"Eeh?!" Natasha jerked in surprise at the sight of the fridge, her balance threatening to send her falling backwards from her position crouched low in front of it, Juli within range to be squished not far behind her. She heard the commotion pause in the dining room a second later, followed closely by Tsubaki's question, and Wataru's panic. "What's wrong?" "Onee-chan?!" Wataru called, worry clear in his voice, "Did you hurt your hand?!" She looked up as she bit her lip, berating herself internally for not keeping up with the household tasks. Wataru's cute little head was poking up from the breakfast bar, and she sent him a slight smile, "No-no, Taru-chan.. It's just.. There's not enough ingredients to make dinner.." She had the vague thought of making a concoction for supper, but she didn't know how well they'd react to the strange looking- but oddly tasty aftermaths.
"That's not like Kyo.." Azuza mused idly, turning back to the table once he was certain she wasn't injured. Masaomi however, was smooth to continue, "He's had a lot of trials to deal with lately, so.." "Must be tough to be a grand old lawyer," Tsubaki sang, smiling a little as he shook his head. Natasha sighed as she stood, pulling a pad of paper and a pen from a nearby drawer and writing down a list of all the possible ingredients and items of food to get for the house after school tomorrow. Also writing a memo to pack more food into Ukyo's bentos in the morning so he had a bit more energy for the day..
"I should head to the store now to get dinner ingredients," Natasha announced quickly, moving to pull off the apron and turn for the hallway, "I can shop for the rest tomorrow after school-" She'd barely made it ten feet for her room, when a hand caught her shoulder, and she glanced back to see a pink sleeve, and Tsubaki's trademark grin, "Today it's just us, plus Subaru. We could go out, don't you think?" She jumped in surprise a how close he was, subtly turning her body so she could face, him, though his arms crossed over his chest with ease as she slipped from his grasp, his slight mile growing ever so slightly at the light pink that dusted her face. She was too cute..
"Are we going out?!" Wataru exclaimed gleefully, ignorant to the tension clouding his sister, "A family restaurant?!" "Family restaurants are boring, too," Azuza cut in calmly, his head propped onto a fist as he returned his attention to the script of what she assumed was a project.
"Then, cherry blossoms-!" Wataru conceded, nearly jumping in place as he begged his older brothers still at the table, "We can go picnic under the cherry blossoms-! We haven't gone yet-!" He started chanting "Cherry Blossoms-!" over and over, Natasha already having been won over at the first suggestion.. God she was going to end up spoiling that kid rotten…
"That sounds alright," Azuza relented with ease, though at that point Wataru had taken to running around the table with his chant, back and forth in his limitless supply of energy.
"A night viewing of the cherry blossoms isn't a bad idea," Masaomi agreed brightly, coffee in hand as he looked over the newspaper. Wataru was still running around like the energizer bunny on crack. Natasha wanted to laugh at the mental artist rendering, but held it down, opting instead to focus on another issue, "What about Subaru..? Isn't he at practice..?"
"I'll let him know," Tsubaki reassured her calmly, his hands in his pockets as they observed the energy that was Wataru, "so it'll be fine." He shrugged a little, waving his hand in the air slightly as he continued, "While I'm at it, I guess I'll give Natsume a call, too, since he's likely to be free."
Wataru skid to a halt at her side, and she bent over to be eye level as he spoke, his face almost sparkling in his excitement, "Let's go-! Let's go-! Cherry blossom picnic-!"
Natasha sighed, smiling as she shook her head, "Well.. I suppose I can fry up some chicken and dango.. Maybe toss in some things for a fruit salad.."
"Yay-!" Wataru was once again speeding around the room with his hands in the air, his chant turning to something along the line of "Onee-chan's fried chicken-! Onee-chan's fried chicken-!" over and over repeatedly..
Natasha shook her head with a smile, rolling up her sleeves as she prepared to wash her hands, watching Masaomi as he moved to stand. "Nothing but convenience store food would be dull.. So I'll say yes, please." He set his hand out without thought, stopping Wataru mid cheer and halting him in his tracks with minimal effort. Natasha's firm expression of awe was enough to set Tsubaki snorting in laughter, but a light shove from her and a turn for the kitchen turned it into full blown laughing.
"And don't forget the beer, please," Azuza called after her, her dismissive wave the only response as she disappeared from view to find the pans.
"Azuza-nii," Natasha called through the doorway, currently wrapping a blanket around the food to place it in the picnic crate.. Because the word basket did not imply enough space.. This was a lot of food.. "What is it?" he asked curiously, moving to sand in the doorway, watching her work. Natasha sighed, pointing to the larger beach-type bag she'd scavenged from her room, "Would you be a dear and get a few towels from the bathroom.. Preferably ones that can get ruined.." "Dear..?" he repeated the English word slowly, eyebrows furrowed when she seemed to pause, backtracking her words before she facepalmed, grumbling beneath her breath before she gave him a pointed look, "This is my first picnic.. And I seem to have this uncanny ability to cause disaster.. So.. if you could.." "Would it put your mind at ease?" he asked calmly, a smile toying at his lips. She nodded firmly, and he chuckled, turning to get two small towels from the guest bath and returning to put it in the designated bag. By this time, she was putting water bottles, as well as packs of beer, into a cooler, face set in stone as she worked, occasionally breaking the cycle to brush the hair from her face or take inventory.
Azuza had stood in the threshold for at least a full minute before she noticed him, the give away being that she jumped nearly sky high and had a hand at her chest. "All of you are ghosts.." she whimpered, leaning against the counter in dejected fatigue, "You all need to make more noise when you walk.. I can't take much more of this.." "Perhaps you should reel your head in from the clouds," he chuckled, patting her head briefly as he passed her and smiling as she quickly moved to fix over what he had touched.
She'd run up to her room one last time before they were to go, changing into a simple black sweater, grey skinny jeans, and black boots. She pinned her hair up, and pulled the scarf loosely around her neck, making sure she had her wallet and phone in her bra before she pulled on her grey trench coat. She slung a large, pear shaped case over her back as she left the room, her hands in her pockets as she caught the boys watching her, eyeing the case curiously as she shook her head with a secretive wink. Her hair was pulled back into a loose, low bun, several strands brushing her face as she met the boys at the door, meeting Wataru's hug with her own before she grinned, "Let's get going so Taru-chan can find us a good spot-!" "Cherry blossoms-! Cherry blossoms-!" he cheered.
"Woah," Natasha breathed, blinking in pleasant surprise at the beautiful scenery around them, families and groups of friends all relaxing with blankets around the park. Masaomi was setting up the blanket, while Tsubaki spread out the food, Wataru taking both of her hands and leading her toward the lake with palpable excitement, "Look-! Look-! The ducks are out today-!"
"Oh, you're right," she giggled, patting his head as he leaned against the protective fence, keeping her hand gently on his shoulder in case a worst possible scenario played out. She smiled, patting his head as several ducks kicked toward them, and she tugged at the child's shoulder, putting a finger to her lips for quiet, "Want to see a trick?" He nodded in wonder as she got onto her knees beside him, facing the water as she put her hands in a box shape over her mouth, taking a deep breath in. He heard a loud duck sound, and his eyes grew to the size of saucers as she shifted her hands, calling out to the ducks in a sound almost exactly like theirs. "Woah~!" he watched in awe as several ducks flapped, before they swam over quickly, squawking at Natasha as if in a conversation. Natasha blew back a response, and Waaru slid his eyes from one to the other in awe. "Awesome-!"
"It's easy," Natasha grinned, going behind him and grabbing his hands, cupping them together to form a sort of pocket and bringing them up to his face, "Just.. puff up your cheeks and blow.." He did as was told, but failed, moving to sit next to her as he continued to mimic her squabble. She giggled every once in awhile when he'd start to get it, and after about ten minutes, he was almost better than her.. Sounding more like a duckling than a full bird, though..
"Very good," Natasha grinned, patting his head as he cheered, talking back and forth with the ducks that had stayed to watch them, their blank expressions almost looking like superior beings.. Shudder.. "Oi-!" The call came from behind them and they turned to see Tsubaki with his hands cupped around his mouth, Azuza waving at them nearby. "It's time to eat-!"
"Alright-!" Natasha called, standing to brush off her jeans as Wataru joined her, grabbing her hand without a thought and pulling her along to the blanket with a giggle. Natasha couldn't help but hug him before they sat down, pecking his forehead before she crossed her ankles, sliding into an indian position with ease and putting her hands on her knees, facing the three boys with a grin as they shook their heads, smiling.
After about twenty minutes of slow eating and animated discussions, Natasha felt the urge to mess with Tsubaki, who was quite tipsy at this point. With a sneaky smile, she waited until they had began another heated argument before she slipped her hands to her case, prying it open just enough to pull out the electric-accoustic guitar, tracing her index finger down the purple face with the galaxy butterfly decor, the strings custom made to be white against the black staff. She pulled it to her lap swiftly, listening to the others as she tuned it softly, before interrupting them with a loud, reverberating guitar riff. They snapped their eyes to her in shock, and she sent them an innocent smile. She felt eyes on her back from the rest of the park, but ignored them, sending Tsubaki a smirk as she plucked a the specific chords.. "Oi.. Nii-chan.. Care to sing along?" "Oh~?" he played along slyly, leaning forward with a mischievous smile, "What song~?" "Not sure yet," she flashed a grin, "Start singing and I'll throw in some music." He flashed a grin as he got to his feet, Masaomi shaking his head slowly while Azuza pulled out his phone, pressing the record button just as Tsubaki cleared his throat, facing the rest of the park with an exaggerated sweep of his arm, "Ladies and Gentleman~! Presenting~! Asahina Tsubaki~! Accompanied by Hinata-Asahina Natasha~!" Natasha gave a short riff of approval, a small gaggle of girls grouping together just a bit closer in curiousity. Natasha rolled her eyes in amusement as they started fawning, and she started to play a few chords, listening to Tsubaki start humming a random tune, nearly bursting out laughing at the irony before she nodded, nudging him with her elbow as she stood, getting to his side as she fixed her stance, giving him a wink as he tapped in with his foot.
"My sister~!" She bit her lip to keep from laughing at how on-key he was, focusing on playing the song how she remembered with a dazed look in her eyes, feeling the general warmth of the music spread up her fingers through her arm and fog her brain to goo.
"I am madly in love with you~! I wish you'd choose me~! Let me pro-tect you~! I can't withstand your smile, and your gaze- I've already exceeded my limit~! Kiss-Kiss-Kiss- I need your love~!" Tsubaki was smooth with bringing the lyrics, his entire posture radiating confidence as the pitch of his voice blended with the metallic sound of the guitar. It was a minute or two before the song began to close, Natasha having sung the little echoes and Juli's parts while withholding laughter. When she let the last chord die, hand raised triumphantly in the air, Tsubaki in a similar pose beside her with a spoon/microphone at his mouth, they listened as the now forefront gaggle of women and girls began cheering for an encore and begging for autographs. "Woah-!" Natasha felt a weight on her shoulder, feeling Tsubaki slump into her with a pleased hum as he grinned, "How'd you do that?!" he demanded in a slight slur, his eyes twinkling in drunken mirth as she excused them, with a bit of effort, from the fans to haul his ass back to the blanket, "It's like you knew exactly the music to play for the words-!" "It's a secret~!" she mock whispered in his ear, lifting a hand to press a finger to his mouth as they got nearer to the others, who were joined by a certain auburn haired male, so she lowered her voice further, "I'll tell you later~!"
Tsubaki pouted, but allowed her to stall him, letting him fall to a heap on the blanket as she laughed, setting the guitar down in her lap as she waved to the third triplet. "Ey-o, Natsume-san-!" she grinned. She noticed his empty hands, and her hostess gene kicked in, her hands immediately flipping up a bottle and flicking out a cup to pour a drink, capping the bottle in one hand as she held out the cup of tea to him a moment later, the whole process taking about six seconds. "Here, Natsu-nii," she smiled, brightly, placing the tea bottle back into the cooler after he'd taken it with a "Thank-you."
She sat back on her legs again with a sigh, shaking her head at the sight of Azuza fanning Tsubaki with his script. Jeez, he's on a family outing and he's still working..
"Sorry to spring this on you all of a sudden," she offered Natsume a smile, and his eyes flashed from her neck, where his scarf lay tugged loosely around her shoulders, to meet her own eyes calmly, "I know you said this part of the year was really busy.. But we thought it'd be good to have a nice family outing.."
"Nah," he sighed, lifting the cup to his lips. Still feeling restless, Natasha glanced around, finding the container of fried chicken, before she held it out to him, as if in a peace offering, "Help yourself-! There's plenty here, so you can even take some home if you'd like to."
"Onee-chan made the fried chicken~!" Wataru cheered, watching on with childish glee as the redhead reached forward to taking a kabob, "Then.." bringing it to his lips gently, he took a bite, chewing in silence as Natasha bit the inner lining of her lip, fists clenched into the fabric of her sweater. He opened his eyes to her expression, his voice quiet, but firm as he raised an eyebrow, "What're you looking at me like you were worried, for?" Her blush was instantaneous as she forced her gaze away, instead looking to see a baby squirrel join its guardian on a low hanging branch of a nearby sakura tree.
"It's.. good.."
Her ears perked up at his voice, and she glanced over to see him reaching for another, his eyes lowered once again to avoid confrontation. Natasha smiled, showing teeth as she closed her own eyes, letting out a soft breath of relief she hadn't known she was holding. "I'm glad.. That's a relief.." He brought his cup to his lips without another word, and Natasha laughed, reaching over to grab her guitar as she started to pluck the strings, as if to tune it, then gave Wataru a grin. "Taru-chan.. Do you like cake..?" "Huh?" he looked absolutely confused, so she giggled, "Do you know how to make a cake, Taru-chan?" she asked, again, and when he shook his head, she grinned, "Oh? But it's so easy.." A quick, light melody left her fingers as she sat up straighter, flashing Wataru's big, curious eyes a grin before she started singing, her voice light and pure as she closed her eyes.
"I'll pile on the candy.. It's such a pretty sight~! Makes the food taste dandy but your tummy hurts all night-!" The brothers watched curiously as she tapped her foot to the beat, a number of onlooking families watching nearby as she her voice went to a more noticeable, but no less melodic, volume. "I'll put in some ingredients, but keep the rest for me~! I'm not just disobedient, I'm careful, can't you see~?" The tone of the song changed, and she sounded much more like a mentor, swaying her shoulders as she let the music pour out of her system like a broken glass. "It's a piece of cake to bake a pretty cake, if the way is hazy~! You've gotta do the cookin' by the book- You know you can't be lazy~! Never use a messy recipe, the cake will end up crazy~! If you do the cookin' by the book- then you'll have a cake-!" She looked like she wanted to laugh as she continued, Wataru clapping along the the beat while the others watched on in either stunned silence or with a drunken grin (I wonder who..?)...
"We've got to have it made~! You know that I love cake~! Finally it's time to make a cake-!" Natasha peeked open an eye at Wataru's giggle, shock briefly coursing through her spine at the sight of about four other kids clapping along with him with childish enthusiasm. Since the song was so short, in actuality, she played it thrice, having gotten the children to sing the a semblance of the chorus by the time she was done, and as she lowered her guitar, she listened to the polite applause echoing around the trees, along with the now multiplied to eight children, majority of which were either the same height or smaller than Wataru, with a few who looked slightly older just on the fringe. "Onee-chan is so good at guitar~!" Wataru sang brightly, clapping his hands with each syllable, "Awesome-awesome-!"
"Ohh~!" she grinned, leaning over to ruffle his hair, "Not as awesome as Taru-chan~!" "Onee-chan~" he whined, pouting as she played with his hair. He was so cute~ Like a little Teddy~!
She spent the next half hour or so playing for the kids a few yards away, Masaomi occasionally checking in between songs as she played her guitar to her mini-audience. Focusing mostly on innocent Lazytown songs, sweet lullabies, and a few catchy pop songs from her world.
As she strummed the last chord of 'Safe and Sound' with a melodic hum, the children clapped wholeheartedly, speaking all at once with requests and questions. It took her a moment to break away from them, excusing herself to get a drink to soothe her throat. Wataru was gifted with the task of watching her guitar, much to the young boy's awe, as she made him cross his heart, swearing to protect the beloved possession. She sealed a deal with a kiss to his forehead, before waving and moving to check the picnic. When she'd gotten there, she wasn't surprised to see Tsubaki thoroughly buzzed, or the drinks practically evaporating. "I can run to the store to get more drinks," Natasha offered, popping up behind Natsume so suddenly he nearly jumped from his skin, giving her 'tsk'ing sound as he scowled, her smile innocent as she batted her eyelashes.
"Are you sure you want to?" Masaomi furrowed his brow, clearly not fully on board, "It's getting dark.." "I'll be in and out like a ninja cat," she held out a thumbs up, before she deflated, pressing her fingers together awkwardly as she looked out toward the lake, "Plus.. a break sounds nice.." Azuza chuckled gently, before tilting his head back, "I'm alright with it.." "I don't know.." Masaomi murmured, only to be cut off a thin purple stick flashed in front of his eyes, swaying side to side mockingly as Natasha hummed, her tone dry, "I have pepper spray, and I know martial arts.. Can I please have your blessing to walk fifty yards?"
"..."
Natasha cradled the back of her head in a Naruto fashion as she climbed the stairs, smelling the crisp air and enjoying the sounds of the ight.
"You.. Are you alone?" a familiar voice cut through her haze, as she carefully slid her hand into the collar of her coat, grabbing at the stick of pepper spray before she met eyes with Subaru, her breath leaving her in a whoosh. "Damn, Suba-nii," she gave him a wry smile, "Any other guy and you'd be tasting pepper.." she shrugged off his confused look, before she explained, "We were low on drinks and I volunteered.." "Then I'll help," he stated evenly, no room for argument.
He'd spun on his heel and started to walk in the direction he came from, Natasha hesitating only a moment before she took off jogging to match his face, eyebrows raised in surprise and awe, "I'm starting to think you're not human…" He slid his eyes to hers in a silent question, and she elaborated without prompt, "I mean, you just got off of practice, right? Normal humans don't have super stamina.." "I figured you could use a hand," He smiled slightly, though she missed it, until he cracked a slight joke, "Considering Tsubaki is out there, now.. I'm certain that you'll need more beer.." Natasha laughed openly, his eyes sliding to her face slowly before he focused back on the convenient store just up ahead. "Hey.. Where's that little guy.." at her confused expression, he pointed to her shoulder, "The one who sits on your shoulder?"
"Oh, Juli.." she cracked a nervous smile, shaking her head, "At home, resting off a bad tin of sushi.." He blinked in surprise at her choice of wording, but left it for now.
"Well that was a lot quicker than I expected it to be," Natasha admit as they retraced their steps back toward the park, her hands fisting into her sweater dejectedly as she glared to the bags he refused to let her carry, "Aren't those heavy..?"
"No."
Awkward silence settled around them, and she frowned, turning her gaze to the path to make sure she didn't trip.
"You know.." he trialed off, and at the opportunity for conversation, she pounced, "Know what?" "About.. What I said the other day..:
She looked up to him briefly before returning her eyes to the path, "What about it?"
He hesitated a bit, eyes trained firmly ahead, before he continued, "My next game.. Will you, come for sure, to see it?" His voice went a tone lower, and she glanced to him from the corner of her eye with a slight smile, looks like she didn't need to invest in a car battery.. "I.. want to win, in front of you.." "I already promised," she said after a minute, her tone light and cheery as he glanced back down to her, though her expression was cool and relaxed as she held her arms behind her head, completely at ease, "I'm just trying to figure out if I should wear face paint or not.." "Face paint…?" he repeated slowly, his tone flat. "Mhmm.." she flashed him a grin, putting a finger to her cheek, "I already got a team jersey off of the website online, and pompoms, to cheer you on, I don't go to sporting events often, so the fact that you want me there gives me reason to go all out."
She heard a snort, and glanced up in surprise as Subaru raised his arm, hiding his lower face with his wrist as he looked away, the slight tremble of his shoulders gave away to is amusement. "Hey~!" Natasha whined, pouting at his turned head, "You're laughing at me.."
"You're such a dork.." he murmured, and she nearly faltered in her steps as she stared unblinkingly at his partially hidden smile. Dear god, what is wrong with her…
"Hey Natsume~! Are you drinking~? You should drink more~!" Tsubaki was laughing next to Azuza, having risen from his buzzed nap to hang on Azuza's shoulder, laughing merrily while the raven chastised him about his drinking habits. "I think you've had enough, Tsubaki.."
"Oh, Subaru," Masaomi greeted, drawing the groups attention behind them to see Subaru accompanied by the much shorter female, who was currently playing with the ends of her Christmas scarf. "What's this~?" Tsubaki sang, suspicion in his drunken slur, "The two of you showing up together.." "Aniki, what are you implying?" Natasha rolled her eyes, letting the ends of the scarf fall back to her chest as she crossed her ankles, falling into the indian-position with ease as she moved to grab a disposable cup, "You are a horrid drinker, Tsubaki.." "Is this just a coincidence~?" he slurred, but Subaru cut in this time, "Of course it's a coincidence." He looked around them briefly, before his brow furrowed, "Huh? Where's Wataru?" Natasha tensed immediately as she darted her eyes around, falling on the little boy just twenty or so meters out, near the lake, with a sigh of relief. "Now that you mention it.." Tsubaki said slowly, the rest of the boys looking around, as well. Masaomi had a trace of concern in his tone, "He was here just a moment ago."
"He's over there," Natasha announced calmly, catching everyone's attention as they looked over to where she was pointing, a curious little Wataru leaning against the fence with a guitar strapped to his back by a black strap. He was making the quaking sounds with the trick she showed him, and Natasha flipped out her phone with a grin, "I'm taking a video, this is just too-" she watched him waver against the fence, and panic set in as the others gasped. "Wataru-!" she called, scrambling to her feet, until she saw a dash of black and orange pass her, watching as Natsume sprinted away from the blanket toward the child. Natasha held stock still, the recording device still in hand, as she watched Wataru flail backward after a defensive squawk from the duck, landing directly over the base of the guitar and giving out a loud creaking sound, just as Natsume's foot caught on his torso, and he went sailing over the fence, arm outstretched, as he kept his face carefully blank, before sailing into the water with a large splash. Natasha was frozen in shock with the rest of the males, before she'd bolted over to them, snatching her bag on the way as she sailed for Wataru as if her feet could fly.
Natsume sat up in the water with a cough, spitting out the offending liquid and using his hands to wipe it from his eyes. Natasha gave Wataru a quick once over to be sure he was fine, before she bolted for the fence, nearly hanging over it herself as she reached out a hand, eyes wide, "Natsu-! Are you okay?!" She was too preoccupied with reaching for the red-head, her short arms an intense problem. He shook his head at her as he tried to stand, slipping in the mud and landing with another splash as she reeled back to cover her face, looking back in surprise at the sound of Tsubaki's laughter.
The white haired male flashed her a smile as he pet her one the head, "Don't worry, Imouto-chan~ I'll take care of it.." "Be gentle," she warned, bending over to check her bag for the towels she made Azuza pack, the raven haired male giving her a startled look as she pulled them out, his voice low enough that only she could here him, "So this is what you meant by trouble.." "Sometimes I wonder if I'm psychic," she chuckled, flinching at the sound of another loud splash, before shooting Tubaki a glare, Azuza quick to shut down his laughter, "Enough of that, now, Tsubaki.."
When he'd finally been completely pulled out of the water, Natasha set to work helping him to the cement, helping him to sit down before brandishing the smaller towels, pulling one around his shoulders while she started to dry his hair with another.
"Are you seriously, okay, Natsume?" she asked softly, watching as water continued to drip down his face and neck. "I had a feeling I would need these, but.." "Thank you," he stated calmly, his face lowered slightly as she finished with his hair, and began patting at his neck and face, his expression stony. "Was it really a coincidence..?" His tone was low, but loud enough for a few of the others to hear, although it took her a minute to catch up. "That you ran into Subaru along the way?"
"Oh," she sighed in silent relief, before patting his head, like a dog-pat, "Natsu~ Natsu~ Relax.. I almost pepper sprayed him, actually.." He raised an eyebrow at that, looking cross between wanted to smile or shake his head.
"Natsume.." Azuza called, and the two crouching looked up to see both him and Tsubaki standing in front of them. "Sorry for Tsubaki pulling that stunt on you.." "Not like it's anything new," Natsume sighed, dismissing it with ease. "Now this is what they call "A tall glass of water"," Tsubaki laughed, shoulders shaking in merriment as Natasha continued to pat down the red-heads clothes, starting at his shoulders and back.
"Why don't you take a shower at our place before you go?" Azuza offered politely, and Natasha felt her heart stutter, making sure she didn't pause her ministrations to his suit. Frowning at the ruined tie, her voice pitching in after a pause, "I could throw your laundry in the wash, too.."
"Yeah," Natsume nodded, lifting the towel she had put around his neck to his face so he could wipe at his eyes, "I think I'll do that.."
"Did you get hurt, Wataru?" Natasha tuned to the younger boy, then, surprised to see his shocked face as he stared down at the instrument in his lap, eyes wide and unblinking. "Taru?" she repeated, moving closer to kneel in front of him, taking a good look at her guitar before she raised both eyebrows in surprise. Okay-.. Wow… "Wataru.." she repeated, and she was met with a crying child clinging to her, arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she sat stock still, her expression calm as he cried into her shoulder, "I'm sorry-! I'm sorry-! I didn't mean to break it-! It was an accident Onee-chan-! Please don't be mad-!"
"Wataru," she pressed his shoulders back so he was forced to look her in the eye, his eyes glassy from crying as he pouted at her stern expression, "Are you hurt?" "No.." he murmured, glancing dejectedly at the cracked face of the guitar, one of the galaxy butterflies having a snake-like crack patterned across the design and stemming toward the bridge. "Good" she pat his head, his surprise evident as she fixed the strap from around his shoulder and hauled the instrument onto her back, taking his hand gently, "I could care less about an instrument, Taru-chan, as long as you're not hurt, it's fine.." He sniffled a little at that, and she grinned, switching tactics, "So, did you get wet?"
"No," he shook his head, smiling a little as he continued, "I'm not Natsu-! I'd never fall in-!" "That's very smart," she grinned patting his head as he started to giggle, "Is Natsu not smart?" he asked innocently, and she could only laugh, shaking her head with mirth, "That's not what I meant, Taru.. Natsu's smart in his own way.." She leaned closer to him, then, whispering something into his ear that none of the others could hear. Wataru's eyes lit up immediately, and looked at his sister in awe, "You're going to do that, Onee-chan-?" "Shh-!" Natasha hushed him, smiling at his obedient nod, before she spun on her heel to face the now suspicious others, Wataru giggling quietly behind her back as she flashed them all a patient smile, "We better head back, soon. We don't want Natsume-nii to catch the flu." "Right," Masaomi gave her a smile, moving to help Azuza and Subaru clean up the picnic as Natasha sidled up next to Natsume, slipping the soaked towel from around his shoulders and giving him a secretive smile. His eyes followed her form as she walked away, hips swaying almost cat-like as she snuck up and over to the cleaning males, the next few events leaving him briefly stunned.
There was a crack.
A yelp.
And a Tsubaki was hurtling over the cooler, having been packing the drinks away, his fists now buried in the grass as he looked backwards in surprise, Natasha swinging the once tightly spun towel loosely around in her hand as she laughed, shoulders shaking as she threw back her head. "What was that for~?"
"Natsume-nii wasn't going to give you payback," she flashed her teeth in her smile, soothing the burn of his embarrassment by offering him a hand up, "Figured I'd take it upon myself.." He let her help him up, her strength nearly causing him to fall into her completely as she hauled him up by his wrist, catching him mid-way and steadying him with a grin, his buzzed shock distracted as she felt his forehead, her face twisting in displeasure as she narrowed her eyes, "You're going to bed when we get home, too.. Your body is rejecting the alcohol.."
By the time they'd walked back and Azuza had excused himself to put Tsubaki to bed, Natasha also to check on Juli and Masaomi left to do work, Natsume was left alone to take a shower.
Arrow paced along the rather short hallway outside of his one, and only, superior's office. He didn't count the Lord as a Superior, more like a Gospelic interpretation of Hope. The walls were a neutral beige, with pure white trimming at the floor, matching the popcorn ceilings nearly ten feet above head. The furniture of dull waiting chairs, as well as the occasional pot for plants were deep earthy brown. However, the true testaments of color were the stained glass windows. Rather than the 'biblical' scenes usually located in churches or convents, each and every window here was laced with thousands upon thousands of colored shards that collaborated to create stars, galaxies, and the occasional depiction of a notable warrior among the angelic ranks.
Sworde was the highest ranking official in the "judicial" system, of sorts. Basically a hierarchy of angelic political and social standings. there were, however, the few deceptions that were granted to leaders who earned their titles though work, rather than standing or deception.
The door to his office was a reliable oak, but charmed heavily from within to be soundproof.
A squad was being put together.. Something he had very little hope he would be able to keep this out of his Mistress's ears and eyes.. Well, he surmised after pausing beside a luscious potted fern plant in the neutral-toned hallway, the creations would provide her with some sort of entertainment, so long as they each completed their current assignments, but, judging by the current, lengthy discussion, he was unaware of how long that would be.