Mizuki had just climbed the first stairs when Sora's bike pulled up to the curb outside her home the next afternoon, and she stopped to watch them both dismount with surprise.
Although she'd nervously rehearsed her first greeting to Sora's grandmother, it fled from her mind at the sight of the tall sprightly old woman, in comfortably-worn-in purple motorcycle gear. Sora's grandmother had dismounted from her position behind her grandson's taller form with practiced ease, and stretched as she stepped away. Sora settled the bike into its usual configuration and locked it.
Mizuki blurted, "You have your own gear?"
Haruko turned and cheerfully assured the young girl on the steps, "Of course!" She continued in a familiar fashion, "I pulled it out of storage as soon as he told me about his new bike, although I left my own bike in storage until I find a new apartment."
Sora walked over and pulled Mizuki into his arms for a kiss instead of making a formal introduction. "Hi," he greeted her a little breathlessly when he let her go.
"Sora!" Mizuki replied affectionately, before glancing nervously back at his grandmother, who now looked very startled. She couldn't help pushing herself back and climbing back up one step so that she was standing an arms length from him.
Sora gazed at her with a slightly startled expression, and then turned when his grandmother asked a bit sharply, "Last year of highschool?"
Mizuki couldn't help feeling nervous as she asked Sora a little plaintively, "Didn't you warn her how much younger than you I am?" Her voice dropped to a whisper as she asked even more urgently, "Should I address her as grandma?"
"I did warn her," Sora objected immediately, but he didn't answer her whispered question, instead he asked his grandmother with embarrassment, "Is your family name still Shibata?"
Haruko collected herself, straightening up and relaxing her furrowed brows. "Yes Sora, I won't get married again without telling you," she replied with real amusement. To Mizuki she admitted, "He told me how old you are, but I didn't expect you to be so small, and you looked even younger at first glance. My name is Shibata Haruko, and I take it that you are Mitsukuni Mizuki, I've been looking forward to meeting you."
Mizuki nodded, then belatedly offered her own rehearsed greeting more formally, before inviting Haruko inside. Haruko raised an eyebrow at her grandson when Mizuki handed her things to him and hurried up the stairs to open the door. Sora just smiled and gestured for his grandmother to go ahead before following her up.
Mizuki kicked off her shoes at the entrance, and hurriedly introduced her father next. Sora put everything away, as though accustomed to it, while Junshiro greeted Haruko and assured her that Mizuki's mother would be home soon. Mizuki was relieved to see that her father had already prepared a pot of tea and extra cups.
Sora looked at how nervous Mizuki was and suggested, "Why don't you go change your clothes now? Then we can chat more casually until it's time for me to take you to work."
"Is that okay?" Mizuki asked uncertainly.
"Yes," Haruko assured her promptly, before Sora could.
Mizuki smiled nervously as Sora reached out and squeezed her hands briefly. He nodded reassuringly, and she gave a relieved sigh before trotting over to her room.
As soon as the door closed behind Mizuki, Haruko turned to the girl's father and asked directly, "And what do you think of all this?"
Junshiro didn't ask what 'all of this' included, but he grinned as he responded with, "I'm just glad that only one of my daughters came home pregnant this summer."
Sora blinked, but found that he couldn't protest when Junshiro met his eyes before giving a too-casual shrug. He blushed and avoided his grandmother's gaze.
After a moment Haruko informed her grandson a little dryly, "If you knock that girl up before she's done with school we're going to have harsh words."
"I'm being very careful with her," he protested.
Junshiro rolled his eyes, and Haruko asked him sharply, "You don't believe my grandson?"
Mizuki's father grinned again and replied, "I do, or I'd be complaining and interfering. They are just… very active."
Haruko raised a hand to cover her face in the same way that Sora often did, Junshiro noted with interest. Sora couldn't help bracing himself, even before she dropped her hand to look at him.
She asked a little dryly, "After all that time chasing older women when you were younger, why do you look like a pedophile now?"
"I can't help how it looks, I can't do anything about Mizuki's age or size," Sora protested.
His grandmother replied sharply, "You could have waited? Just left her alone for a couple of years."
Sora looked at her in surprise but replied simply, "It's Mizuki. I can't leave her alone, or live without her anymore." Haruko drew in a sharp breath but Sora added firmly, "And it's fine for you to say this kind of stuff to me, but don't hurt Mizuki with comments like that. She hates being mistaken for a child."
Haruko raised an eyebrow and informed him, "If she can't deal with little things like that, then she is still a child."
"Little things like what?" Mizuki asked as she returned to the main room. She blushed when everyone turned to look at her. Her work clothes were very plain and a little worn.
Haruko replied after a moment, "Little things like being called a child."
"You can call me a child, I don't mind," Mizuki replied calmly. Sora stared at her, utterly surprised, and she looked at his expression and grinned. She walked over and settled against his side before telling him, "My grandparents still refer to my parents as children, or kids, or even brats sometimes. It's not the same Sora."
He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close before complaining, "How unfair. If you're fine with that why did you hate it so much when I called you a child?"
Mizuki objected quickly, "Because you're not my parent's age! I'm not really a child anymore, and I don't want you to think of me as one Sora!"
Haruko laughed and commented, "I see."
Sora shrugged helplessly.
Junshiro eyed his daughter, and said mildly, "You're still my child."
Mizuki couldn't think of any way to argue that, but guiltily remembered some of her previous arguments. Her eyes traced the family pictures on the wall across from the table for a moment before she admitted, "I'm glad of that."
Haruko eyed her grandson's expression and then told Mizuki's father, "He's not a bad kid, even though he can be a bit stubborn."
Junshiro smiled as he assured her, "I know."
--
As soon as Mizuki's mother returned, Junshiro brought out the dinner he'd prepared, so that they could all eat together before Mizuki's shift.
Mizuki apologized for being unable to call out for the day, but Haruko assured her, "I'm sure that we'll have other opportunities."
Minori had regarded Haruko with a surprised expression since first being introduced. Hesitantly she gathered her courage and asked, "Sora said you've been married eight times, um, did your marriages last very long before your divorces?"
Haruko regarded Mizuki's mother with surprise and replied, "I've only divorced once, and no, that marriage didn't last very long, only a couple of years."
Mizuki gasped and asked, "You've been killing them off?" She clapped her hand over her own mouth.
Sora laughed, and agreed before she could apologize, "She has, but I think they all died happy, of exhaustion."
Haruko frowned at her grandson and then admitted, "I've outlived them. Three heart attacks, one stroke, one in a plane crash, one of a snake bite of all things, when he went on a business trip to Australia and went hiking alone." She said a little angrily, "That one died of stupidity, I swear!"
Sora smiled, but Mizuki thought that Haruko didn't look like she considered it amusing. Minori simply looked aghast.
After a moment Sora's grandmother admitted sadly, "My fourth husband was already dying of cancer when I met him. I just liked him so much that I wanted to give him a reason to fight longer. We had three years. Two and a half more than he was expected to get."
Mizuki spoke first and said, "I'm sorry, I don't know what to say."
"What can you say to that kind of thing?" Haruko asked without expecting any answer. "Don't worry about it child, it was a long time ago."
Sora said uncomfortably, "You never told me that. You just said one died of cancer."
"It was before your time," Haruko told her grandson quietly and shrugged.
Junshiro said gently, "I'm sure Sora was right in a way, and your husbands were happy to have been with you for any amount of time."
Haruko looked at him with surprise, and tears sprang to the corners of her eyes. Minori quickly passed her a tissue.
--
When it was time for her to go to work, Mizuki stood up reluctantly. Sora reacted quickly, and announced, "I'll be back after I drop Mizuki off."
"Do you plan to stay until tomorrow?" Mizuki asked Haruko.
"No," she replied promptly. "I already have a ticket for the last train tonight and half a dozen people I promised to visit before I go apartment hunting."
Sora asked dryly, "And if you visit Hara-san first you might not need to get your own apartment?"
Haruko shrugged although her eyes lit up and amusement curled the corners of her mouth before she replied, "Maybe, if he still thinks he's as passionately in love with me after this long. He's the kind that is more out of sight, out of mind though."
When Mizuki bid her farewell, Haruko warned her, "Don't think you won't see me again, if you plan to keep my grandson."
Mizuki replied cheekily, "I'll expect to see you again for years and years then."