[FFML] [fanfic][Yotsuba&!] Pretty Neighbor 2nd Visit: Chapter 12: Shimau & Confusion

[Mythril Moth]

I may not be getting these out QUITE as fast over the next few days. In 
addition to TRYING to get this up on my website, I'm dealing with a bad 
flareup of a medical condition which renders me virtually blind.

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SHIMAU & CONFUSION

by Mythril Moth

based on Yotsuba&! by Azuma Kiyohiko

subsequently based on the "Pretty Neighbor" Yotsuba& doujinshi series

no permission asked or given

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Insistent rapping on the bedroom door awakened Shimau.

"Hima-chan?" her mother called. "Are you alright? Answer me, please!"

"Sorry, Okaasan!" Shimau called, pulling herself up off the floor and 
rushing to the door.

"Hima-chan, why didn't you answer?"

"I am sorry," Shimau said, smiling weakly. "I apparently was very tired. As 
soon as I sat down at my desk, I dozed off."

Her mother considered that, then nodded. "Well, that happens to everyone now 
and then, I guess."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"So, have you opened that package?"

Shimau blushed. "Ah! That! It is nothing important, Okaasan. It is merely a 
classmate's rather weak practical joke."

Mother raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yes, it is." Shimau yawned. "I am very tired, Okaasan. I believe I would 
like to go to bed now."

Mother gave her a long look of concern, then nodded. "Alright, Hima-chan. 
I'll put something in the fridge for you to eat later if you get hungry."

"Thank you, Okaasan."

Mother departed, and Shimau closed the door. She turned back to the 
unexpected horrors on her desk, and frowned prettily.

"Fuuka..." she sighed. "What has come over you?"

Sitting down at the desk and taking a deep breath to steady herself, Shimau 
collected the photographs, and began to examine them once again. Her face 
turned very red, and it was difficult to fight the urge to throw them across 
the room, but in the interest of trying to figure out just what had happened 
to her friend, she decided it was important to study all the evidence.

The most obvious fact was that Fuuka had begun a sexual relationship with 
Yotsuba's father. There was absolutely no denial of that.

There was apparently...quite a bit of variety in their relationship, also. 
Fuuka seemed to have developed an interest in cosplay.

Had she also become an exhibitionist? Given the sheer number of photographs 
of Fuuka and Koiwai-san engaged in sex, that would seem to be the case.

With a sigh, Shimau examined the note that had been with the photographs.

THAT was by far the most disturbing part of this puzzle.

Before she dealt with the more disturbing implications of the note, she 
turned to the other piece of information it contained.

"Koiwai Fuuka", she had signed it. Shimau pursed her lips. Had Fuuka married 
Koiwai-san at some point this summer? She had not seen much of Fuuka this 
summer, and now...

She sighed. Part of her wanted to be as far away from all of this as 
possible. But Fuuka was still a friend, and she wanted to at least try to 
understand how the level-headed girl had suddenly, in less than a month, 
turned into this...whatever she was now.

Collecting everything and returning it to the envelope, then stuffing it 
into the very bottom of her desk drawer and piling many other things on top 
of it, Shimau undressed and changed into her pajamas, then went to bed.

Tomorrow, she would start looking for answers.

-----------------------------------

Shimau rang the bell at the gate. After a moment, the door opened, and a 
green-haired ball of energy came running out.

"Shimau!" Yotsuba called. "Shimau, Shimau!"

Shimau smiled at her. "Ohayou, Yotsuba-chan. Is Fuuka-san here?"

Yotsuba shook her head. "Nuh-uh, Mommy went shopping."

"I see," Shimau said, noting how easily the young girl called Fuuka "Mommy". 
"And your father?"

"Daddy's workin'," Yotsuba said, sighing. "An' Ena and Miura went on a date. 
I'm bored," she looked down, pouting.

Shimau raised an eyebrow at that. If she remembered correctly, Miura was 
Ena's rather tomboyish friend. But perhaps Miura had in fact been a boy and 
she had simply not realized it?

"Would you like me to stay and play with you until your Mommy comes back?" 
Shimau asked, smiling.

"Yay!" Yotsuba cheered. "C'mon, c'mon!" She raced back into the house.

Bracing herself, Shimau walked through the gate and into what she hoped very 
much was not one of the circles of Hell.

-----------------------------------

Sitting in the living room, playing cards with the young child, Shimau began 
asking carefully worded questions.

"So, Yotsuba-chan...Fuuka-san is your Mommy now?"

"Uh-huh!" Yotsuba declared.

"How long has Fuuka-san been your Mommy?"


"Um..." Yotsuba thought hard. "Um...since her mom and dad ran away."

Shimau's eyes widened. "Her mom and dad ran away?"

"Uh-huh," Yotsuba said, looking somewhat subdued. "Nobody was happy an' Ena 
cried a lot."

"I see. Why did Fuuka-san's mom and dad run away?"

"Because Asagi was really mean an' Mommy an' Ena big-time super lied a lot 
an' they got really scared so they ran away."

Shimau frowned. "Asagi was really mean?"

Yotsuba nodded. "I dunno what Asagi did cuz nobody'll tell me, but it musta 
been really bad, an' they said if I ever see Asagi I need to scream a lot 
for help."

*That...is disturbing.*

"And Fuuka-san and Ena-chan lied to their mom and dad?"

"They said they did but they didn't say what they lied about but they're 
really sorry they did it," Yotsuba said, looking down.

"I'm sure they are," Shimau said reassuringly. She paused. "Ne, 
Yotsuba-chan, you said Ena-chan was out on a date with Miura?"

"Uh-huh."

"I thought Miura was a girl?"

"She is! An' she gets mad if people forget," Yotsuba said in a stage 
whisper. Brightly, she added, "But I like it when people forget cuz then 
Miura says funny stuff!" She tilted her head. "Ne, Shimau, what's a pussy?"

Shimau spluttered. "Wh-what?"

"It's somethin' I heard Miura yellin' about."

"Ah...that's..." Shimau laughed. "I don't think I can tell you what that is, 
Yotsuba-chan."

"Nobody ever tells me nothin' good!" Yotsuba complained, pouting.

"They're not being mean to you, Yotsuba-chan," Shimau said. "It's just that 
are some things...you aren't supposed to know about until you're older."

"Older like Ena?"

"At least."

"Oh. Why?"

"You just aren't."

"That's dumb."

Shimau just smiled. "So, Fuuka-san and Ena live here now?"

"Yep."

"Where does Asagi live now?"

"I dunno. I haven't seen her in a long time."

"I see." Shimau tried to think of another question, but stopped when she 
heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Ah! Daddy!" Yotsuba yelled, jumping up and running.

"Hey Yotsuba, you behaving? --oh?"

Shimau stood, turned, and bowed. "Please forgive the intrusion, Koiwai-san," 
she said.

"It's fine," he replied. "You're..." He paused, frowning. "You're Fuuka's 
friend from school, right?"

"Hiwatari, yes," Shimau said, bowing.

"She's Shimau, Daddy!" Yotsuba said, giggling.

"Shimau?" Koiwai asked, blinking.

"It's a nickname," Shimau said. "My name is actually Hiwatari Himawari."

Koiwai tilted his head, making a face. "You're better off with Shimau," he 
commented.

"In any case, I came to speak to Fuuka-san, but since she was not home and 
Yotsuba-chan said she was bored, I asked if she wanted me to play with her 
while I wait..."

Koiwai nodded. "No problem." He paused. "Fuuka didn't say anything about 
telling any of her friends she was living here now."

"Ah...that is part of what I wanted to talk to Fuuka-san about," Shimau 
replied.

"Hmm." Koiwai frowned, then shrugged. "Well, I've gotta get back to work, I 
just came down to get some water. Yotsuba, be good for our guest. It was 
nice meeting you again, Hiwatari-san." With that, he went into the kitchen, 
came out with a bottle of water, and went back upstairs.

"It's not as funny when new people come over since Mommy made Daddy start 
wearin' pants," Yotsuba said.

Shimau raised an eyebrow at that, but decided not to ask. "So, your father 
works at home?"

"Yeah. He's busy a lot."

"I see."

The front door opened. "I'm back!" Fuuka called.

"Mommy!" Yotsuba cheered, running off.

Shimau watched the young child, noting how cheerful she was and how much she 
seemed to love her new "mommy". With a pretty frown, she stood.

"Were you a good girl, Yotsuba-chan?" Fuuka was asking at the genkan.

"Uh-huh! I was bored, but Shimau came and played with me."

"Eh? Shimau?" Fuuka asked.

Shimau stepped into view from the living room. "Ohayou, Fuuka-san," she 
said, bowing.

Fuuka smiled. "Oh hey, Shimau! Haven't seen you in a while," she said. "What 
brings you by?"

"I believe you already know the answer to that, Fuuka-san, but I will speak 
to you privately about that."

Fuuka blinked. "Huh?"

Yotsuba looked between them. "You're not gonna talk about boring stuff like 
on the news, are you?" She pulled a face. "I hate when grown-ups do that."

"I'm sorry, Yotsuba-chan, but it is sometimes necessary," Shimau said, 
squatting down and patting the little girl on the head. "I enjoyed playing 
with you, but now I must speak to Fuuka-san for a while. Please do not 
attempt to listen in."

"Okay," Yotsuba said, pouting.

Fuuka was eyeing Shimau apprehensively. "Ah...well then," she said. "I need 
to start making lunch...Shimau, perhaps you could help?"

"Yes, I would not mind assisting you in the kitchen, Fuuka-san."

------------------------------------

"Okay what's with you, Shimau? It's like the temp in here dropped ten 
degrees when I got home."

"A reaction you should have expected, given the nature of your missive."

"Huh? Missive?" Fuuka asked, blinking.

"But before that..." Shimau said, scrubbing a bowl of vegetables, "I trust 
you and your husband are being...discrete, in regards to your...marital 
activities? At least, in so far as Yotsuba-chan is concerned."

Fuuka stared at her, flushing. "SHIMAU!" she cried. "We absolutely don't do 
that kind of thing in front of Yotsuba-chan!" She paused. "Wait, how did you 
know about me and Kotashi anyway? And...we're not exactly married yet, just 
engaged."

"I see," Shimau said. "Yet already you use his name, and Yotsuba-chan calls 
you Mommy."

"Well, yeah..." Fuuka frowned. "Again, Shimau, how do you know all this? I 
know I haven't talked to you in several weeks..." She blushed. "That doesn't 
make me much of a friend, does it?"

"I prefer it to the level of, ah, 'friendship' hinted in your missive," 
Shimau said.

"*WHAT* 'MISSIVE'?!" Fuuka yelled. "What the HELL are you talking about?"

Shimau sighed, turning to face her. "You deny sending a parcel, from this 
address, containing multiple explicit photographs of yourself and Koiwai-san 
engaged in sexual activity?"

Fuuka paled. "...WHAT?"

"And included in that parcel was this note," Shimau said, pulling a wrinkled 
piece of purple paper out of her pocket and handing it to Fuuka.

Fuuka looked at it, and her eyes widened. "Shimau...I didn't send this. I 
didn't WRITE this. I don't know anything ABOUT this, and I'm certainly not 
THIS sick and de..." She trailed off. Her eyes closed. "Asagi. OF COURSE."

"Asagi-san?" Shimau asked. "I do recall Yotsuba-chan mentioning that Asagi 
was unwelcome here..."

"Putting it mildly," Fuuka said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "So, you 
interrogated Yotsuba-chan?"

"I apologize for that, and I *was* very careful in doing so. I did not ask 
anything about...adult activities."

"Good," Fuuka replied. "Shimau...I am so sorry you got dragged into all 
this. I can't BELIEVE..." She paused. "Well, yes I can. It's exactly the 
kind of sick thing..."

"Perhaps...if you explain, Fuuka-san?" Shimau asked.

"Yeah. Okay, here goes..."

------------------------------------

Shimau's eyes were wide and her face was pale. "That is..."

"Yeah. Even when we knew Asagi was a bitch, we had no idea just how sick and 
twisted she was, or what she was capable of, until Torako-san showed up. And 
now, she's...well, she's determined to put me through hell for the rest of 
my life." Fuuka sighed. "I should've known she had backups of the..." She 
paled. "OH GOD, what if she's distributing those pictures of Ena? It's bad 
enough if the pictures of ME are getting out, but..."

Koiwai walked into the kitchen. "Hey, Fuuka, didn't know you were back."

"Kotashi, we have a problem."

Koiwai tensed. "I'm getting really sick of hearing that," he said with a 
grimace.

"I'm sorry," Fuuka said. "And yeah, I imagine for you, it's about as bad as 
any time I hear that bitch go 'oh my, oh my...'"

"What the hell did Asagi do NOW?" Koiwai asked.

"He sent Shimau a bunch of pictures of us having sex, and a really creepy 
note, and put our address on the package."


"Oh, *SHIT*," Koiwai hissed. He turned to Shimau and bowed. "Hiwatari-san, I 
am very sorry you have been dragged into this."

"I am...still extremely disturbed by all this, Koiwai-san," Shimau said, 
"But...I understand that you are merely victims here. What the two of you 
choose to do in the privacy of your own home is your business. I just..." 
She blushed. "I wish I had not been made privy to the, ah...details of your 
private affairs."

"Um...yeah."

"I will bring those photographs to you immediately, of course," Shimau said.

"Don't bother," Fuuka said. "Just destroy them."

"But in the event you need evidence--"

"We already copied the original files off her computer," Koiwai said. "I had 
hoped she didn't have backups, but..."

"I see."

"Just what the hell was she thinking, anyway?" Koiwai asked.

Wordlessly, Fuuka passed him the note. He stared at it, then crumpled it up 
and threw it in the trash. "That's SICK."

Shimau looked at both of them, then bowed her head. "I will take my leave 
now," she said. "I apologize for the terrible things I was thinking about 
the two of you."

"No problem," Fuuka said. "Um...we're still friends, right?"

Shimau smiled. "Of course, Fuuka."

Fuuka heaved a sigh of relief. "I'm glad. Um...I'll see you around then, 
Shimau."

Shimau bowed, then left.

As soon as she was gone, Fuuka buried her face in Koiwai's chest and cried.

-------------------------------------

Five blocks away, Shimau's phone rang. She stopped and pulled it out; she 
did not recognize the number. "Moshi-moshi?"

//Oh my, oh my...that was rather disappointing. I had hoped you would squirm 
a while longer, perhaps dramatically avoid my sister with no explanation for 
a while...//

"Asagi-san."

//So it appears my sister has a new ally,// Asagi said. //Are you certain 
you wish to side with such a depraved little girl?//

"The only person who is depraved is you."

//Oh my, oh my...that was quite rude. Quite rude indeed. I believe I am 
offended, Hiwatari-san.//

Asagi hung up. Shimau frowned.


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Mythril Moth
www.mythrilmoth.net