Chapter 22: Lighten Up
The whole team helped clean up as soon as lunch was finished. There weren't any leftovers.
"What are your plans for the afternoon?" Shigeo asked them.
"How bout bowling?" Yanagi suggested.
"Sounds like fun." Recca agreed. "Everybody game?"
There were murmurs of assent all around, but Tokiya spoke up. "I'll have to skip this one. Tanya needs a nap."
Tanya grumbled and pulled on her beanie. "Do I have to?"
"Yes." Tokiya said, firmly, taking her hand. "You may not have noticed, but you look like you're about to faint."
Tanya didn't bother to deny it, but allowed her brother to scoop her up into his arms.
"Guess we'll meet you back upstairs?" Shigeo asked, handing Tokiya the room keycard.
Tokiya nodded. He started off towards the hotel, Tanya waving forlornly over his shoulder at the rest of the team.
"Hope he doesn't become one of those overbearing/protective types." Recca said, waving back as the siblings disappeared through the revolving doors.
"Don't forget, he has to be both parent and sibling to Tanya." Kagerou placed a hand on her son's shoulder. "Let him be. He's still adjusting."
Tanya stifled a yawn as her brother carried her into the elevator. Having a full stomach wasn't helping. It only made her eyelids feel heavier. Still, she tried one last plea for her case.
"Come on, Neesan. Please? I really wanna see the bowling alley."
"No. Nap first." Tokiya adjusted her weight in his arms as he reached over to press the button for their floor.
"Wait up! Please hold the door!" a voice called out.
Tokiya pressed the 'OPEN' button and held it as another person darted into the elevator, carrying a load of file folders.
The person panted. "Thank you. That was really nice of you. I'm-"
"Raiha." Tokiya finished. "Good afternoon."
"Hey." Raiha grinned, shifting his folders to one arm so he could press the button for the penthouse suite. "No need to sound so temperamental. We're not opponents anymore."
Tokiya inclined his head. 'Wanna bet?' He gritted his teeth.
"Hey, is everything okay with Tanya? What happened?" Raiha looked with concern at the small figure in Tokiya's arms.
"She needs a nap. Something she totally denies."
Tanya turned her head to look at Raijin master. "I'm fine." she insisted, before a covering a yawn with her hand. Finally, she gave up on fighting her weariness and settled her head on her brother's shoulder.
Raiha shook his head, laughing. "They're all so adorable at that age, huh?"
Tokiya managed a wry smile in his direction.
Raiha rearranged the pile in his arms. "Speaking of adorable, how's Fuuko doing? How's she liking the resort?"
A familiar feeling was boiling through Tokiya's blood. Undoubtedly, it was insane jealousy at the fact that this loathsome ninja-wannabe had shared something special with the wind-princess, even though it was years ago. The familiarity with how he said her name - how it made him want to thrash the man right here and then in the elevator. And who cares if there was a CCTV camera in the upper left corner?
"Ow..." Tanya said in a small voice.
Tokiya snapped back to the present. "Sorry, sweetie." He mumbled apologetically to his sister. Apparently, jealousy made him squeeze anything he was holding.
He turned to Raiha and said "Fuuko's fine. From the looks of things, she's really enjoying herself here. They're all at the bowling alley if you want to see her."
"Thanks, man." Raiha grinned. "Maybe I will. I just have to get these to Kurei first." He indicated the pile of folders in his arms.
The door dinged open at the seventh floor and Tokiya formally bowed (as much as he could with his sister in his arms) in Raiha's direction.
"Later." Raiha called as the doors closed, shutting him off.
Through her almost-asleep state, Tanya heard the exchange between the two. Now she could hear her brother muttering to himself as he slot in the keycard to the boys' suite and carried her inside. He used his foot to close the door, then reached back to lock it behind him.
Tokiya gently lowered his sister down onto the couch and fetched a blanket from his room. He bundled her up in it and reached for the universal remote control so he could turn on the room's airconditioner.
"I don't trust him."
Tokiya looked around. "Hmm?"
"Raiha." Tanya mumbled sleepily. "I don't trust him."
"And why is that?" Tokiya pressed the 'ON' button on the remote and settled back down on the couch beside his sister.
"Something about him seems... off."
Tokiya suppressed a smile and pulled her head onto his lap. "Don't worry about him. Get some sleep. I'll wake you for dinner."
"Mmm hmm..." Tanya nestled closer.
Kagerou obtained a spare keycard to the boys' suite from the check-in counter in the hotel lobby. Shigeo had asked her to stock up the boys' kitchen, as they were alternating the breakfast venues every morning.
She reached the seventh floor,hauled up a few cereal boxes from the girls' suite and made her way to the boys', slotting in her newly borrowed keycard. The door suddenly jerked open causing her to drop all the boxes she was holding.
"Kagerou-san? Are you alright?" Tokiya's quiet voice came from the couch. He turned off the t.v. and made to stand up.
"I'm fine, dear. No need to stand." Kagerou dusted herself off and started to pick up the boxes she dropped.
Tokiya slowly maneuvered his sister's head onto a cushion and stood up anyway. He picked up some of the cereal boxes that Kagerou had dropped.
"Oh, I'm so sorry... Did I wake her?" Kagerou craned her neck to look at Tanya's sleeping form on the couch.
"Nope. She's passed out cold." Tokiya grinned and took the rest of the boxes from her hands. "Where do you want these?"
"In the kitchen, please." Kagerou grasped his arm gratefully. She watched as Tokiya neatly lined the cereal boxes in a row.
"If you want to join the others, they're still at the bowling alley." Kagerou smiled tentatively. "I could stay with your sister. After I bring in the rest of the breakfast food, I still have to clean up my son's closet, as well as his father's."
"Oh, no. I couldn't impose. I'll help you-" Tokiya strode out of the kitchen.
"Nonsense!" Kagerou put a hand on his shoulder. "Young man, it's about time you admitted to yourself that you need some fun with your friends. You've been away from them long enough, and now that you've come back, you still won't take the opportunities to spend time with them?"
"M-My sister..."
"You'll have plenty of time to spend with her. She's in your custody now, isn't she?" Kagerou put her hands on her hips. "And I'm sure she'll want you to make the most out of your teenage years. She wants you to be happy too, you know."
Tokiya opened his mouth to say something else, but Kagerou held up a finger.
"Not another word out of you, Mister. Go and have a good time. I'll see you all at dinner."