Well, I thought I was gonna do some more therapy stuff, but I'm deciding against it. I know I only did two chapters, but they went through a series, I was using a couple of session ideas I had, but they went for almost four months if you're wondering.
Figure it's time to move on and get into the time jump within the following few chapters because it's gonna be fun, and we're gonna hop around a bit, spend a few chapters with the kids in high school/post-college, then full-on adults and then...well you'll see.
Thanks for sticking with my crazy ass for the past several years!
Also, I don't know what happened in the last chapter; we got some weird typos in it, so I'm going to have to go through and fix those because they throw stuff off. UGH!
I hope you all had a fun holiday!
The following few chapters will be silly for levity, so I'm sorry if this might be less drama-filled than the last several ones; I needed a break for several reasons.
Chapter 22
"So warm," mumbled Yuzu, smiling as she wrapped herself in her comforter, ignoring all of the noise outside her and Mei's room as she drifted back into sleep.
It was Christmas Eve, and she finally had a day off where she didn't have to worry about anything from work. All their orders had been made, and most were scheduled for pick-up that afternoon, clearing her schedule just in time for Airi's recital.
But for now, she wanted to sleep off the previous night.
With most of the work being completed, save for a few small orders, Yuzu had taken her staff out for an early Christmas party the night before at an izakaya near the restaurant they frequented.
Most of the staff managed to make it, including Yui, despite having a pile of school work to finish and Yuzu promising Yui's parents to watch over her and let her stay the night, which Yuzu agreed to without question. Harumi had also attended and felt a little out of place but loosened up after a couple of beers.
While she'd also allowed herself a few beers, Yuzu had taken it upon herself to remain mostly sober along with two supervisors to ensure the younger employees didn't sneak any booze. But unfortunately, with almost twenty employees to keep track of, she was sure they'd managed to evade detection.
Thankfully for those still living at home, their parents picked the kids up or texted Yuzu, thanking her for keeping an eye on them and saying they were home safely. She couldn't say the same for those living alone, but since she hadn't gotten any calls from people worried about them, Yuzu decided she'd only worry about it if it was mentioned.
But for now, now she wanted to rest her tired bones and stay in bed until Mei told her it was time to get up.
Reaching over, Yuzu tried to see if Mei and Airi were in bed with her, but she was disappointed to find that side of the mattress cool.
Sighing in disappointment, Yuzu settled for the consolation of hugging Mei's pillow and smiling as she remembered walking in the previous night to find Mei sleeping soundly with Airi in her arms.
Yuzu would be lying if she said she'd been a little disappointed not to get Mei to herself, but she understood with Airi finally home after Mei and Yuzu's illnesses, Mei wanted to make up for the lost time. The book Mei and Yuzu had been reading to Airi over the past few weeks was on Mei's table, along with a new book Yuzu didn't recognize.
Resisting the urge to wake them, Yuzu grabbed some clothes and went into her and Mei's bathroom to change and clean up before carefully climbing into bed.
Unfortunately, the mattress shifted a little, causing Airi to subconsciously move closer to Mei, whimpering and rousing Mei from her sleep.
"Whassa matter," Mei mumbled when Airiand clutched her pajama top. "Airi, what's..."
Yuzu raised a finger to her mouth and motioned Mei to be quiet before whispering, "I think I scared her on accident."
"Oh," was all Mei could say, stifling a yay and blinking back her sleep. "What time is it? How long have you been home?"
"Twenty minutes," shrugged Yuzu pointing at the alarm clock. "It's only eleven. Harumi is in the guest room, and Yui is on the couch. Go back to sleep; I'll try and calm her down."
"I'm glad you're home safe," said Mei after a soft yawn. "Did you have fun?"
"Yeah." Yuzu smiled and leaned over Airi to give Mei a soft kiss and stroke her cheek. "But it's nice to be home."
Mei smiled sleepily and kissed Yuzu's wrist before burying herself in the covers and stroking Airi's hair, humming a lullaby.
Following suit, Yuzu cuddled up close to Airi and rubbed her daughter's back. She'd tensed up briefly, but after hearing Yuzu and Mei's voices, her whimpers turned to gentle snores, and all three eventually fell back asleep.
But now it was morning, and Yuzu was struggling to find the strength to stay awake and was considering going back to sleep until a gentle knock, followed by Mei's voice saying, "Yuzu, it's time to get up," destroyed those plans.
"Do I have to," grumbled Yuzu from her vanilla and lavender-scented cocoon. "It's Christmas Eve, Mei. Can't we stay in bed?"
"As much as I'm tempted to join you, we can't," sighed Mei, her weight shifting the bed as she moved closer to Yuzu and began feeling for her wife's head.
"Not even close," giggled Yuzu when she felt Me's hand touch her right buttock and begin shaking it. "But feel free to keep going; it feels good."
"Must you be so juvenile," scoffed Mei, but Yuzu could tell she found it funny and risked squeezing Yuzu's buttock.
"Mei," squealed Yuzu in false surprise. "I'm surprised at you, and here I thought I was supposed to be the juvenile one."
"You are," sighed Mei shaking her and smirking before giving Yuzu a playful pat on the rump and moving upward while Yuzu giggled from under the covers. "But you are entertaining, and I forgive you."
Eventually, Mei found where Yuzu's head was and pulled back the covers exposing Yuzu to the dimly lit room.
"Good morning," said Mei, leaning down and lifting Yuzu's chin to kiss her. "Did you sleep well?"
"I wanted to sleep more," grumbled Yuzu rubbing her eyes as she adjusted to the light. "Can't you give me ten more minutes?"
"I suppose I could," hummed Mei tapping her chin. "But what will I get for allowing you this extra leisure time?"
Thinking it over for a moment, Yuzu didn't know what she could offer. She was sure Mei had already started breakfast, and Yui and Harumin were taking care of Airi while Mei was dealing with Yuzu.
Yuzu didn't want to know what Harumin or Yui were thinking about Mei handling this, but she pushed it to the back of her mind and instead focused on something else.
There wasn't much at the moment, Yuzu could offer. Yui was around to help Mei and Yuzu finalize the purchase of Airi's birthday and Christmas, so that was pointless. They also didn't have to worry about Airi's outfit since Airi said her grandparents had picked it out for her when she was staying with Udagawa, so that was a no-go.
She could offer to do Mei's hair and nails, but they'd just done that a week ago, and outside of a touch-up, there wasn't anything else Yuzu needed to do.
And there was no way Yuzu would give Mei her present early.
There was that, but Yuzu wanted to make sure they had the time to cherish that moment fully, and with everyone downstairs waiting, it would just be awkward and get everyone's attention which neither of them wanted.
Sighing in defeat and figuring it wouldn't work, Yuzu decided on one course of action and threw her arms up, inviting Mei to climb under the covers for the remaining time she had left.
"I offer cuddles," exclaimed Yuzu, almost shouting.
"You offer cuddles?"
Mei stared at her wife in amazement, and Yuzu continued to smile, shifting her arms in Mei's direction and gesturing for Mei to join her.
"Yeah." Yuzu's voice was still nervous, and she could see the shock in Mei's eyes. "It's all I got right now, but if you don't want to, I get it. I could let you use me as a pillow if you want or do some chores for you later. Whatever you want, just let me rest a little longer."
After several tense seconds of quiet, Mei's shocked expression turned into a smile accompanied by a soft, genuine laugh.
"You offer cuddles," laughed Mei while Yuzu moved closer and placed a hand on her wife's arm. "The first thing that comes to your mind is us cuddling?"
"Not the first thing," laughed Yuzu, along with Mei, who hadn't pulled away. "I thought of many things I could offer, but this seemed the most reasonable. The others were things that wouldn't mean much or ones I can't give you just yet, and the last was something I didn't want anyone to walk in on us doing. The kids interrupt us enough during stuff like that, and I don't want Harumin or Yui to see us."
"It's certainly an interesting one," sighed Mei, recovering from her laughter but chuckling when she saw Yuzu shudder before motioning for Yuzu to move closer to the center of the bed. "Make room, Yuzu."
"You want to do this now," asked Yuzu in amazement while Mei climbed under the covers and began moving closer.
"Yes, I do," sighed Mei getting comfortable. "It's going to be a busy couple of days, and I'm already a little tired, so I'll join you. Is that a problem?"
"No, it's not a problem." Yuzu blushed and looked down at Mei, whose head was positioned carefully atop Yuzu's shoulder. "I just thought you'd want to wait until tonight after everyone left."
"This is fine," chuckled Mei after calming down, rubbing her nose against Yuzu's throat before kissing it. "I missed you last night. I wanted to go, but I know you needed a night to catch up with Harumi and relax. But right now, I have you all to myself, and I will enjoy this time with you."
"You sure?" Yuzu asked, feeling a familiar sensation flow through her body as Mei kissed her neck again. "You don't think someone will come up?"
"I'm almost certain of it," agreed Mei, not sounding worried. "But we aren't doing anything we need to worry about them seeing. So, could you relax and enjoy this time with me? Please?"
Looking down, Yuzu saw a hint of pleading in Mei's eyes and nodded.
"You're right," answered Yuzu shuffling under the covers to allow herself to hold Mei. "Thanks for staying with me, Mei."
"You're welcome," yawned Mei, her breath steadying. "Now enjoy yourself. We have a busy day ahead of us."
Nodding, Yuzu settled back under the covers and wrapped her arms around Mei, closing her eyes and breathing in her scent. On top of the lingering scent of her soap, she smelt like coffee, tea, and something else she couldn't quite place. It was a good smell, and Yuzu soon found herself dozing off to Mei's soft even breaths.
Yuzu had barely felt herself drift off when she heard a muffled voice begin to wake her up again.
"Yuzucchi. Yo, Yuzucchi! It's time to get up! You too, Mei. We're all waiting on you guys to start breakfast, and your parents are wondering what the hold-up is."
"Haru...min," mumbled Yuzu opening her eyes while Mei shifted closer to Yuzu's chest. "What are you talking about? Mama and Papa aren't here."
"Yeah, they are," sighed Harumi, folding her arms and rolling her eyes, though she couldn't hide her amused smile. "They're the ones who sent Mei up to get you out of bed half an hour ago. But it looks like they should have sent me instead; at least you'd be out of bed and dressed by now. You are dressed, aren't you? You left the door unlocked, so I assumed it was safe to enter."
"You assumed correctly," mumbled Mei, her voice a low growl of annoyance that didn't even faze Harumi. "But if you'd be so kind as to leave us alone for a few minutes longer, it would be appreciated. Mother and Father will understand and come up with something."
"No can do, Pres," chuckled Harumi, grabbing the blanket and yanking it off the pair, forcing them to cuddle closer.
"Well, at least you're clothed," sighed Harumi. "This will already be difficult enough to explain to Matsuri without her trying to turn it into some perverted situation."
"I told you it was safe and to give us a few more minutes," snorted Mei, bolting up and glaring at Harumi, who just balled up the comforter and threw it back on the bed, a smirk eerily reminiscent of Matsuri on her face.
"And I told you, Ume-san and Sho-san want you downstairs," countered Harumi, not backing down from Mei's icy glare. "So quit making me out to be the bad guy when you're the one who failed to get Yuzucchi's lazy butt out of bed because you wanted to sleep in."
Mei looked like she was about to say something back, but Yuzu cut in with a yawn saying, "All right, I'm up. I'm up, good grief, it's what..."
Yuzu looked at the clock and groaned when she saw the time.
"It's only eight-thirty. Oh, it's too early for this!"
Yuzu groaned, rubbed her face, and sniffed loudly before saying, "Harumin, it's not Mei's fault. I didn't want to get up, so I asked her to stay with me for a bit to get a little more rest, and we ended up falling asleep. So please cut her some slack and tell Mama and Papa we'll be down soon."
"All right," sighed Harumin, shoulders slumping in defeat. "I'm sorry for assuming this was your fault, Mei. I should know Yuzucchi's habits after we lived together for so long, and I jumped the gun."
"It's all right," replied Mei cooly, though Yuzu could sense some sincerity and nodded at Harumi to signal that Mei was being genuine. "I'm sorry I got short with you. It's been difficult the past few weeks to get some time alone. I promised Yuzu only ten minutes, and I also fell asleep. You had a right to be annoyed with me. I only ask that we don't tell Matsuri about this because we all know what she'll do if she hears the three of us were alone in mine and Yuzu's bedroom together."
"Don't remind me," Harumin grunted in disgust as she thought about all the perverted things her partner might say and sighed. "All right, now that we got that settled. You two need to get off your asses and get downstairs. I don't need to tell you two what's going on, and if you wanna make this schedule work, we gotta get moving."
"Yes, ma'am," said Yuzu saluting her best friend, who smirked before excusing herself to head downstairs.
They heard Harumi shout that Yuzu and Mei were finally up and moving as she headed down the hall toward the steps.
"I should probably get going," said Mei straightening her shirt and jeans. "Father and mother will need help, and Airi has been saying she doesn't feel well."
"It's probably her nerves," chuckled Yuzu stretching her arms above her head. "It's her first recital with new kids and a new teacher. Plus, she's still learning her right-handed movements, so they stuck her on the piano, remember? Chances are she's frustrated she doesn't get to play her violin or cello with the other kids. Want me to try and talk to her about it."
"I think that will help." Mei smiled, and her ears turned red as she gave Yuzu a sideways glance before patting her wife's hand. "I enjoyed that time together, Yuzu. It was a good suggestion."
"Thanks for indulging me." Yuzu leaned over and kissed Mei on the cheek before giving her another one on the ear, making her wife gasp in surprise. "If you have any requests for later, I'd be happy to return the favor."
"I'll consider it." Mei looked at the door to ensure nobody was trying to spy on them.
When she was sure nobody was looking and confident nobody was listening, Mei turned, gave Yuzu a brief, deep kiss, and gave her wife's lower lip a soft bite before pulling back and saying, "I'll see you downstairs."
It was Yuzu's turn to blush as she watched Mei get off the bed and hurry out of the room, leaving Yuzu alone in their room, reveling in how cute her wife was and wishing that the house was empty.
"Mama," was the first thing Yuzu heard as she appeared downstairs, freshly dressed and cleaned up for the day.
"Good morning, Sweetie," smiled Yuzu bending down to pick Airi up and spin her daughter around, making her squeal in delight. "How are you?"
"I'm okay," said Airi after she caught her breath. "Are you okay? Auntie Harumi and Yui-chan said you guys were up late."
"Not as late as you think." Yuzu tapped Airi on the nose and smiled. "But I am a little tired because I've been busy, but snuggling you and Mommy gave me lots of energy!"
"That's good," said Airi as Yuzu placed her in her chair next to Yui, who was looking over what looked like school forms. "Are you hungry?"
"Very." Yuzu took a minute to give Mei, seated next to Harumi, another kiss on the cheek before reaching the divider between the kitchen and the dining area and addressing her parents. "What's on the menu today?"
"Depends on what you want, Yuzu," answered Sho, giving her a big smile as he flung a towel over his shoulder. "You want western style, or do you want Japanese? If you don't want either of those, we got some pastries on the way over, and I can tell you first-hand that they're delicious."
Yuzu smirked as Sho patted his belly, which had grown slightly over the past few years.
"We got fruit too," offered Ume, waving at a small tray of fruit sitting next to the box of pastries while she busied herself with eggs. "Just let us know, and we'll get it up for you soon."
"I can help," offered Yuzu as she heard Mei and Harumi begin talking with Airi about the recital and school.
"No, you won't," interrupted Sho before taking a sip of his coffee and giving her a cocky grin. "Your mom and I are taking over cooking duties for today and tomorrow. You and Mei are on a break while we're here, so sit back, relax, and enjoy what your mother and I have planned for you."
With that, Sho pulled out a small ringed notepad and removed a pen from his ear, like a diner employee, scratched out their names onto individual sheets, and asked, "So what are you having?"
"I want Japanese," said Airi after taking a large gulp of juice.
"Japanese-style breakfast for the cute young lady," said Sho writing down an order and ripping off the slip. "No natto, right?"
"Right! Natto's gross! Lots of tofu in my soup, please!"
"You got it, Princess," chuckled Sho, finishing his writing.
"Thank you, Grandpa," giggled Airi before returning to her juice and continuing her conversation with Harumi and Mei.
"Here you are, my dear," said Sho handing Ume the slip.
"Is that necessary," snorted Ume with a smile, but she couldn't resist rolling her eyes. "It seems like a lot to go through for breakfast."
"Yes," answered her husband with a shrug before whispering. "Besides, Airi is getting a kick out of it, and I think it's helping her forget about the show. Ain't that right, Yuzu?"
"I guess." Yuzu shrugged as she poured herself some coffee, added the necessary adjustments, grabbed a couple of pastries, and put them on a small plate. "I'll take western-style, Mama."
"We need a western-style after that one, Ume," requested Sho after writing out Yuzu's order making Airi giggle and Mei shake her head, though she managed a faint smirk.
Ume rolled her eyes but gave into her husband's quirkiness before handing him a plate with an omelette, toast, and bacon.
Throwing the towel over his, Sho took the plate and walked it over to Yui, who said thanks as she finished writing something down before taking a bite of the egg. Yuzu kept her mouth quiet about his poor technique and placed the plate of pastries next to Mei.
"Yui," said Mei while Airi began humming to herself, and Harumi answered a message on her phone. "Yui, I know you want to get that done, but it's best to hold off on it until we're done eating. You don't want to turn in paperwork with stains on it."
"I know," sighed the girl while Yuzu removed Kumagoro from his chair next to Mei to the other end of the table before taking his spot. "I just wanted to get it done while everything was fresh in my mind."
"What is it," asked Airi, peeking over at the paper and trying to decipher the characters but giving up after she couldn't make out the words.
"Class registration," said Yui before finishing the line she was on and putting it in a folder in her bag. "My computer is acting dumb, so I must fill out a physical copy and email it after I scan it in."
"Sounds like a pain." Harumi set her phone down and thanked Sho as he returned with a plate of fish, pickled veggies, and two bowls, one holding rice and the other miso soup. "Which college is this again?"
Yui said the school's name, and everyone except Sho and Mei looked confused.
"Is this a good school," asked Yuzu as she picked at her pastry while Sho looked at Yui in admiration.
"It's up there with the best," he said, patting Yui on the shoulder. "Good job on getting in. I have a friend on the admissions board, and I've heard how difficult the audition process is. You'll get a hell of an education there, and people in the entertainment industry will scramble to hire you."
"Thank you." Yui blushed and began devouring her food. "But I'm not sure what my major is yet. I figured I'll spend the first couple semesters getting a feel and working on improving before I make a decision."
"That's not a bad idea," agreed Mei giving Yuzu a knowing look. "It's best not to rush and understand the weight of your decision. Remember to ask for help from the faculty, and if any graduates visit and talk to the class, use them or find people who graduated in a field you're interested in and ask to speak with them. They'll make the time if you're lucky, and you can gain valuable insight."
"I'll do that." Yui gave an embarrassed smile before returning to her meal.
"Any word on Hideki's choices," asked Harumi after swallowing a bite of fish and adding some grated daikon to her next taste. "Or is he still waffling?"
"I want waffles," squeaked Airi making everyone chuckle and deflating her excitement. "Why're you laughing at me?"
"We're not laughing at you," said Yuzu, patting Airi's head. "It's just a term people use when asking if someone is taking a long time to make a decision."
"Really," said Mei after swallowing a sip of her drink. "I didn't know that."
"You're kidding me, right," asked Yuzu, turning her attention back to Mei. "I could have sworn you heard it a few times when we traveled to America and met with my friends who lived there."
"I might have heard it, but I didn't process its meaning," sighed Mei while Airi giggled and Harumi and Yui kept quiet. "You're better at English than I am, and I haven't had much experience in casual conversation with it. I'm lucky I could understand them and not get lost in most of the conversations I had."
"That's true." Yuzu finished her pastry just in time for Sho to arrive, looking stressed as he tried to balance both Yuzu's and Airi's food. "Papa, do you need help?"
"I got it." Sho's voice was, and everyone at the table prepared for the worst to happen as the bowl containing Airi's soup began to shift.
"Father, be careful," sighed Mei as she tapped Yuzu on the arm. "If you can't do it, please let Yuzu or Yui help."
"I said I got it," grunted Sho, making his way carefully toward the table and barely managing to set the plate with Airi's fish and soup down on the table in front of her and let out a sigh of relief before doing the same for Yuzu. "See, I told you I could do it."
"Are you all right?" Mei looked at her father's hands and noticed his right one was shaking a little. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"
"What? This?" Sho rubbed his hand and shook his head. "Naw, I'm fine. Just a bit of arthritis, all part of getting old. Good thing I made it before I dropped it; I won't do that again."
"You certainly won't," said Ume appearing with a plate containing a western-style breakfast and pointing at the chair Yuzu had placed Kumagoro in. "Mei, sweetie, I hate to ask but can we..."
"I'll move him." Mei got up, retrieved her old bear, set him on the couch, and pointed at the chair. "Father, please sit."
"Come on," grumbled Sho, holding the plate with both hands. "I'm fine. I can still help."
"You've done enough," said Ume, giving her husband a stern look. "The food's almost done anyway, so there's no reason to push yourself. So please sit down and let me finish making my and Mei's food. The girls need to leave soon. Remember?"
"Why you gotta leave," whined Airi, looking at Mei and Yuzu while Sho shuffled to his seat in defeat. "I thought you were going to my recital?"
"We are," said Mei after ensuring her father was situated. "But me, Mama, and Yui-chan need to run an errand, but we promise that we will be there and recording so we can send your father a video."
"My daddy wants to see me play," asked Airi, her eyes wide in shock.
"Almost as much as Mommy and me," said Yuzu, ticking Airi's cheek and making the girl giggle. "He's also going to try and call tomorrow. Is that okay?"
"Yeah." Airi nodded and took a big sip of soup before munching on tofu. "Are you going to show him pictures of me in my concert outfit? I wanna show him what Grandpa picked out."
"You picked out her outfit," inquired Mei as all eyes turned to Sho.
"Yeah," he said, looking confused. "Why are you all so surprised that I can help Airi pick out clothes? I used to buy clothes for you when you were little, Mei. I'm not completely hopeless."
"I didn't mean to imply that, Father," said Mei, feeling slightly foolish. "We didn't know you were the one to do it. Udagawa-san and Rena said they would do it, so we're a little surprised."
"They were busy." Sho took a bite of his omelette and shrugged before continuing. "They both had meetings, and I've been slowly prepping for retirement, so I have more free time. Besides, Airi needed the outfit, and I hadn't seen her in a while, so I offered. We had a lot of fun, didn't we?"
Airi nodded and swallowed a big spoonful of rice before saying, "Yep. We bought presents, saw Santa, got my outfit; and Grandma came, and I got to have a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's. Grandma made nikujaga too. It was good."
"It was a lot of fun," chuckled Ume as she watched Airi's smiling face. "She was a good girl and did all her schoolwork, wrapped presents, and helped clean up too."
"Grandma put some money in the piggy bank I have at her house," said Airi proudly. "It's getting heavy. They said I did a good job wrapping the presents too."
"We'll count it soon and ask your moms what you can do with it," said Ume before turning to Mei. "Which reminds me. Mei, what would you like for breakfast? All you've had is a drink and one of the pastries. You'll need more than that; we got a long day ahead of us."
"I'll have a few more pastries and some fruit," said Mei, watching Airi, who was devouring her food, glad that her daughter wasn't dwelling on her performance. "Nothing sounds particularly appetizing at the moment."
"You're not getting sick again, are you?" Ume stepped away from Airi and began inspecting Mei, making the younger woman blush while Yui snuck a quick picture before sending it to Yuzu and Sho, while Harumi and Yuzu smirked. "You're not warm and have color in your cheeks."
"I am fine, Mother," Mei gently removed Ume's hand but did her best to smile warmly. "I'm just a little tired and don't have much appetite. But trust me, I will be more than willing to eat what you have planned for dinner tonight."
"Good." Ume's attitude picked up when she heard Mei would be hungry for dinner. "I planned on making us sandwiches between sets at the recital, so don't worry about lunch. Airi, you're still going to help with those, right?"
"Can I wear my outfit," asked Airi after picking up her final piece of tofu using her training chopsticks.
"You can wear it after," said Sho, earning an approving nod from Ume. "We don't want it to get dirty before the concert, and remember what you promised Honoka-chan."
"Fine." Airi sighed and began trying to pick fish meat up with her chopsticks while Mei and Yuzu smirked and finished their breakfasts.
Eventually, everyone finished, and after Ume and Sho forbade them from helping clean up, they gathered their things and prepared to leave. All save Airi, who stood at the door looking nervous as Yuzu and Mei got their shoes on while Harumi and Yui waited just outside the door.
"You guys are gonna be there, right," asked Airi while she tugged oner her pajama and stared at her feet.
"Of course we are," said Yuzu, grunting as she bent down and began smooshing her daughter's cheeks in her hands. "You think we're gonna miss your first big concert with your new friends?"
"It's okay if you do," said Airi once Yuzu stopped squeezing her face and stroking her head. "I'm only playing piano."
"That doesn't mean you're not contributing," said Mei, joining Yuzu and squeezing her daughter's shoulder. "You're still learning how to play right-handed with a group. Besides, you are very good at piano and the fact that your teacher is having you do this is a testament to your abilities. Not to mention, your teacher said that you should be ready by the next recital, and after seeing how hard you work when Mama and I make it to your lessons, I believe it."
"Okay." Airi looked down, but they could tell she was blushing. "I'll play extra hard today and practice hard for the next recital, so I'm not stuck on piano."
"And Mommy and I will be rooting for you." Yuzu gave Airi's hair one more quick tussle before kissing the top of her daughter's head. "But we gotta get going. You help Grandma and Grandpa, and we'll see you soon."
After another round of goodbyes to her moms, Yui and Harumi, Airi hugged both her mothers before waving them off and shutting the door once they were outside the gate.
"I'll see you guys there," yawned Harumi, rubbing her eyes. "I'm gonna go home and get cleaned up before heading over. Matsuri will be at work but said she'd stop by tonight to drop off presents."
"Thanks for coming last night." Yuzu hugged her best friend and beamed. "Don't worry about rushing over. Just keep us posted on what's going on, and we'll give you guys your presents when you stop by. Do you want a ride?"
"Naw, I'm good on the ride; I got some stuff to think about. And last night was fun," laughed Harumi, waving to Yui and Mei. "I'll see you two later. But earlier, I asked about Hideki, any word, or is he still keeping to himself?"
"We're going to talk with him soon," said Yuzu, deflating softly. "He said he figured something out but wants to talk to us about it. I just wish he'd stop worrying and make a choice. But last time I tried to tell him that..."
Yuzu looked to Mei and Yui, who were already seated in the car and waiting patiently for Yuzu to finish.
"Well, you remember what happened."
"Yeah, I do." Harumi broke away, gave Yuzu a tap on her head with her pocketbook, and smirked. "If that's the case, just let me know once he decides to tell you. No use pushing it if it's just gonna cause another fight like that."
"Thanks, Harumin."
From inside the car, Mei saw Harumi wave to them. Not wanting to be rude, Mei waved back and started the car when she saw Yuzu start walking towards the car.
"She's not coming with us," inquired Mei while Yuzu watched Harumi walk toward the station. "It's cold out; I thought we could at least drop her off."
"She said she'd be fine," said Yuzu backing out and driving in the opposite direction. "I offered, but she said she needed to think a few things over, and the roads aren't too bad. Besides, if it becomes a problem, she'll call Matsuri or us.
"All right." Mei waited for Yuzu to head onto the main road before resting her hand in the space between their seats and smiling when Yuzu took the time to hold her hand.
"So, what ones did you two go with," asked Yui from the seat behind Yuzu.
"We went with a couple of the ones you recommended," said Mei, letting go of Yuzu's hand so she could turn. "But we're following the advice you, Airi's teacher, and the sales associate recommended though we are worried about Airi outgrowing them.
"That's why you brought me along," chuckled Yui, leaning back in her chair. "Thanks for having me over, by the way. It was kind of fun going to my first work party. Not sure if I'm going to make it a habit, but it was still fun."
"You guys earned it," said Yuzu before asking Mei to give her the directions so she could drive. "But I understand not wanting it a regular part of your life. When I worked in an office, they were frequent, and I had to go because of clients and stuff. It got to be too much, and I had to stop going for other reasons. But don't worry, we don't do them that often. However, if you want help planning your twentieth birthday, let me know, and we'll figure something out."
"I'll think about it," Yui smirked at something on her phone before speaking again. "What about you, Mei-san? Do you attend parties like that often?"
"I do not," said Mei after giving Yuzu directions. "My responsibilities include going to a different kind of party; I'm sure Yuzu and the kids have told you about them."
"A little bit." Yui yawned and rubbed her eyes before looking out the window. "Hideki's glad you don't make him go as often. He said he didn't understand why you take him and Airi to them if you don't expect them to take over for you."
"There are several reasons I take them," said Mei giving Yuzu the last set of directions. "The most important reason is that I get to spend time with them. You're aware of how busy my schedule can be, aren't you?"
"Yeah." Yui shifted uncomfortably in her seat when Mei's gaze turned to her. "I was just curious about it. Just seemed weird that you were taking them if you didn't want them to succeed you."
"If they choose to succeed me, then they know what to expect," countered Mei as Yuzu searched for a parking spot.
"Sorry," said Yui as she unbuckled herself. "I didn't mean to pry. I was just curious about why. I only get Hideki and Airi's side, so I just wanted to know."
"I understand." Mei turned to Yui and gave her a look of understanding. "It's expected to think that I might have ulterior motives, but I hope that after all these years, you'd know that I've never forced them to do anything like that."
"I know, Mei-san." Yui looked a little uncomfortable, but she managed a slight smile. "Thanks for clearing that up."
"You're welcome." Mei patted Yui's knee and managed a brief smile. "Thank you for coming with us and asking me instead of assuming; it means a lot. Now we're running a little behind, so let's get these tested and prepared so we're not late."
"I hope she likes them," said Yuzu nervously as they exited the car and walked into the music store. "We're going to have to figure out what to do about her cello if she decides to drop studying it, you know."
"I know," Mei smirked and grabbed Yuzu's hand as they headed to the desk where the young woman who'd helped them pick out the guitars they'd chosen for Airi greeted them. "But we're showing that we care about her interests, which will help her confidence."
"Here's hoping."
Yuzu rubbed her temple as they approached the counter and asked if Yui could test their chosen guitars before purchasing.
"Of course," said the woman giving Yui a familiar smile. "Back again, are we? Will you be picking up supplies for school or replacement strings today? I'm not going to get in trouble with your parents for selling you another guitar, am I?"
"I'm not buying today," chuckled Yui nervously at Yuzu and Mei's arched eyebrow. "Just here to test out the guitars for them. They're for my friend Hideki's little sister; you remember him."
"I do." The woman's voice dragged a bit as she pulled out the acoustic guitar first and set it on the counter while another customer entered the store and was helped by another employee. "I didn't realize this was for the same household. Though I can see the resemblance."
The woman's gaze lingered on Mei, making Mei blush before chuckling and handing the guitar to Yui, who had already pulled out a series of small devices before heading over to a testing station and began checking the guitar for any issues.
"I helped them pick that," sighed the manager, annoyed, while Mei and Yuzu grinned sheepishly. "They said you recommended it, and I double-checked its tuning and everything just yesterday."
"It's a habit," countered Yui, sticking her tongue out at the manager. "Besides, this kid is like my little sister, and I want her to have a good experience with it, though I wish we could have gone semi-acoustic. She'd have gotten a kick out of that."
"That's why I'm here." The woman sighed and shook her head before giving Yuzu and Mei a smile before crossing her arms and waiting for Yui to finish.
Mei and Yuzu thought it would take Yui a while to finish her inspection, but it barely took five minutes for the girl to finish her tuning, remove the tools and go into a quick classical guitar riff, surprising Mei and Yuzu.
From everything, they knew about Yui's tastes and the club shows they'd seen videos of, they figured Yui would go into a style more akin to what Airi listened to, seeing as how Yui was the one who told Mei and Yuzu what songs to have Airi avoid.
But classical was an odd choice, though not unexpected, as she'd been attending music classes almost the entire time they'd known her.
"Vivaldi," said the manager in surprise when Airi finished two minutes later. "Not a bad choice."
"Well, the kid is learning classical right now," chuckled Yui before switching to something more contemporary and getting a few onlookers before ending the song. "It'd be kinda silly for her to start shredding right away."
"Did we pick a good one," asked Yuzu hesitantly as Yui handed back the guitar. "It won't be too big for her, will it?"
"She'll grow into it," said Yui with a wink. "You did good picking this one, and the sunburst style is something I know she'll like. But this is the one I'm worried about."
"So am I," said Mei observing Yui pick up the white electric guitar they'd picked out.
It was the closest they could find to the style of the musician Airi admired. It was smaller than the acoustic due to the extra weight caused by the electronics, but it was the best they could do, and finding it left-handed had been no easy feat. They'd waited weeks for this order to come in and had only received the call two days ago that it had come in, just in time for Christmas. But they wanted to test it and inspect it, and luckily the manager had said they could return the order if it didn't meet their standards.
Much to Mei's relief, Yui and the manager ensured it hadn't been damaged. It looked tiny in Yui's hands, and both Mei and Yuzu wondered if she could even play it. But after going through her motions of prepping it, Yui sat down in the testing section and plugged it in.
There was a slight buzzing and twanging from the amp as Yui gave the guitar some final adjustments. But finally, the girl looked confident and raised her pick before strumming the strings, causing a soft echoing sound to come from the amp, surprising Mei and Yuzu yet again.
There was a definite heaviness to the sound coming from the amp, but it was nowhere near as loud as they'd expected. Instead of the frantic, speeding notes they were so used to seeing from Yui's videos; they were met with a contemplative style.
While there was the occasional distortion or bending of a note, Mei and Yuzu were surprised at the melody Yui was putting out and her composed style of playing and found themselves enamored with the music.
Eventually, Yui finished her test and gave them both a thumbs up, saying, "She's gonna love this. But remember to start her off on the acoustic first. It'll make her rely more on her skills than things like the pedals and amps."
"Uh, right," said Yuzu making a mental note of the equipment Yui pointed at while Mei jotted down something on a notepad. "But you think we chose the right guitars?"
"How old is your daughter again," asked the manager, accepting the guitar back and boxing it.
"Six," said Yuzu while Mei looked at the extra equipment bundled with the electric guitar. "These are her first guitars, and she is obsessed with certain musicians. So we tried to find similar ones her favorite musicians use."
Yuzu then explained all the different songs Airi listened to and their artists, and the manager gave an appreciative nod.
"Your daughter has a wide range of tastes for her age," chuckled the woman as she repackaged everything, though she had to ask Mei for the mini-amp back. "But I can assure you these will suit her just fine. She's young, and these are some of the better guitars for her age and skill level. If she sticks with it, she'll need better equipment, but these will suffice until she's ready to upgrade after a few years."
"Thank you for all your help," said Mei with a bow and pulled out some bills. "We will be back if we have any further questions. But do you recommend anything else before we go?"
Yuzu flinched at Mei's request, thinking the manager would begin piling on the accessories, but she didn't. Instead, she grabbed extra strings, a beginner's tuning kit, a series of different-styled picks, and a bag for the electric guitar, as the acoustic came with one.
"These should work, but if there's an issue with the straps, come in, and we can get her fitted properly. I believe Yui-chan or one of the teachers can handle the restringing, but if you'd like us to show you or your daughter, you can request an appointment, or if you feel uncomfortable, we can do minor repairs here in the shop."
Mei and Yuzu offered their thanks, and after paying, they loaded the guitars into the car and buried them under the emergency blankets, and gear Yuzu kept in the back during the winter months.
Sighing in relief that they finally managed to get this taken care of, they climbed back into the car and headed toward the concert hall, which was surprisingly full despite being forty-five minutes early.
"Glad I'm not performing today," yawned Yui as she prepared to head out into the cold.
"Thank you for coming," said Yuzu as they parked the car before ensuring the guitars were still hidden beneath the blankets. "It'll mean so much to Airi to have you and Hideki here."
Yui smiled at Yuuzu and excused herself before running into the building and chatting with a few girls she seemed to know.
"Do you think we went overboard?" asked Mei, slipping her hand into Yuzu's as they headed inside. "With the presents, I mean?"
"I don't think so." Yuzu yawned and rubbed her eyes. "The money we spent on those is barely more than her keyboard if it was brand new. Besides, she hasn't lost interest in her other instruments, so I think we're fine. Or are you worried about something other than the guitars?"
"Maybe," chuckled Mei, squeezing Yuzu's hand and blushing when she felt Yuzu do the same. "I'm surprised you still haven't asked about your gift."
"I thought I'd give you a break." Yuzu winked, and Mei's ears burned as they entered the warm building. "I'm just worried about what you'll think of my present."
"You know I don't need anything, Yuzu." Mei hid her smile while Yuzu began searching for their family.
"But you deserve to be spoiled occasionally," laughed Yuzu as she waved at someone in the distance and began bouncing excitedly.
"You do, too," said Mei, turning in the direction Yuzu was waving. "I just feel like you do it more often."
Yuzu stopped her bouncing and turned her attention to Mei, a stunned look on her face as she said, "You spoil me plenty, Mei. Or did you forget about what happened earlier this morning? You could have said no, but you didn't."
Mei's face burned at Yuzu's comment, and she said, "That was...that was an exchange. You offered, and I accepted. I don't see how..."
Yuzu was about to say what was on her mind but was interrupted by Udagawa and Ume shouting a greeting at them.
"Glad to see you made it," laughed Ume while Udagawa fiddled with a brand-new camera. "Did you get what you needed?"
"We did," said Yuzu with an air of triumph. "They're Yui-approved, and we're confident Airi will like them."
"I'm surprised you agreed to buy them, Mei," chuckled Udagawa as he put the camera in the bag hanging from his shoulder.
"She's proven her commitment to her other instruments," said Mei, glaring at her ex-husband but failing to make him flinch. "And she's complained enough about her cello that we thought they would be a decent substitute."
"Not to mention all the music she listens to," teased Udagawa nudging Mei with his elbow.
"There's that as well." Mei blushed, but she gave him a smirk. "Are you going to be coming over tonight? If not, we can drop the gifts off tomorrow."
"I'll be by," Udagawa said, adjusting the camera bag. "I got a few packages to drop off for you guys, too, and Rena and the other two are stuck at her sisters in Hokkaido, so that they won't be home for a few days."
"You're more than welcome to stay with us until they get back," offered Yuzu, pulling herself away from her mother. "The spare room's all set up, and as long as Mei is okay with it, you can stay over. The more, the merrier."
"But aren't your parents staying over?" Udagawa looked at Ume, who was in the process of raising her hand.
"Yeah, Yuzu," Ume gave her daughter a gentle smack on the back of the head. "Did you forget that we're spending the night?"
"You said you were cooking," grumbled Yuzu, rubbing her head. "You didn't say you were spending the night."
"Well, now we are," chuckled Ume before ruffling her daughter's hair. "But Sho and I can sleep on futons if necessary. Speaking of which, here he comes now. How'd it go?"
"Great," sighed show, as he finished stuffing bottles Yuzu recognized as some of Airi's hair supplies into a bag. "It took a minute to get her hair right, but other than that, she's good to go. She's still a little nervous, but her teacher and some older kids seemed to calm her down."
"You did her hair," asked Mei, her eyebrow cocked. "You know how to do Airi's hair?"
Sho blushed at the look his daughter was giving and shrugged, saying, "I used a video tutorial. It's nothing like what you and Yuzu can do, but I think I did an okay job."
"I see." Mei's voice was calm, but the edge wasn't completely gone, and everyone except Ume looked worried. "Well, as long as she's happy with it, I'm sure it's fine. Have you seen Hideki?"
"Right here," came a voice from the entrance. "Sorry I got stuck on a phone call."
"Hi, Sweetie," squeaked Yuzu running to Hideki but stopping after she saw his leg in a compression brace and settling for a brief hug once he'd reached her.
He looked a lot better than the last time they'd seen him. Mei and Yuzu could tell he'd put a little muscle back on but was nowhere near as fit as before his injury.
"Hi, Mama," Hideki smirked as Yuzu squeezed him tightly. "Sorry if I'm walking a little slow. I just started going back to practice, and I'm still recovering from it."
"Is that safe?" inquired Mei, looking at Hideki's leg and back at Udagawa. "Did the doctors clear that? If they did, why didn't..."
"Mei."
Mei turned in Yuzu's direction and felt a little embarrassed when she saw the look of warning on her wife's face and Hideki's embarrassment.
Closing her eyes, Mei took a deep breath and tried to let her anxiety go before saying, "I'm sorry. That wasn't meant to be accusatory."
"It's okay, Mom." Hideki chuckled while Ume and Sho stepped aside to give them some privacy. "The doctors only told me a few days ago that I could go back, and yesterday was my first day. Between that and holiday homework, it slipped my mind. I'm sorry I didn't tell you; please don't blame Dad."
"I understand, and I promise that wasn't me blaming your father."
"Okay," said Hideki, looking nervously at his mother. "You're okay with me still dancing?"
Mei nodded and, after another deep breath, reached up and played with one of the earrings Hideki had gotten while he'd been with his father, though he never bothered telling any of his parents he'd planned on getting them. There'd been a minor argument, with Yuzu being the only one not seeing it as a big deal that he didn't tell them and that as long as it was just his ears, she didn't mind. Udagawa had been the most conflicted, as he wanted to support his son's individuality but was worried about what would happen at school and if it would affect Hideki getting a referral to his college of choice. Mei and Rena had been the most obstinate, wishing he'd at least wait until after graduation.
Eventually, all of them, save Yuzu, relented after Hideki was given enough time to show them the part in his school handbook saying boys were allowed piercings so long as they fell into specific guidelines. Those guidelines were that the school would leave him alone if he wore regular, unadorned studs. But that didn't stop him from wearing a slightly more lavish pair set with fake stones while they were out in public.
When Mei's finger accidentally touched his lobe, Hideki flinched a little at the touch, and Mei smirked, understanding his discomfort.
"Careful," he grumbled, his ears and cheeks turning red as Mei dropped her hand and smirked. "You know my ears are almost as bad as yours."
"I do." Mei placed a hand on his chest, remembering how often, as a kid, he'd wake when Mei or Yuzu accidentally touched his ear when he slept between them. "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. But lately, I've had difficulty coming to terms with the fact that you're growing up."
"That's what kids do," teased Udagawa making Yuzu chuckle and Mei roll her eyes, ignoring that Ume was taking pictures.
"I'm aware of that," she said, smacking her ex-husband on the arm. "But he needs to understand that we're going to worry about him and won't always be there to stop him from making bad decisions."
"Is this still about my earrings, or is it because I snuck out and drank in the park with my friends or that they ate the food in the house without asking?" asked Hideki in a low voice. "Because I thought we were past that, and I haven't touched any booze since unless it needs to go in a recipe, and they've been bringing their own food over when they visit. I swear."
"We know," said Yuzu, wrapping her arm around her son's elbow and squeezing. "You've been doing better. But what I think your mom's trying to remind you of is that you're almost an adult, and we're just worried about you and want to know that we've raised you to make good, smart decisions. But we also want you to have fun, as we told you when you visited us at the house. You're still a kid in some ways, so you should have fun. I mean, you're always going to be our kid, and we're always going to worry about you, no matter how old you are."
Yuzu took a moment to point between her, Mei, and Udagawa.
"I'm working on that." Hideki gave his mom a hesitant smile. "But, can we talk more about this at home after Airi's thing? I need to talk to you guys about a lot of stuff, and I don't want people listening to us. That and I'm sore, and I need to sit down."
"Of course." Udagawa motioned for Ume and Sho to walk over as he pulled out some tickets. "I already got us checked in, and our seats are waiting for us. Hideki, you're on the outside."
"Okay," replied Hideki, trying to ignore the eyes on him as Mei and Yuzu wrapped their arms around his as they all walked into the auditorium.
Still not the Christmas chapter; I had to plan some of that out and figure out Mei and Yuzu's gifts, but HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I hope yours is ending on a much better note than mine.
Family medical drama, possibly identity theft, and other issues abound, and people wonder why I'm such a grouch.
I hope to have the whole Christmas chapter up by the end of the week and the New Year one up soon!
Also, the guitars Mei and Yuzu got Airi are left-handed versions of a Fender FA-15 3/4 Sunburst with steel strings and a left-handed Olympic white Mini-Strat.
Look up Queen at Live-aid, and you'll see why on the electric.
Yes, I know most people would have her play right-handed, and right-handed instruments can be modified for left-handed use, but it's not recommended for various reasons. Also, given that Airi is already seen as an outsider, I wanted Mei and Yuzu to do these things so that Airi didn't feel like her being left-handed was something to be ashamed of. She'll eventually be able to do both, but I wrote it that way because it made sense for her character.
If you want to learn some interesting stuff about left-handed violins, check out a violin manufacturer called Fiddleheads, and they'll explain it much better than I can.
Also, Sho acting as a waiter is something my dad used to do for us when I was a kid, and when I needed something for Sho to do, that popped into my head and made me miss my dad. Oof.