So I looked at your reviews and Syo won which makes me super excited because he was the first anime character that I wanted for MYSELF.
"Dad, let's go," his son urged him, tugging his hand. His dad laughed, cerulean eyes shining as he promised their departure after grabbing his ever-present hat from the kitchen. The door was now merely feet away and if he could only drag his father away from the house before she woke up from her nap—
"Daddy, Shin!" a tiny voice squealed from a room a floor above them.
Shin moaned, collapsing to the floor. He hadn't gotten them out quick enough and now would be burdened by the strawberry blonde. Syo gave his son a curious look at his reaction and called up the steps, "We're downstairs, Rina! We're about to go to the gym, do you want to come?"
"No, Dad," Shin begged, dropping to his knees. "Whenever Rina comes she ruins everything! She's just a kid and can't do anything."
Syo rolled his eyes and ruffled his son's rusty red-blonde hair. Just like when he was younger, Shin wanted to be doing things at full throttle all the time, and was convinced this was impossible with his younger sister around. "She tries her hardest to keep up with you; don't be mean."
A small head popped up from the top of the stairs and grinned toothily at her brother and father, "I'll be there in four seconds! Wait," she paused, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration and then smoothing out as she added happily, "Three seconds."
She hurried down the steps, fearful of being left behind. Shin always believed she was one step behind, so she had to try her hardest and catch up with him. True to her mother's contribution to her gene pool, though, she tripped on the fifth step, tumbling down the rest. She landed at the bottom, startled and hurt. She felt the tears well up in her eyes and heard her father's voice, but what stopped everything was Shin's raised eyebrow. He was obviously testing to see if she was strong enough not to cry.
She sniffled a few times and blinked rapidly, forcing the tears back where they could never threaten her position in Shin's eyes again. Syo's hands fluttered around her body anxiously, searching for any mars on his baby girl, "Does it hurt anywhere? Do I need to get mommy?"
"I'm fine, Daddy," she said firmly, gently pushing his hands away and standing up adamantly, "Let's go to the gym."
Syo was unconvinced after easily spotting the tears with the eyes he had glued to her ultrasound picture when he discovered Haruka's second pregnancy. He pecked her forehead and stood up, shouting through the foyer, "Haruka, we're going to the gym! Do you want to come?"
"Would you mind having me?" she smiled in the doorway, hair tied back and the pen she only used for composing in her hand. He eyed it questioningly and she waved off his concern. "I'm trying to write a song, but the muses just aren't working with me. Any distraction at this point is a blessing from having to constantly stare at a blank page."
Syo laughed and threw his arm around his wife's shoulders, not noticing Shin's sour expression. He was supposed to have his dad all alone to himself today, and now he had to share with his mom and sister. Shin, still determined to make the best of the day, opened the door and made a large gesture out of it. "Anybody care to start actually going to the gym?"
"I'm ready, Shin!" Rina made an endeavor to snatch her brother's attention as she bounded up and down in front of the car. He ignored her bouncing and blew by her, claiming his usual seat in the car. The rest of his family piled in the car agonizingly slowly.
Three highways and two car games later, they arrived at the gym. It wasn't everywhere that one was able to find an American ninja warrior style gym, so the drive was longer than a trip to a normal gym. Syo opened the door and his children sprinted through as his wife meandered by, waiting for Syo to join her. Shin started his warm up by dashing a few laps around the gym. He stretched out, getting ready to show off.
Shin sauntered to the monkey bars, cracking his knuckles and trying to maintain a cool expression, "Dad, watch! I've been practicing!"
Shin grasped the bar and swung himself forward, locking his legs on the next bar. His body pulled forward and he managed to grip the next, continuing in a perpetual flipping motion. He reached the last one and twisted off in a flip. Syo raised an eyebrow and grinned slightly, "Not bad, short stuff." After suffering his whole life from taunts of his stature, he required some sort of retribution, in the form of short nicknames for his son.
"You looked really good, Shin!" Haruka clapped politely, nervous about disturbing the other patrons of the gym.
Rina's brow furrowed, ready to keep pace with her brother. She grappled for the first bar, crowing for her family's attention. Shin rolled his eyes but watched her anyway. She swung forward and slowly made her way across the stretch of bars, her knuckles white with effort.
"You're doing amazing, kiddo!" Syo encouraged her, pride swelling up within him at his two kids.
"Amazing?" Shin exclaimed, gesticulating wildly at his sister's dawdling progress, "She's doing it the easy way and she's barely half way across!"
"But the easy way is the only way she can do it right now," Haruka gently placed her hand on her envious son's shoulder. "She would probably love it if you taught her how to do it more like you."
Shin grumbled and ignored the suggestion. He left the conversation of brotherly responsibilities with his mother and opted to talk with his beloved Dad. Rina struggled to turn her head and saw she was losing attention. She mustered up what courage and oxygen she had left and rocked towards the next rung, latching her legs on to the bar. Syo, who was talking to Shin about a new training regimen, noticed his daughter attempting his son's maneuver. His eyes widened as he intended to force her to get down, but gravity did the job before him.
Rina collapsed on to the floor and couldn't hold her tears in this time. She howled, clutching the wrist she had used to try and break her fall. She was so overwhelmed by all of her emotions. Pain, shooting through her body. Disappointment, at failing the maneuver her brother performed so fluidly. Misery, at never being able to keep pace with her family.
Syo, Haruka, and Shin rushed to the sobbing girl. Haruka wrapped her arms around her shaking frame and stroked her hair, murmuring a comforting lullaby she learned the moment she became a mother.
"Why did you try doing something so dangerous, Rina/Idiot!" Shin and Syo shouted at her, worry lacing their abrasive tones.
"I-I just wanted to be l-like you two!" Rina wailed, Haruka already wrapping a bandage around her wrist, courtesy of another gym member. Haruka paused her actions, giving Shin a pointed look.
Shin rubbed the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed about how his sister looked up to him and how he responded to that respect. Shin brushed away his dad. He knelt down, and Haruka took the cue to move away. He awkwardly patted her head, "Look, you'll be like that eventually, so don't rush it. I can even help you practice."
She sniffed and looked up at her brother underneath her long lashes and golden eyes, "Really?"
"Yes," Shin was caught off guard by the small body being flung on top of him. He didn't reciprocate the hug, but he didn't push Rina off which gave her the incentive to not let go.
"Good job, Shin," Syo grinned at his son, roughly ruffling his hair. Shin shook him off, his cheeks pink with pleasure. He took off, pulling a happy Rina behind him, planning on showing her some of his newer moves.
Syo kissed Haruka's cheek and smiled at his two little strawberry blonde spawns. "What did you say to him earlier?"
"Just words only a mother knows can break through that pride." Haruka cast a sideways glance to her husband. "And let the record show he got that from you."
"Hell yeah he did."
Hope you liked it! I was on vacation and I'm finishing up AP work, so writing is going kind of slow a la casa de Psychopath Kingdom. A few of you have been asking about Natsuki/Satsuki – I think I'm going to do them next – and there has been an interesting question posed. To do Natsuki and Satsuki as the same father, or as different fathers? Should they have the same chapter or separate chapters? Tell me what you think! Thanks for reading and reviewing and all that wonderful stuff!