"A Bedtime Story"
by Furor Scribendi
2008 Scribendi Productions
August 29th
Standing outside of the Suguru household were Miyuki Sakura, Rin Todoroku and Oe Chizuko. They were talking to each other in low tones, but made no attempt to get to the house. From the relative comfort of the dog house, Slash watched the three girls with a curious eye.
They stood in the front yard about halfway between the gate and the porch, but to one side, so they could not be seen from the house. They did not want to draw attention to themselves, but it appeared they were having some kind of second thoughts or doubts as to whatever it was they wanted to accomplish. Slash shook his head.
He knew they were somewhat harmless. Except that Chizo one, mused Slash. She is always hugging and squishing me. It's embarrassing. One of Vesper's finest Battle Mechs and he was helpless around this tiny girl. Although he could not fully hear what they were saying, the conversation was very animated: Rin kept flinging her arms towards the house, urging Miyuki towards it; Miyuki crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, listening to whatever Rin had to say, but not buying into it; and Chizo merely looking on, while she devoured some broiled corn she had brought along.
The August weather was somewhat waning, but it was still humid in the afternoon sun. Yet, all the girls did was to gesticulate and mutter and walk about in a large circle. Slash came out of the doghouse, stretched and sauntered over towards them to at least get an idea of what was going on. Not too close though, he reminded himself, or I'll be smothered with clutchings and squealing.
He surreptitiously came towards them, but hid behind a tree that was close enough to listen in on them, but far enough away from Chizo's grasp.
"Look, I thought this was a done deal," griped Miyuki. "Everything is set up for it."
"I just feel odd in asking, I mean, she is so much older than we are. I don't know if she would even go for it," offered Rin.
"We had so much fun at the beach with her…I mean BEFORE the Crab Robot showed up. I think she just needs a little nudge," said Chizo.
"You only want her over to cook for you," jeered Rin."
"Cooking can also be a lot of fun," pondered Miyuki. "We could appeal to her cooking instincts. I mean, after all, she is a Cooking Shogun."
"What if she says 'no' to everything? Look how hard it was to get her to go to the beach with us!" countered Rin. "I just don't want to do this every time we want to be with her. It gets really tiring and I cannot really tell if she is mocking us or if she really is that unaware of things."
Chizo finished up the corn and went to place the cob in the trash. "But isn't this the point of what we are doing with her? I mean, there is so much more to her than meets the eye. It's like she's in disguise."
Rin snorted. "You make her sound like a Transformer. Mahoromus Prime. Maybe she'll convert into a truck. For you, Chizo, it will be a catering truck!"
"Well, we'll never know anything until we ask," said Miyuki. "So, let's ask!"
"That's right and…oooooh, look! It's Slashie-Poo!" cooed Chizo. Before Slash could escape, Chizo had trotted over and was hugging the daylights out of him.
How mortifying, he thought, as Chizo scratched him behind the ears and made baby talk. "You're such a cute widdle Slashie-Washie." Rin and Miyuki looked on.
Rin sighed. "I suppose I have to ask Mahoro."
"No," said Miyuki, "We'll ALL ask her. Chizo, it's time to go."
Yes, please, grimaced Slash. Save me from this humiliation.
"Yes, but Slashie-Poo is just so….cuddly!" Chizo gave him another hug and Slash gritted his teeth. Rin and Miyuki came over and forced Chizo away from Slash, then dragged her up to the porch, where they rang the bell. Moments later, Mahoro opened the door.
"Oh, good day to you all. I am sorry, but Suguru has stepped out for a moment. If you would like to come in and wait for him, you may," offered Mahoro.
"We would like to come in, but it is you we wish to speak to," said Rin, pointing at her.
"It is a matter of some importance," noted Miyuki.
"And we hope you have some treats!" chirped up Chizo. Miyuki sighed. Chizo could be SUCH a pain.
They were escorted in and seated at the couch, while Mahoro brought over some treats. She was looking concerned as she sat down. "What do you wish to speak to me about?" asked Mahoro, appearing rather somber.
"As you know, the new school semester starts in a couple of days, signaling the end of summer vacation…" started Rin.
"So, although there isn't much time left to have a bit more fun, there is still some time left to have a bit more fun," finished up Miyuki. Mahoro looked at them a bit perplexed. Chizo noshed down the treats, savoring them. She managed not to detonate, for a change, but her eyes were bulging out.
"Mmmmmmm. Such lovely crab cakes; so light and delicate. Not even the Crustacean Plantation can match these in flavor," purred Chizo, who was jabbed by Miyuki. "Oh, right. I…WE were wondering if you would like to come over for a Slumber Party. At my place. Tonight. I know it's short notice, but it's The End of Summer Slumber Party and Food Feast and…can I have another crab cake, please?"
Rin put her hand on Chizo's forehead and slowly pushed her back onto the couch, rolling her eyes. Mahoro was very serious. "As much fun as that may sound, I have a responsibility to Suguru. It is not my place as a maid to abandon my post."
Rin looked at Miyuki; Miyuki looked at Rin; Chizo looked at the crab cakes. Rin and Miyuki nodded at each other, with Rin speaking first. "Didn't you have a lot of fun at the beach? I mean, before that…thing showed up?"
"I though you really liked when we went shopping for that swim suit and splashing in the water with us?" pressed Miyuki.
"And that lunch you made was just so fabulous!" said Chizo, between bites of crab cakes that she was stealing off of Rin's plate.
Mahoro thought for a moment. She DID have fun. Although the Crab Robot part was terrifying, she did have a sense of accomplishment with Suguru's help. Even afterwards, when they all came to see them passed out on the beach, they were all very concerned and supportive of her…except Shikijo-sensei.
"I….I still have to say 'no', as my duties as a maid come first to Suguru and this house." Rin rubbed her chin to think of another argument to convince Mahoro to come over, looking over to Miyuki, who was equally perplexed. Just then, Suguru came in.
"Mahoro, I'm back. I mailed off that huge letter of yours. It required extra postage and…..oh! Rin, Chizo, Miyuki. What brings you here?"
Miyuki practically leapt from her seat to get to Suguru. Her crab cake left exposed, Chizo pounced on it and left no evidence of its departure.
Miyuki whispered to him as Mahoro brought over more crab cakes. "Suguru, we are trying to convince Mahoro to come over to our End of Summer Slumber Party at Chizo's place tonight. Everyone has said it OK with them, except one critical person." She thrust her head in Mahoro's direction. "Tell her it's OK, please? Let her know she can come over. Otherwise, she won't go."
Suguru looked a bit nervous as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, heh, heh, I guess that…"
Rin came over to his other side. "We would really, REALLY like her to do this. Please help us," she begged. "We want to get to know Mahoro better. It's just for the evening. We promise to get her back here tomorrow in one piece. Honest!"
Miyuki continued. "I mean, this was something we were going to do at the beach: basking in the sun, eating noodles, watching the waves crash upon the golden sand, seeing the sun go down."
Rin stepped in. "But, well, we never really got the chance to do that, and it was no fun spending the rest of the day answering a lot of questions from a lot of authority types, especially when you are NAKED!"
Chizo leaned in to Mahoro, as she brought over the plate. "When you come over, would you make these for us, please? Daddy never got a chance to sample what you did at the Roadshow."
Suguru looked at Mahoro, who looked up at him. He then looked at the girls. "Well, then, could you…" He made a movement with his fingers. He pointed at them, then into the entryway. Rin and Miyuki nodded, with Rin coming back for Chizo.
"Chizo, let's see if Slashie-Poo wants another hug. I'm sure it gets lonely out in the yard," she said, taking Chizo by the arm and lifting her up and away from the couch.
"Oh, YES, that would be fun," and they stepped down the hallway. But they did not go out the door; instead, they plastered themselves flat against the wall, inching towards the corner. They wanted to hear his discussion to convince Mahoro, and perhaps step in should Suguru falter in this. Suguru came over and sat next to Mahoro.
"Uh…..Rin told me about this…sleepover? And…"
"My duty as a maid is to this house and to you. I cannot be derelict in my responsibilities, nor can I decide to do whatever comes to mind that isn't focused upon my tasks." She was quite resolute in her approach. "It doesn't matter how much fun I would have doing this sleepover and…" Mahoro paused, as her true feelings popped out again.
Suguru tried to come up with his points for her to go. "Uh…but they are your friends and, uh…they want to do this with you ….and, uh…" Suguru was stumbling around for the right words. Rin was anxious to jump in, but was restrained by Miyuki, who shook her head 'no'. Suguru went on. "…uh, this is what friends do. Yes. I want you to go do this."
Mahoro blinked at Suguru for a moment. "Friends?" She began to think. For all of her existence, she had been designed for one purpose: defend the Earth against alien invaders. Although she had a lot of people who cared for her, she never really thought about them as being friends.
Even when Commander Misato was out fishing and he would speak about many things, she still always felt that it was more like comrades in arms than a real friendship. She just did not know how to handle this. Suguru had said that they would learn things as they went along, but she wasn't sure if she knew what it meant to be a friend or to have one.
True, they were all very anxious for her to come to the beach that day, and it was fortunate that she did, but it all felt uncomfortable for her. She didn't know what to do or what she should do. She didn't want to look foolish, but they had been through so much in the last 30 days: the Crab Robot, the Cooking Roadshow, the ghost hunt at the school, the Ninja Panty Bandit, the Summer Festival and fireworks show.
Suguru could see that the wheels were really turning in Mahoro's head and decided to press the advantage. From their location, the girls peered on in anxious silence as Suguru spoke. "Yes! Friends. Time with YOUR friends. I mean, one evening away from the house isn't going to hurt anything. It's not like I'm going to burn the place down." He laughed to himself.
Mahoro slipped into her 'bo' face as she imagined the house in flames, Suguru yelling for help from an upper window as everything became engulfed in a raging inferno. Rin and Miyuki imagined Mahoro imagining the house in flames. Chizo imagined flaming crab cakes. Rin and Miyuki peered around the corner cautiously, to see the back of Mahoro's head, her hair horns flapping. It wasn't a frantic flap, but they were still going up and down. Boink, boinkboink, boink.
"She's gonna say 'no'; it doesn't look good for Homestar Runner," hissed Miyuki.
"What can we do?" returned Rin. "If we burst in now, they will know we were listening in and that could make things worse. Why did he say that? I know all she can see is flames everywhere!" Mahoro abruptly stood upright, ready to speak. Suddenly, Chizo bolted out and grabbed Mahoro around the waist. Rin and Miyuki gasped.
Chizo squeaked. "Flaming crab cakes sound so delicious, Mahoro. Please say you'll come over. Please? Please?"
Finger up in the air, mouth agape, Mahoro was now at a loss for words. She was going to explain why she couldn't do this, but Chizo changed all that. Suguru smiled.
"You can't say no to that," he commented. "Your friends have spoken."
Mahoro put her finger down. "Well, it would be rude for me to refuse now. But I don't know what to bring and…" Charging from the hallway, Rin and Miyuki ran upstairs.
"We know what you need!" they shrieked, as they blasted by, clambering up the stairs like a pair of mountain goats. Mahoro was not ready for this and tried to follow, but Chizo was wrapped tightly about her middle. Dragging her up the stairs, Mahoro got to her room to see Rin and Miyuki had laid out a number of clothing combinations for her upon the bed: her pajamas, a pair of slippers and almost all of her casual outfits.
"You won't need much, but you will need something. Some to wear over, something to wear there, something to wear back," commented Rin.
"I like this green one," said Miyuki, pointing to a dress.
"I think she should go with a dignified casual," returned Rin, promoting a blue outfit that had a military theme and cut to it.
"Something so she can cook in the kitchen, something like that would be excellent," suggested Chizo, finally letting go of Mahoro.
"So, we'll let you choose the outfits and change out of your maid uniform, but don't take too much time, please," said Miyuki. With that, they all left the room and headed back downstairs, closing the door behind them smartly. Mahoro looked at all the clothes, laid out so nicely for her, and thought. She didn't take that much time to chase them up to her room, but look what those two were able to do; the girls were quick.
Downstairs, Suguru was getting grilled.
"Why is she this way? I mean, you almost have to use a crow bar to pry her away to have any fun." said Rin. "When we went to the beach, we almost had to put on a production of 'The Mikado' to convince her to come along."
"I admire her dedication to her domestic duties, but she has to take off a bit of time to stop and smell the hydrangeas," prodded Miyuki. "You have got to do more fun things with her and get her into condition to step away from the vacuum cleaner."
"I mean, we could kind of tap into her maid responsibilities and ask her nicely if she would cook for us. Not that I am exploiting her or anything like that," said Chizo, her mind awash with visions of a Mahoro-cooked dinner. "But with all that we have at the house, she could be cooking all night long. Mmmmmmmmmm." Chizo started to fade away, her eyelids fluttering.
"Well, she's just a serious person and not really, uh…concerned about fun. Is that the right word to use? I mean, for her, weeding and cleaning is excitement for her. It's just easier to let her do what she needs to do." Suguru could not tell them that destroying alien androids was probably what she felt was truly enjoyable. Despite what she experienced on the beach, taking on that Crab Robot was a huge thrill.
"Look, it was hard enough for us to ask her to come over. She is five years older than we are," said Miyuki. "She could have thought that we were too young to hang out with. And there is more to life than cleaning off stuck-on food to plates, laundry, weeding and cooking."
Chizo eyes bugged out, as she was finishing off the second plate of crab cakes. "I must disagree. There is hardly anything more to life than cooking, especially when done by such a master chef as…Mahoro! You're here!" All looked up to see Mahoro coming down the stairs. She was wearing a peach outfit with a short skirt and her hair was tied in a big yellow bow. She shyly brought down her suitcase and smiled.
"I think I am ready," she said as she neared the couch.
Rin and Miyuki came up to her and looked her over, nodding their appreciation. "So, you have all that you need?" asked Rin.
"Is your pillow in there? I mean, I can never go anywhere without my own pillow," said Miyuki. "It took me almost two years to break it in to a point where it is comfortable for me and I don't want to be fighting with a strange pillow all night long. Bam! Pow!" Miyuki had an imaginary fight with a phantom pillow "Is this a pillow or a brick in a case? I'll get your pillow." And Miyuki went right back upstairs
Mahoro looked over to Rin. "Is it that important that I come over?" she asked innocently.
Everyone replied in unison, "Yes, it is!" Mahoro was not prepared for that level of response. Maybe she did have friends.
"Then I really want to come over," she concluded
"Hooray!" said Miyuki, as she came down with the pillow. "Now, do you have everything?
"Yes! I believe that I do." She went over to Suguru. "Do not forget to feed Guri-chan and Slash."
"I'll be fine, Mahoro; go and have some fun." Suguru gave her a big smile. Rin escorted Mahoro from the house and Miyuki grabbed Chizo and dragged her along. Suguru followed them and went to the door, waving as they left. Once gone, Suguru shut the door and hurriedly went to the phone.
"Kawahara, this is Suguru. Call Hamadi and you both come on over tonight. 'The cat is away'. I repeat, 'the cat is away'." He hung up the phone, with a sly glance. Oh, yes; the mice were going to have a great time.
TO BE CONTINUED…
End Notes
As with a lot of my writing lately, I seem to be misjudging how long it will take to tell a story. I had hoped to wrap this up in about seven or so pages (and another page of my endless blatherskiting), but I hit that mark without getting to the really fun stuff, so it became another Extended Compact.
Mahoro eventually learns to be kind of spontaneous, but her rigid background makes that rather tough, so she had to learn somewhere. This was an opportunity for that experience to be learned, so when grandfather shows up in February (and all the wildness that he brings with it), she is on a stronger footing.
And, as the story progressed, a bunch of new ideas cropped up, that forced me into telling a longer tale and really playing up the comic element. Yes, "Mahoromatic" is categorized as a 'romantic comedy', although there are times when the author presses that designation really hard. How can you laugh when you see her getting destroyed halfway through Book Eight or told she has very little operating time left in Book Seven? Someone has an odd sense of what is "comedy".
I always had the idea of the girls hanging out together, since, later on in the anime, they spend a lot of time plotting and planning at the bathhouse, so the initial get-together had to come earlier. While writing this, I had ideas for another trip to the bathhouse, where Mahoro meets all of them there to start the real ball rolling for this, but that is future stuff for now, as would be the "debriefing" from the Crab Robot incident.
I know that when Mahoro thinks of the last 30 days (July 27th to August 29th), a couple of those items she recalls are my own stories and the Ninja Panty Bandit is a manga only tale, but she really did have a busy August, which would get very involved two days later with the arrival of Ryuga and the fire/explosion atop the Green Star Refined Sake building.
There may be a couple of references that are obscure.
"Homestar Runner" is a website with the main character of StrongBad, who answers people's e-mail about odd things. Homestar Runner, reduced to being a support on his own site, used to have the catch-phrase, "Things aren't looking good for Homestar Runner." It's just a classier way to say events are going south or disaster is on the horizon.
The second reference is in regards to the letter Suguru sent off. This is not the massive letter she first sent to Vesper, as that occurred on August 1st. Since I assume she sends these letters quite often to her family at Vesper, this just would have been another one of those tomes. (And for those who saw that particular anime, you noticed that it was almost a manuscript).