Chapter Text
The Narukami Residence - 18 years later
Mariko yawns as she wakes up, but immediately smiles as she opens her eyes, finding herself not alone in bed, someone sprawled over her gently sleeping. "When did he crawl into our bed?" It's none other than her youngest son, Ebi, the four-year-old boy in his black and white pajamas as he sleeps on top of her. The boy at his young age has soft features and a delicate look, wavy black hair that went just over his eyes. She lays back motionless, snapping her fingers and summoning the ghostly red hands similar to the thousand curses spell. They gently raise the boy, cradling him and placing him to the side of her, Mariko gently rubbing his head before sliding out of bed. She stretches while walking over to the closet, letting the hands open them and pick her clothes out.
"Mommy?"
Even after eighteen years and hearing the word in various different tones and versions, she still can't help but smile, the happiness audible in her voice as she looks back at the slowly waking child. "Good morning~. How come you're in our bed?"
Ebi sits up, rubbing the sleep from his gray eyes and yawning as he remembers why he's in his parent's bed instead of his own. "Umm... oh, there was thunder outside and I couldn't sleep. I came in here so you could turn it off, but you and Daddy were asleep. I tried to stay in bed until you guys got up, but then I accidentally fell asleep."
Mairko nods, taking the clothes from the hands before walking over her to her bathroom, the hands gently pulling the covers back over Ebi and laying him down. "Is that so? Well that's fine, go ahead and get some more sleep."
The boy yawns, closing his eyes and falling back asleep. "Kay..." Mariko watches as he falls asleep before heading into the bathroom and changing into her suit, looking over herself as she changes. Not much as really changed since then, she's made herself look a little older to match Yu, she's also "filled out" herself in the way that she read mothers usually do, something that Yu has accepted with open arms. She finishes getting dressed and steps out of the bathroom, giving her youngest son one more look before stepping out of her bedroom as well. She can smell and hear breakfast, taking a deep breath before walking down the hall.
“Coming through!”
“Excuse us!”
There’s a rush of blue and yellow, Mariko snapping her fingers and having red hands spring up through the hall, grabbing the two young boys by the back of their shirts. She squints at them, less upset at them running in the house and nearly running into her, and more upset they didn’t say good morning. “Good morning you two. What are you doing?”
The two of the boys are both thirteen years old, twins. The first of the boys, named Raiji, is wearing a yellow button-up shirt with the standard plain uniform of a child in lower secondary school. He has a silver-colored bowl cut like Yu’s when he was a teen, and he also has his gray eyes. He has the usual “charm” of a young boy’s features, at that soft stage but with a heavy touch of mischievousness in his case. “Good morning! Dad said we have to wash our hands!”
The second of the boys, Fuji, is wearing a green button-up shirt with standard uniform pants and shoes. In almost every feature he’s identical to his brother, even their permanently mischievous looks. The only difference between them is that Fuji’s eyes are the same color as Mariko’s, a deep blue. “Good morning! And Sis said we can’t wash them in the kitchen sink!”
“Oh alright.”
She drops the two of them onto their feet, the two of them immediately breaking into a sprint down the hall as they race to the bathroom. She has a fond smile on her face as she turns back to the kitchen, stepping into it to find her husband and more of their children, one in the kitchen with him and the other in the other room at the dining table. The child at the table is the youngest of their highschool aged children, being fifteen and in his first year at Yasogami High, his name being Kagutsu. He has long slicked-back black hair, going down to about his shoulders, and blue eyes that are a lighter shade than Mariko's but not by much. He's shorter than Yu, but a few inches taller than Mariko. He sees his mother and smiles, turning in the chair and waving his smartphone at her. "Hey Mom, good morning. How about a good morning Tiktok, for your coolest son?" He's wearing the Yasogami uniform, it being his first year of attending. Their daughter rolls her eyes, more preoccupied with the dishes while Yu chuckles, flipping pancakes.
Mariko looks at Kagutsu and squints, not quite sure what he's asking of her. "...Tik-Tok? Like a clock?"
Their daughter snickers while Yu laughs, Kagutsu sighing before turning back around in his seat. "Never mind."
Yu flips a pancake, smiling at Mariko as she has a confused look on her face. "I'm sure the younger girls at the station would go crazy if they saw you doing a Tiktok, crazy in a good way." Yu has aged nicely so far, his time spent traversing the TV world in his youth and his work at his business letting him stay in shape. He's also having somehow grown two more inches, going from five-eleven to six-one, to his good friend Yosuke's annoyance.
"Hey!! Gel head! Stop trying to get Ma into your lame Tiktoks!"
Kagutsu frowns, sighing while going back to his phone. "Good morning to you too, Sano." Down the hall comes the two second oldest of the kids, Sano and Sukuyo. The reason why they are both labeled the second oldest of the kids is because they are also twins, the Narukami's having two sets of twin brothers, the two of them being sixteen and in their second year at Yasogami.
"Good morning everyone." The more mild of the two, Sukuyo, greets everyone, even performing a short bow that Sano scoffs at.
Sano has wild and uncontrolled hair, long and bouncy, going down to a bit past his shoulders, black with a silver streak running through it. He has dark gray eyes like a thundercloud, and a temperament-like one as well. He currently has his yasogami jacket slung over his shoulder, wearing just Sarashi wrapped around his chest instead of a shirt, and a wooden katana looped through his belt loops on his pants. He's the tallest of the boys, two inches shorter than Yu, and has a lean and muscular build; the result of working out and practicing kendo. "Morning Ma, morning Pops. The rest of you, hey." He looks over at Kagutsu, flashing an up-to-no-good grin while Kagutsu frowns. "On your phone at the dinner table? Tsk tsk, no manners at all."
Sukuyo ignores his brother's antics, going to take his seat at the large dinner table. He has silver hair, in the exact same fashion as Mariko's back when she first met Yu, but his entire left bang is oddly black; his eyes however are simply the same blue as Mariko's. He's wearing the yasogami uniform correctly unlike his twin brother. He's the same height as his twin brother, that being one of the few things the twins share in common. He takes a pen and notepad from his bag, waving the pen in Kagutso's direction. "Kagutso, your face while Sano was taunting you gave me an idea, make it again so I can try and remember it." His bluntness reminds Yu of how Mariko was, her bluntness being a trait most of their children inherited.
Sano grins even larger, grabbing the hilt of his wooden katana while walking toward the dinner table. "Is that so? I can make him make a better face if you want."
Kagutsu's eyes widen, Yu sighing as he finishes putting the last of the pancakes on plates. "Sano, don't antagonize your brother."
"What? I'm helping Sukuyo come up with a poem!"
Mariko nods, more interested in what Sukuyo had planned. "Kagutsu, could you make that face again without being antagonized? I want to see what Sukuyu is thinking." Kagutsu sighs while Sano takes his seat next to Sukuyo, and Raiji and Fuji also return after their oddly long trip washing their hands, Yu noting both of their shirts slightly wet.
The oldest child, their eighteen-year-old daughter named Terasu, finishes with the dishes, turning away from the sink and sighing. "It's the same face that Sano makes after we last dueled, a light mixture of anger and annoyance, neither of which enough to overpower the other. You were there, so try and recall it." Sano rolls his eyes at his elder sister's blunt and punctual analysis, quickly shooting a glare at Kagutso as he snickers while Sukuyo tries to remember the duel. Terasu is only an inch shorter than her father, being the tallest of the siblings, to the overwhelming annoyance of Sano. She is in her third year at Yasogami High, also a member of the somewhat new Yasogami girl's basketball team, coached by Kou Ichijo. Her hair is done into a hime cut like Yukiko's long enough to go down to her chest, the only child of them to have gray hair, similar to Izanagi's. That however isn't her only oddity, having a case of heterochromia, her left eye being gray and the other blue. The reason for these differences is simple, Mariko was still figuring stuff out, simple as that. She wanted a bit of everything, and also a little Izanami had somehow snuck its way in. While the siblings converse, Mariko heads back to her bedroom to get the youngest of her kids ready for breakfast and the day.
Sano smirks at Terasu as she takes a seat across from him, crossing his arms and sighing. "You can bring up that duel all you want, but I haven't seen you around the dojo in a while. I've improved since then, I'm sure I could drop you."
She brushes her hair back, absentmindedly playing with it. "Extremely doubtful, I could probably not swing a sword for thirty years and still beat you." He glares at her and she smirks, snapping her fingers at him and sending a small spark of flame at him.
It hits his nose and he winces while waving it away, quickly scoffing while raising his hand and standing. "Yeah!? That's what we're doing!?" Electricity bounces between his fingers, the rest of the siblings at the table giving the altercation a passing glance before returning to what they were doing.
Terasu also stands to her feet, pointing her palm at him and creating a small fireball within it. "That's not an equal retaliation, but what I do if you try anything won't be either."
"Both of you relax."
Yu shoots glares at his two oldest, the two of them backing down and sitting back down in their seats. He's bringing out plates, going back and forth between the dinner table and the kitchen, Mariko coming back with a now awake and dressed for preschool Ebi, with him wearing a little red backpack too. "Yeah, don't fight over top breakfast... You two could probably take it out back, as long as nothing hits the garden." Yu shoots her a look and she raises an eyebrow, putting Ebi into his seat. "What? Physical activity is good practice for them. I remember Sukuyo accidentally shooting an Eiagon after trying to tag Sano."
All of the plates are set, Yu and Mariko taking their seats at opposite sides of the table, and all of their children are seated around the table bantering and starting their breakfast. Yu smiles at Mariko, and she smiles back, the two ready to start another day in their happily ever after.
In the case of Terasu Narukami...
"Narukami-senpai~! Walk home with us~!"
It's after school, and the four eldest of the Narukami children are gathered at the front gate. They're currently being called over by a group of girls, the four glancing at the girls before huddling up. Kagutso goes to speak only for Sano to immediately scoff. "Shut up."
"I didn't even say anything!"
Sano rolls his eyes and puts his hand on Kagutsu's head. "They said "senpai", you're a first year. They're calling one of us." Kagutsu struggles to get his elder brother's hand off his head while Sano scoffs, squeezing his hair a bit. "Aren't you hot with this stuff on your head?"
Sukuyo isn't particularly interested in walking home with the girls, but this has given him an idea. "How about you go over there anyways, Kagutsu?" Sano stops rubbing Kagutsu's hair while Kagutsu grins, his helpful elder brother pitching in. "Their expressions when you come up to them instead of one us should be rich in emotions, perfect for sparking an idea."
"Good emotions, right?"
"Probably not."
Kagutsu groans, remembering that neither of his brothers are helpful to him at all. "Do any of you three even care about walking home with them!?"
Sano shakes his head. "What? No way, I don't have time for girls."
Sukuyo also shakes his head. "Not really."
Terasu sighs, "Not at all." She breaks from the huddle, turning away from her brothers and waving them off. "You guys can handle this. I have better things to do." And so she leaves them, walking off and away from the school, getting on with her day and leaving her brothers to their business.
She eventually ends up at the floodplain, looking down the small hill and to the riverbank, finding Yu Narukami sitting near it in a folding chair. He has a fishing rod in his hands and a bucket of bugs near his foot, glancing up at her and smiling. "Oh? How's my favorite daughter doing? I brought an extra fishing rod, if you want to join."
She smiles back. "Hello father, I'm your only daughter, but I would like to fish with you!" She makes her way down the hill and to the bank, dropping her school bag behind his chair.
She takes the rod that's leaning against his chair, the two of them quickly realizing that he only brought a single chair. "Sorry, I only brought one chair. Honestly, I'm kinda embarrassed that I did, makes me feel older than I am."
He goes to stand up only for her to shake her head. "It's no problem, I can bring one out." She sticks her palm out, squinting as she begins to focus. A small amount of fog appears in her palm, Yu watching intently, Terasu starting to sweat before gasping, the fog dissipating without her being able to summon a TV. She frowns at the disappointing outcome, staring at her hand while Yu reaches into his bait bucket. "I felt like I had it that time. But I suppose not."
Yu shrugs, handing her a beetle that she takes. "It'll come eventually, none of you were born able to shoot lightning or fire from your fingertips, you'll grow into doing things like that in the same way."
"I suppose... but I want to do it now."
Yu can't help but grin, watching as Terasu attaches the beetle to the line and casts it into the river. "You're just like your mother, you know that?"
"Of course I am, I am her daughter."
She looks at him and smiles. "I'm your daughter too, I'm just like you too, right?"
Yu nods, turning back to his own bobber. "Yes you are, you're my little girl."
She doesn't say anything, but she has a large smile on her face. The two stay silent, watching the stream flow lazily until something hits Terasu's bait. She waits a moment, making sure it bites, and then yanks her rod back. "That's right!" Yu watches with a large smile, his eldest daughter reeling in the fish like she's been taught. After one last big push, she tires the fish out, able to easily reel it in the rest of the way and out of the water. She holds up the gleaming silver fish, the two of them looking it over. "Hmm, this one seems big enough to keep."
Terasu nods, watching the fish twist and flop as it's held up. "But where will we put it?" Yu thinks about it for a moment and then prays to Mariko, a CRT TV appearing on the ground near him. He leans down and reaches inside, dragging out a blue cooler filled with ice from within. "That'll work." She unhooks the fish and drops it into the cooler, Yu closing it shut and pushing it to the side.
Yu watches as she puts another bug on her line, chuckling as he looks back to his own untouched line in the water. "I wasn't planning on bringing any home, but now I have to! I can't let you outdo me just yet!"
Terasu smiles, casting her line back in while sighing. "Don't get too upset, me being a better fisherman is just another one of those things that happens with growing."
"Oh yeah? We'll see about that."
"I suppose we will."
The game is on, the father and daughter duo silently yet fiercely fishing. While the silence is comfortable, it does bring thoughts up in Teresa's head. "...Father, may I ask you a question?"
If it was one of his other children he would think it's a trick to break his focus, but he knows that Terasu doesn't function like that. "You may."
"What do you think I should do?" She's staring at her bobber, but her thoughts are on the future. "As the oldest of us, I feel like the responsibility falls onto me to air this out. You're not like us, you'll eventually grow old and pass. So I want to know what you wish me to do, should I leave and see the world like how Sano plans to do? Or should I stay and help Mother protect this place? Like you?"
Yu scoffs, but he has a smile on his face, grinning at his bobber as he slightly reels it in. "Jeez, you kids talk about me like I already have a foot in the grave." She chuckles, while Yu taps his chin. "Hm, well I would usually say to do what you want, but I'm not sure how helpful that would really be. So instead, I'll ask you a question. What would you do if you were to leave Inaba, and what would you do if you stayed? Be specific."
Normally she would be thoroughly annoyed at having her question answered by a question, but this question makes her think hard. "...I'm not really interested in things outside of Inaba, so I'm not sure what I would do. But I feel like it would be better for my growth if I left. But if I stayed, I would be able to stay around my friends, my siblings, the places I know and love, you and mother..." She trails off, her brow furrowing as she thinks about the issue harder. "I think I want to stay here? But that may be me not wanting to leave my comfort zone..."
"Pft..."
Yu snickers, Terasu tilting her head as he chuckles. "Yeah, you're my daughter all right. You're overthinking this. You're thinking just how I was, one track with no creativity. I was dead set on the idea that Inaba would be just another stop, thinking about how I could never come back after we solved the case and I left. But then I realized it wasn't like that, that I could just... come back for good. I thought there was one way I had to live my life, one story, but I realized it didn't have to be a bittersweet ending to the story, so, I came back. Simple as." His bobber begins to move, Yu readying himself while his daughter watches intently. "I would say that you should do both. Leave for a bit, go get into something, and then when that's done and you've changed, come back. I think that'll be for the best, so you're nice and educated with the world. I mean, someone will have to continue giving your mother metaphors she doesn't understand for her to solve. You can't do that if you stay here forever and don't learn any new ones."
His bobber goes under, Yu pulling his rod back and hooking the fish. Terasu watches as her father reels the fish in, his advice hitting her just right."That makes a lot of sense. He's so smart, it's obvious why Mother would fall for him." He pulls the fish in, holding it up and grinning as it writhes in the air while Terasu sighs. "Thank you."
"No problem, I spent an entire year listening to people's problems and giving advice."
She giggles while he unhooks his fish and drops it into the cooler, the two of them continuing to fish together until it got dark out.
In the case of Sano Narukami...
It's another day, and a scrawny first year is being chased through the shopping district. He's being chased by three older boys, shouting at him as he struggles to breathe and his legs burn. Suddenly, he trips, falling to the pavement and scrapping his knee in the process. "Agh!" He puts his hands on the pavement and tries to get up, biting his tongue to not cry out only for a heavy foot to kick his side, "Gah!"
He drops to the pavement, one of the bullies' shoes being planted onto his back to pin him down as he looks up at them. "All that runnin' at first we were just gonna take whatever yen that you had, but now we gotta beat you up for pissing us off." The other bullies laugh, the kid closing his eyes and wishing that someone would come help.
Slam!
The building that they're in front of doors suddenly slams open, and none other than Sano Narukami steps out. He's wearing his Sarashi around his chest and no shirt, baggy black pants, and wooden getas with long white socks of all things on. He has a light sweat as he steps out of the kendo dojo, a wooden sword over his shoulder as he glares at the bullies. "The hell are you doing on my front lawn?" He looks down at the kid, sighing as he looks back at them. "Get off the kid, or else."
The three bullies know who they're dealing with, and in most circumstances would back off. But it's a hot day out, and they're pissed at having to work up such a sweat over some scrawny nerd. So the lead bully scoffs, spitting onto the street in front of Sano. "Or else wha--"
THWACK!
It's a heavy blow that's faster than any of them can see, Sano swinging the wooden sword and hitting the bully in the crook of his neck before he can even finish speaking. The bully doesn't even realize what happened as his eyes roll back, dropping to the pavement in an instant. Sano stomps his foot on the pavement, snarling and pointing at the remaining two. "Sa-no! Short for Su-sa-noo! The Storm God! If you are really foolish enough to disrespect me on my own turf, then be prepared for the storm that follows!" He jabs a thumb down the street, glaring at them. "Now get your buddy up and drag him off my lawn!!" The two bullies pick their friend up by his arms, dragging him away while Sano and the kid watch. When they leave eyesight Sano looks down at the kid, sighing while putting his sword over his shoulder. "Jeez, you're pathetic." The boy winces, but Sano extends a helping hand down to him and flashes a beaming smile. "Take my hand!" The boy is surprised, but he takes Sano's hand, being helped up and off the pavement while Sano speaks. "You're pathetic, but that's no reason to get treated like that. My Pops always tell me to help out people in need, and you were definitely in need."
The kid dryly laughs, looking away from the much taller boy as he rubs the back of his neck. "Y-Yeah... Thank you... nice outfit."
Sano waves him off, turning back to head back inside. "It's no problem. If anyone ever gives you trouble, come by here and I'll scare them off. And I know it's a nice outfit, it's what my aunt wears when she stops by."
The kid doesn't really get that last part, but as Sano goes to leave, he realizes that he can't let this opportunity slip. "W-Wait!" Sano stops, looking back over his shoulder at the kid as he reaches out to him. "U-Um... Can I come in?"
"Uh, yeah? Sure, it's a public dojo."
Sano leaves the door open, the kid following him into the dojo. It's a pretty standard place that the kid has walked past plenty of times, and it looks exactly how he thought it would on the inside. The dojo itself isn't that large, maybe a fair bit larger than a large classroom, the main open floor where practice takes place takes up most of the space with some spaces for storing various things on either side of the dojo. Dummies off to the side on one wall, some out on the floor being practiced on by students, wooden swords of various shapes and sizes on racks on the wall, practice armor on mannequins, nothing out of the order. That is, besides the shining white katana stabbed into the floor by the far wall opposing the door, the katana obviously special to the dojo. Sano and the kid walk the edges of the practice area, not trying to walk through it for obvious reasons. "Yeah, my dad opened this place up a while ago. It's not too big, but it's big enough so far. I'm here every day because it's the only thing to do out here."
A student calls Sano over to train against him, the kid following after him and standing a safe distance away as Sano squares up with the student. "Um... Aren't you going to put on some gear?" The student Sano is facing is wearing protective gear, but Sano isn't, confusing the kid.
Sano just grins, gripping his wooden katana with both hands as he holds it out in front of himself. "The protective gear is to make sure you don't get hurt too bad when you get hit." He takes a step forward, the student immediately going on the defensive as Sano strikes. "Ha!" He swings fast, fast enough for them to see, but still with too much weight behind it for his opponent to handle, knocking his wooden sword out of his hands. The sword clatters to the floor, and Sano quickly raises his katana to his opponent's chest tapping it with the rounded point. "You're out. Your nerves are terrible, you were disarmed by the first strike because your grip was shaky. I suggest going to spar with someone more on your level to get your confidence up. Confidence is key, without it it doesn't matter how many reps you get in."
"Y-Yes coach!"
The kid watches the student pick up his sword and move elsewhere, turning back to Sano in amazement. "Wow! You're really good! And you lead this place!?"
Sano glances back at him and yawns. "Huh? No, my dad just leaves it to me whenever he's gone. And I'm not that good, at least compared to some other people in town. My sister and dad are better than me, I'm playing catch up."
The kid doesn't really pay this mind, more focused on building up the confidence to ask his next question. "W-Well you're amazing compared to me! So..." He trails off, Sano patiently waiting for him to build up the nerve to continue. "...I've always been picked on like that. And seeing you now... do you think I could get like you? All confident and good with a sword?"
Sano turns to look at the kid, all scrawny and unthreatening, and sighs. "...The confidence bit? Sure! The good with a sword part? Maybe if we put in a lot of work. Are you trying to join the Narukami dojo?" The kid rapidly nods, and Sano grins. "Then drop your bag and get ready to sweat, your first lesson starts--"
SLAM!
The doors to the dojo slam open, everyone's attention turning to the man boldly stepping into the dojo. "Yu Narukami! I have returned from the hellscape called Britain that your wife sent me to this year! And I have come--" The redheaded man stops, scanning the small dojo for Yu. "...Where the hell is Yu Narukami!?"
The members of the dojo look to the man's waist, seeing two very real swords on it, everyone scrambling to the back while Sano sighs. "He's out running some errands, Sho." Despite the big fuss he made that one year, Sho still comes around sometimes. If anything he's recently started to come around more frequently, finally having someone willing to take him on at any time. Sano wipes the edge of his mouth with his thumb, grinning as he steps to the back wall of the dojo. "But I'm ready to take you on, if you're looking for a fight." He grabs the Totsuka Blade by its hilt and pulls it where it's stabbed into, spinning back around to face Sho. "Come on!"
An ear-to-ear grin spreads across Sho's face, brandishing his swords while slowly stepping forward. "Out of all his brats, you're my favorite. Always ready to throw down!" Sano rushes forward and to Sho, Sho rushing to meet him, sparks flying as the two clash blades in the middle of the Dojo.
In the case of Sukuyo Narukami...
"Hmm..."
It's another day after school, and Sukuyo is seated leaning back against an apple tree. The sky is clear, some clouds dotting it, specially made for a nice family outing. There's an orchard on their land, planted and then hastened in growth by Mariko. The siblings also have trees planted in the orchard, this one being one of Sukuyo’s. "Yes, hmm indeed..." His mother is on the other side of the apple tree, both of them having a notepad and pen out. This is something they do, sitting together and writing poems together or sometimes separately and just in the company of each other. Off in the distance, you could see Sano and Yu dueling with wooden katanas, Sano having some bandages on him after Yu had to bail him out of his fight against Sho. Sukuyu looks at his brother, drenched in sweat and training hard despite his fresh bandages, and mutters to himself. "The Son, fresh with scars..." He marks this down, five syllables, a good start.
Mariko looks at Yu, a smile on his face as he once again deflects a strike from his son and sends him reeling back, rushing forward in an act of aggressive swordplay mimicking Sho's. "The Father, training the son..." Mariko writes this down, seven syllables, and the two of them get antsy at the thought of finishing their haiku.
It's up to Sukuyo now, keeping his pen steady as he watches Sano and Yu clash wooden blades. It comes to him, skipping a line to have room for his mother's verse, before writing the final one. "Father and son... clash!" They both smile, filling in the lines before repeating it together.
"The Son, fresh with scars...
The Father, training the Son...
Father and son... clash!"
The haiku is complete, the two of them looking back at smiling at each other, Mariko giggling as she holds up her notebook. "Nice work."
Sukuyo nods, much happier at the praise from his mother than the small smile on his face and his tone shows. "Thank you." They flip pages, the two of them searching around them for more material.
Mariko's eyes land on something, Terasu lifting Ebi up to grab a higher-up apple, her mind beginning to get to work. "Daughter lifts Son, aiming for apples." Nine syllables this time, Sukuyo assumes a Limerick, watching as his siblings search the tree.
Ebi finds an apple, grabbing it and attempting to pull it from the tree, but finds it difficult and is unable to wrest it free. "Apple found, but struggle! Strong foe!?" He ends up at eight syllables, perfect, Mariko ready as the scene in front of them develops.
Terasu notices her brother's struggle and smiles, telling him to let go before putting him on her shoulder. She picks the green apple herself, handing it to her delighted sibling. "Success! Apple obtained!" Only three words, but the required six syllables, Mariko feels like she's on a roll, and it's up to Sukuyo to keep it up.
He watches as his youngest brother takes a bite of the green apple, only for his face to slightly pucker at the unexpected sourness. "Sour trophy!? Puckered lips!" Sukuyo lets out a sigh of relief, having almost been stumped by that one, happy that his mother has to be the one to finish them off.
Suddenly, a worm bursts from the apple where it was bitten, wriggling in the air and making Ebi shriek in surprise, dropping it to the dirt. Tears begin to build in Ebi's eyes, but Terasu comforts him, picking him a hopefully worm-free red apple that he happily takes. Mariko has it, putting pen to paper as she finishes the limerick. "Apple hunt for nought! Foul worm appears!" It's perfect, an ending verse of nine syllables, and Sukuyo is once again baffled at his mother's flawless poetry. They quickly fill in each other's verses, reading their completed poetry aloud.
"Daughter lifts Son, aiming for apples.
Apple found, but struggle! Strong foe!?
Success! Apple obtained!
Sour trophy!? Puckered lips!
Apple hunt for nought! Foul worm appears!"
The two look at the poem with pride, Sukuyo impressed by his mother's handling of poetry. "Good job, mother. I don't really like the words I chose, but you chose really well."
Mariko quietly celebrates her son's praise, playing it cool from the other side of the tree. "Of course I did a good job, I'm basically a master poet. Yours weren't bad at all, I really like "Apple found, but struggle!" a whole lot." Sukuyo is elated at being praised despite finding his performance lackluster in comparison to his mother, writing down that she likes when he uses exclamation marks in the notes section before flipping the page.
Now it is once again Sukuyo's turn to start them off, his blood pumping with excitement for another muse. He finds it, his brother Kagutsu chasing after Raiji and Fuji, the three of them laughing as they mess around. "...Running." Mariko waits for him to continue, but he doesn't, and she quickly realizes they're only starting with two syllables. "What!?"
She peers over her shoulder, watching her children play with each other. Kagutsu catches up with Fuji, tagging him on his back before breaking into a different direction, Fuji now the tagger. "Running to tag!" Sukuyo has to hold himself back from gasping, shocked that his mother would pick up on him wanting to do a Cinquain, Mariko correctly using four syllables.
Not only is he impressed she picked up on the Cinquain, but he's also impressed she was able to fit the action in a way that makes sense. "She's good! I can't lose now! Six syllables now, I have plenty of room to work with." He watches Fuji chase after Kagutsu, but he's unable to catch his older brother, stopping and taking a break to breathe. Sukuyo doesn't write yet, watching the events as they unfold, Raiji coming up to ask his brother if he's okay, only for Fuji to suddenly leap toward him, catching Mariko and Sukuyo off-guard. "It was a trap!" Sukuyo immediately puts pen to paper. "A surprise trick! Game heats up!" Sukuyo is satisfied, happy that he waited before putting pen to paper.
Mariko isn't worried at all, having eight syllables to work with. She watches as Fuji chases after Raiji, inching closer and closer with each step, the two darting between trees as they run through the orchard. "Run! Run! Tag approaches climax!" She wastes no time in saying and writing it down, leaving Sukuyo to once again finish them off.
Sukuyo doesn't know what to finish with, hoping for something to happen that can give him a two-syllable finale for their cinquain. "I was the one who started it, so I must be the one to finish it. Come on..." Fuji decides to go all-or-nothing, leaping at his brother, tackling him to the ground, and tagging him. Sukuyo's pen is to the paper in an instant, his voice slightly raising as he speaks and writes. "Leap! Caught!" He grins, looking back at Mariko as she smiles at him. "I finished it, Mother!"
"Yeah, you did a good job. Now let's put it together, yeah?" He nods; the two fill in each other's verses before repeating them aloud.
"Running...
Running to tag!
A surprise trick! Game heats up!
Run! Run! Tag approaches climax!
Leap! Caught!"
They're finished, the both of them are satisfied with the poems they've made. Mariko sighs, flipping between pages. "This is fun. We should come up with names for these poems, right?"
Sukuyo hums agreement with her, but before he can start brainstorming, Yu calls out to everyone. "Me and Sano are going inside for lunch!"
This piques the two poets' interests, the two of them closing their notebooks and standing to their feet. Mariko smiles up at her son, "We'll think better over lunch, you think?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"I'm glad we're so in sync."
In The Case of Kagutsu Narukami
“Bye Narukami-chan~!"
It's another day, and Kagutsu is in uniform at his job as a Junes cashier. He's standing behind the counter, looking at the note handed to him by the girl who just left, what he is hoping has her number on it. "Alright! I knew it was a good idea to take this job! Chicks love guys with jobs and cash! ...I'm pretty sure."
Karankaron Karankaron
Kagutusu sighs, the tell-tale sign of his older brother's Sano approach, looking over to see both of his older brothers walking through the store. A large grin spreads across Sano's face, stopping by the register and leaning on his wooden sword. "Well look who's clocked in." He snickers, Kagutsu looking away as he prepares to be antagonized. "You know I don't blame you, you got tired of me knocking you on your ass in the dojo and decided to get a job. You took the smart route." He doesn't respond to him, trying his best to ignore him.
Meanwhile Sukuyo is looking at all of the snacks by the register, speaking to his younger brother as he looks through them. "Kagutsu, have you gone on lunch break yet?" His brother shakes his head, and Sukuyo continues. "Then when you go onto your lunch break, could you get the equivalent in snacks that you would usually get on lunch?"
Kagutsu thinks he understands the oddly worded question, slowly nodding. "I guess? Not really sure why I would."
"So we can all share snacks together as brothers?"
"Absolutely not."
Kagutsu crosses his arms and turns away, Sano groaning while Sukuyo sighs. “A shame, I am running quite low on yen.”
His little brother doesn’t feel bad for his plight, at all. “All of us older kids have jobs besides you. Terasu works at the hospital, Sano “works” at Dad’s dojo—“
Sano squints at Kagutsu, raising an eyebrow. “Why did you say “works” like that? Cleaning the dojo and training students is a real job!”
“I said works like that because you would pay to do that stuff, I can hardly call that working.”
He waves him off and continues, “Anyways, the point is that we all have jobs and you don’t.”
Sukuyo thinks about this, and he answers quickly. “A nine-to-five or even a part-time job would kill my creative soul.”
Sano erupts into laughter while Kagutsu scoffs. “Well, then why don’t you work at the dojo? I’m sure Dad would let you choose hours that suit you and your “creative soul”.”
Sukuyo looks at Sano, and then back at Kagutsu. “Getting hit by a wooden katana would also kill my creative soul.”
“Hahahaha!”
Sano erupts into even more laughter, and Kagutsu joins him, even Sukuyo snickering at his own words. As the three brothers laugh together, Sano notices the paper slip in his little brother’s hand. “Hm? What’s that?”
Kagutsu notices where Sano is looking, but he's too slow to act. “Huh? What—“
Sano’s hand shoots out and snatches the note from Kagutsu’s hand, fear shooting through him as his brother holds the note up. “Hey! Give that back!”
Thwack!
Sano uses his other hand and draws in a flash, smacking Kagutsu's hand away with his wooden katana. Kagutsu recoils back while grabbing his hand, while Sukuyo joins his twin, the two looking at the note with a number on it. They look at the note, staring at it intensely before looking back at Kagutsu, Sano grinning. "This from a girl...?"
Kagutsu looks away and scoffs, "M-Maybe! What of it!"
Sano and Sukuyo look at each other again, and then Sano grins. "...Nice work!" Sano comes behind the counter, wrapping his arm over his little brother's shoulder and flashing a toothy grin. "I guess there really are girls out here who're interested in guys with pounds of gel in their hair! Good for you!"
The backward compliment is made in good faith, and Sukuyo joins them, coming around the counter and getting on Kagutsu's other side. "It's not surprising. Our brother has always kept up with trends and styles. It was only a matter of time before he attracted someone. He's a... what is it that Mother calls Father?"
Sano passes the note back to Kagutsu, and he waves off his brothers with a grin. "Yeah yeah, I'm a total playboy like Dad." Despite what it may seem, the older brothers do have a certain type of respect for their younger brother, acknowledging that he is much more worldly than either of them.
They split apart, Sano and Sukuyo coming from behind the counter, Sano pointing at Kagutsu. "So, what's the plan?"
"...The plan?"
Sano rolls his eyes, "The plan! When are you gonna call her!? Are you going to tell Ma and Pops!? What's her name? Do we know her!?"
Kagutsu is hit with a barrage of questions, going through them one by one. "I am going to call her tomorrow, can't look desperate. I'll tell Mom and Dad when we're actually dating, and no I don't know her name, but maybe Terasu knows her?"
Sukuyo slowly nods, thinking of the best way to proceed. "She gave you her number but not her name? Weird."
It's Sano who brushes it off, lightly elbowing Sukuyo. "Girls are weird, she's probably playing some type of game. That's how they are sometimes, I think."
Sukuyo snaps his fingers, spotting something on the other side of the note. "Hm? There's something else on the other side of the note?"
Kagutusu looks down at the note, flipping it over to read the other side. "...Deliver this to one of your brothers, please." It even has a cutely drawn heart at the end of the note, Kagutsu staring at the note before sighing. "Yeah, I should've expected this."
He attempts to hand it to Sano only for it to be rejected, Sano scoffing. "No way, call her anyway. Tell her that I ain't interested, but you are."
"How about you, Sukuyo?"
"No thanks, you should call her."
Kagutsu looks at the note, and then crumples it up. "Well, I'm not interested either." He throws it onto the floor, sighing while the timer on his phone goes off, signifying it's break time. "It's whatever, I have plenty of time to get a girlfriend."
Sano nods, giving him a hearty slap on the back as he laughs. "That's a good way of thinking! Hey, you should come around the dojo and build up some muscle! Girls love that!"
Sukuyo shakes his head, pulling his pen out from his pocket. "No, he should get into the finer arts. That's the piece that will complete his "game", truly."
The two begin to squabble, and Kagutsu softly smiles while sighing. "I can't believe I'm getting relationship advice from two guys who haven't had girlfriends." They stop arguing, looking at Kagutsu before grinning, the three of them breaking out into laughter together.
In the case of Fuji and Raiji Narukami...
They're in the orchard behind the house, the two young teens accompanied by their older brother Sano. He's leaned up against a tree in its shade, his wooden katana leaned against him, while he watches as the two play fight with sticks. Raiji strikes a pose, raising his stick with one hand while putting his other hand out, small sparks of electricity bouncing around his fingers. "Beware! The God of lightning approaches!" This is something they've all done, playing around acting like their namesakes.
Raiji strikes the same pose, leaves around him being slightly blown away as wind whips around him. "Hark! The God of wind approaches!" Sano pops an eye open, smirking at their act before shutting it again. "Really? "Hark"? He must've gotten that one from Sukuyo." The two of them point fingers at each other, Raiji firing a small spark of electricity while Fuji fires a small gust of wind at him, the two colliding and diffusing each other.
The two continue their mock battle from there, laughing as they run around the orchard swinging their sticks and firing off at each other. Eventually, Raiji catches Fuji in a bad spot, aiming his palm at his brother. "Got you!"
"Woah!"
Fuji dives into the dirt, avoiding the sparks of electricity. Instead of hitting him, it flies through the orchard until it hits Sano on the forehead. They gasp as Sano's face shifts a little, but the spark is like the equivalent of a mosquito bite to him, Sano yawning while not getting up. "Watch where you're shooting those." They both nod, Fuji shooting off the ground and the two of them going back to playing together. However, now Sano is watching,
Fuji swings his stick down with "significant" force, Raiji blocking the overhead strike and grinning. "Too slow!" He pushes him back, quickly stepping forward and wildly swinging his stick at his brother. Sano watches Fuji stumble back from his brother’s wild back and forth swinging, slightly scowling. “Stepping back is fine, but backpedaling without paying attention is no good.”
Sano is proven right when Fuji backs up right into a tree, bumping the back of his head. "Ow!" He falls down to a knee, just in time to avoid a strong swing from Raiji.
Thunk!
Raiji hits the tree trunk instead, his stick breaking in half from being smacked against the far stronger apple tree. "My sword!"
He stumbles, off balance now, while Fuji shoots up, tackling his brother. "Got you!" Sano watches as Fuji discards his "sword", the fight turning into a brawl in the dirt to his dismay. "Oh come on..."
The two tumble around in the dirt, that is until Sano loudly groans. "Alright, that's enough!" The two brothers stop, their eldest brother standing to his feet while stretching. "Watching you two fight is torture, I'm going inside."
They both frown, Raiji pushing up from the ground and whining. "What? Come on Sano!"
Fuji pushes up too, whining with his brother. "Yeah! Come on Sano! Stay out here!"
He crosses his arms, turning his head up as he turns away from them. "You two are just wrestling in the dirt, I could get more entertainment from watching two bugs fight it out. Besides, you two don't need me watching you any--"
"Garu!"
A wind spell hits Sano's back, more just pushing him a little than anything else. He looks back over his shoulder, Fuji smirking at him with an outstretched hand pointed his way. Sano rolls his eyes, turning away again and ignoring his brother. "I would compare that to a gust of wind, but I've been hit by breezes harder than that..." A small smile appears on his face, "...Do that again, if you dare."
Raiji looks at Fuji and they both grin, Raiji pointing a finger at Sano's back. "Zio!" Electricity arcs around his finger before shooting off, aimed at Sano.
"Too slow!" Sano spins around, kicking the small bolt away with a grin. "Alright you two asked for it!" He stomps his foot down, clenching his fist as he assumes an offensive stance, one fist close with the other slightly out. "I'll show you two what a real rampaging god looks like! The God of Storms descends!" Yu and Mariko's kids were all inhuman like Mariko, calling them Demigods would be the most accurate expression. None of them would want to be called that, being raised as normal without any type of special treatment from their heritage. But their differences are obvious and unavoidable, one of these differences being developing the ability to use spells like Mariko can. Generally speaking this manifests in them around the ages ten to thirteen, with them getting better at doing so with age and practice. Terasu can use both fire and light; and is the only one of the siblings who can confure fog at all. Sano is capable of wind and electricity, and he swears he once called down a Hot Lightning, but no one was around to see and he hasn't been able to do it again. Sukuyo can use curse and ice spells, and if he focuses hard enough he can use Thousand Curses, but the hands he summons have no dexterity or strength in them. The other siblings of age can only use one element and to much less effect, which makes the scenario playing out even more interesting.
"Run~!"
"Aah!"
Sano pulls his fist back, wind whipping around his arm as his brothers scatter. "Garudyne!" He aims where they were and not where they are, purposely missing as he punches forward and launches the heavy wind spell. It rips through the orchard like a condensed tornado, a funnel of shredding winds ripping tree branches apart, tearing leaves to pieces, and throwing apples around.
The two younger siblings look back at the destruction caused by the singular spell, and then back at their grinning older brother, speaking in unison. "The apple trees!"
Sano's smile drops, scoffing at them. "Relax you two. Sukuyo and I would do stuff like this all the time. Ma can fix it all, and she likes us getting practice in." His feet shift, electricity crackling down his arm as he punches forward again. "So stop whining and get ready to dodge! Raiji! Ziodyne!" He calls out to him beforehand and waits until Raiji dives out of the way to shoot the spell, firing a lightning bolt from his arm that strikes a tree and knocks it down in a single strike.
While Sano knows better than to hit one of his younger siblings with one of these, but his brothers are taking it plenty serious when a bolt that splits a tree is fired at you. They run around different sides of him, ducking through the trees to give themselves cover, Fuji coming from behind one of them with his arm raised. "Garu!"
Sano spins around to face the light wind spell, batting it away with his palm and laughing. "You'll have to try better than that!" He pulls his fist back and over his shoulder, throwing it out in a wave motion as he shouts. "Magarudyne!"
He sends forth a destructive gale of wind, so strong that Fuji has to grab onto the trunk of the tree he's hiding behind as to not be blown away. "Toooo muuuch!" He drops to the ground as the rushing winds end, attempting to get up only for an apple to drop onto his head. "Ow."
By this point Raiji has already come to the conclusion that provoking their brother was probably a bad idea, hiding behind a larger tree as he hears his brother cackle and crackle. "Come on Raiji, where are you~...?" Sano pulls his fist back, deciding that the best way to mess with him would be to just start guessing. "Ziodyne!"
Kercrack!
A tree near Raiji is split apart, the boy covering his mouth to hide his yelp while Sano laughs. "Come out Raiji, I don't want to accidentally hit you... okay, maybe I do a little." Someone else heard the lightning bolt collide with the tree, rushing through the orchard while Sano charges up another. "Ziodyne!"
Kercrack!
The tree right next to Raiji is blasted apart, the top half crashing to the ground with the tree being turned into nothing more but a smoldering stump. Sano shakes his hand off, smirking as he sees Raiji's shoe sticking out from behind the tree. 'Got you." He pulls his fist back, charging up a Zionga instead. "You have three seconds! Three! TWo! Oneee--!"
"Agidyne!"
A bright flash takes Sano's attention, spinning to face the flames, putting both hands up to protect himself as the firey storm slams into him. "H-Hey!" He protects himself but is sent tumbling back, slamming into a tree slightly singed. He doesn't even need to see the perpetrator to know who it is, shouting while patting himself down and standing. "Terasu!"
She sighs while dusting her hands off, Fuji standing behind her as she glares at Sano. "You of all people should be more careful about rampaging around an orchard. Didn't Mother and Father read you the story of your namesake being thrown out of heaven for something similar?"
Sano huffs, a smile on his face as he stands to his feet. "That was a rice field, and besides, if we're going off of that then shouldn't you be running off to hide?"
A small smile appears on her face, Terasu raising her hand and pointing her palm at him. "I guess both of us need a refresher on that story." A ball of light appears in her palm, shining bright as she shouts. "Behold! The Sun Goddess Ascends!" Even Terasu plays along, sometimes.
Electricity crackles around Sano, assuming an offensive stance as he gets serious. "You two watch! We'll show you what an entertaining fight looks like!"
"Kougan!"
"Ziodyne!"
In the case of Ebi Narukami...
It's the end of another day, late at night and just at bedtime. They've eaten dinner, everyone was taken baths, and they've all resigned to their rooms. Mariko and Yu are in their youngests room, putting him down into his bed and pulling the covers up over him. His room is a gentle blue color, toys strewn around the floor, a jack frost plush on his dresser, and blue curtains over the window. Mariko smiles, planting a kiss on his forehead before standing to her feet. "Goodnight, Ebi."
Yu grabs the Jack Frost off of the dresser, crouching down and handing it to him. "Here, goodnight, Ebi."
He takes the plush and yawns, holding it close as the two start to leave. "Goodnight... Can you leave the door open a little?"
Yu nods, stepping out of the room while slowly closing the door. "Sure, we'll see you tomorrow... "
"Wait!"
The parents stop, Ebi sitting up in his bed. "...Um, can I say goodnight to everybody?"
They look at each other and shrug, Mariko going over to the bed and picking Ebi up. "Sure." He holds her close as he's carried out, the three of them going to the room closest to his, Raiji and Fuji's.
They enter the room to, predictably, find the duo not in bed. Their room is a bright green, no one else in the family quite sure how they can stand it. They have two beds that are side-by-side, blue and yellow covers on them. Their room is also currently a mess, clothes and action figures thrown around, the twositting on the floor playing a card game in their pajamas. They turn to their parents looking like deers in headlights as their card game is interrupted, Ebi waving to them. "Goodnight."
Yu and Mariko shoot glares at them, Yu scoffing. "Clean your room, and goodnight you two."
"Goodnight!"
"Goodnight!"
The two spring into action, shoving things around and off to the side while Mariko, Yu, and Ebi step out of the room and leave them to it. The next room they visit is of the three older brothers, all of them sharing one room. They enter the room, it being a mixture of black and gray. Sano and Sukuyo have bunk beds, Sano sleeping on the top bunk for the expressed point of jumping off in the morning. Kagutsu has his own bed right by next to theirs, but none of them are currently in bed. Kagutsu's phone is on the dresser, music playing from it as the three brothers are lined up in the middle of the room. Kagutsu has on casual cloth shorts and a plain white shirt, Sukuyo has on black pajamas with little moons on them, and Sano has on plaid pajama pants and nothing else. The three of them look back at their parents, Mariko giving them a confused look while Yu just smiles, Ebi laughing at the music while waving at them. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight Ebi."
"G'night Ebi!"
"Sleep well Ebi."
Mariko motions to them, not quite sure what it is they're doing. "Hurry up with... whatever this is and then go to bed." The three of them nod, Kagutsu going to restart their Tiktok while Yu, Mariko and Ebi leave their room. That leaves one last kid to visit, the three of them going to their eldest daughters room. The enter the room, it being a dark orange similar to a sunset. The room is tidy and put together, Terasu sitting at her desk in a white nightgown, working on work not due for another week. She glances back at them, smiling before going back to her work. "I'll be done in a moment."
Ebi yawns, waving one last time to his sister. "Goodnight..."
Terasu smiles and puts her pencil down, standing to her feet and performing a short bow. "Goodnight, little brother, Mother, Father."
Ebi leans against his mother's chest, Mariko and Yu saying goodnight to Terasu before closing the door and leaving her to it. They head back down the hall, back to Ebi's room. They gently open the door and carry Ebi inside, once again putting him down into bed and covering him up. He turns over, holding the Jack Frost plush close. "..Leave the... door open..." He falls asleep, Yu and Mariko leaving the door open a little bit as they leave his room and return to theirs.
Yu and Mariko climb nito bed, cuddling up with each other, Mariko yawning into Yu's chest. "This is perfect, isn't it?"
Yu chuckles, holding Mariko close to him. "Yeah, this is perfect. Our perfect, quiet life." And with that the two begin to fall asleep together, ending another day of their happily ever after.