Thursday morning, September 1st 2011 – Hikarizaka Private High School
Kyou-kun stood in the hallway and recited what he had practiced briefly with his new elder sisters and… Okazaki. Initially, he had planned to tell his new classmates that he was a different person than the other Fujibayashi Kyou that had previously gone to this school, but they said it wouldn't be necessary to do that. It had been more than seven years since any of them had attended this school. Even the most senior high school students would only have been in grade school back then, so there would be no students at the high school now, who might be confused.
Other than the teachers, of course. Fortunately, Koumura had met with the teachers and explained the situation to them during Kyou-kun's enrollment.
The teacher who escorted Fuko and Kyou-kun to classroom 2C gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, then went into the classroom to call the room to order so that he could make the announcement. It was odd to receive a transfer student at this time of year, but it was even more strange for the same class to receive two transfer students. However, that was the agreement that had been made with the high school. It didn't take the teacher long to prepare the class, then he waved to the young man standing in the hallway to enter and introduce himself.
The class watched as a new student walked into the room. Some of them were a little surprised that he had already acquired the school uniform, but there was something much more remarkable about him than that. His body build was average… maybe a little on the slender side, but his lavender hair and purple eyes were striking… and very rare.
"Lavender hair and purple eyes?"
"Do you think he might be related to the legendary twins?"
Both Kyou-kun and the teacher realized that their assumptions might have been a bit naive about his identity. Even though it had been several years since the Fujibayashi sisters had attended this school, some of their feats had taken on their own lives as school legends.
"My name is Fujibayashi Kyou. I'm interested in the judo club. I look forward to being your classmate for the remainder of the school year." Kyou-kun decided to stick with the script even if it meant that he would have many questions to answer later.
"His name is Fujibayashi?"
"Wasn't that the name of the legendary twins?"
"Did the stories say anything about a little brother?"
"Class, we have another transfer student joining us besides Fujibayashi Kyou. If you… huh?" the teacher looked out the door to where Fuko should be waiting, but there was no-one there. A moment later, he saw several students carrying storage boxes through the hallway on some random errand. He was about to call out to them to see if they had seen a short girl in the hallway, when several of his students gasped.
"Fuko is sorry sensei." a disembodied voice came from the air where a pair of eyes hovered amidst a cloud of swirling dust motes. The voice explained apologetically, "Other students were coming and Fuko didn't know if they should see Fuko before Fuko's introduction."
"That's okay." the teacher said hesitantly. He had been briefed on the special nature of this particular student but he was more worried what it might do to all the classmates in the room. He was trying to think of what to do when the strange girl finished materializing and introduced herself properly.
"Fuko's name is Ibuki Fuko." Fuko said to the stunned students. She didn't notice, or it just didn't bother her that they were all wearing the lightweight summer uniform while she had materialized in the usual gold jacketed winter uniform. Some students noticed this oddity, but most were still speechless from the way the short girl had appeared right in front of them. Fuko ignored their startled expressions and carried on with her introduction, "Fuko went to this school last year and Fuko knows some of you. Fuko will be in the Performance Club, the Karate Club, the Cooking Club, the Dance Club, the Lite Music Club, the Art Club, the Baseball Club, and… Fuko will try out the Judo club."
"I… I remember Fuko… she was my senpai in the Dance Club."
"I remember Fuko too, she was my senpai in the Baseball Club!"
"Me too! She was my senpai…"
A chorus of voices were calling out how they remembered Fuko as each surprised student jumped to their feet.
Not everyone in the room remembered her, but there were many that did. It hadn't been quite a year since the big presentation in the school auditorium when Yukine had assembled all the students that were the ikiryo Fuko's classmates and fellow club members. Those classmates had graduated the following spring, but the club members… Second years became third years and first years became second years. And some of those second years were now in the same class with her.
"Senpai!" many voices cheered as several of the students surged forward to greet her with hugs, or just to be close to her.
"Fuko is your classmate now. Fuko is not your senpai." the short girl seemed flustered, finding herself the center of so much attention.
"Fuko-senpai, I have been taking dance classes since I was old enough to walk. I thought I was pretty good too. But, when I saw you dance… I knew that I still had a lot to learn. You were so incredible, amazing, you were… awesome." a taller girl said with adoration.
"Fuko was… awesome?" Fuko seemed surprised at such praise of her ability.
"You inspired me to try harder and be better. So, I'm afraid it will be impossible for me to think of you as just another classmate. If you don't let me call you senpai, I will have to call you sensei." the taller girl insisted.
Fuko blushed and looked around at the other students that had gathered around her. They all nodded in agreement with the tall dancer and Fuko's blush deepened. "Senpai… senpai will be fine."
There was an overall cheer from the students around her as they returned to welcoming their old friend and senpai back.
Other students had been shocked at her supernatural arrival, but they were equally shocked at some of their classmates that not only knew of, but also seemed to be on very good terms with this strange but cute apparition. The teacher was stunned as well. There had been a lot of preparation for the young man that would be entering her class, but no-one seemed concerned about the short girl with the long brown hair tied in a big blue bow.
How can she be in so many clubs? And why is no-one questioning this? Kyou-kun watched the reunion of friends and the curiosity of others. Given the way she had appeared in front of them all, he wondered why no-one was terrified of her. But then, the tiny girl just didn't have a terrifying demeanor about her… once her body had finished coalescing. And you promised to be my friend at school, huh? Well, this is certainly going to be a very interesting school experience.
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Friday evening, September 9th 2011 – On the way to the Ichinose Residence
Fuko would usually walk home with Kyou-kun and do homework with him, after they finished with their Judo club practice. Which had, by the way, been quite the eye opener. He had been surprised when Fuko had announced that she would be trying out for the Judo club during their introductions. Then he had been surprised again when she followed him to the boys' Judo club instead of the one for girls. Again he was surprised when she had easily qualified… even when he had trouble with some of the physical requirements. After a week of watching her skill increase at a breakneck pace, he gave up on being surprised at anything she did anymore.
However, she proved to never be out of surprises. On this Friday, he found her guiding him on a different path than the usual route to the Fujibayashi home.
"Where are we going?" Kyou-kun asked.
"The Ichinose house… where Tomoya-kun and Kyou-chan live." Fuko said brightly, "Ryou-chan will be there too. Today is their birthday and we're going to have a party, and… there will be cake! Fuko likes cake!"
"Oh… then it's my birthday too." Kyou-kun said.
"Don't be greedy!" Fuko fussed at him while swinging her star shaped purse into his arm.
"Ow! Hey, what's that for?" Kyou-kun demanded.
"You just had a birthday a couple of months ago on your world, right?" Fuko admonished.
"So, it's September 9th, so I get another birthday." Kyou-kun said defiantly.
"Do you really want to be a nineteen year old that's still in high school?" Fuko asked critically.
Kyou-kun felt like Fuko's words had become an arrow that had been shot through him.
"You're already a repeater. Do you also want to be the oldest student on campus?" Fuko asked.
Another arrow pierced Kyou-kun and he started to stumble as he walked.
"At this rate, by the time you graduate you might end up being the oldest student in Hikarizaka history." Fuko observed.
"Unh!" Kyou-kun reeled from the third shot, but he had taken enough damage and fired back, "What about you? Aren't you twenty-five or something like that?"
"Fuko… the real Fuko is an adult. She has matured like an adult and when you see her, you better treat her like an adult!" Fuko yelled at the lavender haired boy and seemed genuinely angry. But the anger faded and she seemed suddenly sad as she continued, "But this Fuko is an ikiryo. Fuko is like a fifteen year old… and probably always will be. Even when Fuko's niece and nephew become adults, Fuko will still be a teenager. Probably."
"You can't mature at all?" Kyou-kun forgot his disappointment at being left out of his own birthday party and felt pity for his ikiryo friend.
"Fuko does mature… but very slowly. And… Fuko tends to slide back sometimes too. That's what Yukine-chan said." Fuko bowed her head and wiped a tear from one of her eyes.
"Well… right now I'm glad you aren't maturing with the real Fuko." Kyou-kun told her. He meant it as a compliment but…
"Uh!" Fuko took a step back and looked at him in shock, "Fuko did not know that Kyou-kun was such a bully!"
"No! Fuko, that's not what I meant! I… I'm really glad you're here. If you weren't stuck being a teenager, I would be all alone in this world. I know it's selfish of me, but… I'm really glad you're my friend!"
"Oh!" Fuko's anger faded away immediately and she looked at Kyou-kun differently. "You don't dislike Fuko, even though you know that Fuko will still be a child when you are all grown up?"
"No… but I don't believe that." Kyou-kun said thoughtfully.
"Fuko is not lying." Fuko frowned.
"I don't think you are lying, but I don't think you are stuck either." Kyou-kun stepped closer and took the short girls' hands while he told her, "You are truly amazing. I have watched you master Judo techniques in the last week, that took me a year or two. You're academic skills are incredible. I've even seen you helping out some of the third years that were having trouble with their studies. If you can learn those kinds of things, I think you can mature too."
"You do?" Fuko asked hopefully.
"Yeah… it might take a while, but I think you can." Kyou-kun assured her.
"Fuko will… Nnnnn!" Fuko shook her head as if trying to dispel a bad memory or habit, "I will do… my best."
"That's great Fuko!" Kyou-kun cheered, "Now, let's go get some cake."
"Yaaaaay! Fuko likes cake!" Fuko cheered and took off running for the Ichinose home.
"It might take a looooong while after all." Kyou-kun said with a wry smile as he watched the short girl cheering while she ran. She's like a small child after all.
.
Wednesday evening, November 16th 2011 – Ichinose Residence
One Year Since Kotomi's Disappearance
Tomoya and Kyou sat with several of their friends on the loungers and wrought iron chairs around the table in the back yard. It was sweater weather, but nothing like the cold, wet, and windy day a year before when…
"I can't believe it's been a whole year." Isamu said while he looked down into his glass of beer.
"Don't despair," Kobayashi Jun said with certainty, "the data that you and your teams have brought us over these past months have been priceless. I definitely feel that by this time next year, we will have her back."
Tomoya was feeling depressed and aggravated. He wanted to bite back at the professor's optimism and say something like, That's what you said last year! But the truth was, it was a far better prediction than a year ago. He had known that there was really no chance that they could get her back within a single year, but he had held out hope nonetheless. If for no other reason than… His eyes gazed over to where his wife was already looking.
Kyou-chan was already into the second trimester of her pregnancy. Her hand idly patted the growing bulge in her tummy while she watched Shuichi, Shuji, and Michiko playing with their friends. All of the children had grown so much in the last year, but their three children had each shot up around eight centimeters in that short time. How much more will they have grown by the time we get Kotomi back? Will they remember her? Tears formed in Kyou's eyes when she thought about the possibility that Kotomi might finally make it home to find children that didn't remember or need her any more.
"Your little brother is doing a lot better, isn't he?" Yukine asked while she tried to find a comfortable position in the lounger she was sitting in. It was difficult since she was starting the final week of her own pregnancy. The due date was still a week off, but she was already starting to feel the pains that told her that the day was near.
"Yeah, he really filled out a lot, now that he's eating right and getting lots of exercise. I really have Fuko to thank for that." Kyou-chan said while she watched her boys chasing the teen male version of herself around the back yard.
"I didn't do anything. It's ikiryo Fuko you should be thanking." Fuko said with a sigh. She was a bit envious of the different abilities her ikiryo had.
"So, you really don't control them at all?" Yukine asked as she finally settled into a half reclined position that was the least painful. Then, reaching for the shawl to throw around her shoulders, she felt a twinge from her womb. This wasn't the kick or punch feeling that a child at this stage was often dishing out to the walls of her womb, her ribs, or her pelvis. This was different… and familiar. Yukine froze and concentrated on that part of her anatomy that shouldn't be doing such things for another week.
"No. I am able to let her out when I'm asleep, or even when I'm awake… with a little meditation. But after she's out, I don't know what she's up to until she comes back." Fuko said wistfully. Her own stamina wasn't nearly as good as her own ikiryo… which was another thing she was envious about.
"You know, she is very jealous of you." Yukine told her friend. She could read Fuko's expressions like neon signs. She wanted to make the real Fuko understand that she was just as important as her ikiryo self and was planning to say more but…
Twinge!
"Unh!" Yukine groaned at the much more powerful contraction.
"Yukine, are you okay?" Fuko asked.
"Did you spill a drink?" Tomoya asked as he started to get up, "Your chair is soaked."
"What!" Kyou-chan gasped as she leapt to her feet with the sudden intuition that this could be…
"I think my water broke." Yukine said in disbelief. Everything up until now had been in perfect order for a delivery date of a week from now, so it was hard to believe that…
Twinge!
"Unnnh!" Yukine cried out as the new contraction caused her to double up in pain.
"Okāsan?" Yoichi came running over from where he was playing with the other children. Michiko and Ushio followed after him in his wake.
"Ushio..." Kyou was about to tell the little girl to go get her mothers, but she changed her mind and ran toward the house, "Never mind, I'll do it."
Tomoya put his hand on Yukine's shoulder when he saw her struggling to get up, "Don't try to get up until Ryou has a look at you."
"But… I want to get into the house." Yukine panted through the pain of another contraction.
"As soon as Kyou gets back, we'll carry this lounger in with you on it." Tomoya offered.
"No you won't." Fuko said with determination. Then she half closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Within seconds, she found that place of inner balance and softly called out, "Fuko-chan, I need you."
"I'm already here." a chorus of voices responded in the space around Fuko's chair. No explanation was needed as one school uniform dressed Fuko after another materialized and moved to surround Yukine's lounger. Twelve of them grasped the sides of the lounger and called out, "Heave, ho!"
Inside the house, Ryou and Kyou stared with amazement at what they saw coming in from the back yard. Kyou-kun hurriedly opened the patio door for the escort of Fukos carrying the makeshift stretcher into the house.
Tomoya had his phone out as he followed the others into the house. He noticed the stunned expression on Kyou-kun's face and asked, "Why are you so surprised? You already knew she was an ikiryo."
"I… I didn't know she could make more than one!" Kyou-kun blinked in amazement. "I've been going to school with her for over two months and I've never seen her do anything like that."
"Really? How do you think she has been going to all those school clubs and events?" Tomoya wanted to thump his finger on the boy's forehead for his lack of observation and deduction, but decided that the poor guy was already beating himself up enough over it.
"What should I do?" Kyou-kun asked Tomoya. The situation had gone from pastoral and playful to worrisome and frightening in the blink of an eye and Kyou-kun felt the need to be helpful somehow.
"You should keep playing with the children in the back yard." Tomoya told the boy.
"But…" Kyou-kun wanted to argue that he wasn't a child and he wanted to help… if there was anything that he could do. In his mind, he was going back to his old feelings about Tomoya, You condescending jerk! How dare you treat me like…
"I'm not being mean. I'm serious." Tomoya could see Kyou-kun's building frustration. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder and told him, "It's probably just false labor and she'll be fine in an hour or so. But if this is it… if she is actually going into labor right now, there will be screaming and… the kind of things that could scare, or even traumatize small children. So, I'll be relying on you to keep all of them distracted and happy."
"Oh… okay." Kyou-kun's head dropped when he realized that he had reverted to his old habits of assuming the worst and hating Tomoya so easily. He felt especially miserable since Tomoya had actually been trusting him, and even relying on him. There had been no pity or condescension at all.
"Hey," Tomoya gently slapped Kyou-kun's cheeks in a snap-out-of-it way and told him compassionately, "Right now, you need to be the best ojisan ever. You've been doing great so far. All of them think the world of you… even Maiko and my boys, and I know those three can be pretty cynical. So, pull yourself together. You know how bright these kids are. They'll know if you're faking it."
"I'll do my best!" Kyou-kun promised before turning to run back to the waiting children. Some of them were still playing while others looked like they wanted to ask some questions about what had just happened. He was ready to take them all on with play and answers about anything… well almost anything.
Tomoya-sama.
The blush on Kyou-kun's cheeks wasn't from the mild little slaps to bring him around but, in a way… they were still caused by that damned delinquent. No! He's not a delinquent. But why… why does he have to be someone I feel like I could look up to… someone I… should look up to? Was he really this decent a person back on my world and I just wouldn't accept it? Is that what my brother was always trying to tell me?
Tomoya-sama.
Dammit! I hear other people call him that all the time but why… why do I want to call him that? Why does it almost slip out every time I talk to him? And yet, I can't. I just… can't… do that. Dammit Tomoya-sama. Dammit.
Tomoya watched him run back to the children and turned to go back into the house. As soon as he got in the door, he ran into Sugisaka who was hurriedly bringing an arm full of towels toward the dojo. Tomoya didn't want to slow her down and opted to call out to her as she sped by, "False labor?"
"No Okazaki-sama. She is already dilated to six centimeters. Sunohara-sama is having a baby today." Sugisaka said quickly before she dashed back into the dojo with the towels.
"I see." Tomoya's eyes opened wide from the surprise. He had been through this a few times now and hadn't seen it happen so quickly before. But Ryou was here so he wasn't too concerned. Leaving it to his sister-in-law, he backed away from the dojo until he was again at the windows that overlooked the back yard. Kyou-kun was keeping the children entertained back there while new life would be arriving in the old Ichinose house. Kotomi would like this. Children playing… babies… a house full of friends. Come home, Kotomi. You are missing out on so much. You should really be here for this. His melancholic thoughts ended in a sigh. He didn't have the time to dwell on them even if he had wanted to. For now, he had a responsibility to another friend.
Tomoya's lips turned up in a wicked smile as he pulled his cell phone out and called up Youhei's phone number, "Looks like I get to tell Youhei that he picked the wrong week to attend a training class in Osaka."
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Saturday late night, December 31st2011 – The Okazaki Home in Hokkaido
Gong. Gong. Gong. The big temple bell resonated through the night to call an end to one year and herald in the next. To many of the people walking the worn path to the old shrine, the tolling of the big bronze bell also brought up memories of all that had happened since the bell was rung at the end of the previous year.
Walking amidst the children, Sugisaka was wearing a kimono that was black at the base and became bright red by the time it got to the obi. The wide golden belt matched the pattern of golden snowflakes that wound up the garment from the base, until they disappeared underneath the wide white fur collar that wrapped around her shoulders and neck. She normally didn't go in for clothing that was too elaborate or formal. But this was a special occasion and the kimono was… fake.
Like the elaborate garments that the children were wearing, they were all actually functional cold weather clothing designed to look like formal kimono's. It wasn't the deception, but the simplicity and creative design that had impressed her. And, once she said she would wear one, the children decided they wanted them too. She had been surprised by that at the time… until she remembered what Tomoya-sama had told her during the previous year's Hokkaido trip.
They are children. They soak up their environment like a sponge. To a great extent, they emulate the adults around them. If they are well behaved and proper – it is at least partially due the adults in their environment. You are one of those adults.
This year too, friends and family had made the long trek out to the Okazaki family home in Hokkaido. Also, like the previous year, Hokkaido had treated them all to it's cold temperatures and occasional snow storms. But the weather on the last day of the year was much better than it had been the previous year. Instead of the blizzard conditions that had kept them indoors the year before, this time there were only light snow flurries and glimpses of the moon through the occasional break in the clouds. Certainly not the kind of weather that could hamper the festivities of those that had come prepared.
A shrine visit at midnight on New Year's Eve was a treasured thing and she enjoyed watching over the children, but Sugisaka would rather be back in the big warm house with a mug of something hot in her hands. Typical of Hokkaido in the winter, the temperature was below freezing. Even if there wasn't a lot of wind, the high humidity made the cold temperature cut right through normal clothes. Fortunately, none of them were in normal clothes.
One of the chores that the big sisters had come up with, for the newest member of their family, was to have Kyou-kun take a trip to Tokyo and go to one of the stores that specialized in camping, winter weather, and survival gear. Once there, his goal was to make sure all of the children were properly equipped for the worst that Hokkaido could throw at them. Sugisaka had gone with them, ostensibly to help keep track of all the children. Of equal importance, she had been asked to watch over him too. Even though he was now in his late teens, by his own admission he had never been to a big city… at least when he was old enough to remember it. And Tokyo was a very big city.
She remembered his shock when they walked up to the ten story building in Shinjuku. Kyou-kun had turned to her and asked which floor the camping store was on. He thought she was joking when she replied, "All of them."
His amusement turned to disbelief and then excitement as they prowled the many floors of the megastore for all their cold weather needs. He had been stunned at the variety and availability of cold weather products in a world that wasn't besieged by winter like his world was. They had spent most of the day there, but the mission was accomplished with their many purchases. All of the children now had powered inner layers and a variety of outer layers. Some of them were designed to be rugged enough for climbing trees, snowball fights, and generally rough play, while other outer layers were designed to look like fanciful kimono's. Fortunately for the shoppers, the store also had the ability to have their many purchases delivered to the Okazaki house in Hokkaido, so they wouldn't have to carry lots of bulky packages back home on the crowded trains.
Like the previous year, it had been a fun trip. Unlike the previous year, nobody fell for Naoyuki's trick with the snow on the roof. Even Kyou-kun saw that one coming. But that didn't mean it was boring. There were lots of fun things to do in the vast snowscape that surrounded the inn sized home, and there was no shortage of other things to laugh at.
The special clothes had paid off with the comfort and safety that the children had enjoyed during their stay so far. And, 'so far', for some of the children, meant staying up late on this special night for the first shrine visit of the new year.
The Okazaki twins, Shuichi and Shuji were seven and a half years old now and had wanted to go to their first shrine visit for a couple of years. Their younger sister Michiko was only a few days away from her sixth birthday and had been waiting for this since she found out about it the previous year.
Youhei and Yukine's son Yoichi had just turned six and was eager to go to his first new year's shrine visit too.
Fuko's exuberant niece, Maiko had insisted that she be allowed to go if the Okazaki boys were going. But, try as she might, she couldn't stay up long enough and was fast asleep with her little brother and aunt back at the Okazaki house. She wasn't the only one that couldn't last all night though. Ushio fell asleep in Nagisa's arms long before the midnight hour came.
Aside from Sugisaka, there were other adults there as well. Tomoya and Kyou were accompanied by Tomoya's cousin Yuki and their old friend Youhei. Kyou-kun was the only real teen in the group, but he didn't mind. He was accompanied by a short unreal teen – the same one that accompanied him to school every day.
And surrounding this happy, family-like group were their self-proclaimed guardian angels. Six couples encircled the family and kept watchful eyes for anything that might be amiss. Some of them walked arm in arm, others held hands, but all of them looked like couples… even if they hadn't yet admitted that they liked the partner they were with yet.
Yukine had stayed back at the cozy Okazaki home with her month old baby girl, but she had given The Boys and The Girls their marching orders before they left. She warned them about the previous schemes and ill manners of Yuki's mother – Tomoya's aunt. So on this night, it would be their mission to accompany their friends and watch over them, to make sure that nothing untoward happened and that their memories of this special night would be something they could cherish for years to come.
But her final instructions made her true intentions clear to at least one of the people in the group. It happened when she commanded that they were to pair up and go to the shrine like couples in love… ostensibly to insure that none of the other shrine visitors felt uncomfortable.
Takeshi heard Kohaku quietly laughing as she walked along beside him. "What's so funny?"
"I was just thinking that Yukine-sama is amazing." Kohaku said.
"What makes you say that?" Takeshi asked out of curiosity. He had always thought she was amazing too, but he wanted to know his girlfriend's reasons.
"I think she was a nakōdo in a former life." Kohaku stopped giggling when she thought about it and changed her mind, "No, she is far too sly and cunning for a common matchmaker. Perhaps a kitsune or Susanoo or even Loki. But she doesn't play tricks on people to entertain herself, it's always about love… so maybe, Aphrodite?"
"What are you talkin about?" Takeshi looked at his girlfriend askance while she rambled on.
"You know how she got us together, right?" Kohaku asked him as quietly as she could.
"Yeah?" Takeshi had originally thought that he was the luckiest guy in the world to get a girlfriend as wonderful as Kohaku. But even a lummox like him had been able to figure out that Yukine-sama had been pushing their budding romance every step of the way.
"Look around you," Kohaku whispered while nodding at all the others pairs walking arm in arm or hand in hand with each other, "She's doing it again."
.
"I thought your sister was going to be here." Tomoya said to Youhei.
"She wanted to, but… she has a lot going on now." The pride in Youhei's voice leaked out when he talked about Mei, "She'll be graduating from her college this March, so she has final exams, interviews, and the last two matches for her volleyball team."
"Wow, I thought she would have handed the team off to her kōhai by now." Kyou-chan commented. She wasn't sure whether she should be impressed with Mei's tenacity or disappointed in her at prioritizing the activities in her life.
"Her team is doing really well and there is a chance that one or two of them may be selected to represent Japan at the 2012 Olympic games." Youhei allowed even more pride into his voice as he praised his taller, younger sister.
"Otōsan, let's go." little Yoichi said as he pulled at his father's sleeve.
"Okay, I'm ready." Youhei moved his arm down for his son to take his hand instead of his sleeve. He glanced over at Sugisaka and saw that she was already prepared, along with little Michiko.
The steps were wide enough for four people to approach the shrine, and it was now time for the next four in line to climb the steps. From Sugisaka to Michiko to Yoichi and finally to Youhei, their hands were linked as they ascended the steps together.
Tomoya and Kyou-chan were next in line with their two sons, but for now their attention was on their little girl… and Yoichi. All of the children had been practicing the proper shrine etiquette, and this was their little girl's big moment. While the proud parents watched, the two children flanked by the two adults, got to the top of the stairs and released each other's hands.
Each of them stood quietly, then reached for the dangling rope. They weren't as thick as the ropes that some shrines used, but enough so that the little ones had to struggle a bit to get the attached bells to ring. Once the bells had been rung, each of the four tossed their five yen coins into the offertory box. Not having the reach of the adults, the children had to take a step back after their coin toss so that they could make their two bows correctly. As soon as they finished their bows, they clapped twice and made their prayer.
The kinds of prayers that were made at these annual ceremonies usually followed themes of health, fortune, or romance. And they were usually made silently. This time the shrine priests got to hear something different, and yet heartrending at the same time.
"Please, I just want mama to come home. That's all I want." Michiko's young voice didn't usually carry, but in the solemnity of this occasion, there was little else to compete with her.
Tomoya and Kyou were stunned. She had never said her wish aloud when they were practicing, but something like that from her wasn't unexpected either.
Even Yoichi seemed to be surprised by this. He stared at Michiko for a moment, then turned to his father with his hand open for another coin. Youhei had to take off his glove to fish the loose change out of his pocket. When he did, he realized that he didn't have any more five yen coins. But the fifty yen coin was similarly shaped with the hole in the middle, so he handed one of those to his son.
Yoichi rang the bell again, tossed the coin into the box, bowed twice, and then stated in his clear young voice, "Please forget my first wish. It was selfish and I don't want it any more. If I am allowed to change my wish, please bring Michiko's mother home. That's all I want."
After Yoichi made his final bow, he took Michiko's hand and the two of them walked back down the steps with Sugisaka and his father. Youhei was still stunned with his son's bravado and generosity and didn't notice both Tomoya and Kyou mouthing a 'thank you' to him.
Kyou-chan then looked down at the two boys to see if they were ready to go up the steps, but she noticed some concern on their young faces when they looked back at her. In the blink of an eye, a silent conversation happened between the three.
What's wrong, boys?
Just because Michiko wished for mama to come home, doesn't mean she doesn't love you.
What?
You seemed shocked. We don't want you to be upset.
I'm not upset. I was surprised, but I am very proud of her.
Both of the twins gave Kyou-chan an unconvinced 'Reeeeeally?' look, but they joined hands just like their sister's group had, and walked up the steps. They knew that Kyou-mama and their father were watching them to see if they remembered the ceremony as well as their younger sister had. Both of them were confident as they rang the bells, tossed their coins into the offertory box, bowed twice, clapped twice, and…
"Please, I just want Kotomi-chan to come home. That's all I want." Kyou-chan said aloud. Her words surprised her husband, but she had startled her sons even more.
The twins had thought that their little sister's spoken prayer had been a childish mistake in the ceremonial process. They appreciated her sentiment, but it was an error they wouldn't make. But now Kyou-mama had done the same thing. They looked at each other for only an instant and decided. "Please, I just want mama to come home. That's all I want."
Tomoya felt his jaw trembling, and it wasn't from the cold. His eyes were so full of wetness that he could not see the shrine in front of him. Blinking just made the tears freeze to his eyelashes. His own prayer was for the wishes of his family to be granted, so he didn't need to recast his wish. You see Kotomi? No-one has forgotten you. We still miss you so much. We all do. Please… please come home. Closing his eyes tight in an effort to keep more tears from streaming out, he felt small gloved hands take his own.
"Come on, you big crybaby," Kyou-chan said quietly as she placed her hands on his shoulders, "we'll get you down from here."
Next in line to ascend the steps were Tomoyo, Isamu, Takeshi, and Kohaku. They had watched the previous two groups and felt their own emotions about to boil over, the way Tomoya's had. They also noticed the precedent that had been established for how they went up the stairs.
Isamu turned to Takeshi, who was standing next to him and told him decisively, "I'm not going to hold your hand."
"Please?" Takeshi tried to make that poor little doggy look as he pleaded for Isamu's compassion.
"No." Isamu said flatly. He knew that Takeshi was joking around, and decided to make a joke for a reason for his refusal, "I don't know if Tomoyo is the jealous type, but I don't want to find out by letting her kill you."
"Pfft!" Takeshi hadn't expected Isamu to be the type to make a joke in such a solemn setting, so it took him completely by surprise.
"Hey," Kohaku said sternly as she took Takeshi's hand, "it's our turn, get a grip!"
.
Not long after everyone finished their prayers, Kyou-chan found herself staring at the fortunes. In years past, a few of these things had caused her a lot of confusion and heartache. But maybe this time?
"Onee-sama."
Maybe this time I will get a good omen…
"Onee-sama!"
This time, maybe it will be a clear and unambiguous good fortune?
"Onee-sama!" the voice that had been in the background of her mind was now reinforced with a smack to the back of the head.
"What the!" Kyou-chan spun around to see who had smacked her. To her surprise, she found Kyou-kun glaring at her accusingly.
"The children are getting cold and tired. How much longer do you want them to wait in this cold weather while you stare at souvenirs?" he challenged.
All her anger at the blow to her head was gone with the embarrassment that she was causing distress to the children. "Sorry, I didn't realize I was daydreaming. Let's go now."
The trek back to their house seemed to take longer than the trip from the house to the shrine. Of course, the promise of their first shrine visit had kept the children's energy up on the way there. Now that the big event was over, they were starting to droop. Fortunately, there were plenty of adults to help carry them as they ran out of steam.
To one member of the party, there were too many capable adults with them…
Kyou-kun was disappointed in himself for not acting quickly enough. He had been looking forward to carrying one of the tired and sleepy children back to house, thus cementing his position as the reliable ojisan. But coming right out and telling them that he was willing to carry them wasn't his style. No, they would have to ask this ojisan for help if they wanted a piggy-back ride.
Unfortunately, Kyou-kun's plans never had a chance. None of the children had asked anyone for help, and yet none of them were moving under their own power any more. And thus, Kyou-kun remained empty handed.
The first child to tire out had predictably been little Michiko. Sugisaka had felt her lagging and had picked her up into her arms. The child was asleep almost instantly and remained asleep when one of The Boys took the burden from the maid who was struggling with navigating through the snow and ice with the additional weight.
After that, Kyou-kun swallowed his pride and realized that he would not be able to count on them coming to him for support. He would have to be extra attentive and rescue the next child that found the struggle to make it back to the house too much for them. After all, it was his duty as an uncle to carry one of the tired children.
However, before he was able to come to that resolution, the three remaining children had already been snatched up by their guardian angels. Strong guardians that were not inconvenienced with the incidental weight of such small children.
Kyou-kun looked around and saw the three boys being carried piggy-back and little Michiko being carried princess style by the same men he used to call 'thugs'. Sulking just a bit, he noticed that he was walking between Sugisaka on his left and on his right was Isamu and Tomoyo. Sugisaka had a knowing smile although she said nothing about it. To the teen's bruised ego, it seemed like the red headed maid was laughing at him. Of course, that only upset a prideful teenage boy all the more. Looking away from Sugisaka, his eyes met Isamu's.
"Ya need me to carry you?" Isamu asked innocently.
"I am not a child!" Kyou-kun yelled defiantly… and childishly.
.
Wednesday morning, April 4th 2012 – New Komeito Party Offices, Tokyo
Tomoya and The Secretary were in a room with several other regular representatives, many junior representatives like Tomoyo, and a dozen attendants. Already, they had covered many of the topics on the agenda, but the ones that would get the most debate were scheduled to commence after lunch. Tomoya sighed when he realized that they would probably be debating with members of their own party until the late hours of the night.
The first time Tomoya had witnessed this, he thought the whole system was terribly inefficient. The Secretary later explained to him that the inefficiency was intentional. It would prepare them for the real struggle that would happen in the Diet chambers when they went up against the members of other parties.
However, the struggles of the New Komeito party would not be as difficult as they had been in the past. Thanks to Tomoya and Kotomi's science project, there was extensive political capital from saving thousands of lives and mitigating the disaster of the tsunami. Sure, they had to burn some of that capital to keep unwanted levels of attention off the aforementioned science project. But the real boon had occurred at the next general election.
Public pressure had forced the prime minister to call for a general election at the end of 2011 and there had been sweeping changes in several of the districts. The Buddhist influenced New Komeito party had benefited in the polls all over Japan, but nowhere more than the districts directly impacted by the tsunami. The devastated districts of Tohaku and Kitakanto saw the most change. But there were incredible changes in Tokyo, Minamikanto, and Hokkaido districts as well.
In all, this meant that a party that rarely held more than five percent of the popular vote, was now wielding more than fifteen percent. Some of the long term members of the party were thrilled with the sea-change that had occurred, while others were terrified. And it was into this cauldron of emotion, politics, and endless debate – that Tomoya found himself thrown into.
The Secretary seemed filled with glee when Tomoya had arrived. He kept referring to the young junior party member as 'my boy', 'our secret weapon', and 'the prodigy' that would take the party into the next era.
Tomoya wanted desperately to corner The Secretary and find out what all this 'secret weapon' talk was about, but finding the time to corner the man had been exceedingly difficult. It wasn't that he was elusive. It was easy to find him… too easy. And that meant that everyone else had found him too. The problem was finding time to corner the old man when he wasn't double or triple booked for other meetings, conferences, or other events.
The amount of energy the old man had was impressive though. From daybreak until long after nightfall, he was at it. Struggling to keep up with The Secretary and his inhuman schedule, Tomoya noticed that the old man had three attendants. They weren't with him all at the same time but seemed to trade off throughout the day. Tomoya was curious and wondered if they each performed different functions.
"No no. They are all personal assistants that help me with scheduling and communications." The Secretary replied with a smile.
Part of the New Komeito Party's beliefs were that elitism and behaving in an ostentatious way were inimical to public service and good government. Tomoya wanted to comment on that, but he also didn't want to offend the man who had been a reliable benefactor and patron.
"Don't worry, my boy. I have no delusions of grandeur." the old man said with a chuckle when he saw the concern on Tomoya's face. "I know that the schedule I keep is quite insane. It would be cruel of me to force that lifestyle on an employee, don't you think? Besides, if I tried to, they would leave me!"
"Yes, I suppose they would." Tomoya agreed but felt a little sting when he realized that he was being expected to keep up with the old man every day.
"You should start thinking about an assistant or two." The Secretary suggested, "It is uncommon for a junior representative, but that will change soon."
"Junior representatives will start having assistants?" Tomoya asked.
"No no, my boy. It is your status that will soon change. Do you not understand what it means when a party gains favor in the polls?" The Secretary asked in the way of a master guiding a protégé.
"The party gains seats in the National Diet." Tomoya replied.
"And those seats are filled with regular representatives. With our recent boon in popularity, we will need many new regular representatives to fill those seats." the old man said with an impish wink.
"Me?" Tomoya replied with eyes open wide in shock, "But I didn't run for any of the positions!"
"Not to worry," The Secretary smiled as if very pleased with himself, "There are at least a dozen positions where the candidate was a placeholder who will be unable or unwilling to actually fulfill the elected role."
"But Secretary-sama, I…" Tomoya began to protest.
"One of those positions includes Hikarizaka." The Secretary said with a cunning smile. He let that sink in a little before he continued, "It isn't the most politically powerful position that has become available. But I believe that, given the circumstances, you would serve that region well. What do you say to that, young Okazaki-san?"
"I…" Tomoya was interrupted when his phone made a warbling tone that usually indicated that something had gone wrong with one of the explorations. However, the last exploration had wrapped up several days before and the next one wasn't scheduled for another three weeks. Pulling his phone out, he decided to check the message.
"Something important, I trust?" The Secretary inquired. It wasn't often that his protégé committed a social gaffe like this, so he gave the young man the benefit of the doubt.
"That tone only happens when there is an emergency. It went off like that when we found out about the earthquake and tsunami." Tomoya replied as his fingers swiped the icon to display the recent message.
Youhei: Kyou has gone into labor. It happened at her school. An ambulance took her to Ryou's hospital. I am on my way there now. Look who picked the wrong week to go to Tokyo.
The Secretary could tell that it was something very important to Tomoya by the shocked look on the young man's face. "Another natural disaster?"
"No… Kyou just went into labor." Tomoya's hand hovered over the face of the phone, not knowing what kind of response to send.
"That's wonderful news, isn't it?" The Secretary tried to sound cheerful, but he could tell from Tomoya's reaction that this might not be so good after all.
"She is… several weeks early." Tomoya said the words and took a deep breath. He wanted to run home. He wanted to call Ryou and ask what this means. He wanted to be by Kyou's side and hold her hand no matter what might happen. There were a lot of things that he wanted… but he was trapped in Tokyo for another…
"Go. Convey my love and best wishes to your dear wife, but go now and be with her." The Secretary commanded.
For a moment, Tomoya thought of turning down the offer and staying the course with his job. After all, it was very unlikely that he would be able to get back to Hikarizaka before Kyou went into childbirth. Unless… she ended up suffering through a hellishly long labor. But, the tone that Youhei had chosen was deeply concerning.
"Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!" Tomoya thanked The Secretary formally, bowed low, then took off at a trot for the nearest train station. As soon as he was out of the building, he called Youhei's cell phone.
"Tomoya-kun, this is Yukine." the pleasant voice answered Youhei's phone, "Should I assume that you are on your way?"
"Yes. I'm heading to the station now. Can you tell me what's going on?" Tomoya asked.
"We are at the high school to pull Kyou-kun out of class." Yukine replied.
"Huh? Why?" Tomoya suddenly wondered if this might be an insane prank. But… Youhei wouldn't do something like that with these kind of stakes.
"He has a perfect blood match for Kyou-chan. We don't know if it will be necessary, but there are some complications you should know about. Would you like me to tell you, or would you prefer to call Ryou-chan?" Yukine offered.
Tomoya knew that Yukine wouldn't be able to answer any in-depth questions, but he didn't want to bother Ryou at a time like this either, "Please tell me what you know."
"Very well. As you know, Kyou-chan is pregnant with twins. Both of you chose not to know the sex of the babies but due to all the ultrasound, it is no longer a secret that they are both girls."
Tomoya made a small gasp, but didn't interrupt.
"Girl A is the larger of the two. She is in the correct head-down position, but Girl B is not. She is in a breech position and monitors are saying that she may be in distress."
"Distress!" Tomoya almost tripped when he heard that.
"Her heart rate is not where it should be and the doctors believe she is not getting enough oxygen. It is possible that her umbilical cord is wrapped or compressed. The hospital is evaluating whether they should go with a cesarean birth." Yukine finished her report and looked up to see Youhei and Kyou-kun coming back to the car at a run.
"Thank you, Yukine. Please thank Youhei for letting me know, and Kyou-kun for being willing to help. I'm at the train station now and I need to text Ryou." Tomoya said quickly.
"Good luck, Tomoya-kun." Yukine said before letting the call drop.
Tomoya: Can I call you?
Ryou: Twenty minutes.
Tomoya looked at his phone and guessed that he would be on the Shinkansen in that amount of time. It was rude to talk on your cell phone in the seats, but there were places where it was acceptable. Not wanting to be idle for twenty minutes, he decided to try someone else.
Tomoya: Have you found a job yet?
Mei: I haven't been looking. I want to work with Kyou-chan at her school, but she doesn't have any positions for me yet.
Tomoya: Did she say how long it might be?
Mei: Maybe a year. I could get pick-up work at the farms around my parent's house until then.
Tomoya: Is that what you want to do?
Mei: Not really.
Tomoya: Would you like to be an assistant to a Diet representative?
Mei: Eww… politics. But, it could be interesting, I guess. Which representative.
Tomoya: Me.
Mei: LOL. Seriously.
Tomoya: Seriously.
Mei: Wait, seriously?
Tomoya: Seriously.
Mei: YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!
Tomoya: When can you start?
Mei: When do you want me?
Tomoya: Now.
Mei: I can leave for Tokyo this afternoon.
Tomoya: I am on my way to Hikarizaka now. Kyou went into labor prematurely and there are complications.
Mei: WHAT! You should have told me that first. I'll meet you in Hikarizaka.
Tomoya: You are welcome to stay at our place if you don't want to stay with Youhei. Either way, you'll probably get roped into helping to take care of a baby.
Mei: If it is okay, I'd rather stay at the Ichinose house. Onii-chan's place is too crowded now.
Tomoya: Not a problem. And thanks again. I look forward to working with you.
Mei: I will do my best. Please take care of me.
The conversation ended at the right time for Tomoya to leave the smaller city train and navigate the huge Tokyo Station to get to the Shinkansen that would take him back to Hikarizaka. Luck was on his side and he was able to quickly board the bullet train and get to one of the places where he could make his call.
"Tomoya, please tell me you're on your way here." Ryou said after picking up the call on the first ring.
"I am, but I'm at least two hours out. How is she?" Tomoya asked.
"She?" Ryou thought for a moment that in this particular situation, 'she' wasn't very specific. It could mean Kyou or either of the two daughters that she was carrying. "Your wife's health is okay, but she is panicking. She isn't thinking clearly."
"What do you mean?" Tomoya asked.
"She insists that she wants to wait until you get here before making any decision about… Has anyone told you what is going on?" Ryou asked when she realized that she hadn't told him anything yet.
"Twin girls. The second one is breech and is in trouble." Tomoya summed up what he had heard.
"That's right, and if we wait until you get here, she will have irreparable brain damage, or she will be dead… but onee-chan isn't listening to me." Ryou huffed.
"What do you recommend?" Tomoya asked.
"Cesarean, and we need to start as soon as possible." Ryou said immediately, but then added, "Unless you want me to terminate the second."
"No, little sisters are a pain in the ass, but they can be exceptionally reliable." Tomoya replied with a smirk.
"Huh? But you don't have a little sister." Ryou wondered for a moment before she realized that he meant 'little sister-in-law'. Then the blush hit and she was only able to mutter a response, "Oh… yeah."
"Can you get started?" Tomoya asked hopefully.
"I doubt it. She still insists that she wants you here first." Ryou let the frustration into her voice as she told Tomoya, "She just won't listen to me!"
"Do you think she will listen to me?" Tomoya asked.
"Probably." Ryou grunted.
"Put her on the phone." Tomoya waited while Ryou entered the ward where Kyou-chan was resting.
"Hello?" Kyou-chan's voice sounded strange, but Tomoya was used to that. From his experiences with Kotomi and all the prenatal classes he had attended, he knew that the stress and the rush of hormones and endorphins could cause mood swings, irrationality, and even change the personality of the expectant mother.
"Kyou, how are you feeling?" Tomoya asked slowly.
"Tomoya-kun! Why aren't you here? You should be here! I want you here with me." Kyou-chan's response that has started out like an exuberant cheer had quickly fizzled out to despair.
"I am on my way now. I'm coming as fast as the Shinkansen will carry me, but there is something I need you to do." Tomoya kept his voice slow and patient, despite his own building stress level.
"I'm kinda busy right now. I won't be able to meet you at the station." Kyou replied with a little annoyance in her voice.
"I can handle that. But, I need you to agree to the Cesarean. I need you to do everything your sister tells you to do. And I need you to do it now." Tomoya was somehow able to keep his voice calm while he talked to the unusually scatterbrained Kyou-chan.
"But I want you here first." Kyou-chan whined.
"Kyou..." Tomoya's grip on his cell phone threatened to bend the metal frame as he attempted to control his anger and frustration, "If you don't do as I say… if you don't do what your sister tells you to do, you will kill my daughter."
"But..." Kyou still tried to argue but she had used up all of her husband's patience by then.
"You will kill my daughter! Is that what you want Kyou? Do you want to kill my daughter? Do you want to be a monster?" Tomoya screamed into his phone.
"No… no, I… but…" Kyou felt shattered. Tomoya never yelled at her like this and she didn't know why he was so angry.
"There are no buts, Kyou! You either listen to your sister or you kill my daughter! And if you choose to kill my daughter, I will never forgive you." Tomoya yelled through his phone at his startled wife.
"But..." Kyou didn't understand why her beloved Tomoya was so angry and she wanted to understand.
"I… will… never… forgive you!" Tomoya felt something break where he was clutching his phone. Looking down at the screen, he could see a crack running across the glass and it had gone dark. Pushing the buttons didn't help, the abused smartphone wasn't powering up any more. On top of that, one of his fingers hurt terribly and he thought it likely that it was broken. "Dammit!"
.
"He's mad at me." Kyou's tear stained face looked up to her sister in total confusion.
"I'm not surprised. I'm mad at you too." Ryou said matter-of-factly.
"What should I do?" Kyou asked in desperation.
"What did he tell you to do?" Ryou asked. She didn't need to. She had heard his side of the conversation pretty clearly… as did everyone else in the room. The phone had broadcast Tomoya's tirade amazingly well.
"He told me to do whatever you say." Kyou replied. "If I do that, he won't be mad at me any more?"
"No… and neither will I." Ryou replied expectantly.
"Then… you can do that thing you were talking about. I'll do whatever you say." Kyou said resignedly.
"The Cesarean?" Ryou asked to be sure, as she was required by hospital policy.
"Yes." Kyou whimpered. She was looking down and couldn't see the victorious smile that spread across her little sister's face.
Ryou snapped her fingers and the orchestra of medical professionals quickly and quietly moved into position around the patient. It was time for the symphony to begin and the conductor was ready. She knew that the arrangement that had been given to them was a difficult piece, but she was confident that the performance would be magnificent and the ending… a brilliant accomplishment.
.
Glossary
.
Aphrodite: the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure and procreation.
Kitsune: literally: fox. In Japanese folklore they are intelligent and very tricky.
Kōhai: person or people of a lower (school) grade or (work) position.
Loki: the Norse trickster god.
Nakōdo: literally: matchmaker
Ojisan: Uncle or middle-aged person. In the case of Kyou-kun, it means Uncle.
Susanoo: the Japanese trickster god.
