A/N: Here is chapter 11! I have a lot of mixed feelings on this chapter and will go over them down below. That being said this is the longest chapter I've posted thus far!
I feel like I should mention this as a by the way type of thing. There is a swear word or two in this chapter and the word lesbian is used pretty heavily compared to other chapters. I have really tried to limit my use of them in the entire story but I felt them fitting for this particular chapter I hope I do not offend people!
"So I take you found a dress?" Mr. Hanazono asked Shizuma as they took a seat outside on the back porch, he had asked to talk to her her and Miki privately.
"Yes, I found one, I just hope Nagisa will like it." Shizuma said stuck on that little worry she had.
"Shizuma I told you, she will love it. I don't understand why you are so worried." Miki commented also taking a seat.
"Miki, is right I'm sure whatever you choose she will love, you could show up in jeans and a regular t-shirt and I'm sure she would still be happy." Mr. Hanazono commented, he may not have been around much but he was pretty good at reading people from his work, though you wouldn't need to be to tell Nagisa's love for Shizuma.
"Yea, I know I am worrying to much but it's just exciting..." Shizuma said with a slight pause as Mr. Hanazono and Miki smiled at her. "So what did you want to talk to us about anyways?"
The smile faded from Mr. Hanazono's face as he took a deep breath. "Right, I know you probably don't want to hear this Shizuma, but your mother is coming here tomorrow to see you."
There was a long silence as Shizuma retreated to her thoughts looking out into the backyard almost upset. "What does she want?" She finally asked coldly.
Mr. Hanazono knew that this was not going to be easy, after all Shizuma's mother left them for someone else when Shizuma was very little and honestly Shizuma had wanted nothing to do with that woman. She had never been there and if Shizuma could she would erase her out of her life forever and give Miki the title of mom which she had been referred to as for so long. Miki did not mind though after all she was considered family at the Hanazono household and just like family she had always been there and would still continue this role.
"She wants to introduce you to Ryo and congratulate you on getting married." Mr. Hanazono stated calmly.
"Ryo is her new husbands kid, he has no relation to me why would I want to meet him?" Shizuma asked coldly.
Mr. Hanazono sighed knowing that Shizuma was not going to change her attitude, something she undoubtedly picked up from him. "Well I think it's more that he wants to meet you."
"What about her? She wants to congratulate me? A phone call would have been enough to do that." Shizuma said completely ignoring Ryo, she had no interest in meeting this person and it showed.
"Well, you are getting married and perhaps she thought this would be the best time to come visit?" Miki asked knowing it was a weak argument. The truth is all three were surprised by this and were a little on edge.
"She had plenty of opportunities to visit! She was supposed to be my mother and she barley even called. That woman could drop off the edge of the earth tomorrow and I wouldn't lose an ounce of sleep over it. That being said I will always consider you my mom Miki, you were always there and always have been. Who took care of me when I was little and who brought me wedding dress shopping today?" Shizuma said her voice getting a louder as the anger flared within her.
The two went silent at Shizuma's outburst, they knew this was a very delicate situation. Every time her mother was mentioned she got upset, she wanted so badly to forget her and just have Miki.
Shizuma looked at her father and Miki who were both equally uneasy about the whole situation. "I know you two feel the same way about this as I do. That being said when she gets here tomorrow she better not expect me to welcome her with open arms. She will be lucky to have me yell at her let alone welcome her." Shizuma said firmly before turning towards the door to the house. "Now if you will excuse me I am going to try and calm down with my fiance, the last thing I want is to have a terrible day before my wedding."
Mr. Hanazono sighed as Shizuma entered the house. "I should have never bothered to tell her mother..."
"That could have made things worse, you know that woman, even if she isn't around ever she feels like she has to be a part of Shizuma's life even if it is only over the phone with you." Miki said knowing that over the years Mr. Hanazono had still talked to his ex-wife and she had asked about Shizuma but never really showed too much interest. Mr. Hanazono had always been angry after talking with her, it bothered him greatly that she made it so obvious she didn't care much for Shizuma.
"She can feel whatever she wants, Shizuma is right. She had plenty of opportunities to be here and she never was, Shizuma has the right to hate her and I don't blame her." Mr. Hanazono said before taking a deep breath to calm down as his mind went over what Shizuma had just told them. "You know Miki I don't know how I would have managed without you. I'm sure you know this, but Shizuma wishes nothing more than for you to be her actual mother. You have always been there and I always hope you will be, you are after all a part of this family."
Miki smiled brightly looking at Mr. Hanazono. "Thank you, I know she wishes that and the truth of the matter is I will always consider her a daughter, I wouldn't leave you two even if I wanted to. You are my family now and the things I do around here any mother can say she does around her own home."
Mr. Hanazono smiled thinking back to when he hired Miki and introduced her to Shizuma. She had instantly taken a liking to the little girl and from their she had just kind of become part of their lives. "Miki, thank you. Tomorrow won't be easy though, I'll be surprised if Shizuma even recognizes her mother it's been so long. I know for a fact though she will be hostile towards her... Another thing is that her mother doesn't know she is a lesbian..."
Later that night...
"Shizuma what is wrong?" Nagisa asked noticing that Shizuma had been thinking about something since she walked into the room.
Shizuma had just got done changing into a nightgown and crawled into bed next to Nagisa before sighing. "My mother is visiting tomorrow."
Nagisa knew that Shizuma did not like her mother and from what she knew, Shizuma hadn't seen her in a very long time. "I'm sure everything will be fine, I will be right here with you if you need to get away." Nagisa said trying to reassure Shizuma.
Shizuma found it hard to stay angry when Nagisa was around especially trying to comfort her, she could be in the worst mood ever and Nagisa would only have to say the smallest thing to cheer her up. "I know you will, thank you." Shizuma said giving her a quick kiss. "I love you Nagisa."
"I love you too Shizuma." Nagisa replied with a smile as Shizuma turned out the light and the two girls cuddled close trying to get some sleep for the day ahead of them.
The next morning...
Shizuma and Nagisa had woken up like normal with their usual morning kiss and decided to go down and get something to eat with Tamao and Miyuki. Shizuma had been trying hard not to show her growing anxiety even though she glanced at the clock frequently.
"Shizuma, are you alright? You have been kind of quiet and you keep looking at the clock." Miyuki said noticing Shizuma's odd behavior.
"Her mother is visiting today." Nagisa stated.
Miyuki had known about Shizuma's past and knew it was better to leave it at that. "I see, I have an idea of how you feel but you shouldn't let it bother you Shizuma, you are marrying that pretty little red head sitting next to you tomorrow." Miyuki said trying to change the subject, she had told Tamao a little about Shizuma's mother when she met Miki, so Tamao knew better than to say anything.
Shizuma couldn't help but smile as she looked over at Nagisa. "You're right, I shouldn't let something like this get me down, especially since I will be starting a new life with you tomorrow."
Tamao smiled as Nagisa and Shizuma shared a kiss. "To think that when you do that tomorrow Nagisa will be made a Hanazono."
"You know there are like a hundred rooms in this house why do you two insist on doing this where people often go?" Miki asked walking into the dining room where the girls were enjoying breakfast. "Nagisa, your mother wanted to talk to you when you have a minute."
"Oh, alright I guess I better go see what she wants." Nagisa said standing from her chair glancing at the clock which read 11:30 AM. "I'll be back as quick as I can alright?"
Shizuma just smiled and nodded allowing Nagisa to leave before turning to Miki. "Do you know what Mrs. Aoi wanted?"
"Nope she just said she wanted to talk to Nagisa, I'm sure it's about tomorrow though, she probably just wants one last conversation with Nagisa as an Aoi." Miki replied with a smile before leaving the room.
"Well, whatever it is, it can't be helped I just hope it doesn't take too long my mother is supposed to be here at noon." Shizuma said trying to reassure herself glancing at the clock before taking another bite of her food which she had barley touched. Her appetite wasn't very big today because of the mixed feelings she had about seeing her mother. "I think I am going to go to my room and try an relax a little, please tell Nagisa where I am if you see her."
"Sure, no problem." Tamao said as Shizuma got up and left the room. "I've never seen her like this before Miyuki, is she going to be alright?"
"I wouldn't worry about her as much as her mother." Miyuki replied looking over at Tamao.
Nagisa conversation...
"Hey you wanted to talk to me?" Nagisa asked entering her mother's room.
Mrs. Aoi looked over at Nagisa as she finished folding the shirt she had in her hands. "Yes, come in. I just wanted to talk to you a little bit before you become a Hanazono." She said with a smile.
Nagisa couldn't hide her slightly embarrassed smile as she gave her mom a hug. "You make it sound like I'm dying, mom." Nagisa joked.
"Oh, nonsense!" Mrs. Aoi replied pulling away from her and taking a seat on the edge of her bed motioning Nagisa to follow. "So are you ready for your big day tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Nagisa said as Mrs. Aoi grabbed her hand. "How about Shizuma how is she doing?"
"Well, she has been better. Her mother is visiting today and that has her worried, they don't get along very well." Nagisa explained as Mrs. Aoi squeezed her hand a little tighter.
"Shizuma is a tough girl I'm sure she can handle her and if she can't she always has you." Mrs. Aoi reassured Nagisa.
"I know and I told her that but she is still worried and I don't want it to ruin tomorrow."
"I don't think a hurricane hitting tomorrow would ruin tomorrow, Shizuma would drag you out right in the middle of it I'm sure." Mrs. Aoi joked as a knock came to the door. "Come in."
Miki opened the door with a little bit of a worried look on her face. "I don't mean to disturb, but Shizuma's mother is here."
Nagisa looked up at Miki with a nod. "Thank you Miki." She said standing from the bed.
Downstairs...
Nagisa had started walking down the stairs when she noticed Tamao and Miyuki talking to a boy. She wasn't sure who exactly he was but she figured he came with Shizuma's mother and she should greet him properly, she didn't want Shizuma's mother to hate her.
"Welcome, I am Nagisa." She said with a slight bow towards Ryo, he was the son of Mr. Yoshida the person Shizuma's mother married after leaving.
Ryo just stood silent for a moment before smiling brightly. "Thank you, Nagisa. I am Ryo, it's very nice to meet you." He said somewhat smoothly which did not go unnoticed by Miyuki.
"Where is Shizuma?" Nagisa asked as Ryo put up a hand motioning her to follow.
"She went with my mother to talk about the wedding tomorrow, I will keep you company until she is back if that is alright." Ryo said with a smile leaving Miyuki and Tamao behind.
"I feel a storm coming." Miyuki said coldly as she watched Ryo walk away talking to Nagisa.
Tamao could only nod as the two disappeared out the back door onto the porch. "You think Nagisa realizes what he is up to?"
"No, I don't think she does. She has always had Shizuma and let's face it Shizuma is a bit more direct in her flirts." Miyuki said looking over into the room where Shizuma and her mother were talking. "Let's just keep an eye on this situation for now. I'm still a bit surprised that he is hitting on her though knowing that she is marrying Shizuma tomorrow."
Shizuma's conversation in the other room...
"I still can't believe my daughter is getting married." Mrs. Yoshida said, Shizuma's mother had her last name changed when she married Mr. Yoshida years ago after leaving Shizuma and her father.
Shizuma was already having a hard time controlling the anger within her, Nagisa had to go talk and Shizuma's mother had shown up about twenty minutes early, she was not happy. "I'm not your daughter, I would prefer if you just called me Shizuma." She said very coldly.
Mrs. Yoshida remained silent for a moment in shock before speaking. "Excuse me? You do remember who gave birth to you don't you?" She asked somewhat angrily.
"Yes and if I could have it changed Miki would take that place, she is a better mother than you will ever be." Shizuma replied not giving up on this. She hadn't seen her mother in years and she was less than pleased to be sitting in the same room as her now. The cold Shizuma that she had been before meeting Nagisa still lurked within her and her mother seemed to be good at bringing it to the surface.
There was a long pause as Mrs. Yoshida looked away from Shizuma trying to figure out what to say as she saw Ryo walk by one of the windows with a red haired girl she had not seen before. "It seems Ryo has taking a liking in one of your maids." She said trying to change the subject as Shizuma looked over but saw nothing, they had already passed. "That boy is always chasing around any cute girls he can get his hands on." She said with a sigh as Shizuma remained silent. "Listen, Shizuma I know I haven't been there for you but I'm not here to talk about that today, I am here to congratulate you on the wedding."
Shizuma decided she would just try and get through this day as peacefully as possible she didn't want to argue and have the day before her wedding ruined, besides her father said nothing of her staying the night and attending the wedding. "You're right. That can wait for another time, let me introduce you to my friends." She said with a sigh before standing up and walking into the entryway where Tamao and Miyuki were still talking. "Mrs. Yoshida, this is Miyuki and Tamao, I attended high school with them." Shizuma said with a still somewhat displeased look on her face.
Miyuki instantly noticed it and figured Shizuma was trying hard to be nice. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you." Tamao said after Miyuki.
"Hello, I am Shizuma mother. It's a pleasure to meet her friends." Mrs. Yoshida said causing Shizuma to shake her head a little in annoyance.
"It's a pleasure to meet you also, I'm sure it's exciting knowing Shizuma is getting married." Tamao commented as Shizuma looked up at a clock in the entry way remembering that Nagisa had gone to talk with her mom.
"Hey have you seen..." Shizuma began but had her answer right away when Miyuki pointed towards the back door. "Thank you." Shizuma said turning to her mother. "These are the only friends staying here so the only other person to introduce is my fiance."
Mrs. Yoshida smiled giving Shizuma a slight nod. "Lead the way."
Miyuki and Tamao kept quiet as they followed Shizuma and Mrs. Yoshida out the back door. They knew they couldn't stop Shizuma and they also wanted Shizuma to know first hand that Ryo was trying to cozy up to Nagisa. They had no idea that Mrs. Yoshida and Ryo didn't know who Shizuma was marrying and figured instead of accusing him of such things they would let him get caught.
Shizuma and the other three girls made their way onto the porch. "Oh look Ryo and your maid are hitting it off quite well." Mrs. Yoshida said as they all looked over to see Ryo corner Nagisa and placing his hand on her hips leaning in for what appeared to be a kiss. Nagisa tried her hardest to avoid the unexpected act by leaning back and turning her head to the side scared.
Whatever ounce of control Shizuma still had was completely lost at this sight. Without even hesitating Shizuma ran over and grabbed the back of Ryo's shirt pulling him away from Nagisa and slapping him as hard she could. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Shizuma shouted standing between him and Nagisa.
"Shizuma!" Mrs. Yoshida exclaimed as she came over and stood by Ryo. "You could have just asked him to leave your maid alone you didn't have to hit him."
Tamao and Miyuki were joined by Mrs. Aoi as they all stood watching as Shizuma's anger got worse and worse. "M—maid?" Shizuma shouted glaring at her mother. "This girl is my future wife not a maid!"
Mrs. Yoshida and Ryo both looked stunned as they remained speechless.
"You have some nerve you know that! First you come into my house and try and tell me you are still my mother, while doing that your stupid son decides to go after my bride! Give me one good reason why you should be here." Shizuma said noticing her dad walking out onto the porch.
"I didn't know I'm sorry, I didn't think you would be marrying a girl." Ryo said still holding his cheek that Shizuma had slapped.
Shizuma looked at him confused. "What do you mean you didn't know?" She asked as her father stepped in hoping to diffuse the situation.
"Shizuma I'm sorry, I never mentioned you were marrying Nagisa. I just told her you were getting married." Mr. Hanazono explained seeking forgiveness from Shizuma.
"Y—Your're a lesbian?" Mrs. Yoshida asked in disbelief. "My daughter is a lesbian...?"
Shizuma was going to say something to her father until she heard her mother speak. "No, your daughter doesn't exist. His daughter is a lesbian." She said firmly pointing at Mr. Hanazono before taking Nagisa's hand and heading for the door. "If you will excuse me now I am going to take my future wife away from that thing you call a son."
Miyuki and Tamao let Shizuma and Nagisa pass knowing they needed a little time alone as Mrs. Yoshida watched them walk away. "You mean to say that my daughter is marrying that little red headed girl? What did you do to her?" She asked coldly looking at Mr. Hanazono.
"That is enough! I made the mistake of telling you about the wedding...I will not let you ruin Shizuma's big day now because you of all people don't like her life choices." Mr. Hanazono said raising his voice.
Mrs. Aoi took a step forward figuring she could deal with this lady that obviously had upset so many people already. "If you don't mind I would like to talk with you, I think it would do you some good to cool down and think things through a little."
Mrs. Yoshida took her eyes off Mr. Hanazono and nodded at Mrs. Aoi before following her into the house with Ryo.
Mrs. Aoi...
"Thank you for getting us out of there." Mrs. Yoshida said looking at Mrs. Aoi. "I just can't believe my daughter is a lesbian."
"Don't worry I'm sure you will get over it." Mrs. Aoi reassured her as they walked into the house seeing Nagisa and Shizuma sitting on the stairs, Shizuma's head resting on Nagisa's as she tried to comfort Shizuma.
Mrs. Yoshida just turned her head away in disgust. "I can't believe he let her become a lesbian."
Mrs. Aoi put on a smile trying to hide the fact that what Mrs. Yoshida said was almost a person blow. "It's not all bad. Her happiness is the only thing that should matter."
"My only daughter is a lesbian how could it be not be bad?" Mrs. Yoshida replied.
Shizuma noticed Mrs. Aoi talking to Mrs. Yoshida and also noticed the nasty look her mother gave her as she stood up and walked over to her. "Does it bother you that my wife is trying to comfort me? The way you look at us says you are clearly not alright with me marrying her."
"I don't care who you marry I just had much higher expectations for you." Mrs. Yoshida said looking at Shizuma.
Mrs. Aoi was about to say something but Shizuma interfered not even noticing. "Like I care what your expectations are, you haven't been here all my life, you have no right to expect anything from me." Shizuma replied angrily.
Mrs. Yoshida couldn't argue against Shizuma here so she instead turned her attention to Nagisa. "What about you red head? I'm sure your parents are real proud that there daughter is a lesbian." She said quite sarcastically as Mrs. Aoi instantly turned her attention to Mrs. Yoshida.
"You leave her out of this." Shizuma said glaring at her mother and taking a step in front of Nagisa.
"Won't let her speak for herself? I guess her parents didn't take it very well huh?" Mrs. Yoshida said a little victoriously.
"Actually I think her parents took it very well." Mrs. Aoi said taking a step forward.
"Oh now your on their side?" Mrs. Yoshida asked a little offensively.
"Yes, I am on their side actually, because that little red head your talking about happens to be my daughter and I couldn't be any happier that she and Shizuma are getting married." Mrs. Aoi said with anger building inside her.
Mrs. Yoshida turned to Mrs. Aoi with an annoyed look on her face. "Well I'm glad that you accept your daughter as a lesbian but I will not approve of mine being one."
"Have you even been listening to me? I don't care if you approve or disapprove of me, your opinion means nothing to me and I am marrying Nagisa whether you like it or not." Shizuma said her voice getting a little louder as Mrs. Yoshida took a step forward and slapped her.
"I am your mother, you will not speak to me like this!" Mrs. Yoshida said quite loudly before Mrs. Aoi stepped between her and Shizuma.
"It's time for you to leave." Mrs. Aoi said coldly staring in Mrs. Yoshida's eyes.
"Get out of my way this is between me and Shizuma." Mrs. Yoshida said waiting for Mrs. Aoi to move.
"If this was between you and Shizuma you wouldn't have dragged my daughter into it!" Mrs. Aoi exclaimed now glaring at Mrs. Yoshida.
"Well maybe if..."
"Shut up!" Mrs. Aoi shouted taking a step toward Mrs. Yoshida. "I don't care what you have to say anymore, once you laid a finger on Shizuma you lost your welcome."
"She is my daughter and she needed to be put in her place." Mrs. Yoshida said looking at Shizuma before being slapped very hard by a now furious Mrs. Aoi. She was already very upset about the slap but saying something like that was the last straw, she would not let this woman who talk down to Shizuma like this.
"If you ever say anything like that about Shizuma again you will get more than a slap I assure you, she has every right to hate you and so does everyone else here!" Mrs. Aoi exclaimed taking another step towards Mrs. Yoshida as she took a step back. "Shizuma has done nothing to deserve what you put her through and the fact that she is a lesbian and marrying my daughter should not matter! She may be a little careless at times but I could not imagine Nagisa marrying anyone else. Shizuma is my family and if you think I'm going to let you come in here and cause trouble for the two of them before their wedding day you have another thing coming." Mrs. Aoi practically shouted making Mrs. Yoshida back pedal to all the way to the front door. "Now, I don't care who you are I tell you this, lay another finger on Shizuma and I will break them, that is a promise."
Mrs. Yoshida was speechless as she looked back at Nagisa and Shizuma who were just watching stunned along with the rest of the family who had come when they heard Mrs. Aoi shout.
Mrs. Aoi grabbed the door handle and opened it. "Now I suggest you leave before you really get me mad." She said firmly as Mrs. Yoshida and Ryo left the house before she slammed the door behind them and turned to Shizuma with a concerned look on her face. "Are you alright Shizuma?"
Shizuma was still speechless and instead did the only thing she could to convey how she felt as she walked forward and gave Mrs. Aoi a big hug before finding the right words even though they were few and simple. "Thank you, for everything."
Mrs. Aoi smiled as she returned the hug to her soon to be daughter-in-law. "Shizuma I meant everything I said. You are my family and I couldn't be happier that you are going to be my daughter's wife. I know I act coldly towards you a lot but you will always be family no matter what happens."
Shizuma smiled brightly as a tear formed in her eye from Mrs. Aoi's heartfelt words. She had been so upset just a few minutes ago but the one person she would have never expected to stood up for her and Nagisa. It felt like a weight had been lifted off of her, because like Nagisa she was still unsure of what Mrs. Aoi thought of her exactly.
After a moment the two separated and Shizuma received another hug followed by a kiss from Nagisa as everyone watched smiling, happy that her mother was gone and Shizuma and Nagisa were still happy. "I think I need a bath that guy tried to kiss me." Nagisa said a little playfully pulling away from Shizuma after the brief yet loving kiss.
"I think that sounds like a great way to relieve some built up stress." Shizuma replied with a grin before Mrs. Aoi cleared her throat catching both girls attention. "Err, I mean.."
"I will pretend I didn't hear that, just this once though..." Mrs. Aoi said with a smile.
A/N: There it is! I hope you enjoyed it because Shizuma's mother was tough to get in there and introduced the way I wanted her. Of course making this 2-3 chapters would have been the best thing to do but this day would have been really really long then and this story isn't exactly focused on the problem side of things which I consider this chapter to be mainly about.
My main goal with this chapter was getting Mrs. Aoi to finally reveal what she truly thought of Shizuma. I had always planned on Shizuma's mother not being accepting and just generally a very nasty woman. I do kinda feel bad for the kid Ryo but you know what. He tried to kiss Nagisa and no Shizuma has to hit him. I originally wanted Shizuma to kiss Nagisa to show that she was with her but, I couldn't find a decent way to get it in so I settled for the maid thing.
Hmm what else... Chapter 12 is going to take a few days to post I'm starting full time schedule at work tonight so I won't have as much time. Other than that chapter 12 is the last big chapter. Chapter 13 is going to be a small fun one probably just full of Nagisa and Shizuma fluff? (I think that is what people call it.)