MangaMaid's Notes: Yup! I updated! Chapter 3 of the reboot! Thank you all those who review, follow, like this story, etc! Enjoy!

...

When the school bell rang to signal the end of class, Kumori opened her eyes, yawning. Since she had been kicked out of the English class, she found she could go out and find places to nap until classes were done. Today, she had found a nice spot in one of the few trees in the back of the school.

As the students began to make their way out en masse, Kumori hopped down from her napping spot and moved to join them, searching the crowd for Akira. Not seeing her friend, Kumori moved towards the front gate, wondering if Akira had gone there to wait.

No luck. Maybe Akira was just running a little behind the crowds and talking to Suzume about archery. Kumori leaned against the concrete wall and waited for the crowds to disperse. The thought crashed as she saw Suzume walk past her with a wave as she headed home. After several more minutes of waiting, worry settled in. Where the hell was Akira?

A hand landed on her shoulder and she spun to see familiar red hair and green eyes watching her. "Nii-san! What are you doing here?"

Kurama's smile was practically a smirk. "I told you I'd see you after school, little sister."

"Yeah, but you usually don't get out before me," Kumori responded, her face turning into a pout.

"Class let out early today for the underclassmen. The seniors are preparing for college exams."

"Ah. Well, now I feel stupid…" Kumori grumbled. When Kurama snickered, she whapped his arm. "Hey! No laughing at me!"

"My apologies," Kurama offered before looking around. "Where is Akira?"

"That's what I want to know."

"Perhaps, she is running late?"

"Nuh uh. It's not like Kit at all to run late after school. Me, sure. All the time. I do it on purpose actually." Ignoring Kurama's expression, she continued, "Her, never. Especially not with Akane waiting on her…"

"Could she be signing up for a club?"

"I thought maybe. But Suzume walked by not too long before you got here." Kumori glanced around against before exhaling. "Dammit… Where the hell is she?"

Hurried footsteps caught both Kurama and Kumori's attention and they turned to see Akira running out of the school. Her eyes were rapidly searching the grounds as she ran and her mouth was in a strained frown.

"Kit!" Kumori called out to Akira, garnering her attention.

Relief sunk through Akira's appearance and she ran up to them. Her eyes widened a little at seeing Shuuichi, but she said nothing about it. Instead, she apologized. "Sorry for making you both wait…"

"Why were you late? Something happen?" Kumori asked.

Akira shook her head. "No… Not really."

"So something did happen," Kumori translated, glancing at Shuuichi before spinning back to Akira. "You can tell us."

Ignoring Kumori, Akira looked to Shuuichi and said, "Uhm… I'm… really sorry… But… Well… Do you mind… showing me the way to Akane's kindergarten… We were running late this morning… and I… well… I don't want to get lost..."

"Of course," Shuuichi affirmed, his tone kind.

"Thank you…"

As they began walking, Kumori began to tap on Akira, trying to get her to explain why she was late. But Akira's mouth stayed shut as they walked. Kumori watched her, a small frown becoming more and more pronounced with every step they took. However, it wasn't until they reached Akane's kindergarten that Kumori got her answer.

The sound of soft sobbing permeated the air as they approached the kindergarten. Akira rushed ahead and when she entered the gate, it was easy to see where the cries were coming from. Akane was sitting on the playground, crying into her hands while Ms. Tsukino's daughter, Kimiko, patted her on the back. Ms. Tsukino was kneeling next to Akane, apparently talking to her.

When Ms. Tsukino saw Akira, she tapped Akane on the shoulder before pointing to them. Akane peeked up. Tears were rolling down her cheeks and nose, her mouth was pulled together in a pout, and her skin was blotchy. Seeing Akira, her eyes, red from crying, widened.

"Kira-nee!" Akane ran to her sister, who knelt down, and threw her arms around her sister's neck. She began to cry again.

Akira stroked her sister's head in a comforting manner as Akane burrowed into her shoulder. She gazed up as Ms. Tsukino approached before standing to greet her. When she did so, Akane moved to cling to Akira's hand.

Akira ducked her head. "Thank you for watching Akane… I… I got held up after class... so…"

Ms. Tsukino raised a hand to stop Akira. "It's all right. We were just worried. When you didn't show up, Akane started to become stressed. Other than that, she seemed to have a good day."

"That's a relief." Akira thanked Ms. Tsukino once more before turning to Akane. "Ready to go, Aka-chan?"

Akane grinned at her sister. "Yeah!"

Together, they headed out where Kumori and Shuuichi were waiting. When the two sisters reached them, Kumori asked, "Everything okay? I heard crying."

Nodding, Akira explained, "Akane got a little worried because I was late…" After a pause, she continued, her tone laced with superficial cheer, "Well, I guess we'd better get going over to Ms. Shiori's, right?"

A few minutes into their walk back, Akane peeked up at her sister. "Kira-nee? Why were you late?"

Akira's face turned red and she turned away from her sister towards the sky. "Well you see... I... uhm... Well... I... ergh... I got in trouble at school.."

Akane seemed stunned."But Kira-nee, you aren't bad! Why would you be in trouble?"

"I... uh... well... I... was... I was... I kind of…" Akira bit her lip, unsure of what to say. After a moment, she admitted, "Well... I wasn't... nice... to the teacher…"

Kumori broke in with a scoff. "You? Not nice to a teacher? Please. What did you do? Call him an idiot or something and then fix his mistakes?"

In response, Akira's face turned a very dark shade of red. "Well… I didn't call him an idiot per se… I may have just… you know… implied it?"

Wide-eyed, Kumori continued, "Really?! You did? You seriously did?!" She began to howl with laughter. After a moment, she said, "Wait, wait, wait! This wouldn't happen to be a forty some year old man with a bald spot who says Eemeriikaa, would it?" When Akira didn't answer, Kumori began to shake with laughter once again. "You sassed him?! HA! Wasn't anything near as bad as what I did, most likely, but still! HA!"

Unable to look at Kumori or Shuuichi, Akira gripped onto Akane's hand and blatantly kept her eyes on her younger sister's face, embarrassed by Kumori's laughter. By the time they had reached the Minamino house, Kumori's laughter had died out; but Akira wouldn't risk making eye contact with anyone.

When they were inside, three voices chorused together, "'Kiwah! 'Kah-nay!" It wasn't long until Ryuu, Tsubaki, and Sango ran to the door, throwing themselves at their elder siblings to hug them.

Shiori followed them in. "There you are. I was beginning to wonder where you'd gotten to."

Stepping around the triplets, Shuuichi came over to his mother and kissed her cheek. "Hello Mother. Sorry for making you worry."

"Oh nonsense. I figured something must've happened at school to make you three run late. Besides, we all had a fun day together." Shiori smiled at Akira and said, "The twins are napping upstairs."

Akira gazed up at Shiori, relief exuding off of her. "Thank you so much for watching them."

"Don't fret about it, dear. You're brothers and sisters are very fun children to be around."

Both Shiori and Akira ignored Kumori's disbelieving snort, as well as her mutterings of; "Fun, riiiight. Because being drenched is all kinds of fun. Evil childs."

Akane looked up at Kumori. "My brothers and sisters aren't evil…"

"Yes they are! They splash me!"

"That's just Ryuu and Sango, Kumori," Akira replied as she began going up the stairs to check on her youngest siblings. "And the reason they do it is because you make it too easy for them to tease you."

Kumori's mouth opened and closed in a wordless response while Ryuu and Sango beamed up at her with attempted innocence. Shuuichi bit his thumb and turned away from the scene it made, trying hard to stifle his laughter as Kumori shot a glare his way.

"Are you laughing at me?!"

Shuuichi's responding smile was smooth and seamless, hiding any of his previous laughter. "Of course not. That would be rude."

"You are! You are totally laughing at my misery!"

"Who is laughing at your misery, Kumori?" Akira asked as she came down the stairs, hefting Yuki and Yuri, who were both awake, in her arms.

"Oh… Akira, dear," Shiori said, noticing the two toddlers the young teen was carrying. "You didn't need to get them up."

"Up!" Yuri chirped. "We up!"

"I… I didn't…" Akira murmured, ducking her head. "They were already awake."

"Yeah! Up!" Yuri continued her happy babble.

"Well, don't just stand there, Shuuichi. Be a gentleman and help the poor girl!" Shiori nudged her son.

"Oh… Uhm… No. I… I'm fine," Akira stuttered as Shuuichi made his way over to help her, sending a subtle glare at her friend when Kumori started to cackle quietly. "Really... I'm… I'm used to this…" She shifted to balance each twin on her hips. "I-I've been doing it awhile… I, uh… I really don't need help."

"Nonsense, you're a young lady. And you've obviously got your hands full," Shiori offered, giving Akira a reassuring smile. "Shuuichi can at least help you."

"Uhm…" Akira shook her head as she struggled with her words. "No… Really… I don't want to bother you… Besides… Like I said… I've been doing it awhile…" Unsure of what to else, she glanced at Kumori. When Kumori didn't offer up any suggestions, she bit her lip before meeting eyes with Shuuichi. He seemed to be studying her once again. Feeling the curl of nerves in her stomach, she shifted the twins in her arms, focusing her attention away from him and onto them.

A sudden shout caught everyone's attention. "FLEEEEEEEEEE! The demon childs is chasing meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Kumori screamed, bolting past the group as Ryuu and Sango, who had become tired of waiting in the hallway, chased after her with shrieks of laughter.

Shiori smiled at Akira, noting the young girl's evident mortification. "Why don't you come sit at the table and rest for a bit? I'll call your mother and see if the house is ready for your younger siblings."

Nodding, Akira followed Shiori to the table with Akane and Tsubaki close behind. She sat the table, placing Yuki and Yuri in her lap while Shiori took the phone off it's base and called their mother. Akane quickly took the seat on her left while Tsubaki sat on her right, both watching her.

The sounds of Kumori, Ryuu, and Sango running about the house hung in the background. Akira winced every time she heard a thud, signaling someone had hit a wall or some piece of furniture. Luckily, she hadn't heard the sound of anything breaking yet. Trying to tune it out, she looked down at the twins. Yuri was playing with her hand, pulling on her fingers and palm with her tiny hands, while Yuki snuggled against her, trying to get more sleep.

After a few minutes, Shiori returned, a small smile on her face. "Well, your mother says it's all right for you to head over." Her smile faltered. "However, I'm afraid I can't take you as planned. I need to start dinner and look over some paperwork from my job."

"Oh… T-That's all right," Akira answered, watching as Yuri hopped down and toddled over to Tsubaki before encouraging her to play. "I'm… I'm sure we can find it as long as we have the address."

"I understand, but it's not safe for you to be wandering the streets. There are some unsavory people who lurk around the streets who'd be looking for girls who are alone. However, Shuuichi can take you."

"Oh… No… Really…" Akira bit her lip. "I really don't… don't want to burden…"

"Akira," Shiori said, walking over to her, her tone serious. "It's not a burden. Don't you think it is. I would rather that you, Kumori, and your family get there safely than not get there at all." After Akira dipped her head in agreement, Shiori called for her son. "Shuuichi?"

He appeared in the doorway. "Yes, Mother?"

"Would you do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"I called Minori and the house is ready for her children to head over. I was going to take them, but have some work I need to get done, so would you mind going with them instead?"

Shuuichi smiled at her. "Of course not, Mother. I don't mind."

"Wonderful. Thank you so much." She placed a kiss on her son's forehead as she passed by him. "I'll go tell Kumori to get ready."

After she left, Akira stood, shifting as Yuki gave a small whimper before nestling himself against her shoulder. "Uhm… Thank you… Shu-Shuuichi…"

Imitating her sister, Akane stood up as well. "Yeah, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Akira gave him a nervous smile before bending down to pick up Yuri from off the floor where she was playing with Tsubaki. Shuuichi, however, noticed her intention and scooped up Yuri before Akira could grab her. Yuri didn't seem to mind. Instead of crying, she let loose a loud squeal of delight before burying her hands in Shuuichi's crimson hair.

Surprise caught Akira off guard and she began to babble. "Oh… Uhm… You-You don't have to carry her…"

"I don't mind."

"Really, I can carry her and Yuki."

"I understand that," Shuuichi answered. But he made no move to hand over Yuri to Akira.

"Well… I'm just saying… you don't need to trouble yourself…"

"It's no trouble at all."

"Uhm… Well… Yuri really likes to pull on people's hair and stuff-"

An amused look crossed Shuuichi's face. "A trait she shares with you, I imagine?"

That stopped Akira. "What?"

"According to our mothers, you were the same way at her age." Shuuichi chuckled before continuing. "It's really fine. You don't need to feel as if you have to manage your siblings alone, you know."

"Ha!" A voice called from behind them. "I've told her that for years, but she doesn't listen." Both turned to see Kumori in the doorway, leaning against the frame, a delighted smirk on her face. She pushed herself off the doorway as Ryuu and Sango bolted into the room, latching onto Akira's legs. "Anyways, I hear you're taking us, Shuui-chan."

"That is correct."

"Awesome. Then you can help me evade the two terrors that are hugging Akira's legs to death over there."

Akira shot Kumori an annoyed glare before rolling her eyes while Ryuu and Sango beamed up at Shuuichi, waving innocently. Shaking her head, Akira muttered something incoherent before looking down to her younger siblings. "Ready to go see Mom?"

Akane nodded, gripping her elder sister's hand while the triplets began to enthuse their excitement about seeing their mother.

"I'll get the address from my mother then." Shuuichi turned and left the room, taking Yuri with him.

While Shuuichi spoke with his mother about the address, Akira made sure the rest of her siblings had all of their things together before ushering them all into the entryway. Apparently, while she and Kumori had been at school, her mother had packed everything of theirs up and already moved it to the new house. While Akira was looking over Tsubaki's shoes to make sure they were on tight, Shuuichi joined them.

"Well, are we ready to go?"

Kumori shrugged. "I think so. Hey, Kit. Everything good?"

Glancing up at the other two teens, Akira nodded. "Yeah…"

"Okay then!" Kumori beamed, turning to Shuuichi. "Lead the way, Shuui-chan! Onwards!"

Following Shuuichi outside, Akira watched as Ryuu and Sango ran past Shuuichi, both giggling as they ran ahead. She smiled at their play before noticing that Tsubaki seemed to hang back. She watched Tsubaki for a moment before asked, "Everything okay, Tsubaki?"

Tsubaki turned to her sister, surprise registering in her face. "Huh? Oh… Yeah." A smile grew on her face. "I was thinkin'."

"What about?" Akane asked, looking around from right side of Akira to her younger sister.

"Oh… Just about if we ha' ta find home alone an' how scary it'd be."

Akira chuckled. "Well, we don't, thanks to Shuuichi. It's nice of him to do that for us. Right Tsubaki?"

"Yeah! Shuu-shee's nice!"

Akira coughed, trying hard to bite back a snicker at the way Tsubaki had murdered Shuuichi's name while Akane giggled. Tsubaki looked around Akira to Akane, confusion evident in her face.

"Wha'd I say?"

"Shuuichi, Tsubaki." Akira explained while Akane shook with giggles, "His name is Shuuichi." She shot an apologetic look at Shuuichi.

"Tha's wha' I said. Shuueeshee." Turning back to her triplet siblings, Tsubaki ran ahead to join their game from where they were currently playing.

"SUSHI!" Kumori shouted from where she stood next to the tall red-head, her laughter following him. "You are never going to live that down, Nii-san. Never in a million years! Oh goodness, I have to write that down, that kid is gold!"

"I see…" Shuuichi answered, his tone low. "Perhaps then I should inform Akira about what your classmate called you? Let's see… What was it again, something to do with-"

"SHUTTING UP!" Kumori squeaked, her face turning almost as red as the streak in her hair.

Akira glanced ahead towards the two of them. "Okay... Now I'm curious… What exactly did this person call Kumori?"

"NOTHING!" Kumori blurted out, effectively cutting off any response from Shuuichi. "He called me nothing and that's the end of it. And you!" She rounded on Shuuichi. "Try that again and I will dye your fur hot pink and sell pictures to your fangirls!"

"Fur?" Akira asked, blinking. "Don't you mean hair? And wouldn't you bleach it, not dye…?"

"I call it fur. It's messy enough to be called that. And semantics. The end result would be the same. Shuui-nii here with bright pink hair and girls would still be chasing him asking him to be the father of their babies." She grinned suddenly and turned to Shuuichi with a crazed look as she clung to his arm, crying in an overly sweet, sing-songy Transylvanian accent, "I vant to haf your babiez, oh great Lord-of-sexy!"

"What the-?"

"Shuuichi has a fanclub. A large one. And they are obsessed with having his children." Kumori replied to her friend's confusion, releasing Shuuichi's arm and continuing to walk as though nothing had happened.

There was silence for a few minutes. Then Akira made a coughing sound, followed by a snort. Soon, she burst out laughing. "R-Really?" she choked out after a few moments. Akira coughed a few more times, trying to compose herself. "Really?"

Kumori offered a solemn nod, her expression carefully neutral. "Oh, yes. There are several who have deluded themselves into thinking they're his girlfriends. I take great pleasure in causing them pain. Sometimes they don't get the hint though, Shuui-chan is simply too gorgeous for them to leave alone, and it must be simply awful having to live with such a brute of a girl. I'm rather flattered they think so highly of me."

Akira shook her head, entertained at the thought. She whispered to herself, "I wonder how highly they'd think of raising a child. What with the long nights with fevers, the crying from injuries, and the toilet-training… Not to mention the temper tantrums." Shaking herself from her thoughts, she gave Shuuichi a nervous smile and lifted her voice up to address him. "Well… I guess high school must be…. interesting for you…"

Shuuichi's returning smile was tense. "I suppose one could look at it that way."

"Understatement," Kumori snorted. "Did you know that at least once a week he actually escapes his school at lunch to come all the way to Sarayashiki? He claims it's to keep an eye on me but I always hear him muttering about crazy girls and running out of places to hide." Kumori shrugged after receiving a glare from Shuuichi. "What?! Is true!"

Akira didn't hear Shuuichi's reply as she noticed the triplets several feet away, chasing one another in some sort of game. "Hey!" she called out to them. "Ryuu! Tsubaki! Sango! Don't run off too far!"

"'Kay!" they yelled back before returning to their play.

Akane peered up and squeezed her sister's hand. "Kira-nee, how long till we get there?"

"Not sure, Akane," Akira answered, shifting Yuki in her arms. "Why? You bored?"

"A little…"

"Want a story? I know a lot of 'em! And some of them don't even feature Prince Yusuke! They feature a handsome thief called Youko Kurama, and his crazy bat of a friend, Kuronue."

"Youko Kurama?" Akane asked, looking up at Kumori. "Who's that?"

Kumori gasped, "You've never heard of the legendary Youko Kurama?"

Akane shook her head. "No-o-o-o. Why? Am I supposed to?"

Turning to Akira, Kumori said, "How come you've never told her about him?"

"Uh… Maybe because I haven't heard of him…?" Akira replied, raising her eyebrows at her friend.

"Oh, right... Well anyways, Youko is really more of a title. It means Demon Fox, while Kurama's his name."

"Really?" Akane looked up at Kumori. "Well, why was he a legendary thief?"

"Because of what he stole." Kumori said, her voice taking on a very serious tone, as if she were about to divulge a great secret. "It's said that, in his homeland, there is an impenetrable fortress made of stone. Inside of this fortress was a garden, but not just any garden, the Garden of Hatsu.

"Now, most who would visit the garden would ask for one of the healing apples, said to cure any ailment, but what many of these visitors didn't know was that, surrounding the tree that gave these apples, was a tangle of rose bushes. These bushes were black as night, with thorns long and sharp to cut any who so much as brushed past them.

"For many years, the bushes were believed barren, for no rose ever bloomed on them. Then, one night during a full blood-red moon, a single bud bloomed. The bud was the purest white, so pure that it hurt many to look at it. But the very heart of the rose held a secret all its own, a blood-red gem. The guards of the fortress worshiped the rose, for any who smelled it became much stronger, their energy growing tremendously with power far beyond what any had thought possible. Word spread and just a few short months after the rose bloomed, many came to the garden seeking it for their own. Many thieves, bandits, and tricksters came to the garden to steal the rose, but none succeeded. Instead, they lost their lives to the garden, their blood feeding the many plants."

"Ew…" Akane interrupted, her nose wrinkling in disgust even as Kumori chuckled at the girl's squeamishness.

"Can I continue? Or do you need to puke?"

"That just sounds yucky Kumori! Why would a plant need blood?"

"Akane," Akira spoke up, gaining her younger sister's attention. "Remember the version of Cinderella we read a couple months ago?"

"The one where the sisters cut up their feet?"

"Yes. Remember why the blood was important?"

"Because it showed that the sisters weren't Cinderella?"

Akira smiled. "Exactly. If you let Kumori continue, maybe the story will tell you why the plants ate people."

"Oh… Okay!" Akane waved at Kumori. "Go on!"

Kumori snorted in amusement before speaking. "Where was I? Oh, right. Soon, word of this great treasure and its protection reached the den of a young silver kitsune, Kurama, and his companion, a black koumouri, Kuronue. They were such a strange pair and many could not tell how they remained friends, as one was a being of playful nature hidden behind jaded eyes, and the other a being of dark, foreboding nature shielded by a playful personality. The two had been together for as long as the people of the land could remember, two orphans protecting each other at every turn.

"When word of the garden reached them, they both gained a glimmer of determination to their eyes. The plant, with its ability to bolster the strength of those it came into contact with, would be a large help in securing their safety among the other demons that inhabited the land. Together, the two began planning for the day they would storm the fortress and its garden. For weeks, they planned and practiced, preparing for any dangers ahead."

A cry of distress broke through the story and the group looked ahead to see Tsubaki sitting on the pavement, crying as she held her knee. Sango and Ryuu hovered over their sister for a moment before Sango yelled, "Kira-nee! Tsubaki's bleeding!"

Akira ran ahead to the triplets, Akane following after her while Kumori and Kurama hung back for a moment. Kurama looked over to Kumori. "How do you know all of this?"

Kumori's grin was positively impish as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "You remember how the King's Vault in Reikai had wonderful security? The Archives are even better! And I get so very bored when the detective is off doing shit and I can't find our favorite three-eyed demon to annoy. I'd rather read history than die of boredom. And you know how I hate history more than the evils that are the color pink and water."

Kurama lifted an eyebrow before glancing back to Akira, watching her as she set Yuki, who had been startled up by the crying, down as she knelt and looked over Tsubaki's knee.

"Shh, shh, Tsubaki. It's okay."

"It HURTS!" Tsubaki howled, tears and mucus running down her face before a hiccup escaped her.

"Let me see it," Akira requested, gently tugging her sister's hand away from the injury while Shuuichi and Kumori joined them.

A small intake of breath escaped Akira. Tsubaki had a large patch of skin missing, her knee now red and oozing blood. Looking over Tsubaki's hands, Akira saw that they too were red. She gave her crying sister a smile. "You must've fallen pretty hard. What happened?"

"We were playing tag and Tsubaki trip-id while running," Ryuu explained, looking over his sister worried.

Akira nodded. "Well, we'll have to treat it at home, but in the mean time…" She pulled her yellow scarf from her uniform, wrapping it around her sister's knee to staunch the bleeding. After she finished tying it, she gave it a light kiss. "There. All done." Standing up, she looked at Tsubaki. "Do you want to try walking?"

Tsubaki shook her head. Her sobs were lessening, but another hiccup escaped her as she rubbed at her wet eyes.

At that moment, Yuki spoke, his voice shy and timid. "I walk…"

Akira looked at her youngest brother before smiling. "All right, Yuki. If you're sure…" She bent down, letting Tsubaki climb onto her back. After a few moments to shift into a comfortable position, she stood while Tsubaki buried her face in her sister's back. Looking down, Akira asked, "Uhm… How close are we, Shuuichi?"

"We still have another half hour or so to walk, I'm afraid. The address is out near the outskirts of the city."

A smile forced it's way up on Akira's face. "Well, it can't be helped, right? So we'd better get moving."

The following walk was quiet, with even the younger children staying silent as they felt the stress that had been caused by Tsubaki's fall still hanging in the air. As the silence wore on, Kumori grew bored with it. Deciding to break it, she asked, "So, Kit. What did you do in Oregon while I was gone?"

"Hmm?" Akira glanced up from looking at her feet. "Oh. Not much… Just… hung around the library I guess…"

"What about Sarah, Jenny, and Natasha? How're they doing?"

Akira shrugged. "Natasha's family moved to Salem right before the school year started… and… well... Sarah and Jennifer had a falling out over Robert Dawkins about a month or so back… "

Kumori spun around, her eyebrows raised. "Robert Dawkins? Are you serious?"

"As the grave."

"Robert Dawkins? Really? The boy's a creep!" Kumori shuddered. "What do they-? You know what? No. I don't wanna know what they were thinking."

"Who's Robert Dawkins?" Shuuichi asked, looking at Akira.

"A boy who's in our grade..."

"Wrong!" Kumori interrupted. She stared at Shuuichi, her face serious. "He's a menace! A spoiled brat!"

"Uhm…" Akira said as Shuuichi looked to her for confirmation. "H-He's… well… He's a bit prejudice towards girls… And… he uh… he might've broken Kumori's arm in a fight…"

"Fricking bastard is what he is!" Kumori snapped, ignoring the younger children's gasps at the swear. "He put his whole weight on it! And when it snapped, the asshole laughed! Laughed! If I ever see him again, I'll rip his arm off! See how much he laughs!"

Shuuichi's brow furrowed. "What happened after he broke your arm?"

"Nothing! The butt-head got away with it scotch free! I got detention!" Kumori hissed, pretending to throttle something as she hissed death threats under her breath.

"His father is the Mayor…" Akira explained. "So, he uhm… Tends to get away with stuff like that."

"I see…" The look on Shuuichi's face caused Akira to shrink a little bit.

"But the important thing is he's not here so…" Akira continued. "There's… uh… no reason to really... worry... about it... now..." Looking away from Shuuichi, she took in her surroundings, realizing that somehow the skyscrapers had disappeared and that the buildings were further apart. "I-I-I'm guessing we're nearing our new address?"

"Indeed," Shuuichi answered. His face smoothed out as he continued, "We just have to turn right on the next private road we see and your home should be at the end of it."

"YAY! ONWARDS!" Kumori shouted, bolting past the group and causing the children to shriek with laughter as Sango and Ryuu began to chase after her, "AAAAAH! AKIRA I'M BEING CHASED BY GNOMES!"

"But a gnome is short like you, 'Mori!" Ryuu called after her.

"I AM NOT SHORT!"

"Are too!" Ryuu and Sango chanted together.

Shaking her head, Akira shifted Tsubaki against her back. A sigh escaped her and she muttered, "I told her she makes it too easy..."

"I HEARD THAT! I DO NOT! OW! GROUND!"Kumori yelled before she was tackled by Ryuu and hit the pavement. "You little brat! You tripped me! You're lucky you're cute or I'd seriously hurt you right now."

Ryuu smirked at her. "You woun't hurt me! Kira-nee woul haf to evenjuh me!"

"That's right," Akira agreed. "I'd have to avenge my siblings if you hurt them. And I know things about you that I'm pretty sure you'd hate having me reveal to other people."

Kumori turned wide eyes on her friend, ignoring the toddler still sitting on her back. "You're bluffing…."

"Well, I could always tell Shuuichi, or Suzume, or maybe Keiko, about that one time when we were ten-"

"NO! I'll be good! I won't hurt the chiddlers!"

"All right. Then I don't have to avenge them."

"Why did I teach you the art of blackmail again?"

"Shinsei. That's why." Akira deadpanned. Giving her friend a skeptical look, she continued. "Unless you wanted to be used as a dress mannequin?"

"Ah, right. Now I remember. EEEEEVIL cousin you have there, trying to put me in skirts. AND THEY WERE PINK!"

"Only some were pink…" Akira muttered, feeling Shuuichi's eyes on them.

"You're right. It was only the ones he tried to FORCE me in that were pink."

Exhaling through her teeth, Akira fought back a growing headache. She forced a smile at her friend. "I'm not going to argue with you on this…" She turned to Shuuichi and asked, "How much longer till we get to the house?"

Shuuichi pointed to a small road several feet ahead with a bunch of cars on it. "I believe that's it."

"YAY! MOMMY!" Akane cheered, reenergized by the idea of seeing her mom. She bolted ahead of the group, Ryuu and Sango quickly following their elder sister, while Yuki toddled after them.

Tsubaki's grip on Akira's neck tightened and Akira quickened her pace to keep up with her younger siblings. She followed them onto the road while her eyes noted the cars and a moving van parked ahead of them. As her eyes followed the road up to the house, she took in their new home.

The house was, as Shuuichi had said, at the end of the road, secluded away so that one couldn't automatically see it from the main road. When it came into view, it was obvious that the house had been designed in the Victorian-style. It stood two stories tall, made out of a dark maroon brick with slate grey pagoda-mansard roofing with white trim sitting atop it. A set of white carved double doors with elliptical windows served as the front doors while a white porch wrapped around the house's left. On the second floor above the doors, was a large sliding glass door with a wide balcony that hung over the front doors, sheltering them from any weather. There were several other large windows spaced away from the house and a chimney peered over from behind the roof.

It was as if the wind had been knocked out of Akira. She froze while she stared at the large house, trying to process the idea. It was so different from the small home she was used to.

"It's so pretty!" Akane called from ahead.

"What is so-?" Kumori began before she noticed the house. "Holy shit… This is where we're living?"

Akira's nod was almost non-existent. "I guess…"

Rounding on Shuuichi, Kumori asked, "You sure this is the right address Shuuichi?"

"I'm positive, Kumori."

"Shit… This place is a freaking mansion!"

As she struggled to compose herself, Akira said, "Well… It seems Grandfather certainly is…"

"A showoff?" Kumori deadpanned as she turned to look at her friend.

Akira scowled at her friend and her next words were muttered. "I was going to say extravagant…"

Kumori translated, "So, in Akira speak, yes. A showoff."

Akira shook her head before adjusting Tsubaki once more and heading towards the house. Her younger siblings were all perched in front of the door, unsure of what to do next. After she hefted Tsubaki higher up on her shoulders, Akira walked up to the door and knocked.

There was a moment's pause before the door opened to reveal their mother. Her hair stuck up at different angles, like she had run her fingers through it multiple times. Her mouth was in a thin line, her brow was furrowed, while her eyes kept darting around. When her eyes landed on them, a faint smile came to her. "Ah, there's my kids. I was wondering where you were. Come on in."

As they all walked in, Akira noticed the way her mother's shoulders were hunched as she walked ahead of them. While she removed her and Tsubaki's shoes, she watched how Minori seemed to teeter and stumble as she continued to amble ahead of them before she disappeared into another room.

Shuuichi's voice startled her out of her thoughts. "Is your mother all right?"

Looking down at the floor, Akira murmured, "She's just tired… You know… Jet-lag and all…" She ignored the feeling of eyes on her, instead picking Tsubaki up again and following her mother.

Careful to not slip on the wood floors, she began to take in the house. The hallway ran down a few feet before veering right and opening up into a large room while the left held what appeared to be a coat closet door.

The large room seemed to have been turned into some form of a library as shelves of books ran across the off-white walls while several chairs were organized in the room. A door near the entrance led into what looked like the dining room. Across the room, a set of glass doors sat closed, but it looked like they led into some form of an office. On the left wall, a large entryway led into another room where several small wooden cabinets were lined up, while some of the younger children's toys were in bins on top of the cabinets. Yuki and Yuri's playpen also sat in the center of room, suggesting it had been set up as a play area.

On the right side of the play area, a wooden staircase spiraled up into a small half-barred, balcony area of the upper hallway where someone could look down into the play area on their right before coming down the steps on the left of the hallway.

The left side of the play area only shared a small half wall with the living room. A black couch sat against the half wall and the TV was placed across from it. Next to the TV on the right was the back door and next to the backdoor was a loveseat that matched the couch. A bar to the left of the TV separated the living room from the kitchen and the dining area. It was in the dining area, they found Minori. She was standing next to a large wooden table talking with a man and five women who were grouped around her.

The man was taller than her with brown hair much darker than Akira's own reddish-brown and brown eyes hidden behind large square glasses with a black frame. His face was narrow, but it was obvious from the set of his mouth and the eye color that he was related to Minori. Over his pale blue button up shirt, red tie, and black slacks, he wore a white lab coat.

He had his right arm wrapped around the shoulders of a woman -his wife Akira guessed- dressed in a white long sleeve shirt and black pencil skirt, who barely reached his chin. Her face and mouth were softer, more round and framed by black hair that fell down her shoulders in soft curling waves. Her brown eyes were darker than the man's but they held a certain warmness in them.

A woman with the same narrow face as the man's and sharp angular features, stood on his and his wife's left, behind them. She was tall, a couple inches over the man, and held the air of a business woman, what with her dressed in a strict business suit and her sleek black hair pulled up in a tight bun on the top of her head. Her brown eyes were cold, staring down Minori with a venomous hatred that emanated off her entire being.

On the other side of the man's wife, another woman stood, just a few inches shorter than the man's wife. This one was obviously the youngest of any of the women, her face still holding some signs of being in her late twenties to early thirties. Her grey eyes were alert and her brown hair that matched the man's was pulled back into a ponytail while a young toddler, a girl with dark curls around Yuki and Yuri's age, was holding onto her neck while a girl with black hair in a bowl cut around Akane's age stood stock still next to her, giving the air that she was listening to Minori's every word.

Next to the mother and her two daughters, another mother stood, this one holding a sleeping baby in one arm and keeping a hand on the shoulder of a boy with wild black hair and mischievous brown eyes around nine or ten. Her black hair hung around her shoulders while her dark violet eyes were sternly watching the boy who looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but in the dining room.

The last woman was next to Minori. She was elderly, with deep wrinkles, short ashy-white curls, and warm grey eyes that watched Minori with the tenderness only a mother could give her child. A wrinkly hand was set upon Minori's right shoulder, rubbing it softly. She was the only one wearing a kimono, a pale violet with moon white flowers decorating it.

Taking a step back, Akira was ready to wait until her mother was done talking. However, the younger children had other ideas.

"Mommy!" Yuri yelled, running past the adults to her mother. "We colors-ed!"

Minori picked Yuri up and balanced her youngest daughter on her hip, focusing her attention on her. "You did?"

Ryuu run up to hug his mother's right leg, "Yeah! And Ms. Shiori let us go outside!"

"Uh huh..." A yawn escaped Sango as she wobbled up while she rubbed at her eyes before hugging her mother's other leg.

Minori looked up to her other children. Seeing Tsubaki being carried by Akira, she came over to Akira and asked, "Tsubaki, what happened?"

"I fell…" Tsubaki mumbled into Akira's shoulder as everyone turned to look at them.

"She scraped her knee pretty bad," Akira mentioned, eyeing the people surrounding her mom wary of them.

The man stepped forward. "Maybe I should take a look?"

Akira looked up at him, confusion evident on her face, while Tsubaki tightened her grip around her sister's shoulders. When their mother noticed their hesitation, she gave them a smile. "It's okay. This is your Uncle Minoru and that's his wife Chime. He's a doctor in the next city over."

Akira glanced at Tsubaki before nodding. "Okay." Slowly, she let Tsubaki off of her back before handing her over to her mother. Her mother picked up Tsubaki before setting her on the table for Minoru to look at.

Minoru bent down to look at Tsubaki's face. "Well now, let's take a look at that knee, okay?" After Tsubaki nodded, he undid the scarf around her knee. When he saw her knee, he said, "Ouch. That looks like that hurt. Let's get it cleaned up, okay?"

As her brother tended to her daughter, Minori turned to Shuuichi. "Shuuichi, thank you for helping my children."

"Of course, Ms. Minori. It was no trouble at all."

Kumori snickered before Shuuichi glanced at her. Giving an innocent smile, she said, "What? I did nothing, I said nothing, I am noth-."

Shuuichi clapped his hand over Kumori's mouth, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips at the show of nervousness the silver haired girl displayed.

Before anyone could reply, the elderly woman addressed Minori with a hint of a smile. "Minori, why don't you introduce us to these lovely young people?"

Minori nodded, shifting Yuri on her hip. "Well, this young man is Shuuichi Minamino, my friend Shiori's son."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Shuuichi bowed in respect to the adults.

The woman with the cold eyes lifted a single eyebrow. "At least one of these children has manners."

Ignoring the snide comment, Minori continued, "The young lady with the silver hair next to him is Kumori Aisubachi."

The cold-eyed woman spoke again. "Ah, yes. The abandoned child you're taking in."

Shuuichi's eyes narrowed, placing a hand on Kumori's shoulder as a near-silent growl began to work its way up her throat. Kumori took a deep breath, her face clearing of everything and settling into a blank mask as her blue eyes dulled to a dead gleam..

Minori's mouth set into a frown, but she continued on, gesturing to her youngest daughter. "This little girl is Yuri, one of the twins, who are my youngest. Her brother, Yuki, is over there next to Akane. These two on my legs are Ryuu and Sango, their sister Tsubaki is the one who scraped her knee. And the young lady next to Akane and Kumori is my third eldest, Akira."

A scoff came from the woman again. "Well, it's obvious where that one gets her looks from, isn't it?"

At that, Minori spun, her brown eyes flaring. "Excuse me?! What exactly do you mean by that?!"

The woman shrugged. "I'm just saying, she looks so much like your husband that she sticks out, doesn't she?"

"Do you have a problem with the way my daughter looks?!"

The elderly woman spoke up. "Minori! Izumi! Enough!" She turned to Minori. "Minori, there isn't a need to yell at your older sister!" Turning to Izumi, the woman continued, "Izumi, be kind to your younger sister. We haven't seen Minori in years and your behavior today has been rather unbecoming."

Izumi scowled. "Very well, Mother." Sending a glare to her younger sister, she sauntered out of the room.

The woman holding the toddler gave a small smile. "Sorry about that, Minori. You know how Izumi is."

"I do…" Minori sighed, before turning to her children. "Kids, this is your Aunt Jun. My little sister."

Jun waved at them with her free hand. "Hello. It's very nice to meet you." The toddler gave a screech and giggled. Jun gave a small smile. "This is my youngest, Rika. And this," she gestured to the girl in front of her.

"I'm Nori Mikazuki," the little girl interrupted her mother. "I'm seven years old and the eldest of the three Mikazuki children."

"Show-off..." the boy grumbled.

His mother gave him a stern look. "Sho!" She looked apologetic. "I'm sorry. I'm Kayo Kamiya. I'm married to your Uncle Ryunosuke." Looking at her children, she said, "This is my son, Sho, and my daughter, Kiku."

Sho raised an eyebrow before a scowl crossed his features. "More girls? How boring…"

"Sho, be polite!"

"But Mom! They only have two boys in their family and they're babies!"

Ryuu scowled. "I'm not a baby! I'm the man of my family!"

Their grandmother smiled at him. "Of course you are dear." Turning an eye to everyone, she said, "Do you mind indulging an old woman and leaving me alone with Minori and my grandchildren?"

Kayo nodded. "Of course, Mother." In a few moments, the adults had ushered their children out, leaving only Minori and her mother as the only adults in the room. Noticing the way Mrs. Kamiya was eyeing them, Shuuichi and Kumori also left, leaving the Wagerman children all alone with just their mother and grandmother.

"Well now that that's out of the way…" Grandmother turned a warm smile on them. "It's so nice to meet you all. Let's see…" She looked at Yuri, who still clung to her mother. "Hello, dear. May I hold you?"

Yuri beamed. "Okay!" She reached out to her grandmother and was rewarded with being passed to her.

"Oh my!" Grandmother laughed. "Look at how big you are! Let's see, you're how old?"

"Tah-woo."

"Two! My! Practically a lady already!"

Yuri giggled while her brother slowly edged closer to the strange woman holding his sister. When she noticed him, Grandmother smiled. "And you must be Yuki, yes?" When Yuki nodded, she chuckled. "I can tell you're a quiet one. But that's okay."

As her grandmother began to get to know her younger siblings, Akira closed her eyes, letting her thoughts wander off. However, before she could go off too far into her own thoughts, she found herself meeting the grey eyes of her grandmother.

"And you must be Akira! My, it's been so long since I saw you. You were only a toddler then. Let me have a good look at you!" Her grandmother took her granddaughter's hands in hers.

Once their skin touched, her grandmother let out a sharp gasp and released her hands. Akira's brow furrowed. "Uhm… G-Grandmother?"

"I don't understand… Just like Kinuko… Why-?"

"Mother?" Minori asked, watching her mother with worry. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No dear," she answered, smiling at her daughter. However, the smile failed to reach her eyes. "Akira... She just- She reminded me of your Aunt Kinuko. That's all." She turned her smile at Akira. "Don't worry sweetheart. It's nothing to fret over. You just surprised me." She wrung her hands absentmindedly. "Uhm… Why don't you all go explore the house while I help your mother prepare dinner?"

Akira nodded while Akane and the triplets ran off to explore. She turned and walked out the door. As the door shut, she closed her eyes. What on Earth had just happened? One touch of her hands had caused her grandmother to freak out. She began to wander the hall, running her left fingers over the palm of her right hand. What about her hands could have spooked her grandmother so much?

"Watch out!" a voice screamed.

Akira looked up to see a young boy with dark hair about the triplets' age sliding down the hallways towards her. Turning on the ball of her foot, she pirouetted, evading the boy.

"That kid… I swear..." Akira turned to see a girl her age with long black hair and dark brown eyes smiling at her. "I have to admit though, those were some pretty fast moves. Not everyone can do that."

"Uh… Thank you?"

Chuckling, the girl said, "Right, where are my manners? Hello, I'm Eri, Minoru and Chime's daughter"

"I'm Akira…"

Eri gave a warm smile to Akira. "I figured. That kid who ran past you was Atsushi, Aunt Jun's middle kid. Sorry about him. I was helping him find a bathroom and after he finished, he decided he wanted to run away."

"Don't worry about it…" Akira muttered, edging away from her. "I have brothers and sisters his age. Anyways…" Before she could escape, she ran into something hard which caused her to fall.

"Sheesh, Kit!" Kumori exclaimed. "That's the second time you ran into Nii-san today! You feeling okay?"

Akira kept her head down and nodded. "Yeah. Fine." She looked up to find Shuuichi's hand outstretched to her. She ducked her head and took it. "Thank you, Shuuichi."

"It's nothing."

Eri spoke, mock-glaring at Shuuichi. "Well, well, well. Shuuichi Minamino. I didn't expect that you would be here." Her glare dropped and she laughed. "It's nice to see you, Shuuichi."

"Always a pleasure, Miss Kamiya."

She gave a long-suffering sigh. "I keep telling you, call me Eri."

"And I keep telling you, it would not be proper."

Akira's worried tone broke the conversation. "Uhm..."

Seeing the confusion in her cousin's face, Eri explained, "We go to the same high school. I'm the only girl in the class not part of his fanclub." She chuckled before beaming at her cousin. "So, who's the silver-haired girl?"

Kumori bowed. "Kumori Aisubachi. Mistress of mayhem and insanity, empress of milk and shiny sharp things, and best friend to your cousin, Akira here."

Eri snickered. "I get the feeling we'll be friends." She placed a hand on Akira's shoulder. Akira flinched at the touch before she turned to look at her cousin as Eri said, "You won't mind me borrowing Akira here for a moment or two, right? After all, someone needs to tell her all the Kamiya family secrets."

"Wait… Wha-?" Akira asked.

Kumori waved a hand in dismissal. "Sure. We don't mind. Go ahead!"

"All right then!" Eri linked arms with Akira. "Let's go find your room, my dear cousin!"

"E-E-Excuse me?!" Akira squeaked. Before she could argue, Eri whisked her down the hallway, up the stairs and into the hallway with the bedrooms.

"Let's see… Aunt Minori said she'd set up the rooms a certain way..." Eri opened the first door, revealing a room that seemed like a mix between a bedroom and an office. The headboard bed was pressed up against the left wall, while a large desk was against the wall across from the door. Empty bookshelves and filing cabinets lined the rest of the wall space while a light ashy white shag carpet covered the wood floor and boxes, some open, others not, littered the room. Glancing at Akira, Eri hummed to herself before muttering, "Nope. Definitely not yours."

Eri repeated with a couple more rooms, ones Akira recognized as belonging to Sakura and Akane, before she crowed with triumph. "Aha! Here we are! I'm pretty sure this is it, yes?"

Akira peered into to find her old familiar bed frame against the corner of left wall and back wall. A new desk, one that she didn't recognize was next to it, much like how Shuuichi had his desk and bed arranged. On the other side, her bookshelves stood, empty due to the fact the boxes full of her books and other knickknacks were still unopened in front of them. She looked to Eri and nodded.

"Good! Now we can get to business." Without so much as another word, Eri dragged Akira into the room before sitting her down on the bed. She sat next to the younger girl and looked intently at her. "So, correct me if I'm wrong, but judging on what I just saw, I take it you like Shuuichi, right?"

Akira, unsure of what she meant, shrugged, "Sure. What's not to like? He's nice."

Eri let out a snicker at the naiveté. "No, no. I mean, you know, like him. Like a crush?"

Akira bit her lip. "Uh… Well… I really don't… think about stuff like that…"

"What?" Eri asked, surprise registering in her voice. "You're fourteen! Shouldn't you be, I don't know, looking at guys, getting ready to start dating soon, thinking about growing up and leaving the nest? You know, that kind of thing?"

"Should I?"

Eri froze for a moment before clearing her throat. "Well, I guess not… But, honestly, I'm a little surprised you aren't."

"I… uh… have... other things... to worry about…"Akira ducked her head, not looking at Eri.

"Hmm. Well, why don't I explain all the family to you? After all, I did say I'd tell you all the family secrets. Let's see… Well, I know you met Grandma…. So, I guess I'll start with Uncle Ryuno. He's the oldest. I don't think you've met him yet. He had to go to some important meeting or such with Grandpa, what with being the future family head and all. But he'll be by later when they're done. You did meet his wife and kids right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Just so you know, avoid Sho. He's a nine-year-old brat." Seeing Akira's face, Eri said, "Trust me. Regardless of all Uncle Ryunosuke and Aunt Kayo's trying to teach him discipline and manners, Grandpa's spoiled him. Sho's really the only one of the grandchildren he likes and boy, does that kid know it. The little snot goes running to Grandpa whenever he doesn't get his way with us cousins." Eri rubbed the back of her head. "I can't remember how many times all of us have gotten yelled at because Sho did something stupid and when we tried to stop him, he went crying to Grandpa. Like I said, his parents try to discipline him, but what with Grandpa…" She let out a sigh. "I'm not sure what it's going to take to get that kid to learn respect. I mean, he even tries to bully me and I'm fifteen!"

Akira frowned at that revelation. Hopefully, the triplets wouldn't be around him for too long. If Sho was as Eri said and tried to bully Sango, Tsubaki, or even the twins, she knew Ryuu would try to stop it with a fight, despite Sho being thrice his age. She'd seen a situation like that before only a week ago when Ryuu had bitten an older boy in the neighbor, Elliot, hard enough to break skin for laughing at Tsubaki's chalk scribblings. Hearing Eri's voice pick up again, she tuned back into what she was saying.

"-live at the Kamiya compound with Grandpa and Grandma so you shouldn't see him too much. Aunt Izumi also lives there too. She's second oldest and… well… she's just one of those unsociable types." Eri leaned in close to Akira. "Dad says she used to be nice, but she never was able to get married. So, she apparently became the ornery Aunt Izumi we all know and stay away from. I think you met her, right?"

After receiving a nod, Eri continued, "After Aunt Izumi, we have my dad, your mom, and Aunt Hiroko. My parents and I live in the next city over, Mushiyori, for Dad's work at the hospital there and I go to school as Meiou Private High here."

"What does your father do?"

"A heart surgeon… Which is kind of odd considering me and my mom." She sighed at Akira's furrowed brow. "My mom and I have some heart problems. It's not too bad, but we both have to take pills. We're gonna get surgery in about half a year or so. Unfortunately, Dad isn't allowed to operate on us. Hospital policy nonsense or something like it."

"Heart problems?"

"Nothing too serious. Just some of the valves don't work as they should. Dad's not too fond of the idea of someone else operation on us, but I'll just be glad when it's done and I can run track and not have to worry about straining my heart too much or how much recovery I need." She giggled, realizing she had lost her cousin again. "Sorry. I'm on Meiou's Track Team and sometimes I forget not everyone's a runner. Anyways, I don't know much about your mom or Aunt Hiroko except for what I've seen today and what I've heard in passing, so you'll have to fill me in. Let's see… Then we have Aunt Jun. She's quiet. Not much of a talker. She likes letting Uncle Sora do the talking. You'll probably meet him when he gets back from his overseas trip. You've met her three kids?"

"Yes. Nori, Atsushi, and Rika."

"You know their names already? Wow… Okay. Then that leaves Uncle Katsu and Uncle Hideki. I think they were here earlier helping out with the unloading so you probably won't see them. Uncle Katsu's a bit of a flirt, so if he has a new lady on his arm every time you see him, don't be surprised. As for Uncle Hideki? He's kind of like Aunt Jun. Quiet, reserved. But he's a good person. As for Grandpa… Well, when you meet him, you'll get it. So now that I've given you a run-down of the family, why don't you tell me a little about you and your family?"

"Oh… Uhm… Well…" Akira wrung her hands as she looked at them. There was a knock on the doorframe. Both girls looked up to see Eri's mother, Chime, smiling at them.

"Eri, there you are. What are you two doing in here?"

"Oh, you know. Swapping stories as good family should." Eri answered, her tone cheery.

Chime laughed, "All right. Well, as much as I would love to let you both continue this, it's time we'd headed home. You two can catch up another day, all right?"

Eri nodded. "Okay, Mom. I'll be there in a minute!" Glancing back to Akira, Eri said, "Well, I better get going. Next time we see each other, you have to tell me about America and what it's like. Anyways, I'll see you later, Akira."

"Bye…" Akira lifted her hand in farewell as Eri began to leave.

Before she left, Eri paused and turned to look at Akira. "Hey, you're going to meet Grandpa soon right?" After Akira nodded, Eri smiled at the younger girl. "Well, when you do, don't let him get to you. He's an old curmudgeon and can be kind of a jerk sometimes. Just a friendly warning." She was about to turn, but she spun around again. "Oh, and Akira?"

"Yes?"

"If you ever decide that you like Shuuichi in a crush sort of way, I'll do reconnaissance for you."

Akira's eyes grew huge and she nearly fell off her bed. "Wha-?!" She squeaked as Eri laughed while she left Akira's room.

Sranding up, Akira frowned. People were crazy. There was no way that she could ever like Shuuichi Minamino. Sure, she'd admit that he was good looking, but she was not going to let anyone that close to her. If her suspicions were correct, he might already have an idea of what was going on and that made her all the more wary of him. No one outside of Kumori could know. If it somehow reached her mother, she might break again.

"Mom?" A twelve year old Akira knocked on her mother's door. "Mom? Are you okay?" Slowly, careful not to make the door creak, she opened and peered into the room. "Mom?"

Her mother sat up in her bed, eyes blank, hair disheveled, staring fixatedly at a point on the wall while tears ran down her face.

"Mom? Are you okay?" When her mother didn't respond, she continued, "The funeral home called. They… uh… They finished whatever they were doing and they want you to go see Dad. Uhm… Mom?"

"Why?" Minori whispered, her voice cracking. "Why? Why did you leave? Robert, you promised… You promised you'd stay. You said you'd take care of me. Where did you go?"

Akira lifted a shaking hand and set it on her mom's shoulder. "Mom… Are… Are you okay?"

An agonized wail burst from her mother once Akira's hand touched her. "You promised, Robert!" She howled. "You promised! Why did you leave me behind?! Why?! Why?! Why?" Akira watched as her mother's screams died down into heartbroken sobs.

"Kira-nee?"

Akira jumped as she felt a tiny hand on her leg. Looking down, she saw Yuki watching her with worried eyes. "Hey, Yuki." She gave a weak smile. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

It was then Akira noticed her baby brother's expression. His little mouth was taut, his blue eyes wide, and Akira saw he was slightly shaking. Instantly, Akira was on her knees to look Yuki in the eyes. "Hey. What's wrong?"

Yuki said nothing, instead he threw his arms around his sister. Little tears trickled down his face and he began to sniff quietly into her shoulder. He let Akira pick him up as he clung to her neck.

Akira rubbed his back. "Is it all the people here?" At the small nod, she smiled as she continued the soothing motions on his back. With all the commotion, she had nearly forgotten Yuki hated crowds. As a baby, he had often wailed when women fawned over him, allowing only those who he knew as family and close friends around him. Now at two, he hung back from most adults, preferring to let them fawn over Yuri and letting his twin speak for the both of them. With all the new people, Akira could tell he had reached his limit and run to her to hide.

She ran a hand over his head. The brown baby-soft hair on his scalp brushed against her fingers while she petted it. Closing her eyes, she began to hum an old lullaby their father used to sing before he died.

They stayed that way for a while until Yuki had calmed down somewhat. It wasn't until that Yuki shifted against her shoulder, having dozed off, that Akira stopped humming. A small knock caught her attention. She looked up to see Akane in her doorway. Setting Yuki down on her bed, Akira asked, "Hey, Aka-chan. Do you need something?"

"Mommy wants you to come downstairs. She said you need to meet someone."

Akira glanced at her youngest brother before looking at Akane. "You mind watching Yuki for me? He and Yuri will need to go to bed soon."

Nodding, Akane walked over to the bed and picked up Yuki as gently as she could. Akira rubbed her little sister's head before placing a kiss on her forehead. After offering a quick thanks to Akane, Akira headed down the stairs to find their mother.

It turned out her mother was in the kitchen, talking in low anxious tones to Kohaku. For a brief moment, Akira wondered where Kohaku had been but the thought was chased away as she flinched from all the tension her mother radiated. Once she had processed it, she cleared her throat, watching as her mother's strained eyes landed on her.

"Akira! There you are! I was beginning to worry. Let's see how you look." There was a brief pause as Minori looked her over before continuing. "Well, hopefully he doesn't say anything. Who am I kidding? Of course, he will. I mean-"

"Kohaku?" Akira asked over their mother's muttering. "Who-?"

Before Kohaku could answer, Minori began moving her out of the room. After a few moments, Akira found the door to the office in front of her. Minori placed a light hand on her shoulder and began to speak.

"Akira, uhm…" Her mother was stumbling for words. That wasn't normal. "Well… Uhm… Honey…. What… Whatever he says in there… Don't… Don't take it to heart. He's just… Just…"

Burrow furrowing, Akira asked, "Mom? Who is in there?"

"Well…"

"Minori?" An elderly voice said from inside. "I can hear you from outside. Is your third eldest with you?"

"Yes. Just a moment, Father," Minori called back. She looked at Akira's face, now fearful at the realization, and gave a pained smile. "It'll be okay. Give us a moment." With that she stepped into the room.

Akira felt fear shake her to her very center. She forced her routine in her mind, shaking any and all nervous thoughts as she waited as her mother had asked. Once she heard her mother call for her, she took a deep breath and stepped into the room. A large desk was in front of her and her mother stood behind it, very close to the wall. Between her mother and the desk was a chair and it was in that chair that her grandfather sat.

From the way he sat, it was obvious that Akio Kamiya was a proud man. Although he was very old, judging from his receding hairline and the silvery-white of his hair, his dark brown eyes were piercing, even more so with the wrinkles surrounding them. His face was stern and his mouth held no laugh lines. He wore a dark business suit and he held in his left hand a sturdy, ebony walking cane with a silver handle with several ornate designs in it. The very air around him thrummed with a feeling that he demanded respect and Akira found herself wishing she could disappear again.

"So, this is your third eldest, eh?" Akio asked, eyes narrowing at Akira.

"Yes, this is Akira." Minori's head was inclined as if she was annoyed with her father.

Akio stood up from his chair and moved around the desk towards his granddaughter. He began to circle Akira, his walking stick clinking with every step he took. Noticing her head slightly dipping, he used his stick to jerk it up. "Mind your posture, girl." He studied her eyes and said, "Hmm. Perhaps my daughter made a mistake when she named you Akira… Hopefully, this is not the case, but Minori's never made very good decisions..."

Akira's eyes darted to her mother as she saw her minutely stiffen at the veiled insult. Swallowing, she waited as her grandfather continued his inspection. Her heart pounded and she wished he would finish.

After a few more rounds of circling, he stopped and turned to Minori. "Well, despite her looks, she seems to have been somewhat decently raised. Her manners aren't certainly lacking like the second child of yours. What about your other children?"

Minori's chin lifted in a sign of rebellion. "What about them?"

"Have they been raised properly?"

"Yes."

"Hmm… We'll see about that." Akio glanced back at his daughter. "On a similar note, since you will have work as part of our deal, I have managed to get your younger children enrolled in a daycare."

"You didn't have to do that, Father…"

"I am aware." There was a pause as his eyes landed on Akira. "Your mother and I have some things to discuss, child. You may leave."

Akira bowed before quickly exiting the room. As soon as she was out of the door, she felt her legs nearly give out from under her. Even though it had been short, she felt shaky as if she had been faced against some great beast and barely survived. She forced herself to walk from the door, trying very hard to not focus on the distaste she had seen in her grandfather's face.

Right as she stepped into the living room, she heard her younger siblings giggling and laughing. Without warning, a small white ball of fluff zoomed from where she saw them huddled towards her. Looking down, she saw it was a puppy.

The puppy's fur was white as snow, contrasting with the black nose and dark eyes it had. Its ears were short and triangular and the tail stood up and slightly curled around itself. Looking up at her, a pink tongue lolled out as the puppy gave Akira the silliest smile she had ever seen.

She bent down and scratched the puppy behind the ears. "Hello. Where'd you come from?"

"I brought him."

Akira looked up to see a man with short black hair and grey eyes coming into the room. He was taller than her mother, but not by much, and wore a slate-grey business suit that offset his eyes well. His face was sharp, but his features were softened by the kindness that hung around his eyes and mouth.

Extending a hand, the man said, "I'm Ryunosuke Kamiya. Your mom's big brother. You met my family earlier today."

"Oh…" Akira took his hand and shook it lightly. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Sir?" Ryunosuke quirked an eyebrow. "You don't have to call me that. You can call me Ryuno. Everyone except Father does."

"Right…" Looking down at the puppy who was now nudging her hand for more attention, Akira asked, "So is this your dog?"

Ryuno laughed at that. "I guess your mom didn't tell you, huh? This little guy is yours."

Akane looked up from watching the puppy with excitement in her face. "We get to keep him?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Puppy!" Tsubaki exclaimed, running to hug the little white dog. As she did so, the puppy began to lick her cheek causing her to shriek with laughter.

Ryuno looked at Akira with a smile and continued,"I got him from a friend. She says he's a bit rambunctious, but from what your mom has told me, I figure you'll be able to take care of him. Plus, he'll be a good guard dog when he gets older. He needs a name though."

"Thank you," Akira replied, watching as Yuri and a sleepy Yuki toddled over to the puppy. After making sure that they didn't do anything to aggravate the puppy, she glanced around. Kumori was oddly absent from the room. Pushing back the anxiousness churning in her stomach, she looked up at her siblings. "So, what should we name him?"

~Outside in a nearby park~

Kumori stood underneath a large tree, frowning at Kurama. "You realize that the Diaper-Prince made me wait for hours before I could see him? Hours, Kurama. And now you want me to wait to tell you what happened why?"

"I asked Hiei to join us."

"Oh, okay." There was a pause before the words sunk in. "Excuse me?! You want me to tell this to that asshole?! I'd rather die!"

"Your dramatics are duly noted."

"Kurama, I'm serious. He's an asshole. A vindictive, human-hating asshole!"

"And yet, you had no trouble working with him before."

"I only did that to help save your mom! That's the only reason I took his shit without castrating the bastard!"

"Hn. As if you could even touch me, onna."

Kumori looked up at the tree branches as a hiss passed her lips in the only outward expression of surprise, her eyes landing on a short figure with black-blue hair that spiked up in a manner that seemed to defy gravity lounging on one of the larger branches, eyes the color of blood glinting in the moonlight as they glared back at her gaze. A scowl crossed her face before she gritted out, "Hello Hiei-kechi."

"Kurama," Hiei addressed the redhead as he appeared next to him. "You said I should be here because it was about the Demon's Heart resurfacing. I hardly think a child like her has any information on it that should concern me."

Kumori's scowl grew and she eyed his white scarf wondering if Kurama would chalk it up to an accident should her fingers rip through it as she murdered the owner.

"Try it and I promise you, you will bleeding out on the very ground beneath your feet."

Kumori clapped a hand to her forehead while glaring at the demon's own forehead which was covered with a white bandana. "Stay out of my head!"

Kurama's tone was stern. "Enough. Both of you." He turned to Kumori. "What did Koenma do when you told him that the Demon's Heart had been found?"

"He tried to get me to tell him who had it. Obviously, I didn't or else Yusuke would've been pulled from wherever he is to fetch it by now." Kumori grimaced, thinking about when Akira would meet the Spirit Detective. "Other than that, he didn't do anything else."

"I see…" Kurama trailed off, his eyes growing distant as he mulled it over.

"I don't see why we just can't leave it alone…" Kumori grumbled.

Hiei scoffed. "That's because you don't understand the power that the artifact possesses."

"Hiei is right," Kurama agreed. "It's rather notorious. In my time as Youko, very few wanted it even with the power it supposedly has. Yet, when I saw it today, it didn't seem to be doing any harm. But perhaps we should leave it alone until something happens." Glancing at Kumori, he asked, "As you know, Hiei and I are still on probation, are you comfortable with watching over it?"

Kumori saluted him. "Yep! If anything happens I'll let you know." Looking up at the sky, she said, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm probably being looked for, and I need my daily dose of milk." She turned on her heel and headed back towards her new home, leaving the two demon males in her wake. As she walked back, she let out a sigh of relief. Akira wouldn't be dragged into the supernatural world and Kumori silently promised herself she would keep it that way as long as she could.

If only she could have known.

MangaMaid's Ending Comments: Well, that was fun! So, I'm curious if any of you recognized one of the family members I introduced. You should because this person is a canon character. Anyone who does, let me know because one: I'll be very proud of you and give you a shout-out for your YuYu smarts and two: it might give you an idea of what is to come in later chapters. As always, please leave a review. I got followers, but no reviews on the last chapter and it made me a little sad because I like hearing from you. But I still love you all!