It had almost been a whole decade after the Ma Clans decimation when we found them.
"Veena, you need to get out of here once and a while. You can't stay cooped up in here." Kazuma stated, looking down at his Master who was still in bed. She hadn't leave this space for almost a whole week.
"You're right, Kazuma. Can you grab my coat for me please?" Veena, or more commonly known as Bishamon the War God, said.
"Coming right up, Milady."
The house was on fire when we walked by, still a young flame, maybe only forty-five minutes long since it started. We had hoped that the family who resided here was out, that they were enjoying their time, unsuspecting of the fire raging at their place. But as most hopes are, we were wrong.
After the fire was put out and the officers and firemen were talking, we listened how the children were still inside when it happened, their bodies burnt to a crisp.
"Veena, what should our course of action be?" Kazuma asked, pushing up his glasses, momentarily glaring his eyes out.
"They were children, Kazuma. I know before I didn't want anymore regalia to avoid the pain, but I can't just leave them to wander aimlessly. I would fail at both being a God and a caring person, it's about time to extend the family again."
"As you wish, Milady."
The little balls of light, sticking close together, had almost immediately left the house when the men were gone. Veena had walked over to get a quick glimpse of their nature. 8-year-old twins, boy and girl, a sad age to die at.
From the look on Veena's face, I could tell she wasn't sure what to name them. I knew she wouldn't use the suffix of 'Ma' again, for it now had too many bad memories connected to it. So she went with 'Ha', as to honour the old, but bring forth a new generation.
As a name, the boy got Kazu and the girl got Karu. As a person, they were to be known as Kazuha and Karuha. As weapons, the boy was Sukki and the girl was Gaiki.
When I asked her about naming the boy Kazu, she explained that seeing as I was what was left of the old clan, she was using it again to start the new clan.
After they got called and transformed, we were surprised when guns appeared. We actually kind of expected something like blunt blades or jewellery from kids this young, not a boy pistol and girl revolver. Though seeing as I was originally a nail turned sakura earring (a blessed regalia), we knew that we couldn't judge off of appearance.
When they landed in her hands, she got a quick glimpse into their previous life.
-Mom dying of cancer
-Dad getting into a car accident
-Living with a paralyzed parent
-Crying to sleep every night
-Only having each other for support
When we had finally gone back home, Veena had allowed them out of their weapon forms. We welcomed them warmly, being mindful of their forever young age. We showed them where their room was, told them where they could and couldn't go and all the rules they had to abide by.
Veena and I essentially became their parents. They had nightmares quite frequently, and always cried at night because of them. It never blighted Veena, just made it harder for her to sleep at night.
"B-bishamon? Sorry to bother you, but could Kazu and I sleep in here tonight? We can't sleep and Kazuma won't wake up." Bishamon heard Karuha say, a quiver in her voice.
Veena had already been up since she could sense their distress, but still had her eyes closed in case she would fall asleep. When Veena opened her eyes, she saw her twin regalia, both hugging a stuffed animal she got for them, and tear tracks on their faces. She silently moved over, showing that they could climb in.
"Thank you Bishamon." Veena heard both of them say when settled, quickly going back to sleep.
As the years passed, Veena had added more members to their ever growing family. Even though they will always be the youngest mentally, they were also the oldest in comparison to the newer additions. They became happier and more child like with each new member, especially when she had gained Kuraha, the lion regalia.
"Big Kitty!" They yelled at the same time when Kuraha transformed into Kinki, the lion.
Veena smiled at the sight. She had found an old spirit by the waves on a walk with myself and the twins while the others learned their roles and gained bearings around the place.
The moment the spirit transformed, the young faces Veena grew to love were overjoyed. They quickly looked in her direction for permission before tackling the poor unsuspecting lion regalia for the first time.
Years passed, slowing becoming decades, and then centuries. Our family kept growing and Veena tried her hardest to give all her regalia, her family, as much attention as she could be being a War God. The twins eventually started calling Veena 'Mom' after being here for so long.
I was exiled for some things I had gone that she did not approve, but I knew things couldn't last forever, and everything turned around again when she had to face Yato and his regalia Yukine. Veena got so overwhelmed with anger and denial that she had eventually tortured her poor family who was being used.
I eventually told her truth about the Ma Clans decimation, how it was I who had asked to kill them to save her. Kazuha, Karuha, Kinuha, Tsuguha, Yugiha and Kuraha were all released from their weapon forms, all of them being blighted, including myself. Poor Kazu and Karu had got head wounds as an outcome of this battle, scars that surely will last forever.
Almost our entire family was wiped out again, but Veena was able to slay the beast that had eaten most of our family, putting them to rest, and able to heal the rest who survived. We now had less than thirty again. I was also lifted from my exile.
"Mom, I'm fine. It was a superficial wound since I was in weapon mode, he didn't even cut that far. I think Yukine held back even if Yato didn't." Karuha said after Veena tucked her into bed, glancing over her bandaged head again. Veena had insisted they wore them even though they didn't need them after they got stitched up and reforged.
"Yeah mom, he barely got my eye when he sliced me. It just hurts a bit to smile and laugh." Kazuha said from the other side of the room, to which I tucked him in, checking over his eye. The stitches were healing fine and the ointment we put on was keeping it from being protected, we didn't need another one of our family to wear an eyepatch.
Veena answered with sorrow. "I'm still sorry though, in my anger and denial I managed to get you two hurt. You are still young even though you're centuries old. You gave me joy again after what happened the first time.
Kazu and Karu shared a look before answering at the same time, smiles on their faces. "We love you mom, we never will. So don't forget that."
Veena never did, and neither did I. But after that night, the nightmares came back. Horrible ones where both of them died and they saw their mother figure weep for them. Or where one lived while the other didn't. Veena and I came to their help when the nightmares helping, especially after I learned a few sleeping song spells to give them either no dreams, or happier ones. Every night the lyrics were different, but Veena listened intently. Though sometimes they failed and while I was sleeping, they would sneak off back to Veena's room where I would find them snuggled together on her bed.
This truly was a perfect family.