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Lisa had to admit, for a possible Yokai /Husband of a Sea Goddess/Sea Wizard, Fijumoto wasn’t as intimidating as he looked. Like, at all. She had gone into the living room to check on Sosuke and Ponyo, who had decided to camp out for the night, and saw him through the window. He completely froze, save for brustling his mane of red hair. He has something in his hand, something far too small to be one of his potion thingys or not-weedkilling doodad.
She slid open the door, calling out “Hey!” as loudly as she could without waking the two six-year-olds (granted, both slept like rocks most nights, something she knew Sosuke got from her). Fujimoto jerked back, stumbling and almost falling off his pillar of water. Another wave came up to catch him, cradling him from behind until he regained his balance.
She only half hid her amused snort.
“Ponyo just passed out,” She said, “and she has school in the morning, so I don’t want to wake her. You missed the party, too, I’m afraid, but we still have leftover raman and ham-” so much ham - “Why don’t you stay the night? I’ll make you a plate and- I don’t know, draw a bath for you to sleep in until morning.”
“I really couldn’t, thank you. I- eat human food?!” He required so much she half expected him to lose balance again.
“No need to be a snob,” she muttered under her breath.
Lisa had only seen Fujimoto a handful of times since That Day- it was only a year ago, today, but remembering the details was like trying to remember a dream she had when she was her son’s age. For nearly everyone who hadn’t been there to see Ponyo become human, it was like it never happened- just a freak storm that flooded the area but didn’t cause to much damage.
Still, everytime she did catch glimpses of him- usually only his eyes and the top of his head when she shuffled Sosuke and Ponyo into the car after working late- she was surprised by how human he was. Seeing him trip, stumble and panic, it was like she was watching just another parent doing his best- which, granted, he was.
She really should introduce him to her husband, they could probably swap stories for hours about kids and the ocean. Heck, maybe she could get Granmamare involved, make it a big family barbecue like the ones her mother used to throw whenever her side of the family came to visit from America. Through Ponyo, they basically were family.
“What have you got there?” she asked instead- Koichi had arrived earlier that day, just in time for dinner, and passed out almost immediately after. While she had half a mind to wake him, she also knew he’d need the sleep if he wanted to keep up with the likes of Ponyo.
Fujimoto looked down at his hand, as if surprised to find he was holding something, then hesitantly held it out.
It was a shell, almost as big as her head and a familiar shade of pinkish-red fading into pearl white. “For Ponyo,” he explained. “In it, she can hear the voices of her sisters and mother.”
Lisa was touched. Sometimes it seemed like Ponyo didn’t remember being a fish at all, as if she had always been with them (most days Lisa felt the same). Still, sometimes Lisa would catch Ponyo looking hard at the sea before holding up her hands, or watching the siblings at her school with an almost melancholic look. She would then seek out Sosuke or her, or recently Koichi or one of the elderly women at the retirement home, and them almost immediately break out into a smile so wide.
“Wait,” she realized, “what about your voice?”
Fujimoto cringed. “She… may not wish to remember me.”
A few weeks before Koichi had set out on his ship again, he had confessed how much he feared Sosuke coming to forget him, or worse, hating him. “I know I hurt you when I’m away or break my promises,” he had said, “and I’m thankful everyday that Sosuke is such an understanding kid, but still…”
“Well,” Lisa finally said, “she’s young. She’ll come to understand why you were so overprotective when she’s older.” When Ponyo looks out at sea, in those moments, it seems like she already understands. “And she’ll only forget you and resent you if you play zero role in her life, you know.” Lisa trusted Fujimoto. If she didn’t she would had thrown the table out the window at him, teaching Sosuke and Ponyo a few choice words they were too young to know, and completely forbidden him from getting near her, magical fishman powers be damned.
“Hang on, I’m coming down,” she said, making her way to the steep path leading to the ocean from her house. The last thing she needed was to drive a maybe-god to the hospital because he lost balance and hit his head or broke his arm against the cliff side.
She hadn’t put her shoes back on in her rush outside. She silently hoped there wasn’t any glass or sharp rocks on the path. He was waiting for her, standing knee deep in the water.
“Okay,” she clapped her hands, putting as much enthusiasm in her voice as she could, “here’s the plan: You can hang out here tonight if you want- as long as that doesn’t cause another tsunami- and I’ll bring Ponyo out in the morning for you to surprise her before school. You can record your voice onto that shell and maybe even have a daddy-daughter day- family is the priority in this house and Ponyo’s smart, she can miss a few hours of school. Unless…” a thought occurred to her, “the rest of your daughters need you?”
“They’re…” he seemed to struggle to find the right words. “Independant.”
Lisa threw her head back and laughed. Fujimoto didn’t seem to know how to react to that.
“Sorry,” she said, catching her breath. “It’s just, god, kids, you know?”
He finally returned her smile. “I do know.”
“I swear I’ve been chasing after Sosuke in the water since he learned to walk. And Ponyo, I love the kid, always will, but I wish she’s at least give chicken sandwiches a chance.”
“Adalaide had taken to crabs lately. They’re everywhere- I spend half my day trying to keep their claws off my eixairs,” Fujimoto chuckled.
“Sosuke’s mature for his age, but I swear sometimes he acts like he’s the parent here.”
“Maris and Odette have both declared they plan on running away and marrying whales .”
“A girl from Sosuke’s school insisted on making her own dress- using two towels and a spare apron from the retirement center.”
“Zeliha seems determined to fly- she’s almost sunk three ships in her efforts.”
“Ponyo convinced half her class to cut school and pick up trash on the docks.”
“She did?” Fujimoto seemed surprised.
Lisa was surprised at his surprise. She had been bent over with giggles and decide to sit down. “Why wouldn’t she? She’s a good kid , and most of her family lives in the ocean, in case you didn’t know.” She patted the wet sand next to her, and he, reluctantly, sat as well, keeping his feet in the water.
“...You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me.”
The way he screwed his jaw shut, like he just smelled something rotten, reminded her so much of Ponyo. At first glance, it seemed like the only thing his daughter inherited from him was her untamable red hair, but so much of his body language- his unworldly grace coupled with his stark clumsiness, the way he held himself, even the way he sat with his gangly legs splayed in front of him- was just so her.
“She’s human now,” he finally signed.
“Yeah, she is.”
“They’re all human.”
“Is this supposed to be new information?”
He threw his hands up in frustration before gesturing at the water. “Just look! Look at what humans have done to the ocean!”
Lisa couldn’t deny the pollution before her. Broken bottles, old tires, and far too many plastic wrappers were visible in the dark.
“Humans, which I am, by the way, are trying to fix that, you know,” she pointed out. “Not all humans are bad.”
“I know how humans are,” he said softly to his hands cradling the shell in his lap. “I was human myself once.”
Lisa blinked. “Really.” Well that explains the clumsiness.
“Really.” He replied.
“What-” Lisa wasn’t sure it was appropriate to ask. “What happened?”
He smiled again, though this one was devoid of joy or humor. “Humans happened,” was all he said.
Lisa needed a break from all this caretaking of young kids or the elderly. The only thing she could think to do was rub his back or squeeze his hand, and she didn’t think Fujimoto would appreciate that much.
“...If I were to taste your food, I may become human again,” he finally said.
Lisa opened her mouth to respond, closed it, then opened it again “I was born here in Japan, but I spent my teenage years in America, where my mother is from. I might’ve stayed there if I hadn’t met Koichi. I was happy enough there- I had family there, and a job. I was teased at first over my accent, and I’m not gonna lie, I’m still a little bitter I wasted so much time trying to lose it, only to move back here, and sometimes I miss city life. It almost never rained where I lived.” He shivered at the thought. “But I’m happy here, too. I love Sosuke more than life itself, and, yeah, it’s hard raising kids when my husband isn’t there, but I wouldn’t trade this for anything.” She wasn’t sure where she was going at first, but then she caught it. “I wouldn’t trade Ponyo for anything, and neither would Sosuke. And I know Ponyo wouldn’t trade her humanity for anything.”
And she did. For every lost or longing look Ponyo shot at the ocean, she had twice as many smiles and three times as much determination to work through it.
“...You said you were discriminated against for your accent?”
“I also said a lot about how much I don’t hate humaning it up here.”
“...I do not regret giving up my humanity,” Fujimoto said, “but… I am comforted to know she does not regret giving up magic. I just… sometimes I wish Granmamare was with me to help raise our daughters. She’s always so much better with them than I can ever be.”
Lisa wants to say something like Hey, you can’t be that bad or Don’t beat yourself up , but instead she says, “I know. There are moments I miss and things that I just can’t do for my kids because I have to work myself and my husband isn’t around. It kills me that Sosuke has to be so mature and understanding. But… all I can do is my best, you know? All Koichi can do is his best . And all we can do is own up to our mistakes and do everything we can to make sure they’re okay. And they are.”
“...I am not sleeping in the bathtub,” he said. “But… I’d love to talk to Ponyo, and check in on her.” He stood. “I’ll return to this spot by morning. Perhaps…” he grinned, “If they behave themselves, perhaps I’ll bring Ponyo’s sisters for a short visit as well. And…” he looked down at the shell, “...and I would very much like to see my daughter’s face, if she likes this present.”
“She’ll love it,” Lisa stood as well. “Actually, can I see that for a second?”
Fujimoto handed the shell over after another moment of hesitance. Lisa put it up to her ear. At first, all she heard was the ocean, but she could just barely make out something else. Something loving.
She handed it back with a smile and shook Fujimoto’s hand.
“You know what?” She said, “I’m glad we’re family.”
He blinked, something she realized he didn’t do very often. The he returned her smile once more. “So am I.”