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School Rumble (Broom and I)

"You didn't want more, Megumi," Mel said dryly. "You wanted a rich girl life, you were different from all the other rich girls because you weren't afraid of getting your hands dirty. You stuck out like a sore thumb because you liked the attention, but you always had that safe little rich home to go home to. I never did, I had the same shitty place in the ghetto. The same shitty danger all the time, you had danger when you wanted it, not because it was a part of life."
 
"I know." Megumi said as she ran her fingers through her hair in a frustrated manner. That used to hurt her pride, but she was only frustrated about how stupid she was back then. "I remember asking my parents once if they would let you live with us...in our three story house. Because I didn't like that. And I'll never forget what they said about you. Remember when I started getting really wild at school and in the streets? It was because I wanted to get back at them for what they said about you. I wanted to embarrass them and the precious family name. They still haven't forgiven me for being such an unruly child. I can see it when I visit them." Megumi sighed.
 
Mel chuckled a little, shaking her head. "...I ever tell you how I met Jana?" she asked easily. "How I adopted her? Took her in?"
 
"No, you never told me." Megumi didn't even know about Jana until Mei introduced her as her very fist friend in DC. She had always found that uncanny that her daughter and Mel's adopted daughter found each other and became friends on their own.
 
"Had to be...I don't know, eight years ago, maybe more?" she mused. "Little red eyed devil stalking around the streets at night, just burning everything she could get her hands on. There was this guy..." she said, rolling her tongue a little for the name. "Kalugin, Russian mafia. Had a taste for little girls. Heard little rumors about this tiny little fireball roasting people who got too close. Kalugin was wanting big money for her, you see. Big market for child slavery. Who'd miss a little hood rat that does nothing but burn people?" she shrugged, glancing back to Jana.

"I don't think she honestly remembers, Megumi. But Kalugin found her, he knew a few tricks himself. Little earth manipulation here and there, he got close...managed to grab her. I got there to help, but she didn't really need much of it. She just...set his face on fire. Melted the skin clean off, cooked his brain inside his skull."
 
Megumi was silent for a moment before she glanced over to Jana and then just sighed. She had heard a lot of bad stories from people in Red when she was younger and before they made her angry. Now she was just sad to hear about it. She never had to go through things like they did, or things like Komoku did. And she didn't want her children to go through it either. Kids forced to commit murder to defend themselves...Red was awful and she wondered if there would ever be a time where it wouldn't be like that. "What happened after that?"
 
"I took her in, not willingly. She was screaming and crying and clawing at me like a angry kitten. I told her if she wanted something to eat, she'd shut up. Didn't help...but she did eat," Mel smiled. "What I'm getting at, Megumi...is that you wanted what people thought life is down there, instead of what it really is. You wanted to live a lie, and...I don't know if I can blame you for that, or not." she admitted.

"I'd have loved to live a lie when I was younger, too many people come here and except it to be some...I don't know, second coming of America. Then they get poor, they die, their kids still survive. It's terrible, but that's Turuga. Your daughter understands that, through Jana...through Komoku. You never wanted to see it. That's why when Alaric came around, you had a safe out."
 
"Yeah. Mei is much smarter than I was back when I was her age. I hung out there for the thrill. She was there to help keep order for the students and to help when she could. I'm really proud of her. I'm glad that she had motivation. I'm glad she wanted to fight for a reason...other than to be the best. She really believes in making Turuga a better place for the kids, and with Jana and Komoku's help, that motivation became even stronger. The things she's doing...giving Red kids a chance to be apart of something other than misery...giving them shelter from the terrors of their homes...she's really something."
 
"She is," Mel said, glancing at her. "but don't like you don't have a part in that, Megumi. You gave her the breathing room to let that through. If it was just Alaric, she'd be just like him...and that'd be a damn waste."
 
"..Yeah. But if it was just me, she'd be another spoiled rich girl who could kick some major ass." Megumi grinned. "I know you don't like Alaric...but he gave her something that I never had. Drive to do something other than just be another top dog on the streets."
 
"Yeah," Mel mused. "...So what now, Megumi? You're not exactly a rich girl anymore, since Alaric doesn't want you around."
 
"I won't be rich, but I won't be poor either. If he is really serious and we get a divorce, I get half of his assets. I'm not really sure how he feels about that." Which was why she didn't think he was serious...he was just angry. But...even if he wasn't, she wasn't sure if they could really go on in their marriage like they had been doing. Something had to change.
 
"Are you serious about this?" Mel said, glancing at her. "You heard him, you leave, you don't come back. Do you really want to go back to someone who treated Mei like that?"
 
"I left because he treated Mei like that," Megumi began as she looked back at Mel. "But so many years of marriage just doesn't magically go away because someone said something out of anger. If he continues to treat Mei that way, of course I don't want to be with him. And I don't want to be with him if he keeps treating me the way he has for this long. I'm not going to sit around and wait for him to change, though. I'm not coming back unless he proves to me that he will treat us better. If that doesn't happen, it's over. For good."
 
"Guess you're more patient than I am," Mel said idly. "If anyone told me anything like that about Jana, I'd deck them as hard as I could. No amount of anything matters above her."
 
"It would have made things worse for Mei. She would have just felt guilty if a fight broke out. She would have felt like all of this was her fault. She was feeling bad enough." Megumi didn't really want to tell Mei what happened tonight...soon. But not now. She didn't need anything else to make her feel worse.
 
"You can't protect her forever, Megumi...not since she's going to be a mom herself. The reality is that Alaric doesn't want her anymore, and if you think that'll change, then I guess you have more faith in people than I do," she muttered. "You can tell me you love him all you want, but he always thought I was gutter trash, and he's going to think the same thing about that child."
 
"We'll see." Megumi didn't want to talk about this anymore. It wasn't about having more faith in others, it was about the fact that she spent eighteen years with Alaric and she'd like to think she knew him better than that. He got angry and said things he didn't mean, people did that all the time. She was starting to get irritated, because she knew that Mel would never ever think Alaric was a good person. There was no point in even arguing with her at this point, and she really didn't want to make someone else she cared about upset with her over a differing viewpoint. "I think I've had enough fresh air, I'd like to go back inside now." She felt worse than she did when she left...she just felt like a terrible person with bad judgement, a terrible mother for not punching Alaric when he called her daughter a whore, a terrible everything.
 
"Yeah," Mel said, glancing back out. "I'll be in when dinner's ready," she said. She had to fall in love with a rich girl, she should have just settled with some sleezy whore or something. Oh well, at least the bottle or rum would get some use.
 
Mei watched her mother come back in with a rather distraught expression. Once again...it was something that she wasn't used to. Her mother always looked happy, and now she was starting to get worried. What were they talking about out there? "..You okay, mom?" Mei inquired.

"Yeah...I'm fine, sweetie." Megumi couldn't even force herself to give her daughter a real smile. It was frustrating...she didn't want tonight to be about her. She wanted it to be about Mei.

"...No you aren't." Mei stood up and then moved over to her and gave her a hug. "It's okay mom...I'll be okay. I don't need dad's approval to be happy, okay? So don't worry about me." Megumi was stiff for a moment as her daughters words played over in her head. She closed her eyes and then embraced her tightly.

"Oh Mei...you're so sweet. My sweet girl. I love you so much..." Megumi said as she felt the tears falling...finally. She may not always have Alaric...but Mei, she had Mei. And that was enough...even if she didn't deserve it.
 
"...Did you and Mom talk about something?" Jana asked faintly, sitting up a little. Even Mel didn't seem...her normal Mel-like posture, all cool and casual. "Is everything okay?"
 
"Yeah, don't worry about it girls." Megumi said as she moved to sit down. "Dinner smells like it's just about done, I'm sure it will be fantastic..."

Eva was dying to eat food, all this drama was just going over her head. The more hungry she got, the less focused she was.
 
"I'm insulted there's doubt," Komoku scoffed. "Sweetheart, come help me set the table, yeah?"

"Down girl," Jana teased Eva, nudging her with her knee. "Try to have some table manners, okay?
 
"I'm not promising anything." Eva told her as she breathed in the heavenly aroma of meat. Her mouth was watering...

Mei released her mother and then moved over to help Komoku with the table. She couldn't cook but she could definitely set things up and make them pretty at least. "There's no doubt, we all know it's going to be good. Thank you, Komoku..." She gave him a smile.
 
"You're welcome," Komoku said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You look happier, did I miss something fun?"

"Oh yes," Jana said, rolling her eyes. "We were just talking about the fastest way to get Mei off when you're busy, since she's going to be taking it a little easier from now on."

"I knew it," he said, sounding scandalized.
 
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