Of Impulse and Fey: Spin-Off Edition
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Chapter 1:
Welcome to Hel- erm- Parenthood
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Five months, three days, and forty-seven minutes have passed since the birth of Kiyohime and a quarter of that time-if that- has actually been smooth sailing. Turns out that hybrid babies, just like any other baby, don't come with an instruction manual. Go figure. "Shizuru, she's crying again," mumbled a sleeping Natsuki, currently doing her best to burrow underneath the covers to muffle the screeches coming from the next room, "It's your turn." Grumpily, I huff and shimmy out of the warm bed to trudge to our baby's room. I didn't want to be angry or annoyed, but this is the third time in the span of thirty-nine minutes Kiyohime cried us out of bed. "Welcome to hell," I thought to myself, my feet lightly slapping the cold floor. "I think you're confusing that with the word 'parenthood'." I felt the silk wrapping around the inside of my mind reply. I scowl at my wife before turning to dress in lilac robe. Reito was away at the Bahamas for a few weeks with his beloved Chikako as a reward for taking care of our daughter while I worked and Natsuki needed a break from caring for her. This baby is higher maintenance than any of us would have ever imagined.
Her stomach was sensitive to earth food and the food she could eat came from Natsuki's concoctions. We managed to uncover a secret lab both my mothers' bequeathed to me in the form of a makeshift will found in the photo album that saved my life. They were able to keep some edible ingredients from their planet, VeÔlaxg. Anything Natsuki managed to create from my mothers' secret laboratory were dishes that could never be recreated because the ingredients were from a completely different planet! To top it off she's like a hedgehog, completely nocturnal. After a hard day at work, I switch off with Natsuki, who's had a hard time taking care of her during the day, and am responsible for dinner and bathing. This wouldn't be too hard because Kiyohime actually likes eating- even when the food makes her vomit- and takes to water like a fish. What's difficult and outright MORTIFYING is that Kiyohime likes to burrow. Coming home is almost like a nightmare, my beautiful baby sandwhiched in between furniture and refusing to come out because she's comfortable. Or finding piles of blankets or clothes and diving into them, happily smothered. Natsuki says it has something to do with Kiyo's child, which she has the sneaking suspicion is a snake. Snake or not, it doesn't make it any less petrifying.
Returning to nursery, I gaze at my five- month year old who seems to love using her lungs like a champ, and reminisce on the why I liked the color purple so much. We painted Kiyo's nursery a light puce, but when we found that she liked dark places repainted it a dark violet. Natsuki insisted we use a nightlight. "The one that makes stars and planets light up on the ceiling, so she never forgets where her mother and grandparents came from," she argued and Reito and I agreed. Looking up at the iridescent shapes on the ceiling made me sigh heavily. If I never met Natsuki, I would probably be sleeping peacefully right now, I thought. Kiyo's screaming pierced through my unsavory thoughts (of course I felt bad immediately after thinking this), and to make up for it I lifted my baby from her sturdy oak crib. She had dark brown tufts of hair, born with a full head of it, and even though her eyes were closed and tearing now had the most beautiful bi- colored eyes. Her eyes were like the horizon of a setting sun over the ocean, red sinking into blue. The ruby obviously mine, and the blue, Natsuki says may come from the same genetic code that makes her fur a rich navy in canine form.
With her screaming in my right ear, it was anyone's guess as to why I'm not already deaf. "Honey," I began wearily, "I've already fed you, changed you, and am now holding you. What is it you want?" A few minutes of crying and bouncing her later, her screeching settled into fussing. I assume she tired herself out. As I thought of returning her to her crib, I remembered what my parents did when I couldn't sleep well when I first arrived in their home. I grabbed her favorite blanket and hurried over to my bedroom. "Scooch over," I demanded of my bleary-eyed wife, "Make room for the baby." Confused, Natsuki didn't say anything, but moved nonetheless. Quickly, I place Kiyohime between us as I settle into bed and throw the blanket over her (and covered her face even though I REALLY don't like doing that). "What are you doing, tonzae?" I hear Natsuki ask as she instinctively wraps a protective arm around Kiyo and me. "Sleeping," I said with a satisfied grin and closed my eyes for added measure. I felt my wife shrug and instantly fall back asleep. Needless to say, we all woke up pretty refreshed the next morning.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this installation of the first of many adventures within the Viola Household. There are many more to come! Visit T-Headquartes for more info. Link is in Bio. Have an awesome week ahead~