Quick thing: thanks, Nh1xxs for following and favoriting, both this piece and a Certain Strange Scenario! Your support is very much appreciated, and I of course hope that you enjoy your reading of Times Change! Thanks, 88bigjay for following and favoriting! It's great to have you along for the ride. I hope you enjoy your reading of Times Change as much as I'm enjoying writing it! Thanks, Zyr0truthcanexist for following and favoriting, not only this piece, but a Certain Strange Scenario and a Certain Broken Testament as well!
whwsms: I'm glad you enjoyed the beginnings of our visit, but it's not over just yet. I'd call this more of an "extended stay" and less of a visit, really. But don't fret! Our sights will be going beyond the Hamazura Household, as we'll be following Shiage and Rikou's adopted daughter, Fremea, on some of her… shall we say, adventures? You'll have to stay tuned in to learn more about what those are, exactly.
You might just be seeing my take on the concept of "Shizuri-nee" doing a complete one-eighty in the personality department sooner than later, friend! I hope you enjoy reading that scene as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy writing it! "Cool big sister mode's" engagement could come a bit sooner than you might expect, so keep an eye to the sky for that.
At this rate, Academy City might as well have a specially-designed message system and scale created to alert citizens that the Kamijous are planning on engaging in one of their earth-shaking mating rituals, known more accurately as "A Certain Kami-yan Mating Ritual™", and that safe spaces are available for any who might be triggered by said mating rituals. Complete with mouldable putty, soft children's music and the best air conditioning the City of Science can offer!
I jest, of course.
As always, it's great that I'm able to consistently gain your approval! I hope to be able to continuously do so through subsequent chapters!
321jaz: that we are, friend! Glad to hear that you approve of this continuation! We'll be following a straightforward and (mostly) linear progression of events for the Family Matters Arc, though that hardly means that there'll be a limitation to the considerable amount of excitement to be found within this story arc. There'll be plenty, this I can promise. As I've taken a liking to saying, expect the unexpected.
Plenty heartwarming; there was indeed plenty of insanity that plagued the young lives of Hamazura Shiage and Takitsubo Rikou, as she was known then; you know most of it, but there were other instances of craziness that rose from he depths of the darkness to torment our lovers on the run.
In the end, as you can see, both defied the odds, which were heavily stacked against them. It's quite possible that these struggles the couple went through strengthened their bond and enhanced them, similarly to how the Kamijous' bond was strengthened throughout the trials and tribulations of their youths.
Such a sight could even be perceived as threatening or otherwise dangerous by those who don't know the surprisingly soft inner stuffing of Mugino Shizuri. It's not every day that a level five allows their hard exterior to unravel, after all. There're appearances to keep up. As I remarked in my last response, the chance of "cool big sister mode" being engaged is quite high. So, look out for that. It could come sooner than you might expect it to!
This is an interesting inquiry, indeed. III. Lots of I's, I's everywhere. Surely, a certain big sister has her reasons for forsaking a life of luxury, happiness and stability for one of violence and shady dealings. Maybe retirement just isn't for this big sister, or maybe retirement isn't possible for this big sister. As always, there's one solid means of finding out.
Heavy-something-or-other, huh? I have no idea what you're talking about! There's nothing heavy here, and there certainly aren't any objects lying around!
Sorry, no prizes here; I don't even have a budget. I'm going to the Union to complain about this nonsense, I tell you!
That it was! Ain't I just a stinker?
As always, I think it's great that I'm able to consistently gain your approval! I hope to be able to consistently do so, through subsequent chappies.
Anon: you won't have to wait much longer; "Shizuri-nee" is here, and ready to join the fun. But will everything play out so simply? As always, you'll have to read on to find out. Additionally, as always, it's great to know that I'm able to consistently gain your approval! I hope to be able to continually do so, through subsequent chapters.
In the world where the darkness ruled as a master and as a way of life, dictating all things and holding those who dwelled within its realm in place with an unfeeling, cold iron fist, there were two elements to any action, two results – or, alternatively, two consequences – that could come of any given situation.
There was success and there was failure. There was nothing in between; falling between these two results was to automatically drift to failure. It was to admit weakness and to admit that one simply wasn't cut out for a life consumed by darkness.
At least, that's how Academy City's fourth ranked level five had thought, once.
There were things in the world, things that'd forcibly injected themselves into her life that changed her mode of thought. Every time she ended up sparing someone she was supposed to waste, every time she looked down at them and told them to "beat it", every time they looked on with hopeful, surprised eyes, it hurt her pride more and more.
Yet, paradoxically, there was an odd emotional reward that came along with this "good" behavior.
It was all terribly inconvenient.
Clad in a simplistic, aqua-colored blouse, a pair of extremely tight-fitting light blue jeans which were hemmed, and a pair of expensive aviator-style sunglasses which sat atop her head, close to her head's crown, Mugino Shizuri quietly stayed within her own head, keeping her suddenly thoughtless state of being to herself.
The bitch "Supreme Superintendent" had been staved off for the time being. With a backlog of 'duties' finally completed, the rest of the day belonged to ITEM, to do with as they pleased. For an utterly stressed Mugino Shizuri, this would be the first real break in over five days of constant, gruelling delves into what remained of Academy City's underworld.
She sat before an ornate glass table, her fine posterior seated upon an equally ornate, metallic chair that resembled a royal's throne more than it did a chair that'd commonly be found in a kitchen setting. Set upon the table's translucent surface was a half-eaten burger, topped with as many toppings as the buns could hold. Spread out over the grease-covered wrapping were only a few fries. Shizuri herself hadn't even pecked at them; they'd been devoured by the fourth ranked level five's two partners in licensed, privatized mercenary work.
Seated across from Mugino Shizuri was another young woman who was almost frighteningly short for her age. Kinuhata Saiai's hair was messy, light brown in coloration, falling to her shoulders. Its fringe was parted in the center, either side swept towards her hair's long bangs. Unlike the fourth ranked level five, this young woman had applied plenty of makeup to her form; her eyelashes had been darkened by eyeliner, her eyelids by eyeshadow, and her face obviously had blush liberally applied to its cheeks. Adorned in a plain white, sleeveless top and a pair of denim shorts which were far too revealing even by Shizuri's standards, the Offense Armor user munched on a pile of fries which she'd plundered from the fourth level five's makeshift plate.
To make matters even more painfully annoying, the obnoxious young woman who sat to the left of both Mugino Shizuri and Kinuhata Saiai had her stocking-clad feet stacked on the table's surface, dangerously close to Shizuri's makeshift plate.
Shizuri could only snort as she looked at the blonde mercenary. At the very least, Frenda Seivelun had the decency to cover up, even if she didn't possess the most basic of manners.
The blonde, foreign mercenary wore a navy blue, buttoned-up crop top which exposed her midriff, accented by a miniature navy blue dress, hanging just above her upper thighs. Rather than actively consuming Mugino Shizuri's fries (or, more accurately, what remained of said fries), Frenda Seivelun fiddled with her smartphone, which rested in her lap along with either of her hands.
The fact that Frenda Seivelun was even alive was a testament to the fact that even a decade prior to the moment in which she'd found herself, Mugino Shizuri's mind had been afflicted by weakness and an unwillingness to do what needed to be done, no matter the cost. The blonde mercenary should've died a traitor's death for what she'd done. It was the ultimate offense, the greatest slap in the face one could apply to the face of their partners in crime.
And yet Mugino Shizuri hadn't gone through with it, even if she'd wanted to go through with it, even if she wanted to slice the traitor in half and throw either severed piece of her into some stinking gutter.
In the end, she'd held the stupid, snivelling traitor in her arms and cried with her for a while.
Mugino Shizuri had allowed herself to fucking cry. What a waste, indeed.
"Mugino, you super look like you're trying really hard to take a shit. Need some laxatives? Or are you super concentrating on something?"
The damnable traitor cackled like a witch in response, throwing her head back. As if self-awareness had returned to her, the petite mercenary pulled either of her legs down, and set her feet down upon the kitchen area's dark tiled flooring, where they belonged.
"Basically, Kinuhata's right, you know! That was the goofiest facial expression I've ever seen… like, ever."
Shizuri's response was swift and sure.
"Do you both want to fucking die? I'll paint this place with your blood if you don't shut the fuck up."
This only caused Kinuhata Saiai to join the perpetually laughing Frenda Seivelun. Mugino Shizuri had become the laughing stock of ITEM, if not all of Academy City. Not even the Accelerator was quite as sissified as Meltdowner. At this prospect, Shizuri's lips awkwardly curled into a grin. She shook her head, as she rested her forehead in her right hand's palm.
"Basically," Frenda began, leaning close to the fourth ranked level five and looking at her with an eyebrow raised, in an almost conspiratorial manner, "we know what you did last weekend, Mugino. We know what you did and why you did it. We know you… baby-talked to Daichi-chan. We know you've gone soft and we know you ain't shit anymore."
"Haven't we had this conversation before? Yes, because I'm not going to talk to a five-year-old child in Ebonics," Shizuri grumbled. Then, something snapped into place within her mind. The mentioning of that damnable child that melted her icy heart brought some memory that'd been pushed to the back of her mind to the front."
"Shizuri-nee! Call me! I miss you! We need to go on adventures! Maybe we can explore MOUNT GULCOR together!"
"Of course, sweetiepie~! Shizuri-nee will make sure to call you as soon as she gets a spare moment, okay? Shizuri-nee misses her little troublemaker, too! Yes, she does! She does~!"
The fourth ranked level five gritted her teeth, as if daring both Frenda Seivelun and Kinuhata Saiai to say even another word about the matter.
Unsurprisingly, Hamazura Daichi had been the first to finish his meal. While he hadn't eaten a lot, nor had he eaten too quickly, the boy's pace always was a fast one.
Though he'd consumed his morsels with his hands, he had carefully cleaned both by first stuffing them in his mouth, and then drying them with a napkin; the five-year-old child's attention to detail had impressed both his parents and his sister to no end, as always.
Patiently, the child listened on as his parents concluded their short conversation about what goods might've been needed in the household; the conclusion that a list would've been needed had been reached, and the boy had a feeling that his time to speak was coming. Of course, he'd have to wait his turn, but that wasn't a bad thing by any means. It was polite to do that, and being polite was a very good thing to be.
"Daichi-chan," Rikou spoke, looking to her son, who had an odd, yet incredibly humorous look of determination on his face, "is everything okay?"
"Help wash me up, mama?" Daichi inquired. He tilted his head and blinked.
Hamazura Fremea, who'd finished her meal, happily rose and winked in her parents' direction. She lifted her younger brother up from his booster seat, and held him close, offering him support by placing her forearm beneath his rump.
"I've got your back," Fremea spoke, happily. "I'll get bug boy washed and dressed up. Don't even worry about it. I want to spend a little bit more time with him before I go out today anyways. I insist!"
Hamazura Rikou already knew that there was very little arguing to be done, at least in an innocuous situation like the one before her. Once her beautiful little girl set her eyes on something, it'd take a brick wall to stop her, and even that much was debateable. There was a good chance that Fremea would simply crash right through it.
"You're a sweetheart, Frem," Shiage spoke, as he shovelled the last of his morsels into his mouth. This resulted in a soft slap on the hand from Rikou, who shook her head disapprovingly at her husband.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Rikou chastised. "Honestly. You can be such a savage at times."
Rikou turned to Fremea, and smiled at her children.
"Ooga booga!" Shiage exclaimed, causing his wife to burst out laughing.
"Your goofy father is right, Fremea-chan. Everything you do here is so very much appreciated. You're such a big help to your mama and daddy and your baby brother. We all love you so much."
Rikou hadn't really seen anything like it before, and she hadn't seen it since. There was a peacefulness about the two, a bond so deep that Rikou couldn't even begin to try and comprehend it. Though they were born of two different sets of parents, the two were as close as twins who shared a womb. Fremea adored her brother, and her brother adored her right back.
Of course, Daichi's good behavior was a result of the way he was being raised. Rikou silently chastised some of the fellow parents she knew; some people just weren't cut out for the never-ending job that was parenthood. Even if it was never-ending, Rikou never wanted it to end. She wanted to love her children and be loved by them until the end of time.
"You deserve it," Fremea remarked, blushing slightly as Daichi gently fiddled with his elder sister's long, blonde locks, being cautious not to accidentally pull them or cause his beloved sister harm.
As Fremea began her gentle and careful trek towards the first floor's bathroom, with Daichi speaking excitedly about "clean washroom adventures", Hamazura Rikou turned to Hamazura Shiage, who was only just finishing the repeated dabbing of his napkin against his lips.
He raised an eyebrow in his wife's direction as he began to chuckle.
"Is there something I can help you with, Big Mama?"
"Oh, hush. You're just so goofy."
Rikou had risen from her seat, and, after closing the short distance between herself and her husband, who'd chosen to remain seated, Rikou checked over her shoulder. The sounds of water being expelled from the sink and the happy, carefree giggling of her children was enough to not only bring a smile to Hamazura Rikou's face, but enough to assure her that the moment wouldn't become one of "accidental perversion".
Shiage couldn't restrain his laughter. It escaped quietly from between his lips, as he threw his arms around the waist of the woman who'd chosen to share her life and the overflowing love she had to give with him. He pulled his wife close and, pulling up her shirt, he began to gently kiss her belly.
"You love it," Shiage spoke between his chuckles. "You know you do, you can't get enough of the Shiage."
"I think I'm overdosing," Rikou sarcastically replied. This only made her husband begin to chuckle even more heartily; she was so deeply glad that her lover could take a joke. Rikou began to run her fingers over her beloved's scalp, gently massaging him as he clearly enjoyed himself.
Shiage's hands began to reach down from his wife's hips, and towards her posterior; Rikou certainly couldn't have said that she minded the physical attention. With a good night's rest under her belt, Rikou felt more alive than ever.
"You can go up a little bit if you'd like," Rikou softly stated. "Actually… we should probably get s-started on d-doing up these… d-dishes… but it feels so good. I l-love it w-when you kiss m-me. Please kiss me more? I s-still remember the first time you d-did this to me, y-you know? I remember how much it TURNED me ON."
"Gorf."
Both Shiage and Rikou broke away from one another, as if they were caught by an officer of the law performing some illegal action in public. Hamazura Rikou, blushing heavily, pulled her shirt down as Hamazura Shiage rose from his seat and awkwardly shifted his gaze from his left, and then to his right, as he stuffed either of his hands into his pockets.
"Dammit, Noggin," Shiage grumbled. "This is the third time this week. I'm starting to get the feeling that you enjoy cockblocking your mother and father."
The canine almost smiled, knowingly, as he carefully walked towards the kitchen's refrigerator, where he sat himself down on his haunches. The St. Bernard's tail wagged back and forth as he looked up to his adoptive parents, his big, beady round eyes staring up at the married couple. Rikou's heart instantaneously melted, while Shiage produced a grunt of frustration as he attempted to coax his manhood into shrinking back down to its normal size.
For a moment, Shiage thought he saw the creature wink; but such a thing couldn't have been possible.
Then, from within his mouth, Noggin the dog spat forth a small object. It landed on the kitchen's flooring, covered in slobber and unconditional dog-love.
Both Shiage and Rikou bent down to observe the object, and both subsequently butted heads with one another. Their skulls clashed, and their respective heads of hair were ruffled by the collision.
The married couple collectively produced an "ow!" and backed away from one another, before both Hamazura Shiage and Hamazura Rikou broke down into laughter.
Then, Noggin spat out another, and another; there were three objects on the floor, each of which the canine had apparently been carrying around inside of his mouth, for reasons only known to him. He then placed his right paw against the surface of the refrigerator.
"Gorf."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll get your breakfast, you big, lazy old man," Shiage mumbled. As he rose, he stroked the canine's head before he pried the refrigerator's door open.
Rikou, on the other hand, was almost mesmerized by what the family dog had smuggled into the home's kitchen. It was a small golden-colored and rather heavy locket, comfortably fitting into the palm of the young woman's hand. While it was attached to no sort of string or any sort of ornate chain, the surface of the locket was engraved with small, snaking vines, from which small, golden-colored leaves jettisoned.
The other two objects that Noggin the dog had smuggled from an unknown location were a small doll with large, beady black eyes, constructed of interwound yellow string, as well as a singular, crumpled and sopping wet movie ticket; Rikou could hardly make out the text that was upon the ticket's surface, as most of it had been lost to time, or to dog saliva.
While Hamazura Shiage carefully placed clumps of Noggin's "UltraHealth" breakfast into his food bowl near the kitchen area's sink, Rikou stepped towards the table, where she set the doll and the faded movie ticket. Placing her nail carefully and cautiously beneath the almost miniscule clip that held both sides of the locket's shell together, she pried it open.
Inside was something that made the young woman blush furiously. It forced an entire wave of many emotions to rush towards her and nearly overtake her. The mess of feelings crashed into Hamazura Rikou, nearly breaking her resolve, almost making her yet another victim of emotion's undertow.
Perhaps it hadn't hit her until that moment; perhaps, for a while, Hamazura Rikou had still thought of Hamazura Fremea, she and Hamazura Shiage's eighteen-year-old adopted daughter as that bratty eight-year-old girl who frequently ended her sentences with instances of the characteristically child-like "nyah".
Inside of the locket was something innocuous enough, in and of itself. It was a little photograph, something that must've been taken in the photography booth of a mall or department store.
It depicted Hamazura Fremea and a familiar-looking boy from the waist-up. Rikou and Shiage's little girl was clad in a large, baggy and white-colored pullover sweater, its hood dangling behind her neck, rubbing against the backside of the sweater. Fremea's hair was tied up into a messy bun, and she wore little makeup; she didn't need to wear any at all. The boy standing next to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman was quite handsome; like Hamazura Fremea, he was clad in a hooded sweater, though his was equipped with a zipper separating both sides of the article of clothing. He wore a simplistic blue and black-colored baseball cap forwards, tilted upwards in a respectful and casual manner.
Rikou couldn't even begin to ignore the blushes present on both of their faces. Hamazura Fremea looked so very contented, and the boy next to her looked as if he'd ascended to heaven, as if he was being greeted by some glorious gatekeeper.
Fremea's adoptive mother felt warmth in either of her eyes, though the warmth was not born of sadness or disappointment. It was raw and primal, the result of an eternally-devoted guardian realizing that their services might become obsoleted.
"Oi, is that Ueda-san? Heh, they make a good pair, no? Where in the world did Noggin get this from, eh? I wonde… Rikou, hey, what's up? Look at you, all teary-eyed. Want to talk about it? Bring it in, c'mere, I've gotcha."
Hamazura Rikou was jolted from her own thoughts, her body jumping slightly as she was wrested from within her mind. Turned to Shiage, Rikou took him into her arms, and rubbed the side of her face against her husband's chest, the locket clutched in her left hand's palm. Both of Shiage's arms fell over his beloved's form, as his hands gently massaged her back.
For such a big, sometimes dumb, sometimes irritating and overall brutish savage, Hamazura Shiage knew just how to take care of his family.
Rikou produced a sigh before she spoke her piece.
"Fremea-chan is growing up so fast. Too fast. I don't know if there's anything between our little girl and Ueda-san, but…"
"Of course there is," Shiage stated, quite confidently. "Look at Fremmie's face. She's totally loving it. Ueda's a good boy, always did like 'im. Always did think there was something between him and our Fremmie, though. Something more than just "ye olde friendship". You think he sees that, too? Hope the boy's not dense, like one of those characters from a harem manga."
"Does this not concern you, even a little bit?" Rikou inquired, as she parted from her lover. She carefully began bringing the dishes from the kitchen area's table to one of the nearby sinks; it was a move that needed to be made before the dishes were forgotten about completely.
"Relationships are no laughing matter, especially when it comes to young love. People can easily get hurt, and when two people progress from a friendship to a relationship, it can end in disaster. Can, but doesn't always… obviously."
Rikou smiled knowingly in Shiage's direction. Warmly, he smiled right back at her.
"I'm just saying, we might not be able to simply take to the backseat here, just because Fremea-chan is older. She's wise, but she's still someone who's so new to the concept of love. I think she should have guidance."
Shiage came to nod in agreement as he took to his wife's side, intent on assisting Rikou in the dishes' cleaning. She certainly wasn't going to reject the help. As he neared, Rikou stood up on her toes, and placed a kiss to Shiage's cheek.
"Uh huh. I feel the way you feel. At the same time, though, we can't smother her. That's not fair either. She's a smart eighteen-year-old girl; we raised her, after all. She's got the best of both of us up in her head. She's got your intellect, and she's got my… well… actually… huh. Well, I taught her how to punch people, right? If the going gets rough, just punch your way out of a sticky situation. Kamijou's got the right idea. Both of them, really…"
"Don't go and talk like that. You have no reason to sell yourself short," Rikou softly chastised. "You have plenty of street-smarts, and you've imparted many important life lessons to both of our children. I do agree that smothering Fremea-chan would be unfair and inhumane, but, perhaps we should take this moment to sit down with her and talk, as two adults giving advice to another adult. We can level with her."
"Yuh huh," Shiage responded; while Rikou began to fill the nearest sink with water, and then reached below it, into the cupboard, presumably for the bottle of dish soap, Shiage began collecting and organizing each individual dish and piece of cutlery.
"You think she's been pushing herself?"
"Why? Do you?"
Shiage shrugged his shoulders, as he reached for the nearby dishtowel.
"Sort of. I mean… I'm probably not in the right here, but, heck, she just graduated from high school a few months ago, and here she is already planning out her entire life and career… imagine, our little girl becoming a teacher.
"I'm proud, Rikou, you have no idea how proud I am; seeing our little girl do what I never could makes me so proud that I can't even begin to try and explain it, but, shouldn't she be taking, I don't know, a year off or something? She's got the job at the bakery, too, she's so independent and…
"I worry sometimes. Is there something we're missing? Fremmie seems fine, every time I've talked to her she seems to be shipshape… heck, every time I've peaked into her room she's been fit as a fiddle, too. I just don't want our little girl to load herself up too much, too quickly."
Hamazura Rikou spoke a series of words that reassured Hamazura Shiage; not because of the way that she spoke them, or because of the words she'd chosen specifically. Shiage was soothed simply because he knew his wife's, the adoptive mother of Fremea's words were true.
"If Fremea-chan needs our help, she knows she can come to us. I suppose that provides an answer to our previous quandary, doesn't it?
"Except, it doesn't. I don't quite think it does. I want to talk to Fremea-chan about her feelings, about what might be going on in that head of hers, so full of hormones and all sorts of crazy chemicals. That's one thing Fremea-chan might be too shy to come to talk to us about. Academics and one's work life are very different from one's deep, inner feelings."
"Hamazura Rikou, philosopher," Shiage spoke, chuckling quietly under his breath. "I agree, though. Wholeheartedly. Let's…"
The married couple's conversation was interrupted by the repeated, rhythmic shrieks of Shiage's smartphone, apparently dwelling within the right pocket of his pajama pants.
"Ooga freakin' booga," Shiage mock-cursed. "If it's those window-glazing people again, I'm going to freak out on them. They need to stop bothering people like this; this isn't how you get business! Telling you, this is some… eh? Well fuck me sideways."
"Tonight," Rikou spoke, her lips curling into a seductive grin. "Who's calling? "Window-glazing people" again?"
"Mugino," Shiage admitted, with a shrug. It certainly wasn't who he expected, and it certainly wasn't the most fun or interesting person in the world to hold a conversation with.
At this, Rikou raised an eyebrow. That certainly was different. Of course, what, or more accurately, who she was looking for was obvious; the important matter at hand was whether or not she could be trusted to be around, or even speak to the little person she likely sought to speak with. The reluctant facial expression that her husband wore suggested that he agreed with his wife on the matter.
"Answer?"
"… answer, I guess. It's not fair to keep Daichi-chan away from his Shizuri-nee. As long as she behaves. Don't set the call on speaker, please? I don't want Daichi-chan hearing Mugino's filth-mouth going rapid-fire."
"Ight. Why do I get the feeling we're going to regret this someday?"
Hamazura Shiage pressed down on his smartphone's virtual "Answer Call" button with only a bit more than "a little" reluctance. Setting the device on his right shoulder, he leaned the right side of his face against his phone, as he began to assist a very grateful Hamazura Rikou. Again, she planted another kiss to her husband's form, this time to his exposed neck.
"Hamazura. Er… Hamazura. Which Hamazura am I speaking with? Top of the fucking morning."
Shiage couldn't help but produce a chuckle. "Always a pleasure, Mugino… Shiage, Hamazura, if it wasn't obvious. So, uh, howsit?"
On the other end of the line, Hamazura Shiage could practically sense Mugino Shizuri swallowing her pride. For a moment, she might've choked on it, but it ended up going down in the end.
"Fine. I mean… alright. Good enough I guess. I'm alive, right? These idiots around me are alive, too, in case you were wondering."
"Hiiiiiiii, Hamazura~!"
"Basically, I wish I was Takit… Hamazura two point oh. Being a cute homemaker beats running around 'blastin' fools' any day."
There certainly was something to consider, there. Shiage couldn't help but begin to think about it, as he drowned out the sounds of the three young women verbally assaulting one another – it seemed as if Frenda Seivelun had started the war of words, an unsurprising fact in and of itself.
It had been nearly over a decade since he'd first been tossed into ITEM as the designated butt monkey. It'd been nearly over a decade since he'd first met Takitsubo Rikou, as she'd been known then, the only one among them who'd shown him even a modicum of respect. It'd been nearly a decade since he and Takitsubo Rikou had risked their lives to protect one another from the dark world that had sought to tear them apart.
And yet, Mugino Shizuri, Kinuhata Saiai and Frenda Seivelun were still doing it. They were still knee-deep in the darkness, or what remained of the darkness. Still, they were 'on duty', seemingly of their own volitions.
"OI! HAMAZURAAAAAAAA!"
Hamazura Shiage's inner contemplations would've continued if Mugino Shizuri's shout hadn't broken him from his trance-like state. Apparently, Rikou had heard it as well, as she turned to face her husband with an irritated, if offended look on her face. Shiage couldn't quite find himself agreeing, there; there was little to be offended by. Mugino was being typical Mugino.
Then, Hamazura Rikou asked a question of her husband. She asked in the sweetest, most innocuous tone possible; it almost sounded as if she was asking a question of her son, rather than of her fully-grown husband.
He couldn't help but chuckle as a chill ran down his spine, goosebumps beginning to cover his skin, from its beginnings to its ends.
"Shiage, dear, could I see your phone, please?"
The result would be entertaining, at least; and who was he to deny his wife of her ventilation? He willingly handed the device off to his beloved as he began to dry the last of the sopping dishes and silverware.
"Hamazura?! Are you even there?!"
"Hello, Mugino."
Mugino Shizuri found herself in another unfamiliar and oddly humbling situation. She felt the chill of death fall over her and consume her mortal form, which shuddered beneath the oppressive aura exuded by the young woman who wasn't even present within the room in which ITEM dwelled.
"H-Hamazura."
"I'm not going to beat around the bush with you, Mugino. If you're going to call my household and speak to us, for whatever purpose you might have, you're going to treat us with the respect we deserve. You might be able to shout at whoever you like when you're on the job, dealing with the empty-headed suits, but you won't bring your aggression to bear against my family. I will NOT permit it. Any questions?"
"You're just full of surprises, aren't you, Hamazura? Keep making me proud. You aren't quite the subdued little housewife I sometimes find myself thinking you are. Not yet."
Hamazura Rikou looked over either of her shoulders; Daichi-chan was nowhere in sight. He must've been in the bathroom with his sister, or in his sister's room. Perhaps he'd taken to doing his own thing in his own room, as unlikely as that was. Her precious child, the love between Rikou and her husband made flesh certainly wasn't far.
Since he wasn't in earshot, Hamazura Rikou could speak her mind. In a hushed tone, she aggressively whispered.
"Fuck. You. Mugino."
Pressing her finger down on the phone's virtual "End Call" button, Rikou carefully handed her husband's phone back to him before she produced a guttural, aggravated growl.
"You're too complacent sometimes."
"Whowhatnow? Am I in trouble?"
"… no," Rikou awkwardly giggled, wrapping her arms around her husband's shoulders. "You're not in trouble, you big, loveable goof."
Hamazura Fremea had to admit that her younger brother must've had more patience than anyone else in the universe. As she fluffed his hair, Daichi stood before the large, body-length mirror in his elder sister's room. As her fingertips gently passed over his scalp, Daichi quietly giggled, shivers running up and down his form. Perhaps that was the key to his patience; the boy was obviously enjoying the physically-pleasing attention.
Clad in a dark button-up shirt, which was open, exposing a simplistic white top beneath it, the shirt's collar was carefully tucked, set into place with precision and attention to detail. For legwear, Hamazura Daichi wore a pair of dark-colored denim jeans, suited for his five-year-old form, with dark socks to match his attire; all of his own choosing.
Close to him, his sister had gotten herself dressed to impress, as well, even if she wasn't necessarily trying to impress anyone. Fremea had chosen for herself a blue and white plaid top, its long sleeves rolled up to her elbows. For legwear, she'd chosen something a bit more daring than usual; Hamazura Fremea wore skin-tight, light-colored jeans. Though they appeared worn, they were in fact a recent purchase.
"Looking sharp," Fremea stated, as she crouched beside her younger brother. She placed her hand to her chin and stroked it thoughtfully. Hamazura Fremea looked the boy up and down one last time before she made her way behind him, and set either of her hands upon his shoulders.
"You're going to be a lady-killer one of these days, you know. I'd argue that you already are. My friends adooore you. Of course, they can't have you, bug boy; you're all mine. My cute, loving, sweet little brother."
Hamazura Daichi turned to face his sister, and then took her into an embrace, as best as his little arms could. With Fremea crouching before him, Daichi could better place a loving little kiss to her cheek.
Fremea probably couldn't have blushed any harder if she'd wanted to. Smiling from ear to ear, Hamazura Fremea wrapped her arms around her younger brother's form and hugged him back. She rubbed the side of her face against the crown of his head.
"Love you, bug boy. Love you so much."
"I love you too, Fremmie!"
Eventually, a reluctant Fremea managed to break her end of the embrace, though Daichi seemed to have a bit of trouble breaking his own end. Once he had, however, he was quickly off, likely to visit their parents, or to go on some sort of supervised "adventures" with Noggin the dog.
Fremea herself had plenty to keep her busy. She sat herself down quite politely before her gaming console, which had set itself into a standby mode. She flicked the left thumbstick of the console's controller, and her television screen roared back to life, the title screen of Danger Zone still visible.
A smiling Hamazura Fremea navigated to the console's home menu, where she hunted down its built-in video calling app, EyeSee. Though Qoozle Calling was installed, nobody who was anyone used that broken-down hunk of junk.
With her unwieldy headphones set upon her head, Hamazura Fremea launched the application, which, unlike Qoozle Calling didn't hang immediately upon launching. Instead, it took Fremea directly to the colorful and lively home screen, where contacts, recent text-based messaged, and recent calls were located, each divided under their own sub-menus.
Apparently, Last Order had mysteriously become an early riser, when she'd never been before, as there were a few missed calls in the "recent interactions" sub-menu from her EyeSee contact.
There was something quite different about her display picture, as well. The previous had been one of Last Order's many selfies; as if she didn't flood her social media accounts with enough of those.
This, however, was different. It was so strange and baffling in its construction that Fremea couldn't help but throw her head back and cackle like a witch when she saw who was featured in the display picture.
Aside from Kamijou Index, who Fremea was aware was staying with Last Order, some sort of booze-filled sleepover adventure she was sure, Accelerator, the number one ranked esper in all of Academy City sat between the two young women.
Index, whose face was as red as beet was pulling either of her cheeks with her hands' fingers, her eyes rolled back into her head, while Last Order's left hand tugged on Accelerator's ear, her right hand evidently holding the device she used to snap the selfie with. Her face was beet red as well, even more red than Index's.
Between them, Accelerator looked absolutely exasperated, as if he needed to lay down and take a nap. Then again, Accelerator always needed to take a nap.
With the aid of the controller's thumbstick that actually navigated through menus, Fremea navigated towards the 'missed interactions' menu within Last Order's EyeSee profile. There was a total of three, each quite long for Last Order, whose messages were, on most occasions, hardly anything to write home about.
"FREMEA! USING VOICE TO TEXT BECAUSE ME AND INDEX ARE TURNT AS [expletive filtered] MISAKA MISAKA ADMITS, SOMEWHAT EMARASSED THAT THE REST OF THE NETWORK IS CURRENT LAUGHING AT MISAKA, ESPECIALLY THE MALICIOUS ONE.
"ARE YOU WATCHING LITTLE CATHOLIC BIBLE… SCIENCE… THE STUPID SHOW?! MISAKA MISAKA INQUIRES, CURIOUS AS TO WHETHER HER FRIEND IS TUNING INTO THE UNINTENTIONALLY HILARIOUS AND LOW-BUDGET BROADCAST! GET ON THAT [expletive filtered]!"
The second message was one which was text-based; apparently, the idea of using EyeSee's Voice-to-Text feature wasn't appealing to the exceedingly intoxicated young women. Fremea could only shake her head and giggle to herself as her eyes' vision dashed from one side of the paragraph, with its many horribly misspelled words to the other.
"Dudebro it's Indeckx! Omg LCBSOT is tslkin aboyt fuckun PREDESTINATION! Im crying rn. This is tou good! Tune the fyuck in!"
The third message, which was text-based and made up of a series of "HAs" caught Fremea off guard, initially.
Indeed; Fremea shared her friends' sentiment. Little Catholic Bible Science Outsiders Teaching had reached a new level of warped with its inept tackling of predestination, an already controversial subject in and of itself.
With a sense of excitement in her higher mind's thoughts, Fremea navigated towards the small option in the profile menu that would allow her to call Last Order; assuming Last Order was up.
Selecting the "call now" option by pressing the "start" button on her controller, Fremea sat back, unfolding her legs as the television screen before her was suddenly awash in many bright, calming colors.
While the screen had mostly become blue, like the color of the sky on a particularly beautiful summer's day, there were a number of bright, fluorescent yellow semicircles which faded in and out, slowly moving from end of the screen to the other. In the corner, Hamazura Fremea could see a moving image of herself, captured by the camera peripheral plugged into one of her gaming console's ports.
A soft hum, like the sound of a bird quietly singing to itself was produced, emanating from within either cup of the young woman's headset, as EyeSee attempted to connect a video call.
The call was indeed connected, but Hamazura Fremea almost wished it hadn't been.
Within Last Order's room, Index, Last Order herself, and Misaka Worst had gathered around the camera which must've belonged to Last Order's tablet, or perhaps to her phone. The device had been stood up on some surface or another, but the surroundings weren't what was important.
What was important, awkward and terrifying all at the same time was the fact that the three girls were clad in very revealing and very sensual lingerie.
While Index had apparently chosen to garb herself in a fetishized mock-up of a Serafuku, exposing her midriff, which even by the standards of Fremea, a heterosexual female was a beautiful thing indeed, Last Order had boldly dressed (or had been dressed) in something a bit more provocative. Clad up to her neck in a dark, soft-looking fishnet material, the young woman's nipples were protected from view only by something that could barely be classified as a bra; either of its cups consisted of little more than a singular black-colored, five-pointed star.
Arguably, however, it was Misaka Worst who stole the show.
Her fit, sumptuous and naturally-gorgeous form was adorned in a shining, black leather corset which hugged and accented her curvy form, with a pair of black woolen stockings to match, in coloration at least.
"Fremea-Tama looks like she just saw a ghost," Misaka Worst stated, as she pressed either of her hands to her breasts, pushing them together, as if to mock the blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman on the other end. "Misaka's got the best tits here."
"Dudebruh," Index casually remarked, as she casually dangled her legs back and forth, from her perch on the side of Last Order's bed. "About time you got back to us. Didn't know what to do, so we ended up doing… whatever this is. Thinking outside the box is fun, sometimes, what can I say? We're guilty as charged! DARING! TAKE CHANCES, MAN! LIVE A LITTLE! You should've seen Accelerator's face when he walked in! The blood started pouring like Niagara Falls!
"So, anyways, listen up. You with us, or against us, dudebruh? Last Order and I have some ideas; Worst had some, but she's going to be a total lame-o and not roll with us. Shameful, huh?"
Last Order nodded her head, as if she was about to make some great point at an all-important debate. "MISAKA has contacted some of our friends, most of whom should be able to make it, MISAKA MISAKA explains, in an attempt to bring Hamazura-chan in on MISAKA's and her dear friend's evil schemes."
Hamazura Fremea had finally managed to shake off the shock of seeing her close friends in such revealing attire; it was the initial shock that was worse than the realization, the latter being quite humorous in and of itself, despite the awkwardness that came along with it, as a "bonus bundle" of sorts.
"Ain't NOTHIN' changed," Fremea mockingly spoke, purposefully deepening her voice. "I can grab my parents' "fly-ass whip", so we won't have to worry about transport. I, uh…"
Without warning, and without her knowledge, the young woman's face was suddenly glowing red, as vast amounts of blood rushed into it. Fremea lowered her gaze to the floor as she began to fiddle awkwardly with her fingers.
"I m-might be bringing a guest along, too. Y-you guys have met him once or twice before… y-you remember… S-S… S-Shin, r-right? U-Ueda-san?"
Almost instantaneously, Last Order had stuffed her face into the camera which acted as a window into the young woman's room. Her facial expression was one of both joy and approval, which only seemed to grow as the clone of Misaka Mikoto tilted her head from one side to the other.
"MISAKA thinks both Hamazura-san and Ueda-san are soulmates, MISAKA MISAKA states, voicing her TRUE and HONEST opinion of you and Ueda-san as a potential item. MISAKA could play wingman, if you'd like, MISAKA generously offers."
"Dudebruh," Index began, stuffing her own face into the camera as she pushed her form against Last Order's. Soon, Worst's bosom was placed atop both of their heads as the elder-younger clone cackled aloud like a deranged witch. Oddly, neither of the young women seemed to notice, or mind.
"Everyone who knows the both of you can see as plain as DAY that you want the D. Of course, if you're going to actually get the D, you're going to want to use protection in order to avoid any… hm, complications, but I'm sure you know that. Y'know, even if it's "against the rules" to engage in sexual conduct outside of wedlock, according to official Church doctrine, nobody listens to that crap anyways. Look at the porno industry! If you think for a second that I don't let loose with a nice, explicit website and a…"
"OKAY, TOO MUCH INFORMATION!" Fremea cried aloud, repeatedly shaking her head from left to right.
Strangely enough, it was Misaka Worst who spoke the words which contained the most sense out of the trio. For the wildly giggling and heavily-flustered Fremea, the day was already proving itself to be both fun and full of surprises.
"Fremea-Tama, it's 2014; stating the fact that the time period we reside is in, in fact, the current year isn't at all convoluted and idiotic. Misaka is also absolutely not being sarcastic, at all.
"If you're feeling Ueda-Tama, grab Ueda-Tama and put a ring on him before someone else takes him away. If not, accept your place as a cuckolded sissy. Trust Misaka, Misaka often ironically watches the Dysfunctional Wedding Network's livestreams. Misaka wonders if she'll see Fremea-Tama and Ueda-Tama on there."
"WOAHHEYHOLDITGETYOURBREASTSOFFOFMYHEAD!"
"MISAKA is being sexually assaulted, MISAKA MISAKA exclaims in terror, fleeing from the useless collections of fat possessed by the Malicious One!"
"Misaka's beautiful, perfect tits aren't useless. Misaka's tits are full of delicious milk, just waiting to be fed to tou-san."
Fremea was in tears; her laughter was almost becoming painful. The sides of her torso and the sides of her head had rocketed off into orbit, as her lungs screamed out for air.
Finally, after a few moments, Hamazura Fremea managed to get herself under control, as tears of laughter continued to drip down her cheeks.
"A-alright… I'm coming to get you loons. Give me, like, forty-five minutes at the absolute most, and I'll be there. Assuming I can get the car, that is. Shouldn't be an issue, I don't think my parents are going anywhere. OkayseeyousoonloveyouloveyouloveyouBYE!"
The obviously excited nun, Index, thrust her right hand, balled into a fist upwards towards the ceiling. "HURRY UP!"
Hamazura Fremea did exactly that. She quickly rose from her seat upon her bedroom's hardwood flooring, producing a soft grunt as her muscles obeyed her higher mind's commands. She quickly powered her gaming console down, and flicked off the lightswitch in her room; her bed would have to remain messy. It'd get made whenever it'd get made. Fremea wasn't about to stress over it.
She did, however, want to look at one thing before she left, especially if she was going to contact… him. There was an amount of inspiration that she'd need, especially with the strange feelings that were flowing throughout her being.
Bending forward, Fremea fell to her hands and knees as she began to search beneath her bed, for her small collection of personal treasures. Though monetarily worthless in and of themselves, they were priceless in emotional value.
As such, it only made sense for Fremea to engage 'panic mode', when the tiny, plain white sack she kept said items in had been displaced, and apparently opened. Daichi would have no reason to go rooting around in his elder sister's belongings, as he was made privy of the treasures' existence some time prior in order to avoid a mishap born of a five-year-old's curiosity. Fremea herself certainly wouldn't have misplaced such precious trinkets.
There was only one suspect; immediately, Fremea's worries turned from her own personal belongings and to the well-being of the family's precious, fur-covered, adopted son.
Before she was even aware of it, Fremea had fled from her room, her sock-clad feet slapping against the flooring beneath her. She wasn't about to start openly panicking, but, within, Fremea's heart was beating a mile a minute, and her forehead was becoming cooler, as the beginnings of sweat dripped down her bow.
"Daddy? Mom?!" Fremea spoke, attempting to keep herself composed; she wasn't doing the greatest job. There was a hint of panic in her tone of voice, even as she did her best to fight it back. "Dad?!"
Within an instant, more of a blur than a human being for a moment, and like a superhero swooping in to rescue the damsel in distress within the pages of a Western comic book, Hamazura Shiage had arrived to save the day, his great, comforting arms wrapping themselves around his daughter's form, taking her into a warm and unbreakable embrace. Just as Fremea had found herself in the area separating the home's sitting area from its kitchen area, Shiage had heard his daughter's distressed calls for help before he'd seen her.
"Gorgeous, angel, woooaahh. Relax, breathe. You're okay. I got you. What's the matter, huh? What's got you so spooked, Frem?"
"Noggin…" Fremea began.
But then, sitting upon the kitchen table's surface, Fremea's eyes' vision fell upon her pilfered treasures, and she breathed a great sigh of relief. Even if Noggin himself wasn't in sight, he was alright. Daichi, who'd sat himself upon his rump in the home's kitchen area looked up at his sister with an unreadable look on his face.
"Oh… goodness," Fremea huffed. "I thought… Noggin… under my bed… missing. Couldn't have been Daichi… wouldn't do that a-anyways. Wait. M-mom? D-daddy? Did you o-open that… l-locket…?"
The anxiousness faded within Hamazura Fremea, as her father's fingers ran gently through her hair, dancing against the surface of her scalp. From behind her, Fremea's mother wrapped her own arms around both her troubled daughter and her husband.
Then, around Fremea's legs, a pair of little arms were thrown.
"FAMILY HUG!" a blissfully ignorant Daichi exclaimed.
Hamazura Rikou repeatedly kissed the back of her daughter's head, as her protective embrace tightened.
"Fremea-chan," Rikou began, speaking comfortingly and with the utmost softness, "Noggin did deliver these objects to us, for reasons unknown to your father and I, but Noggin didn't swallow them. We'll have to wash them off, though.
"Fremea-chan, angel, you don't have to hide from us. Even if we're only a few years older than you are, we're… we're your family. Do you not think that we're overjoyed that our little girl is in love? Of course we are! Having what we see as confirmation for this is… such a beautiful thing!
"Fremea-chan, we'd never try to stop you from living your life; but there are some things your father and I think we should talk about, not only as a family, but as adults having a conversation. Love can be a volatile and sometimes unpredictable thing. You need to be prepared before you jump headlong into something that could affect the rest of your life."
For a while, Hamazura Fremea quietly allowed herself to be held by her parents; while Daichi had broken his end of the embrace, he hadn't gone far. With a collection of his toys carefully grouped together, out of the way in the kitchen area, he'd taken to quietly and peacefully playing on his own, his imagination flowing freely.
There wasn't a whole lot that she could've said; Hamazura Fremea could've written an entire novel with only the raw emotion that was coursing through her body, and through her mind.
In the end, there were four initial words that came to her mind.
"Mom? Daddy? T-thank you.
"L-let's do that. Let's talk. I don't have a-any reason to hide anything f-from you. It's kind of… well, kind of e-embarrassing, but… but I know you won't judge me.
"B-by the way. Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, angel."
"Go right ahead, Fremea-chan. We're listening, like we always have and always will."
"Can I borrow the car?"
Hamazura Shiage broke away, laughing aloud, only to pinch either of his daughter's cheeks with the utmost gentleness that his strong, powerful hands could apply. With her giggling mother's nod of approval, Shiage spoke.
"No. No way, you're BANNED! Just kidding, angel, of course you can. Just don't get the…"
Shiage leaned in, close, his lips suddenly pressed against his daughter's ear. The sensation caused Fremea to shiver.
"Pimp Mobile… into a fender-bender."
"I won't, daddy," Fremea spoke, softly, breathing a sigh of relief. "Love you, mom, daddy."
With the intention of heading back towards her room in order to gather essentials such as her purse and her hat, the young woman placed a kiss to her mother's cheeks before she took her leave from the kitchen area.
As if taking lessons from the same figurative book her father proverbially read from, Fremea became a human blur as she slipped either of her sock-clad feet into her canvas shoes sitting before the home's front door, which she just as swiftly, but gently closed behind her, clicking its four outer locks into place with her key.
The adventure began there and then.