A/N: This is so late I'm so sorry D: On the plus side, chapter 90 is the chapter I've been waiting for with the Shima fam!


"You're sure you have everything?" Her mother asked again for the third time.

"Yes, Mom. Most of my stuff has already been shipped over and it's not like I'm going far…"

A few weeks after the announcement of their engagement, it was decided Mamushi would move in with the Shima's so she could get to know her in-laws more before she and Juuzo bought a house and settled. She spent most of the time with her family and going to a bunch of doctor's appointments until it was finally approved that the area where her eye should be won't cause any problems in the future.

Every now and then, Juuzo would send a text and sometimes even call just to talk about her day. Now that they don't work together anymore, it was weird that they actually had to tell each other about their day instead of already knowing it. He asked a lot of questions about the updates of her eye, but most of all, he happily chatted with her about his family and where she would stay and what they could do together.

She wondered if this is what it was like to be in a committed relationship.

"Remember to be on your best behavior and listen to Obaa-chan— ah, actually I'm sure she wouldn't mind you calling her Mom at this point either."

"Mom! Why are you so calm about this?" Mamushi asked. The whole time she was home, her mother has done nothing but insinuate all these things about her and Juuzo's relationship.

"Darling, we all knew this was going to happen any moment now, I just didn't think Juuzo would just skip the dating phase and go straight for marriage. The boy's the old fashion type, isn't he? But it's fine. He probably didn't think he'd ever like anyone else and didn't want to deal with going through all the steps."

Mamushi blushed at her mother's thinking. There's no way that was what Juuzo was thinking. He didn't show any interest in her until recently after all. She voiced this to her mom, but she got a strange look from her.

"A boy doesn't just follow you to a school all the way in Tokyo for no reason."

"What are you talking about? He wanted to go there as well! We signed up together."

"No, he wanted to stay home close to his family. You two were the first ones to go to that school after the Blue Night, everyone was anxious. But you said education was important and that was the end of the discussion. He signed up before anyone could ask him to keep an eye out on you."

"Ugh, why does everyone think I need looking after? The Most High Priest had told Juuzo the same thing. We've got the same grades! Almost the same level of powers. Just because he knows how to talk to people doesn't mean he's the more responsible one." Mamushi pouted. She knew her mouth has gotten her in trouble more than once, but she just couldn't stand to be babied.

"Actually, that's exactly what it means. If you want to be taken seriously as an adult Mamushi, you need to know how to convey your thoughts to others. It's not selfish to want something and it's not modest to not need anything. The only reason why you advanced as an exorcist is because your sisters knew how you communicated. If you were on any other team, you would have been left behind." Her mother said realistically.

She put her hands on Mamushi's and gave her a smile.

"I know rejection is scary." She said, "But you have to have faith in yourself and others. So when you go and live with the Shima's, work on that little problem of yours okay?"

"Just remember that boy knows everything about you. So don't hide yourself, embrace yourself. He already has, and he likes you for it." She emphasized on the word "like" as if she was a middle school brat, raising her eyebrows in a way that was teasing.

"Oh my god, Mommm." Mamushi shook her hands, as if trying to shake off her mother's hands, but held on to them.

"Be good my child. You've found someone who loves you, and that's all a parent can ask for."

"Thanks, Mom.."


While packing was still a jerk, the Shima's actually didn't live that far away. At most, twenty minutes by car if there was traffic. Their house structures were even pretty similar.

When Mamushi arrived there, only Juuzo's mom was there to greet her.

"Mamushi-chan! It's been so long, let me take a look at you." Her soon to be mother-in-law said.

Mamushi nervously smiled while she walked close to her, hoping her eyepatch wasn't blaringly noticeable.

But she didn't make any comments on her eye, only about how pretty her skin was, how she seemed to have gained a little weight (not having to worry about fighting anymore has kinda meant no longer keeping up with a strict regiment…), but most of all, she surprised Mamushi by touching her hips. She gave her a couple of pats, nodding with approval.

"I'm letting you know now, Juuzo has wanted kids ever since Renzo was born. I've never seen a teenager so into child care as much as Juuzo was. Yaozo-san was the same; wanted as many kids as possible. You tell him a number if you want to stop, but otherwise, your mother and I have already wrote out a book with everything you need to having kids."

Mamushi just gaped at the sudden, inundated news she received. She knew Juuzo would want kids, everyone knew! He carried both Renzo and Yumi before he went off to school. But she thought maybe he was just being the perfect older brother? After all, she took care of her sisters as well. It was expected.

"Oh dear, you look overwhelmed." Juuzo's mother fanned her. "Let's get you situated inside and I'll make you some tea."

Mamushi awkwardly followed after her, wondering if it would be possible to hide in a hole after all of this. They weren't even married yet! How can people already start thinking about kids? What about the wedding? The house? Not to mention, Mamushi would probably need to find a new job to even think about affording all of this.

"Put your stuff in the first room on the right up the stairs, I'll start the kettle."

Mamushi stared at the room that was now hers. It was spacious, really spacious for a house that fit a family of eight. Last time she checked, Juuzo still slept on a bunk bed with all the other boys. Why was she given a room all to herself?

"I hope that works for you. We had to move things around since a lot of the children don't even live here anymore…" Juuzo's mother hollered from the kitchen.

"Of course! It's great." Mamushi hurriedly put her stuff down and returned back downstairs. "I-I just thought I'd be sharing a room with Yumi-chan? Sa-Juuzo had mentioned before that I'd be put in the girls' room."

"Ah yes," The kettle released a nervous squeal, and she arrived with a tray of tea and cookies. "That was the idea at first, but I mean, you two are both adults. I'm sure you can handle yourselves."

"Eh?" Mamushi bit into a cookie. "What do you mean?"

"You're sharing a room with Juuzo of course." She replied.

Mamushi started to cough up said cookie.

"Before marriage?" She squealed, quickly grabbing her tea cup. "Don't you think you all are taking this a bit rather quickly?" Mamushi asked.

"We're doing this quickly because now's the only time we got! You two haven't dated, haven't lived together, and when the two of you worked, you don't even work well together. How are we supposed to expect a functioning family from that?" Juuzo's mother responded, casually sipping her tea.

"We're not trying to rush you, but you need to get comfortable with each other. Know each other besides the childhood friends you are. And trust me, that boy is not going to do anything you don't want to do. Or else." Her eye gleamed with a power Mamushi supposed only a mother would have.

"Thank you… Mom." Mamushi nervously says.

She knows that was the correct response when that earns her a smile and a rub on the shoulder.

"Now, finish your tea. Yumi will be home soon, and I know you two haven't seen each other in a long time, so I'll let you two get reacquainted again. After that, I want your help with dinner. Your mother says you know the basics, so I trust you to know what to do. And after that, we can have one big happy dinner!" She squealed, excited by her new daughter.

"That sounds nice." Mamushi smiled.


However, not all was great.

Yumi, as it turned out, was not the cute little baby girl she used to know. Now at the tender age of twelve and just beginning her teenage rebellion, she was not happy at all with her new older sister. Mamushi had, after all, taken her room, and Yumi now had to share with her mother. Ever since Jun had moved out, Yumi had a room all to herself while the boys were piled all into one room.

Mamushi tried her best to appease to the young girl, but it was hard when she escaped quickly into her now shared bedroom with a kurt closing of the door.

She ended up spending time organizing her stuff instead of getting to know the sweet child who used to get away with everything in the Shima household.

After that, she was thrown into the world of cooking and had to learn how to chop vegetables perfectly while making sure the rice was cooking and adding seasoning to every dish. She had made food for herself while at school, but never for a family of six! In the end, she watched her mother-in-law sufficiently dish out food that filled the entire dining room table by the time the men got home.

When they heard the door open and the murmured "tadaima," Mamushi was quickly ushered out of the kitchen and into the living room to greet everyone who returned home.

"W-w-welcome home!" She squeaked, doing a quick bow. She heard her mother-in-law talking to her family next to her, but she couldn't help but notice Juuzo's cute expression.

He seemed surprised to see her there even though he knew she was coming today. He was dressed in his usual exorcist uniform, but there was something nice seeing him wearing it at home.

Mamushi blushed at the thought that they were finally living under the same roof.

"Mamu...nee-chan I guess now right?" Kinzou blurted, not realizing she and Juuzo were kinda having a silent moment.

"Your eye looks pretty good now, have you thought about getting a cool eyepatch? You can get one with my band's logo on it!" He continued to ramble until his mom told him to go clean up for dinner.

"Thank you for your hard work today," Mamushi turned to her new father-in-law.

He gave her a smile before patting Juuzo on his back, pushing him forward a little towards Mamushi.

"I've already talked it over with Juuzo, but you two are still living under my roof until you get a place of your own, understand?"

"O-of course!" She blushed deeply, but was thankful everyone seemed pretty content with their new house member.

"Was my mom okay?" Juuzo asked, bringing her attention back to her fiance.

"Yes, yea. I helped cook a bit and everything."

"Geez," Juuzo rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. "I hope my mom didn't go all Crazy Mother-in-Law on ya."

"No, it was fine. I didn't have much else to do today anyways."

"That's cool. Were you able to say hi to Yumi-chan?" He asked.

"About that… Why didn't you tell me we were sharing a room together? Yumi-chan was not in the greatest mood today when she got home from school."

"What!" Juuzo's face flushed after hearing Mamushi. It was clear he had nothing to do with the new arrangement. "No, uh, I didn't know about this either I swear."

"Mom, must have made the decision after we left for work." He continued.

"Are you okay with this arrangement? I can go talk to Mom right now. I don't mind staying in my own room." He put his hand casually on her shoulder, looking into her eyes.

"I-I…" She was embarrassed now, knowing that his mom was really setting them up hard. She could just feel her mouth slipping and saying something insulting when she remembered her mother's words: don't hide yourself, embrace yourself.

"I'm fine with this arrangement." She boldly replied. "But, Yumi-chan seemed to be really mad. I don't want to have a bad start with her…"

"I'll go talk to her then." He smiled pleasantly. He was surprised by how truthful Mamushi was acting. Usually he had to delicately pull her along until she finally admitted to what she wanted in the most indirect way possible.

"Go sit down, I'll be back with Yumi-chan and we can eat. I'm excited to try everything you made."


True to his word, Juuzo came back holding Yumi-chan's hand. Though the little girl wasn't exactly smiling, she definitely looked much calmer than she originally was.

"Come on, go sit next to Nee-chan." Juuzo said softly, taking Mamushi's other side.

"Ara, Yumi, what took you so long." Her mother asked, putting rice down in front of them.

"She was just finishing her homework," Juuzo replied, digging into his meal.

After that, it was mostly discussions over little things. Kinzou's band was getting more and more popular. Yumi would soon be deciding whether she wanted to start her exorcist studies or not, and of course, possible locations for the new couple. The food was delicious, but that was obvious since most of the cooking was done by Mom. Mamushi made a personal note to start looking into recipes herself to learn to make. Soon after, everyone went to do their own thing. Mamushi followed along Juuzo to their new room, wondering what on Earth he told Yumi-chan to appease her.

"Knowing my mom, she probably already moved all my stuff over, but I'm just going to confirm first. Do you want to go shower first?" He asked as they awkwardly stood in front of their room, as if not knowing what to do next.

"I usually take baths." Mamushi confessed, hoping she wasn't going to be a hassle. What Japanese family didn't take baths?

"That's fine, the bathroom closest to us has a tub. Go ahead and use that one." He smiled, patting her head before going to his old room.

Knowing she took long baths, Mamushi quickly grabbed her toiletries and hopped into the tub the minute it was filled. It had been a long day. She hadn't done much physically, but her mind has been on edge the whole day.

She's agreed to marry Juuzo, she's agreed to move in with him and his family, and now? She's agreed to share a room with him. Her mother said not to hesitate, but life is taking her on a path that felt like they were speeding down a highway at this point. Was it weird they were sharing a room without sharing a kiss yet? Wasn't there a breakdown on how relationships were supposed to go?

Before she knew it, she was lost in her thoughts and the water was getting less warm. There was a knock on the door.

"Y-yes?" Mamushi hesitantly asked.

"Hey, uh. Don't mean to rush you, but we have a big family…" Juuzo called out through the door.

"Ah, I'll be done in just a sec!"

Mamushi hadn't realized she had already been soaking longer than usual. Giving her body a quick rinse, she noticed her fingers had already gotten all pruney. She turned off the water and threw on a robe, carefully wrapping her hair in a towel so water didn't drip. Giving herself a quick check in the mirror, she opened the bathroom door and walked to her room.

Opening the door, she found Juuzo in casual clothing at the desk looking at his computer. He looked up when she entered and gave her a smile.

"The bathroom is free." She weakly said, hot from her bath but also from his smile.

"Thanks! I'll go shower then. Do you need anything else?" He asked.

"I think I'm good!" She replied. "It's a bit early, but I think I'm just going to read and then go to bed."

"That's fine. I don't have much work to do tonight. Which side of the bed do you want?" Juuzo innocently asked.

"Side?..." Mamushi hadn't thought about that. The night was drawing closer to an end. She's never slept with anyone else before; her sisters didn't count. Should she choose the side closer to the door? But then he probably has to get up earlier than her so he shouldn't be in the corner…

Juuzo noticed her dilemma and laughed.

"It's just a question." He said. "You're thinking too much. Just pick what's comfortable to you. I'll be back."

When he left, she quickly just flopped onto the bed, telling herself she was being such a big idiot. But then again, Juuzo was taking this too lightly! It's not just a small question! They were going to sleep like this (presumably) for the rest of their lives. It has to be perfect. Face down on the bed, she rubbed her hand against the blanket wondering what it would be like to be so close to Juuzo… But before she got too deep into those thoughts, she shook them away and got up to brush her hair and grab the book she'd been meaning to read.

Deciding on the side that was against the wall, she crawled into bed just a few minutes before Juuzo came back wearing a T-shirt and shorts. Her heart fluttered for a second, but she demanded she play it cool and just gave him a nodd before continuing to read.

"Can you see everything all right?" He asked, rubbing a towel through his hair.

"Yea, it's fine." She said.

He approached the bed and lifted the covers high enough to get in. Mamushi could feel the dip in the mattress as he curled up in bed. She tried to continue reading but she noticed after a bit, that he'd actually been staring up at her.

Pulling the book up to cover her face, she shyly asked what he was doing.

"Just looking at you." he replied.

"Why?" she asked, completely giving up on her book.

"Cuz you're finally here with me." He simply stated.

"And what, you've been waiting your whole life for this?" She sarcastically joked.

"Basically, yeah."

She stilled, not sure what kinda comeback to say to that. They were technically flirting at this point, right? She put her book down, letting it slide into the dip between the bed and the wall. Laying her head down against her pillow, she bravely leveled herself to Juuzo, completely giving him her attention.

"You know…" She said quietly. She took this chance to notice all the little details on Juuzo's face. His skin was so smooth for someone who probably didn't take that much care for it.

"If you had told me you liked me in like middle school, I probably would have been okay with it."

They stared at each other, Juuzo's look of surprise turned into a giant grin as he pulled her toward him tickling her sides.

"That's a lie and you know it!" he laughed. "I could barely get you to look at me back then."

"That's because you acted so much like a monkey back then!" she squealed, trying to push his hands away.

But he was insistent, he pulled her even closer until their foreheads touched.

"Does that mean you've liked me too?" He asked with a smug grin.

"Oh, shut up!" She pouted, it's because of that grin that she has trouble talking. "If you didn't act like you were right all the time, i wouldn't have felt like I was being babied all the time."

"Sorry, sorry," his hand brushed up and down her back, trying to soothe her. "I guess that's what happens when you have four younger siblings." He laughed again before calming down.

"I'll listen to you more, Mamashi." He promised, hesitantly leaving his arms around her.

"Okay," she whispered, snuggling close to him.


A/N: After this chapter, we're gonna focus less on the other characters and narrow down on Mamushi and Juuzo. I think that was the reason why I had trouble writing this chapter… Anyways, until next time!