Brought Back Together by You

Epilogue

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5 Years Later…

A Dojo in Tokyo

Judo Tournament

o0o0o

Shiaki patiently sat on the matted floor with the rest of her Dojo mates, her hands resting on her lap. She was dressed in a white keikogi. Her long, wavy, cobalt hair tied up in a neat, high bun, her bangs clipped to one side. Her rare, Ruby eyes were softly closed, appearing calm.

She was trying to focus, to concentrate, to eliminate all the sounds around her. She knew her name would be called soon, that she would soon need to go up the stage and compete.

She calmly breathed in, calmly breathed out. She needed to win the next match, she was a win away to obtaining her next belt. She wanted that belt, wanted to move up a rank so badly. She needed to win. Really wanted it.

"Next up is Ueno, Sho, from the Kyumeikan Dojo, and Fujino-Kuga, Shiaki from the Aikikai Dojo"

Shiaki breathed out one final time and opened her eyes, gracefully standing from her sitting position.

In many ways, you could say she was identical to her Crimson eyed mother. She had her face and eyes, she was a mini version of her in appearance. The only difference was the lack of Kyoto-ben and the color of her hair. Her Kyoto-ben only coming out when she was really, really mad.

Her manners were the same as her Ruby eyed mother's as well. But what really made her stand out was her temper, in that, she was exactly like her Emerald eyed mother.

"You're up, Shiaki-chan" Haruka said to the eight year old once said girl had reached her near the stage. Haruka bent on one knee, wanting to be in the same eye level as her. Haruka's hands then went for the girl's belt and tightened it a little more.

Haruka quickly glanced at the stage, eyeing the little girl's opponent.

Shiaki did as well.

"Remember what I told you" Haruka whispered to her. The boy seemed a little slow, plus he had some weight on him, she could use that to her advantage.

"Use my speed against him" Shiaki replied, sounding serious.

"Exactly" The blonde agreed, "Use your speed, make him waiver, throw him to the ground, pin him there as long as you can" Then added, "And if for some reason you find yourself under him" That really didn't sound right, but Shiaki didn't know anything about that, at least Haruka hoped, "Don't give up. Try to wriggle yourself out somehow. But don't give up"

Shiaki nodded at once.

"Okay, you worked hard for this" Haruka said sounding confident. She wasn't going to wish the little girl good luck, she didn't need it. "You're a gutsy little girl. You got this" She then stood, and was about to walk away, to sit with the rest of the crowd, but then quickly returned and bent downwards, and kissed the little girl on the head before taking her leave for good.

Shiaki let out a deep breath, Ruby eyes extremely serious. She was glad she had aunty Haruka as a mentor. Her mommies didn't know much about the sport, they weren't much help.

"I can do this" She said to herself, hands turning into fists, determined.

"Ganbare, Shiaki-chan!"

"You can do it, Shiaki!"

She heard some people say as she stepped onto the stage.

"You got this, Shiaki!"

"Good luck, Shiaki!"

Now that she was up there, she couldn't help and feel a little nervous, the boy seemed a lot bigger and stronger than before.

"Beat his fat ass, Shiaki-chan!"

"Oi! Language!"

She walked towards the middle of the stage to meet the boy. She faced the crowd, eyes instantly looking for her family. When she found them, she couldn't help and grin. Out of everyone here, she had the biggest support, the biggest crowd. They even had made a cute banner for her to see from a distance.

She had invited aunty Haruka, aunty Mai, her cousin Yuuichi Jr., and aunty Nao. Also Mikoto, and grandma and grandpa where there. She didn't expect the rest of mommies' friends to show up as well to cheer for her since they lived far away, but she was glad they all did. She loved them all. And she was here to win, she wanted them all to watch her win.

Her Ruby eyes then fell on her Emerald eyed mother, who proudly waived at her, giving her two thumb's up; and then her Ruby eyed mother, who blew a kiss in her direction, making her smile widely because if this. Then, she couldn't help and narrow her eyes once they fell upon her fidgeting siblings.

…I hope they behave today… She thought, a little worried.

In past competitions, one of them would always end up throwing a tantrum, and either her mummy or her mommy had to leave the room until they had calmed down. Shiaki wanted them both there today at all times, she wanted them both to watch her win. Wanted them both to be really proud of her achievements at the same time. She didn't want neither of them to miss it.

She faced her opponent again, her smile faltering and becoming serious again. She got ready, got into position, got into a defensive stance.

"Ready…"

"Go!"

She heard the referee shout.

Shiaki quickly went for her opponent, grabbing him, wanting to throw him to the ground, but he was too heavy, he didn't budge.

She took a few steps back and waited for him to come her way. He surely did, and she maneuvered her way around him. He tried to grab her again, and she maneuvered around him again, these actions making him a little dizzy after she had done it a few times.

She was about to take this opportunity to kick him on the leg, and then grab him and throw him to the ground, but she got distracted. In her line of sight, she saw as one of her siblings left his seat.

...Oi, where is he going?...

And before she knew it, her opponent had grabbed her by her robe, surprising her,

"Ara?!" She yelped.

And he threw her hard on the ground, making her wince.

He was pinning her on the floor, and she tried to do as aunty Haruka had said, she was wriggling, constantly moving, not wanting to give up. As long as she kept moving, she had a chance to recover from this fall and still beat her opponent.

But then, her movements stopped, "Ara?" she saw a flash of Chestnut hair appear before her eyes,

"Don't you hurt my big sister!"

She heard her little brother angrily shout.

He had jumped on her opponent, and was hitting him, trying to get him off her.

"Oi!" She then heard her mother's husky voice.

"What are you doing? Get off him!" Natsuki reprimanded her four year old son, she tried to get him off the other boy.

Natsuki had quickly stood from her seat the moment she noticed him near the stage. She was too busy watching the match that she hadn't realized he had left his seat at all. And when she noticed, she couldn't get to him fast enough, so now they were in this mess.

"Don't hurt my big sister~"

Natsuki then heard her other son, but he didn't sound angry, he was giggling. He was just following his brother, mimicking his actions.

"Where do you think you're going?" She quickly grabbed him as well before he was able to jump on the poor, bewildered boy.

Emerald eyes looked around, someone was missing.

"I got her, Natsuki" Shizuru told Natsuki midway through the stage, grabbing the giggling, little brunette.

These triplets, they really stuck together. Wherever one went, the others followed.

Shiaki's face was super red. Beat red. She pushed the boy off her and quickly stood. Both hands on her sides, hands turned to tight fists, feeling so much anger and embarrassment that she was starting to shake.

Everyone, absolutely everyone, was laughing at them. E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E.

"MOMS!~" She shouted at her mothers, sounding more like an angry whine. Kyoto-ben now in full force.

Natsuki faced her oldest daughter and grimaced, "Ah, I'm so sorry baby" She apologized to her, both of her sons wriggling in her arms, no doubt trying to escape. "Good luck, Shiaki" Then quickly gave her a peck on the forehead and started to take her leave, not wanting to have to deal with her wrath.

"Kannin na, Shiaki-chan" Shizuru smilingly sing sang to her, giving her a kiss on the forehead as well. "You've got this, ne? You're doing really well" She whispered, then followed her wife out of the stage.

And Shiaki, all she could do was stare in embarrassment as they walked away. They were apologizing to everyone for the interruption.

When her Ruby eyes then met her opponent, she got even angrier. "Oi! What are you staring at!" Angry Kyoto-ben was present again. This stupid boy, he was looking at her mothers in awe, mesmerized by their beauty. He was under their spell. "I'm your opponent! Look at me!" She barked at him.

Meanwhile, as Natsuki and Shizuru sat back down and held onto the triplets, making sure they didn't run away this time, Shizuru faced her lover.

"Natsuki?"

"Hai?" Natsuki distractedly replied, not for one second leaving her eyes from the stage. The match was about to start at any moment.

She felt as Shizuru gave her a peck on the cheek. That's when she faced her wife, paid attention to her. "Ha... Hai?" She softly said again, a light blush on her cheeks because of her wife's sudden sweetness.

Shizuru raised a suggestive brow, there was a light blush on her cheeks as well. She also had a small grin on her face.

"Ie… No. Absolutely, definitely not. Not again" And Natsuki knew exactly what the brunette meant. That look of hers, she knows it so well.

"Does Natsuki not remember what I told her many years ago when she first proposed the idea?" Shizuru wrapped her arms around the blunette's neck, caressing her soft, cobalt hair. Guiding her face closer to hers, nose touching nose at the moment.

Natsuki gulped. She remembers, she remembers so, so well.

"I want many little Natsuki's running around the house" Shizuru then went ahead and captured her wife's lips, and then, "I love you" she whispered to her, both of her hands now on the blunette's cheeks. "For always"

Natsuki grinned into her lover's caress, "And I love you forever" And she leaned in once more to capture her wife's smiling lips with her own.

She loved this woman with all of her heart, all of her soul, all her being. Shizuru wasn't her other half, she was her better half. She was her whole life. And their family, their family was her treasure. Their family completed her. She loved no one more than she loved them. She'd give her life for them.

She couldn't believe she almost lost it all because of her careless mistake years ago. Her and Shizuru, them being together again, couldn't have happened without the help of their little girl. Their little girl brought them back together. Who brought happiness to their lives, hope to their hearts.

And a chance to begin again.

"You know why she wants to win so badly, right?" Once they parted from the kiss, Shizuru asked the blunette.

"What do you mean?" Natsuki asked. She thought Shiaki just wanted to add one more shiny trophy to her collection. Her bookshelf was full of them!

"There's this boy in her Dojo she really wants to impress. She want's to be on the same level as him so she could spar with him, that's why she wants to win"

Natsuki's right eye involuntarily twitched. "E-Excuse me... What?" She couldn't believe that's why her little girl wanted to win so badly.

"Ara~ I thought she told you..." Shizuru said. And soon after, strict Kyoto-ben made an appearance, she warned, "Natsuki, please do not overreact" But it was too late for that.

"FUJINO-KUGA, SHIAKI!" Natsuki stood up so fast, as if her life depended on it, and yelled pointing a finger at the little girl, "IF YOU WIN, YOU'RE GROUNDED FOR LIFE!"

The End

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Thank you for joining me in this adventure. I placed a little bit of myself in both these characters, that's why this story is so dear to me. What ShizNat felt, their emotions, I have felt at some point in my short life. Their passion and stresses and frustrations and insecurities, are all a part of me. I've had to dig deep into my soul to try to portray everything in writing just as I have felt it, to have YOU, the reader, feel it as well, that's why some chapters were a bit difficult to write. In a way, it's my life, not the same in content, just the emotions it self.

Thank you all again, I'm glad to have completed this, and I'm happy with the result. I tried not to make ShizNat too OOC, I hate reading stories when they are too OOC, it's a huge turn off to me.

I will try to revise my earlier chapters, they're a mess grammar-wise. I was younger then, and was writing and posting without much thought on grammar. Will do that on my free time :) and will post here and there on The Diary of Our Past. I think there's a bit to tell before the affair happened.

Much love to you all, I read each and everyone of your reviews, and try to reply if you have an account.

I hope to meet you guys in another adventure, whenever that time comes.

Sincerely,

NH1021