School Rumble (Broom and I)

"I know," Sejae murmured, arms around her to ruffle her hair with a faint smile. "I'm not worried about that, Kitten. Whatever you want to do, just let me know, okay?" What he was worried about, was Yoko. How did she find her? How did any of this add up right? Ugh, if there wasn't so much going on with Komoku and Mei, he'd have asked her...but she had enough on her plate. Wouldn't be the first time he waited and tried to dig for information.

"So, now that it's over, we should celebrate," Dujae grinned. "We are here with the certified one hundred percent best girl in Turuga right now! Besides, this place has been way too gloomy lately, we need to chill out." he mumbled. "All this crap with Komoku is giving me a headache, he wouldn't want us moping."

"Agreed," Sejae smiled, scooping Kitten up effortlessly. Amazing how such a lithe girl was so dangerous. That was Turuga for you.

Kitten smiled at Sejae, though her hand did go to straighten out her hair before he managed to pick her up, easily. She didn't mind it, in fact she nuzzled against his chest. "Sure, just as long as Cat doesn't make me drink again..."

"I didn't make you drink, I just put a tiny bit of rum in your fruit punch and you just didn't notice." Catalina teased before grabbing Dujae's hand. "Let's go before everyone else raids the liquor store."

***

As much as Mei was relieved that the tournament was over, it didn't make her feel any better than before. With Komoku still in the hospital, even after her father did his operation, she felt like her troubles were just beginning. This was just one less thing she did have to worry about.

Her father had been very supportive...wonderfully so. It wasn't the circumstances she had hoped for to make up with him, but it did make her feel better to know that he would do everything he could to make sure Komoku woke up and rehabilitated correctly. He didn't hate him as much as she thought he did, or if he did he loved her far more than he hated him.

She needed to speak to her mother. She hadn't seen her since the day Komoku was in the hospital, and she had given her father a murderous glare that day as well. She had never seen her mother look so angry, and she had just been too worried about Komoku to visit her.

After she was done wrapping up the tournament and speaking to worried friends, she caught a cab and took it to Mel's house. That was where her mother was staying, so she figured that was a good place to start since her mother wasn't picking up her phone today. She had only gotten a few texts over the week asking how she was doing and how Komoku was doing, which was strange.

She knocked on Mel's door and waited. There was something going on between her parents and she needed to know what it was.

Wasn't really too often that people knocked on her door, but that didn't mean too much. But she had her own issues to worry about aside from whoever was knocking on her door, Megumi had been...well, broody. For good reasons, but she was just a mopey wreck. It had been a long time since Mel had ever seen her like this, and it just made her angry. There were so many things that she wanted to say that she knew wouldn't get to her, so she supposed in her own way, she was being just as broody as she was.

Which is why she opened the door to Mei in the classiest Turugan way possible: A pair of panties and a tanktop, with a long can of beer in her hand. She was always kind of trashy like that, she never much enjoyed Saki or Vokda, but she just loved the crappiest beer she could find. Guess it was her heritage, just like how Megumi's heritage was dating upper crust people and having families and plah.

"Mei?" Mel said faintly, taking another long swig of her pisswater. Only shitty part is that she had to drink a small brewery to get drunk, but she was about halfway into thirty, so that was a start. "Hey girl, what're you doing here?"

"Err," Mei said as her eyes lowered enough to make her conscious that she was staring. She quickly looked back into Mel's eyes and forced an awkward smile. How had she still not gotten used to seeing her like that? This had to have been the fourth or fifth time she had came over. "Is mom home? She hasn't really been talking to me through text lately so I thought I'd visit her now that I have some free time."

"Yeah, she's here," Mel said, stepping to the side. "C'mon in, maybe you can get her out of her funk." She grumbled. "God knows I'm tired of trying to do it," she sighed, taking another long swig of her beer. "You ever had Gold Standard?" she said, shaking the can. "Think I've pissed in a glass and it tasted better, can't stop drinking the shit though."

Before, Mei would have rudely turned her nose up, but Mel was family...so she tried not to look disgusted when she took a glimpse at the filth she was drinking. "I don't think I've ever heard of it, let alone had it." She answered truthfully. So, it was true...her mom was sulking. She honestly couldn't even imagine it. Her mother was the epitome of sunshine and smiles, and she had always found it annoying. Now? She would have preferred that...

Mel smiled at her in amusement, taking another swig. "Your poker face has gotten better, girl...but you might need more than that for your Mom," she admitted, moving towards the door to knock on it.

"Meg, your daughter is here, so come out before I force you out," she grumbled.

The door didn't open immediately...but it eventually did. Nothing but darkness before her mother's pale face came into view. Mei immediately noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Was it lack of sleep? She had a scowl that was settled on her face, one that reminded her of her own face before it disappeared and instead was replaced with a forced smile. Her eyes were the same...she still looked miserable.

"Thought Mel got drunk and was playing a trick again. How are you, Mei? Feeling better? You're almost finished with your first trimester, you should be feeling better." Mei should have known that she would immediately make this about her, and she only shook her head in response.

"I'm fine, the baby is fine. I'm just worried about you." Mei answered as she glanced towards the dark room behind her. Was she just sitting in the dark?

Mel sighed a moment, resting against the wall as she scratched her cheek. Truthfully, it wasn't her place...except it kind of was. They were all one big fucked up family, even if she didn't want to admit it.

"Meg, I think it's time you told her what's going on," Mel said seriously. "You can't keep doing this."

Mei glanced at Mel curiously before looking back to her mother. Her half smile was gone, and she only sighed in response. She obviously had been hiding something from her, Mei knew her mother well enough to know that.

"Mei, there's a reason why I've been staying around here with Mel." Megumi stated as she looked her daughter in the eye.

"Yeah, you're mad at dad. He said sorry to me, I thought he would have apologized to you by now." That was what she had come to talk about, after all. The whole friction between her parents started with her and her baby. Everything should have been fine by now that her father had come around to her senses. Unless there was something else going on...

"I'm still angry at him for that regardless of whether or not he apologized. But it's more than that, Mei. His words to you weren't the only thing he's done that is unforgivable. I can't go back to him after what he's done to us." Megumi continued on, carefully. Mei's expression went blank, understandably so.

"..What did he do?" She asked, her voice audibly cracking. It was enough to make Megumi flinch and hesitate with the rest of her explanation. When she didn't answer right away, Mei spoke again. "What did he do that was enough to make your separation permanent after eighteen years?"

Mel sighed a moment, scratching her forehead. "...Mei," she murmured. "We...found your Dad with Mina Kishi," she said slowly. "...Together." It wasn't something they wanted to share, but Mei deserved to know what was going on, if anything else.

Mei's eyes went wide when she heard Mel's words. It took her a second to process that. Her father...cheated on her mother with the very person who was causing her so much grief? Why? Was he that angry with her..?

"Mei, this isn't your fault. But your father and I...we need to go our separate ways." Megumi said softly as she moved over to embrace her daughter.

"But..." Mei started, her body going stiff in the embrace. "Have you even talked to him about it?" She didn't know why she even asked...Cheating was something that people separated over, naturally. Still, she couldn't wrap her head around it all. Didn't they love each other? Didn't she love him?

"I think we need to give that a little time first, Mei," Mel murmured. "...Not saying it isn't on the table, but...well, it was kind of a shock." To Megumi, at least. Mel supposed it was just par for the course, but nobody really asked for her opinion on it, which was probably a good thing, hers wasn't exactly the popular one.

"Then how can you decide something like if you haven't even asked him why?" Mei demanded as she pulled away from her mother to look her straight in the eye. "Mina Kishi...she's evil! What if she threatened him into it..what if...I don't know!"

"Mei, you know that's now how your father works. He would never risk his career with a scandal like this over an empty threat. What could she possibly threaten him with?" Megumi didn't know how she would react, but she honestly wasn't surprised that she would take his side. She never saw the real side of her father, he would never show it to her until that night where she had announced her pregnancy.

"Me!" Mei hissed as tears started stinging at her eyes. "She did this to get back at me! She hates me! It is my fault!"

Mel glanced to Megumi a moment and excused herself. She needed to call Jana, she knew there was all kinds of craziness going on, but Jana needed to be here for Mei, nobody else could give her that sort of comfort that she needed.

"Mei..." Megumi glanced at Mel as she left, but she forced herself to look at her clearly upset daughter. It was bad enough that she was pregnant, and her hormones would make her more emotional than her usual self. This however...wasn't just a case of her being over emotional. "It's not. It's not your fault. Your father and I...we had our problems before this."

"But you loved each other...or did you just stay with him because of me?" Mei demanded, ignoring the burning in her chest and the tears that were beginning to stain her cheeks.

"It's hard to explain, but...yes, we loved each other. We still do. But we've long since been out of love with each other, Mei." It was a hard thing to admit, especially after keeping up the charade for so long. Neither of them would talk about their stagnant marriage, so they just pretended it was okay. Her words only seemed to hurt her daughter more, because she only shook her head before leaning against the wall behind her.

"I don't believe this..." She sobbed as her hands moved to her face. Why? First Komoku being in a coma and now this? She didn't know how much more she could take...

There were few things that would send Jana into a high speed race across Turuga other than Mei in trouble. Her Mom didn't need to say much, but it was enough for her to tell Eva she'd be back later and made her way down to Red as fast as she could make it. The situation hadn't improved much, really. At least they had gotten her to sit down and not hyperventilate, barely.

"Mei?" Jana said, nudging her way into the house worriedly. "Mei, what's going on?"

As soon as Mei heard Jana's voice, she started sobbing even more. Partly because she was relieved to have her there. The other reason was a mystery. It was embarrassing to admit that her father had cheated on her mother, but she did it anyway.

"My parents are getting a divorce because Mina Kishi decided to sleep with my father to get back at me!" She answered, barely coherent through her sobs. No one could convince her that this wasn't her fault.

Jana blinked in surprise, glancing to the two adults as she settled down next to her, arms wrapping around her to pull her in for a comforting hug. Mel shook her head, shrugging her shoulders. Girl wouldn't listen, no matter what they said, she frowned at that, glancing down to nuzzle into her hair.

"Mei, it's okay," she said gently. "Let's not jump to conclusions, okay? You don't know that, you haven't talked to your Dad yet, right?" Jesus, did it ever end?

Megumi honestly didn't want Mei to have to confront her father about this, at least not alone. Still, she wasn't sure if she could remain civil around her husband and that would only upset Mei more. He would lie to her though, she knew that. He would never tell her the truth about why he actually decided to fuck his daughter's tormentor.

Mei clung to Jana as soon as she embraced her and only shook her head. "No, but.." But she couldn't wrap her head around why he would do such a thing otherwise. Why would he be with someone who kidnapped her and made her life miserable? He loved her...no matter what people tried to tell her, she knew that. "Mom didn't talk to him either."

"Well, one thing at a time," Jana sighed, rubbing her back. "Okay? The important part is that your Dad is the one who is working to get Komoku to be at the best health he can be, and I think that's important to remember," she reminded. "There's more to this than what we're seeing, Mei, I know it. Come on, don't cry. You get all gross and snobby when you do, it's very unbecoming," she smiled. "We're going to be okay, honey. When haven't we been okay? We're still here and everything keeps trying to tear us down."

Mei didn't know how much more tearing down she could take, honestly. Without Jana, she would be a mess. Komoku couldn't be there for her right now, and she wanted to stay strong, but this was just way too much.

Still, she wiped the tears away anyway. Then something clicked in her head. She glanced over to her mother, who seemed deeply depressed but wanted to be there for support, if she could. "You didn't...talk to him because of Komoku, right?"

"..Yes. I know it's important for him to focus on his work right now, for your sake. If Mina told him, he would have tried to talk to me by now. Mei, you can confront him if you'd like. I'll even go with you if you want me to. However, this is your choice. Mine was to wait until the right time to talk about this, and I didn't want to upset you or distract him." Megumi really wished this could have waited, but she should have been better at hiding her feelings. Of course Mei would pick up on her emotional state.

"See?" Jana murmured gently. "Mei, I'm not saying this isn't important...but right now? You don't need this. The tournament is over, everyone's healing, take a deep breath, okay? I know you don't like sitting on things, but...I really think you should on this one," she murmured. "This is way too much for anyone, Mei. You've got more important things to worry about right now."

"Seriously," Mel sighed. "You need a break, girl, and there's no sense stressing over what you can't help for now, just chill out."

Mei didn't know how she was going to sit on this, or how she would even look her father in the eyes after hearing what he had done. However, she knew that waiting was the best thing right now, with Komoku's life possibly being on the line. "I...won't say anything." Mei said as she released Jana finally and moved to wipe the tears away from her face. "I'll wait for the right time, like you wanted, mom. I'm sorry...for getting angry with you for not saying anything.

Megumi just smiled at her and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry for making you worry." She told her before giving her a brief hug. "We're in this together, Mei. I won't hide anything from you again."

"See? Everything is better!" Mel grinned, arms around them both. "Now then! Why don't the four of us celebrate happier times, like a baby, and good family with dinner! I'm buying!"

"Sounds like a plan," Jana grinned. "You are going to put on pants, Mom?"

"Ugh," she grumbled. "...We could order in?"

"We're going out," Jana said flatly, expression blank with a heavy sigh. "You suggested it, so get dressed."

"Fine, fine," Mel huffed. "She's going to be a bossy aunt to your kid, you know that?"