Chapter Eight- Surprises of a Special Sort
Notes- All right, Shinochi, you mentioned 'em, you got em! ^^ What, you all may ask? Well, go on and read! Please enjoy.
~*~
"It's so cold out there," Hikou mumbled as he rubbed his arms. The young man shivered. "How can anyone stand going out there?"
"I'm yer best friend, Hikou-kun," Houjun said indignantly. "A little wind ain't gonna change that- ACHOO!" He rubbed his nose.
Hikou gave his friend a grateful look. "Wow, my best friend," he said with a grin and wide, sparkling eyes.
"ACHOO!" was his reply.
The dark-haired boy scooted away. "Jus' keep your cold, though. I don't want it."
Houjun sniffed and rubbed his nose again. "I can't help it," he whined. "Sides, there's nothing to do back home. Mom's been actin' weird lately."
"Hontou?" Hikou said, blinking. He glanced up at his friend curiously.
"Hai. Right now she's so... mushy." Houjun shrugged. "Dad doesn't seem to know why either, but it's weird; she just eats all of our food and keeps hugging me." He made a face. "She's almost as bad as Kouran."
Both boys shuddered at that thought. Mothers were their only exception to not liking girls, after all, and having their mothers act in such a way was, well, scary.
"Maybe she's just sick too," Hikou suggested. "Or... drunk? My folks told me sometimes people act weird when they're drunk or sick."
"Maybe..." Houjun considered this for a moment, then shrugged again. "But right now..."
"Hai! Mama, where's our honey cakes?!" Hikou asked as politely as he could. He was glancing over at his mother, who was standing in front of a nearby table.
His mother turned around, and the boys could see that her eyes were twinkling in amusement. "Honestly, Hikou-kun, if you eat any more of these you might become one yourself," she said. But she handed each boy one cake anyway.
"Uh-uh, I won't!" Hikou said, shaking his head. "That can't happen!"
"Really? I know this one little girl who turned into a berry because she loved them so much..."
"Was it Kouran?" Hikou asked hopefully. "And can I eat her?"
"Hikou!" his mother said.
"Just asking," he mumbled. But he immediately cheered up when he took a bite into his cake.
"You boys..." his mother shook her head before turning back to the table. "By the way, Houjun-kun..."
"Hai?" he said around a mouthful of cake.
"Swallow before you speak, dear."
The blue-haired boy did as he was told. "Hai?" he repeated.
"I have here a loaf of bread for your mother. Why don't you get back over there and give it to her? Once you're all warmed up, of course. We can't have you getting a cold. We haven't had a professional healer in these parts for at least two years." Hikou's mother turned to hand him the loaf, giving him a concerned look in the process.
"I'm fine," he said, giving her a polite smile. "Arigato."
"Not a problem. Here, take a blanket."
"Mama!" Hikou protested. "He ain't a lil' kid, ya know!"
"Hai!" Houjun added, shooting his friend a grateful smile.
"No, he isn't. But neither of you are big yet either, and if you want to become big kids, then you have to put up with your nagging mothers. Take the blanket, Houjun-kun."
The young boy sighed, but took it and wrapped it around his own shoulders anyway. "Alright."
All activity in the house paused as they heard a young girl's singing and laughing outside.
"Who...?"
Both boys hurried to the door and peered out curiously. Who in their right mind would want to wander around outside when it was this cold?
Then both shook their heads. Of course.
Kouran was racing around, her head turned up towards the sky as though she was looking for something. At first, it just seemed to the boys as though she'd gone mad; then, with a closer look, they realized what exactly she was watching for.
"SNOW!" they both screamed. Forgetting both the blanket and the loaf of bread, Houjun was first out the door. Hikou was not far behind. "It's gonna snow!"
Hikou's mother watched them go, then sighed and picked up both the loaf and the blanket. "At least it landed on the blanket," she said, looking over the bread with relief. Then she shook her head at the sight of the children. "Kids..."
Kouran, for once, was not taking any notice of the boys, but was busy twirling around. Her head was still tilted upwards so she could watch the flakes begin to drift down. Also, her arms were now out as she spun, as though she wanted to catch the flakes too.
Both boys were ignoring her too, for the moment. They were also running around and cheering for the snow.
"It hasn't snowed for so long!"
"Since last winter!"
"Baka," that was Kouran, "it only snows in winter!"
"I knew that!" Hikou retorted.
"Bet ya didn't."
"Bet I DID."
"Did not."
"DID TOO!"
"Haaaaai!" Houjun laughed as he got a taste of a flake on his tongue. "Snow!"
Hikou and Kouran forgot their little fight and sweat-dropped at the sight of Houjun dancing around trying to catch more flakes in his mouth.
"Ano, Houjun-kun? Ya look kinda dumb..."
"I think he's funny!" Kouran piped up.
"You would."
"What was that, Hikou-CHAN?"
"If there was a snowball 'round, I'd hit ya wit' it right now," Hikou mumbled. Then he dodged as Kouran threw a punch in his direction. "Girls ain't supposed ta fight!" he sang out.
"Boys ain't supposed ta threaten girls!"
"ACHOO!"
Again, both stopped when Houjun stopped his little dance to rub at his nose, then sneeze again.
"ACHOO! Daaa..."
"I thought this would happen," came an exasperated voice.
All three looked up as Hikou's mother came out into the cold, with blanket and loaf of bread in hand. "Young man, you are going back to your house right now, you hear?" she asked him.
Houjun sniffled and gave her a piteous look.
"Oh, no, don't give me that. Come on, on with you!"
Hikou and Kouran watched with some amusement as Hikou's mother wrapped the blanket around Houjun, handed him the loaf, and gently shoved him to get him started home. Houjun gave his friends an apologetic glance before doing as he was told.
~*~
"There you are," Mai said as Houjun walked in. "Where have you been?"
"ACHOO!"
"That doesn't sound good," Yen noted. He put down a scroll he'd been poring over and walked over to his son. He took the bread and set it on a table before putting a hand on Houjun's forehead. "Doesn't really have a fever..."
"A little cold then," Mai said with a smile.
"Most likely."
Houjun rubbed his nose.
"So where were you?" Mai asked again.
"At Hikou's," was the reply. "It's snowing outside."
"Is it? Wonderful. I always love it when it snows," Mai sighed. She stood and moved over to the window to look out for a moment.
Yen and Houjun sweat-dropped. "Mai-chan, dear?" Yen questioned.
Mai smiled and returned her gaze to her boys. "Dear, Houjun, I have something to tell you two..."
"Don't tell me you're ill?" Yen asked, alarmed.
Houjun simply sniffed and tried to hold back another sneeze as he waited for his mother to continue.
"Iie, I'm not ill at all. Honey... we have another one on the way."
The blue-haired boy gave his folks a blank expression. Yen, however, was far from confused. A wide grin slowly grew on his face as the news sank in.
"W-w-w-well, I'll have to stick around, t-t-then," he stammered. "I'll take up something here!"
"Like what?" Mai asked.
"Another one what?" Houjun asked. He was still confused.
"Maybe... FARMING! I can do farming!" Yen declared. "I'll make a profit and take care of all of you..."
"Another one WHAT?" Houjun insisted.
"Mama's having a baby, dear," Mai said.
The blue-haired boy gave her another confused look. "Baby?" Then his expression cleared. "Ooh. Is it a brother?"
"I don't know yet, honey. We won't know until it comes out."
"Comes out where?"
"Here." Mai patted her stomach.
"Oh." What was a baby doing in her stomach?
"Yes! Farming! I'll get started right now! Come, Houjun!" Yen said, still overjoyed. Without waiting for his son to reply, he grabbed Houjun by the hand and proceeded to drag him out of the house.
Once out, they went into a nearby field. Houjun watched as his father picked up a shovel and started to dig.
"I'll plant the best produce and then I'll sell it and take care of everyone and," Yen continued to babble. After a moment, however, he said, "Darned ground! Farmers must be strong to dig through this!" He hit the ground with the shovel.
"Ano... Dad?" Houjun asked uneasily.
"Hai?"
"...Planting doesn't start till spring."
"..." Yen put down the shovel. "I see."
There was a long silence. Then Houjun sneezed again.
"Well, then, there's no reason for us to be out here! We must take care of your mother! We must get the best foods for her, and some sweets and be on our BEST behavior, ne Houjun-kun?" Yen babbled. He started dragging his son back into the house.
The blue-haired boy put his head in his hands as he was dragged. What was the big deal about the baby, anyway?
Adults are weird, he decided.
Glad he wasn't going to be one.
~*~
There's chapter eight! What did everyone think? I checked out a few profiles too, and I found that indeed there are many records saying Chichiri had younger siblings.
A question about the story- how long would everyone prefer me to keep it? I am aiming to keep going up until Houjun proposes to Kouran. Would you all like that, or would you prefer that I stay in their younger childhood years?
Thanks for reading!
Notes- All right, Shinochi, you mentioned 'em, you got em! ^^ What, you all may ask? Well, go on and read! Please enjoy.
~*~
"It's so cold out there," Hikou mumbled as he rubbed his arms. The young man shivered. "How can anyone stand going out there?"
"I'm yer best friend, Hikou-kun," Houjun said indignantly. "A little wind ain't gonna change that- ACHOO!" He rubbed his nose.
Hikou gave his friend a grateful look. "Wow, my best friend," he said with a grin and wide, sparkling eyes.
"ACHOO!" was his reply.
The dark-haired boy scooted away. "Jus' keep your cold, though. I don't want it."
Houjun sniffed and rubbed his nose again. "I can't help it," he whined. "Sides, there's nothing to do back home. Mom's been actin' weird lately."
"Hontou?" Hikou said, blinking. He glanced up at his friend curiously.
"Hai. Right now she's so... mushy." Houjun shrugged. "Dad doesn't seem to know why either, but it's weird; she just eats all of our food and keeps hugging me." He made a face. "She's almost as bad as Kouran."
Both boys shuddered at that thought. Mothers were their only exception to not liking girls, after all, and having their mothers act in such a way was, well, scary.
"Maybe she's just sick too," Hikou suggested. "Or... drunk? My folks told me sometimes people act weird when they're drunk or sick."
"Maybe..." Houjun considered this for a moment, then shrugged again. "But right now..."
"Hai! Mama, where's our honey cakes?!" Hikou asked as politely as he could. He was glancing over at his mother, who was standing in front of a nearby table.
His mother turned around, and the boys could see that her eyes were twinkling in amusement. "Honestly, Hikou-kun, if you eat any more of these you might become one yourself," she said. But she handed each boy one cake anyway.
"Uh-uh, I won't!" Hikou said, shaking his head. "That can't happen!"
"Really? I know this one little girl who turned into a berry because she loved them so much..."
"Was it Kouran?" Hikou asked hopefully. "And can I eat her?"
"Hikou!" his mother said.
"Just asking," he mumbled. But he immediately cheered up when he took a bite into his cake.
"You boys..." his mother shook her head before turning back to the table. "By the way, Houjun-kun..."
"Hai?" he said around a mouthful of cake.
"Swallow before you speak, dear."
The blue-haired boy did as he was told. "Hai?" he repeated.
"I have here a loaf of bread for your mother. Why don't you get back over there and give it to her? Once you're all warmed up, of course. We can't have you getting a cold. We haven't had a professional healer in these parts for at least two years." Hikou's mother turned to hand him the loaf, giving him a concerned look in the process.
"I'm fine," he said, giving her a polite smile. "Arigato."
"Not a problem. Here, take a blanket."
"Mama!" Hikou protested. "He ain't a lil' kid, ya know!"
"Hai!" Houjun added, shooting his friend a grateful smile.
"No, he isn't. But neither of you are big yet either, and if you want to become big kids, then you have to put up with your nagging mothers. Take the blanket, Houjun-kun."
The young boy sighed, but took it and wrapped it around his own shoulders anyway. "Alright."
All activity in the house paused as they heard a young girl's singing and laughing outside.
"Who...?"
Both boys hurried to the door and peered out curiously. Who in their right mind would want to wander around outside when it was this cold?
Then both shook their heads. Of course.
Kouran was racing around, her head turned up towards the sky as though she was looking for something. At first, it just seemed to the boys as though she'd gone mad; then, with a closer look, they realized what exactly she was watching for.
"SNOW!" they both screamed. Forgetting both the blanket and the loaf of bread, Houjun was first out the door. Hikou was not far behind. "It's gonna snow!"
Hikou's mother watched them go, then sighed and picked up both the loaf and the blanket. "At least it landed on the blanket," she said, looking over the bread with relief. Then she shook her head at the sight of the children. "Kids..."
Kouran, for once, was not taking any notice of the boys, but was busy twirling around. Her head was still tilted upwards so she could watch the flakes begin to drift down. Also, her arms were now out as she spun, as though she wanted to catch the flakes too.
Both boys were ignoring her too, for the moment. They were also running around and cheering for the snow.
"It hasn't snowed for so long!"
"Since last winter!"
"Baka," that was Kouran, "it only snows in winter!"
"I knew that!" Hikou retorted.
"Bet ya didn't."
"Bet I DID."
"Did not."
"DID TOO!"
"Haaaaai!" Houjun laughed as he got a taste of a flake on his tongue. "Snow!"
Hikou and Kouran forgot their little fight and sweat-dropped at the sight of Houjun dancing around trying to catch more flakes in his mouth.
"Ano, Houjun-kun? Ya look kinda dumb..."
"I think he's funny!" Kouran piped up.
"You would."
"What was that, Hikou-CHAN?"
"If there was a snowball 'round, I'd hit ya wit' it right now," Hikou mumbled. Then he dodged as Kouran threw a punch in his direction. "Girls ain't supposed ta fight!" he sang out.
"Boys ain't supposed ta threaten girls!"
"ACHOO!"
Again, both stopped when Houjun stopped his little dance to rub at his nose, then sneeze again.
"ACHOO! Daaa..."
"I thought this would happen," came an exasperated voice.
All three looked up as Hikou's mother came out into the cold, with blanket and loaf of bread in hand. "Young man, you are going back to your house right now, you hear?" she asked him.
Houjun sniffled and gave her a piteous look.
"Oh, no, don't give me that. Come on, on with you!"
Hikou and Kouran watched with some amusement as Hikou's mother wrapped the blanket around Houjun, handed him the loaf, and gently shoved him to get him started home. Houjun gave his friends an apologetic glance before doing as he was told.
~*~
"There you are," Mai said as Houjun walked in. "Where have you been?"
"ACHOO!"
"That doesn't sound good," Yen noted. He put down a scroll he'd been poring over and walked over to his son. He took the bread and set it on a table before putting a hand on Houjun's forehead. "Doesn't really have a fever..."
"A little cold then," Mai said with a smile.
"Most likely."
Houjun rubbed his nose.
"So where were you?" Mai asked again.
"At Hikou's," was the reply. "It's snowing outside."
"Is it? Wonderful. I always love it when it snows," Mai sighed. She stood and moved over to the window to look out for a moment.
Yen and Houjun sweat-dropped. "Mai-chan, dear?" Yen questioned.
Mai smiled and returned her gaze to her boys. "Dear, Houjun, I have something to tell you two..."
"Don't tell me you're ill?" Yen asked, alarmed.
Houjun simply sniffed and tried to hold back another sneeze as he waited for his mother to continue.
"Iie, I'm not ill at all. Honey... we have another one on the way."
The blue-haired boy gave his folks a blank expression. Yen, however, was far from confused. A wide grin slowly grew on his face as the news sank in.
"W-w-w-well, I'll have to stick around, t-t-then," he stammered. "I'll take up something here!"
"Like what?" Mai asked.
"Another one what?" Houjun asked. He was still confused.
"Maybe... FARMING! I can do farming!" Yen declared. "I'll make a profit and take care of all of you..."
"Another one WHAT?" Houjun insisted.
"Mama's having a baby, dear," Mai said.
The blue-haired boy gave her another confused look. "Baby?" Then his expression cleared. "Ooh. Is it a brother?"
"I don't know yet, honey. We won't know until it comes out."
"Comes out where?"
"Here." Mai patted her stomach.
"Oh." What was a baby doing in her stomach?
"Yes! Farming! I'll get started right now! Come, Houjun!" Yen said, still overjoyed. Without waiting for his son to reply, he grabbed Houjun by the hand and proceeded to drag him out of the house.
Once out, they went into a nearby field. Houjun watched as his father picked up a shovel and started to dig.
"I'll plant the best produce and then I'll sell it and take care of everyone and," Yen continued to babble. After a moment, however, he said, "Darned ground! Farmers must be strong to dig through this!" He hit the ground with the shovel.
"Ano... Dad?" Houjun asked uneasily.
"Hai?"
"...Planting doesn't start till spring."
"..." Yen put down the shovel. "I see."
There was a long silence. Then Houjun sneezed again.
"Well, then, there's no reason for us to be out here! We must take care of your mother! We must get the best foods for her, and some sweets and be on our BEST behavior, ne Houjun-kun?" Yen babbled. He started dragging his son back into the house.
The blue-haired boy put his head in his hands as he was dragged. What was the big deal about the baby, anyway?
Adults are weird, he decided.
Glad he wasn't going to be one.
~*~
There's chapter eight! What did everyone think? I checked out a few profiles too, and I found that indeed there are many records saying Chichiri had younger siblings.
A question about the story- how long would everyone prefer me to keep it? I am aiming to keep going up until Houjun proposes to Kouran. Would you all like that, or would you prefer that I stay in their younger childhood years?
Thanks for reading!