Holy crap, it's been two years since I touched this story!

Hi! How are you?! Covid sure was a thing. Now Monkeypox and Polio. Those were not expected.

My life has turned into a massive crapfest since the last update.

So much happened and so many problems, and I am sorry I ignored this.

Partially life, partially some comments that shut me down. I hit one of my writing burnouts, and I'm sorry I was away for so long.

Yes, I get people are tired of the kids, but they're here, and their problems become Mei and Yuzu's issues. And no, Hideki wasn't meant to be a Gary Stu. He's just a good kid who has his problems. He's not perfect or infallible; he's a good kid who knows when he screws up and tries to be a good person all around and helpful.

He's Mei and Yuzu's son, after all.

Airi will have her own set of problems which will reflect on Mei and Yuzu and make them think about things and themselves.

Thanks for staying with me if you want to wait for the conclusion.

If you leave because you don't like the story, I get it, it's not for everyone, but I appreciate you nonetheless.

Now on with the story!

Also, I've been getting a bunch of fan art lately from a particular artist, and I love it all. You can find much of it on my Instagram, which is Mizutanitony, just like here—posted with the artist's permission, of course. The artist goes by the handle onlymesarts! I cried at one that's going to be a future scene.

Honestly, the end of the last chapter felt very "Golden Girls" to me. Friends discussing life's problems and figuring them out at night over cheesecake, change it to a strawberry cake or chocolate satin pie, and I'm happy.

Chapter 17

~~Earlier that evening~~

"Mama, is Hideki in trouble?"

Yuzu looked down at Airi as she fumbled her key into the lock and did her best to sound reassuring.

It had been a long day, and Yuzu was ready for a strong drink, a shower, and a good night's rest.

After Yuzu and Airi had found Mei sitting in a small cafe, Mei had told them that Hideki had caught a train to his dad's house and was currently resting his leg until he felt strong enough to make the trip back home to gather a few things so he could stay with his dad.

Hideki making trips like this wasn't uncommon, though. While it was a glaring fact that Hideki spent most of the year with Mei and Yuzu, he made frequent weekend visits to his dad; sometimes, he even stayed over during the school week. Typically, this wouldn't be a big deal, but given the day's events, Yuzu was hoping it wouldn't become permanent.

"Mama," repeated Airi, tugging on the bottom of Yuzu's shirt, "I said, is Hideki in trouble?"

"Not too much trouble," Yuzu whispered after shaking the cobwebs loose and looking over her shoulder at Mei, staring out at the street, her arms crossed as she waited for Udagawa's car to pull up. "He's just going to stay at your uncle's for a bit. He needs time to sort things out before me, and Mommy can talk to him. Mommy and I already told you that."

"I know," sighed Airi as she kicked at the ground. "But I want him to come home. Is he ever gonna come?"

There was no way Yuzu could ignore the fear in her daughter's voice, and she knew that this would be a conversation she and her daughter would have until she, Mei, and the others had sorted everything out.

So, after opening the door, Yuzu bent down and placed a hand on Airi's head as she said, "Of course, he's going to come back. He needs time to think and talk to your uncle; then, your brother will talk to Mommy and me. That's it. He goes away sometimes, you know that, but if you want to go and see him, we'll make sure you can."

"Okay." Airi nodded, but it was easy for Yuzu to see that she wasn't buying it, not entirely, at least. "Can I go play my piano?"

"Sure." Yuzu smiled and waved her in. "But go potty and wash your hands first, and then we'll figure out what to make for dinner."

Airi didn't say anything as she took off her shoes and ran toward the bathroom.

Turning around, Yuzu could see that Mei had taken a few steps closer to the street. Yuzu wanted to believe that it was for the sake of not having to strain her neck so much, but part of her knew that the more likely answer was so that she could jump Hideki and his dad the moment they arrived.

Yuzu left the front door open, headed toward the fence, and placed a hand on Mei's shoulder to avoid a scene.

She flinched, her shoulder pulling away out of instinct, but Mei relaxed a little when she saw it was Yuzu's hand and, in an annoyed whisper, asked, "What?"

"Come on," replied Yuzu tilting her head toward the door. "It's hot out, and we've been out all day. You need to get in and cool down before they show up."

"I'm fine," snorted Mei, turning to face the street but not moving away from Yuzu's touch. "You're welcome to keep me company, but I'm not moving from this spot until my son arrives."

"Mei, you're tired," offered Yuzu, ignoring her wife's words. "You're tired, you're hot, and you're exhausted. I know you want to barrage him with questions and ask him what he was thinking, but they're going to be a while, and I don't want you to have to go to the hospital for heat stroke just because you were too stubborn to go inside. So please, come inside with me and relax a bit. Airi's practicing her music, and she's scared; she needs you, both of us right now."

Mei turned her attention to Yuzu, her eyes furrowed in frustration, and she looked like she wanted to say something but relaxed and nodded after a moment.

"All right," Mei sighed, surrendering to her wife's request. "I'll come inside. It is hot, and I would like a cold drink while we wait. Do we have any barley tea?"

Satisfied with her victory, Yuzu said she would look, and after rummaging for a bit, she found a few tea bags, brewed a fresh batch of tea, and iced it.

It was a little warmer than they liked, but it would help Mei cool down, and after prepping it, Yuzu headed to the living room and set it on the small side table next to the keyboard Hideki had sent home for Airi to play on while Mei did her best to try and follow Airi's fingers on the keyboard.

"Mommy, you missed it again," giggled Airi as Mei fumbled her keystroke. "Want me to show you again?"

"Please," answered Mei, her voice distant as she grabbed the glass Yuzu had placed next to her and sipped.

She grimaced and frowned at Yuzu, saying, "It's warm."

"It's fresh," snorted Yuzu, annoyed at Mei's attitude. "We didn't have anything bottled, and I had to make this. That's what all the noise was. If you need more ice, I'll bring you some."

"This will suffice," sighed Mei before returning her attention to Airi, who was now wearing the same frustrated face Mei wore when she was concentrating. "Airi, what's wrong?"

"Are you having fun, Mommy?" Airi's hands rested on the keys as she waited for the answer.

"I am," said Mei, slightly stiffer than she intended. "I am distracted right now, that's all. But your lessons are paying off; I never thought you'd teach me to play the piano."

"I'm not a teacher," said Airi, a faint, noticeable blush creeping up her cheeks. "I'm just showing you the songs I know. Yui's way better, and she gets to play guitar too."

"Well, I don't know these songs," said Mei, brushing a bit of hair from Airi's ear with a faint smile. "Which means that, for the moment, since you're showing me how to play them, that makes you my teacher, and you're doing an excellent job."

"I'm not as good as you," giggled Airi when Mei brushed her cheek. "You gotta teach everyone at the school, and Hina says you're gonna teach her stuff about the school."

"That's when she's older." Mei felt her heart pound a little at Airi mentioning Hina and the girl wanting to take over, even though she was only a little older than Airi. "And only if she wants to. She could change her mind if you or Hideki wanted to learn from me. Besides, I don't teach much of anything at school. I show people how to do their jobs properly, that's it and clean up their mistakes more often than not."

"But Mama said you helped her with school stuff, and you help me with school stuff, and Uncle helps her with restaurant stuff, so um...doesn't that make you and Uncle teachers?"

"Well, I suppose it does," said Mei after thinking it over and everything remembering everything she'd told Airi. "You're very bright, Airi."

"That means smart, right," inquired the girl as she began playing some song Mei faintly remembered from her childhood.

"It's another way of saying that a person is smart," confirmed Mei as she listened to Yuzu chop up something in the kitchen, most likely to keep herself busy while they waited. "But you are very smart, Airi, and if I'm able, I'll always help you try to understand something."

"Me too," said Airi, slamming a hand down on the keys and giggling as Mei jumped the clamor of discordant keys.

"Please don't do that, Airi." Gasped Mei before taking a few deep breaths after the shock and watched Airi's face instantly from beaming to heartbroken at her mother's sudden shift in demeanor."Are you trying to give me a heart attack like your brother?"

"I'm sorry." Airi reached over and turned the keyboard off. "I wasn't trying to scare you."

"I know." Mei sighed and rubbed her temple as she took a few breaths to calm down. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. I am upset and anxious to understand what is happening with your brother."

"Okay." Airi reached up and rubbed her eyes as she spoke. "Can I

"Airi, what's the matter," asked Yuzu as she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. "What happened?"

Airi didn't say anything, but both Yuzu and Mei heard the sounds of sniffles before she disappeared onto the second floor and the sound of her door creaking but no sound of it shutting.

"What's going on," inquired Yuzu, walking toward a now downtrodden Mei. "I'm gone for ten minutes, and she's running up the stairs crying. What happened?"

"I...lost my temper," admitted Mei with a shake of her head. "She got excited and hit the keyboard, and I said something I shouldn't have."

"Like what?"

Mei looked up and cringed slightly when she saw Yuzu glaring down at her, arms crossed in expectation. If it weren't for the mood, Mei would have found the look cute, but unfortunately, she knew that if she didn't admit to what she'd done, it'd lead to more problems later.

So, choosing to answer her wife honestly, Mei explained what had happened and hoped that Yuzu would understand, which she did at first.

"Well, at least you apologized," sighed Yuzu as the dull sounds of Airi's music drifted down the stairs. "But you'll need to make it up to her later."

"I will make it up to her once I figure out what's going on with my son, Yuzu." Mei took another sip from her tea and let out a sigh. "That is our priority. Airi knows I am sorry, and I will ensure she knows how much, but we need to handle this before dealing with her fit."

"Right," grumbled Yuzu, rolling her eyes. "Because your son takes priority over our daughter, who I should remind you, is upstairs right now, probably wondering why her mother is mad at her."

"I have already told you what I'm going to do, Yuzu." Mei's temper was beginning to flare up, but instead of getting loud, her voice gained an edge that at one time would have cowed Yuzu but now held little power over the older woman. "I know I made a mistake, but one of us needs to worry about Hideki."

"You think I'm not worried," asked Yuzu venomously. "I was out there just like you, looking for him and calling everyone we knew to ensure he was safe."

"You were also the only one in there with him with Abby before he stormed off," countered Mei, rising from the chair. "I trusted you with him, and somehow you made him not come home, and before you forget, while you were in there, I was keeping an eye on Airi during that whole debacle, so don't you dare think I don't have her on my mind."

"Didn't stop you from snapping at her," spat Yuzu, causing Mei's cheeks and ears to scarlet. "She was trying to help you feel better, and you made her feel worse. She's already got enough going on, and instead, she's spending time worrying about you, and you go and once again make her feel like she's less important than Hideki."

"She is just as important to me as..."

Mei stopped when she heard a knock at the door, followed by a key in the lock and then the creak of the door opening.

"Hello?" asked a familiar voice, but neither answered, waiting to see if another voice followed behind it.

"Mei? Yuzu? Airi? You guys home?"

"We're in the living room," answered Mei, annoyed at the sound of her ex-husband's but glad to have something to ease the tension between her and Yuzu.

There was a brief shuffling of shoes, and a moment later, Udagawa appeared with his usual smile plastered on his face, but both Mei and Yuzu could tell he was nervous.

"Oh, good." He breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders dropping as they relaxed. "You two weren't answering your phones, and I didn't want to try the house phone, though I should have because then maybe you guys would have known I was close. How long have you been home?"

"I don't know." Mei's voice had shifted from its tense and chilled tone to one that was a little warmer, though it was clear that he'd interrupted something important

"Well, at least you're both here." He let out a slight cough before adding, "Because I know I said when we talked that he'd be here with me, but as you can see, he's not."

"Where is..."

"He's at my house Mei," interrupted Udagawa, his voice even with a firmness that they rarely heard outside his business dealings. "Rena is talking with him right now while Reo and Hina are playing, doing schoolwork, or getting into trouble. But, in Hideki's case, I'm here just here to pick up his uniforms and school stuff."

"You said he'd be with you," hissed Mei, her anger slipping out, but Yuzu noticed Udagawa wasn't backing away. "You said he was willing to talk."

"And he changed his mind." Udagawa's frustration was beginning to slip though he was remaining firm. "He has a right to do that, and given how he's feeling, I'm going to stand behind him. Not his running off was inexcusable, and I promise we will punish him. But I will support him choosing to stay with Rena and me for the time being."

"But I'm his mother," snapped Mei, her shoulders rising and back straightening as her voice rose. "This is his home."

"And I'm his father," countered Udagawa, his voice enough so that Yuzu and Mei's eyes went wide in shock, "and he's allowed to change his mind about where he wants to live. Remember? Because I seem to remember, we all made that decision before he was born. Am I right, or did I forget something?"

"You're correct," added Mei, her ears bright red while Yuzu nodded in agreement. "But you haven't said why he's not with you, and don't give me that 'he changed his mind' routine. What did you do with my son?"

"I gave him a choice to come home or to stay with me." Yuzu noticed a shift in Udagawa's posture, and she was beginning to see him grow frustrated with Mei. "Because, according to him, he's been feeling like he has no say in what's going on in his life. He feels that you're forcing him to do what you want him to instead of talking to him like we all promised we would when it came to his future career plans. He has also asked that I do not talk to you about and as much as I want to, I won't because I don't understand it all, and I want to know what I'm saying before I say it."

"So you're just going to keep me in the dark," scoffed Mei, throwing her hands in the air. "You're going to let him do whatever he wants, is that it?"

"We're going to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," replied Udagawa, his face back to its calm demeanor, but his voice still held an edge that had Yuzu worried. "But he wants you to know that he's going to do the surgery on his leg and that he needs time to think. So he asked to stay with us for a while until he could figure it out, and as much as I don't want to say this, Hideki asked for minimal contact from you two until he's got his head back on straight. At least, that's what Rena and I have come to believe."

"'Minimal contact,'" snorted Mei. "What do you mean, 'minimal contact'? He's not even in college or busy enough to comprehend what something like that means. He's barely eighteen, let alone an adult who's old enough to make that decision. He's a child and..."

"You're right, Mei; he is a child. Our child remember? Or did you forget my part in this whole equation? And the 'minimal contact' thing is my words, not his, but it's the gist of what he said. He's got a lot to worry about Mei, not only his exams, but this surgery could affect his whole life, and we should be worrying about making sure he's healthy instead of piling on him and making him do something even more stupid. His knee has swollen, and he's barely able to walk. And we might have to take him to the emergency room tonight. Do you honestly want to dump all of this on him right now when he's about to undergo a life-altering surgery?"

"If he hadn't left on that and if someone hadn't forced him to wander off, he wouldn't be in this situation."

Her patience becoming thin, Yuzu bit her lip and took a few deep breaths while Mei asked, "So what am I supposed to do, just wait here and stare at my phone waiting for his call?"

"From what I understood, that's what he's asking. But do you honestly think I won't update you about anything? Do you have so little faith in me?"

"I'd much rather be with my son to ensure he's safe." Mei shook her head and glared at her ex-husband before folding her arms tight against her chest. "But apparently, I'm going to have to play along with this ridiculous farce, so I suppose I'll have to trust you."

"Do you think you can talk to Hideki for us?" asked Yuzu, causing Mei's attention to snap toward the blonde. Ignoring the waves of quiet anger emanating from her wife, Yuzu focused on Udagawa. "At least about the surgery. I know he's trying to figure things out, but we would appreciate it if he talked to us before and after. To check-in and let us know that he's okay, maybe even let us visit him in the hospital when he wakes up?"

"I'll ask," said Udagawa with a nod. "I'm sure he'd be happy to have you both and Airi there when he wakes up, even if he's being moody, but I need a promise that you'll not bug him about school or anything else until he's fully recovered. I think he'll want to talk once the surgery is over and he's recovered enough to handle a talk like that. I can't promise anything, but Rena and I will talk to him about it. Is that fine with you?"

"I'm fine with that," answered Yuzu with an appreciative nod. "Mei, are you okay with this?"

"Do I have a choice," huffed Mei tossing her arms up and turning toward the couch and the now lukewarm tea and opening a book after sitting. "It seems everyone has a say in what's going on in my son's life but me, so I have no reason to disagree."

"I guess that settles that," sighed Yuzu as Mei continued to act like she was ignoring them.

Ignoring Mei's tantrum, Yuzu led Udagawa upstairs, where they made a quick stop by Airi's room before going to Hideki's.

They found Airi sitting at her desk, coloring in a book and listening to a music video of a cartoon character with all white eyes and blue hair, wearing short green shorts, skating along a beach, and annoying people. At the same time, some actor followed him around with a guitar while mischief ensued.

Careful not to scare her, Udagawa sat down on the bed just out of the corner of Airi's eye and smiled when she let out a squeal of joy at seeing him.

"Hi, Uncle," Airi said happily as she closed her book and paused the tablet. "Are you and Hideki gonna stay for a bit? We're gonna have dinner soon. I don't know if Mommy or Mama is cooking, but it'll be yummy."

"I'm sure it will be," chuckled Udagawa, ruffling her hair before sighing. "But I'm afraid I can't stay, Airi. I just came to talk to your moms and to let you guys know that Hideki is going to stay with me, your cousins, and Auntie Rena for a bit."

"How come he's not coming home?" There was a quiver in Airi's voice as she began scratching the cover of her coloring book. "Is he mad at us? Did I do something that made him mad? I made Mommy mad earlier, so that's gotta be it."

"That's not it at all," said Udagawa with a concerned look at Yuzu, who looked defeated. "You didn't do anything, Airi. It's just that Hideki is finally starting to think a bit more like an adult, and there's a lot of stuff going on that is hard for him to figure out and understand right now. So he's going to stay with Auntie and me while he does. But he wanted me to give you this and to let you know he'll call you tomorrow or the next day. But I want to reiterate that he's not mad at you; he's stressed out. Like your moms get. You know? He's got some critical tests for school, so he needs to study, but your brother wants me to let you know he'll call and come and see you when he gets a chance. Okay?

As he spoke, Udagawa pulled out an envelope and handed it to Airi, who took it and stared at it in confusion.

"What is it," she asked as she stared at her name. "Is it a letter?"

"I don't know," shrugged Udagawa with a cautious smile. "Hideki asked me not to open it, so I didn't. But if you want to open it right now, you can, and your Mama and I will help you understand it. Do you want to do that?"

"I'll wait," said Airi with a sigh similar to Mei's. "Umm, can you give this to Hideki?"

Airi got off her chair, ran into the pile of stuffed toys she kept in the corner, and pulled out a raggedy old tiger.

"I remember this guy," chuckled Udagawa as he lifted the faded tiger and caressed the ear that Mei had haphazardly repaired a long time ago. "He helped Hideki out through a lot of stuff. Did you know Hideki used to chew on the tiger's ears when he was a baby?"

"That's gross," giggled Airi as she watched Udagawa mimic what happened to the ear.

"Yeah, you chewed on your owl's beak, so don't say something's gross when you did the same thing."

Airi squealed a protest, but Udagawa chuckled and rubbed the tiger against her face, asking, "You want to help me and your Mama get some stuff together for Hideki, or do you want to stay and color?"

"I'm gonna color," said Airi after chewing on her lip while she stared at her feet. "Do you think if I colored something good, Mommy won't be mad at me anymore?"

"Mommy isn't mad at you," explained Yuzu, walking up to her daughter and taking the freckled cheeks in her hand. "She's just having a difficult time right now, and she said some things she didn't mean. So don't worry about Mommy being mad at you. She knows she has to apologize, but she will need a little time, okay?"

"Okay."

Airi tried to hide her worry behind a smile for Yuzu, but it wasn't hard for Yuzu to see past the veneer, and after smoothing out her daughter's hair, Yuzu pointed at the desk and said, "That's my girl. Now go back to coloring while I go help your uncle get your brother's stuff together."

Airi nodded and gave Udagawa a quick hug before climbing back into her chair, pressing play on her music, opening her coloring book, and humming along with the songs.

"Are you sure she's going to be okay," inquired Udagawa as they partially closed the door and headed across the hall to Hideki's room. "She's going through almost as much as Hideki is, and she's only in kindergarten."

"She's doing fine for now," said Yuzu as she began locating Hideki's school and work uniforms and other clean clothes while Udagawa gathered the school supplies. "But you heard Airi; she's worried more about what Mei thinks of her, which is what we were arguing about before you walked in."

"That can't be easy." Udagawa flipped, grabbed a few non-school-related books and a couple of manga from Hideki's shelf, and added them to the pile while Yuzu organized the suitcase. "Have you guys dealt with her school at least?"

"Don't get me started on that," grumbled Yuzu as she slammed the books on top of Hideki's clothes, and Udagawa took that as a sign to let the matter drop.

After closing the lid, she stopped before zipping and, with a smile, asked, "Is there anything else you need? I'm sure it won't take long; he's nowhere near as messy as Airi, so it shouldn't be too hard to find what we need."

"Just the laptop and its charger," gulped Udagawa, wondering if Yuzu had snapped the books when she threw them down. "We've got phone chargers at home, so we're covered on that end."

Yuzu nodded and moved unplugged Hideki's laptop and charger from the socket beneath his bedside table and handed them over.

"That should be everything," Udagawa said with a nervous smile, "and I promise Rena and I will try to talk to him, making an effort to talk to you two. But he's as hardheaded as Mei, so I doubt I'll have any luck doing that, but we should be able to get him to let you come visit him in the hospital."

"Good. I think that will do us all some good, Airi and Mei most of all." Yuzu left a weight lift from her shoulders when she heard that. "I'm sorry about all this, with Hideki and Mei, but also Airi."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, Yuzu." Udagawa smiled, placed a warm hand on her shoulder, and squeezed it reassuringly. "You've done a lot for them, Mei, most of all. But as we all know, life gets messy, and in our case, it's more chaotic than some. Just don't feel like you have to take this all on yourself. Call me if things get bad or if you don't want to do that, call your parents or your and Mei's other friends. Regardless of who you call, you and Airi are part of my and Rena's family, just like Mei and Hideki. Don't forget that."

"I won't." Yuzu patted his hand before removing it and gesturing toward the door. "Come on, let's get you out of here before Rena comes over, and we have to repeat all of this."

Udagawa nodded his agreement, and after being ignored by Mei, he left. Once he was gone, Yuzu went and topped off Mei's glass, this time with extra ice, and set it on the table before grabbing a few vegetables out of the fridge and began prepping them for dinner.

She had no plan in mind, but Yuzu knew she'd come up with something based on what she'd grabbed, and just after she set aside the carrots, Mei came in and put her now empty glass away before resting against the counter, her arms crossed as she watched Yuzu for a short time before speaking.

"So, will you tell me what the two of you talked about? Or are we going to spend the whole night in silence?"

"We didn't talk about anything that you don't already know," explained Yuzu, setting her knife down and resting her hands on the side of the cutting board. "Your son will stay with his father for a while, and we'll honor Hideki's requests. But as you heard, Udagawa and Rena-san will try and get him to talk to us before or, at the bare minimum, after his surgery. Although a new piece of information is that Hideki promised he would talk to Airi as soon as he feels calm enough."

"What about us," inquired Mei, her voice a strange mixture of pain and unease. "Did Udagawa say anything new about Hideki and us?"

"What do you mean, 'us'?" asked Yuzu, backing away from the knife and the vegetables to look Mei in the eye.

"Well, I just assumed that maybe you two had some worked out some sort of compromise because you two were up there for so long."

"Up there for...," Yuzu's face shifted to one of shock as she tried to process what Mei was insinuating. "Mei, what on Earth do you think we were doing up there?"

"Hopefully, figure out a way to get Hideki to come home sooner."

"I already told you what we talked about." Yuzu rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. "Look, I don't know what you want from me. Yeah, I screwed up at Abby's, but it wouldn't have been so difficult if you had come in with me. I get that we didn't want Airi to see things if they got out of hand, but things ended up getting out of hand anyway."

"How is it my fault you 'messed up,' as you so casually put it?" Mei's ears were crimson, and her eyes grew wider at the accusation. "I was handling Airi, and you agreed to my request that you talk with Hideki and Abby."

"Well, if you'd get over yourself and risk sitting in a room with her and supporting me, maybe things would have turned out differently. But instead, you avoided her like you always do, leaving me alone and cornered, and instead of one upset and stressed kid, we now have two, and one of them won't even talk to us, and the other is wondering if she's to blame."

"Airi knows she isn't the one to blame," snorted Mei, rolling her eyes. "She's too smart to think that."

"Airi's six Mei, and she's gone through more than Hideki went through by the time he was her age. Hell, we still have to deal with the school because you keep canceling on them."

"So you're blaming her getting bullied on me?" Mei rubbed her temple and shook her head in frustration. "Why is it that your inability to handle the school without me is my fault? I am busy, not just with school but with several other things. You know this, and I figured you could handle it without me."

"Oh, and my time isn't valuable?" Yuzu's face was beginning to burn, and she could see that Mei was regretting her words. "I know you're busy, but I've also got three restaurants with Udagawa-san to watch. I have employees, payroll, the banks, and everything else because we don't have assistants and other staff to hand those jobs over to all the time. But I at least make the meetings, but they want both of us there to make sure we both understand, so we, as in you and me, can talk with the other parents, but you keep canceling, and it's not getting handled. So what happens? Airi's still getting bullied, maybe not as much as she used to, but it's still happening. They make fun of her hair, clothes, eyes, and anything else. They even make fun of her playing the piano even though they're all at the same level."

"I know this, Yuzu." Mei was beginning to feel both frustration and shame, but she didn't know where to direct it. "But I'm just trying to figure out what my canceling on these meetings has to do with this? They know I'll do whatever is in my power to sort this out, and you are more than capable of speaking for the both of us. I do trust you."

"Are you sure you trust me," asked Yuzu before grabbing a drink of water and returning her attention to her wife, "because from the way I see it, you don't trust any of us with Hideki, do you?"

"That's a lie, and you know..."

"Is it, Mei?" Yuzu set her glass down and wiped her mouth before speaking again. "Because ever since this whole thing started, you haven't once referred to him as our son; he's only been your son, Mei, as if neither me, Rena-san, or Udagawa-san, haven't spent the last twenty years raising him. But now, all of a sudden, when you have to appease me, you suddenly trust me with him? That you consider me his mother? Really?"

"I am upset, Yuzu." Mei's eyes turned away from Yuzu's, but she didn't turn away. "That was my anger speaking. He was wandering, hurt, and I am trying to understand why because he's never done this to us, and my emotions are getting the better of me."

"I'm upset too," said Yuzu in agreement. "And believe me, I understand what you're saying because I want to go over there and smack him and ask him why, but it still hurt Mei. You act as if the rest of us haven't done everything in our power to protect him or to make his life easier. I mean, it's easier now than when he was Airi's age, at least when it comes to our relationship, but all of us made that effort with him to ensure he knows he's not alone. But we haven't given that to Airi, at least not as much as we did for him. She knows she's different, she sees it every day, and I think we need to focus on that while we wait to talk to Hideki."

"There's nothing wrong with Airi, Yuzu." Mei's voice grew sharp again, which brought an appreciative but sad smile to Yuzu's face.

"I know that, Mei. At least physically, there's nothing wrong with her, but mentally I'm beginning to worry."

"You're referring to the bullying and the police incidents?" Mei looked perplexed, and it confirmed to Yuzu that Mei honestly didn't know what they were talking about.

Yuzu began rubbing her hands against her biceps and sighed. "You've never really seen it have you? The way people sometimes look at her. Even after Hideki got into that fight and heard what those boys called her, you still don't get it?"

"Those boys were idiots," snorted Mei dismissing the memory with a wave of her hand. "Besides, we reassured Airi, if I remember right, and she seemed fine afterward. I ensure that she's loved and knows we care about her. Are you saying I'm not doing enough?"

"Not necessarily, Mei." Yuzu began growing more uncomfortable and rubbing her hands together as she mustered the courage to bring it up. "But it's like when we go to those parties for work you sometimes have, actually a lot of times the people there...

"They haven't said anything to her, have they?" Mei's eyes narrowed, and Yuzu could see her trying to figure out who would do something like that to Airi. "Tell me who, and I'll..."

"It's not so much what they say, Mei." Yuzu felt relief seeing Mei's reaction, but it didn't help as much as she'd hoped. "But it's more of what they don't say. They're polite, and while the parties aren't my scene, I'm glad that Airi and I have gotten to go. This way, she's exposed to your job and understands what it means to be in this family, and she knows that we aren't ashamed of our life. Plus, it's finally nice for people in your circle to be at least somewhat accepting of our marriage."

"I'm glad too," said Mei, frustrated that this conversation was dragging out, but Yuzu could see the satisfaction in her eyes. "But what are they doing to her?'

"They treat her like she shouldn't be there." Frustration and pain gripped Yuzu's voice as she tried to talk. "Yeah, they greet her and are polite when you, me, or Hideki are around, but when we're not, it's torture. The adults treat her like she's this thing they have to tolerate because they don't want to offend you, and the kids laugh at her or walk away from her and ignore her."

"Did you say anything to anyone?"

"I tried Mei, but what was I going to do, make a scene? Remember how well that went down the last time I got in someone's face? I mean, it took forever for me to get invited again, but now I'm thinking I should have at least then Airi wouldn't believe she's better seen, not heard. Why do you think she hangs around us at those things? She's miserable.

"Then why didn't she tell us? If she's unhappy and doesn't like to go, she's always had the choice not to go. Same as with you and Hideki."

"Mei." Yuzu pinched the bridge of her nose and chuckled as she spoke. "Mei, have you not been listening to her at all today?"

"I've talked to her about plenty of things, Yuzu." Mei's concern shifted from its concerned tone back to a defensive one. "It may not have been about college, but we talked about her music, how hard dancing is, and that she's excited about school and working on an anniversary present for us. So yes, while I may not talk to her about everything, I do talk to her and try to understand her. But if you aren't going to enlighten me about the information you seem so keen on holding against me, then we will end this conversation and ask I will Airi myself what is going on with her."

"Okay." Yuzu nodded and sighed in defeat. "You're right. I haven't told you everything, but I didn't expect you to notice as little as you have, Mei. I'm not claiming I'm completely right in my assumption, but I think she keeps going because she wants you to like her, Mei."

"I love our daughter Yuzu," said Mei with a hint of contempt. "I have never denied that."

"I know you love her, Mei." A sad smile spread across Yuzu's face as she looked at her wife. "Airi knows that too, but she thinks you don't like her."

"Is there a difference," asked Mei, genuinely confused. "She's my daughter, I love her, and that's all there is to it."

"But you can still love someone without liking them, Mei." Yuzu's face grew forlorn as she began treading into dangerous waters. "I loved you for so long, Mei, but I didn't like you. Especially after you left, that's why I pushed you away, remember?"

"I remember." Mei's face grew similar to Yuzu's as she remembered their first few meetings after Mei reinitiated contact. "So you think that's why Airi does these things? Because she thinks I hate her?"

"I didn't say that," said Yuzu frustratedly, "and I will never do something to make you think that. But every time we talked about you after Hideki left, she kept asking how she could make you feel better. I know she's doing it out of love, but I also think she's doing it because she wants you to think she's useful."

"Why would she think anything like this," asked Mei, confused. "I've never once done anything of the sort that I can think of."

"I know." Yuzu felt a pain in her chest grow. "In the big ways, you show her you care, but the little things add up, Mei. You've canceled on showing up to her recitals or shown up incredibly late more times than we can count, but you always seem to show up on time for Hideki. She sees you fuss over him more and how you've always made more time for his things and not hers, and add that in with people making fun of her because of how she looks and how they treat her and tolerate her only because she's an Aihara it all adds up. Even being an Aihara isn't enough because, like with me, it's in name only. We don't have the clout you and Hideki do. So on our end, we're just tolerated most of the time unless it's from friends or family. I know this is supposed to be about Airi, but I'm still not completely accepted in your circles, and Airi notices that too. And if you add all that with her living in Japan and looking the way she does, I think she's internalizing it. I think our little girl is lonely and scared. That's why she's always seeking approval, especially with us. And I think if we don't address this now, Mei, Airi's..."

"Airi's what, Yuzu?" Mei glared at her wife and crossed her arms. "What do you think she's going to do?"

"I think," said Yuzu drawing out the second word in a sad attempt to prolong what had been on her mind all this time. "I think if we don't fix this, we're going to Airi what your dad did to you."

Except for the muted sound of one of Airi's songs, the hum of some appliances, and the clock that Hideki had gotten them for their anniversary, the house was almost silent as Mei and Yuzu stared at each other.

Mei, her eyes wide in shock at Yuzu's hypothesis, and Yuzu's eyes aimed at the kitchen sink to avoid looking at her wife.

After several quiet moments, Yuzu heard Mei's feet shuffle and a small quake in Mei's face as she said, "Thank you for your honesty, Yuzu. I will...I think I will head to our room for now. I need time to think about what I've done to our daughter."

"Mei, I didn't mean it like that." Yuzu's eyes lifted from the ground just as Mei walked by. "I'm not perfect; I know I'm not. I'm sor..."

"Do not apologize for being honest with me, Yuzu." Mei rubbed her eyes and shifted away from Yuzu. "This is my fault, and I need time to think about how I can correct what I've done."

"Mei, come on." Yuzu followed behind her, but Mei's longer stride and slightly longer gait kept her ahead of Yuzu. "Mei, I wasn't trying to place the blame on you. Come on, say something to me. Please? I want to help her; that's why I brought it up."

Mei said nothing as she walked up the stairs, pulling her shoulder away from Yuzu as the blonde tried to stop her.

Turning into their room, Mei pressed her body against the door, slamming it, and just as Yuzu twisted the knob, she heard the deadbolt latch, and the door refused to open.

"God damn it," whispered Yuzu as she pressed her fist against the door and lightly smacked it a few times. "Mei, please open up. Mei? Please? I'm..I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Silence from the door, and when Yuzu raised her hand to knock and ask Mei's permission to enter a second time, she heard Airi's door creek open.

"Mama?"

Yuzu's head snapped around to see Airi's head poking out of her door, a look of worry in her bright green eyes.

"Mama, is Mommy okay?"

"Mommy isn't feeling well," said Yuzu hastily, hoping Airi didn't see the tears forming in her eyes. "So she's going to stay here, and we'll go out for dinner while she rests. Maybe we'll see if Grandma and Grandpa want to come, does that sound fun?"

"Yeah," said Airi, her mood lifting at the prospect of seeing her grandparents. "Can we ask if I can sleep over? I wanna sleepover with them."

"Why not," said Yuzu, feeling guilty for this on-the-fly decision. "But why don't you check on Mommy while I get your clothes ready?"

Without another word, Airi bolted from her room and slammed her tiny palm against the door, saying, "Mommy! Can I come in?"

Yuzu moved away from her and Mei's door towards Airi's and wait, her heart pounding as she prayed for Mei to let their daughter in.

Finally, after several gut-wrenching moments, the latch clicked, and Airi turned the knob.

Pushing the door, Airi managed to open the door enough for her tiny body to fit through before Mei's weight shut the door again.

Yuzu heard muffled voices followed by what she hoped was a laugh and went into the room, grabbed some clothes, put them in a backpack, and waited on Airi's bed.

Ten minutes later, the door opened, and Airi exited smiling and shouted, "Feel better, Mommy! I love you."

"I love you too, Airi," came Mei's voice, hoarse but filled with love. "I'll see you soon."

"Are you ready," asked Yuzu, getting up from the bed, hoping against hope that Airi didn't see the sadness she was feeling.

"Yeah." Airi nodded and grabbed a red book and her coloring book off her desk. "I'm gonna leave these for Mommy so she can feel better. Can you grab my owl?"

"Sure." Yuzu grabbed the owl and set it down outside the door, and headed to the stairs while Airi positioned the other things next to her owl.

"Mommy, the presents I promised are outside the door. You can grab them when you feel better. I'll call you at bedtime."

Mei said something that Yuzu couldn't hear, and after Airi kissed her palm and tapped the door, the two grabbed Yuzu's things and headed to the car, where Yuzu proceeded to make a few phone calls. Unfortunately, no one could meet them for dinner, and her mom and Mei's dad weren't available, so once Airi ate, Yuzu made her way to one of the few places she knew she could go on short notice.

"And that's the whole story," sighed Yuzu after putting down her beer bottle. "At least it's the story for now."

"Christ, that sounds like a hell of a day," sighed Matsuri from her place on the deck. "I've noticed that stuff going on with Airi a little, but I didn't know it was that bad. I thought it was just kids being cruel."

"It's not like we didn't expect it." Yuzu scratched her head before resting it on Harumi's shoulder. "But I guess we thought we'd be able to handle it better. People were mostly fine when she was a baby; a few made some off comments that Mei and I shut down, but once she started walking and talking, I don't know. It just seemed like once that happened and Airi got more independent, people felt it was okay to start being more open."

"Well, it's not like what Airi is experiencing is new," said Harumi with a sigh. "From what I've researched, it's a problem in many places. Historically it's been a problem all over the world, but since Airi's one of only maybe a handful of people like her in this country, I guess it hits harder, not only for her but for us too. She knows we don't care, right? That we like her for just the way, she is?"

"She knows that people within our immediate group are safe," chuckled Yuzu before sighing. "But I want her to get friends that aren't kids of our friends or her cousins. I want her to be comfortable enough to do that, and she tries, but you know my feelings on what might happen."

"She'll get there," grunted Matsuri as she popped up from the deck, wrapped an arm around Yuzu's waist, and squeezed. "You and Mei got through all that other crap. You can do this, and if she's not willing to do it, I'll show Airi how it's done."

"Show her how what's done, you little gremlin," grumbled Harumi, reaching around Yuzu's back and tugging on her girlfriend's hair. "Half your staff deals with you because you're their boss; the other half only do it because they're afraid of what you might do to them if they don't show up."

Yuzu wasn't sure what to make of the noise that came out of Matsuri's mouth, but she knew it wasn't good and was thankful when Matsuri said, "To quote Machiavelli, 'it's better to be feared than loved,' and I got that in spades at work. Speaking of work, tomorrow will be a nightmare, and I'm sorry to do this Yuzu; I gotta hit the sack. Are you gonna hang out with Airi tonight, or do you want to continue our girl's night in mine and Harumi's room?"

"I don't know yet," sighed Yuzu while Harumi and Matsuri began cleaning up. "I'm going to check on her before I head to bed, so chances are I'll cuddle up next to Airi before I go to sleep. You two get some rest, and I'll make breakfast in the morning for you two. Anything you want?"

"Dealer's choice," answered Harumi before giving Yuzu a quick kiss on the top of the head. "Try to get some sleep, and don't be afraid to ask for help. I know how you get, and I don't want you thinking you have to take this all on yourself. Promise?"

"I promise."

Yuzu smiled, stood up with them, and helped with garbage before bidding them good night.

After a quick stop in the restroom to freshen up, Yuzu made her way to the guest room, where she found Airi passed out on the bed, her body spread eagle and her nightgown acting almost like a second blanket.

Grateful that her daughter hadn't inherited her brother's tendency to strip in his sleep, Yuzu bundled Airi up, moved her to the side of the bed away from the door, and got dressed in some spare pajamas of Harumi's.

The bed squeaked under her weight, but Airi didn't move or say anything. She smacked her lips and went back to snoring, making Yuzu laugh.

"We'll figure this out, sweetie," whispered Yuzu, stroking Airi's hair and was prepared to go to bed when she felt something hard beneath her butt.

"Not again," sighed Yuzu pulling the tablet out from under the covers.

Shaking her head, Yuzu was ready to put it away when the screen popped up and what looked like a slightly out-of-focus Mei appeared on the screen, her face covered by a prominent pause symbol.

Wondering what it was, Yuzu put in the earbuds and, making sure the volume wasn't too loud, settled into the pillows and pressed play.

"Is this thing recording?" Mei asked on the other side of the screen as she fiddled with the phone.

There was a brief moment where Mei peeked around, and Yuzu caught an eyeful of Mei's ring dangling from its necklace and heard a confirmation that things were going the way she wanted after she reappeared. After adjusting her nightgown, Mei held up a red book with a picture of a unicorn standing in front of a green field, a tree, rivers, and mountains, looking nervous.

"I'm sorry it has to be done this way, Airi, but I promised we'd finish tonight, so I'm trying to figure out how to record this and send this to you. I hope this works, but if not, we shall finish this when you come home. I hope you're having a good night with Mama and whoever you're with and that I miss you, Mama, and your brother very much."

Yuzu watched Mei's chest heave as she took a shaky breath to steady herself, and once she felt ready, she turned toward what looked like the last few pages of the book and began to read.

The tears fell almost immediately as Yuzu listened to Mei read the final portions of the story. The farewells between the friends, their dreams for the future, and the pain of their losses. Yuzu even laughed a few times at hearing the voices for the first time since Mei and Airi had kept their reading of this story a secret, and now she knew why.

They weren't perfect, but they were better than when Mei had tried to do voices for Hideki, and Yuzu felt her heart swell with love and break a little bit at learning and felt the guilt of the argument rise again.

Tears threatened to fall again, but Yuzu stopped them when she heard Mei recite a song from the book the wizard and the woman were singing to one another:

" 'I am no king, and I am no lord,

And I am no soldier-at-arms,' said he.

'I'm none but a harper, and a very poor harper,

That am come hither to wed with ye.'

" 'If you were a lord, you should be my lord,

And the same if you were a thief,' said she.

'And if you are a harper, you shall be my harper,

For it makes no matter to me, to me,

For it makes no matter to me.'

"But what if it prove that I am no harper?

That I lied for your love most monstrously?'

'When then I'll teach you to play and sing,

For I dearly love a good harp,' said she."

Finishing the song, Mei closed the book and quietly said, "The end."

There was a long silence as Mei sat there staring into the camera, her breath a little uneven.

Unsure if this was the end, Yuzu reached up to press the stop button until she was stopped by Mei saying, "Fitting song, given the way today ended. But I want you to know, Airi, that I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you had to make me like you. If you get anything from that song, it's the knowledge that I will accept you and love you no matter what. I know you don't understand this now, and I will talk to you later about it, but I love you for you, and Mama and I will make it up to you. Go to sleep now, and sweet dreams."

After that, Mei got up and moved toward the phone, but Yuzu stopped the video before it got to Mei, picking the phone up and making the video unwatchable.

Wiping her eyes, Yuzu set the tablet on the bedside table and, despite her best efforts, rolled over, hugged her sleeping daughter, and began to cry.

Okay, that was an emotionally draining chapter after two years of silence.

I'm sorry if I forgot some plot points, but I hope you all enjoyed it.

I also got some new fan art from a love scene on the Citrusmanga subreddit. I posted it under this name, and if you've seen it, the artist is on Reddit under UwU-OnlyMes you may have seen the art on Instagram! Please give them a like and check them out! I appreciate their art; it helped dust off some cobwebs.

As for the song, the song is the last lines from "The Last Unicorn" by Peter S. Beagle.

Copyright Peter S. Beagle 1968

Published by Penguin publishing, aka Penguin Random House these days.