The woman called Mariko! Invidia’s true feelings show!

Another Invidia Short by AMI MEITSU

It’s been 13 years since I last saw my children…they were 4 years old when I saw them last... I’ve spent years trying to work up the courage to locate them…And now I have it…

“I’m sorry Miss, but I don’t think we’d keep something that old...” A woman with dark brown hair sat behind the counter of what was the paperwork for the Star Force Children’s Academy, a place that gave many children a home and sometimes a second chance…

“I thought you people kept archives! Check again! It should be under ‘Sazuki’.” Another woman said. She stood in front of the counter arguing with the receptionist, who was apparently new.

“I still can’t find it…”

“Oh my god…” The woman sighed.

“Maybe I can help?” Another woman said, she had a tag that read Naoko Tamigishi, she helped run the academy.

“Yes!” The woman exclaimed, then she sighed. “Do you keep files archived?”

“How far back?” Naoko sat down at the computer.

“2207.”

“Name?”

“Sazuki…”

“Let’s see…I have Sazuki, Nina, Sazuki, Kiara, and Sazuki Akira and Ryou…” Naoko read the names off of the monitor.

“The last one…” The woman told her.

“Okay let’s see…They were adopted years ago…”

“By who?”

“Hmm…” Naoko typed some more and a couple of documents came up. “A Mister Arty Jefferson and a Miss. Invidia…why?”

“I need their number…”

Next Morning…

0905 Hours…

“Who calls at nine O’clock in the morning?” Invidia asked herself as she walked down the hall. Arty and he kids had already left, so she didn’t really care if she was talking to herself. The phone had rang 3 times this morning, she ignored it at first, but now it was ridiculous. “Hello?” she said when she grabbed it, sounding kind of annoyed as she did.

“Hi…” The woman on the other end muttered.

“Okay who’s this?”

“My name is Mariko Sazuki….” She said. “I‘m Akira and Ryou’s mother…”

“Huh?” Invidia dropped the phone as tears formed in her eyes. ‘She’s…She’s coming to take them from me…” She thought.

Later, Invidia sat on the couch waiting for Akira and Ryou to come home, the whole thing had took her by surprise, and she didn’t like it. ‘What if she wants to take them back?’ Invidia thought. ‘What am I gonna do? And why does she call now? It’s been 13 years…’ She hung her head as she began to cry, even though she didn’t show it much she loved Akira and Ryou, at first she had been unsure about them…but she grown to love them. They were a part of her family…the only family she had. (Besides Arty and her father)

“Invidia-Mama? Are you alright?” Akira asked as she came in with Arty and Ryou.

Invidia shook her head. “No, sit down.” She said.

Akira and Ryou sat on the couch on the other side of the room and Arty sat next to Invidia.

Invidia looked up at the kids “Do you two know a woman named Mariko Sazuki?” she asked.

The kids looked at each other, then Invidia and shook their heads.

“She’s your birth mother…She called me today and she wants to see you.” Invidia explained. “I think she wants to take you with her…”

“Oh, Princess…” Arty hugged her, she sounded so upset…

“Arty?”

“Hm?”

“What if she really does take them away?” Invidia whispered.

“Then I don’t know…”

“What do mean you don’t know? You can’t let her do that!” Akira said. “Our home is here!”

“She’s right, I mean, you have legal custody of us.” Ryou pointed out.

“I don’t think that’ll stop her…she is your mother.”

Akira shook her head “No she’s not, you are, I mean you’re the one that takes care of us every day. No one can take that away…” Akira got up and hugged Invidia as well.

‘I hope so…’ Invidia thought.

A couple days later Akira sat on the couch reading while everyone else got ready to meet Mariko. Akira had decided that it was probably just easier to call her Mariko instead of ‘Mom’ or ‘Mother.’ She figured that it would be less awkward (and probably a lot less hurtful to Invidia) that way. She also wondered why they were trying so hard to give off a good impression; she figured that if Mariko didn’t like them than it didn’t matter. She couldn’t take them anyway.

“Akira, I thought we were supposed to look good…” Ryou said as he came up to her in a nice pair of jeans and a dark blue polo shirt.

“And I thought that it didn’t matter, so I just dressed normally.” Akira told him as she turned another page. Currently, she wore a red t-shirt and a medium length black skirt with her black slippers.

Ryou sighed he figured it was no use to reason with her, when Akira made up her mind it was hard to change it.

“Akira…” Invidia said as she came down the hall. “You could put on something a little nicer…”

“I’m not sure that it matters. I mean, we’re just regular kids and that’s probably what Mariko’s gonna think when she sees us no matter how we dress.” Akira stated calmly.

“You know, she does have a point…” Ryou mused.

“I guess…” Invidia muttered. Then Arty came in and stood behind her.

“Invidia, get dressed.” He stated. It had been about a half hour and she was still in her bathrobe.

“I would’ve if you had left the room!” Invidia snapped.

“Why are you so concerned? It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before…”

Invidia didn’t say anything; she just looked down as she began to blush.

“You’re blushing…” Akira stated.

“No I’m not!” She turned the other way.

“Just get dressed” Arty said.

“Fine...” Invidia muttered as she headed back into the bedroom. After a minute or two she came out in one of her red gowns, then there was a knock at the door.

She answered and looked at the woman who stood in front of her. She looked almost like Akira, only her hair was brown and her bangs were parted differently.

“You’re Princess Invidia!” Was the first thing she said.

Invidia nodded. “Yes…” ‘What was your first clue?’ She thought.

“What have you done to my children?!”

“They’re not yours…”

“Look you…”

“There’s nothing wrong with them…” Arty stepped in before they could fight.

“And who are you?”

“Arty Jefferson, their father…” Arty stated.

“Why don’t you have a last name?” she asked Invidia.

“It didn’t sound right…” Invidia stated flatly.

“Hm…By the way I’m Mariko Sazuki…” The woman bowed.

“Yeah, I figure that…” Invidia growled.

“Be nice…” Arty whispered.

Invidia didn’t say anything more, she just stepped aside as Mariko came in.

“Sit down and I’ll get you something to drink.” Arty said as he followed, Mariko sat and Akira and Ryou looked at her.

‘She’s got my eyes…’ Akira thought.

‘My hair…’ Ryou thought.

“Akira?” Mariko said “Ryou?”

They nodded.

“Oh my god…look at you, you’re all grown up…the last time I saw you, you were only this high.” Mariko held her hand up about 3 feet from the ground.

“Well we were four…” Akira said.

“Are you here to take them back?” Invidia asked as Arty came in with a tea tray.

“Invidia…” Arty muttered to her.

“Why? Do you want to get rid of them?”

“No...I…”

“I should’ve known that someone like you could never have children.”

“Huh?” Invidia just looked at her.

“Everyone thought you were good, but I didn’t believe it. And now I see it, you want to get rid of them, don’t you? You evil little bitch!”

“No I…I…” Invidia hands shook as tears formed in her eyes, but she let her anger overrule her sadness this time and glared at Mariko. “I do love them! Why else would I care for them all these years? If you ask me you’re the bitch! Making accusations before you get to know anybody!”

“Go Invidia-mama” Akira muttered.

“Wow…” Ryou whispered under his breath.

Mariko glared at her.

“Uh Invidia…” Arty put his hand on her shoulder. “She came here to see the kids, so let’s leave them alone…”

Invidia nodded and they went back down the hall.

It was quiet then…

After a minute or so Akira finally spoke. “So…” she started.

“Hm?” Mariko looked up.

“You’re Mariko Sazuki…”

“Yes…”

“You sent us to the Star Force Children’s Academy when we were four years old-correct?” Akira asked.

Mariko nodded “Yes, if you remember your father died in a battle, and without him around I didn’t have the money to take care of you. I had trouble finding a job and I didn’t want you to suffer because of me, so I brought you to the Academy, where I knew you’d have a good home.”

Akira just looked at her for a minute.

Meanwhile, Invidia sat on the bed in her room while Arty sat on the floor, doing some kind of paperwork.

“Arty…” Invidia said.

“Yeah?” He looked at her.

“She’s going to take them…I just know it.”

“Princess, don’t say that, you’re just going to make yourself more upset…”

“But it’s true, how can she possibly trust me after all those things I said?” Invidia looked down. “She probably thinks I’m an unfit mother!”

“Invidia…” Arty got up on the bed and hugged her. “You’re not an unfit mother, and it doesn’t matter what she thinks, she doesn’t know you like we do. I know you’d do everything you could to protect them, and so do Akira and Ryou.”

Invidia looked up at him.

“If I know them they’ll stick by you, they love you Invidia…I don’t think they could ever leave you…”

“I hope you’re right…I don’t know what I’d do if I lost them!”

They stayed like that for a couple minutes until Akira came in. “Hey…” she said.

“Where’s Mariko?” Invidia asked.

“She left, but she did ask me to have lunch with her tomorrow…”

“And?”

“I’m gonna go, I think she just wants to talk.”

“Okay…” Invidia nodded, she didn’t want to show it-but she was worried. ‘What if…Akira really decides to go with her..? What am I to do?’ She sighed.

The next afternoon Akira stood outside of a nice little café in one of her regular black dresses. She sighed and walked in, Mariko was waiting for her at a table by the window, she walked over and sat.

“I’m glad you decided to come, too bad Ryou didn’t…” Mariko said.

Akira nodded, Ryou had decided that he really didn’t want to spend too much time with Mariko and he said that he had to do something anyway.

“Akira…”

“Huh?” Akira looked at her.

“You’re nervous aren’t you?” she asked.

“A little…hey, tell me, did you ever get remarried?” Akira asked.

Mariko shook her head “No, I was too busy after you left, and it just hurt too much. I decided that I didn’t want to risk losing another love, I mean, your father was the only man I really ever loved…”

“You know, that’s exactly how Invidia-Mama feels, you know my father is the first and only man she ever fell in love with, it would kill her if he ever…left…”

“Invidia-Mama? So that’s what you call her?” Mariko asked.

Akira nodded “Ever since I was little I’ve called her Invidia-Mama, I could never just call her mom. I had a habit of calling her by her name when I was little, I really liked her. At the academy I had heard stories from Dad about how she changed.”

“How…?”

“Sometimes the Star Force Members would come see us, I think that’s how a lot of kids were adopted, the Earth Defense forces workers fell in love with us…”

“Is that how..?”

“No. You see my father wanted Children and Invidia-Mama absolutely refused to have them, so they decided to adopt. When they came looking Invidia-Mama noticed me and liked me, Dad liked Ryou and the Academy didn’t want us separated so they took us both…”

“Interesting…” Mariko mused. “I hate to ask this, but did you ever think of me?”

“Every once in awhile I’d wonder where you are or what you were doing, but that’s about it in all honesty I barely remembered you.”

“Do want to know me?” Mariko asked.

“Huh?” Akira looked at her.

“Look, I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and I want you to come live with me.”

“No, I can’t. I know you’re my birth mother and while what you did was responsible Invidia-Mama and Dad are my real parents. They’re the ones that love and care for me every day, I just can’t leave them. Do you understand?” Akira said.

Mariko nodded. “You’ve grown up so well, I guess Invidia’s doing something right…”

“Mariko…There’s nothing wrong with her.” Akira said. “There never was…”

That evening Akira came home to find Invidia reading on the couch, Arty was watching TV and Ryou was in his room. “Hey...” she said.

Invidia looked up “So, what did she want?” she asked.

“She asked me if I would come live with her. I told her no, I want to stay here with you. Forever. Is that okay?”

Invidia couldn’t take it anymore; she looked down as small tears formed in her eyes. “Of course it’s okay….” She said.

“Invidia-Mama?” Akira went over and Invidia looked up at her.

“She may be your birth mother but she needs to learn one thing…” She looked up and Akira could see that she was crying. “…Akira Sazuki is my daughter!”

“Invidia-Mama…” Akira hugged her as she began to cry herself.

‘I’ll never leave you…no matter what; you’re my Invidia-Mama, for now and for always…’