The time flew by for Ami,Yushi and Gojei. Every day brought something new and wonderful for them.
One of their favorite things were days when other members of the family came. The one who came to visit the most was their grandmother. Her name was Kibuya but the family seldom called her that. She often brought presents for Ami and her sisters,and thus they looked forward to her coming. But for Joko,her visits were a completely different thing altogether. Akasei couldn't help but laugh to herself a bit when Kibuya bickered with her son over something or other.
''Look at you! Eat something,will you? You've got to get more meat on those bones!''
''Joko,you need a haircut!''
''Stop eating so much raw fish! Do you want deadly parasites? Do you?''
Joko hated those kinds of days...no,hate is an understatement.
Taki,their grandfather,also came to visit,but he did so less often than Kibuya because he moved to Korea a few months after Ami and her sisters were born.
When he did come,the girls were always glad to see him because of the stories he told. The stories were usually tales of friendly drangons or other mythical creatures. Taki (or ''Pappy'' as the girls called him) had to be careful. His tales of samurai battles and demon slayers often gave the girls nightmares. They were little more than toddlers,after all.
Another thing the girls loved was the places they went. One of Ami's favorite days was the day the circus came to town...not in a big tent,as you might have thought,but in an arena.
They sat up front,providing a near perfect view of the fun. Ami sat there enthralled,Yushi stuffed her cheeks with cotton candy,and Gojei...talked through the whole thing,almost ruining it.
And it didn't stop there. When the circus was over,Gojei tried to hide from Joko just to annoy him.
''Gojei!'' Joko said once he had cought up with her, ''Hold my hand! Gojei,why do you gotta act like that?''
Meanwhile,Ami just stood by Yushi and Akasei,repeatedly saying in a singsong voice, ''I get the front seat! I get the front seat! I get the front seat!''
But sadly,on the drive home,she did not get the front seat.
The three of them still went to the park almost every day,but Ami didn't see Yumi again. Little did she know that she would someday...but that's another story.
Once,at the park,Ami noticed that Akasei wasn't sitting on the bench like she usually would. Was this the kind of thing she always told her about? ''If you should come to the bench and I'm not there,stay right where you are...don't worry about me.''
Ami tried her hardest to do just that,but it became too much for her. She ran through the green fields and flowerbeds,calling and listening for her. Nothing. She looked behind the trees and bushes. No Akasei. She was gone.
Ami headed back to the bench,crying. She noticed that Yushi and Gojei were there,calling and listening for Akasei just as she had done.
''Mommy's gone!'' Ami said to them.
''I know.'' Yushi said sadly.
''What should we do?''
''Wait right here,like she said.''
It wasn't long before Ami noticed someone standing by a tree. Could it be?
''I think I see her!'' Ami said. ''Let's go!'' She ran off,with her sisters following.
''We're coming! We're coming!'' They shouted as they ran. But when they got near the tree they were in for a suprise.
Near the tree a man was standing with a map. He looked something like Joko,but something was different. Perhaps it was his eyes,his hair,or his skin,but it was something unfamilar to the girls. And what was this different language he was speaking?
Stunned,Ami and her sisters returned to the bench. They noticed Akasei was there looking around for them. They saw her and ran to her.
Ami pointed to the strange man with the map. ''Mommy,who--''
''Or what,'' Gojei butted in.
''--is that?''
Akasei looked. ''You saw him,too?''
They nodded.
''That is a tourist.''
Another new discovery for them.
A/N: Only one more chapter is left...but don't worry,this is a series of stories! There will be more where this came from!
Also,I don't own Ami's grandma;she is a character from one of the HHPAY episodes. I only own her name. I do own Taki,however.
Until next time,please review me;flamers get their butts kicked by...ummm...the tourist? No...Yumi? Ah,well,someone will kick your butt.
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