Chapter 24
The beach venture was nice, but now, it was time to return to the winter.
Junpei was walking home with the brothers, when he noticed they stopped and stared every so often. Choso's hand would reach out as he caught a snowflake that came to his palm. He marveled at it before it melted away. "You haven't seen snow before, have you?" he asked of them.
"No, not once… I never knew it was so pure…" Sanso said with great admiration.
"It's cold and yet, calming. I watched it fall all day just last week…" Choso said.
It does have a very calming effect on them, Junpei himself likes to admire the snowfall as well. It really struck him at that moment, the brothers really haven't had a chance to live, to see the world or understand its beauty. He smiled to it all though. They have all the time in the world to learn about it.
They got back home, Junpei then smirked as he reached down, and made a snowball. "Have any of you been in a snowball fight before?" he asked.
"Snowball fight?" they asked.
"How do you play?" asked Noranso.
He smiled. Taking the snowball in his hand, he threw it and struck Noranso in the chest. He stared oddly at Junpei. "Was that an attack?" he asked curiously.
Junpei giggled. "Sort of, that's the purpose of a snowball fight. It's just some good, light hearted fun. It doesn't…"
SMASH!
He was blindsided by a snowball!
Stunned by this, Junpei turned to the brothers but found the most unlikely culprit behind the strike…
"Is that how it's done little brother?" Choso asked innocently enough.
Junpei smirked. "Yeah, you guys…"
Suddenly, he was bombarded by snowballs! Junpei nearly became a snowman after that, but laughed aloud. The brothers caught on fast.
"So do we aim them at you only or…" Sanso asked.
"No, no, anyone outside is a target unless you are on a team." He explained.
"Ah… it appears simple enough to understand…" said Sho. "But I think we had enough fun for today, besides, this is something we can do tomorrow as well."
"I agree, I want to get home and make a nice big hot pot…" said Eso as he reminisced on the idea.
"Yeah, let's go home," Junpei said as he brushed the snow off of himself. Although he won't wonder aloud how some of it got down his pants…
#
The winter weather lasted for some time. But the brothers appear to be enjoying it. Tanso himself has loved the snow. He often is outside with his undead familiars just frolicking if one could believe such a sight.
Junpei has been doing various rounds of snowball fights with the triplets. After all, they need to have even teams! Choso even got in on the snowball fight here and there, but eventually he lost interest in it. However his eyes were focused on the world around him. There was just something oddly peaceful about snow resting on the tree branches, covering the ground and making the world white and pure.
"I think I'll paint it," Choso said aloud.
"Oh that's right, you got into art recently. If anything, go to the hill that overlooks the forest. You will have some amazing details to paint out there." Junpei suggested.
He nodded and excused himself… just as Junpei got struck in the ear with a snowball! "OW!" he protested.
"Ooo, sorry little bro!" called Kotsuso.
"It's okay, try not to aim for the face… as funny as it is to be smack by a snowball there… it still hurts like hell!"
Yet, as the seasons changed once more. Spring soon arrived and word came to them that Yuuji will be entering his next elemental phase soon enough. They spoke about it over dinner that night. The snow had officially melted, Spring was definatly here and they worried.
"I wonder what will happen to little brother, not to mention, how does he fall into these elemental phases?" Sanso asked aloud.
"Suiryu said he is eating special grade curses that are closely associated with the element. I am aware of a few of them, before I realized Yuuji was a brother. I had worked with some of them. Jojo no doubt was the fire elemental little brother consumed. Followed by Dagon, the water element. Next they believe is earth… that should be Hanami. Curious, I know these curses were destroyed, and yet a sorcerer associated with Sukuna… brought them back?"
"Apparently so, I mean it made a clone of Mahito… didn't feel as gratifying killing the clone than the real thing…" Junpei said yet he muttered the last part. He still wishes he got his hands on the real deal, but for now he will be content with what little victory and revenge he managed to obtain.
"I worry, I find that the changes are getting more and more drastic for little brother. Not that they weren't to begin with…" Sho said offhandedly. "I for one am concerned this will make him vulnerable to those who want to harm him."
The table nodded.
Junpei has never seen the brothers so concerned before. "Be that as it may, it's still Yuuji, he's strong. Not to mention he has Suiryu and his friends, Gojo sensei as well…" Junpei said aloud.
However, their minds were not set at ease. "He would be safer among family," Choso said defiantly. "We're his family, we can protect him! Suiryu shouldn't be the only one doing so."
He never realized they felt this way. He thought the brothers were content with having their family together, but they want EVERYONE together, including Yuuji and now Suiryu to an extent. He had never really heard anyone complain about their lack of time with Suiryu, but perhaps, they don't quite see him as a brother.
And yet with Yuuji, Yuuji sees him MORE as a brother than those who he is really connected with!
Such a strange dynamic…
It's bad enough that Choso is trying to get Junpei to call Yuuji, brother. But he doesn't quite feel that connection, he still sees him as a great friend, but not enough to call him a sibling.
"Maybe we should visit Yuuji more often then?" he suggested aloud. "I mean, it wouldn't hurt right? We can enter the school since we're still half human…"
The brothers nodded on the notion.
"Let's give Yuuji some time and space too, going through an elemental phase can be rather draining if you consider it…" said Eso.
"True…" He finished his dinner rather quickly, then, he excused himself to go to one of the side dorms that is away from the main one. For now, to pass the time, he will practice his guitar, at the same time, he has found himself attempting to sing to some of the lyrics that come into his head…
