Mai HiME
Lost & Found
Chapter XXIII
Mikoto parked the car in a private parking just a block or two away from where Mai's parents' place should be according to the address that Takumi gave them. Mikoto dressed properly as usual and wearing the black tie this time with a black leather jacket over, though Mai dresses in a more casual clothing that included jeans, wool-made shirt, and a thick leather on the outside and wool on the inside jacket. Mikoto made Mai put on the gloves, so that the cold won't be touching her lover's delicate fingers as she put it.
"I haven't seen them for nearly five years now," Mai murmured as she and Mikoto walked hand-in-hand. "Hey, hey, I'm supposed to be the nervous one here. After all, this will be my first time meeting your parents so that mean you're not supposed to be nervous." Mikoto teased her woman playfully. Mai pouted and give Mikoto a playful push, causing the feral girl to chuckle as she wrapped her arm around Mai's waist. Their playfulness came to a halt when the sound of something caught their attention, Mikoto let go of Mai and stalked away causing Mai to quickly follow her strange girlfriend.
"Meow…" come a little cry from a baby kitten trying to get warmth from its mother's body. Mikoto squat down and moved the lifeless body of the gray cat, revealing three kittens under crying for milk and warmth. Mikoto scooped up a white kitten and started to rub its body gently to warm it up before tucking it away inside her jacket's pocket. Mai picked up another and cuddled it in her hands while Mikoto performed the same procedure with the last one. "What about the mother?" Mai asked as Mikoto stood up. "It's too late for her," Mikoto replied quietly. "We need to hurry and get these kittens out of the cold," Mikoto said as she paced away causing Mai to chase after her once more.
Mai give the door a few knocks and waited anxiously, as Mikoto took the kitten out of Mai's hands and gently rubbing on the frail creature to keep it warm. The door cracked open and a woman with long brownish red hair greeted them, her amethyst eyes twinkled upon seeing Mai's face and the door opened wider as she pulled Mai into an embrace. "Kaa-san," Mai managed that much out before the woman gives her another embrace that would probably knocked her unconscious. "Takumi told me that you've been moving around a lot, and you lost the address. You silly girl, you could always called your brother," the woman said with a warm smile. "I haven't been near a phone for like three years plus," Mai explained.
"Excuse me, but could we come inside and continue this conversation?" Mikoto asked politely fearing the kittens wouldn't make it if they keep standing out here any longer. "Oh, come in… Come in…" Mai's mother said as she stepped aside after realizing that she made her daughter and guest standing out in the cold. "Thank you," Mikoto smiled thankfully as she and Mai entered the warm and cozy home. "Kaa-san, this is Mikoto my girlfriend." Mai said smoothly as she took off her shoes and took the kitten from Mikoto so the girl could remove her shoes also. "It's nice to meet you," Mikoto give Mai's mother a polite bow and a warm smile before she removed her shoes and placed them right next to Mai's.
"What? My daughter is having a girlfriend?!" a booming voice from the living room nearly made everyone jumped but Mikoto as she focused on rubbing the kitten in Mai's hands. "Tou-san, this is why Takumi didn't bring his date home." Mai murmured as a man in his fifties with faded strawberry orange hair come running out of the living room to gawk at Mikoto. "Anata, why don' you prepare some tea?" his wife said softly and he just nodded and left. "Mikoto-chan, don't mind him. He's just being overprotective of his daughter," Mai's mother smiled warmly at Mikoto as she led them into the living room.
Once all the introduction were done and everyone got situated, the tension in the air suddenly become high though Mikoto seemed unfazed as she took the kitten from Mai and focused on the poor kitten. "Ahem, so why haven't you called us all these years?" her father asked in a calming voice. Mikoto suddenly looked up while Mai contemplating on whether to tell them to truth or not, the feral girl raised her hand politely and Mai's mother give her a nod of approval for her to speak. "I would like to apologize for that, since I traveled a lot of business on my break from my training in the Air Force. Tohkiha-san was hired as my family's personal chef, and she traveled around with my cousin when he went on business trip that lasted for months at a time. It might be one of the reasons why she hasn't been able to visit or call you, and I sincerely apologize for causing it." Mikoto said honestly even though it's a total lie.
"I see, and who are you again?" Mai's father asked. "Anata, you're being rude…" his wife give him a light jab on the ribs causing him to winced a little. "I just want to know who my daughter is giving her heart to," he managed. "My name is Minagi Mikoto," Mikoto spoke politely. Upon hearing her full name, Mai's parents looked like a pair of fish out of water with eyes bugged out and mouth just opened and closed without making a sound. "Y-you're the famous Minagi Mikoto?!" Mai's father nearly shouted as he pointed his finger at Mikoto and the girl just shoot him a puzzling look and Mai just raised a brow at her parents though she's curious to know why her girlfriend so famous to her family and yet she didn't know anything about it.
"Takumi talked about you a lot, of how that one day he would like to meet the great Minagi Mikoto. You paid for the heart surgery and all expenses for his college," Mai's mother said with tears threatens to spill from her amethyst eyes. "Well, it's not for free though." Mikoto said flatly. "Of course, whatever it is that Tohkiha Takumi-san decided to major in, we will have a position for him. After he stayed with us for five years, he can either stay and climb to the top or walk out. It is in the contract that he signed with us when he accepted the offer," Mikoto explained. "That doesn't sound like you will gain back all the lost money at all," Mai's father said thoughtfully. "Not true, within three years of working for us, we would've gained back all the money we spend on him. The last two years will be mainly put in a bank for him as to whether he will be staying or leaving; he will have access to that account but only for emergency since it will be there for when he retired." Mikoto answered.
Mai excused herself and Mikoto into the kitchen in search for milk for the hungry kittens, though her parents stalked behind the girls and watched them carefully. The girls laughed as the watched the kittens licking the bowl of warm milk dry and curled up into a little ball and went back to sleep. "Mai, can we bring them home with us?" Mikoto asked the very same question that Mai was about to asked her. "But what will we call them?" Mai asked. "Sugar, Salt, and Pepper?" Mikoto joked and Mai giggled. "Well, the one with the crescent moon on its forehead will be called: Tsuki, the one with black spot will be called: Miko, and this tiger looking here is a boy and will be called: Mao. Once they're a bit older, we will get them spayed and neutered." Mikoto said. "You sounded like you've planned this out for a long time now," Mai said as she scooted a little closer to Mikoto.
"So, are you still nervous now that you know they're not mad at you?" Mikoto whispered as she kissed Mai's cheek lightly. "Liar," Mai murmured. "When? You are my personal chef aren't you? Are would you rather be someone else's personal chef?" Mikoto said giving Mai a hard look to show her displeasure of the conversation. Feeling guilty because Mikoto lied to cover up for her, Mai decided to pull the feral girl in for a heated kiss but she didn't know that her parents were secretly spying on them.
Author's Notes: Yosh! Geez, spying on your kids… and kissing in the kitchen of your parents' home… what had the world turned into? I have not a clue. Enjoy!