The music video for "Daydream Generation" was released on October 21, 1994. It is also the 5th ending song of Yu Yu Hakusho. Matsuko Mawatari was really young!
Pony Canyon published it on Youtube today, maybe because the live action is out. I remember having watched it somewhere, probably on TV. Was this video on YouTube before?
Keiko was used to waking up alone on some nights with the cry of her child ringing out in the halls. Some nights, Yusuke would be the one to kiss her on the cheek then assure her that he could handle Masaki’s needs. It was the nights that he wasn’t there that Keiko would rise and go to tend to her darling little girl. Masaki was as fussy as any other child though because of her demon blood, she tended to be harder to get back to sleep once she woke. Her crying dying down when Keiko stepped into the room and she glimpsed her from where she stood in her crib. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and every one served to break Keiko’s heart as she walked over and eased her out of the crib, hugging her close to her chest.
“There, there…”
Masaki nuzzled her face against her shoulder and her hiccuping sobs eventually stilled into shaky breaths, a tiny yet powerful fist curled in Keiko’s t-shirt. Rocking her from one side to the other, Keiko rested her cheek against Masaki’s head and glanced outside. The sun was slowly rising and the sky was lightening. Yusuke said that he would be back before first light and he was never one to break his promises without needing to. Panic would have overcome her years ago but she had no doubt that Yusuke would return to her now.
And if not to her, then definitely to the little girl cuddled close to her chest.
“Why don’t we go see where daddy is, hm?” Keiko pressed a kiss to Masaki’s head and walked out of the room. She knew that her daughter would appreciate the change in scenery and the movements along with the steady rocking would hopefully be enough to lull her to sleep.
Peeking into their bedroom, Keiko glanced around and Masaki rocked backward as if trying to mimic her mother’s movements. Keiko smiled and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.
“Not in bed,” Keiko said in a sing-song voice, Masaki’s wide eyes focusing on her again then back to the bedroom.
Turning on her heel, Keiko waked down the short hall that led to the family’s living room. It wasn’t much. They lived out the second floor of their shop after all, but it was enough for the three of them. Pictures of Team Urameshi on the walls and tables, a television that didn’t see much use outside of Yusuke’s video games, toys littering the ground and the table from all of Yusuke’s time playing with Masaki. Keiko shook her head as she shifted her daughter to her hip, bending down to pick up her husband’s controllers and setting them on the table. His game systems were one of the few things that he played fairly often. Sometimes with Kuwabara who came over to hang out, occasionally Hiei and Kurama, though most times with Keiko and Masaki. Keiko was even proud enough to admit that she bested her husband more than once on his fighting games. Something that he was quick to brag about to others but easily denied when she brought it up to him.
“Not in the living room,” Keiko said in the same tone, Masaki laughing when she pressed a noisy kiss to her cheek.
Wandering to the upstairs kitchen, Keiko made a show of looking around and even did a few spins on her foot. Masaki squealing with laughter and smiling at her widely when Keiko dipped low, cradling the back of Masaki’s head and smiling down at her.
“Not here either!”
Standing up, Masaki rocked back and forth, laying her head on Keiko’s shoulder and Keiko smiled down at her.
“I wonder where he could be.”
And truly, she did. No matter how often he left, no matter how much she believed he would return, Keiko missed her husband and wanted to know he was safe. Yusuke was her friend long before they even started liking one another or married or had a child. And as his friend, she wanted nothing more than his safety and happiness. Heading downstairs to the shop, Masaki’s soft cooing and the creaking steps were all that she could hear. Though when she wandered to the front, soft snores caught her attention and she tilted her head, looking over the counter.
“Yusuke?”
It sounded like him and when she peered closer, the sight of her husband curled up on the cushions of one of the booths made her sigh and bury her face in her hand. Of course he was sleeping down here. Rounding the counter, Keiko ignored the chill from the cold on her bare legs and reached out to pat Yusuke’s shoulder. When he didn’t wake or even stir, she shook his shoulder and that did nothing either. Eyebrow raised, she glanced at Masaki who stared down at her father with a confused tilt of the head. Holding her daughter out, Keiko reared her knee back and gave Yusuke’s foot a swift kick. He startled, eyes shooting open and turned on his back with a low groan.
“Yusuke,” Keiko repeated, trying to add an echo to her tone.
Yusuke blinked slowly, staring up at Masaki, the little girl reaching out to take his face in her hands and giggling.
“Masaki?” he muttered, reaching out to hold her and Keiko let her fingers slip away once he had a grasp on her. “How’re you talking?”
Keiko tried not to laugh and put on her sternest expression, hands resting on her hips.
“And why do you sound like—“
“Yusuke.”
Yusuke bolted upright and it was by a hairs breadth that he didn’t clip his forehead on the window sill. Masaki laughed at the jolt and waved her hands up to Yusuke. He gave her a slight smile and let her hold his face in her hands, glancing up at Keiko with wide brown eyes and an apologetic lopsided smile.
“Hey Keiko.”
“What are you doing down here?”
Yusuke had the decency to look a bit apologetic, glancing down at Masaki as she giggled. “I didn’t want to wake you so I slept down here for the night.”
Keiko’s eyes softened and she eased her hands from her hips. Over the years, she’d come to understand that Yusuke often thought about others even when it seemed like he didn’t. He tried not to be too much of an inconvenience and paid back his debts when they were due. But she never wanted to make him feel that he was unwelcome in his own home or that he was any less valued than her or Masaki. Marriage was about compromises after all, and though she picked up after him at times and scolded him when he came home late, Yusuke did the same for her when she overworked herself and fell asleep in random places.
With a soft huff, Keiko stepped forward and ran her fingers through his messy hair. “You don’t have to worry about that, you’re home and the bed is warmer with you in it anyway.”
Yusuke looked up at her and she loved those eyes. Although Yusuke could look incredibly mean and dangerous when he wanted, when he was home, those eyes were filled with light, warmth and love. Even now, as she knew he was going to say something silly, he stared u pat her with adoration. It made her wonder how she couldn’t see it before.
“I knew it, you’re just using me to warm your bed.” Yusuke teased, hugging their daughter closer to him.
Keiko chuckled and leant down to kiss his forehead, muttering against his skin. “Well, that’s part of it.”
She pulled away and waited as the emotions flickered across Yusuke’s face rapidly. Adoration, love, recognition then confusion.
“Wh—“ Yusuke started, squinting at Keiko as she walked around the counter again. “What’s the other part?”
Before she disappeared into the back, she glanced over her shoulder and grinned at him, taking off.
“Hey!”
Her laughter echoed off the walls and Yusuke scrambled to pick up Masaki who was giggling, happy enough to be dragged along for the ride.
“What’s the other part?!” Yusuke shouted, smiling despite himself as he chased after her. “Keiko!”
Admittedly, Atsuko wasn’t sure if she would have ever been ready for this. She was barely certain on how she managed to raise Yusuke let alone get him to his junior high years. Countless hours worrying over how her little boy was going to eat and how she was going to make ends meet. Of course, she had her connections but that wasn’t a life that she wanted to involve Yusuke in. Although she knew that she wasn’t perfect and she made mistakes. Drinking herself into a stupor and spending long hours on her side watching television rather than looking after her son being one. It was until he died that she realized how far she’d fallen. That doing the bare minimum of keeping a roof over his head and food in his mouth wasn’t enough. Yusuke needed his mother and whether she liked it or not, she would’ve regretted not being there for him when he no longer needed her. He might have been a headache and at times the most ungrateful little snot that she’d ever seen but Yusuke was her son through and through.
Although, Atsuko wasn’t sure what to expect when finding out that her son had demon blood in him. Whether it came from her side or his father’s, she couldn’t say. Though it did raise questions on what his child would’ve been like, Keiko seemed happy nonetheless and Yusuke was a blubbering mess. They dragged her into the hustle and bustle. Showing her the nursery, Keiko pulling her along to help with shopping for new toys and clothes, and bringing pictures of the sonogram. She was floored to know that little blob would be her grandchild and her son wanted her to be part of her life.
And right now, Yusuke was trusting her to look after his daughter.
Apparently he had to deal with a territory dispute in the Makai and Keiko had to take care of business which meant that Atsuko had to step up to the plate as grandma. The title was still a bit fresh. And she wasn’t sure if she would ever be ready for this.
“Thanks for helping out, mom.” Yusuke said as he hefted the baby bag on his shoulder. “Keiko wanted me to tell you that she’ll try to be here as soon as she can to pick her up.”
“She’s my granddaughter, you guys can leave her here for the night if you wanted,” Atsuko said, waving her hand dismissively as she stepped aside to let them in.
Masaki clung to Yusuke’s shirt with one little fist while the other waved through the air. Yusuke grinned at her, easing his shoes off and hopping from one foot to the other. Atsuko smiled as peals of laughter erupted from Masaki at her father’s bouncing. It was hard not to remember how Yusuke was as a baby when she looked at her granddaughter. He used to love being bounced up and down and the occasional times that she tossed him in the air and caught him were when he laughed the loudest. Shutting the door, Atsuko hung back and watched her son maneuver through the entry hall with the baby bag and Masaki weighing him down.
He was taller now, shoulders broader, and his hair was a bit longer and messier. There were a few new scars on his neck and his arms, paler than his copper-brown skin, but his smile was blinding. Any pain that he might’ve felt didn’t seem to warrant mentioning. No one had to tell her that her son was a happy man. It was written across his face as he bounced Masaki on his hip, singing some made-up song to keep her entertained.
“Still, are you sure you’re gonna be alright?” Yusuke asked, dropping the baby bag on the couch.
“We are going to be just fine.” Atsuko held out her arms and Yusuke eased Masaki into her hold, the little girl looking from Yusuke to Atsuko then back. “See?”
Yusuke looked between them, fixing the little knitted cap on Masaki’s head before holding his head in her hands as he leant down to kiss her forehead. Masaki hummed and waved her hand as he pulled away, Yusuke’s finger held out so that her smaller ones could wrap around it. Although Atsuko was happy enough to see her son playing with his daughter, something seemed off. Yusuke wasn’t in a rush to leave. He never was in a rush to part from Masaki. But with the occasional glance he gave her, she knew that he was holding in something.
“I heard you called Kurama’s mom about grandma advice.”
Atsuko almost cursed aloud but remembering that her very young and very impressionable granddaughter was in her arms, she refrained. Shiori wasn’t one to let secrets out so easily so she could only guess that someone else that’d been there had let the beans spill. There was no use in hiding it now. Although finding the words was just as difficult. Yusuke’s hand rested on her shoulder and she looked up at him.
When did he get to be so tall?
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, mom.” Yusuke smiled and looked down at Masaki. “Somedays, I’m not sure that I’m doing the father-thing right. You don’t know how many times I went to Hiei and Kurama for advice.”
“I just want to do things differently this time,” Atsuko said, unsure if it was even her voice speaking with how tiny and fragile it was.
Yusuke’s eyes softened and he squeezed her shoulder lightly, moving to stand at her side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and his free hand caught in Masaki’s grasp.
“You can’t.”
Those two words were a heavy weight that settled in her chest and Atsuko could feel herself sinking. She refused to acknowledge the pressure behind her eyes, the silent question posed as she looked up at Yusuke.
“You only have one grandchild, mom. There really isn’t any other time to compare it to.”
Atsuko blinked slowly and once the meaning dawned on her, she shifted Masaki to one hand and slapped Yusuke’s arm lightly. His laughter, deep and rumbling, reminded her of thunder but it was warm like the aftermath of a summer storm.
“I’m serious, Yusuke.”
“Hey, so am I.”
Masaki’s cooing and squirming, little noises of contentment and joy filled the silence.
“Mom, you were young when you became a mother. You didn’t know what to do and you did the best you could. I get that.” Yusuke hugged her closer and Atsuko felt the pressure building behind her eyes.
She sniffed and cleared her throat, looking down at her granddaughter instead, Masaki’s wide brown eyes gazed back at her curiously. She could remember when Yusuke’s eyes were that big, curiosity and innocence, unwavering but trusting. He believed that she’d protect him and he was trusting her to protect his daughter.
“All I’m asking is that you treat Masaki like you would your granddaughter, she’s not your second chance at raising me.”
Yusuke squeezed her shoulder and Atsuko’s head bobbed as she swallowed the lump in her throat, looking up at him with bleary eyes.
“You’re a grandma now, you’ll figure it out, just like you do everything else.”
Atsuko sniffed, chuckling weakly. “…You grew up when I wasn’t looking.”
“Nah, you were looking.” Yusuke smiled and his eyes seemed glossier than before. “You were just seeing your little boy.”
Atsuko heaved a ragged sigh and Yusuke hugged her closer, Masaki tugging at Atsuko’s shirt and humming contentedly when she was held closer. Atsuko wasn’t sure that she’d ever be ready to be a grandmother just like she wasn’t sure she’d be ready to be a mother.
