Author's notes: To write this chapter, I drew upon old memories I had as a kid of when I sometimes would rock one of my little cousins to sleep. I haven't seen much of Clannad but, this song always stuck with me no matter what, and I thought it would be cute to use as a lullaby to sing someone to sleep with.
Yusuke's Chapter
Dango Daikazoku
Yusuke had never been one to actually like singing. At least not in front of his brothers. He was only a kid when he first heard this song. Sometimes he'd see Tsuba-nii and Asu-nii watching this anime and singing along with the tv. Sometimes he'd wonder why a show like that needed such a sad and catchy song. In any case, the next thing Yusuke knew was, it was now stuck in his head. Why an harem anime needed a song about dango, he did not know. All he knew was that it was now stuck in his head, and he somehow couldn't stop singing it. First it started off as simple humming. The more he heard this song, the more the words started accumulating into is mind.
Before long, he could start singing phrases and may some parts of the second part of the song. Damn his brothers. Why did they have to start watching Clannad of all things? Why couldn't it have been something manly like Bleach or Naruto? But seeing as stuff like that wouldn't interest them anyways, Clannad it was. Sometimes he'd find himself singing it to himself unconsciously. He wasn't very good at singing it at first. Sometimes his older brothers would sometimes tease about it. His voice squeaked at certain words and sometimes it wouldn't be able to hit certain high notes.
But something in Yusuke told him that he couldn't give up just yet. And he was going to prove to is brothers that he damn well could sing, even if he wound up destroying his voice in the process. So he began practicing the song in secret where no one could come in and tease him about it. Well that was until one day when he was asked to look after Wataru by his mom while she went out to do something. He'd watched his other older brothers put him to sleep before but, they all had their own methods and songs.
Yusuke clutched the small fussy baby in his arms as Wataru whined and squirmed around in his tiny arms. A small frown appeared on his face. Babies couldn't tell you exactly what they needed or how they were feeling. It was always a game of guessing when it came to them. Babies were also very loud and vocal when it came to demanding what needed to be done. Masa-nii and his other brothers were probably way better at this than he ever was. For pete's sake, he was only six years old!
"Wataru, stop moving around so much..." grumbled the boy as he started rocking the bundle in his arms back and forth.
Wataru only continued to fuss and whine in his arms. He wasn't hungry, and he definitely didn't need to be changed. Mom already gave him a bath, so there was no need to give him one. The only thing that was left then was to put him down for his usual nap. Only Wataru didn't seem to want go to sleep just yet. None of the usual lullabies that he knew seemed to be putting his to sleep. But there was one song that he hadn't tried yet. Would it work though? Yusuke cleared his throat and took a deep breath.
"Dango dango dango..." he began shakily as he started lowering his voice barely above a whisper.
Wataru's fussing and crying began to stop.
Dango Daikazoku~
yancha na yaki dango, yasashii an dango
sukoshi yumemigachi na tsukimi dango
osumashi goma dango yotsugo kushi dango
minna minna awasete hyaku nin kazoku
He watched as his baby brother's long eyelashes began to flutter open and shut. At least he seemed to stop crying. Yusuke continued to rock Wataru in his arms gently as he moved on to the next part of the song.
akachan dango ha itsumo shiawase no naka de
toshiyori dango ha me wo hosometeru
nakayoshi dango te wo tsunagi ookina marui wa ni naru yo
machi wo tsukuri dango boshi no ue minna de waraiau yo
usagi mo sora de te wo futtemiteru dekkai otsukisama
ureshii koto kanashii koto mo zenbu marumete
Yusuke barely stifled a yawn and started rubbing at his bleary eyes. The song was making him sleepy as well. He hopped off the couch and began to walk over to where Wataru's playpen sat on the floor. Wataru now slept peacefully in his arms, and didn't even seem wake up as Yusuke put him in. Maybe that was the secret of singing that song successfully; singing it to someone that you cared about so that they could have sleep peacefully and dream of wonderful things. He thought about these things as laid down on the couch. His body and eye lids seemed so heavy. It seems the spell of sleep was calling to him...
Ten years later, when Wataru would ask him to sing this song to him, The red haired boy only start to blush the exact same shade of red as his hair. But begrudgingly, he would. He's gotten a lot better at singing since that day, but his voice would always still carry that same sweet and tender tone associated with that. Maybe that's why Wataru's favourite song will always be that one about the family of dango.
