"Commitment"

by Furor Scribendi

2008 Scribendi Productions

June 25th

Mahoro watched as Suguru headed off to school, his huge bento in tow. That lunch was a lot of work to do and it completely tapped the house of foodstuffs. She would definitely have to go to the produce district to get sufficient stocks for all meals over the next few days, but that was slated for the afternoon. There was a house to clean now! "Well, it's time to get to work!" she said.

She went back in and stared at things. The house showed the neglect borne of four years and it was going to take some time to get it back into shape. The cobwebs were certainly a strong indicator of that. "Three days. I can get this all done in three days." Mahoro went to the laundry room to start the first load of clothes.

The closet explosion from the night before told her this would be the most time-consuming aspect of everything, as there was just so much to do. It was as though rather than washing the clothes, Suguru just bought new and either wore them down or out. At least the sunny June weather meant that the clothing would dry quickly out on the line. Once the first load was started, it was back into the main house.

She recalled the words of Commander Misato, "You must establish your base of operations before you move outwards." That meant she had to start with the kitchen. She had been able to get some things attended to last night, but that was done more to offer an ability to navigate the kitchen, and not a full clean. The fridge itself would be done a bit later, as that was going to require a complete overhaul. There were things in there that were growing and she would need to make it fresh for the new foods coming in.

Mahoro sniffed. Something wasn't right with the air; it wasn't fish stinky, but it wasn't garden crisp. She went to the fridge, but the smells did not come from there. She walked about the house, trying to find the location of the smell. It certainly was a stuffy sensation, but no specific spot could be detected. The house needed a good airing out. She opened up all the windows to allow the early summer breeze to drift through the rooms and make things cheery.

With the blinds up, she saw that it was a double-edged sword. The house immediately looked better, as the sunlight came in to chase away the gloom, but it really showed the amount of messiness. She sighed. It looked like it would now take four days at this point. Into the kitchen.

After the breakfast dishes were done and put out to dry, the sink was filled with soapy water and Mahoro proceeded to wipe down all the cabinet faces. In some places, she was surprised to discover the wood was not that dark, but years of grease and grime had taken their toll. The kitchen appeared brighter, but a wood polishing would come later and…

She looked at the floor. She was pretty well assured that gray was not the original color of it. "Well, if I was the vacuum cleaner, where would I hide? The hallway closet would be a good start." She went to the door, put her hand out on the knob, and then froze, pulling her hand back.

She remembered last night when she opened Suguru's closet and was nearly smothered under an avalanche of clothing. This time, she would be smart. Standing on the other side of the door, she reached over for the knob, turned it and yanked the door open fast.

CRASH!

The contents of the closet tumbled out onto the floor. Mahoro was safe behind the door, but when she saw what had come out, she sighed even harder. It appeared it would take five days to get the house into shape. Peering into the inky depths of the closet, she saw the vacuum, but it was a Herculean struggle to free it from all the entanglements. The clothes hangers seem to have bred out of control and it was a snarled puzzle as the other items inside conspired against her from removing the vacuum.

However, in her wrestling match, she was able to find a pouch of vacuum bags, unopened. This was not a good sign, she thought. Once she found all the attachments to the vacuum cleaner, she assembled it. "Now, Mr. Vacuum Cleaner, we are going to get to know each other very well over the next few days, so let's see if we can work together."

She went into the kitchen and began to remove all the cobwebs, lurking in corners, hiding under tables and counters, stuffed away in the window tracks. When she went for the lint trap under the fridge, it was a veritable warren of dust bunnies. She was afraid the vacuum would clog up, but it performed well.

Slowly, things were getting cleaned up. With the washing down of the kitchen floor, ("And the floor really is white, not gray"), and the final polishing of the wood, that room was secured. She looked at the clock: 10:30. It was now the entry hall's turn, but first, more laundry.

Load One was taken out of the machine and Load Two was started. The day was warming up nicely. "Good, these will dry quickly and then I can iron it all. Suguru looked like a wrinkled bed this morning and I cannot have that happen again. He may not know all that much about his father, but he will carry on in his fine tradition of always looking your best." She came back in to gaze at the entry hall.

It was a rat's maze, as one had to negotiate all the piles of magazines, paper bags, lost clothing and errant recyclables. "It would be best to see what I am doing," she commented, so the glass on the door was attacked first. Polished to crystal clearness, the light streamed in. She looked from the door's perspective: for such a small area, it managed to be crammed with all kinds of problems. She had to put away books and the piles of garbage that were strewn about before she could even see the floor, to be able to vacuum up all the dust and spider webs.

The vacuum was making odd noises, almost a gagging sound, so when she checked it out, she was shocked to see the bag had been completely filled, as hard as a rock and just as heavy. "I am going to have to modify my end date to be six days to get this house into shape," she mused as she swapped out the bags. At least trash pick-up day was tomorrow, so these bags of refuse wouldn't be hanging around too long.

What bothered her most about the area was the flower vase. The flower had been dead for so long, it was mummified and the water had completely evaporated from it. All the vases and planters had hopelessly dead plants in them. Later on today, she would get some clippings from the garden to not only add color to the house, but fragrance as well. Still, with a bit more effort, the entryway was cleaned and straightened up. Two rooms down. As she wiped her brow, the clock chimed noon. It was time to get down to the marketplace. She wanted to tackle the fridge before the food came in, but the day was just slipping away.

She scampered outside and checked the clothes on the line; they were fully dried. Load One was brought into the house and laid on the table, as she would address it later. Load Two was taken out of the machine and Load Three was started. She headed out into the backyard to hang up Load Two. The day was getting warmer. Dare I dream of getting a fourth load done today, she pondered.

As she headed to the marketplace, she was lost in thought. This task was certainly much more difficult than she had imagined. Destroying androids was a piece of cake compared to taking care of a house and Suguru had left absolutely everything in her capable hands. She was not going to let him down and she was not going to let herself down. Even the education she had gotten as the Vesper Housekeeping Services had not fully prepared her for this level of, well, combat.

The Marketplace was a hive of activity as she looked about at all the wares and goods. There was so much to choose from! She stopped at the fishmonger's shop to see what came in. He was a portly man, making sure everything was fresh and on ice as he bustled about. He looked up as saw Mahoro peering at the fish.

"Well, I haven't seen you around here before. I can't remember the last time a saw a genuine maid. And who are you, if I may ask?"

"I am Mahoro and I am the new maid for the Misato household."

"The Haunted House? He got himself a maid? Well, I admire Suguru for trying to live by himself for four years, but he needs help." The fish monger leaned in close. "He eats badly. Too much fast food, and for a growing boy, he needs something tasty."

"Well, what do you have in…" Mahoro stopped and stared. "That is a lovely halibut."

"Oho, the lady has an eye for value. Shall I wrap that up for you?"

"Hai! And also some of that cod as well." As her supplies were taken care of, Mahoro thought about all the things she could do with that succulent halibut. "I have a piece of fishy, so tasty on my dishy, a tiny bit of breading and for dinner you'll be ready," she sang to herself.

Over to the greengrocer's, she saw lots and lots to choose from. He was a man who wore his baseball cap backwards, and he greeted the maid. "This is the finest produce in all of Hiryu. If you want it any fresher, you'd have to go to the farm and pick it yourself."

"Let's see," mulled Mahoro." The white radishes, the kale, the carrots, the…oooooh! Is that udo? A bit of that as well."

"You certainly know your vegetables and you have a good eye for value. Are you new to the area?" The greengrocer began to gather the items.

"Yes, I started as a maid for the Misato household yesterday."

"The Misatos? The Haunted House?" Mahoro made a perplexed face. How much of a landmark was the home? "I don't think that boy has eaten vegetables for some time. He may have forgotten what they look like as well."

"Thank you. It is my solemn task to make sure he is fed properly. I mean, what I thought was a bit of blue cheese in the refrigerator was a three-year old cake."

"Then you must come to see me. Together, we can keep him well-fed and healthy." The greengrocer smiled as he handed her the food.

"I will do that. There is still so much that I have to go, so, good bye for now." Mahoro waved to him as she moved on.

She made a trip over to the butcher's shop. "I would like some pork, some chicken and…oh, that lamb looks nice, but I'll save that for a later time. But I will get some of that lovely beef there."

"Well," said the butcher, "it looks like someone is laying in supplies, or is someone having a party?"

"I just want to make certain that I have tasty enough bentos for my master, Suguru Misato."

"You are a maid for the Misato Haunted House?" Mahoro wanted to say something, but held herself in check, smiling pleasantly. This was getting spooky. She merely nodded. "Well, this should offer you enough for several bentos and some dinners as well."

Mahoro was getting weighed down with items, but she needed to get some rice as well. A stop by one more store that had rather large bags of rice at the ready came next. As she was preparing to pay for the bag, the woman behind the counter looked at her and all that she was carrying.

"It appears you must be really out of food at your house. I mean, that or company has come by and have devoured everything in sight."

"I am…" she paused for a moment. "…I have been asked to clean up and tend to the Haunted House?" she ventured cautiously.

The clerk's eyes opened wide, and then she grasped Mahoro's hands. Mahoro was a bit stunned as the woman gushed on. "Oh, bless you, bless you. The City Council was close to condemning it. I knew the Misatos and the house was one of the best in town. Anything that can be done for it would be appreciated. By all of us."

"I will do my best. I will not rest until it is perfect! The house will be immaculate, both inside and out. I cannot let the weeds take over the hydrangea garden or the dust mites to control the house," promised Mahoro. "Oh, my, look at the time. I have to be going. There is still so, so much to do."

"Thank you. Thank you so very much." The woman waved after Mahoro as she lugged home all the groceries. Just before she left the marketplace, something caught her eye at one store: vacuum beads. She stopped to look at them when the shopkeeper came up.

"What are these?" asked Mahoro.

"These help the house smell fresh." He opened up a canister to show them to her: beads about the size of pearls. "What you do is put between five and ten beads in your vacuum cleaner bag, depending on the size of the vacuum. As you vacuum, the beads heat up and release a pleasant aroma through the exhaust. And it smells better than spray in a can."

Mahoro looked at the scents offered. "Vanilla, lavender, lemon-lime, fresh linen. Hydrangea? I will take that canister."

On the way home, she sang a tiny song. "The hydrangeas smell so sweet, their aroma on the breeze, and wherever I may go, it reminds me of my home." Back at the house, she saw three large boxes on the porch. "Ahh, my clothing," she remarked. "I'll get to that in a bit." She put the groceries down, and then went to the laundry.

The clothes on the line were dry. "Yes. A fourth load!" she said. Load Two came off the line and was placed on the table, Load Three was put in a basket while Load Four went into the wash. When Load Three was hung out, she went back in to tackle the fridge.

Its near-vacant state made for easy access, although much still had to be discarded. It took some time to clean out and wipe down the surfaces, but, soon enough, it was clean enough to accept all the new foods. It looked very happy in the fridge now, especially with the departure of the Blue Cake.

Heading outside, Load Three was now dry. "I was so lucky to get a warm day for this," she said, taking the clothes down. Laid on the table, Load Four went out onto the line. "I may have just enough time to get this dried. I know it means a lot of ironing tonight, but he will have crisp clothes for school tomorrow." She then toted her boxes up to her room.

She threw the fragrance beads in the vacuum bag, but only put in four. The rate the bag was filling up, it might not last much longer. She started to vacuum the front room and was surprised at the amount of dust that was kicked up. Also, the carpet dramatically changed color from something dingy to something dazzling. She had to stop, as the dust was incredible. There was no getting around it: at least a full week would be required to complete the house. She hadn't even gotten to the upstairs!

Turning off the vacuum for a moment, she thought. If only she could suck the lint out of the air and…DING! An idea came to her. Scrambling around the debris on the floor, she found another nozzle attachment. She removed the vacuum head, put the wand upright and turned the vacuum on. It should take out a lot of the free-floating dust in the room and make breathing easier, she surmised.

Back into the kitchen, it was getting busy. Between the vacuum's heat and the stove top, the house was a confluence of aromas. She was working as fast as she could, as she was doing an after-school snack, tonight's dinner and tomorrow's bento. The chiming clock advised her that Suguru would be home soon. Where was the day going? The clock seemed to be spinning wildly, hands out of control. The faster she worked, the less time that she had. She managed to get something partially together just as Suguru came into the house.

"Mahoro, I'm home. MAHORO, I'M HOME!" Suguru yelled over the vacuum. Mahoro ran over to shut it off. Suguru saw the house, looking about. "Look at this place."

Mahoro knelt in front of Suguru, sobbing lightly. "I am sorry. I tried so hard to get everything perfect, but it was just too much to do. I have failed you."

Suguru dropped his school work and came down to Mahoro to grasp her hands. She looked up at him. "Are you kidding?" he said softly. "The house hasn't looked this good in years! From what you have done, I am happy with the results. That bento you gave me had everyone talking. It was absolutely fabulous. And…" Suguru sniffed the air. "It just smells so fresh and pleasant in here. You have not failed me, Mahoro."

Mahoro managed a half smile. "It's just…just that I want you to feel that you can bring anyone over at any time and not have people talk about 'The Haunted House' or worry that this home is going to be condemned by the City Council."

Suguru dropped his head and adjusted his glasses, turning red in the process. "Oh, yeah, those were some scary times. But I just remind myself of something my dad use to say: 'Rome wasn't built in a day'."

"Because of the Unions." The reply just popped out of Mahoro and, horrified, she put her hands over her mouth.

"Yes, that's exactly what he used to say," said Suguru, looking perplexed.

"Heh, heh, my commanding officer used to say the same thing." Suguru must never know of my contact with his father, worried Mahoro.

"In any case," said Suguru, helping Mahoro up," I appreciate all your efforts. It really shows. Perhaps it might be best to work on the rooms one at a time, so you don't feel overwhelmed. This room…" and he pointed into the living room, "…can be for tomorrow, as well as the hall closet. Hey! I was looking for that coat!" He pointed to the pile of debris in front of the open closet.

Suguru picked up his school items. "I'm going to go to my room and complete my homework. Please, you finish up that which you need to for tonight and you can go after something else tomorrow. It's OK, don't fret." Mahoro watched as he nimbly picked his way through the clutter.

"I'll have a snack for you ready in about fifteen minutes," she called after him.

"That will be fine, Mahoro. Thank you." And he disappeared upstairs.

Feeling better, she worked on the food and got dinner under control. She then went about the house, closing the windows and pulling the drapes for the evening. The vacuum was placed so people wouldn't trip over it and the contents of the closet were shoved back inside. Load Four was retrieved from outside, then it was all moved into the laundry room.

She planned the rest of the evening. "After dinner and the dishes, I can get to some of the ironing. There is just so much to go after, but he is going to look better. Everything is going to look better." With that completed, all was at the ready. She called up from the base of the stairs. "Suguru, your snack is ready!"

"OK, I'll be right down!"

She went back into the kitchen. Looking over to the fridge, she saw the contract Suguru had given her last night, held in place by a magnet. She put her hand out and touched it. "I will not fail you, Suguru. Ever."

MAHORO'S SYSTEMS WILL CEASE TO FUNCTION IN 390 DAYS

End Notes

For those of you familiar with the series, you are aware that Mahoro was given 398 functional days before she shuts down forever. But if you really read the mangas, and watch the animes, there are only about 40 actual days that one sees, and 30 hinted-at days (plus the fact that she gets cheated out of about 100 days at the end). What happens with those other non-mentioned days?

I attempted to address that problem by looking at many (but not all) of those days. I mean, if you put together a calendar of events (which I have done), there are huge gaps in the narrative, allowing for these "in-between days".

This particular day is a double bonus for me, as it is a "further day". There are certain days that end "early". This story, in both the manga and the anime, concludes on the MORNING of Day 390. Well, what about the rest of the day?

I have a chance to tell a tale and not surrender any real time in doing so. Another "further day" for me comes at Day 299, right after the fight with Ryuga, as that tale ends in the early morning hours of September 23rd.

These dates are not fully conjecture (until what I call the End Days, which is anything after April 2nd), as there is solid evidence that Day 365 is July 20th. If the story was allowed to run "naturally", Mahoro would have been able to visit the gravesite of Commander Misato one last time before she shut down.

Simple math allows me to give dates to all these stories. We, however, are not going to talk about what YEAR this all takes place in. Both book and show talk about a Saint Invasion in the "early" 80s, but one cannot determine the year it all began, as this current year, Mahoro's Last Year, is all messed up.

The Crab Robot episode takes place on Sunday, July 27th (confirmed by the anime), but that would make the year 1997. However, the Bathhouse Episode shows July 20th as a Wednesday, making that year 1994. Yet, with Christmas also falling on a Wednesday (from one of the 'Hectic Holidays' episodes), you are placed into 1996.

Now, with Ryuga being "only" three years old, that means ALL of their battles occurred in the 90s, not really the 80s, so it makes for very confusing times. I can get calendar dates (the Summer Fair/Dance of the Dead takes place on August 26th), but that's it. The earliest year that could occur is also 1997, but that's not a guarantee.

Plus, in the anime, we see about three or so days before the actual dance, so that story arc goes from the 23rd to the 26th, which is odd, for the Festival beginning, when Mahoro speaks to the City Councilman, takes place the day after the conclusion of the Ninja Panty Bandit affair (seen only in the manga).

Which leads to another problem: which story line to support? Some of the dates in the anime are really messed up. I ascertained that the horrific beating she takes at the hands of Professor Metherius occurs on March 22nd , which is 120 days before the end. The anime talks about President Greg being killed on the 20th.

Since March had already come and gone at that point, I concluded that it had to be April 20th. Initially, that made better sense. She is kept in hospital for awhile (at least two weeks and perhaps longer) and then they take that trip to the hot springs. Time unfolds in a nice logical progression, leading up to Yuuchiro taking Slash to the island and wiping out Management in a suicidal purge.

But the manga has Vice President Henry being sworn in on April 2nd, so there is a massive time hole there. I wrote the fanfic, "A Sprig of Hope", which had April 29th as Mahoro's last day. The manga seems to imply that it may be no later than April 7th and, potentially, by the 5th.

In this area, the anime is of little help. I also cannot sell short the possibility of date stacking. Follow me on this line of logic: she is released by Vesper HQ one morning, immediately goes to the hot springs that day, comes back the following day, leaves the house that same day, is chased by Ferdelance and the Keepers, loses them in the forest that same day, hitchhikes across Japan (in the rain) and is eventually confronted on a beach by Ferdelance and three Man-Eater Robots, where Mahoro saves the planet but is destroyed in the process (manga). Three days to do all that? Really?

OR, Mahoro commandeers a jump jet, flies to the Yucatan Peninsula with Suguru and, whatever day she lands, is destroyed the evening of that particular day in a battle with Ferdelance (anime).

With two current exceptions, none of my "A" line stories will go beyond 3/21. One is the aforementioned "Sprig" story (April 29th, but under reconsideration for a more accurate ending time) and another one, which is still in final editing (dated for April 3rd, but I am still working on the time factor for that.) Besides, I have at least 100 other days to play around with in my tales. Like Mahoro, I have to make the best use of that time allotted to me.