Getting her bags packed to go over to America, Emi made sure she had all her paperwork done. Surprisingly, she didn't need the Japanese passport she applied for and received since she was an American citizen. Being both an American and Japanese citizen, she made sure to apply for a U.S. passport as well. Thinking about it, she didn't know whether Shota knew that she had dual citizenship.
Her dad was Japanese, but an American citizen being born and raised there, and her mom was born and raised in Japan. The two had met in the Fukuoka Prefecture when her dad had applied for a job in the area. The two fell in love and got married eventually having her and two of her other siblings. Her parents' marriage didn't last too long after she had started high school in Japan. Staying with her mom, her siblings went to America with her dad. It was difficult saying goodbye to her siblings and her father since she wasn't going to see them much anymore except for maybe once every few years.
With her dad or siblings not knowing that she was coming to America, she thought she would let it remain that way since they were not technically supposed to know about her undercover work. It would be a high risk for her family and herself if anyone found out about what she was doing plus she was flying to the opposite end of where they were living in the United States.
Searching around the house for Shota, Emi found Eri on the couch watching her television learning program. "Eri, do you know where your father is?" She asked, continuing to search around the house for him. The couple had finally adopted Eri, giving her a family to care for her, it was incredible to think that they were going to watch Eri grow up into a beautiful, caring woman.
With her eyes fixed on the screen, Eri answered back to her mother. "No."
Taking a deep breath, Emi sighed. "Eri, I know you're watching your television program at the moment, but will you come with me to find daddy?"
Crawling off of the couch, Eri ran towards Emi, grabbing her hand as they walked out of the apartment building and wandered around the campus. It took over an hour to finally find Shota. He was with a purple headed boy out in the middle of the woods. Emi had heard about the kid, but for some odd reason, she had never formally met the student who Shota shared his capture weapon with.
"Why the heck are you guys in the woods?" Called out Emi from afar.
Cringing, Shota slightly turned his head and knew without even looking behind him that his fiancee had found him. Knowing that he should introduce Shinso and Emi, he specified for them. "Shinso, this is my fiancee, Ms. Fukukado.
Otherwise known as Ms. Joke. Emi, this is Shinso, the student I've been training."
Interjecting, Emi briefly bowed at Shinso and commented. "I figured."
Courteous, Shinso returned the bow. "The pleasure is all mine."
Standing still, Eri whispered to Emi, "Mom, can I go say hi to Shinso?"
"I don't know, can you?" Emi retorted back.
Immediately remembering her mother's talk about being polite and manners, Eri asks, "May I go say hi to Shinso?"
Smiling down at the girl, Emi cheerfully answers, "You may." Making her way over to Shota, Emi lays her hand on his shoulder. "I hate to say it, but I leave tomorrow for at least a month."
Glancing at the ground and back at Emi, Shota replies, "So you leaving us, aren't you?"
"I'm coming back, Shota." Emi retorted with pain in her voice. She was hurt that he accused her of such a thing.
"That isn't the point, Emi." Shouta specified.
Interrupting the couple, Shinso hesitated to say, "It looks like you two are busy with something. I should head back to the dorm."
"Stay," Shota commanded him without taking his eyes off of Emi.
Being on the verge of tears from her fiance's reaction, she knew that he had heard about her leaving for American for a month longer than a month ago.
"Shota, please don't act this way. You know how much this hurts me to be away from the two of you. I wanted to spend my last day here with the two of you, and I was hoping we could do something special." Looking over at Shinso, Emi invited him too. "Shinso, you're invited to join us."
Still hugging onto Shinso's legs, Eri looked up at him, crying, "Yay! Shinso gets to come with us."
Walking away from the group, Shota made his way back to their apartment.
Running after him, Emi grabbed onto Shota's wrist. "Shota, please." Pleading with him, she could no longer hide the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I need you, Shota. Please do this for Eri at least. I don't want to end on a rough note. I hate the fact that I have to leave you two for a month, but I'll call you and message you every day."
Taking a deep breath, Shota grabbed Emi's hand, intertwining his fingers through hers. "You're going to owe both Emi and myself big time." He responded, glancing at her briefly.
Softly squealing, Emi gave him a peck on his cheek. Glancing behind her, Emi yelled for Shinso and Eri. "Eri. Shinso. We're leaving come on!"
Running after them, Shinso stood by his instructor while Eri continued to hold onto his hand.
"Where are we going, mom?" Eri asked. It seemed like everyone was in a hurry, and she didn't understand why her mother and father were so worked up.
"Home, I want to make dinner for all of you," Emi said beaming.
Upon reaching the apartment, Emi noted how uncomfortable Shinso seemed the whole time they walked together. "What's wrong, Shinso?" Reading his expression back to her, she assured him. "Shinso, I would appreciate it if you came to eat with us, but by seeing how uncomfortable you are, it's fine if you leave. I just wanted to get the opportunity to finally get to know you since you spend a lot of time with two of the most important people in my life."
Yanking on Shinso's pants, Eri begged him. "Please, Shinso, come eat with us. Don't you want to spend time with us? Plus mom is a really good cook." She continued to stare at Shinso until he looked down at her, seeing that had big puppy dog eyes begging him not to leave.
Anxiously, Shinso stated, "No, I don't want to intrude on you and your family."
Annoyed, Aizawa pointed out,"Shinso, Emi invited you to join us. If we didn't want you to come over, we wouldn't have invited you."
Now feeling obligated to come, Shinso nodded his head, accepting that he wasn't going to get out of this.
Upon arriving at the house, Emi went into the kitchen to prepare supper for everyone. Looking in the refrigerator, she noted all of the ingredients that they had. Grabbing some green onions, onions, beef, eggs, and vegetable oil, she set them aside to mix them eventually. Getting herself a pot, she added water and placed it on the stove. Looking to see what the others were doing, she smiled seeing that Shinso and Eri were getting along well. Not seeing Shota, she called his name out. "Shota, where are you?"
"I'm right here; love." Laughing at her as she jumped, Shota wrapped his arms around her and leaning his head against her shoulder.
Lightly smacking his cheek, Emi reprimanded him for scaring her. "Shota, that was cruel."
Smirking, Shota provoked her further. "So, are most of your jokes."
Rolling her eyes, Emi snarkily replied, "Well, at least I have a sense of humor. You know that I could always assist you in that."
Loosening his grip, Shota tips her down in his arms. Grinning at her, he suggested instead, "I would enjoy it more if you assisted me in something else tonight."
Pursing her lips, Emi's eyes blazed with desire at him. "Well, why don't you take that beautiful body of yours and hold me against it."
Reciprocating her feelings, he verified what she suggested. "I'll gladly do that tonight."
"Hey, why don't you help me with supper? I could use another hand." She said winking.
Pulling her up, he followed her to the counter. "What do you need done?"
Placing an onion and knife in front of him, she told him. "You can cut that, so I can finally see the fact that you do have emotions, and you're not dead inside."
Snickering at her, Shota grabs her waist, whispering in her ear. "Careful or someone may have to punish you tonight."
Running into the kitchen, Eri tugged on the couple's pants. "Mom. Dad. When are we eating? I'm so hungry!"
With Shinso behind her, Shota turns his head and immediately starts cutting up the onion, acting like never happened before the kids came into the room.
Wrapping her arms around Shota as she answers the children, she specifies, "It shouldn't be too long. I would say for about thirty minutes. If you would like to do something while you're waiting for supper, you could set the table together."
Letting go of Shota, she went to the cabinet to grab everything they would need for supper. Setting it on the counter, she left it in small piles for Eri to grab, so she didn't feel too overwhelmed by carrying too many dishes at once. "Here, Eri, they're all ready for you."
Skipping to the counter, Eri reached for the small pile consisting of two bowls and grabs them, making her way over to the table.
Taking the uncooked beef, Emi cuts it into small bite-size pieces. Setting them into a pan, she adds a little oil in and turns the stove a low setting.
"Do you want me to cut the green onion as well?" Shota asks as he points to the vegetable with the knife in his hand.
Turning to acknowledge Shota, Emi smiled at him. "That would be great! Thank you!" Putting rice into the boiling pot, she turned down the stove and put the lid on. Turning her attention to the meat, she flipped it over watching as it cooked. "Shota, would you cracked the eggs for me, please." She asked with a beaming grin on her face. "Thank you!"
Sighing, Shota got to work, retorting back."You're lucky; I love you so much."
Giving him a wide smile, she returned to the meat. After ten minutes of flipping the meat, she tossed in the vegetables that Shota cut up. With him walking over to her, Emi gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you for all of your hard work. I appreciate it!" Seeing him blush, Emi chuckled to herself. Stirring the food a few more times, she turned off the stove and indicated to everyone it was time to eat by yelling for them. "IT'S TIME TO EAT!"
Coming up behind her, Shota asked, "Was it needed for you to shout across the apartment, Emi?"
Grabbing the pan and pot, Emi chirped. "Yup, it sure was."
Running to the table, Eri exclaimed, "It's time to eat everyone! It's time to eat!"
Not far behind her, Shinso made his way to the table. Seating himself next to Eri, he waited for Emi to set down the food for everyone. "What did you make?" It smelled good, but he wanted to know what she made, so he wasn't eating anything questionable.
"Whatever it is, it sure smells good!" Eri exclaimed for the whole room.
Setting the food on the table, Emi sat down along with her fiance, answering Shinso. "It's a beef bowl otherwise known as Gyudon. It's a comfort food which seemed like a good idea considering tomorrow."
Without realizing what was happening tomorrow, Shinso asked her. "What's tomorrow?"
Seeing her fiance cringe, Emi replied in a flat tone considering the fact that it bothered Shota. "I'm leaving for America tomorrow for a month."
Widening his eyes, Shinso was left speechless; he didn't know how to respond to that. Grabbing some rice from the pot, he put it into his bowl and then went for the beef.
"Is this a goodbye dinner for mommy?" Eri innocently asked.
Sighing from the frustration of listening to everyone talk about Emi leaving, Shota clarified, "Not in the way you're thinking. Mom is only going to be gone for a month. It won't be forever. She'll be coming back."
With tears forming in her eyes, Eri somberly questioned Emi, "Mama, why are you leaving us?"
It troubled Emi to see that she was causing so much distress to her family, and with her depression, it made her feel incredibly guilty about leaving them for her job. Was the new job worth it for her to leave everyone for a month? It sounded like such a great opportunity for her since she was no longer serving as a pro hero, but was this worth the pain she was causing her family. Trying to answer in a reassuring voice, she retorted, "I'm leaving to do some work for Mr. Nezu."
Having enough of the conversation, Shota interjected everyone. "Let's talk about something else. Otherwise, we can sit and eat here silently. I've had enough of this topic, and I don't want to hear any more of it."
Troubled about what her father said, Eri cried out, "Mom is leaving, and you don't even care!" Pushing herself out from the table, Eri ran to her room and slammed the door.
Getting up from the table to follow Eri, Shota was stopped by Emi.
"Stay. I'll talk to her." Pushing herself from the table, Emi laid a hand on Shota reassuring him everything was going to be alright. Approaching Eri's room, Emi thought through what to tell the small girl. Knocking on her door, Emi tried persuading her to open the door. "Eri, it's mom. I need to talk to you."
"GO AWAY!" Eri yelled. The girl had changed so much since the first time the couple had met her. She was shy and bashful, but in front of the people who she was comfortable with, she could talk to them for hours. She was still sweet, but if something upsets her, she couldn't hide how she felt.
"Eri, listen. I'm sorry that you got upset, but I would really appreciate the fact if you let me talk to you." Emi assured her as she leaned on the door.
Getting off her bed, Eri drags her feet across the ground and opens the door with a pouty face.
"Thank you, love." The only people, Emi called love was Eri and Shota; it was a way to show her commitment to them. Sitting on her bed, Emi patted the side right next to her for Eri to sit.
Closing the door, Eri dragged her feet once again to the bed and sat.
"Excuse me, miss. That is not how you were taught to walk. Go back to the door and come back, walking the proper way." Emi dictated for her.
Pushing herself off the bed, Eri walked normally to the door, touching it, and walked back, pulling herself onto the bed. Looking up at her mother, Eri knew that she was going to be talked to about her behavior.
Talking about the previous incident, Emi teased the young girl."Eri, thank you for doing that. I'm glad to see that you weren't terribly injured."
Taking a deep breath, Eri looked away. She was annoyed at her mother's sense of humor. It did lift her a lot of days, but today she didn't want anything to do with it.
Putting her arm around Eri, Emi brought the young girl closer to her. "Eri, I know you're upset about having me leave, but I need you to know that I will be back. It'll be a few weeks."
Crossing her arms, Eri scrunched up her face. "That's a long time. Why are you leaving us at all! It's not fair that Mr. Nezu is taking you away from us."
Picking the girl up, Emi sat Eri onto her lap, cuddling her in her arms. "Eri, you know that I could never leave you and your dad forever. I couldn't deal with myself knowing the pain that it would cause you and him, and even myself." Taking a breath, Emi ran her fingers through the girl's hair. "Eri, I love you so much, and you know that. If you need to, you can message or call me every day once I have a schedule planned out. I'll be back before you know it."
With her lips slightly curling up, Eri acknowledged what her mother said with a nod.
Nuzzling Eri close, Emi asked. "Now, will you apologize to your father for your temper? I would appreciate it so much. Thank you!" Always wishing people could be more considerate and have more manners, Emi taught made it her goal to children just that.
Pushing herself from Emi's lap, Eri opened the door and ran out of her room to approach her dad. Jumping into his arms at the table, Eri told him. "I'm sorry for behaving like I did."
Knowing Emi asked her to apologize, Shota picked her up and set her on his lap. "Thank you for the apology." Kissing her on the forehead, he gave her a small smile.
"You guys made up!" Emi cried. Wrapping her arms around her two favorite people, she gave them both a kiss on the cheek.
"Eww, PDA Emi." Shota teased her.
Giggling, Eri played along. "Gross, mommy."
Sticking her tongue out at both of them, she stood up. "Does anyone else want anything to eat?" Emi asked before she took the food off the table and put it away. Coming back to the table, she sat herself down and persuaded them to do a family activity. "Does anyone want to play a game, watch a movie, or go on a walk?"
Checking his watch, Aizawa informed everyone. "Actually, it's Eri's bedtime."
"NO! I want to stay up until mom goes to bed!" Eri blurted out, attempting to jump off of her dad's lap.
"Gotcha. Not so fast, little lady." Shota called out.
Giggling, Eri pleaded, "Daddy, let me go!"
Grabbing Eri from Shota's arms, Emi kissed Shota before walking to the small girl's bedroom. "I'll put her to bed." She told her future husband, letting him spent time with his apprentice. Cradling the small girl in her arms, Emi gave her an Eskimo kiss.
"Momma, will you read me a bedtime story and sing to me?" Eri politely asked with big puppy dog eyes.
"Isn't two pushing it?" Emi remarked, but looking at her daughter, she couldn't resist, especially since she was going to be gone for two months. "Fine, I'll do it. It will not become an everyday thing, though, you hear me? I'll do it on special occasions for you." Letting the girl down, Eri got dressed in pajamas.
Pulling herself up onto her bed, Eri tried pulling up her covers only to be tickled by her mother with a zerbert. "What are...you doing?" The small girl laughed hysterically.
"I'm kissing you! Isn't this how you kiss someone?" Emi teased.
Still hysterical, Eri answered. "No."
Acting like she was shocked, Emi hesitated when she answered so that the small girl would believe it. "...It's not! That's strange...are you sure that's not how you do it? How do you kiss someone, then?"
Giggling from her mother's silliness, Eri got up on her knees and kissed her mother on the cheek. "That's how you give someone a kiss!" She exclaimed.
"It is!" Emi proclaimed with her jaw-dropping.
"You're silly, mommy." Eri chuckled.
Embracing the little girl, Emi showered her with kisses. Hearing Eri laugh was music to her ears; she was glad to have that be one of her last memories of the girl before she left for a month. Of course, she would be back, but she would rather have the small girl know how much she loved her than not know at all.
"Now, let's read you a bedtime story." Walking to Eri's bookshelf, Emi picked out I Am a Cat by Sōseki Natsume. It was one of Eri's and Shota's favorites. It probably wasn't a surprise that Shota had gotten it for the little girl. Sitting down on the bed, Emi showed the cover, and the girl's eyes lit up. "Is it okay if I read this to you since this is daddy's book?"
Thinking through whether or not her mother could read the book, Eri nodded her head, answering, "Yeah, just this once."
"Okay, just this one time." Emi retorted back. Opening the book, she saw Eri's whole face lighten. She had never read the book to Eri, but she decided this one occasion would the one exception to the rule: Dad is the only one who gets to read I Am a Cat aloud. It wasn't official, but Eri always walked up to Shota when she wanted the book to be read to her. It had just become an unwritten rule since it was one of the few books, Shota had gotten for her when she was fostered by him. Noticing that Eri was making different expressions due to the fact, Emi read it differently than Shota even though he did get into character.
After Emi finished reading the book, Eri commented, "You read it different than daddy."
Pursing her lips, Emi asked for Eri's approval. "Is that okay?"
Taking the time to consider her mother's question, Eri retorted after a few seconds, "Yeah. It's okay."
Wiping her hand on her forehead and flicking it, Emi gave a big sigh of relief.
"Phew, I was beginning to get worried there! Let's tuck you in now." Pulling the covers to Eri's chest, Emi kissed her forehead and sang her "Sleeping Forest" to fall asleep to.
time to sleep, time to lie down
sleep peacefully, good night
time to sleep, time to lie down
let this child grow up to be a gentle person
thank you, god
thank you for angels
good night, sleep at mommy's bosom
time to sleep, time to lie down
sleep peacefully, good night
time to sleep, time to lie down
let this child grow up to forgive others
thank you, god
thank you for the people I've met
time to sleep, time to lie down
good night, sleep at mommy's bosom
Checking to see if Eri was asleep, Emi gently kissed her forehead and left the room after she was sure it was okay for her to leave. Entering the dining room, she found Shinso and Shota discussing the boy's internship. "Eri is asleep."
Getting up from the table, Shinso thanked the two of them."Mr. and Ms. Aizawa, thank you so much for the meal and having me over, but I should get going."
Holding her hand up to signal that he didn't have to leave, Emi insisted, "You don't have to leave, Shinso!"
Standing up, Shota made his way toward Emi and wrapped his arm around her. "Let Shinso go; he has school tomorrow." Leaning into her ear, he whispered, "This way, you and I can get some alone time." Adjusting himself to say goodbye to Shinso, he said farewell. "See you tomorrow at school. Present Mic is going to be there in the morning for me, though, you'll see me in the afternoon at least."
Confused, Emi glared at Shota, wondering what was going on. Turning to address Shinso, she wished him, "Good night! Sleep well! I'll see you in a month! You better keep on doing well in school, or I'll hunt you down."
"Emi, are you serious?" Shota questioned her.
"I find out from you how he's doing." She smiled.
"Emi, you know that I can't legally do that," Shota concluded.
Sighing, Emi pressed her lips together. "It was my way to enforce him to work extra hard for you by scaring him, but now you're all on your own. So good luck now." She said, walking away, dismissing him with an arm motion.
Rolling his eyes at her, Shota waved Shinso goodbye as the boy walked out the door. Advancing toward Emi, he shoved Emi onto the couch.
With her hands laid next to her head, Emi gave him a dirty look. "If you're going to go through with that, you should have just joined me right away. Instead, I'm here all alone by myself. It's such a lonely couch with just myself."
Growling, Shota stepped on the arm of the couch, sitting on her waist to hold her down. Leaning down, nibbling on her neck, he moved his hands up her waist to her face. "Why do you do this to me, Emi?"
Confused, Emi laid there doing nothing. She was waiting for him to clarify himself.
Sliding his fingers up her shirt, Emi gasped as caressed her delicate, yet firm body. Pressing his lips against hers, Shota slid his tongue into her mouth, taking off her top, and laying it beside them. Exploring her mouth, he intertwined his tongue with hers. Breaking away, a line of drool hung between them. Immediately needing to press his lips against hers again, he kissed her full of desire. Teasing her, he brought his hot breath against her ear, muttering, "Why are you so perfect?" Gasping from the sensation of his loving kisses, his firm, yet tender hands wander on her body, and his sweet nothings, it all made her want him more and more. "Shota, please let me have you."
Resting his finger against her lips, Shota shushed her. "Shhh, patience, kitten."
He rarely used this pet name for, Emi loved it when it used. Usually, it was used only when the two were alone, and he knew there weren't going to be distractions or obstacles in their way. "Shota, I need you now. Don't make me wait."
Sliding off her leggings, Shota taunted her. "Watch it, or you're going to have to wait longer, kitten." Stroking her thigh, he licked her lips, expressing his yearning for her. "God, I'm obsessed with you, and yet you're leaving me for a month."
Pushing him away, Emi didn't get far before she got pushed against the wall. With her back against the wall and Shota holding her wrists, she couldn't get away. "Please, Shota, let me go."
Concerned, Shota held her face, stroking it with his thumb."What's wrong?"
With tears falling down her cheeks, Emi cried, "You think I don't feel guilty already about leaving you and Eri? I'm not going to deal with this anymore. Let me go, Shota."
Wiping her tears away, Shota assured her by softening his tone. "No, no. I'm so sorry that you took it that way. I'm just going to miss you so much. It's hard to fathom that I went so many years without you. I love you so much, Emi. Please forgive me."
Glaring down at the ground, Emi tried to process everything he just said. Was he telling her what she wanted to hear, or did he sincerely mean it? Would he honestly still have her around her if he only wanted her for her body and to take care of Eri. He was taking care of Eri by himself without her for a while just fine, but it probably made it easier to have her around to help with the girl. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to release her mind of all of the negative thoughts that were going through her head. She knew Shota loved her and that her mind was trying to convince her otherwise. Looking up at him, she locked eyes with him letting him know she forgave him and she still wanted him. Smirking, Emi into Shota's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Showering his neck and face with small, affectionate kisses, Emi whispered sweet nothings into Shota's ear. "Love, now give me the time of my life that I'll remember for much longer than just a month. I want you to send my body to another dimension, which I know you're very capable of doing."
Lifting a corner of his mouth, Shota returned her affection by leaning his head against hers. "Oh, I'll give you the time of your life, kitten."