Yoshino Hazuki was soft spoken, but her eyes shined with knowledge. Her petite framed belied the strength of her stance. Her voice was like gentle rain, steady and calm, but Ororo could hear the authority. This was a woman who had really lived life and had a story to tell. She felt like a kindred spirit rather than a woman Ororo just met.
Ms. Hazuki obviously loved her son. She talked about him with proud, motherly love. Like all devoted mothers, she had photo albums filled to the brim with his pictures. She insisted on showing Ororo photos of him as a child while his mortified cries of "Mother!" filled the room. Ororo laughed at a picture of baby Shinobi in a bathtub, and Shinobi's cheeks turned the color of sun-ripened cherries.
Ororo noticed she never spoke of Shinobi's father. There were no pictures of him in the photo albums; never any mention that he existed at all. She spoke as if Shinobi only had one parent. She guessed the ill feelings Shinobi had for his father were shared by his mother, as well. She wondered if she would ever get to meet his father.
Ororo helped Ms. Hazuki prepare dinner. Shinobi hovered around them until his mother shooed him away, saying they needed time to talk alone. He left, but didn't venture very far. Ms. Hazuki made a motion with her head toward the door. He was eavesdropping.
"Did you know that he slept with a purple elephant he called Binky-san until he was sixteen?" Ms. Hazuki said loudly.
"Mother!"
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Author's notes: Trust me, Nienna, these frequent updates are very unusual for me. Thanks for pointing out my typo, though. Thanks everyone for all your reviews. I really appreciate them. Um, I made up Shinobi's mom's name and stuff because I didn't remember if she was ever explicitly mentioned in the comics.