Lesson Learned

Be Nice

A/N: So I'm hitting road-blocks with my other story, so I'll just keep posting on this one until it triggers some inspiration. XD

***

Gakushuu had seemed calmer after the trip, which Mitsuko found as a relief after the whole Pole-topping aftermath.

Mom had seemed different as well, she seemed happier and her emotional outburst or bad moods seemed to have balanced a little. It made her easier to be around.

Which was why Mitsuko was using her break from studying to help her make dinner. Which was becoming more of a common thing now since mom was no longer going out drinking with her friends.

Mitsuko wiped her hands over striped apron when she finished dicing the cabbage. "Finished."

Mom frowned when she saw the chopped up cabbage. "Mitsuko, you need to cut it up thinner." She wrinkled her nose. "The pieces are too big."

Mitsuko frowned. "They are small!"

"Not small enough." Mom shook her head and checked on the chicken satay that was in the pan. "Chop it up more."

She glared at her mom and grumbled under her breath as she cut up the cabbage some more.

"Once you're done with that you can help chop up the veg," she added, smiling sweetly. "It's so nice of you to help."

Mitsuko was still muttering darkly as she aggressively cut up the cabbage. "No problem..."

Mom hummed and turned the chicken over. "Well, I appreciate it." She added some more sauce to the pan.

The two worked in silence for a while, the sizzling of the pan and chopping noises filling in the quiet patches.

Mom glanced at her briefly. "I talked with your father last night about some of the things you told me."

Mitsuko tensed. "Oh..." She held the knife tighter. "What did he say?"

"Not much." Mom sighed. "I did tell him what he did was unnecessary, and that I was upset with him." She fiddled with the panhandle. "He told me his usual reasons for doing what he did."

"...And did you believe him?" Mitsuko watched her mom from the corner of her eye.

Mom let out a deep breath. "Not as much as I normally would." She smiled at her grimly, stroking the top of her head. "I did tell him he needs to ease off a little, but he barely listens to me..."

"Then make him listen," Mitsuko said quietly, placing the knife down to hold her mom's hand. "And if he doesn't, then threaten to leave."

Mom sighed. "Mitsuko, you know I can't do that..."

"Yes, you can," Mitsuko whispered. "You just have to be brave enough to stand on your own two feet." Her gaze was pleading. "And it wouldn't be like your alone, you'd have me and Gakushuu."

Mom looked away. "I..." She trailed off when dad walked into the kitchen with a coffee mug in his hand. "Is everything alright?"

Dad smiled at her thinly and walked over to the coffee machine. "I just needed a refill, I'll be working through the night with this amount of paperwork I need to get through."

Mitsuko gritted her teeth and went back to chopping up the cabbage.

"I'll call you when dinner's ready so you can come grab a plate," Mom said, turning down the heat under the pan. "Please don't make a mess in the office. I cleaned again this morning."

"Thank you, and I won't," he replied politely, waiting for the machine to pour him a cup. "It's very considerate of you to help, Mitsuko."

Mitsuko took a deep breath before she looked up. "Well, no one else was helping."