Excuse me for the VERY late update and the very short and crappy chapter. I know you've heard the excuses a million times, so I'll spare you and let your imagination take over and come out with the regular stuff. From now on, updates will range from my free time allotment and major holidays. Otherwise, happy Valentine's Day. (AAAAH! THE REDNESS! IT KILLS!)

Chapter Three: Mishaps

The group had settled down for some ice cream at an outdoor parlor, courtesy of Marui who always got discounts from the generous owner, and were watching Marui shove down a mega sized sundae at top speed. The rest were sipping water.

"Ice cream," Kirihara pronounced carefully as he poked a chubby little finger into the side of Marui's sundae. He giggled as he withdrew his finger, now covered with ice cream and pushed it into his mouth. Marui seemed disturbed. After all, it was his ice cream.

"That's right, Akaya, it's ice cream," Yagyuu said kindly as he took a napkin to wipe Kirihara's finger. "And Marui will share, won't he?"

"Hey!" Marui whined as he drew his bowl near him, "it's mine!"

Kirihara began cry. Immediately, the other members all swayed towards the child as they frantically tried to calm him. Needless to say, the poor child (believe it or not) began to cower at the jumble words coming from everyone's mouths at the same time and broke into greater tears. By now, people were staring at the commotion, puzzled to see seven teenage boys tending over a small kid.

"Marui, share!" they all hissed. Marui reluctantly obliged, scooping a last spoonful into his mouth before he pushed it towards Kirihara, who was now sitting on Jackal's lap.

"Squishy!" Kirihara exclaimed as he shoved his hand into it and caterpulted it onto his face. He let out a joyous laugh. Jackal inhaled sharply and squeezed his eyes together in vexation.

"No, Kirihara," he said, controlling his stress with equanimity. "It isn't-"

But before the boy could utter another word, Kirihara had taken the joy of dragging the bowl over the edge of the table, resulting in spilled ice cream all over the ground and on his and Jackal's pants. The calmer of the group sighed while the more lively broke into small snickers.

"Uh-oh!" Kirihara laughed.

"Here," Yukimura said as he handed Jackal a stack of tissues. Jackal took them with great appreciation and began clearing up the mess as best as he could.

"So… who's going to take him home?"

The momentary issue with the spilled ice cream had now been replaced by the original issue of whom to look after the devilish toddler. Surprisingly, it was Niou who brought up the subject. He really shouldn't have had though, really. Everyone's attention (save little Kirihara's) was now on him, staring with blank eyes. Didn't he know that-

"Since you brought it up, you can be the one to do it," Sanada said with resolute.

"No!" Yagyuu answered on impulse, forgetting that he really shouldn't be opposing his captain. Then again, better nip the problem in the bud than have it blossom into a hell flower. Knowing Niou the best out of the lot, Yagyuu could just picture the boy showing Kirihara an array of things no child his age should have been shown, like… well, stuff.

"Would you rather do it then?" Yukimura asked.

"Well…"

"Actually, I'd like to look after him. Well, for today that is." The regulars were quite shock to the sudden statement, and their heads snapped in horrification towards Yanagi. Doubts filled all their minds.

"Yay!" Kirihara squealed.

"You want to come with me, Akaya?" Yanagi said gently. Kirihara vigorously nodded with the sweetest smile you could ever imagine.

"Me come!"

"Well, it's settled then."

"Hey, Sanada?"

"Yes?"

"Was it really a good idea to let Yanagi look after him? I mean…"

"I don't know, Yukimura, I don't know."

"What are you all solemn about? Just think about it— Kirihara's a toddler and Yanagi's under the influence (of Inui Juice). Put them together and we'll probably get some kind of alien for a teammate."

"Niou!"

"Actually, I did always want to play a doubles match with a chocolate bar…"

"Marui!"

Meanwhile, Yanagi had finished giving Kirihara a bath (and surprisingly not get wet in the process) and dressing him in clothes his older sister had made for fun some time ago. Diapers weren't much of a problem as he had grabbed a packet from the local convenience store on the way to his house. Explaining to his parents wasn't going to be much of a problem either as they were out of town today visiting an old friend, and his older sister would come to understand eventually. The real problem was how to turn the child back to normal.

Eventually, after boring the child to sleep with three rounds of shougi, (which Kirihara found was a lot easier to play when he took the pieces off of the board and threw it at Yanagi) Yanagi decided that the issue could be tackled after he recovered from the effects of Inui Juice. It was only his strict control over his emotions that prevented him from bursting out in hysterical giggles and wanting to skip around the block tossing out flowers to everybody around the corner. Scary picture, isn't it?

Sighing, Yanagi turned towards the clock softly ticking on the wall. Its hands told him it was six seconds to seven. He cringed. His sister would be arriving promptly on the twelve. Time for the tough explaining.

"Hello, Renji. How was your day."

"Fine, thank you. Yours?"

"Fine."

Well, the greetings went smoothly enough. However, Yanagi knew the calm wouldn't last long. His sister headed towards her room like she always did everyday. Here comes the moment of truth…

"Renji!"

"In the living room."

"Renji!"

"In the living room!"

"RENJI!"

"I said in the-"

Yanagi was cut short as his sister stormed out of her room in a cloud of rage and confusion, a twitching and frightened cat with odd bald patches tucked under one arm, and a devilish Kirihara with a pair of shears in his chubby little hands under the other. (Miracle how the cat lived, isn't it?) If Yanagi was startled, he made no indication of it. Instead, he pathetically tried to prevent himself from laughing like a lunatic on crack. Damn Inui Juice…

"RENJI!"

"Renji?"

With an unhappy and pouting Kirihara in hand, hair slightly aloof, and the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly, Yanagi looked like a psycho character right out of a comic book (or manga). Had we been able to see Inui's eyes, we would've surely seen them blink.

"Ah, Sadaharu," Yanagi answered with a wry smile, though it was clearly visible that the twitching was still there. "It seems that there was a… there were mishaps at home."

Inui nodded slowly, staring acutely at Kirihara, who glared back with his green eyes. It didn't take long for Inui to assess the situation.

"There is a ninety-seven percent chance that you shall be wanting to stay over tonight," Inui said level-headedly.

"And there is a ninety-nine percent chance that you will let me," Yanagi returned.

"But there is also that one percent that I won't."

"There was a sixty-three percent chance you were going to say that."

"There was a hundred percent chance that you were going to say that."

"Well, there's…"

It was around this part that Kirihara had gotten bored at their mindless chatter that only the two would find amusing and drifted off into a deep sleep.

XXXdays until Kirihara turns back to normal