Hatori loved his cousins. He was sure of it. If he did not, why would he continue to expose himself to their obnoxious, vulgar, screeching, cringe-inducing…
Well, he could go on.
Perhaps it was a sort of masochism on his part? A perverse pleasure reaped from the slightly-less-torturous-than-Akito company he was still able to keep. If that was indeed the case, certain neglected parts of his anatomy had answering to do. A wrinkle wormed its way between his eyebrows. Now he was being vulgar. Certainly now was the time to escape.
Ding
It seems the universe agreed with his plan. He could hear the cartoon-inspired light bulb pop into existence and ring above his head. Or perhaps not. Above his head, he heard the light footsteps of Torhu making her way towards the staircase. It was far more likely that the doorbell had rung than the sweet, if a bit dim, teenager had learned to hear the cosmic light bulbs that existed only in the heads of cartoonists, children and over tired doctors.
"Visitors! Oh Shigure! Why didn't you tell me we had company!" Ayame shouted. He continued lowly, "I would have worn something more appropriate."
"Aya, I assure you that you always look your very best in whatever it is that you wear," Shigure replied gaily as Ayame stroked down his own chest, "but I was not expecting any more company tonight than you, my lovely cousins. Perhaps I should get the door." Shigure made no move to do so, however, as Torhu was heard rushing down the stairs.
"I'll get it!" cried Torhu, tripping once into the wall over own feet.
She recovered well enough to rush past the concerned men in the living room to hurry to the front door before Yuki could offer to answer the door for her. Her sunny introduction of herself to whoever was at the door was interrupted by a breathless "oh!" She and the visitor spoke in muted voices for a moment before the distinctive vacuum sound of the front door closing was heard.
"Shigure…" Torhu's voice trailed off.
Standing with Torhu in the threshold of the room was a thin woman with her hair tied in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. More importantly, this woman had a small hand placed on Kisa's shoulder, while the girl stared determinedly at the floor.
The woman, apparently at ease, even with five men staring at her, quirked her lips into a small smile. "Hello, my name is Sada Gen. I am Kisa's history teacher," said the woman in a low voice, enunciating each word carefully, as if each required careful consideration. She pushed her rectangular glasses up her straight and sharp nose, and attempted a wider smile. "We have had a long day. Perhaps it would be possible for Kisa to get some food…" now it was Ms. Gen's turn to trail off.
Torhu got the message (after Shigure coughed quietly a few times) and invited Kisa excitedly into the kitchen. The overzealous banging of pots and happy chatter of the older teenager and the quiet replies of the younger were heard moments later.
"Well Ms. Gen, thank you for," began Shigure in an airy, but dismissive tone.
"Please," Ms. Gen interrupted a little too sharply to be perfectly polite. Hatori's muscles tensed. He hoped that this woman would not be a problem, but it became clear that she would be disappointing in this regard as she stepped resolutely into the room. "If I may, I would like to explain my presence here tonight."
"Ms. Gen," Hatori took the lead, "we appreciate your efforts…"
Hatori did not have the time to realize that he did not actually know what those efforts were, before Ms. Gen interrupted again, this time exclaiming, "This is not the first time that this has happened!"
Ms. Gen stepped quickly into the room and sat herself down on one of the cushions placed around the table. She placed her clasped hands on the table and exhaled loudly through her nose. Hatori could now see her features more clearly, and realized how young she was for a teacher. Her impeccably straight nose and high cheekbones were made to look even more severe by her thin, rectangular glasses and lack of hair framing her face. Which, Hatori allowed himself a brief moment of insanity, would probably be adequately lovely if her lips would curve into a sincere smile and her hair would be allowed to flow freely around.
When she opens her mouth to speak again, the moment is gone and Hatori mentally slaps himself so hard he nearly flinches.
"Kisa has been staying after school, watching the winter sports teams practice, every day for the past month. About two weeks ago the girls' volleyball coach told her that she would either have to join the team, or find somewhere else to stay. She began to sit in classes with teachers who worked in their classes after hours," Ms. Gen's face was hard, her lips pulled into a taunt line. She looked at them as if they had explanation for Kisa's behavior.
"I suppose you are the teacher who works after hours, then, Ms. Gen?" Hatori did flinch at the rhyme, though he doubted anyone noticed the slight shake of the shoulders that constituted as his flinch.
"One of them," Ms. Gen replied easily, "but the only one who seems to be asking questions. This is the third night I have walked Kisa home after school." She raised a thin eyebrow and leaned forward, lowering her voice, "The past two nights I have dropped Kisa off outside her home and walked a little ways away, behind the fence near the path to her house. Neither time did Kisa go in through the front door, or any door at all as far as I can tell."
"You were spying on a thirteen year old girl?" Shigure asked rhetorically, accentuating the question by allowing a dash of anger and incredulity to color the question, though Hatori knew that this was not the worst thing that he had ever heard. Not by a long shot.
At least Ms. Gen had the grace to look remorseful, a blush working its way up her face. "I—I am sorry about that. I was worried and things began to cross my mind." She seemed to get her second wind, and straightened. "What is important is Kisa. Do you know what she told me today?" She gazed around the room, apparently waiting for a response.
It was up to Hatori to take the lead again. Typical. "I assure you, we do not."
The woman sighed, "Her mother and herself are having…difficulties. Her mother has recently been fired, and the stress from the situation has caused a rift between Kisa and her mother. Apparently Kisa has a genetic disease that is triggered by undue stress," Ms. Gen cocked her head to the side slightly, looking comical in her stark contrast of curiosity and professionalism, "for whatever reason, Kisa feels as though the more time she spends away from her mother, the healthier it will be for the both of them. I asked her where I could bring her and her answer was…here." Ms. Gen hunched her shoulders a little in a version of a decently well-controlled shrug and finally looked sheepish. "I am sorry for demanding your indulgence, but I would not feel comfortable….jjust leaving her outside her house again," emotion colored her voice.
Before Hatori could respond, Shigure spoke up, his tone warm and friendly again, "Why thank you, Ms. Gen, for being such an attentive teacher. Of course my lovely cousin Kisa can stay with me, for however long she may wish. I will personally see to it that all her needs are…well, seen to," Shigure concluded eloquently. Honestly, for a writer he could be so…
Ms. Gen's face burst into a smile, a real one, allowing her bright teeth to shine through pink lips. "No, thank you. You have no idea how…well, worried I've been. It is such a relief to know Kisa has somewhere to come home to."
Shigure stood and held a hand out to Ms. Gen, who took it. They began to chatter happily, as if they were old friends. If Ms. Gen noticed that she was being discreetly shown to the door, she gave no indication of resisting. Minutes later, the door closed behind her and Shigure joined his cousins (Hatori realized just then how silent Ayame and Kyo had been) at the table.
"Well. She was…interesting," Shigure said with a huff.
Hatori looked up sharply, "Shigure, don't you dare."
"Whhhhhaaaaat?" Shigure whined, trying for his best innocent face. A lecherous grin worked its way across his face, ruining the effect. "She had a great rack," a pause, "but a bony ass."
"Ugh, you pervert, I can't believe you copped a feel!" Kyo shouted, before rushing from the room, blushing and muttering about "disgusting dogs."
'One down,' thought Hatori, recognizing Shigure's tactics in an instant. 'Now for…'
A crash was heard from the kitchen, along with Torhu's profuse apologies.
"Yuki, I believe Ms. Honda will require some assistance in the kitchen. Would you mind…" Shigure turned to Yuki politely.
Once Yuki had predictably made his way to the kitchen, the three remaining cousins turned serious again.
"You do realize that by interesting, I meant potentially an inconvenience," Shigure stated.
Hatori snorted, "You are about as subtle as a gun, Shigure. Of course I realize. She is going to paying attention to Kisa. Close attention. Perhaps it would be better…"
"Gentlemen," Ayame interrupted for the first time since Ms. Gen and Kisa had made their appearance, "let's not jump to conclusions. She very obviously is looking out for Kisa's wellbeing, and that might be the very thing that young Kisa needs. Besides, we can't just start plucking people off the street and brain washing them every time we think that they may be a problem. We will not," Ayame finished strongly, apparently finished with the topic.
Shigure, sensing the end of the conversation, smiled widely, "Oh how wise my Ayame is! We are not worthy! We are not worthy!" He placed his arms in front of him and mock-bowed to Ayame.
"Oh Shigure! You are wrong, for you are the one that I am not worthy of!" Ayame shouted gaily, jumping up to be met by Shigure in an air-hug.
The night ended much the same way most nights with his cousins ended, with ridiculousness and shouting and loving sentiments to be scoffed at. Hatori gladly put the thought from him mind, and enjoyed his night and the unexpected (but rather pleasant) conversation that Kisa provided about what she had learned lately in school. Surely Ms. Gen would not bother them again, unless it was with a nicely-written comment on Kisa's report card about her way with words or understanding of subject matter.
Of course, as soon as Hatori had that thought, he realized he doomed himself with his own hopes. He would toss and turn that night in bed, plagued by the thought that Ms. Gen would return in all her dangerous glory into his life.