'Ello passengers! I'm your captain today, Ms. Jane Winthrop. Today, we are heading toward Tokyo. We should have clear skies all trip long and the weather in Tokyo is predicted to be well too! Please put your attention with the stewardesses as they go over safety the procedures." The same message repeated in Japanese and the stewardesses stepped forward, going over said safety procedures.
Finally, minutes later, the engines rumbled to life and the plane slowly made its way down the long expanse of black asphalt runway. Matsuru grew tense, not wanting to repeat the same experience of taking off like last time. She squeezed her eyes shut and clasped into her necklace again. The plane climbed upward and further into the puffy white clouds.
A minute later, the plane leveled out and Matsuru was glad she knew what to expect this time. The stewardess returned with the drinks and the women thanked her as they drank. Matsuru kept stealing glances over at her mother, hoping that she would say something. After ten minutes of silence, Matsuru finally turned toward her mother, tired of the silence. She searched her brain for something to talk about. Finally, she just apologized again.
"Mom…I am so sorry if what I drew offended you in any way." Ichigo looked and saw ht concern and worry written all over her daughter's face. She gave a warm smile and said, "Oh don't worry. It didn't offend me as it did surprise me." She looked away, knowing that more questions were going to come. She braced herself, knowing somehow that she was going to have to answer them before they got to Tokyo. She gave an inward smile at her daughter's curiosity. Matsuru sighed, wishing that she could control her questions. But, she was quieter as she asked the question just waiting to be asked.
"Mom…what…what happened to my father, this Masaya Aoyama man?" Ichigo sighed and pushed her long bangs behind her ears as she turned to face her daughter. She saw the same intensity and curiosity in her eyes and she was again reminded of him. She took a huge breath, preparing herself before she answered.
"To explain what happened in detail, I need to go back to when I was your age. That was when I met Masaya. We were in the same junior high school. I was in love with him, but so was every other girl in my school. He was an amazing at kendo, making him not only handsome, smart, and caring, but athletic too.
"One day, I finally asked him out on a date. I was afraid of rejection, but to my surprise, he agreed. We went to the museum together a few days later to see an endangered species exhibit. While we were there…something happened, causing me to pass out. I was so sure he would never agree to another date. But, again to my surprise, he agreed on another date. On every date we had after that, something happened, but he kept agreeing on more dates." She sighed and began talking to both herself and Matsuru.
"I don't know if it was a sign that that relationship would never work out, but neither one of us noticed, too blinded by what we thought was true love.
"Many things happened, unimportant to the story now, but somehow, we survived high school, still a 'perfect' couple. We went to the same college in England to study abroad. After a couple years there, we went back to Japan to settle down and get married. I was very willing to have a child and begin the family I had always dreamed of. We wanted to raise a family and we thought that we were ready. We were so very wrong.
"I thought that Masaya was going to be the perfect father because he was caring and sweet like he had always been. But, not all things like that can last.
"I noticed him acting weird about six months into our marriage. He had a job as an environmental lobbyist and it was a job that he loved. A month before we were married he got the job and we were very happy for the good fortune. The job paid well, fueling into our 'perfect' life some more. But, he did a lot of traveling for the company. And, I noticed that he would go on more business trips and they would last longer and longer. And, when he finally came home, he was irritable and aloof. He acted off and he seemed to ignore me. I had a very strong suspicion that he was having an affair, but I couldn't prove it. I was hoping that he would just come out and confess it to me, but he didn't.
"One night, he came home, very happy with the news that he had been promoted and now, he was allowed to control his own hours. We decided that it was time to try to have a child. I was so happy that I pushed away any suspicions that I had, trying to convince myself that I was paranoid.
"We tried for a month to conceive you, but we failed. Masaya got very aggravated and he became abusive. H e had always had a temper, but he had never abused me. Yes a big fight now or then, but never physical or emotional abuse.
"He had been becoming more and more like before and I suspected an affair again. He showed the same symptoms and I realized that I should have confronted him earlier. One night, after he came home from work, I talked to him and told him of my suspicions. He sighed and just blatantly came out and told me he was having an affair. I was distraught and I wanted a divorce. He switched into a new person that I had never seen before. That was the worst night of abuse that I can remember. I escaped to my friend's house for two weeks until Masaya cooled his head. But, nothing could change how utterly horrid he was inside.
"I came home after that and Masaya apologized. I was very cautious around him, trying to watch what I was saying so that I would not offend him and the abuse cycle would begin again. I felt a little sick and after a few mornings of getting physically ill, a thought struck me. 'Am I pregnant?' I asked myself. I took the pregnancy test and for those long four minutes, I waited in suspense. I looked down and the little plus proved it…I was pregnant.
"Masaya and I were happy, once again, both of us envisioning the 'perfect' family that we had planned only months before. And, for nine months, it was heaven.
"But, on the night you were born, Masaya snapped. Something sent him into a flurry of hate and rage. I was scared for not only my life, but yours as well. But, he left with his things and I thought that he would come back, normal, as long as he had the time to cool his head.
"About a year later, he came back alright, but even more enraged than before. That night, I didn't think that I would have made it from the house with both you and me alive.
"But, luck would have it that my friend came by for a visit just as Masaya was about to kill you and I. He…helped me escape and I grabbed essentials only and quickly. I grabbed the soonest flight with you and my friend to Chicago and it killed me to do it, but I dropped you off at that orphanage. I wanted you to be as safe as I could get you, and that meant you had to be far away from Masaya.
"I came back to Tokyo as soon as I could and divorced Masaya and also got a restraining order against him. I grew paranoid, thinking I saw him everywhere. I was always looking over my shoulder, and I never went anywhere alone. But, Masaya…disappeared soon after I put out the restraining order and I haven't seen him to this day. I don't know if he is still out there somewhere, or even if he is dead, but I don't think that he will ever come near me or anyone I love again."
Ichigo finished her story and sat back, taking a long sip from her cup. Matsuru sat back too, but her mind was whirring with all the fresh information that she had just learned. She didn't move or say a word as she tried to make sense of everything now filling her mind. She realized she now had answers to many of her questions.
She had known of her father's abusiveness, but she hadn't known about his affair or that he had the anger issue…or that he had almost killed her and her mother. She took a couple long drinks from her cup for something to do.
She started out the window, not really even caring what she was staring at. She closed her eyes and laid her head on the cool glass.
Ichigo reached over, gently touched her shoulder, and said in a warm voice, "Now it's my turn to ask…Are you okay?" Matsuru gave a half smile as she looked at her mother and answered, "I'll be okay. It's just…a lot to process you know?" Ichigo nodded and sat back.
A movie started soon, but neither woman paid it the slightest attention. Matsuru wanted to draw, but didn't for fear of creating something else that would make her mother distressed.
Ichigo was going to say something to her daughter, but her eyelids became heavy and she laid her head back on the seat, letting her uneasy muscles unwind.
A half an hour later, Matsuru turned to strike up a conversation in the silence, but she saw her mother, asleep in the seat, her chest moving methodically as she dreamed. Matsuru gave a honey warm smile and sat back, feeling her own exhaustion catch up with her. She embraced unconsciousness, hoping that it would give her a temporary escape from the crazy world that was now her's to cope with.
She was just about to jump off the ledge of the world of the awake when she heard a faint buzzing. She opened her eyes groggily and saw Ichigo's pink cell phone skittering across the fold down table. She debated for a second about opening it, but she decided to do so. It could be an emergency she thought.
She grabbed it and saw the name read as "Lettuce". She remembered that that was one of her aunts. She flipped the phone open and answered it uneasily.
"Hello?"
"Ohayo Ichigo-chan!"
Matsuru looked at the phone and began to worry. How am I supposed to talk to her if she's speaking Japanese? She put the phone back to her ear and hoped that the woman would understand her enough.
"Um…Ichigo is asleep right now. I don't speak Japanese though…sorry…"
The other end went silent for a second, but when the woman spoke again, Matsuru was blown away with shock.
"Yes…I speak English so…I am sorry. Are you Matsuru?"
"Yes, I am. Are you my 'aunt' Lettuce Shirogane?"
The woman laughed and answered, "Yes, and may I say, for not speaking Japanese, you have a good hold on the accents for names. Well, I called to tell Ichigo something…Can you do that for me when she finally wakes up?"
"Sure thing. What exactly do you want me to pass along?"
"Can you tell her that she should call me when the flight gets in and that Ryou and I will be coming to get you two? Can you do that for me please?"
Matsuru smiled, very content talking to this very nice woman. Her voice reminded Matsuru of a very motherly person. She gave a bigger smile at the though and said, "Sure. I'll tell her when she wakes up. Nice talking to you Lettuce."
The woman gave a laugh like wind chimes and responded, "You're welcome. I will see you in a few hours. Goodbye!" The other end went dead and Matsuru closed the phone. She laid it back on the table and then sat back.
As she looked out the window, she smiled, now realizing just how excited she was to meet her family.
Matsuru: Well, that's it, the longest chapter yet! She put so much effort into this story and I would hate to see it discontinued. Please help daisukezgirl to recover!
D: La la! Hey, I can see giraffes!
Matsuru: Please help her and the story! Please read and review!
