[FFML] [fanfic][dark][Yotsuba&!] Pretty Neighbor 2nd Visit, Chapter 20: Fuuka & Choices

[Mythril Moth]

Brief note for those just joining us: I've gotten up through chapter 13 
formatted on the website (link in .sig).

Also, stray footnote: the English loanword "reverse" is occasionally used as 
slang for throwing up.

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FUUKA & CHOICES

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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The Koiwai house awoke to a symphony of epic morning sickness.

"Yyyyyyyyyep, she's pregnant," Miura said, hands behind her head on her 
pillow.

"Yep," Ena muttered, face-down in hers.

"Mommy throws up really loud," Yotsuba said.

"Yep," Miura replied.

A particularly explosive outburst of barfing rattled the walls.

"Yyyyyyyyyyyyep, she's pregnant," Ena mumbled.

"Yep," Miura agreed.

"Is Mommy gonna die?" Yotsuba asked, worried.

"Nope," Miura said.

"Pregnant women throw up a lot, Yotsuba-chan," Ena explained tiredly.

As if on cue, Fuuka vomited again.

"A *LOT*."

And once more.

"...that's kinda gettin' on my nerves now," Yotsuba said.

"Yyyyyyyyyyep," Ena agreed.

The other two girls didn't see Miura's wicked grin as she started to sing...

"Puke, puke, puke,

Puke and hurl, puke, puke,

Puke and hurl, puke, puke,

Puke and hurl..."

Yotsuba blinked at her. "Huh?"

Ena rolled over on her side and stared flatly at Miura. "What the hell."

Fuuka let fly yet another Technicolor yawn.

Miura kept singing. After a couple of minutes, Yotsuba joined in. With a 
sound somewhere halfway between a sigh and a giggle, Ena added her own voice 
to the chorus.

Koiwai, shambling down the hall, heard the girls singing, blinked, and 
peeked into their room. They were all sitting up, singing the repetitive, 
adulterated lyrics, rising in volume every time Fuuka threw up.

He shook his head and went to the kitchen for coffee.

A few minutes later, Fuuka finally wound down from her daybreak spew fit. 
She walked past the girls' room, heard the singing, and looked in.

"Enough of that, please," she said crossly.

As she shambled away, still looking green and clammy, the girls burst out 
laughing.

"That was funny!" Yotsuba laughed. "We gotta do it again!"

"Nah, I think that's the only one we're gonna get away with," Miura said. 
"Next time, she might decide to barf all over us."

"Ewww."

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

"You look pissed," Koiwai greeted as Fuuka entered the kitchen. He already 
had a piece of dry toast and a small glass of juice waiting for her on the 
table.

"Those little turds' serenade," Fuuka muttered, slumping down in front of 
her breakfast and praying she would keep it down.

"Actually, I thought it was pretty funny," Koiwai said.

"No, you didn't," Fuuka said.

"Yes, I did."

Fuuka GLARED at him. "Your pregnant wife just said you didn't enjoy 
something. You did not enjoy it. Or else. Get me?"

"Whatever," Koiwai said dismissively, sipping his coffee. "Actually, I'm 
just amazed they even KNOW that song. I mean that song's twice as old as 
ME."

"That's an actual song?" Fuuka asked despite herself.

"Eh, sort of. They kinda messed with the lyrics." Koiwai snickered.

Fuuka rolled her eyes. "Well, if she pulls a stunt like that again, she's 
not gonna have to worry about Asagi's bodyguards. I'm pretty sure pregnant 
woman trumps ninja."

"Isn't it great that we have such a normal little family?" Koiwai asked. 
Buttering and munching a piece of toast, he started humming idly under his 
breath...

"REVERSE BEAM!"

"OH SHI--"

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

Asagi lounged at a pristine white table at an outdoor cafe, sipping tea and 
reading a newspaper. An elegant girl in an ankle-length black silk qipao and 
heels walked up to the table and bowed to her, a broad fan of wavy red and 
gold hair sweeping across her face as she did so. "Good morning, 
Asagi-sama," she greeted. "I trust you have enjoyed your honeymoon?"

"Not as much as I had hoped," Asagi sighed. "But, I have to give Takashi-kun 
credit where credit is due. No other man would have survived this long." 
Turning a page, she remarked idly, "I've decided to give him a break, cut 
him loose, let him actually eat and use the bathroom...you know, pretend 
he's a human being instead of whatever it is he is."

"Is that wise, Asagi-sama?"

"He's far too weak to escape, and I've got Saiko watching him. I don't think 
he could get past her even if he were at full strength."

"Likely not, no."

"And?" Asagi asked, arching an eyebrow at her visitor.

"Of course, the report. Pardon me, Asagi-sama."

"No need to apologize, Takako. So?"

"As you predicted, Torako has gone rogue. I have no doubt she will still 
follow orders if contacted, but she is presently training one of the younger 
girls in armed combat."

Asagi's eyebrows threatened to climb into her hairline. "Oh my, oh my...now 
I wonder, what EVER could she possibly be thinking?" She tilted her head. 
"Which one is she training?"

"The bokukko."

"Of course," Asagi nodded. "The most expendable one."

"Asagi-sama...forgive my impertinence, but this is hardly a trivial matter. 
The bokukko is extremely fixated on the notion of ending your life."

Asagi shrugged, turning another page. "Miura-mono is only ten. I don't care 
how much it hates me, there is a limit to how dangerous it is. I am, after 
all, surrounded by capable protectors, am I not?" With this, she lowered her 
newspaper to stare meaningfully at Takako.

"Of course, Asagi-sama."

"And, if you girls should happen to fail, I *do* still have 
Blow-Your-Balls-Off-kun."

"The bokukko has no balls to blow off, no matter how much she may wish she 
did."

"Oh my, oh my...then I'll just have to cut off my husband's balls and 
superglue them to Miura-mono, and THEN blow them off with 
Blow-Your-Balls-Off-kun."

"So, you intend to do absolutely nothing to prevent this situation?" Takako 
asked.

"Why should I? It will be VERY entertaining."

"If you say so, Asagi-sama..."

"Now, I believe you have other duties to attend to, do you not?"

Bowing, Takako left.

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

A freezing cold splash of water brought Jumbo back to consciousness. He 
spluttered, reaching up to wipe the water from his eyes...

...and could!

*I'm...free?*

"Put on da robe afore ya come out," a thickly accented voice said from 
somewhere outside the room. "I ain' goan' wanna see yo' dick flappin'."

Jumbo sat up, running a wet hand through damp hair, and pushed himself to 
the edge of the bed. He tried to stand, and immediately crashed to the 
floor.

There was an irritated, snuffling grunt. "Goddammit, fo'gotta tell ya 'bou' 
da whee'chair," the same voice muttered. "Can ya reach da robe or da sheets 
or sumpin'? Cuz I mean it when I say I ain' goan' be seein' no dick."

Stretching his arms up, Jumbo found the edge of the cotton yukata which had 
been left for him, and managed, with difficulty, to robe himself. "I'm 
covered," he called.

"Ya bes' be." Someone came in.

Without his glasses, he couldn't really see the newcomer very well. She--the 
voice sounded female, anyway--was apparently excessively large in every 
conceivable direction, and had skin too dark to be Japanese.

The woman reached down and hauled him off the floor as though he were 
weightless, then crammed him into a tight, uncomfortable wheelchair. A 
moment later, his glasses were jammed carelessly onto his face. Adjusting 
them, he got a better look at his...rescuer? Caretaker? Warden? He had no 
idea.

Jumbo was no real expert on ethnic backgrounds, but he would have to guess 
this woman was from some or another tropical island. She was immense, dark 
of skin, and extremely unattractive--he was not the sort of man who would go 
so far as to call someone hideous--with a protuberant nose that had been 
broken a few times, misshapen ears, flabby jowls, and a sloping brow over 
beady black eyes. She wore what could only be called a circus tent, and had 
a beach towel tied completely around her head.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Da boss lady be callin' me Sai-ko," she said. She leaned down close, and 
said, "Dat be 'cuz I PSY-CHO, yea?"

"Funny, the way I understand it, Asagi nicknames her flunkies for animals," 
Jumbo mused. "So it's probably because you look like a rhinoceros."

Saiko punched him in the head hard enough to make his ears ring.

"Dass ya las' warn," she said. "I ain' wipe yo' shit, I ain' clean yo' shit, 
I ain' eat yo' shit, an' I ain' take yo' shit. Ya don' goan' wan' piss me 
off, big man, I put a BIG goddamn shit right in yo' mouth. Ya goan' got all 
dat, yea?"

"Yes ma'am," Jumbo replied. *Where the HELL did Asagi find THIS thing?*


"So a'igh', ya goan' go do ya shittin' an' ya pissin' now. Den ya goan' go 
do ya baivin' cuz ya smell like a goddamn pile o' cat shit an' ol' bunt-up 
ty'as. Den ya goan' go do ya eatin'. Den ya goan' get ta look ya some 
tee-vee. Issa bes' day ya goan' be havin', so ya bes' be-havin'. Cuz if ya 
goan' be a dick, Sai-ko goan' putcha ass in da hole, yea?"

"...alright then." He coughed. "I mean, um...thank you very much, Saiko-san. 
I will behave."

"I dun goan' know ya is," she said as she wheeled him out of the bedroom.

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

The girls were surprised to see Koiwai come out wearing his much-hated suit. 
"Big day, Oniichan?" Ena asked.

"Eh, kinda," he shrugged. "I'm taking Fuuka-chan to the clinic, and then I 
gotta deal with school registration stuff."

"You're gonna go to school now too, Daddy?" Yotsuba asked.

Koiwai chuckled. "HELL no," he replied. "I've already done my time, thanks."

Ena giggled.

"Nah, I gotta deal with changing Ena's registration information at her 
school so she doesn't manage to disappear in the system--"

"EH?! ENA'S GONNA DISAPPEAR?!"

Koiwai sighed. "No, Yotsuba, I mean--"

The little girl doubled over laughing. "I got you that time!" she said. "I 
understand what you really mean this time!"

Koiwai facefaulted. "You do? Really?"

Yotsuba nodded. "Uh-huh! It's like, they still think she's got her old name 
and not our name, right? So their 'pooters are gonna be confused and forget 
who she is?"

Ena and Koiwai both stared at Yotsuba. "That's...actually *exactly* right, 
Yotsuba-chan," Ena said in a wondering tone. "You're getting pretty smart!"

Yotsuba beamed at the praise.

"Yeah, and next year I'll have to send *you* to school," Koiwai told her.

"Can I go to Mommy's school?"

"You're a *little* young for high school yet, Yotsuba," Koiwai replied.

"Aww. But I wanted to go to school with Mommy."

Koiwai sighed. "Yeah, that's the other thing I gotta deal with today."

"Changing Oneechan's registration shouldn't be a problem," Ena said. "Aside 
from getting some of her teachers worked up when they find out she's married 
now. She says her teachers are awful gossips."

"Oh, it's no problem at all, changing her registration," Koiwai said. "I 
mean, she's going from third year student to dropout."

Ena stared at him. "Oneechan's...quitting school?" she asked.

Koiwai shrugged. "Well, for one thing, she's about to be VERY pregnant, and 
isn't fond of the idea of going to school in that condition. And, 
well...after that, I mean, what's the point? Her career plan is kinda 
already set."

"Housewife, right," Ena nodded with a sigh. "But it just sucks that she's 
just gonna quit like that."

"Actually, it's a relief," Fuuka said as she entered the room, wearing her 
school uniform for what would be the very last time. "Third year of high 
school is entirely about entrance exams, and since there's no way I can be a 
college student *and* a new mommy to *two* little kids at the same time..."

"Oh, I know all that," Ena said. "I just..." She sighed. "I just think it 
kinda sucks that you got that far and now you're just quitting."

"It's not really quitting since I was never really trying to begin with," 
Fuuka argued. "I may be cut out to keep little kids in line and a house 
clean and a husband satisfied, but at school? Even though my grades aren't 
bad and a lot of people respect me and look up to me, I'm kind of a mess. I 
mean, going into third year not even having thought about what university to 
try for?"

"I didn't know that," Ena said quietly. "I just assumed you were as amazing 
at school as you are at home."

Fuuka laughed. "Thank you, that's sweet, but no. I've just been going 
through the motions for a long time now. And besides, even if I *did* have a 
plan..." She blushed. "Things kinda changed really fast on me, but now I 
have everything I need. I have a family that needs me and that I love, and 
I'm at the start of a completely new life. What's some dumb piece of paper 
I'm never even gonna use compared to that?"

"I guess...when you look at it that way," Ena said, "it does seem like 
you're making the right choice."

"Damn right I am!" Fuuka agreed cheerfully.

"Well then, we're off," Koiwai said, opening the front door and letting 
Fuuka exit ahead of him.

Once they were gone, Ena let out a long, sad sigh. "Who the hell do you 
think you're fooling, Oneechan?"

"She's tryin' real hard to lie to herself," Yotsuba said.

"Wow, even YOU can see it," Ena said.

"I'm startin' to understand more stuff now," the little girl said. Then she 
abruptly deflated. "An' you know what? I think I'm kinda startin' to not 
like it." She looked up at Ena. "Is that why Daddy an' Mommy an' Jumbo 
always tell me I'm too little to know stuff? 'Cuz they know if I understand, 
it's gonna hurt?"

"Yeah," Ena replied. She hugged the smaller girl tightly. "Yeah, that's 
exactly right, Yotsuba-chan." She sighed. "You're getting very smart."

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

Alone in an admittedly luxurious bath, Jumbo took a moment to observe the 
condition of his own body. He grimaced; it wasn't as bad as he had feared, 
but it certainly was not good.

Asagi had worked him over rather thoroughly since bringing him here. 
Apparently, someone had been cleaning and disinfecting and bandaging his 
wounds, because he saw no signs of infection anywhere, but he was going to 
have some spectacularly ugly scars when this was all over.

He was also far weaker than the malnutrition and constant physical torture 
should have left him. He suspected they were pumping him full of drugs. He 
idly wondered if Asagi knew that those kinds of drugs would make it 
impossible for him to ever have the erection she was so desperate to cause.

As he sat, letting the warm water soothe his aching, abused body, he 
considered his options. Of which he had none.

He had no idea where he was. He was physically weak. He had no clue as to 
the layout of the building where he was being held. And then there was the 
matter of Saiko. Even if he were in perfect health and fully rested, he had 
a feeling she could break him like a toothpick.

He could, of course, attempt to trick Asagi, persuade her that he could be 
broken, that he could be her willing...

His jaw clenched. No. Not even to try to save his own life would he go 
there. He would rather die than even pretend to be charmed by the most 
monstrously evil creature he had ever met.

Which left only one option: continue to be abused and tortured until he 
broke, died, or was rescued.

"Ya time up, big man. Dry ya ass off an' gitcha robe on, I ain' goan' be 
seein' no dick!"

*Who'd WANT you to?* he grumbled inwardly, shaking his head.

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

The dreaded moment had come and gone: Fuuka was disenrolled. They had opted 
not to tell the teachers in the faculty room the truth about her decision, 
or at least not the whole truth; if they knew she was pregnant, she would be 
an object of scorn. As it was, they merely thought it was very romantic and 
wished her the best of luck in her new life with her new family.

"Are you okay, Fuuka-chan?" Koiwai asked as they took one final stroll 
through the halls; he had insisted she give the place a proper farewell 
rather than simply leave.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I...okay, not really. I didn't realize how hard 
it'd be to walk away from this..." She smiled. "But knowing what I'm walking 
*to* does help."

"Ah! Fuuka, Koiwai-san, hello!"

The couple turned and saw Shimau waving at them. They returned her wave and 
veered off in her direction. "Hey, Shimau. How's it going?" Fuuka asked.

"Fine, thank you. And the two of you?"

"We've had some...interesting days recently," Fuuka replied weakly. "So, 
what're you up to?"

"What do you mean, what am I up to?" Shimau asked. "We're both here for the 
meeting today, are we not?"

"The meeting today?" Fuuka's brow furrowed. After what felt like forever, 
her eyes widened. "Oh, holy shit, I completely forgot." Then, she paled. 
"SHIT! Kotashi, we gotta get outta here before anyone sees me. This is gonna 
be awkward enough without--"

"Hey, it's the Vice President!" a voice called.

"--without that," Fuuka finished lamely, slumping.

"Bout time you showed up," a pretty-faced, lanky boy with chiselled cheeks 
and tousled hair greeted amicably as he strolled up to them. "It looks like 
we might actually manage to get half the Student Council here for the 
meeting for a change!"

"Uh...yeah." Fuuka shifted uncomfortably.

Koiwai blinked. He leaned down and whispered, "You're on the Student 
Council?"

"You didn't know?"

"You never mentioned it."

"You never asked!"

"Why would I--"

"Whoa, WHOA!" the smiling boy interrupted their fierce whispering. "Excuse 
me, sir, I don't mean to be rude, but we do kinda need our Vice 
President..." He frowned. "Say, who are you, anyway? I don't think I've met 
you before..."

"Kotashi...be careful. He's nice but he has had a crush on me for like five 
years and this will NOT end well," Fuuka whispered.

She need not have bothered.

"Oh, you remember Koiwai-san, don't you, Hiro-kun?" Shimau asked brightly. 
"Little Yotsuba-chan's father?"

"OH! That cute little girl who brought Ayase-san milk!" Hiro nodded. "Yeah, 
everyone here adores your little girl, Koiwai-san."

"Thanks, so do I," Koiwai replied, smiling.

"So, what brings you by?" Hiro asked. "Did Yotsuba-chan wander off again?"

Koiwai chuckled. "No, no, she's at home." He sighed. "So, what *am* I doing 
here, then..."

"Eh? You didn't come to update Fuuka's records?" Shimau asked. "I mean, 
that's the main thing you'd be doing here, right? Making sure they changed 
your name to Koiwai in the database?"

It took her about five seconds to realize how much of her own leg she'd just 
swallowed.

"...oh. I'm sorry, Fuuka. I...guess I forgot it isn't common knowledge..."

"It's okay, Shimau. It's not like I'm *trying* to keep it secret."

"That's good, then."

Hiro was looking from one girl to the other, then to Koiwai, then back, 
confusion etched on his pretty-boy features. "I'm...missing something here, 
aren't I?"

Fuuka took a deep breath. "I can do this. I can do this." Facing Hiro 
directly, she bowed. "I am sorry. I actually forgot there was a council 
meeting today..." She hesitated. "Shimau is partially right about why we're 
here." She took a step backwards, and Koiwai gently wrapped an arm around 
her.

The significance of the gesture was not lost on Hiro, whose face drained of 
color. He looked down. "Oh." Without glancing up, he added a mumbled 
"Congratulations." He looked up again after a moment, and tried to put on a 
brave smile. "So, you were changing your records from Ayase to Koiwai, and 
you just forgot about the meeting! But that's okay, I mean, you're here and 
it's time for it, so...?"

Fuuka shook her head. "We didn't come to change my records. We came to 
disenroll."

"Di..disenroll..." Hiro repeated, face falling.

"You're...just...quitting school?" Shimau asked. "Just like that?"

"I'm a housewife now," Fuuka said matter-of-factly. "There's little point in 
being anything else."

Hiro tried to smother a hostile glare at Koiwai, and failed. "I see," he 
said. "I suppose your husband *would* find it more convenient--"

"Don't go there with me, kid," Koiwai said. "I already beat the shit out of 
one guy for pissing me off this week."

"A~NA~TA," Fuuka snapped, eyes flashing with warning.

But Koiwai grinned. "I'm only joking with your friend, Fuuka-chan." He 
chuckled. "Actually, Hiro-kun, I told her to think really hard about this 
before making her choice. If she wanted to stay in school, I'd have no 
problem with it. She just...chose me and Yotsuba-chan over graduation."

"I see," Hiro said quietly. He sighed. "Well, I can understand that. A small 
child is a handful, after all."

"But Fuuka," Shimau interjected, "do you really want to just quit? I mean, I 
know how happy you've been since you two married, and I'm happy FOR you, 
but...it's just...there is so little of school left and so much of life 
left...?" She faltered, uncertainty and fear in her eyes.

"It's not like that," Fuuka said quietly. "I'm not quitting because I want 
to."

"But...you and Koiwai-san both just said..." Hiro said, looking between them 
in confusion.

"That does sound contradictory to what you just said," Shimau commented.

"Uh, Fuuka? I thought you *weren't* going to tell people the other part," 
Koiwai said with mild alarm.

"If it's just Shimau and Hiro-kun, then it's fine," Fuuka said.

Koiwai sighed. "In that case, Shimau, better get ready to catch him when he 
faints."

"Eh? Why would Hiro-kun faint?" Shimau asked, tilting her head.

"I'm pregnant," Fuuka blurted out.

Hiro fainted.

"I tried to warn you," Koiwai said, shaking his head in amusement.

"Fuuka? You're...you're really...?" Shimau asked, wide-eyed.

Fuuka nodded. "I'll probably be due right around graduation. Which is pretty 
much why I quit."

"I...I see," Shimau said weakly. She looked as though she were about to 
faint as well.

"It's just as well, really," Fuuka said in what she hoped was a placating 
tone. "I honestly didn't have any plans past high school, and now that I've 
got a family that needs me..."

"Yes, of course...you are a mother and a wife, after all," Shimau said with 
a sickly smile. "A mother of two now, and so suddenly at that!"

"Shimau? Are you...upset with me about this?" Fuuka asked.

"Eh? Ah, no! Not at all!" Shimau denied, waving her hands frantically. "I am 
just...VERY surprised." She paused. "If--if you do not mind me asking, how 
long...?"

"I just found out the other day," Fuuka said. "The, ah, nasty stuff that 
goes along with it...started today, so at least it didn't catch me by 
surprise."

"Isn't that cheating?" Shimau teased.

Fuuka giggled. "Wait until it's your turn, then ask yourself that."

Shimau flushed. "I...will try to remember that, in the event I..."

Fuuka groaned. "Sorry, Shimau. That was kind of crass of me."

"Ah, no, it's alright, really!" She bowed. "Congratulations, both of you."

"Thanks," Fuuka replied. "Well, we've got to get going. We still have stuff 
to do today, and the longer Kotashi has to wear that suit, the grumpier he 
gets." She rolled her eyes.

Shimau giggled. "Not the salaryman type, Koiwai-san?"

"Not even a little," Koiwai said, looking positively nauseated at the 
prospect. Both girls laughed.

"Well then, we'll be off. Um...don't decide to just break off contact with 
me because I'm not your classmate anymore, okay Shimau? I'd hate to lose a 
friend."

"Don't worry, I'd be happy to continue being your friend no matter what," 
Shimau replied cheerfully. "And I won't let people in on...you know."

"Thanks, Shimau," Fuuka said, letting out a bated breath. She hugged the 
other girl, and then turned to leave, taking her husband's hand and walking 
down the hall for the very last time.

Sensei came out of the Student Council room. "Ah, Hiwatari-kun," he greeted. 
"Was that Ayase-kun just now? I wanted to tell her--"

"No, Sensei, I'm sorry, but that was not. It was Koiwai-san."

Sensei scratched at the bridge of his nose. "Do I know a Koiwai-san...?"

"I don't believe so, Sensei."

"Oh well. If you see Ayase-kun..."

"I will be sure to let you know."

"...why is Ohta-kun on the floor?"

"Petal-gazing, perhaps?" Shimau suggested with a completely guileless smile.

Sensei snorted, shook his head, and went back into the council room.

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

"This feels nostalgic," Koiwai said as he and Fuuka walked towards the main 
gate. "Wrong season, but still..."

"Hm?" Fuuka asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking of the very last time I walked out of my high 
school," Koiwai replied. "Actually, that's why I talked you into taking a 
last walk around the place. Um...I guess that might have been a bad idea 
after all."

"No, it's..." Fuuka sighed. "It's best that I at least said goodbye to some 
of my classmates directly, after all."

Koiwai nodded. "Anyway, on my last day, that's exactly what I did. I walked 
around the whole school one last time, then I came out the front doors..." 
As they reached the gate, he stopped and turned to look up at the school 
clock tower. "And then..."

He bowed to the school. "Well then, I'll take my leave. --like that."

Fuuka smiled. Bowing to the school, she said, "Well then, I'll take my 
leave...and thank you."

Koiwai slung his suit jacket over his shoulder, and they turned and left the 
campus.

"Of course, that would've worked better if you had a school uniform," Fuuka 
pointed out.

"Hey, I'm the one who gets to have the sick cosplay fantasies, not you..."

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

After an admittedly delicious and satisfying lunch, Jumbo had been left 
alone to watch a baseball game. Saiko would check in on him every fifteen 
minutes or so, but otherwise seemed content to leave him be.

However, during the fifth inning, Saiko suddenly waddled back in. "Oh yea, I 
dun goan' goddamn near fo'get..." she said, rummaging around in the massive 
apron-pouch she wore. "Da boss lady, she say ya get da one phone call, jes' 
like dem po-leese, yea?" She pulled out a cheap prepaid phone and tore the 
plastic packaging apart with frightening ease. "Now dey goan' be rules fo' 
ya call, yea?" she admonished, waggling a finger in his face. "Ya bes' not 
goan' be sayin' yez all fucked up, ya bes' not goan' be sayin' whey ya 
is--well, ya don' be knowin' dat no-how. Ya bes' not goan' be sayin' a 
goddamn thing 'sep' hello, I'm alive, ass'all I can say, goodbye. An' ya 
only get da one call, so ya goddamn betta talk ta 'em now, cuz ya don' goan' 
get anudda. Got dat, big man?"

"Yes ma'am," Jumbo replied.

"Oh, an' doan' go gettin' all cute tryin' call da po-lees. Ya do, we goan' 
burn down ya friend's house."

"So my options are call my dad or call Koiwai, got it." Jumbo accepted the 
phone and quickly dialled. He waited tensely...

//Moshi-moshi, Koiwai residence!//

"Yotsuba?"

//JUMBO! Jumbo! Jumbo! You're okay! We're all so worried JUMBO! Where have 
you been are you coming over wh--//

"Yotsuba, calm down!" Jumbo said. "I don't have much time to talk. Is Koiwai 
there, or Fuuka?"

//Nuh-uh, I'm house-sittin' alone.//

Jumbo sighed. "Alright. I need you to be sure to tell your dad that I 
called."

//Of course I will! But you can just call back later, can't you?//

"I'm sorry, but I can't. This is the only call they're letting me have."

//...are you in JAIL?//

"I'd be better off if I was," he muttered. "Look, just...tell everyone I'm 
alive and okay for now, alright?"

//Okay, I'll tell everyone. Oh, guess what? Mommy's gonna have a baby!//

Jumbo smiled. "That's great, Yotsuba. Tell her I look forward to coming home 
and--"

Saiko tore the phone out of his hand and crushed it. "Time be up."

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

"--Jumbo? Jumbo? Hello?"

The line had gone dead.

Yotsuba hung up the phone and sat there beside it, tears in her eyes.

She just barely heard the front door open and Ena call out a greeting. A 
moment later, Ena walked into the room and tapped her on the shoulder. 
"Yotsuba-chan? I got the ice cream!"

"Don't want any," Yotsuba said in a pouty, sad voice.

Ena blinked. "You...don't want ice cream?"

"Ice cream ain't gonna bring Jumbo back," Yotsuba said.

"Well...no, of course it's not, but..."

"I told him Mommy's gonna have a baby and he sounded happy, but then the 
phone died..." Tears spilled down her cheeks.

Ena's eyes widened, and her face went pale. "Yotsuba-chan...you just...just 
now...talked to Jumbo-san?"

Yotsuba nodded, sniffling.


"What did he say?"

"He said he's okay but he was lyin', and he said they're not gonna let him 
call no more neither." Yotsuba drew a wet, hitching breath, then collapsed, 
sobbing Jumbo's name over and over until she was screaming and wailing 
incoherently.

Ena just sat and rubbed her back and sighed, feeling every bit as lost and 
wanting to cry just as badly.

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

Immediately upon opening the front door, they knew something was wrong.

"Kotashi, is that....Yotsuba-chan? Is she--?"

They dashed through the house, following the heart-rending sound of 
Yotsuba's keening wails. They stopped dead in their tracks at the sight that 
met them in the living room.

Yotsuba and Ena were cradling each other and sobbing. Yotsuba was by far the 
most vocal, but Ena was contributing her fair share. Lying forgotten on the 
table was some expensive and by now completely melted ice cream.

"Yotsuba?" Koiwai called.

Yotsuba's head jerked up, and she threw herself at her daddy. He picked her 
up and held her, cuddling her, stroking her hair. "Shh, shh...calm down..."

Fuuka sat next to Ena and wrapped her arms around her. "Ena-chan? What 
happened?"

Ena's voice broke as she tried to stop crying long enough to talk. 
"Th...they let Jumbo-san call...to let us know he's...still alive. 
Y...Yotsuba was here...alone when he called. I only...I only went to get us 
ice cr-cream, I was gone five minutes..." She nearly choked on her own 
tears. "She...she had to answer...had to be the one..."

"Mommy?" Yotsuba said in a quiet, quavering voice.

"Yes, Yotsuba-chan?"

"I to-told Jumbo you're go-gonna have a baby. He...he sounded happy..." 
Yotsuba broke into a fresh fit of sobs.

Koiwai and Fuuka looked at one another silently for a long time, terrible 
pain in their eyes.

When Miura came back from training an hour later, she found the entire 
family piled in a heap on the floor, having cried themselves to sleep.

The phone rang.

"Koiwai residence."

//Well hello there, Miura-mono! I just thought I'd call and see if your 
friends enjoyed hearing from Takashi-kun today. I was a little worried the 
call might have...upset them. Especially poor, sweet little Yotsuba-chan.//

Without a single word, Miura walked to the kitchen, put the phone as far 
down the sink drain as she could, and turned on the garbage disposal.

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

Inspector Ishiyama entered the interrogation room where an annoyed-looking 
Yasuda sat, scowling.

"Look, officer," Yasuda began in a confrontational tone, "I don't care how 
many times you ask, I didn't write that goddamn--"

"That isn't why I wanted to speak with you again," the inspector 
interrupted. He opened a folder he was carrying, and slid a glossy 
photograph onto the table in front of Yasuda. "Do you recognize this 
person?"

Yasuda nodded slowly. "Yeah. That's the chick that fed me all that shit 
about Senpai having a sex slave."

Ishiyama raised an eyebrow. "A...sex slave?"

"That's what the bitch said. She said the chick with the huge melons was 
Senpai's sex slave and housebitch."

"And you seriously believed that?" Ishiyama asked incredulously. "Nevermind, 
don't answer that. I already have more than sufficient proof that you're a 
complete idiot."

"Eat me."

"Back to the matter at hand. So you do recognize this woman?"

"I think Senpai said she's big-tits' sister or something...I don't know her 
name, but yeah. It's her fault I'm in this mess in the first place."

The inspector grinned. "Irony. I love it."

"Eh?"

"This woman is Ayase Asagi. Or rather," he corrected himself, "Takeda Asagi, 
as of about a week ago."


Yasuda's eyes widened. "Hooooooooly SHIT. You mean..."

"You were used *twice* by this woman to harass and generally aggravate the 
Koiwai family."

Yasuda grumbled, staring down at the table. "Man, I *am* an idiot." He 
frowned, then looked up sharply. "Wait, wait. TAKEDA?"

"Yes. She married..." Ishiyama flipped through his folder. "One Takeda 
Takashi-san." He looked up. "Acquaintance of yours?"

Yasuda closed his eyes and hissed slowly. "Senpai did say somethin' fucked 
up happened to Jumbo, but I was so pissed I wasn't payin' attention..."

"'Jumbo'?" Ishiyama asked.

"That's his nickname. If you ever met him you'd understand."

"And what was it Koiwai-san said happened to Takeda-san, precisely?"

"He said this crazy bitch forced him to marry her. I thought he was full of 
shit, but..." Yasuda frowned pensively. "Hey cop, do me a favor?"

Ishiyama grunted.

"I wanna talk to my lawyer, and I wanna know if you can get Senpai to come 
down and let me talk to him."

"You want to face Koiwai-san after what you did to him and his family?"

Yasuda shook his head. "I wanna see if we can work something out where I get 
a shitload less jail time if I help hang this Asagi bitch."

Ishiyama raised an eyebrow. "An interesting offer, if a bit hollow 
considering your situation. And if Koiwai-san refuses to speak to you at 
all?"


Yasuda shrugged. "Senpai's one of those never-gives-up-on-people types. 
Always was. He'll come." He sighed, and looked away. "Besides, him an' Jumbo 
are the closest thing I got to friends. Or anything else. If I don't at 
least *try* to fix this mess I helped make...then Senpai's totally right 
about me."

Ishiyama shrugged. "I'll see what I can do. Thank you for your cooperation, 
Yasuda-san."



==================

I gotta go cry now.
==================
Mythril Moth
www.mythrilmoth.net