AN: This is probably the longest chapter yet, lasting five pages... and oh, looky here, we have a formal introduction of Chibi and Nichi here, as well as mentions to Tsukuyomi, Ammy's brother!
Just so you know, Nichi/Nichibotsu is my fanname for dark Chibiterasu, "Nichibotsu" apparently meaning "sunset" in Japanese (According to Google Translate...). Nichi, Chibi, and co. are nine/around nine in this; Ammy, Isshaku, and Ushiwaka are seventeen; Issun is fifteen; in the flashback for Isshaku he was fifteen (figure out the other ages yourself); in this flashback, Chibi and Nichi are two while Ammy is ten (thus why she CANNOT be their Mom...) No, Ammy is NOT Chibi's mom in this, again, see ages for why.
I included one of my OCs in this chapter. You may not notice him, which is not unusual; he is always somewhat of a background character that receives unfair abuse. His name is Sir. Sir is a gentlemanly person, like a butler. In fact, he has been a butler in the past, but some sort of incident happened, as usual, which made him decide to quit and seek better employment. As with every job, it fails. Poor Sir.
Ushiwaka stayed out there, sitting under the cherry tree, for a long time, pondering over what had happened with Isshaku. What could have caused him to get so upset like that? He did not, could not understand the story behind Isshaku's actions, at least not yet… His gaze drifted up towards the setting sun, watching how low it was in the sky and wondering how long he had been outside. Still, he didn't feel like getting up and going inside, not just yet. He still did not feel up to meeting the other members of the household…
The door opened and closed again, and he looked over to see who it could be. It was a white-haired boy, the one who looked like a miniature Ammy. He started walking towards Ushiwaka, then paused halfway there. "Mom's making dinner," he said plainly, "And she wants you to come back in. If you go to the kitchen there's a good chance she'll give you tidbits of food every so often…"
The boy continued to stand there, staring suspiciously at Ushiwaka for a few minutes. Ushiwaka shrank back from the stare, wondering why everyone but Ammy seemed skeptical of him… Then the kid broke into a huge grin and walked over, plopping down next to Ushiwaka and snuggling against him. "I guess you'd make a good dad~" he yipped happily, wolf tail wagging. A good dad? Ushiwaka thought, somewhat horrified. What could possibly have put that thought into the boy's mind?
After a few minutes, he walked back inside, the boy, who introduced himself as Chibiterasu, racing on ahead of him. He followed him into the kitchen, where Ammy was already working. "I brought him in, Mom~" Chibi practically sang, rubbing against Amaterasu's side. THIS is his mother? Ushiwaka thought, wondering how a teenager could already have mothered a boy who looked about nine or ten already. Amaterasu grinned back, rubbing a hand through Chibi's hair. "I can see, Chibi~ Now, here's a treat, go help Nichi and Isshaku with setting the table, all right?"
Chibi scowled at having to set the table, but he all too happily ate the ham slice Ammy presented him with. Ushiwaka's eyes followed him, glancing out at the adjoining dining room. Isshaku and the black haired boy were already in there, and Isshaku glanced up briefly to give Ushiwaka a smile. Apparently he wasn't as cold as Ushiwaka had thought…
"'Mom'?" he asked, turning to face Amaterasu. She raised an eyebrow. "According to him and Nichi? Yep."
Her gaze trailed towards the two boys, but Ushiwaka's remained fixed on her. "Pardon, but… you seem a bit young to be a mother…" he murmured, half hoping she wouldn't hear. Her sigh made it apparent she had. "That's perfectly true," she answered, eyes still locked on the boys. "But then… why do they call you their mother?"
Finally her emerald eyes turned back to him. "You have met Isshaku be now, I presume? From how agitated he seemed coming in, I presume you asked how he got here. Maybe he said nothing, which wouldn't quite surprise me, seeing as how he hates to speak of it. Maybe he did, and told you he was the first slave I ever bought. He might be right, in some respects; he certainly was the first slave I bought under the guise of the Albino. However, he was actually not the first. No, the first slaves I ever bought were seven years ago, when I was lost in unfamiliar surroundings, and the first one to find me was a little white haired boy…"
Amaterasu glanced around, perhaps just a bit uneasy. From her confident pose and half-smirk, it would be difficult, if not flat-out impossible, to tell how scared and uneasy she really was. In all truth, she was quite lost, her path having strayed into a darker, dingier part of town, the part where a black market specializing in slave trade flourished. She knew there was nothing to fear of some slaver merchant taking her captive; not only was she capable of defending herself, but no slave trader would dare mess with someone bestowed with the divine markings.
It was all part of her over-confident nature that got her into this mess. Tsukuyomi, her older, thirteen year old brother, had warned her not to go running off, and yet what had she done? A little bit of what she liked to call "exploring" and what Tsukuyomi would call "exasperating." It ended with her being here of all places, and now she had no clue as to which way was "out".
As she glanced around, trying to look as calm as possible, a very small white thing barreled towards her, wrapping itself around her. "Mommy!" it cried, snuggling against her, and Ammy saw that, to her horror, it was a small white-haired boy with ears and tail much like her own. Behind him raced a slave trader, who stopped in shock when he saw where the child had gone. "Oh, miss, I am so sorry about that; he's always wandering off, I can punish him if you'd like," the merchant stuttered, bowing in shame at being unable to control his charge. Ammy wouldn't allow it, however. "No, it's fine, honestly. In fact… how much were you asking for him, anyways?"
She couldn't leave the boy, not now, when he had chosen her so willingly, even thinking she was his "mom". It was true; the boy did look rather similar to her. The trader looked stumped for a second. "Erm… I… he hadn't been put on the market yet, he's too young, I dunno-!"
A bag of money landed at his feet. "Fifty thousand?"
"He's yours."
Ammy picked up the boy and slung him over her shoulder, heading out through the market until she saw what appeared to be an exit. It led into a field, and once she knew they were safe and away from prying owners, she set the kid down. "Okay, then, kid. Did they name you?"
The young boy thought for a second, the effort seeming hard on his young brain. "Hey, you!" he responded brightly after a second. Ammy face palmed. "…All right, we need a better name than that. Hey, you do look a lot like me, you know. Maybe call you Junior?"
The kid's face twisted into an expression of disgust. Clearly, "Junior" was not the name to call him. Ammy was stumped for a second. What could possibly have the sort of ring to it the kid seemed to expect? "…How about Chibiterasu? Like Amaterasu, but the tiny version of it. Call you Chibi for short."
The newly-dubbed Chibi nodded his head enthusiastically, breaking out into a grin that resembled Ammy's own. "Great. Got that going for us, then…"
The next order of business would be to get Chibi into clothes that could not be called, more appropriately, rags. That meant hauling the kid all the way to a nearby store, for the regular markets in town had supplies of clothes too far between for her to trust them. It was true, bringing in a kid who still had slave rags was a bold move, but desperate times called for desperate measures…
In fact, she didn't need to wait long for some sort of conflict. "Um, pardon me miss, but slaves aren't to be brought in here," the clerk told her as she walked through the door. She glared at him in return. "He's NOT a slave," she snarled, ready to hit him with any one of her numerous weapons. As it turned out, there was no need; the man readily shrinking back. "Oh, um, I'm dreadfully sorry, miss…"
She continued on without further interference into the clothing department, heading for the section filled with clothes for younger kids. "Pick anything you'd like~!" she told Chibi enthusiastically, and he nodded before turning to the selection and reeling. Never before had he seen so much color, so many different kinds of clothes! He glanced up at Ammy uncertainly, and she waved him forward. He continued staring at her, until a lightbulb seemed to flicker in his head, and he toddled off. Ammy found him standing right before a section of white clothes much like hers, clearly meant for boys. "Good choice," she told him with a smirk. "Pants?"
He pointed at a section or burgundy red pants, again much like her own. Ammy chuckled. "Nice one." A sudden thought struck her, and she gazed at Chibi uneasily. "You… you have been housebroken, right?"
Chibi stopped in his tracks, hesitated, and looked at her before nodding slowly. "Eh… I… I sorta have to go now, too…" he murmured uneasily.
Ammy was glad she asked.
The bathroom incident was followed by a trip into the toy section, where Chibi immediately picked out a medium-sized white wolf plush. They then headed to check-out, where they were met by the same odd clerk who thought Chibi was a slave. He still stared at them in shock and mild horror, only stopping when Ammy growled at him, asking "Problem?" to which he replied no and hastily bagged the items and sent them on their way.
Reaching home, she deposited everything but the clothes needed for Chibi to change into onto the hallway floor, heading upstairs with Chibi for a good bath. Though well cared for, especially for a slave, he was a bit dirty, and certainly in need of a bath. Depositing him on the floor, she turned and started up a bath, making sure to pour in the necessary amount of bubble bath and keeping the water warm. One could never be sure with a child, but Ammy had a certain feeling they liked bubble baths. She bent down next to Chibi, first pulling off his shirt and then helping him out of his pants before attempting to lower him into the tub. He flailed, whining and complaining about not wanting to go in, but at last she was able to get him in.
Once he was in, he seemed content with her rubbing soap all over him, dowsing his hair and making sure to wash it thoroughly without getting soap in his eyes. With a laugh, he splashed some water at her, and it caught her right in the face. "Oh, so you think that's funny, do you?" Ammy asked, putting hands to her hips with a hopefully stern face ruined by a smirk as she heard Chibi laugh even harder. "Well, then, two can play at THAT game."
With that, she flicked her own tail, using waterspout to cover Chibi over with a gusher of water. He sat there for a moment, dripping wet and looking terribly shocked, and Ammy worried she had done something wrong and he was going to cry. Please, please, PLEASE don't let him cry; I don't know how to handle crying children, Ammy thought quickly, but that was the least of her worries. Chibi took a look at her own tail, slapping his about to look at it more closely. For the first time, Ammy noticed it was tipped in black, which could mean only one thing. Her emerald eyes widened. Oh, goodness no, please don't tell me he's-
A wave of water went over the tub and splashed her. She gagged, lifting her dripping arms and trying to survey the damage while Chibi roared with laughter. "Nice one, wise guy."
He only continued laughing. "Let's go get brother!" he shouted, arms going up in excitement. "…You have a BROTHER!"
"Just give me his brother."
"He's not on sale yet-"
"Fifty thousand."
"…Sold."
This boy was just the opposite of Chibi. Whereas Chibi had already shown himself to be happy and excitable, this boy was quiet and withdrawn. Even their hair was opposite, for while Chibi's was pure white, this boy's was like the deepest, darkest night. Just like Chibi, however, he needed a name, and Ammy was, once again, quite stumped. "Shadowterasu? With Shadow for short? I mean, after all, you are pretty dark," she asked, head cocking. The boy, who appeared to be Chibi's twin in black, shook his head, and so did Chibi. Apparently that name did not fit. Ammy pondered the situation a while longer. What name could she give him…? Well, if I'm the sunrise, and Chibi's the sun like me, and this boy is so different… "Nichibotsu?" she suggested, head cocked. "Nichi for short?"
Two nods. Nichi it was, then.
Just like Chibi, Nichi needed new clothes to replace the rags he had. Again, this meant a trip to the store. It also meant coming face to face with the clerk…
"Um, madam!" he called out, clearly flustered by her sudden reappearance, and she paused to glance at him. "I could understand the first, being you son, but this one is clearly NOT your son and should say outside…"
Amaterasu halted in pure shock that he'd even dare think that. Setting Nichibotsu onto the ground, she marched over to the clerk and grabbed his tie. "Now look here, SIR," she snarled, pulling him in so close their faces almost touched, "While it is true, he is not my son, neither is Chibi, and I cannot believe you'd dare suggest that because his hair color is different from Chibi, they are any less of a brotherly pair. Now good day, and why don't you try minding your own dang business."
As Ammy stalked off towards the clothes section with the two boys, Sir rubbed his neck. "I knew I should have quit this job earlier…"
Arriving at the clothes section with Nichi, Ammy half expected it to be like Chibi, who was stunned by the variety and needed to look at her for clues. "Now, Nichi, what would you like to wear?" she asked questioningly, glancing at the black-haired boy. He stood there for a minute, not in confusion like Chibi, but rather pondering. His gaze turned towards Chibi and Ammy, and she wondered if, on seeing them in white, he'd also go for white clothes. His gaze then turned towards their tails; both were white. He pondered this thought for a while, before starting to spin himself, spending a few minutes chasing his tail, an innocently adorable sight, until he seemed to gather the needed information, before nodding and heading towards clothes similar to Chibi's, but black instead of white. "…Nice. Color coordination."
Apparently he decided that the clothes had to match the tail color…
The toy section was next, again, and Chibi, like any sensible child, wanted another toy. "Please?" he asked, giving Ammy wide green puppy eyes. The sight was irresistible, but Ammy shook her head. "It wouldn't be fair to Nichi. You've already got one."
"But Moooom!" Chibi whined, looking at her. Ammy rubbed her temples, frustrated. "Fine, then. You can get another, small plush… Nichi also gets one, however, so you're even, okay?"
Both Chibi and Nichi nodded vigorously before heading down the toy aisle, eyes widening as they searched for something. Nichi quickly came back carrying his spoils, which happened to be a black wolf plush much like Chibi's and a small, nearly white husky plush with a red bandana. He quite willingly gave Ammy the husky plush to hold, but remained his grip on the black wolf, burying his head into its soft fur. Chibi took longer to return.
When he did, he was carrying a small golden retriever in his arms, a brown collar around it. "Mine!" he declared with a grin, holding it up for Ammy to see. As she looked at it, she noticed it lacked a tag. "Where'd you find it?" she asked, worried he'd found a lost item instead of a plush he could buy. "There!" he said, and he raced over to a small house containing four other similar plushes. Ammy gaped in shock. "No, no, no- Chibi, I said one small plush, that's five!" she cried, exasperated. Chibi pondered this for a second before breaking into a smile. "Three for me, two for Nichi~!" he decided. Ammy rolled her eyes. "That's still not fair-!"
There was a gentle tug on her robe, and she looked down to see Nichi, who was pointing at the husky. "Three."
Apparently, they were getting the whole set.
"They've been my boys ever since…" Ammy finished with a murmur, eyes still glazed, lost in the past. Ushiwaka's eyes widened. "But… haven't they figured out that you can't possibly be their mom?" he asked, amazed. Amaterasu shook her head. "No. Nichi wasn't sure at first; he could remember a time before me that Chibi seemed to have forgotten… but as the years went on, even he forgot. No, they're used to being my sons, and I wouldn't have them think any different. Because, I do confess, I often forget that they are not my real sons themselves."
