Title: Follower.
Series: "Samurai Deeper Kyo"
Disclaimer: Akimine Kamijyo owns.
Warnings: N/A.
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Hotaru, family.
Rating: PG
When Anthony and the others learned that Hotaru was leaving for China, hell broke loose. Anri had to jump up, grab his younger brother and restrain him to protect Hotaru from Anthony's foot meeting his face. "What?!" He had demanded rather shrilly.
Lilian and Marian had burst into tears, startling Hotaru so much that he fell over. Girls tears scared him—as proven when Antera had cried during their "fight." The male quintuplets glared moodily at Hotaru. Angelica shrugged and Anna laughed, saying, "At least he's saying good-bye this time."
"Exactly," Yuan said, grinning and laughing as their father strummed his instrument.
Hotaru fumbled through his pockets, removing a bag of rock candy he acquired from Akari. He handed small handfuls to both of the crying girls who stopped, blushed slightly, and tossed a piece into their mouths in perfect unison. "I need to get strong enough to beat Kyo..." He paused, glancing up at Yuan. "And to do that, I need to get strong enough to beat you, Yun-Yun."
Snorting in distaste, Yuan said, "You think Onime no Kyo can beat me? HA. Not gonna happen, Keikoku!"
Julian chuckled. "My stupid son could give that boy a run for his money."
It occurred to Hotaru that no one had ever voiced the mere idea that Kyo could have died during the collapse of the Red Tower. It had been six months and nothing other than Tenro had shown up. Kyoshirou had taken possession of it, saying that he would keep an eye on it for Kyo until he reappeared.
Dinner had been pleasant and familiar. Anthony and Hotaru raced, Lilian and Marian had declared that they were officially at their target weight, Yurian and Kirian fought, Erian fell asleep halfway through, Anna was shouting and throwing empty bowls at Yuan – who had said her food tasted weird – and Angelica began to clean up after them, trying not to laugh. Anri had told Julian all about his wife Asuka and his eleven kids, plus the one she was six months pregnant with. Julian's jaw nearly hit the floor.
Hotaru had looked over to them halfway between his race and asked, around a mouth of food, "Are you trying to beat Ian and Julian in 'who-has-the-most-kids'?" He was kicked in the back of the head by Yuan. "What? I was curious."
"You're an idiot," Yuan teased as Anri laughed.
Looking down at his hands, Hotaru smiled at the crude drawing of the chick on his bowl. They had half-jokingly said that they'd give Tokito, Julian's new "adopted daughter," his bowl but Anna had loudly refused. "It's Keikoku's, and it will remain Keikoku's. No one's allowed to use it," she said.
He hated that stupid chickie bowl, but it was his and it followed him everywhere he went, even if he was hundreds of miles away from it.
I'm thinking of writing a Sendai Aka no Ou/Shihoudou oneshot. I like that pairing—it made me sad and Kyochiro is yummy. Actually, I want to write a bunch of one shots, including a few Kyosaburo ones. ;)