Into the Jungle ~ Aizawa

Moving Day

"Do you have to go?" Haia jumped at the sound of her mother's sudden voice and nearly dropped the stack of plates she was holding to pack away.

"Jesus, mom, and you say I'm the sneaky one."

Azumi gave a laugh that came out like a breath of air, the petite woman removed herself from the doorframe, making her way over to her only daughter. "Maybe if I scare you enough, you'll stay."

Haia sighed heavily and looked down as she finished placing her plates into a cardboard box clearly labeled 'FRAGILE'. Closing the box up with packaging tape, she gave another little huff, "Mom, we talked about this, becoming a teacher at U.A. is the best thing for me right now. I get to teach the next generation of heroes, and if I'm good enough maybe I can keep them from making the same mistakes I did."

Her mother shook her head and began packing up pictures Haia had laying around, pausing at the ones when her little girl was still little. When she still needed her mother.

"I know, I'm just gonna miss you so much." The younger woman got up from her crouched position on the floor and wrapped her arms around her mother in a comforting hug.

Noticing the picture her mother was holding, Haia giggled loudly, "I remember that day. You were working and dad had the day off so we went to the aquarium and got ice cream."

Azumi chuckled fondly, "When Ray said he was taking you to the aquarium I thought you would come home with a jellyfish plushie or a stingray pillowcase, maybe a coloring book but," she couldn't stop chuckling at the absurdity of it all, "I walked in to find you wearing a catfish hat with leftover mint chocolate chip ice cream as an extra accessory."

Haia turned to her mother incredulously, "I mean what did you expect? It's the closest thing I could get to a feline, not to mention I wasn't the cleanest eater at seven."

Her mother smiled once more at the frame that held the fond memory before laying it gently in the box that tenderly held many more memories of the small Kubota family and their various family friends. Haia noticed her mother's far away look and gently placed her hand atop her back to comfort her. "It'll be okay mom, I promise. It's not like I haven't been there before."

Azumi sighed, it seems that's all anyone was doing today. "I'm just gonna miss making memories with you. And in all honesty, I'm a little jealous. I miss Japan so much."

Haia chuckled sweetly, "Mom we're not gonna stop making memories, they'll be just that much better when we see each other again. And just because I'm moving to Japan doesn't mean you can't come to visit, I think it gives you all the more reason to."

Turning to her daughter, Azumi threw her arms around the taller woman and squeezed her tight. As the door to the apartment opened neither woman noticed, one because of heartache and the other because of lack of oxygen.

"Let her go Azumi, the girl's turning purple!"

"Good! Then she can't leave me!"

"Us, Azumi, then she can't leave us."

Haia let out a strangled "Dad!" at her father's betrayal. Her mother finally released her iron grip and stepped back, holding her at an arm's length.

Ray stepped toward a few open boxes scattered across the living room floor and continued packing up the nearly empty apartment, "Alright you two, I know you're feeling sentimental right now but we can reminisce later."

The Kubota women responded in unison, "Right." And the family set to work like a well-oiled machine.

~