The Mother Who Let Her Go

Posted on Wed Sep 23rd, 2026 @ 3:51pm by Captain Taiga Aisaka

2,490 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Kintsugi
Location: Kanagawa, Japan, Earth
Timeline: April 6th, 2397

An awkward silence hung in the air. "Akari, I..."

The front door opened. Taiga stopped immediately. That could only be one person. A voice she had not heard in many years then called out from the entranceway. "I'm home..."

The door into the open-plan kitchen and lounge opened. In walked a tall woman. She had short brown hair in a neat bob cut. Grey eyes stared out from behind a pair of thin wire-framed glasses. Her outfit was that of someone who worked in an office, or some sort of business establishment: A White shirt, blue necktie, navy sports jacket and matching trousers. In her hand she carried a smart bag.

"What a day, how was your da...." she suddenly cut herself off. Her eyes locked onto their target: Taiga.

A silence fell upon the room. No one dared to move. Taiga could feel her heart in her throat as her gaze met with her mother's. The only thing that made any sort of sound, or had any movement was the gentle tick of the mechanical clock across on the other side of the lounge area.

It seemed to last for hours, the pure stare out between Taiga and Jennifer.

Eventually, Jennifer broke the tension. She placed her bag down on the sideboard and turned to walk into the kitchen. Haruto didn't move as his wife passed him and made her way to the refrigerator. The sound of it being tugged open echoed around the room as Jennifer seemed to be more interested in its contents than in her eldest daughter sitting at the table.

Taiga watched as her mother pulled out a canned beverage. The distinct crack and hiss of it being opened seemed deafening in the silence. Slowly Jennifer raised the can to her lips and took a long swig from its contents. No one needed to ask what it was, that much was obvious.

Silently she made her way around to the table. She gently tapped Akari on the shoulder. Akari pushed away from the table and vacated the seat for her mother. She then grabbed her schoolbag, and made a hasty retreat out of the room.

Haruto stood in the kitchen, simply watching as Jennifer lowered herself into the chair opposite Taiga. She placed the can down in front of her.

"So, you're back?"

"Yeah... I know it's been a while, but..."

The sound of a crack cut Taiga off, along with the sudden sharp pain that erupted across her left cheek. She was no longer looking at her mother. Her head had been knocked to the side, leaving her staring at the potted plant in the corner of the room. She could feel her cheek burning, it was probably starting to go a little red from what had just occurred.

It was then that Taiga knew. She had deserved that.

There was another brief moment of silence as the sound of another crack filled the room. This one, however, did not originate from Taiga's face. Slowly Taiga looked down. Placed in front of her was an identical can to the one her mother held. It had already been opened, and several small white bubbles rippled around the opening.

"So," Jennifer said. "How have you been?"

"I've not been too bad... Wait... what?" Taiga replied, before cutting herself off. She blinked a few times as she only just registered what her mother had asked her.

"I asked how you have been. It's been a long time since you were with us. I gather that your husband is doing well?" Jennifer raised the can to her lips again and took another sip. "When do we get the pleasure of meeting him?"

"Well, that's the thing, actually. We're back on Earth for a few weeks. My ship was badly damaged, so it's undergoing repairs and..."

"Enough about Starfleet. I hear enough about what you've been up to from Akari. She's idolised your Starfleet career ever since she found out about you. Especially since you made the rank of Captain. Frankly, I couldn't care less what you've been up to in that regard." Jennifer replied as she placed the can down on the table. She crushed it in one hand now that its contents had been fully drained.

"I want to know what my daughter has been doing outside of Starfleet. I know you got married. I got an invitation from Ry... Ryuu? Ryuuji, is it?" He wanted to see if you and I could make up back then. But, we just couldn't get out there in time." Jennifer told her. She held out a hand towards the kitchen counter. A fresh can was placed into her hands by Haruto.

"He... invited you...?" Taiga's eyes were wide open now. She was shocked that Ryuuji had attempted to invite both of her parents..

"Yes. He wanted you to be happy, and he wanted you to start... How did he put it?" She pondered for a moment. "Ah yes. He wanted you to start your next chapter together with no regrets, and for the two of you to have our blessing."

Taiga blinked again.

"He seems like a nice guy. So you better not screw this one up, Taiga."

"I have no intention of doing so." Taiga shot back. "Plus, we have Riko to worry about now!"

"And who is Riko?"

Taiga looked down at her knees for a brief moment. She then raised her head and looked directly at her mother. "If you really want to bury the hatchet and move on, then I'll introduce you to your granddaughter."

Jennifer sat there. It was clear that she was stunned by the sudden news. "I see. And how old is Riko?"

"A couple of weeks. It's one of the reasons why I am on Earth. Because I wanted..." Taiga choked on her own words. She looked down at the can. She reached out and brought it up to her mouth, tilting her head back as she gulped down the contents. A little liquid confidence is what she needed right now. "Because I didn't want her to go through what I went through. A stable home. A loving family. A mother and father who never fight in front of her. Someone to tell her every day that she is loved. Someone there to greet her when she comes home from school."

That was it. Taiga was off on a ramble. "A mother who won't push her aside for the sake of her career. A stable family home, and maybe, in the future, a little brother or sister she can play and grow up with. I want her to have the most stable, loving family we can give her! That includes..." she paused for a moment. "Knowing her grandparents and her aunt."

Jennifer sat there. She lifted her can to her lips and took another sip. "You've been keeping that in for a while, haven't you?"

"Damn right I have!" Taiga stated. "You and Dad were always arguing. Pushing me around like I was some sort of unwanted thing. You were so selfish that you couldn't even see what you were doing to me!" Taiga snapped at her. "You say that I was included, but you never showed it! How was I supposed to know as a kid that I was wanted, appreciated and loved when all I got was 'It's your turn to have Taiga this weekend' and 'I can't have her this time. I'm busy' and 'You get her that, she's your daughter too' and 'No, you sort it out with her school. I don't have the time.'." Taiga erupted. She was like a volcano, the pyroclastic flow of eighteen years of anger rushing straight towards Jennifer.

"Did you ever think about how I felt? Being the one child who never knew whether I was coming or going? Never knowing who was going to show up at the parent/teacher meetings. The one sitting on the stage, wondering which one of you was in the crowd? Wondering where I was going to be sleeping that week? Not knowing which one of you actually wanted me around? Whether I was even a priority and not just a burden? Did you even consider any of that?!" At first it had been pure anger, but now it was something else. Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked at her mother. "I know I ran away... I know it was stupid... But... I couldn't handle it anymore..."

The tears were now flowing so fast she couldn't control them, as eighteen years of anger, sorrow and pain came flooding out. She raised her hands to her eyes, trying to control them, but she couldn't. The floodgates were open, and there was no closing them again. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for running away. I'm sorry for being a shitty daughter. I'm sorry for getting in the way. I'm sorry for being the way I am... I just...."

Then it came again. Crack.

Taiga stopped immediately as the familiar pain erupted in her cheek once again. She looked up at her mother. Her eyes widened. Tears were in her mother's eyes too. "Don't you even dare apologise for being our daughter!" she said, giving Haruto a quick side glance.

""You were sixteen years old when all this happened, Taiga." She went on to explain. "You were sixteen years old when all this happened, Taiga. You had no control over your situation, and everything around you was changing. It's natural that you couldn't see or understand the bigger picture."

"What... do you mean?"

"It's simple. You ran away because you believed it was what was best for you." Jennifer said. "And... I allowed it to happen!"

Taiga stared at her. "You... allowed it?"

"Damn right! Did you think I would honestly let you just run away after an argument without knowing where you were going? Without knowing what you intended to do?" Jennifer asked. She took another long drink from her can. Once again, she crushed it in her hand. "You have to understand. I was furious with how you left. You walked out on us with some pretty nasty things to say. But I knew where you were going. I knew that it was what you needed. I knew that you were going to Starfleet Academy. I knew that you needed to find your own path in life. Yes you were a bitch back then, and quite frankly you were always a difficult child." She paused. "I know that I was partially to blame for the way you saw us. But I also knew that you were... no... are, so downright stubborn and headstrong that nothing I could have done would have changed your mind! So I let you run away to the Academy!"

Taiga blinked a few times in surprise again. "You knew... How?"

"You really didn't think I wouldn't notice? You might have thought you were being elusive about it. But the signs were obvious. Your grades improved, you stopped getting into fights at school. You even left the Academy application on your desk. And yes, I read it. Hell, I even gave them the family reference they required!" Jennifer explained. "You knew what you wanted to do, and you never believed that we were behind you. But we were. You just never asked!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Will you stop apologising!" Jennifer snapped at her. She threw herself back and rose to her feet, slamming her hands on the table in front of her. "If anyone here should be apologising, it's me. I was a terrible mother to you, Taiga. I was young, I was stupid and I was... I was... scared!" She explained. "I had no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to handle you, and I failed as a mother. I tried to help you, but it backfired. When your father split up the family, I wasn't coping. I was just trying to survive. I was trying my best. But all I knew was anger and hatred towards him. I took that out on you! And I hate that about myself!"

She stood up straight. "That night you left, I wanted to go after you. I wanted to grab your hand and tell you that I loved you. That I was going to improve. That I was going to try again. But you would never have believed me. I was powerless and I felt so small... so scared... so alone..." She turned away, hiding her face. "That night you didn't just scare me by leaving. You terrified me. You gave me the biggest wake-up call I have ever had in my life."

She turned to look back at Taiga. "I know that you may never forgive me or understand this. But I have tried to be a better mother to both you and Akari every day since. Believe it if you want, or don't. But I am not the woman you stormed out on eighteen years ago..."

Jennifer sniffled. "I've... I've missed you, Taiga. I've really..." She broke down in tears, collapsing into a crouch on the floor. "I've wanted you back all these years. But you... needed space... time..."

Taiga didn't know what to do. Would it be best to embrace her? Scold her? Say something comforting? What could she possibly say or do to make this any better? She didn't know. The scales were finely balanced. One wrong move could tip them either way, and Taiga didn't want to see what happened if they fell the wrong way.

"I did need it..." she admitted. "It hurt too. It really hurt. But..."

Jennifer raised her head. "But you've turned into a beautiful woman With a loving husband and a new baby daughter. You've also become a leader, a prominent figure in Starfleet, and you've unlocked your full potential."

Taiga sat there. Did she just compliment her?

"I can't change the past, Taiga." she said as she shuffled across the floor towards her. Still kneeling on the floor, she took Taiga's hands. She looked up at Taiga for a moment before bowing her head. "I can't do that. But, I want... I want to move on. I want to show you that I am a better person today. I want to prove it to you. If you can find it in your heart... Please... Will you forgive me?"

A long silence fell over the room, broken only by Jennifer's sobbing. Taiga looked away as she felt the grip of her mother's hands on hers. "I..." she stumbled over her words again. "I want that..."

Jennifer simply sniffled. "You can forgive me?"

Taiga nodded. "I think that I can do that... and... you should..." She paused again, glancing towards Haruto. "You should both come and meet Ryuuji and Riko sometime..."

Posting by:

Captain Taiga Aisaka
Commanding Officer
USS Tokyo

Haruto Fujimura
Civilian

Akari Fujimura
Civilian

Jennifer Fujimura
Civilian

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