Ta-ta-ta-tata-taDA! Here's chapter 4. I'm really sorry about the slow update! I went for an unplanned holiday the day before Christmas and didn't come back till much later. Sorry, sorry, sorry! (Kowtows several times.) And then, I kinda lost track of time doing other stuff. Sorry! (Bows like Subaru.) About the reviews – I never realised that there were that many S going around until K'van pointed it out to me the day after I uploaded chapter 3. I guess I was a bit out of it. Anyhow, I was planning on asking for votes on who wants to see the teacher becoming Tree fertilizer? I know I want to. But unfortunately, K'van wants as little of her as possible in the fic. So she'll be disappearing soon. (Jumps around saying "Thank the Heavens!")
Heirs of the Clans: Chapter 4
The second day at school differed very little from the first, other than Seishin's slight show of resistance towards Fujita, which earned him a punch to his stomach – the only possible place to hit without gaining a teacher's attention with inexplicable bruises.
When Seiun found out about it, Seishin cringed away from her, even though he knew that her anger was not directed entirely towards him. He still received a rebuke for not setting Fujita on his rear when the older boy had hit him but at least it was only a verbal assault.
Once her fuming was over, Seishin left her to seethe inwardly, knowing that it would take some time for Seiun to cool down and that his presence would only serve to remind her of the circumstances he had landed himself in.
At home, Seiun did not breathe a word about what happened, distracting Seishirou and Subaru with her complaints about the girls in class. Her complaints amused Seishirou immensely, since Seiun was voicing them with great irritation. Subaru gave Seiun a sympathetic look and told her to be thankful that she did not know his late twin Hokuto. Otherwise, she would end up being his sister's dress-up doll.
At that, Seiun shuddered in horror and quieted down.
On the third day, the war began.
"Seiun-chan, please pay attention in class. I don't like it when your attention is not on me."
When Seiun did not even turn her eyes away from the window, Michihiro rapped her knuckles on the table. "Seiun! Listen to me or I'll have to send you out of the class."
The noise seemed to snap Seiun out of the daze she had fallen into and break any control she had over her hair-trigger temper. The girl stood, walked to the board, picked up a piece of chalk and proceeded to write an alternative working next to Michihiro's. When she was done, she opened the door of the classroom, stepped outside and shut the door behind her.
During the obvious show of insolence, the entire class had remained silent, eager eyes watching the scene, unable to believe that Seiun dared to defy Michihiro so openly.
The silence was disrupted intermittently by the scratching of a pencil against paper. Then, the class-monitor as well as Michihiro's pet – Kosuke – held up a piece of paper out to Michihiro.
"Err… Sensei? Sumeragi-Sakurazuka's working is correct."
The class waited with bated breath for the imminent explosion as Michihiro scanned Seiun's working, which was several lines shorter and much easier to understand compared to her own. Blood drained from the teacher's face as she realised that there were mistakes in the working she wrote out. Then, Michihiro flushed with embarrassment and anger. Without saying anything, she exited the classroom.
Although everyone in class wanted to hear the enraged conversation that was no doubt going on outside and stretched their ears to try to catch even the slightest hint of the murmurs, they could not make much sense of them. The voices were just too soft. However, it was possible to tell that Michihiro and Seiun were getting angrier with each other. Michihiro sounded furious despite her quiet tones while everyone could hear the suppressed anger in Seiun's calmer replies.
Seishin winced. He had never heard Seiun so angry before. Her voice was much quieter than Michihiro's but if he strained, he could catch the snatches of what his 'sibling' said - none of which could be called pleasant, although Seiun stayed on the side of civility. Just barely.
"That's it!" Michihiro stormed into the classroom. "Take your bag and go to the teacher's room. I'm calling your parents."
Seiun entered, looking much more composed than her teacher. At Michihiro's words, her golden eyes sparked with anger. "Uncle Seishirou is my guardian. My parents are dead! If you want to meet them, go to hell!" She spat and stalked out of the class, her fury emanating from her, discouraging anyone from approaching.
Moments later, Michihiro left the class as well, lacking the impressive exit that Seiun had made.
"Whew…" Eiji let out a long drawn breath. "I've never known anyone who dared to stand against Michihiro like that. Not with her father being the Director of Human Resources. He's just under the Minister. Even the principal is scared of her. Your sister is scary."
Seishin nodded. "Seiun-chan is really angry and when she's really angry, she doesn't care who you are." He shook his head, looking very shaken. "I hope uncle Seishirou is in a forgiving mood." He alone in the class knew how dangerously close Michihiro was to being injured just now. Seiun's aura had blazed when she re-entered the class. The aura that usually felt 'green' and 'playful' had changed to 'blue-white ice'. It was an aura that chilled Seishin to the bone.
Therefore, when he heard a cool whisper against his mind, he jumped. It took all of his will not to scream in alarm. His magic sense was still tingling from the raw energy that had swirled around Seiun.
: Sorry about that: the whispering voice said. : I didn't realise that you were 'burned' from earlier. :
:' Who are you? ': Seishin thought back furiously. He was accustomed to having privacy at least in his own mind.
: Make a guess. I'm tall, I talk to Seishirou and I have no bite as opposed to bark. Oh, I forgot to add that I produce pink blossoms all-year round. :
:' You're the Sakurazuka? ': Incredulity coloured Seishin's mental tone.
:' Why is it that every time I introduce myself to someone new, they insist on calling me that? ': The Tree sounded exasperated. : I prefer being called 'Tree-san' to 'the Sakurazuka'. It makes me sound less like an object. :
:' Why are you talking to me?' :
: Because, my dear Seishin, I felt the flare of raw energy just now and you're the only one who's available to ask. Seiun is blazing away any attempt to talk. : The Tree paused. : And Seishirou also wants to know the true reason why that goat of a teacher or yours called. :
:' Is uncle Seishirou coming? ':
: He'll be there soon. Until then, you'd better open your mind and let me pass what I can find about what happened over to Seishirou. :
Trembling, Seishin did as he was told, recalling the very recent past and letting the Tree siphon the events and pass the 'replay' of what happened to Seishirou. While he disliked the mental openness, all Sakurazuka children with magical abilities were taught to trust in the Tree's discretion.
: I must admit, I'd never have expected a child of Sumeragi blood to behave like that. Most of them are ridiculously respectful, with your 'uncle Subaru' being a prime example. Well, except for Seiun and Hokuto, that is. :
:' Who's Hokuto? ': Seishin decided that he needed a distraction.
: A Sumeragi that Seishirou sacrificed to me a decade or so ago. She also happens to be your uncle Subaru's twin sister. :
Seishin nearly yelped aloud, stifling it just in time. : Then why… : His own mother had hated it when his father had… gone.
: Why are the two of them still together, you mean? Simple: they love each other. : The Tree stopped, giving Seishin the impression that It was thinking of what to say. : I suppose it helped when Subaru called Hokuto's spirit back after the 'event' in '99, she screamed at both of them for being idiots. She disagreed with their ways of showing affection. :
Seishin frowned, absorbing the information given. The he announced, : I'm confused. :
His answer was a dry chuckle. : I'm not surprised. The relationship Seishirou shares with his Sumeragi isn't exactly easy to understand. :
Seishin had nothing to say to that.
: You'd better be prepared to go home by yourself. : The Tree warned. : I believe that Seiun is going to be sent home in disgrace. She isn't in the least repentant. :
: She was furious earlier. Michihiro talked about her parents. :
: I know. : The Tree sounded distracted. : Got to go. Seishirou's calling me. Enjoy the rest of your day at school. : And Its presence vanished from Seishin's mind.
Seishin sighed gratefully and turned back to the problem sums Michihiro had set.
: Did you tell Seishin-kun? I can't send Seiun-chan home and double back in time to pick him up. :
:' He can manage. How're things going on with our hot-headed Sumeragi? ':
Seishirou let his vision drift from the grim and displeased face of Michihiro Ayako to the cold, distant expression Seiun wore. : Not hot-headed at all. That's cold fury. If I don't get her out of here soon, I will have to erase Michihiro's memories when Seiun really loses her temper. Either that or I'll just kill Michihiro now. The woman plays too much on her father's influence. : Seishirou smirked mentally. : It's not as if he isn't replaceable if I choose to remove him. She refuses to let me leave until I force Seiun to apologise. : He left the obvious unsaid.
: Which is as likely as getting the Sumeragi Matriarch to welcome you into her Clan with open arms. :
: If only the stupid woman hadn't brought up Seiun's parents… Even if I can get Seiun-chan to calm down, she's going to hold a grudge for a long, long time. To make things worse, Seiun belongs to the 'don't get mad, get even' school of thought. :
"Sakurazuka-san, I would appreciate it if you would explain to Seiun how badly she has behaved today." Michihiro spoke pleasantly to Seishirou. "She has disrupted the class and shown disrespect."
Seishirou smiled coldly back at the presumptuous woman. Michihiro had neglected to say that Seiun had shown the class how silly the teacher was by providing a simpler way of working out the equation she had set them. That alone made his already low opinion of her drop even further. In fact, she reminded him of an assignment he had dealt with years ago. Both of them were rather hypocritical.
: If you do kill her, make it look accidental. I don't think she'll taste good. She giggles too much. : The Tree said with distaste. : She'll put too much gas in my system. Then whenever I hiccup, the giggles will escape. :
From the sudden conflict of expressions on Seiun's face, Seishirou guessed that the Tree had finally managed to 'talk' to her. His guess was confirmed when Seiun looked at him with eyes that twinkled wickedly and faked a hiccup.
In an odd way, Seishirou felt sorry for Michihiro. She did not even rate being fed to the Tree.
"Seiun-chan, even if you know what Michihiro-san teaches that doesn't give you the right to be disrespectful." Seishirou voice was stern. If Seiun was not forewarned by the Tree, she would have believed that Seishirou was truly angry. As it was, she knew that it was just pretence, a token lecture. Then, in an attempt to get the girl from repeating such a scene, Seishirou took a risk and brought up Seiun's parents. "I believe that your parents wouldn't want you to behave so badly as well."
Seiun's face grew dark at Seishirou's statement but the Sakurazuka saw the twinkle had remained in her eyes despite the serious face. "'Tou-san would have done much worse. He would have thrown a chair at the door, or something."
: What a fun family she had. :
: You stay out of this. : Seishirou thought back at the Tree and managed to keep his expression to one of shock while suppressing his laughter.
: Well, what Seiun-chan is saying certainly isn't helping the situation either. :
Ignoring the Tree, Seishirou tried again. "Seiun-chan, I do believe that you would be better off if you do not repeat anything of this sort. Can you promise me that?"
Seiun glared at him for a moment before wilting under the stern gaze that was hidden beneath the ever present sunglasses. She sighed, raised her left hand and sketched the word for truth in the air. "I promise that I will not be disrespectful to teachers anymore." She glared Michihiro, who was looking extremely self-satisfied. Then, after a moment of thought, added, "even if the teacher doesn't deserve the respect I give."
Seishirou hid his amusement at the piercing look of annoyance Michihiro gave Seiun. He knew all too well that the second part of the promise was added simply for Michihiro's benefit. It gave Seiun a way to snipe at the teacher indirectly. However, he did wonder at her curious action of sketching the word in the air. It was not magical or he would have sensed it. Filing the thought away in a corner of his mind, he made a mental note to ask her about it later.
"Now apologise to Michihiro-san." His words earned him a baleful glare from Seiun. "Remember your promise… If you're disrespectful, you need to apologise."
Seiun sighed once more then bowed. "I'm sorry for the trouble my inappropriate behaviour has caused. I repent and offer you my apologies."
Michihiro snorted but accepted the apology, since it sounded sincere.
To Seishirou, what Seiun said was nothing more than a rehearsed speech meant to soothe Michihiro. The apology had not a whit of true repentance or sincerity in it, despite the way it sounded. It was all Seiun's good acting that made it sound real. He knew it was not because Seiun did not bow when she was truly sorry; something he had learned on the second day the girl had joined the family, since Seiun had apologised to him for being rude about having to go to school.
When they finally left the room, Seishirou shook his head. "Seiun-chan, you're impossible."
Seiun grinned back at him. "That's what 'Kaa-san used to say."
Seishirou sighed. Seiun had been dismissed for the day, seeing that their talk with Michihiro had taken quite a bit of time, so there was only an hour left before school ended. As a result, Seishirou brought Seiun to a nearby café to have a drink and some of the café's signature cakes whilst they waited for Seishin.
"Err… uncle Seishirou? Were you mad with me earlier today?" Seiun asked hesitantly as the three of them walked back to the apartment they called 'home'. "I really didn't mean to lose my temper but she was so annoying…"
"I understand. Just don't do it again." Seishirou replied. He was beginning to wonder how Subaru could have a relative like Seiun. "And no, I don't get angry about little things like this."
A sparkle appeared in Seiun's eyes. "This is little? Then what's big?"
Seishirou raised an eyebrow at Seiun's words. "Big means you do something really stupid, like getting yourself killed."
"That will make you angry?" Seiun's eyes were wide with surprise.
"Yes, because you'll upset Subaru-kun."
Both Seiun and Seishin sweatdropped.
"So other than that, we don't mean anything to you?" Seiun ventured, unsure whether she truly wanted to hear the answer.
"Should you?" Seishirou's answer was anything but comforting.
"I don't know. But you're really like 'Tou-san. Only, he wasn't as serious. He was more… funny." Seiun responded in low tones, becoming rather despondent. "I miss him."
Seishirou certainly did not expect Seiun to become moody. Then again, the girl's parents had died very recently and she barely had any time to mourn them before she had been passed into Subaru's hands. He sighed.
: I'm getting soft in my old age. : He remarked to the Tree as he placed a comforting hand on Seiun's shoulder. The two children had managed to endear themselves to him in such a short time, something they would not have been able to do before he met Subaru.
:' Please, if you're old, what am I? ': The Tree replied, sounding disgruntled. :' You're what? Thirty-five? Thirty-six? How can you compare to me? ':
:' Mind telling me how old you are? ': Seishirou forced down his amusement.
: Over a thousand, four hundred and fifty. The first Sakurazukamori was bound to me when I was in my second or third century, I believe. :
: You don't even know your exact age. But in light of the years you're experienced, I'll call you ancient. :
A slight tug on Seishirou's sleeve redirected his attention to Seishin, whose lips were quirking up slightly. "Yes, Sei-kun?"
"You should try 'living fossil', uncle Seishirou." He smiled shyly up at his uncle.
: You didn't… : Seishirou could barely restrain his laughter as he realised that the Tree had let the kids in on the mental conversation. He was also surprised that Seishin had been the one who came up with a teasing nickname for the Tree.
:' It seemed like something that would amuse Seiun. Besides, what harm could it do? ': There was a pause before the Tree spoke again, sounding distinctly offended. : I am not! You insult me, Seiun-chan. :
Knowing that asking the Tree to relay what Seiun had said would only be denied, Seishirou spoke aloud. "What did you tell It, Seiun-chan?"
A peal of laughter greeted his question. Both Sakurazuka waited patiently for Seiun to recover, knowing that they would not get an answer until then.
"I said… said that Tree-san should be petrified. Being so old and all." She dissolved into laughter once more as the Tree replied indignantly to her comment.
: I am not petrified. A petrified tree is no different from a rock. Utterly unmagical. If I were as such, you wouldn't be able to talk to me. :
"You're still old. That's bad enough." Seiun said cheekily.
""Besides, sometimes I wish you couldn't talk anyway." Seishirou muttered. Then he grinned. "That's enough Seiun." It was easy to see Seiun's Sumeragi blood when her mood changed. She was remarkably like Hokuto when that happened.
"Alright, uncle Seishirou." Seiun grinned back at him.
Despite Seiun's resolve to pass the fourth day without any problems, everything else seemed to be set on causing her trouble.
Michihiro was now prejudiced against her and hauled her up on the slightest sign of disagreement. Minor mistakes like dropping of a book on the floor or miscalculation became attempts to 'disrupt the class'. All of which were dealt with in an exaggerated manner.
Seiun had initially borne the unceasing rebukes with good grace. Unfortunately, her patience was limited and Michihiro's words could easily, in Seiun's terms, 'frustrate a saint' and Seiun was far from being one of those exalted beings.
Seishin had managed to soothe his sister a little during break since most of the students avoided Seiun, even Fujita and his cronies. It was very rare to have a student disagreeing with Michihiro of all teachers and when Seiun to defied Michihiro openly, she inadvertently gained notoriety. So the young Sumeragi had attained a formidable reputation for being unpredictable and uncontrollable after her first 'disagreement' with her teacher, resulting in a mass shunning by the girls and evasion by most of the boys.
In the class after break, Seishin could easily that Michihiro's constant nagging at Seiun was beginning to take effect on Seiun's fraying temper. Unable to contact his sibling without agitating Michihiro further, he seized on the only option he could think of.
:' Tree-san? Could you help me out? ':
:' What do you want, Seishin? ': The Tree sounded resigned in Its reply.
: Could you talk to Seiun a little? I think she's about to blow her top. I know she promised uncle Seishirou that she'll be good but I don't think she'll be able to hold her temper in check for much longer. :
He heard something that sounded like a sigh from the Tree. : Alright, I'll see what I can do. Things have really changed. I was never asked to be a babysitter before. : It grumbled.
Seishin failed to realise that he was smiling at the Tree's comment until Eiji asked him why he was grinning like an idiot for no reason.
Seiun was trying very hard to control herself. Michihiro's voice was shrill as she screamed at Seiun. Well, the screaming was at least tolerable. It was when she adopted that lofty, patronizing tone to point out Seiun's supposed mistakes that sorely tried the Sumeragi girl's limited patience.
: A promise is a promise. I will not use 'jitsu. I must endure… I must tolerate… even if she's a pig-faced, goat-mouthed, waste of life and pile of Tree-fodder. : Seiun seethed. Then, as the teacher's voice rose once more, she gritted her teeth. : Her words are as a spring breeze. They do not touch me for more than an instant… : Seiun chanted mentally, resorting to an oft-repeated mantra her mother used to calm herself.
: You know, it'll probably be for the best if you get yourself sent out of class. : A very dry voice interrupted her chain of thoughts, rustling in her mind. : And I've already told Seishirou that under no circumstances is he to feed me that giggling gasbag of a teacher of yours as a meal. :
: Nice: Seiun was properly appreciative of Its insult. Unfortunately, her anger rose once more in response to the patronizing whine Michihiro addressed her with. : I'd dearly love to… :
: I doubt that would be allowed. : The Tree scolded gently, plucking the thought directly out of her mind.
:' Hey! ': Seiun was now truly sidetracked from her growing fury with her teacher by embarrassment. :' No peeking! ':
:' Really, that was a little too inappropriate for someone your age. However did you learn about things like that? ': The Tree asked, curious about the source of Seiun's dubiously un-childlike and sinisterly graphic thoughts. Nine year olds were not meant to think of gutting and flaying people they disliked. Even Seishirou was innocent at that age! Granted, it was probably due to the elegant and clean kills that his mother emphasized on but still… : You're too vindictive for your own good. :
:' She deserves it! ':
Before Seiun could lodge another protest to the Tree, Michihiro's voice cut in. "Pay attention when I'm correcting you, Seiun-chan! How are you going to be a responsible adult it you won't take criticisms properly! You must learn!"
:' That does it! ':
Seishin had managed to laugh off his inexplicable grin to Eiji. After all, how was he to tell Eiji that he had been talking to a Tree in his head and had asked It to talk to his adopted sister? Eiji would think he was crazy.
He risked a glance at Seiun, who was currently being ranted at Michihiro. His adopted sister seemed to be muttering something under her breath, trying to keep calm. Suddenly, her expression changed to one of astonishment and Seishin had to stifle a giggle at the shock on her face.
Shock that turned to indignation and then to anger.
: Sorry, Seishin. Game's up. The ploy's not working. That teacher of yours knows just when to say the wrong things at the worst possible moment. Be ready for an explosion. : The Tree warned.
Seishin just had enough time to groan mentally when Seiun really lost it.
"Not from you!"
: Oh Seishirou… :
:' So how bad is it?' : The reply was resigned and immediate.
:' How do you always know that?' : The Tree sounded amused.
: You only talk to me like that when something bad has happened. :
:' Would it help if I told you that very little damage was done? ':
:' Did you include mental trauma in that tally?' : Seishirou asked dryly in return.
: Err… no. I overlooked that. :
Seishirou heaved a sigh. :' I suppose I should go wait by the phone? ':
: That would be advisable. : The Tree recommended just as the phone rang.
Seishirou eyed that phone distrustfully before picking it up and answering. "Yes, Sakurazuka desu. Yes. No, I'm available. About half an hour. Yes, I'll be there." With that, he hung up.
: Spill it, what did she do this time? It hasn't even been five days since she's been enrolled. :
: From a certain point of view, it wasn't so bad. If it helps, she kept her promise not to use onmyoujitsu. :
Seishirou's reply was dry and full of irony. : At least we know that she can keep some of her promises. :
: It wasn't really Seiun's fault this time. That teacher of hers kept picking on her until she blew up. Imagined offences. You get the idea. She tried to rein in her temper for as long as she could. :
: All the same, I wish she'd at least try to control that temper of hers a little better. : Seishirou grumbled as he exited the apartment. :' Twice in three days! ':
: It could have been worse… Kids these days… :
The Tree's wry comment surprised a chuckle out of Its guardian. : I suppose. : Seishirou remarked as he made his way to the school. Again.
When Seishirou arrived, he was unsurprised to see Seiun shooting deadly glares at Michihiro from across the room. The girl was sitting stiffly next to the door of the teachers' room, her posture one of righteous indignation. When Seiun spotted him, her entire face lit up. "Uncle Seishirou!"
Seishirou smirked at her, letting her know what was to before schooling his expression into one of anger and exasperation. "What did you do this time? It's the second time I've been called to see your teacher in two days!"
While Seiun wore a sullen face, her eyes twinkled back at him through his customary sunglasses. "Wasn't my fault. She started it."
"No excuses, Seiun-chan. I expected you to be better than this, blaming your misdemeanors on others!" Seishirou reprimanded.
"Sakurazuka-san," Michihiro's aggravating, patronizing words earned eyes narrowed in annoyance from Seishirou, hidden beneath the mirror shades he wore. "I'm glad you came."
"I came as soon as I could. What has Seiun done this time?" Even to himself, Seishirou sounded convincingly like a worried parent.
"Please, have a seat," Michihiro spoke as she indicated the chairs placed opposite her, all of which were conveniently far from where Seiun was. "It wouldn't do for us to discuss this while standing."
"Very well." Seishirou took a seat. "Seiun-chan, what are you waiting over there for? Sit!" He took mild satisfaction in the disgruntled look that flashed over Michihiro's face when Seiun took a seat beside him. Irritating woman.
"She has damaged school property, displayed insubordination and has repeatedly disrupted the class today." Michihiro said with a trace of malice. "I would have hoped that she would have repented after our lat meeting but it appears that nothing has changed. She is not in the least sorry about it."
Seishirou glanced at Seiun, who now wore a look of intense cynicism. "I apologise for Seiun's behaviour and I'll replace anything she has damaged, Michihiro-sensei." He said with a nod.
"Please, call me Ayako." Michihiro smiled flirtatiously at him.
:' Why is it that women like her always seem to flirt with me?': Seishirou sighed.
: I should think that it has something to do with your face. : The Tree snickered by way of reply.
: Thank you, I didn't know you thought of me that way. : Seishirou answered, adding a mental image of coyly batting eyes. And was rewarded almost instantaneously with the Tree's sputter.
Once It was done sputtering, the Tree was about to counter Seishirou's remark when It read another's thoughts and cut Its words off to say an urgent warning instead. : You'd better keep your eye on Seiun. Her eyes are as good as yours. :
Seishirou, used to the Tree's cryptic warnings, took a glance at the suddenly quiet Sumeragi girl beside him and was surprised by the anger he saw on her face.
Seiun's eyes were fixed on her teacher, almost glowing with threat, a promise of menace yet to be unleashed should Michihiro continue her unseemly behaviour. Seishirou had no doubt that his presence was the only reason why Michihiro had not been subjected to Seiun's temper.
: 'What's she so angry about?' : Seishirou shot the query at his ever-present companion. : She wasn't so angry before. :
: She's angry because her teacher is hitting on you. : The Tree was surprised at what It gleaned from Seiun's mind. For a young girl, she knew quite a number of non-standard things.
: 'Oh?' : The reply was filled with mild amusement and curiosity.
: She promised herself that she would protect your Sumeragi in her mother's place. :
Seishirou raised a mental eyebrow. : 'What does that have to do with me?' :
: Err… : The Tree sounded bemused. : She sees you as someone important to her uncle Subaru; therefore, Seiun's angry at that gasbag before you because she's trying to take you away from your Sumeragi. In fact: the Tree paused for effect. : She believes that you belong to her uncle. :
Seishirou choked, earning a curious glance from Seiun. He shook his head slightly, letting her know that he was fine.
"Sakurazuka-san, I hope that you'll take Seiun-chan into hand. She's not interacting well with the rest of the class and is only tolerated by us teachers. I hope you'll be able to correct her behaviour." Michihiro was eyeing Seishirou's hands speculatively, realising that Seishirou did not wear a wedding ring. "Perhaps your wife should be stricter."
Seishirou raised an eyebrow at her audacity. He knew that she was interested in him but the subtlety she practised was as unnoticeable as an oncoming car. He had an acknowledged, if unknown partner and he was not even showing any interest in her. Annoyed, he smiled coldly at her, expressing his displeasure. "I'm afraid that Seiun's actions are due to indulgence in my part."
Michihiro's hands flew to her mouth, blushing slightly; an artful display of embarrassment, Seishirou noted sourly. "I'm so sorry. I assumed too much."
"It's alright, a common mistake," Seishirou replied, his smile fixed on his face. He placed a warning hand on Seiun's shoulder, preventing her from doing some serious damage to her teacher. Now was not the time for that. : Subaru-kun's much cuter than you are when he blushes: he added silently. : Like I would even consider you suitable in the first place. :
: Yes, don't we all know that. You like prefer them to be young and innocent. :
Seishirou raised a mental eyebrow. : You make me sound like a paedophile. : He said, sounding injured.
The Tree snorted in reply. : Can it. You're the one who sleeps with a Sumeragi nine years younger. :
Seishirou chuckled. : It was mutual attraction. :
: Sure… : The Tree said. : Whatever you say, Seishirou. Err… : The Tree's teasing ended abruptly.
: 'What?' : Seishirou caught onto the sudden lapse instantly, although he still made polite conversation with Michihiro.
: You know that little stunt the teacher pulled? Well, Seiun is seriously contemplating murder now. :
At the Tree's warning, Seishirou's gaze flicked over to Seiun for a moment. And Seishirou made a split-second decision to begin searching for a school for Seiun to transfer to. The girl looked about ready to spit fire.
"May I know the sequence of events that led to this… unfortunate situation happening?" Seishirou asked, wanting to distract Seiun; or at least direct her anger in another, less deadly direction. He doubted the girl would be able to deal with her conscience later even if she could go through with killing Michihiro. Her psyche was not up to that just yet, since Seiun was, despite her personality differences, still basically a Sumeragi at heart.
"Seiun disrupted my class several times, then, when I reprimanded her, she tore out the pages of her textbook and threw it at me! She has damaged school property!" Michihiro's voice rose with her resentment of the disrespect.
"Uncle Seishirou bought the damned textbook. If it's school property, I'll eat my ofuda with a pot of ink."
Seishirou stifled a snicker when he heard the inappropriate, if rather pointless remark Seiun muttered in response to Michihiro's shrill description of her actions. The girl was Subaru's utter opposite in manners. "Seiun, you promised to respect your teachers."
: That wouldn't be good for her digestive system, you know. : The Tree added unhelpfully.
Seiun glared defiantly at Seishirou for a moment before drooping. "I'm sorry I broke my promise, uncle Seishirou."
"And?"
Seiun looked truly sorry. "I lost my temper."
"That part was obvious." Seishirou's words made Seiun wince.
"I can only forgive so much, Sakurazuka-san. This will be the second warning. There will be no third unless... special concessions are made." At that, Michihiro eyed Seishirou suggestively.
"If that is the case, then, perhaps I should start looking for another school for you, Seiun-chan." Seishirou addressed his words to the sullen-looking girl next to him, making it clear that he was not interested in Michihiro's offer.
"That will be very difficult, you know," Michihiro replied, anger beginning to spark in her eyes as she tried to penetrate the mirror shades Seishirou wore. "Seiun's record won't be spotless now."
"It will not be impossible. I thank you for looking after Seiun and I apologise for all the troubles she's caused you." Seishirou smiled and stood, giving the annoying woman no chance to reply. "Come on, Seiun-chan, we're leaving."
Michihiro sputtered in indignation at the way Seishirou successfully rebuffed and dismissed her. "You'll regret this."
"I doubt I will, good day, sensei."
Once the door was closed, Seishirou sighed. "You don't seem to be capable of keeping out of trouble, Seiun-chan."
"It wasn't my fault!" Seiun grumbled. "She's the one causing it. She picked on me the whole day!"
"You know, as a Sumeragi, you should be familiar with the concepts of patience and tolerance." Seishirou answered lightly, but in tones that brooked no disagreements. "Patience is necessary for many things in life, especially in onmyoujitsu."
He got a disbelieving stare of surprise. "'Kaa-san said the exact same thing." Seiun said, her hazel eyes wide. "Word for word."
Seishirou chuckled. "It happens sometimes. Your mother sounds like a most interesting woman. A pity I didn't get to meet her."
Seiun smiled impishly. "She also said that 'patience is meant for things and tolerance is meant for family'."
"Interesting way of putting things." Seishirou smirked. "Makes me wish that you are a blood-relative of mine, for tolerance's sake."
"Are we going to wait for Seishin again?" Seiun decided that a change of subject was more strategic than trying to get the best of Seishirou.
"No. It'll be another four hours before school ends." Seishirou answered. "I doubt you'll be able to wait that long in the same café." His tone became rather long-suffering although it retained an element of amusement. "Couldn't you have lost your temper two hours later? We could have enjoyed some cakes then."
"Michihiro doesn't have a lesson later on in the day." Seiun replied, a crooked smile forming on her face.
"And that gives you a right to disrupt her lesson?"
"It wasn't my fault she saw me in trouble as a way for you to 'visit'." Seiun defended.
Seishirou had no problem distilling the meaning of Seiun's words despite the peculiar sentence structure. : She's very astute for someone her age, isn't she: He remarked to their silent observer.
: Yeah, she doesn't miss much. :
"Come on, Seiun-chan. Let's go home and wait for Subaru-kun."
"Seiun-chan! How could you do that to a teacher? How could you behave like that?" Subaru groaned once Seiun had recounted the day's events, in minute detail.
"She was being unreasonable, uncle Subaru." Seiun argued, trying to defend her actions.
"She's a teacher!" Subaru countered. "You're supposed to respect them, not throw things at them!"
"She was picking on me!" Seiun fired back. "I didn't even throw a whole book at her! Just a few pages!"
"Not very helpful, Seiun-chan." Seishirou's calm voice cut both of them off. Unsurprisingly, neither of them heard him enter the apartment with Seishin in tow, returning from picking the boy up at school. "Calm down, Subaru-kun. It's not as bad as you think."
"Not as bad… Seishirou-san!" Subaru sounded thoroughly annoyed. "No one else in my family ever caused so much trouble!"
"You never met my dad…" Seishirou heard Seiun mutter.
"Uncle Subaru?" A timid hand tapped Subaru's arm. When Subaru looked down, he saw wide green eyes that almost mirrored his own when he was younger. Seishin looked intimidated by Subaru's display of temper. "It really wasn't Seiun's fault."
Subaru threw up his hands in frustration. "You're all against me!"
"Subaru-kun, under the circumstances, eyewitness accounts do not lie."
Subaru drooped. "I give up."
"I'll start looking for another school for them. I doubt that Seiun-chan's teacher will be able to get over her dislike for Seiun-chan." Seishirou said comfortingly.
Seiun nodded, her expression serious. "She was… looking at uncle Seishirou!" She added indignantly.
Subaru looked confused at Seiun's choice of words and directed a quizzical look at his love for an explanation.
Seishirou had a bland expression on his face. "Her teacher's been provoking Seiun to have an excuse to draw me to school." The blandness gave way to irritation and rarely displayed distaste. "She's been flirting with me at every possible opportunity and tried to use her father's influence to threaten Seiun-chan's reputation at school."
Subaru's eyes grew wide. "What? How can she do that?"
"She tried to." A smug smile appeared on Seishirou's face. "It's a pointless attempt. Her father may be a Director but he isn't irreplaceable. The Sakurazukamori on the other hand, is."
Subaru rolled his eyes. "Seishirou, you are not to go and murder her father. He's not involved with this!"
"Yet." Seiun added darkly, and received a glare from Subaru.
"He's not a contract." Seishirou agreed with a sigh. "He's an honest official with clean records even if his daughter's playing on his authority." When Seiun and Seishin looked beseechingly at him, he shook his head, inwardly marveling how Michihiro had even managed to rouse the animosity of the peaceful Seishin. "Believe me, I checked."
Subaru collapsed onto the sofa. "Why do we always seem to attract trouble?"
"Because we're together?" A glint of mischief and something else sparkled in Seishirou's good eye. His thin lips curved into a wicked smirk.
"Seishirou-san!"
"Now, Subaru-kun, I've told you this dozens of times already. There's no need to call me so formally."
"Stop trying to change the subject! And I can call you whatever I like. You're the one who keeps calling me 'Subaru-kun'!"
Seishin opened his mouth to try to mediate the growing argument when Seiun nudged him. Wide, verdant eyes took in her shushing movements and grew confused. "Seiun-chan, they're fighting!" He protested in an undertone.
Seiun shook her head. "They aren't. Uncle Seishirou's just teasing uncle Subaru." Then, as Seishirou pulled Subaru close for a passionate kiss, Seiun clapped a hand over her eyes with a yelp. "He's really teasing uncle Subaru. I'll be in my room!" With that, Seiun spun around and bolted for her room.
"Don't shut the door! Wait for me!" A frantic and embarrassed Seishin was only a few moments slower.
A blushing Subaru moaned into the kiss, forgetting about their audience until he heard the door of the kids' room slam shut. He pushed Seishirou away, breaking the kiss with a gasp, his face truing an even darker shade of red. "Seishirou-san! Stop! Why must you always do something like that in front of the kids!"
Seishirou smirked at the infuriated Sumeragi. "They're not here now."
"Seishirou-san!" Subaru could feel his annoyance, mortification and resolve dissolving as Seishirou claimed his lips once more. "The… kids! What… about di-dinner?" He gasped.
By now, Seishirou was already leading the Sumeragi towards their bedroom. "Seiun knows… how to order take… out." He answered, between kisses. Then, the two of them vanished into their bedroom and the door slammed shut.
"See, I managed to be a good girl today." Seiun beamed at Seishin during break. "I didn't get scolded for the whole morning!"
Seishin smiled wryly back in return. "That's because Michihiro-sensei doesn't have a lesson in the morning. Her class is after break, in the afternoon."
Seiun sweatdropped and drooped. "You had to remind me."
"You promised uncle Seishirou this morning that you wouldn't make Michihiro-sensei angry." Seishin pointed out.
Seiun sighed. "True…"
"…zuka!" The shout interrupted their conversation.
Seishin started, an expression of fear coming over his face. "Seiun-chan, I-I gotta go."
"Seishin…" Seiun began warningly.
Seishin gave a wan smile. "It's better not to give them any more reasons to beat me up."
"I guess." Seiun sounded skeptical as she watched her brother run towards the source of the shout, her hazel eyes dark.
"Well, look who showed up?" An unpleasant sneer split Fujita's lips. "My little runner. I heard your daddy showed up yesterday. Did you say anything to him?"
Seishin shook his head.
"Good boy. Why didn't you come when I called you?"
"I-I was with Seiun."
Fujita chuckled nastily. "So you're saying that your sister's more important than I am?"
"N-no…"
"Fujita, his sister's the one who… Michihiro…" one of Fujita's fellow bullies – Seishin knew him as Mori – whispered in his leader's ear.
"Really?" Fujita looked slightly amused. "It's sad that your sister's the only one who's brave enough to do that. It looks like she's the only good, strong person in your family. Odd, isn't it? How some genes don't breed through?"
"We aren't blood related…" Seishin murmured under his breath. The snide remark sounded out of place coming from him. It was not his usual course of action, being naturally shy. He summed it up to being around Seiun for too long. She was rubbing off on him.
"Talking back, eh?" The taunting voice jolted Seishin out of his thoughts. "Well, we'll just have to train you out of that."
"Ah, I'm sorry…" Seishin barely had time to say before Fujita pushed him onto the ground.
"Shut up!" The bully said gleefully. Fujita looked pleased to get a reason to beat Seishin up. He was starting to get tired of the quiet boy. "You talked back!" He leered at Seishin, then kicked the younger boy brutally in the stomach.
"All Seishin could do was curl up tightly into a ball as the first kick became the signal for the rest of the boys to lay into him. His six tormenters rained blows on him. He felt punches, kicks and slaps landing on his sides, back and legs. Distantly, he knew that they were still avoiding his face because they did not want parents to get involved.
: Fight back, Seishin. I didn't choose you for your level of tolerance, you know. : The Tree sounded angry. : I can't intervene. They're too young to be able to withstand even the lightest bit of magic I can hit them with. I don't think you want to explain to your teacher how you ended up being surrounded by six dead former students. :
: I can't… : Seishin cried. : They're too… strong… :
: 'Never mind, help is on its way!' :
Seishin hardly had time to register the remark when the blows stopped abruptly. The jumble of voices he heard were of no help in identifying the owners either. That is, until he realised that one voice in particular, sounded very polite and pleasant. Polite and pleasant in a way that made goosebumps rise on his skin. It was familiar, very familiar. He knew the owner of that voice very well.
"Seiun-chan?" Seishin managed to croak as he opened his eyes.
Seiun's welcome visage smiled warmly back at him. "Oh good, you're alright, Seishin. Now ignore the noises for a bit, ok?" Then she turned to the six bullies. "Seishin is too nice to put you all on your backsides so I guess I'll have to do it for him."
"Listen, girl," Fujita began derisively. "Leave and we'll leave you whole. Our business is only with your brother."
"That's the wrong thing to say." Seiun replied calmly – deadly calm. "The point of this should be if I leave you whole."
"What! Get her!" Fujita advanced on Seiun angrily, to receive a well-placed kick on his face.
"You're nothing but a bunch of bullies, picking on younger people." Seiun spoke softly as she evaded punches and tripped up another two bullies.
When one of the bullies doubled up in pain due to an unintentional kick between his legs, Seiun smiled mockingly. "Did that hurt? How about this?" And slammed her small fist into his face, sending the older boy crashing to the ground.
The girl did not give any of the six bullies a chance to fight back. She seemed everywhere, hitting any weak points she saw. Any she caught trying to get up, she sent back to the dirt with measured kicks and punches, although the most vicious blows were reserved for Fujita. Once, when the lead bully took a swing at her, Seiun grabbed his arm and delivered a brutal elbow to it, making Fujita collapse, screaming in pain.
"There." Seiun stopped and dusted herself. "How does it feel to be picked on instead?" She paused as she looked at the downed boys and sweatdropped. "You can't answer me, can you?" She asked the groaning, whimpering boys.
Giving up, she went and helped Seishin up. "You ok?"
"Seiun-chan," Seishin sounded horrified. "What did you do to them?"
The answer was simple. "I showed them what they did to you."
Seishin covered his eyes. "We're in big trouble."
Seishirou was not caught by surprise when the phone rang in the middle of the day. In fact, he was surprised that it took so long for a call to come through. He shook his head in resignation and amusement. "Hello, Sakurazuka desu. Yes, speaking. Seiun did what? I see. Very well, I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Seishirou? Who was that?" Subaru came out of their shared study, where he had been doing research involving one of his jobs.
"The school." Seishirou was smiling wryly.
"What did Seiun-chan do this time?" Subaru sounded dismayed.
"We'd best get over there and find out." Seishirou said, holding out the Sumeragi's coat.
"Is she really a Sumeragi?" Subaru groaned as he shrugged on the cloth. "None of us are this much trouble."
"She sure isn't a Sakurazuka. We tend to keep a low profile at school." Seishirou answered, bemused.
When Seishirou and Subaru arrived at the school's waiting room, there were several other parents there as well. Most of the mothers were trying to soothe crying boys while all the fathers looked stern.
"Well, something serious happened." Seishirou remarked as Michihiro's face came into view. "Here she is." He said in resigned tones and plastered a look of worry on his face.
"Sakurazuka-san! I'm glad you're here!" Michihiro fluttered towards Seishirou the instant she saw him. "Your children are behaving terribly!" She paused as she saw Subaru standing nest to the taller Sakurazuka. She stared at him appreciatively for several seconds –much to Seishirou's displeasure- before addressing Subaru. "May I know who you are? You're not any of the six-graders relatives, are you?"
"I'm Sumeragi Subaru. I'm Seiun's guardian." Subaru bowed slightly and Michihiro gasped in shock.
"You… you are…"
Seishirou smirked as he stepped forward, delighted to see Michihiro acting like a landed carp. "Subaru-kun and I are co-guardians for Seiun and Seishin. He is my spouse."
Michihiro stared for another second before giving an incoherent shriek and running out of the room, much to the surprise of many parents.
Subaru blinked. "You didn't have to do that, Seishirou."
"It was a good way to get her off my back." Seishirou grinned back at his beloved.
"Uncle Seishirou! Uncle Subaru!" Seiun's unforgettable shout drew both Seishirou's and Subaru's attention immediately.
Seishirou raised his eyebrows when he realised that she was being escorted by principal Kai, with Seishin following a little way behind. "What happened?"
"Are you her guardians?" The man said tiredly. When Seishirou nodded, the principal waved them into a separate room.
"Seiun got into a fight." The principal said without preamble. "I will not say it was unprovoked because the boys she fought with were older and known bullies. They were beating up your other ward, Seishin and Seiun jumped in to defend him."
Subaru looked worried. "How badly hurt are you?" He asked Seishin, who looked ashamed of himself.
Seishin shook his head. "Not very badly." He whispered.
"And Seiun?" When Subaru looked apprehensively at Seiun, she shook her head.
"I wasn't even scratched." She replied.
Seishirou, upon observing their conversation, turned to the principal. "If that's the case, then I believe the question is who badly were the others hurt?"
The principal looked mournfully at Seishirou. "You are aware that some of the others' parents might ask you for compensation? Because the list of damage is quite long. Of the six boys, all have extensive bruising over their bodies; four of them have black eyes; one has lost teeth; another," here, principal Kai smiled wanly. "Is likely to be err… productively impaired for some time to come; and finally, the leader of these bullies has a broken arm."
Both Seishirou and Subaru blinked. "That's a lot of damage. What did you do them?" Seishirou posed his question to Seiun.
Seiun looked rather defiant. "They were hitting Seishin. Six of them! I couldn't let them do that… so I… err… gave them a taste of their own medicine… I hit them too… err… except I hit them really… hard."
"I see."
Principal Kai sighed. "Under normal circumstances, we simply suspend the culprits for a week. However, considering the extent of the damage done this time, I'm afraid we cannot do that. I hope you understand, Sakurazuka-san, Sumeragi-san. There is no way I can keep Seiun in this school without facing repercussions from the other parents. Especially with two of the bullies having parents on the Parents' Association itself."
"We understand, Principal." Seishirou responded. "In fact, after the past few days, I have already been looking out for a school to transfer Seiun to."
The principal looked decidedly grateful, as if a great weight had been lifted of his shoulders. "Thank you! I'll make sure that Seiun's records are not too badly affected by this… fiasco."
"No, we are indebted to you, Principal." Subaru stood and bowed.
"You're too gracious," Kai said as he too stood and bowed in return. "It is I who am in your debt."
"How long do you think those two going to do that?" Seiun whispered to Seishin. "They look funny."
Seishirou's sharp ears caught their conversation and he added in an undertone. "You are incorrigible, Seiun-chan. At least be polite to your principal. He's letting you get off lightly."
"I know, uncle Seishirou." Seiun whispered back. "And he's nice."
"We apologise for the trouble Seiun has caused." Seishirou said politely to Kai.
"Oh, not at all. She's a bright student, just as Seishin is a very courteous one. It's my loss that they have to leave." Kai bowed slightly. "I understand that they have… personality clashes with their form teacher."
"It will be resolved without Seiun being in Michihiro-sensei's presence. I thank you once again." Seishirou smiled at the principal as Subaru bowed one final time before they left the room.
"You two can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Subaru groaned as they left the school building.
"I'm sorry, uncle Subaru." Seishin hung his head.
"It's alright. I already did the paperwork this morning." Seishirou smirked at a startled Subaru. "Even if Seiun didn't get herself in trouble, you two would have transferred out anyway."
Subaru found his voice. "Why? How?"
Seishirou smirked. "I got sick of their teacher ogling at me. I wasn't sure if I could resist the temptation of killing her after a few more 'parent-teacher meetings'. And, if she even tries flirting with my Subaru-kun," Seishirou's tone grew dark although his words remained pleasant. "I very much doubt she'll live to see the sunrise."
"Seishirou-san!" Subaru protested, blushing slightly.
"Subaru-kun is mine!" Seishirou declared gaily as he wrapped an arm around the Sumeragi's waist and gave Subaru a light kiss.
"Get a room!"
"Chack!" A black raven agreed as it circled over Subaru's and Seishirou's heads.
-end chapter 4-
I'm sorry for taking so long with this chapter! It took longer than I expected to type! I'm really sorry! (K'van is already bonking me on the head, just so that you know.) Please, please, please review! I put a lot of thought into this chapter. (Weeps and bows, holding a box labeled 'reviews'.) Review please!