The week of preparing for the Cultural Festival went by too slow and too fast at the same time. Yuriko wanted the week to be over, but she dreaded the coming dinner with her grandfather and Jayce. She told him to dress as fancy as he could, because her grandfather would most definitely take them somewhere rich.
She herself wore a long-sleeved black dress that went down to her knees in ruffles of about three layers, and she wore white stockings underneath with dark slippers. When she met with her grandfather, he was wearing a nice white suit and a peony flower in his front pocket. Jayce met them at the restaurant, where they found him waiting at the doors in a clean black suit and tie.
The restaurant was a traditional Japanese building with sloped roof over roof, with wooden windows and a curtain door that was free to openly enter. The lights inside looked warm on the rather cold night, and her grandfather gladly led them inside. The receptionist there smiled and asked for their reservation, and her grandfather rattled off his name. She nodded and said they would be with them shortly, and he turned to strike up a conversation with the two teenagers.
"So," He mused, looking between them. "How did you two meet?"
"Um…" Jayce mumbled, looking at Yuriko.
"It is complicated," She said.
Yuriko tried to explain the situation with the boys, describing how she was sitting up on the roof and they came to disturb her while Jayce was a bystander. In her position, she was facing the door and standing next to Jayce, her grandfather in front of them. From there, she could see the curtain-door. Yet, halfway through her story, she stopped. Her grandfather scanned her face as she widened her eyes. A shaky breath escaped her mouth, and she stared at the entrance in apparent fear.
"Yuriko?" Her grandfather asked.
"Jiichan…" She breathed. "She's…"
She could only watch as she saw behind the curtain a flash of black hair and pale skin, white coat billowing in the soft breeze as the woman brushed the curtain aside. A gasp came from Yuriko, and she barely saw the brown eyes rest on her for but a moment before she slipped behind Jayce. She gripped his jacket, head into his back as he looked over his shoulder at her in confusion.
"Yuriko?" He asked. "What are you doing?"
Yuriko?
The familiar voice struck her mind like a symphony that wasn't supposed to be played. She flinched, sinking deeper behind Jayce. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her grandfather turn around, and heard his thoughts rise in surprise as he recognised who just walked in.
"Jun Lei," He said slowly. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting dinner," The woman answered coldly.
"And who is this dashing young man with you?" Her grandfather hobbled forward with his cane.
"I am Hayashi, sir," An unfamiliar male voice spoke. "A pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine," He continued.
"Yuriko," Jayce whispered. "Who are you hiding from?"
"My…" She mumbled, closing her eyes and whimpering. "My mother…"
Almost instantly, Yuriko could tell from Jayce's thoughts that he understood the situation completely. Piecing together that the two did not have a good relationship easily, he seemed to stand a little taller and stronger against the daring stare of Jun Lei. She felt just a tad bit safer behind him, but was still shaking uncontrollably.
"Why are you acting so normal, father?" Jun Lei scowled. "Did I not tell you I never wanted to see you again?"
"Yes," Her grandfather answered. "But I can eat where I like, Jun."
"And who is this with you?" She hissed like a snake. "Looks American... You always did take the black sheep, didn't you?"
"My name is-" Jayce started, but was quickly interrupted.
"Move," Jun Lei growled. "I wish to speak to my daughter."
Yuriko felt him stiffen. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that."
A moment of stunned silence. "Excuse me?"
"I said no," He spoke louder. "She doesn't want to talk to you."
A soft scoff came from her. "Honestly, she can't even say hello? How pathetic."
"Jun Lei," Her grandfather scolded.
"Really, how hard is it to greet your mother?" She went on. "It's been eight years, for gods' sake."
Yuriko couldn't stop trembling. She had so many things she desired to tell her mother, and yet nothing came to the surface. She wanted to yell at her for abandoning her, to apologise for everything she had done; to tell her she was always on her mind. Alas, the only thing she did was clench Jayce's shirt and stare at the ground.
Then it hit her. Yuriko knew she was a brave person, for she had done a lot that would threaten her life. She saved a child from a car crash, she faced off the Yakuza, she had legendary battles and victories across the board. What was she afraid of? This woman, her mother, was just another fight she would have to face. Slowly, she stopped shaking, raising her eyes to stare at the back of Jayce's head.
"Just leave her alo-" He started, before Yuriko interrupted him.
"It's okay," She said quietly.
He looked over his shoulder at her. Carefully, she stepped to the side, still clinging to his arm as she came into view. She raised her grey eyes to the woman before her, seeing the trail of a white coat around her body. Under her hat was a pale and tired looking face, older than she remembered so many years ago. Her daring brown eyes glared at her expectantly.
"Hello, mother," Yuriko spoke.
"So you are Jun Lei's daughter?" A man behind her said, dressed in a fancy suit with slicked back dark hair. He stepped forward with a smile. "You look just like her. I am pleased to meet you, miss."
Yuriko turned to look at him, staring for a moment as his thoughts seeped into her mind. She saw his true intentions – planning to marry her mother for money since she was so rich. A small breath came from her, and it was apparent that her mother noticed her staring. Her eyes lit up in a rage, and the white draped woman stepped forward.
"You're doing it again, aren't you?" Jun Lei seethed. "You're always doing it. I guess I was right to assume you would never stop."
"I-I'm not," Yuriko felt like she was shrinking under her hard gaze. "I didn't mean to-"
Suddenly, she stopped speaking when she felt a warm hand laid on her grasp around Jayce's arm. She looked up to see him looking at her, calmly, a reassuring smile on his face. He didn't have to say anything, because she knew exactly what he was thinking in English. It's okay. You don't have to be afraid. Because I'm here. She looked back to her mother, still glaring at her. That was right… She forgot what she wanted to tell her most of all.
"Mother," Yuriko said quietly. "I made a friend."
Jun Lei's eyes widened a bit, and she looked up under the brim of her hat at Jayce. She smirked. "Is that so?" She said, before turning away. "Let's hope he doesn't abandon you like the rest." With that, she grabbed the man's arm beside her and started pulling him out of the restaurant. "Come on, Hayashi. We're leaving."
The last few words that her mother said struck her heart like an electric shock to the chest. Let's hope he doesn't abandon you like the rest. A sudden feeling of anxiety filled her gut, and she grit her teeth as she watched Jun Lei exit the restaurant with her newfound boyfriend. She stared at the spot she stood for a long time, before she felt a small touch on her shoulder and looked up.
"Yuriko," Jayce said, staring down at her with a confident look. "Ignore her. I promise I will never leave you."
The words were spoken true as she heard the voice in her mind of exactly what he said put on repeat. She watched his bright blue eyes gazing into her own solid grey, and her gaze twinkled just a little bit. A small smile was brought across her once fretful face, and she gripped his arm a little tighter.
"Thank you," Yuriko said softly.
"Come on, you two," Her grandfather spoke, hobbling over to the desk. "They called our name minutes ago."
Jayce looked up, grinning. "Time for some delicious food. Let's go," He said excitedly, leading her over to the server.
Yuriko watched his back as he took her hand, dragging her through the building to the designated area. She had never felt so warm inside before… She truly thought that she would be alone forever, but it seemed she had found someone. Sure, her grandfather was kind and sweet, but he was old and she knew he wouldn't be around forever. Now she was staring at the only person in the world who had, for once, made her feel like there was nothing wrong with her – and she was happy.