jotaro coming over to her house with kakyoin, his gift, is a bouquet of foreign flowers that he, and his husband, had learned of on their travels; sharing their ventures in this way felt - special, he had much to thank her for; without her, he never would have been so fortunate as to have someone like her son in his life - he was not good with words, so, he hoped these intents would come across in his gesture. // mother’s day .
always had sakura endured difficulty in letting go of noriaki . when he began to distance himself from her as resentment corroded the inseparability they exhibited in his childhood , when she’d realized he hadn’t returned home from school one day in november & sought to uncover his whereabouts , only to find that he’d run off with four strangers & very nearly got himself killed on their cross - continental journey ( especially after that , though nothing & no one could convince her that she hadn’t been justified in wanting to keep a closer eye on her boy after such a traumatic fifty days ) , & even when he , as an adult , revealed to her that he would be moving to the united states with his then - boyfriend . they had just begun to rekindle the bond that had been severed in all that they had been through , & though she’d developed a trust in jotaro to look after & take care of noriaki , the thought of him being so far away had been nightmarish . her only son , her pride & joy , more than eleven thousand kilometers away . how could she cope with that ??
a little over ten years later , to her surprise , she is just fine .
evidently , she would rather have her son within metro distance at most , & there had been an ocean of tears the day she’d seen him off at the airport & in the weeks that followed , but to know that her son is happy & enjoying a beautiful life with his now - husband is a valuable trade - off , even more so now that their love has manifested into the birth of a beautiful little boy .
no means of expression can quantify the delight sakura feels when they announce that they will visit . it won’t be her first time seeing jouta in person , as she’d dragged her husband to the airport to board the first plane to florida the moment noriaki had called to tell her he’d arrived , but it will be her grandson’s first time in japan , & her elation toward what to her is a momentous occasion cannot be overstated ——— jotaro & noriaki informed her of their coming almost two weeks in advance , & that entire time , sakura had been running about her home like a woman a third of her age , making preparations & , most importantly , baby - proofing every corner of the estate .
though she’d hardly slept a wink the night before , when the day comes at last , kakyoin sakura is replete with energy , frequently glancing out the window & toward the front gate to check for their rental car . her husband grumbles something about her needing to relax , but she disregards his rehearsed lack of enthusiasm , knowing deep down that he , too , excitedly awaits their son’s return home , & the chance to see their grandchild after nearly a year since their last physical encounter . thus , when she finally spots a vehicle cruising toward the gate with tangible purpose , the redhead just about flings herself toward the front door , shoving her feet into mint green slippers with nearly enough force to launch them out into the front garden .
despite the fact that she is nearly halfway through her sixties , sakura’s full - on sprint out the door is quick enough to alarm genjiro , who calls after her to slow down . again , she ignores him ; the laser - focus she has on the pair of adults & the infant they’re currently working on getting out of the carseat allows her to offer even a sliver of attention to anything else . “ nori !! jotaro !! ” she hollers , a spark of amusement bursting in her chest as her son & his husband whip their heads around , momentarily looking alarmed at the elderly woman rushing toward them with the charge of an athlete . “ welcome back !! ”
at noriaki’s insistence , they meet her halfway ——— the distance amid the house & the front drive is nothing insignificant , & apparently , he would rather not allow his aging mother to run the entire way to them , though the love surging through sakura makes her think she could , & with plenty of stamina left over . she offers both of them a deeply warm & loving welcome , & wastes no time in asking to hold the baby , though to her dismay , noriaki sternly declines , ordering her to wait until they get back to the house & she’s had some time to catch her breath .
it isn’t until they arrive at the veranda that she notices jotaro is holding something . he offers it to her with little ceremony about it , & scarlet lashes flutter before distended amber , surprise crystalline betwixt her features . “ oh , these are for me ?? ” asks sakura , albeit somewhat uselessly , as she’s already reaching out to accept it . the tower of a man her son had married drops it into her arms , delicately peeling back the chiffon partially concealing the gorgeous array of flowers so that she may view it without obstruction . she doesn’t have to ask where they’d come from , as the two have embarked on many journeys together & had likely encountered them amid their travels , thinking of her all the while . this thought forges a lump in her throat .
“ my , oh my . i . . . ” she pauses as she finally manages to peel her eyes away from the gift , only to find that noriaki & jouta had stealthily slipped away at some point to greet genji ( & his geriatric akita , haruki , with whom jouta seems to be particularly fascinated ) , leaving her alone with jotaro . she notices he looks somewhat flustered & is attempting to conceal it behind the brim of his hat , an endearing habit of his that she’s noticed when first they met at the hospital where her son lie comatose . though she’d initially directed all of her rage & frustration for what had happened to noriaki at him , she had quickly learned of how much jotaro means to her precious boy ; the first friend he’d ever had , his first & last love , the half of his soul he’d thought he’d never find . for so many years , sakura wished her son would connect with someone , for seeing him in the throes of isolation shattered her heart , namely with the knowledge that she could do nothing about it . but jotaro had come like a saving grace , bathing her sweet boy in the golden light of kindness & what would come to be love , & she knew upon the dawn of the realization of just who jotaro is to noriaki that she could be nothing but grateful to him .
he’d never talked much , but she found that he never needed to . jotaro’s actions speak for themselves , & with a clarity that intensifies as one comes to see more of his heart . this considered , she smiles wide , baring the dimples she’d passed down to her son , who’d passed them down to his son ( noriaki claimed that it was the only part of him that had been inherited by jouta , for that boy is nearly all jotaro , but sakura thinks she can see aspects of her son shining through in other ways as the child’s personality starts to shine through ) . “ thank you , jotaro , ” she says , cradling the bestowment in one arm & freeing the other to reach up & out toward him . he is far too tall for her to even hope to reach his head , so she raises up on the tips of her toes , cupping the nape of his neck with a steady hand & tugging him down just enough to allow for a kiss on the cheek . “ i’ve said it before , but your mama is right about you ; such a sweet & thoughtful boy . i hope jouta grows up to be like you . ” she’s certain he will , having two wonderful parents who are practically made of love for him . furthermore , she can’t be prouder to have jotaro as a son - in - law , & endlessly commends noriaki’s exquisite taste .
“ now , come on inside !! seems like our boys have already gotten comfortable , ” she laughs something bright & boisterous . “ i’ll bring out some tea . & homemade strawberry milk for the baby , of course . ”
