Hello and thanks again to all those reading. I'm happy hearing people say their really enjoying this story. I really didn't want to rush the pace to much but rest assured that lady karma will be coming to each parent 1 at a time. It only occurred to me recently that Jataro has a breathing tube on his outfit and it's never really said why.

WARNING: I want to let it be known that I have no medical background what so ever but tried to research a few things for this chapter. I tried paraphrasing what I found but don't take what you read from me as an accurate medical description of a very real condition or conditions. If you or anyone you know suffers from depression seek real medical advise from your local licensed doctor or therapist.

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With the exception of his father, Jataro got very little encouragement to do anything or acknowledgement even when he did do something correctly.

His math skills were surprisingly decent but his grammar was very sloppy. This mostly came from him being to comfortable using his pencil in the same manner he would his chisel. Because of this it turns out that stabbing one's work sheet is the opposite of making coherent sentences. Whenever he tried copying more practical approach that the teacher would show him, he would whined up getting himself anxious and unsure how to move his hands. Ibuki and Mikan in comparison with his grumpy impatient teachers were a lot more encouraging with plenty of patience.

As fun as he was with props, Ibuki could tell he needed a bit of a confidence boost. He told them even if his face wasn't as ugly as he was told, that didn't mean his mom wasn't right about his how ugly his brain was. When asked what he meant, Jataro simply showed them his latest report card.

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Mathematics: B-

P.E.: C-

Arts & Crafts: A+

Writing & Literature: F

Science: D+

Social Studies: D+

-Principle's note: Jataro Kamuri's Arts & Crafts work is exceptional and very well detailed when he's concentrating. Once he made a clay, wax, hair, and paper cat with the likeness of his Art teacher's childhood pet cat for her birthday. It was so lifelike that someone on staff actually thought he had brought the real thing to class. He's a kind enough boy in this regard and unlike in his other classes he is very quiet and well behaved. However this does bring up the problems of his behavior in his other classes.

In other classes he can't seem to sit still, mutters to himself loudly off and on, plus ruins his writing papers in a way that comes off as hostile. When shown how to write properly he tends to just stare at the paper. Oddly enough when it comes to math he does fairly decently. He tends to try writing with a large black marker instead of a pencil or pen which is not normally allowed but teachers will occasionally allow it so he doesn't ruin their limited papers. Even then his handwriting tends to be difficult to read when it comes to words compared to numbers.

Socially he tends to keep to himself and cry incoherently when other kids asks him to take off his mask. Teacher's were told by parents that it was for medical reasons but think it's obscuring his vision. This gets in the way at times when made to be put in physical activities. His clothing also tends to get in the way of playing correctly. The gym teacher tries to be understanding that his family's financial situation, work schedules, or both is likely the reason his parents have yet to give him proper fitting attire.

Please let us know what his tutor(s) have tried to improve this if possible. If he does not improve even with the tutoring then he will not be allowed to move on to the next grade with his peers.

End note.

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After seeing this note both Ibuki and Mikan agreed to help him try improving in his school work like they promised his parents. Neither were anything amazing when it came to those subjects but they knew enough to show him how to slowly improve. They decided to tackle one of the core issues that was mentioned in the middle with his writing first.

"Just keep moving your hand slowly, slow and easy now, no need to rush. Are you looking at the paper when you need to?" Mikan asked.

"O-okay, um I think I made a line to big. Should I start over or...?" Jataro said hesitantly.

They had been trying to get him to spell a simple short sentence using a beginners writing and coloring book for a while. He really was writing outside the lines a bit and some letters were a bit close together but not to badly.

"It's looks fine enough Jatjat, worry about it later or you'll get yourself to anxious. Here, Ibuki will even help you write a little of the rest okay?" The musician said with a smile.

Ibuki then took his hand in her own and squeezed it gently to ease the slight shaking it was making. Slowly she moved his hand with her own to write the next few words.

"Okay after this next stroke I'm going to let go but just try and use the same pressure you felt with my hand there. Okay? She explained.

He looked slightly hesitant but nodded his head in understanding. For the next word he wrote slowly and it looked pretty good, but it was just at the last two he started to get sloppy again with how close the lines were. Noticing this himself he started to purposely scribble at the edges of the paper out of frustrated distraction.

"Jataro? Maybe you should..." Mikan began but was cut off.

"I know it's ugly but I can't help thinking about how much better my friends would be at this. The styles most of them write in are nicer and even Masaru is cleaner when he does graffiti on the side of the school. He might of actually passed his own art class if drawing on the school wasn't against the rules. It's also kind weird that out of all windows an art window isn't...I can't remember the word but schools don't like it. I wish I had my marker to..." He was clearly distracting himself but luckily Mikan wouldn't let him.

"Actually Jataro,I was going to suggest maybe think of writing like how you prep for umm,art projects?" Mikan suggested. She didn't like interrupting people when they talked but the longer he started to do so, he would likely forget where they left off.

"But I get in trouble for that since I can't use my supplies for tests and stuff." He looked at his hands guiltily.

"Well no, I mean uh, whenever I help at the local hospital I never know what I'm going to be helping with. A nurse has to always be ready for any emergency so I think of the basic things I need to take care of before I go. Do I have enough fresh gloves and bandages stocked? Did I eat enough? Did I get enough sleep? What floor was busiest yesterday and might still be busy today? If I organize my thoughts like this way before hand I can concentrate a lot better at the main task. That way I can be less distracted or worried even when something new happens that I'm called for." She explained.

"Oh, I think I can try that." Jataro said with a shy nod.

"Also, Ibuki noticed that your trying to write sometimes with the same font style you sign you works. Maybe we can look into a cool different font so you can still be creative but won't get you in trouble?"

She proceeded to browse her phone for different saved font styles she had from her past album covers both the used and considered. There were some that were big and others would take to long on a test to do. A few others looked like they were a different language all together. Eventually though the trio agreed the font style labeled Atomic Sushi was cool yet practical enough to try.

Other then the occasional freezing up at bigger words he was doing okay and after an hour they decided to call it a day. As a reward for doing such a good job they decided to take him to the local park to play for a bit. Before the trio could gather all their supplies up, a familiar blue haired boy along with his mentor appeared.

"Ah! Nagisa, I didn't know you were gonna be here today."Jataro greeted his friend with a smile. First running into Kotoko last week and now Nagisa. He was always happy to see them so he ran up to hug Nagisa.

"I got better at writing today!" He exclaimed a little louder then he needed to indoors.

"Riiiight on he is! We might need some help with the Science and social studies but he's we're at least tackling the writing thing a bit." Ibuki just like Jataro said this in a louder voice then needed indoors.

"Good to hear though you should lower your voices in a school environment when indoors regardless the rush from a good study." Isimaru replied.

"Hey if you were having with things like science and especially social studies why didn't you ask me to help?" Nagisa asked.

Suddenly a bit nervous about responding to his friend, Jataro started muttering in a bit more quiet voice.

"Oh um, I know you've got a lot your own stuff to worry about so I didn't want to be a bother about it. We go to the same school and types of classes but yours are a lot more special smart kid classes. It would be an ugly way to waste your time and-"

Nagisa cut him off by putting his hand on the other boy's shoulder and giving it a comforting pat to calm him down before speaking.

"That's alright Jataro, honestly it's not a problem for me. If you want me and my tutor's help we can have a study session sometime. I'd be happy to help."

"Really?!" The arts major exclaimed as if he couldn't believe his friend cared that much. Out of the other kids he was the least likely to tease or harass him but all the same he felt surprise at his friends caring tone. When all he got in reply was nod and a smile he hugged Nagisa again.

At the park

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1

While competing with Jataro on who could spin around on the spinning chairs the longest without getting dizzy, Mikan was on standby just in case.

She wasn't planning on getting directly involved but still enjoyed seeing her friends have fun. Despite them being where the root of her self-hate began, Mikan never held any ill will towards children. Seeing them smile and knowing she was the cause of their happiness warmed her. Knowing that instead of being a victim anymore she could help those also hurt by bullies made her feel needed. She called for them to stop when it looked like Jataro was wheezing fairly hard and helped him keep his asthma tube in his mouth as he breathed. They'd only learned later that the one positive thing that could be said about Jataro's mask was that it kept his medicine in place so he wouldn't forget it.

Unknown to the trio there was another set of eyes watching them from a distance while pretending to be reading the newspaper from the bench across from the playground.

Roicu Kemuri had gotten home a bit earlier then usually to hear the unfamiliar sounds of silence in his house instead of Jataro's usually noisy TV watching. He'd have a habit of sometimes playing the volume more then a bit too high from time to time. It honestly never bothered him much but his wife claimed the volume hurt her ears which was why after a while he'd hear her scream from upstairs for him to turn it down.

After listening to his messages and one of them from the Mioda girl saying they were taking Jataro to the park, his instincts said to follow them to make sure. Hope's peak high school might of been a highly respected school in many ways but that didn't mean it was immune to the gossip of what kinds of questionable people it let in. Although the girls came off nice enough he still wanted to make sure.

Roicu had only met them once and they seemed like harmless girls but he wanted to at least check. Just so he wouldn't feel like he was totally neglecting Jataro's possible safety.

"Neglecting Jataro's safety." He thought this bitterly to himself since he did realize to some degree that it was an hypocritical thought to an extent. Roicu wasn't completely blind as he let on which only made it feel all the worse at times. As he watched Jataro and his new friends move on to play on the monkey bars he thought about his own small moments of happiness as a kid.

Soon thinking of the ones that involved his wife back when they were teens. She was a cute cheerleader but not a very well liked one by even her other squad members. He wasn't a very confident nerd so when she asked him to a 2nd year prom he was ecstatic. A friend warned him on a rumor on some popular girls asking out guys on dares for money and then dumping them a few weeks later.

Of course he though his friend was just jealous and ignored his warning.

After a great 7 weeks of love and one drunk night of fun, she started getting sick on the 8th week. A quick doctor's visit revealed that she was indeed pregnant with life. Roicu promised to arrange a wedding and take up a job to help support her but she didn't want a big wedding of any sort. Mimi didn't want to chance others might find out and harass them. Being a pregnant teen wasn't a crime but it was humiliating for both their families. With the weird hormonal spikes came strong cravings that made her eat more and occasionally drink despite doctors orders.

"This is mostly your fault so you can't tell me when to drink and what! I'm sure twice in a month just a little sip won't kill me." Mimi said.

He did at some point ask if she wanted to put the child up for adoption or even an abortion before it got to big but she refused both. She didn't like the humiliation that came with having a kid so young but she also claimed she was excited to have a baby before her older sister. Neither really knew anything about babies but Mimi was saving up for nursing school lessons so they already had a few books. He was both anxious and excited when he first held Jataro. When Mimi's only reaction to him from birth to a whole year later was blank faces or small grimaces he didn't really understand why. Although she wound up dropping out of nursing school they still had a few books.

In one of the books it explained the concept of postpartum depression vs baby blues. It explained that some women can develop them both during and after a pregnancy. In the first days and weeks after childbirth, a new mother goes through a variety of emotions. She may feel many wonderful feelings including awe, joy and bliss.

She may also experience difficult feelings, including sadness, anger, or both. Sad feelings and crying bouts that follow childbirth are known as the "baby blues." The baby blues are common and tend to decrease within a week or two. This type of sadness is often attributed to the dramatic hormonal changes that follow childbirth.

Around one in seven women will experience something more extreme than the typical baby blues. Women that give birth and struggle with sadness, anxiety or worry for several weeks or more may have postpartum depression (PPD). While the baby blues tend to pass quickly, PPD can be long-lasting and severely affect a woman's ability to get through her daily routine. In some cases like with his wife's case they can tend to lash out at others along with their own child as part of their problems.

Was he staying out of pity for her? He liked to tell himself he wasn't and that it was because of the spark they still had. Did a part of him believe that her anger was only half because of PPD and another half of never wanting him or Jataro in the first place? He'd be a horrible husband if he ever admitted that and that his friend was probably right. It did no good to think this way so he tried shoving that notion aside whenever it weaseled up.

Had he not at least considered divorce even though he didn't think he could handle being single again and raising a child alone to boot? Roicu once more made himself believe that wasn't the case.

"One day it'll pass. One day she'll look at our son with a real smile and not a fake one." Roicu chanted these thoughts every day until he made himself believe it was true. Before he could think further he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey buddy? If your trying to pick up underage kids maybe creep somewhere my kid and her friends aren't huh?" A female voice broke Roicu from his thoughts. He must of zoned out for a bit and didn't notice the woman's approach. Along with her voice he noticed her small pocket taser that she was tracing her hand over as a warning. Only after his mind slowly registered her comment did he leap up waving his hands in front of himself and shaking his head no defensively.

"Oh! No, no, no, no, I'm not a creep I promise! I was just watching my son over there to make sure he was okay. I got a message from his friends Mioda and Tsumiki that they were going to this park His name is Jataro Kemuri and I'm Roicu Kemuri. I even have photos of us if you want proof."

He hastily showed a few pictures of him walking Jataro to school the few times he had the time to.

"I meant no offense Ms...um?"

"Meh, it's alright and names Lucy Mioda. You know like the old beatles song with diamonds? Sorry for the threat but with the crazies out there now a days you can't be to careful. Lucy said.

You can drop the over proper Ms or Mioda stuff. Just call me Lucy and I was wondering who's kid she was talking about when she said she was going to the park. Said it was some kid nicknamed JatJat and her friend. He's a bit adorable save for the mask. Looks like he needed his clothes patched up to but baby girl seems to have that covered." She commented.

Looking over, Roicu only then realized as she pointed out that Jataro's sleeves were rolled and stitched to be more fitting. Same with his pants as well.

"Why hadn't I ever considered doing that? Oh...right I'm usually to busy with work or to tired to going shopping often. I just leave it to Mimi." He recalled. Not wanting to get to stuck on that issue he returned his attention to Lucy who was now sitting across from him and smiling at the kids.

Now that he had the chance to get a proper look at her, Lucy really did look like an older and more mature version of her daughter. She had a few beauty marks above her right eye. Both eyes had been cleanly done over in light pink eyeshadow. Her eyes compared to her daughter were green instead of pink. Ibuki's mother had a pear shaped body that wasn't exactly fat nor too thin.

Probably a few years older then himself but not by that many years. With the exception of a few loose strands on the side of her head she had nicely groomed black hair with a few naturally white strands in it. All in all he couldn't deny she was pretty and seemed like a nice person. To confront him as she did meant she was good mother to.

"It's really nice that you taught her how to sow. I never really had the patience for it myself and haven't done it in a long while." Roicu complimented.

"Yeah, it wasn't exactly something I wanted to get into when I was a kid but when you need to save your yen and need clothes it's a great skill to have. That's what my mom told me and it definitely turned out to be true. My baby girl even makes her own outfits sometimes for her concerts." Lucy stated proudly.

"You and her father must be very proud of having such a talented kid. My son has a talent in arts & crafts. Sweet boy but I sometimes worry about his mind. He had a really bad rash a few months after we had him. I don't know if he was born with it or the medicine for it affected his brain but he tends to dissociate from things around him. I care for him still honestly." Roicu said.

He heard her laugh beside him but it was more like a bitter sarcastic one rather then cheery in a way.

"He doesn't even know where we live and I'd honestly like to keep it that way. Even if when he gets out and Ibuki is 35 by that time, I'd rather not let him know. As for my own kid she has to have her own little medications too but all you can do is love them regardless. All any parent can do is just hope that when their old enough to make big choices we've done all we can with them so they do it right." The way she spoke about it seemed to come from a place of experience and acceptance from what she'd been through.

"You... make a good point. Ah, I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring up something sensitive like that. I did notice you weren't wearing a ring but just assumed so I'm sorry."

"Nah it's okay. With how I can ramble I'd of brought it up myself at some point. I see you have ring unlike me so does that mean there's a miss kemuri or...?" Lucy paused for the answer.

"Yes, her name is Mimi." He replied.

The two of them chatted a bit more and mostly talked about how well their home lives had more or less been over the years. Lucy Mioda apparently owned a little tailor shop in town not to far from the park. Much like she mentioned earlier, Lucy eventually brought up the topic of her husband and how he was in jail for something that happened at a family reunion. She didn't really like remembering it to often. Roicu let her know that he didn't want to pressure her into talking about things she was uncomfortable with if she didn't want to. For the sake of changing topics he mentioned how his wife had dropped out of nursing school but was beautician part time though didn't get many customers.

It had been a long time since Roicu had been able to just casually talk to another women and it was honestly refreshing. It took his mind off some of his worries about Jataro and at least for a little bit forget his worries with his wife.

Eventually they noticed the kids starting to pack up to go. They decided to get up and do the same but exchanged numbers in case of emergency before they left. Since their kids were friends now he kind of hoped to see more of her just for the sake of talking to an adult who talked back to him like one. That at least was what he said to himself on the way home.

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Hi everyone, I hope the new year is treating you well so far. Please forgive my ice age long absence. On the plus side though I want you guys to know everyone both equally loved and loathed four eyed lemon will be making his fashionably late appearance.