A/N: So, here we are at the final stage of "The Leading life of Ordinary". It has been very awesome and so much fun in writing this piece. Enjoy!
--+--
The Leading Life of Ordinary
Stage 3
Reminiscence
The lights were bright inside of the large ballroom. The people almost could have said that the source of light came from Aiko Kiyoshi's beaming face on her wedding day. Her bright smile would not and could not fade away as she danced with her new husband Makoto Kiyoshi.
The real story of how they met began with the opening of Haruko's new software corporation. It was quick, advanced, and all corporations were beginning to use it. (Of course, Kiyotaka's corporation backed it up.) Haruko was also celebrating his own engagement to his girlfriend from college, Amaya Maeko. It was love at first sight for Aiko and Makoto. Two years later, there were there in the illuminating ballroom, dancing to their song as a newlywed couple.
Kousuke and Ryoko could not be prouder and more delighted than anyone else. Haruko and Amaya were expecting their first child with Haruko's company still going on strong. Aiko was now embarking on a new journey called marriage. Aneko had begun working for a French magazine called ELLE, and Jiro was on his way to college.
Ryoko sank into her chair and sighed. "It only seems like yesterday that my children were children." She said slowly.
"Ah, it feels like a lifetime ago to me." Kousuke replied. "With them running around causing an uproar inside for so long, I thought it wouldn't end…"
Jiro smile softly and said, "You raised us well though."
"For a moment, I thought we didn't raise the twins well enough, but they turned out just fine." Ryoko replied with relief.
"We can expect another grandchild on the way soon." Kousuke said passively.
"And a box full of clothes from fashion designers as well." Jiro added.
Aneko had moved to Paris after high school for college and an once-in-a-lifetime internship with ELLE. The twins became even easier to tell apart afterwards. Aneko had shorn off her long reddish-pink hair and dyed it so the color looked like dark copper wires. She often wore black and another color and green eye shadow to bring out her emerald green eyes. In other words, she had become very à la mode and trendy.
"I do not see why Aneko keeps sending us samples of clothes from work. Really! Where am I going to wear them? I am only a stay home mom. Where will I wear the latest Chanel skirt? The supermarket?" Ryoko asked.
"You have a point, mom." Aneko replied as she approached her parents and youngest brother. "Would you like it if I just sent you perfume and designer bags instead?"
Ryoko thought a moment before saying she would. "Oh my. It looks like we will be using your old rooms in order to store all of the thousands bottles of perfume and designer purses." Kousuke said sadly.
"Oh, how rude." Aneko commented stiffly as she turned her nose up into the air.
"Aneko…Are you talking with a French accent?" Jiro asked bluntly.
"Eh…" The color on Aneko's cheeks slightly became a little redder. "What makes you say that?"
"I thought I heard you speaking with one."
"Eh… Well, enough about me! This day is about Aiko and Makoto! We really should be talking about them!" Aneko evaded quickly.
"Nice change of subject." Jiro said quietly. His parents gave them a bemused smile.
"Sh-shut up, Jiro." The oldest twin ordered.
"Your sister really does look beautiful, though." Ryoko cut in.
Aneko flipped her copper red hair over her shoulder. "All thanks to me of course."
"Sure, why not?" Jiro replied in a sarcastic tone.
"Shut your face, Jiro!" Aneko ordered fiercely.
"Hmph. You would think my children would be able to display more maturity now that they are all adults, but it looks like I was wrong." Ryoko commented coldly.
They didn't say another cross word after that.
--+--
"Oh, mom, I feel a little guilty about leaving you and dad all alone in that house." Aiko said on the following Monday of her wedding. She was preparing with Makoto to go on their honeymoon in Italy.
"I believe we will be fine by ourselves, Aiko. You have nothing to worry about." Ryoko reassured.
"But…"
"No 'buts', Aiko!" Ryoko continued loading her youngest daughter's luggage into her car. "Your father and I are perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. We are forty-six, not sixty-six."
"If you insist…but won't it be very lonely in that house once Jiro is off to college?" Aiko asked.
"Of course it will. I will no longer have anyone to chase after or yell at, unless it is your father for not picking up his socks and putting them in the hamper." The mother said with an amused smile.
"Yes, but with Haruko and Amaya's child on the way, I am more than positive that we will be chasing after a young child again." Kousuke answered as he strode out of the house with more luggage in tow. "And I heard that sock comment as well." He shot at his wife.
Ryoko's smile did not falter. "It's true, though. You are too lazy to get off your ass and put with the rest of the dirty clothes."
"This should be the last of our baggage." Makoto replied as he placed in one more suitcase. "Aiko, we should get going now."
"Certainly."
"Jiro! Come say good-bye to your sister!" Kousuke yelled.
Jiro abruptly stopped playing Franz Liszt's Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude (The Benediction of God's Solitude) on his piano and walked outside to say good-bye to the newlywed couple. There were kisses and hugs and handshakes to go around.
"I'm sorry that Aneko and Haruko aren't here to see you off." Ryoko apologized to her daughter and new husband.
"Why are you apologizing? You don't have to. I am aware that Aneko is busy at the magazine." Aiko replied.
"Yes, and Haruko is at work making up for my absence." Makoto said with a laugh.
"Bye Aiko. Hopefully I will find someone special and at least be half as happy as you when I get married." Jiro replied with a soft smile.
"Aw, that's so sweet of you, Jiro!" Aiko answered with her own smile. "Come here."
She moved to hug her little brother, but Jiro instead flinched as she approached. "Don't be stupid. I won't hurt you." She replied. Jiro reluctantly allowed her to hug him. "Here, let me give you some advice on love. Love is like playing the piano. First, you must learn to play by the rules. Then you must forget the rules and play from your heart."
"Where did you learn that?" Jiro asked.
"From Ayumu Narumi. Auntie Rio told me the story of how Ayumu convinced Eyes to marry Kirie." Aiko explained with a grin.
"I'll keep that in mind for many years."
"But I think that you shouldn't be as half as happy as Makoto and me. You should be half as happy as mom and dad – no, the rest of the surviving Blade Children. They of all people have lead challenging and miserable lives. For them to be truly happy in this day and age is a blessing that extends beyond the sky."
Aiko and Makoto got into their car and drove off towards their new life together.
--+--
"Jiro, are you ready to go now?" Kousuke asked as he came down the stairs.
He was at his piano as usual, this time, playing Claude Debussy's Arabesque No.1 as his mother watched. Jiro ended the song before looking up at his dad and answering, "Yes. I am now."
Kousuke stacked Jiro's carry-on luggage in the back of the car as Ryoko and Jiro climbed into the car. Kousuke started up the car and began driving to the airport. They all were silent along the way. They went through airport security until both Ryoko and Kousuke could no longer accompany their youngest son.
"Well, this is where you have to go off on your own." Ryoko replied.
"Just think of this as the point of your own independence." Kousuke said.
Jiro smiled. "Mom, dad, thank you… For everything." He replied.
"You better study well at Oxford!" Ryoko ordered.
Jiro laughed and said, "I will." He kissed his mom and dad before going through the rest of security to his plane.
Ryoko held her husband's hand as she watched her son's retreating back. Kousuke looked at her to spot tears welling up in her eyes.
"This is the fourth time I have had to watch one of our kids go off to college, and it is still very painful." She said sadly.
"I know. It is painful for me, too. But this will be the last time we will have to stand here in the airport like this for this occasion."
--+--
"It's funny." Ryoko replied.
"What is?" Kousuke asked.
"I used to think this house was so small. Now that it is just the two of us, it feels enormous." She answered.
"I see what you mean."
Kousuke sat down on the couch in front of the TV but didn't turn it on. His wife sat down next to him, gently hugging him.
"The cost of our bills will be lower." Ryoko commented. "And I will need to buy food for only two people now."
"Three, if you count Rio and her frequent visits."
Ryoko laughed. "Maybe it is time for a vacation."
"We should drop in on Rio unexpectedly like she always does to us."
"That would be nice."
"I would suggest paying a visit to Eyes and Kirie in London, but that would develop into seeing Jiro as well." Kousuke explained.
"How about this? In six months, we go visit Eyes and Kirie in their London flat. Then we make a side trip to see how Jiro is doing."
"It sounds good. Maybe after that, we could pay a visit to Rio and then Aneko in Paris. Perhaps to Germany to visit Kanone's grave."
Kousuke's wife gasped. "That's a lot of trips and visits!"
"Technically, that is one trip and five visits." He answered. "It certainly would be nice, don't you think?"
"Yes, you're right." Ryoko laid her head on her husband's shoulder. "If Ayumu were still alive, we could have paid him another visit. The last time we ever visited him was when I was pregnant with the twins."
They were silent for a little bit until Kousuke said, "That song that Jiro was playing before we left for the airport… Didn't Ayumu play that for us on our last visit?"
"I think so…"
--+--
"Nice to see you again Kousuke, Ryoko." Ayumu greeted as he opened up the door of his hospital room with his right hand.
Kousuke and Ryoko went inside, a small toddler in Kousuke's arms. "I brought you some cake, Ayumu." Ryoko said pleasantly as she handed Ayumu a light colored tupperware container.
"Thank you, Ryoko. I've been eating nothing but this disgusting hospital food." Ayumu made a face as he placed the container on his bedside. "The nurses insist that I stay on this ridiculous diet. Madoka and my brother often bring me food I can appreciate whenever they visit."
"I see… I would comment that you look well, but that would be a lie." Kousuke commented.
"Kousuke!" Ryoko burst.
"There is no need, Ryoko. I have lost the use of my left arm so I would not be well. I would like to get outside of these hospital walls more often, though. The nurses make such a fuss whenever I do go outside. It is very annoying. It's like having ten Hiyono Yuizaki's fawn over me with worry." Ayumu said coldly. "It takes away the enjoyment of actually being outside."
"It's always nice to see that you haven't lost your cold edge over the years." Kousuke commented quietly. Ayumu ignored him.
"Have you been in contact with Hiyo – Akira, lately?" Ryoko asked.
"No, I haven't seen her since she visited me after her assignment in Germany." Ayumu replied. He peered at the toddler in the red head's arms and the rounding bump on Ryoko's stomach. "But I do see you are pregnant again, Ryoko."
Ryoko smiled. "Oh yes. With twins this time."
"Really? Twins certainly are joyous occasion." Ayumu replied in a soft tone.
"Yes, two more to contribute to a chaotic household." Kousuke added as his son began to happily tug his reddish-pink hair. "Ouch!"
"May I see your son?" Ayumu asked.
"Certainly." Kousuke gently took his son's hand away from his own hair before placing him in Ayumu's good arm.
"He looks a lot like you, Ryoko."
"Yes, he does."
"What is his name?"
"Haruko."
"How fitting since it means 'first born'." Ayumu replied.
"Yes, that's why we gave him that name."
"Do you know the sexes of the twins?"
"Kousuke does, but I don't. I prefer to keep that information in the dark until I actually have them." Ryoko explained.
"Hm. I can see a large family with you two." Ayumu said. "No matter how much these kids will drive you up the wall, you will love them very much."
"Thank you, Ayumu." Ryoko replied.
"I think our visit has run on long enough." The savior said. "Allow me to play for you before you leave." He handed Kousuke Haruko and sat down on a shiny ebony piano that glinted in the sun.
It was amazing to both Kousuke and Ryoko how Ayumu could perfectly play Claude Debussy's Arabesque No.1 with only one hand. It was then they became aware that because of Ayumu, all things are possible.
--+--
"… And then that was the last time we visited him." Ryoko finished.
"It is a shame he died without seeing Jiro… His vision of our big family would have been made true."
"Yes."
They were quiet for several minutes. It had been the first time in twenty-five years since Ryoko and Kousuke had complete silence in their house. Haruko wasn't tearing down the house, yelling at the twins. Aneko and Aiko weren't creating mischief and noise, and Jiro wasn't playing the piano. Without all of that, the house seemed completely empty and…silent.
Ryoko sighed. "We are only forty-six and I feel so old now…We're also going to be grandparents soon."
"You want to know who really is old?" Kousuke asked. Ryoko lifted her head to look at her husband. "Kiyotaka."
"That's acceptable. He's sixty-three now." Ryoko replied. "Will he be retiring soon from the business?"
(Kiyotaka's age is just an estimate of my own. In my opinion, he was in his mid-thirties when the Blade Children were just eighteen. I know all Blade Children are seventeen during the manga, but I think they all turn eighteen at the very end. So the difference between Kiyotaka's age and the Blade Children's after Ayumu's answer is seventeen years. Ryoko and Kousuke are forty-six in this chapter so adding on seventeen years, Kiyotaka's age adds up to either sixty-three. Sorry. I just wanted to clarify Kiyotaka's age and how I got it. Anyway, back to the story.)
"It depends if Yukio or Amarante will take up the position as head of the corporation." Kousuke replied. Yukio and Amarante are the only son and daughter of Kiyotaka and Madoka.
"Are they still hesitant?"
"Yes. Kiyotaka's age is starting to get to him. He needs an heir now, and Yukio and Amarante want the other to take up the position." Kousuke explained.
"Why don't both take up the position and split the responsibility?"
"Madoka suggested that as well. Both won't listen." He said.
"Kousuke, maybe Kiyotaka should name you the head of the corporation!" Ryoko exclaimed.
Kousuke smiled wryly. "I'm not the leadership type, really. Too much responsibility anyway. I have worked under Kiyotaka for the past twenty-five years. I plan on serving him and the successor until I am so old, I cannot get out of bed." He replied.
"So modest."
"Both Yukio and Amarante would contribute greatly if either became the successor. They grew up with it. They know everything that goes on."
"That may be true, but someone who gets involved with the family business ends up being forced into it, hating it, or becoming the successor." Ryoko answered.
"True, but I don't believe they hate it. But if they don't make up their minds on who will be the heir, Kiyotaka and Madoka will force either or maybe both into the position."
"If they are forced, then they really will hate the corporation." She commented.
"No kidding."
--+--
"I never knew we had so much crap up here." Kousuke commented as he looked around the attic.
"It's not crap, Kousuke." Ryoko said crossly. She punched her husband in the arm.
He rubbed the spot where he was punched and crouched down to stare at all of the boxes. "How much did you store in here when the kids were growing up?"
Ryoko went slightly pink. "A lot."
Kousuke looked around at the labeled boxes. "Report cards… old baby clothes… old toys… Haruko's former encyclopedias… kiddy books… Complaints about the twins from teachers…" He read off. "Jeez, Ryoko, you stored all of this?"
"I couldn't help myself, Kousuke. But now that the kids are gone, I don't have much to do. This is just something to keep me busy."
"Hmph. I can already see you rearranging the house and back in order to keep yourself occupied." Kousuke answered sourly. "I think you would be better off coaching track at Tsukiomi Academy or some other school."
"Shut up! I didn't ask you to help!" She glared at the redhead. "Why don't you go watch TV or something?"
Kousuke snorted. "TV rots the brain."
"If it does, then go do something else! I'll stay up here organizing by myself."
Kousuke ran his hand through his hair and sat down next to his wife. "Okay, what do you want me to do?"
"You can take all the boxes with baby clothes, toys, and children's books downstairs. I plan on giving them to Haruko and Amaya for the new baby." Ryoko ordered.
"Figures. I knew my wife would make me do all of the labor work." He grunted under his breath.
They went off to work. Ryoko opened boxes upon boxes and looked at their content inside. Kousuke carried boxes that contained items that could be given away downstairs. Once in a while, he would stop to reminiscence on certain memories with his wife.
("'Aneko was caught stealing a classmate's books and throwing them out the window.' 'Aiko offered another student a glass of water which she claimed had poison in it. It was later confirmed it was only bitter medicine.' 'Aneko was caught throwing a knife at another student in Home Economics class.' 'Aiko was caught kicking one of the members of the baseball team in the face and the back after school.'" Kousuke read through all of the complaints issued against the twins from when they were in school. "Damn. It's like reading about the twins' greatest achievements from school.")
They could not and would not forget the past. Life for them had always been difficult. But despite those difficult times, they came out on top. They fought for their existence. They fought to raise a family. Now, they were contented and happy and ready to move on with their "ordinary" lives.
Well, here we go! Here is the final chapter of The Leading Life of Ordinary!! It has been fun writing this. Now I have many other one-shots to complete. Oh my...So much work! Well, back to work! Onward and upward!