Chapter 26 – The last chapter
It had been 10 years since their honeymoon, Ai was now a 28-year-old woman, and Syo was 29 years old. Ai had retired from her carrier as an Idol so she could be a mom towards her children, and Syo was still an Idol. Aoi was now 10 years old, and he was an older brother to Kaori, his sister, she was 6 years old. Ai was picking Kaori and Aoi up from school, as she stood there in front of the entrance gate, she watched as her son and daughter ran up to her. Aoi and Kaori, "Mommy!" The children threw themselves onto her legs and laughed. Neither of them knew their mommy used to be a singer like their father. Ai, "How was school today?" Kaori, "Great mommy!" Ai, "Aoi?" Aoi, "Good." Ai, "That's good." Aoi had something bothering him and Ai picked him up. "Hey what's the matter little buddy? Daddy should be home today?" Both Kaori and Aoi cheered, they hadn't seen their daddy for 2 months. Kaori, "Can we make him cookies!" Ai, "of course, we better get home to greet him." Ai carried Kaori and Aoi wanted to walk by himself. They loved their mother. As they were walking home Ai saw a mother who was having a hard time with her newborn. Ai walked over to the woman. "Try rocking her in back and forth motion, that always settled my kids fast." The women tried that and her baby instantly settled down. The woman, "Thank you so much!" Ai, "I've been in your shoes before." Ai looked down at her children, "But I would repeat it everyday." The women thanked Ai again before setting of. Aoi and Kaori were surprised on how well their mother could deal with children. Once they got home Ai let Aoi and Kaori change out of their school uniform, little did she know that Aoi snuck into her and Syo's room.
Aoi was looking around his mom and dads room for something, he didn't know what yet, but he knew it was important. Aoi then found a scrapbook; it had pictures of his mom in dad in it. He grabbed it and took it to his room and put it in his backpack.
Ai called for her children, "Kaori, Aoi, come to the kitchen, your father's home!" Kaori ran to her dad. "Daddy!" Syo, "Hey Kaori." Aoi walked in, "Daddy!" Syo, "Hey Aoi. I've missed you both so much!" Both kids hugged him, not wanting to let him go. They enjoyed talking with one another and Aoi still couldn't get a nagging feeling out of his gut. Syo noticed Aoi's behavior. "What's the matter little buddy?" Aoi, "I want to learn Piano." Ai, "You do Aoi? You haven't been interested in music." Aoi, "When we were in music class today, it seemed as if the piano was calling out to me." Ai and Syo looked at each other. Syo, "Like mother like son." Aoi, "What?" Syo, "Your mother used to play piano." Aoi, "Really mom?" Ai, "yes. Do you want me to teach you?" Aoi, "Yeah!" Kaori then pouted, "Can I learn violin?" Ai, "Now that your father will have to teach you." Kaori, "Daddy will you teach me?" Syo, "Of course baby girl." The two then went and bought their children instruments so they could teach them music.
The next day Aoi's point of view:
I was sitting in my classroom, it was homeroom, so we didn't have anything to do. So I decided to pull out that scrapbook I found in my mom and dads room. The first picture was a man that looked like his mom with their hair pulled halfway back and his ear was to my dad's chest. The next picture was my dad on stage with STARISH. That must be when he won the Uta Pri Award. But something was weird the picture above it was a picture of his Dad practicing and that man was watching. The next page had pictures of His dad and his band on the beach and that man with a group called Quartet-Night. He recognized Uncle Reiji in it and Uncle Ranmaru in it. But that man that looked like his mom was in it as well. Aoi, "Is that mom?" Then there were pictures of the man that resembled his mom and dad in a scene from a movie. It looked as though he was reaching his hands out to his father. With a tender smile on their face, Aoi knew that tender smile; it was his mother after all. Everyone in the class was curious at what Aoi was looking at and they surrounded him. A girl in the classroom, "Oh my gosh that's Quartet-Night!" Aoi, "So that's who they are." The girl, "They were extremely famous, especially her." He pointed to Ai. "Ai Mikaze the young protégé of music." Aoi, "Really?" The girl, "Yeah. She stopped preforming though, about 10 years ago." Aoi, "Really? Why?" The girl, "I think she was pregnant and wanted to raise her kids." Aoi, "Cool." Aoi continued to turn the page, the next picture is when Reiji was carrying the Ai Mikaze." Aoi, "I wonder why he's carrying her?" Another little girl, "I believe Ai Mikaze didn't know how to swim and one of her students she mentored didn't know and pushed her into the water." Aoi, "Oh gosh, that's scary." Aoi continued to turn the page, the next picture was of a room completely torn and his dad and his friend Natsuki standing there. There was a caption, "Ai's angry." Aoi, "Mom would kill me if I ever did that to my room." The students, "That room is trashed." Aoi turned the page and they saw Aoi's mom for sure. She was playing the piano in front of a lot of kid. It also looked as if she was singing. A little boy, "Aoi isn't that your mom?" Aoi, "Yeah, I know she used to play piano, but I didn't know she sang." Everything was clicking in Aoi's head, his mom was Ai Mikaze the protégé of music. The next one was with Reiji, Syo, and Ai, Ai was wearing A hat and sunglasses. Aoi, "I wonder what's happening in this picture." The little girl, "It looks as if they are walking her into a building to meet someone. The next one off his mom and Dad on a lunch date, the girls, "Awe! They look so cute together!" The boys, "Dang Aoi, isn't that your dad?" Aoi, "yeah. I think that's my mom to." The next one picture was of Ai Mikaze crying. The boys, "Ai Mikaze is crying! She never cries!" Aoi, "Really?" Aoi then had doubt, his mother always cried. But it had to be his mom and dad; there was nobody else it could be. He still couldn't believe his mother was an idol and that she gave up music to raise him and his sister. The next picture made all the girls Awe and the boys blush. It was a picture of Ai and Syo kissing on stage. It was during the dare. Aoi quickly changed the page blushing. That had to be his mom and dad; there was no doubt about it anymore. The next picture was of his mom and dad cooking in the kitchen. A boy, "Isn't that backwards." Aoi, "I agree shouldn't the man be teaching the girl how to cook?" The next picture was of the food. The kids, "That looks so good!" Aoi recognized the dish it was his moms Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi. The next picture was of his mom and dad, they were holding hands smiling, there was a caption, "First Date – Swimming date." Aoi, "I thought Ai Mikaze couldn't swim?" A girl, "Awe your dad taught her how to swim!" There was a picture underneath it was of Syo and Ai, Ai's head was in Syo's chest. Aoi, "That's cute." The girl, "Ai Mikaze looks like your mom." The next picture of Ai and Syo on stage, it looked as though they were in an interview. Then there were 2 pictures underneath it one where they stood back to back and linked both their arms with each holding up a peace sign with their left hand and they smiled towards the camera. Then they did another one they were hugging. Because of Syo's shoes, he had the slight height advantage, Syo had his head on Ai's with his arms wrapped around her protectively and Ai had one hand on Syo's bicep while the other one was on his back. The next one was of Ai practicing with Quartet-Night. Aoi turned the page and all the students were intrigued further they went into the scrapbook staring at the pictures. The next picture was of Syo holding Ai protectively. A boy, "Ai looks scared." A girl, "I bet she still didn't know how to swim well yet so being on a boat freaked her out." Aoi, "I agree, but look in this picture of them together she looks calmer then when she's by herself." Aoi then turned the page, it was Ai singing again, and it seems as if Syo was playing the violin in the background. The next picture was of everyone hugging Ai, even the cold hearted Camus was hugging her. The next picture was of Ai with her hair down on T.V. it had been when she reveled her true self to the audience. Everyone in the classroom, "Aoi! That is your mom!" The girl, "I didn't know Ai Mikaze was your mom!" Aoi, "I didn't know my mom was famous either." The class was surprised, how had he not known his mom was famous? Aoi, "She's always at home raising me and Kaori, so I never noticed." Aoi then turned the page, it was a picture of his mom and dad-bowling Ai was jumping in the air and Syo was pouting. A boy "Looks like your mom won in bowling." Aoi, "It seems that way." Aoi then looked at the next page, it was a picture of his dad proposing to his mom. The girls, "Awe!" Aoi smiled, he saw the picture of his mom and dad, hugging and the ring was on her finger. The next picture was of Reiji hugging the life out of Ai. Aoi smiled, it looked like his uncle was crying. He turned the page and saw the next picture it was of His mom and dad in bed completely covered. His mom's head was on his dad's chest. Aoi blushed he knew exactly this was a picture of. He quickly turned to the next page. There was a picture of Syo carrying Ai bridal style; she was in her pajamas with Syo's coat over her. She looked sick. Aoi, "My mom is sick in this picture." The girls, "Yeah. I wonder why? Your dad looks panicked to." The next picture explained it all, it was a picture of the pregnancy test, it was positive. Aoi blushed and the girls, "Awe your mom was sick because she was pregnant with you!" The boys, "Aoi why did you make your mom so sick." Aoi, "You were probably the same!" He flipped the page and saw multiple pictures of Ai and Syo pregnant and multiple Sonograms. The girls were aweing at the pictures. One girl, "Look Aoi, its you in your mom's tummy!" The next picture was of Ai holding Aoi in her hands with Syo holding Ai. Everyone, "Awe!" A boy, "Aoi you were a cute baby, what happened to you." Aoi, "Jerk." Aoi flipped the page and saw a picture of him, Ai, and his mom on T.V. It was labeled, Aoi's first time on T.V." Another boy, "Lucky duck, you were on T.V. when you were only a year old!" The next picture was of his mom rocking him and both his mom and dad singing to him to calm down his crying. Girls, "Awe! It looks like you calmed down the moment you heard them both sing to you." Aoi flipped the page, he saw his mom in a beautiful wedding dress. A girl, "That must have been when your mom married your dad!" Aoi didn't see himself. Then he looked and saw that Uncle Ranmaru and Uncle Kaoru were watching him. The next picture was of Ai walking down the aisle with Reiji as her escort. The next one was of when Ai and Syo kissed. The class, "Man that's why your mom and dad were the most talked about couple, They are adorable!" Aoi continued to flip the page and saw multiple pictures of his mom and dad at Grand Canyon in America, then pictures of himself with his mom and dad, then pictures of his birthday. Then there were pictures of when he found out he was going to be a big brother. Him holding Kaori, Aoi shed tears." A girl, "Aoi why are you crying?" Aoi, "I'm not crying, it's just to beautiful." Then he found a picture, it was different from the others, and it was of his mom. But she was younger. A different girl, "That must be when your mom was younger." Aoi looked she was standing with a male that looked exactly like her expect older and Reiji was in the picture. Aoi, "I don't know who that man is?" A girl, "Maybe that's your other uncle." Aoi, "I wonder why I haven't heard of him." The teacher walked in and Aoi along with the rest of the class ran up to him. Aoi, "Mr. Will who is this man." Aoi handed him the scrapbook to see if he knew." The teacher, "That's Aine Kisaragi. Why are you asking." Aoi, "That's my mom with him." The teacher, "Oh yes, I remember that story, it was told about 11 years ago." Aoi, "can you tell us the story." The teacher then told the kids to sit down in their chairs and pulled up the interview of Ai.
Aoi watched as his mom and dad walked on stage. The host, "Welcome to the show Mikaze Ai, Syo Kurusu." Syo, "It's a pleasure to be here." The host, "Ai we heard there was some big news you wanted to tell everyone? Are you and Syo engaged?" Ai, "No, were not engaged." The host, "Then what's the big news?" Ai took her hair down and everyone was in shock. The host, "I know you hate this but when your hair is down, you look exactly like the famous idol Aine." Ai, "That's understandable, because I'm his sister." Everyone was in shock, Aine's sister." The host, "That's funny Ai, you're his sister?" Ai, "Yes, do you want me to take off my shirt to prove it to you?" Everyone had nose bleeds from that comment. The students were laughing, Aoi was blushing at his moms comment. The host, "If you've been a girl the whole time why hide it." Ai, "I was hurt when I was younger and I was afraid." The host, "Like you are of water." Ai, "Yes." The host, "Why are you afraid of swimming anyway." Ai, "I almost drowned when I was younger, there had been a hole in the boat my brother and I were on and." Ai was tearing up holding onto Syo. Ai, "He drowned. I barely survived. I was in the hospital for 3 months after the incident. But I lost myself, I couldn't trust anyone, I didn't want anyone to get close to me, because I was afraid of it all being ripped from again, so I became the mysterious Idol." The teacher the stopped the video, Mr. Will, "That explain it to you kids." Everyone nodded, they felt sorry for Aoi and his mom.
End of the School Day:
As the school day ended Aoi grabbed his sister before they ran to their mom and dad who were by the gate. Aoi jumped into his mother's arms. Ai, "Aoi what's the matter you've been crying." Kaori and Syo were looking at him. Aoi, "mom I didn't know you gave up your music career to raise me and Kaori. I didn't know I had an uncle that died. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'm sorry I snuck into your room and took your scrapbook I'm sorry for everything." Ai's eyes were wide in shock along with Syo's. Kaori was confused. Ai, "It's okay Aoi, I love you, my career was fun while it lasted, I can always go back. But I only get to see my kids grow up once." Aoi looked at his mom and smiled. He loved his mom.
Syo and Ai smiled While Kaori giggled, Aoi, "Mom, I'm glade you told the truth."
With that the story is over, I hope you've enjoyed it. Thank you to everyone who's been following the story since the very beginning. I thank every one of you. I will be writing another Ai x Syo, Should Syo be the female this time I wonder? I don't know yet. I'll figure that out later. Until the next story, thank you all.