A/N: Yup, I'm aware this could have been one, long one-shot...but isn't it much more fun this way? XD
I don't own the Get Backers.
Part Three: First Half
"Satsu!" My mother's voice drifts high and clear across the lawns. "Satsu, come here, please!"
I get to my feet, thankful she can't see us. We look a little bit too much like conspirators, huddled in a circle at the base of the tree. "Coming, Kaasan!" I call back.
Natsumi-san's voice follows. "Bright Teshi, Yamato, and Hitomi with you!"
I turn to the other three. "You heard her. Everyone else, stay here, all right? If you can, smoothen out what we've thought of. But keep alert, we don't want to be caught."
Yamato gets up too, as do Hitomi and Teshichan. "Teshi, you stay behind with Hitomi. And look normal, not like you're hiding something."
"You stop looking like you're overflowing with mischief. Your Kaasan's good at catching you when you're like that."
"She's right," I smirk, and run away grinning as the other dives to pummel me.
"Take care of the house, all right?" Kaasan says, a hand on my arm. Raucous laughter bursts from the living room, along with some bits of colorful language—Otosan, it seems, and Ban-san, of course. Kaasan winces. "As you can see, your father and his friends are not the best for the job, right now."
I smile and lean down to kiss her cheek. I'm nearly otosan's height—tall for sixteen. Yamato's catching up fast. Not so sure how that happened, since Himiko-san's a bit on the short side, and Ban-san's the shortest of the men. By an inch. And minus the hair. "All right, Kaasan."
My mother looks up at me, her blind eyes for a moment almost keen. I hope I'm not tensing under her fingers. Kaasan may look gentle, but I can tell you, she's one tough mother. Oddly, she's sort of Otosan's opposite. He's got a hard exterior, but if you know him, he's actually a big softie. Maybe that's how he gets along with the animals, and Ginji-san. Ginji-san—you just gotta admire him. I've never seen him become Thunder Emperor, but apart from Otosan he's the man I've got the most respect for.
All the grown-up men, though, can be really dense at times. (Hitomi tells me I can be really dense, too. That's unfair.) That's why they're easier to prank than our mothers. Maybe they're too used to real fights to notice harmless tricks. The thought makes me a little sad, in spite of its advantages.
All our mothers have a sixth sense when it comes to us. Kaasan's the sharpest, in spite of her handicap. She's directing her attention at me, hard, and I can feel myself tensing now. Then, she smiles. "Whatever you're planning," she whispers softly. "Don't make it too destructive."
I grin. Yeah, our mothers have a sixth sense when it comes to us, but it isn't always much of an obstacle.
Natsumi-san and Ren-san are giving Teshichan and Hitomi last-minute instructions. HEVN-san went to get the youngest kids. Yamato's waiting for Himiko-san, who's just coming out of the room, rolling her eyes. "Boys," she mutters as yet another male voice warbles not a Christmas carol, but something remarkably like a beerhouse song.
"Hey, I'm a boy," Yamato protests, from where he's leaning against the wall.
Himiko gives him a slight glare—aimed upwards, as he towers a good six or seven inches above her. "Yes, you are," she says tartly. "I know. Don't be a smart-aleck. I get enough from your father."
Yamato snickers and bows, before also giving her a peck on the cheek. "Aa, aa."
She's still eyeing him sternly, but there's a smile lurking just beneath. "I have just one word for you: BEHAVE." She lifts a warning finger. "That goes for you and your brothers. And Amano Ban. I'm not sure leaving you four here all together is a good idea."
Yamato spouts off something reassuring—a bigmouth, and a bit of a smooth-talker, like his father. Only difference, what he says doesn't want to make you kill him. Teshichan comes up and talks to Himiko-san, too: charmer, like her father. But unlike him, if she wants to, she can fake it. No one's caught her at it yet.
As the five women and Reiko, Michiko and Hige get into the car (with Himiko-san driving) I murmur in an aside to Yamato and Teshichan. "How can you keep your faces straight in times like that?"
"Practice," Teshichan says impishly.
Yamato, on the other hand, gives a careless shrug. "Oh, she knows we're up to something." He grins. "She just won't say anything until she can prove it."
Hitomi gives an energetic nod, eyes sparkling mischief. "Well, that's good. Shall we go?"
I try not to grin too widely as Yamato and I enter the living room. I spot everyone right away—Otosan's seated on the couch, and wonder of wonders, Ban-san's on the same couch, on the opposite end. Ginji's in the huge armchair. Kazuki-san's seated at a table, behind the couch, along with Juubei-san, Paul-san, and Akabane-san. Emishi-san is—horror of horrors—dancing in front of the TV. I think it's an aerobics video on now. Shudder. Where the hell did they dig that up?
"What's he doing?" Juubei-san asks the people around him. He reconsiders his words. "Wait—do I want to know?"
"Give it up, Emishi!" Ban-san howls. Ginji-san's laughing too hard to say anything.
Otosan's rubbing his head like he's getting a migraine. "Emishi…stop it, you idiot!"
"But Shido-kun, this is such FUN!" Emishi declares, doing a little jump and leap. Oh God. Oh my…he's pulling Otosan to his feet and trying to make him dance, too! "Like this, Shido-kun!"
Ban-san laughs out loud. "Come on, monkey-man, don't be so stiff!"
"Shut up, snake bastard!" Otosan snarls. I snicker.
Yamato cocks an eyebrow, striding into full view. "Oyaji, Shido-san, you're scaring Satsu." Ban looks up and grins at him, and Yamato grins back. I smile. Both father and son have been accused of being over-confident, arrogant, and sometimes cold, and at first glance on a normal day you'd think Yamato were a rude little brat and Ban-san a loud-mouthed father, but that's only if you don't know them. In spite of the many fights they have, Yamato and Ban-san are really close.
Otosan groans, and scuttles away from the exuberant Joker. "Oh, sure. Embarrass me in front of my son."
Ginji-san waves. "Hi, Satsu-kun! Come in!" Everyone else calls out greetings, both to me and to Yamato. Akabane-san gestures to the chair beside him, but I decline. Self-preservation.
"Otosan…" I come in and flop onto the floor, at the foot of the couch. "I pity you. Greatly."
Kazuki-san smiles. "You have an understanding son, Shido-san."
Otosan grins, and says, "That's only because he's had Emishi babysit him once to many times."
I laugh. It's certainly true.
Yamato, in the mean time, has gone over to Paul. "Master, can I have a drink?" he asks, loud and clear.
Ban-san's head snaps around and he fixes one bright blue eye on Yamato. "Kid, you're fifteen. No."
Yamato stares back and says, without batting an eyelash. "You out-drank hakufu(1) when you were fifteen.(2) "
Ban-san looks surprised. "Hey, how did you know that?"
Ginji-san laughs. "You told him, Ban-chan."
Ban-san groans. "Oh. Yeah." Everyone else laughs, and Yamato snickers. Akabane-san smiles. "Your son seems to want to take after you, Midou-kun."
"Not a good idea," Paul-san chips in. Ban snorts, and eyes Yamato again, a faint smirk on his face. "I only did that because I first drank when I was thirteen." Otosan hoots in disbelief, and Ban-san shoots him a haughty look that says, It's true. "Which was, I discovered, way too young. As is fifteen. Maybe in a year or two." His smirk widens. "Besides, your mother would kill me."
"Make you sit an hour in a room with degeneration perfume, wouldn't she?" Otosan taunts. Ban-san seems to bristle, an angry snake, and Otosan grins. "Not like there's much left to degenerate."
Uh oh. I see the opening, even as Ban-san smirks. "And what about you, monkey-man?"
"Shut up," Otosan retorts. I grin.
By this time, Emishi's flopped onto the floor, beside me. "Whew! I'm tired."
"I wonder why," Otosan mutters sarcastically.
I suddenly feel Emishi poking me in the side. "Hey, Satsu-kun, are you or Yamato planning to catch anyone under the mistletoe tonight?"
Both of us stare. "What?"
There's a sizzling little jolt, and Emishi yelps. Ginji-san's staring calmly at him, no trace of blue electricity on his hands but with an evil little glint in his eyes. "You're forgetting, Emishi, that the only ones either Yamato-kun or Satsu-kun can "catch under the mistletoe", are…"
"Our daughters," Kazuki-san chimes in. I roll my eyes and catch Yamato doing the same thing—it's not like we wanted to do anything in the first place—and both men shoot amused glances at me.
"If either of the boys do anything, I would be very surprised. Perhaps their upbringing…?" Oh, Akabane-san can be evil. Look at him smiling all eerily there, while Otosan and Ban-san react.
Otosan jerks a thumb at Ban-san. "Hey, watch out for Yamato. 'That's his kid."
Yamato's about to protest, but Ban-san's smirking. "Why, is Satsu as clueless with females as his father?"
I don't think I'll get mad, as the insult's not really aimed at me. Otosan's red in the face and beginning to growl, angrily. Unfortunately, I think our mothers made our fathers promise not to fight in front of us kids. I'd like to think that Yamato and I are out of that category…just once, I want to see them brawl. From Paul-san and HEVN-san's descriptions, it sounds like a lot of fun. All right, I have an evil sense of humor, so sue me.
Under the rest of the bantering that follows, I see Yamato shoot me a glance that says, when? I close my eyes, and lean back a little, looking casual. Any…moment…now.
All the adults jump as there's a far-off yell, and Kazuki-san gets to feet, frowning. "That sounded like Keisuke…"
Teshichan and Hitomi burst into the room, panting like they've been running, and looking panicked. Woah, those two are good actresses. "Tou-chan! Tou-chan!" Both their fathers are at alert, and they gaze up with wide, fear-filled eyes. "Help Keisuke, and the others!" Hitomi gasps out. "Ayame was showing them the pregnant lioness, and Ban or Ginji or Yuji must have said something wrong because the lioness attacked and now Keisuke's trying to shield them with his strings and…"
The important thing with doing a prank, is discover and use every resource. I really, hope though, that Sharra—the pregnant lioness, and mother to Ayame's favorite lioness Kiera (there are three lions in our house, two females and one male)—is just pretending. In case, I get to my feet.
Otosan and Kazuki-san are up and running, and Ban-san's following fast. Emishi grabs his whip and runs, Ginji gets up to follow. Juubei-san, Paul-san and Akabane-san stay: I think Kazuki-san told them to. Ginji-san's at the door…
Teshichan's "so upset", she lets off sparks...oh, look, she's right beside the socket where the TV, VCD, and karaoke are plugged in. I see smoke. Interesting.
Ginji-san turns and leaps to her. "Teshi, be careful!"
I hear Yamato talking loudly to Paul-san, but keep my eyes focused slightly on the TV. There, barely, I detect the flicker of Hitomi's wrist, and see a few faint threads attach themselves to the appliances. Good, Hitomi. Ginji-san's telling Teshichan, "Calm down, chibi, calm down. Let's go check on them now, okay? Hitomi-chan, please check if the TV's not busted."
Hitomi nods. "Hai, Ginji-san."
I feel a prickling at the back of my neck, and I turn slightly. Paul-san's busy convincing Yamato he can't have a drink—looks like it isn't a diversion anymore—and Juubei-san's head is turned towards them, too. But Akabane-san's looking in my direction, and his weird purple eyes meet mine, for a while. Then he turns away, and I see a different sort of tilt to his smile.
Eegh. Creepy. I grab Yamato by the collar and drag him after me. "Give it up, baka," I say. "I wanna check on the others."
Ban and Ginji are sticking their heads into the mattress of my futon, smothering their laughter. "It—was—funny," they gasp out, and Teshichan shushes them, eyes dancing. "Our dads might hear!"
Taki's giggling, too, and Aya's trying to stop laughing and start scowling. "Not for me," she puts in. "I had to get most of it. 'Fuyuki Ayame, how many times have I told you not to bother any pregnant, nesting, or just-given-birth animal!"
"Only a couple of hundred times," Taki says, and giggles again as Ayame shoots a glare at her. Idly, I think how different they look—Ayame looks more like Kaasan, and Taki like Otosan. It's a little funny.
I raise my eyebrow at my little sisters. "Sharra was pretending, right?"
"Hai, hai," Ayame waves a confident hand. "She didn't tell Otosan, though. Kept grumbling about misbehaving human cubs and how they should be taught manners." She glances at Yuji. "But really, you were pretty annoying. If I'd have been Sharra, I wouldn't have been pretending to attack you anymore."
"He has lots of practice," Ginji chortles, and Yuji immediately jumps on him and tries to pound him. Ban pulls him off. "Quit it, twerp."
Teshichan sighs and stops the brawl about to begin, and Yamato darts a questioning look at Ayame. "Exactly what did you tell them to make them agree with you?"
"Um…" Ayame twists her fingers together nervously.
Taki snickers. "Basically everything. Meaning, that Otosan's going to sing and all."
Yamato laughs, and I grin. "Looks like the animals don't like his singing either."
Hitomi and Keisuke glance up from where they're fiddling with my computer. "Done," they call proudly. String technique is something they've inherited from their dad. Computer know-how—almost as much as MakubeX-san, who might drop by later—is from Ren-san. And when they put the two together, electronics are a piece of cake. Who knew string could be a great substitute for cable wire?
"All right," Yamato says, rubbing his hands together and going over to them. "Just a few more minutes…"
I grin again, a little more evilly this time. "And, we're all set."
To be continued…
(1) hakufu – from what I could find, "uncle"
(2) Inspired by…or taken from the Just100 drabble "Live and Learn" by mullenkamp. Hope you don't mind… n.n;;
A/N: I hope I'll have the last two (I think) parts up before January. I hope. n.n;; Oh well! If I'm not, it's because I'm at the beach with my family. Whee... XD
limelie: I agree. Shido is...bad. Very. Lookie, Riyuji's on the phone right now. Say Hi, Yuji!
Atropos' Knife: Oh, when Riyuji and I heard it, we were like, "YAAAH!" and then, "Gregorian Chant!" Our vision was Shido in a hooded monk's clothes. :D Fun.
Atropos, you just gave me an idea... XD yehey!
I don't think Satsu and Yamato would take kindly to being called adorable. XD But from me, thanks!
hikari: I put it already in the first chapter, but anyway: Midou children are Yamato, Ginji, Yuji, and Michiko; Amano children are Teshichan, Ban, and Reiko; Fuyuki children are Satsu, Ayame, Taki, and Hige; Fuuchoin children are Hitomi and Keisuke. Hope that helped!
Hyoni: (re: wrapping) thanks! :D thanks for reviewing, hope you liked this part!
whyFel: Why yes, whyFel, I am crazy. And proud of it. :) Wheeee! Have you read "Where Do Babies Come From?" (No, I'm not advertising! XP) That's clear proof. It's also proof of what happens if you put me together with my siamese brain. :)
...Lord, with those suggestions? I think you're crazy too. :) That's a compliment! Trust me!
obssdGB: Hah, have you heard the 2nd OST? Juubei and Emishi don't sing, but... -smirks- Ban-sama is injured. His son isn't better than him! Just...different. XD Nyahaha.
virgo-princess93: Maybe. Maybe not. :) We'll seeeee!
marbles: Haven't you heard his image song? 0.o LISTEN TO IT! It's called "Evil Eyes" Ban sings really well! And so does Akabane, actually. Natsumi's the one who sings the first GB ending song. :) If you're brave enough, listen to Shido's image song, Beastmaster (I think). Brace yourself first. :)
Yami Neko Tenshi: Hehe, if you like, Nekomi. Ya, last time was a bit much, but anyway. Continue "Venom", alrighty? :)