Keiko's co-workers are based on some of my original characters who are ethnically Japanese, just aged up/down and given office work. The ones that are mentioned by name in the story are my Bleach OCs.
Yoh was having a terrible day. First, mum had to go to the place everyone called "work". Yoh, personally, called it hell. Whenever Keiko left there, it meant that he would be left in the company of his brother and father, occasionally grandfather as well.
Then, his dad took the kiddie pool they had on the garden apart, saying that it was too cold for the children to bathe now, ignoring all of Yoh's vocal protests. Turning to Hao, a.k.a. Yoh 2, Yoh tried to plead for help, but his twin was doing his own thing. Or rather, not doing. Hao had been sitting in his chair, a book open on his lap, but he never flipped the pages. Yoh didn't spend too much time pondering about it; the important thing was that Hao wouldn't play with him, no matter how much he pushed him around. And he wouldn't let him play with the pretty fire spirit either.
So, Yoh had enlisted the help of his father. He chased him around the house as fast as his tiny legs could take him, but whenever he almost had him, Mikihisa would jump out of the way or otherwise avoid him, and Yoh was left gasping on air. His legs started feeling heavy, but he wouldn't stop. If Hao didn't want to play, maybe he would once he saw how much fun Yoh and dad were having.
What he didn't count on was him tripping over his own feet. Yoh fell on the ground with a BAM, and immediately started crying. It hurt!
"Yoh!" Mikihisa stopped, returning to his son immediately. Even Hao left his book and walked over, crouching in front of him, tilting his head.
Yoh got back up to his feet, while Hao fetched a box of tissues. Mikihisa took one and wiped Yoh's tears and let him blow his nose, and then picked him up.
"Down," Yoh whined. It was a word he recently learned, and it has proven to be very useful, especially if one of his parents wanted to carry him around and he wasn't feeling like it.
Mikihisa set him down.
"Alright, alright, you're a big boy now," he chuckled and watched as Yoh took a few unsure steps, partially afraid that he might trip again and land on the floor.
Mikihisa rested his hands on his hips, in thought. Hao looked at Yoh; Yoh, sensing that he was staring at him, looked right back.
"How about we go pick mum up from work?" Mikihisa asked, and Yoh cheered. Finally, it would be time to have mum all for themselves. Hao seemed equally enthusiastic, getting out of his seemingly gloomy mood.
Hao turned his head to look at the clock, and Yoh automatically turned his head there as well, but he couldn't figure out what Hao saw in there. The concept of the clock was still foreign to him.
Mikihisa disappeared, returning with two warm jackets.
It's not that cold, Hao pointed out, and Mikihisa looked at him.
"It's September, it's getting colder. You don't want to catch a cold again, now do you?" he asked, and Hao grumbled something unintelligible.
"What was that?" Mikihisa asked. He turned to Hao with the jacket.
"Look, if you don't want to wear a jacket, that's fine. But do wear one for Yoh, otherwise he'll catch a cold and then you catch a cold, and you don't like being sick," he told him, and Hao looked away. It was humiliating, he thought as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment. He didn't remember last year's sickness, but Mikihisa's mind told him everything he needed to know.
I don't get sick, he had said back then, and then caught the flu. No, Hao didn't actually want to get sick again, and with a sigh, he let Mikihisa help him into the jacket.
Their father also took out his coat, and put it on. Yoh reached out with his hand, looking for support, and Mikihisa took it, even if he had to crouch down to be able to do that. Hao walked right next to them. He couldn't use the Spirit of Fire anymore, and so he had to walk on his own two legs (what a workout).
On the verandah, they met Yohmei, who was smoking, again.
Didn't Keiko tell you smoking isn't good for your health? Hao remarked slyly, knowing that Keiko told her father that his lungs would be ruined at least once per week.
"Hush, you," Yohmei waved his hand, dismissing his remarks. He huffed, looking at Mikihisa.
"Where are you going?"
"Mama!" Yoh called, and Yohmei's expression softened.
"You're going to pick up Keiko?" he asked, looking at Yoh, but addressing the question to Mikihisa. The man nodded.
"It won't hurt the boys to go outside for a little bit. They'll be inside the whole winter, so we should take advantage of this weather," he said, and Yohmei exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Don't get lost on the way."
Hao doubted they would get lost. Even if he didn't trust Mikihisa in many things, he was sure that he was able to find his way around the city just fine, there was no reason to worry.
Yoh ran to the pram, not as robust as their first one. After Hao's reassuring that they didn't need one that would fit both children, Keiko and Mikihisa still got one for two.
"If anyone sees us having only one pram for Yoh, they will find it weird, since there's two of you," Keiko had explained when they were in the shop a few months ago. Hao had opened his mouth to protest, but she was faster. "I know you can use the Spirit of Fire to carry you around, but we are still getting two. You're going to outgrow him soon."
Hao grumbled.
You're just wasting money, he told her, but watched as the woman got the two prams to the checkout, with Yoh being insanely curious and wanting to sit down all the time.
Now, Hao was actually glad that Keiko had thought of both of them. The Spirit of Fire might've been big enough to hold him, but he still had to walk on his own two feet now, and he had a feeling that he might actually sit down on the way back.
Mikihisa kept them close to himself since they were next to a road. It wasn't a busy one, cars rarely passed by, but he wouldn't want to risk any accident, especially with Yoh wanting to run around all the time.
Halfway to the city of Izumo, Hao caught a glimpse of a cat tail. A tabby cat was hiding in the bushes, and quickly turned around and left once the wheels of the pram rumbled around it.
Bummed, the child pouted. He was sad to see the cat go, but he knew not to pursue it further.
"Ne-ko," Yoh pointed at the spot and Mikihisa nodded. His son was learning more and more new words and broadening his vocabulary.
"Yes, it was a cat, Yoh," he told him, and Yoh beamed. He turned to Hao and repeated the word.
Yes, yes, I heard you the first time, Hao thought to himself. Were small children always this annoying? He was glad that Yoh liked cats, don't get him wrong, but he could do it quietly if anything.
Finally, after walking some more, they arrived in the city of Izumo. Mikihisa took Yoh's hand to keep him close to himself, Hao didn't need prompting. He walked on the pavement. After his initial encounter with cars and buses, he had concluded that he could easily burn them to a crisp, but as a pedestrian he still had a healthy respect for giant iron monsters that weighed several tons.
They came to a high building with lots of windows, and Hao knew instantly it was Keiko's workplace. He had known she had worked in the office, but to have to go to such an ugly building every day… it could use some serious renovation, in Hao's humble opinion.
"Mama," Yoh asked, and Mikihisa picked him up.
"You have to wait a little while, Yoh, but mama will come soon," he told him, and the child turned in his arms, trying to look at the front door.
Hao used the time to try and lean to the pram's storage space where he knew Keiko kept some soft food for the children. His fingers wrapped around the conserved fruit purée and he took it out triumphantly.
Mikihisa sighed.
"Are you hungry?" he asked, and Hao smirked. He wasn't truly hungry, but he was bored and in a mood to make Mikihisa sweat a little bit.
Maybe, he replied, and tried to open it. The can didn't budge at all, and he begrudgingly put it back. He didn't wait for Mikihisa to ask if he should open it. Instead, he went away to the nearest bench and climbed up onto it, sitting down to wait.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. Keiko and a bunch of her co-workers left the building soon after.
"Isn't that your husband, Keiko?" one of them asked, a tall lady with her hair in a ponytail.
Keiko smiled at Mikihisa.
"It is, Kame," she said. "And my boys too."
Yoh, at this point, saw his mother and was whining in Mikihisa's arms to have him let go of him. He did so, and the boy ran straight to his mother.
"I missed you too, Yoh," Keiko chuckled and took him up while her husband graciously took her purse.
"Hello, Yoh," one of the women said, not touching the child, leaving a small space between them, but she was obviously curious.
"Is that the other one?" A short woman with grey eyes asked, pointing at Hao on the bench.
The boy contemplated going up to Keiko, but seeing that she had a bunch of other people around her, ones that would surely become insufferable the moment they saw him, he decided not to do anything and wait. He had the worst luck that day though.
"Yes, that is Hao," Keiko confirmed, tilting her head in slight confusion.
"Why does he not come here, though?" another woman sounded confused. Keiko smiled.
"He doesn't like other people that much," she explained, and the quiet "ah" that sounded disappointed came right afterwards. Except for one.
"He's cute for a baby. And he doesn't scream either," a short woman with red ends of her dark hair leaned over the bench. Kame sighed.
"Let it go, Arisu. If he doesn't want to be disturbed, leave him be," she told her.
Hao felt relieved when he picked up the 'I don't like children anyways' from Arisu as she went away.
"You should have your boys pick you up more often, they're adorable," the co-worker who had been looking at Yoh said, and picked up her things. "I need to go now, though. I have an appointment in half an hour."
"See you tomorrow!" five other women echoed.
Mikihisa approached Keiko.
"Are you ready to go home?" he asked her, and she nodded. She set Yoh down into the pram, and now, Hao trotted over. He figured that this was the best time to sit down and let his feet rest if he didn't want to stop everyone on the way home.
He climbed onto the pram and now they were truly ready to go home.
"Bye," Keiko called to her co-workers. They would see each other the next day again, so there was no need for long goodbyes.
Once they walked the first turn, Keiko pushed her hair behind her ear.
"That was very sweet of you to come pick me up," she said. Yoh erupted in a string of babbling, occasionally saying a word that she could make out, but it was mostly incomprehensible.
Your co-workers are annoying, Hao supplied with his usual nonchalance, which usually meant that he was brutally honest and blunt.
Keiko smiled.
"Only sometimes," she countered, and Hao tilted his head.
Hmmm, no.
Keiko patted his head gently.
"You can't judge people based on a three-minute meeting," she reminded him, and Hao huffed.
First impressions are important too, he said, and Keiko rolled her eyes.
"First impressions are important, yes, but believe me that they're all wonderful people and they're nice to me," she told him.
Hao turned his head to look at her.
I'll be the judge of that.
Keiko sighed.
"I'll never have the last word with you around, will I?" she wondered out aloud, and Mikihisa raised an eyebrow. He already knew that he would never have the last word when the little menace of a child was around.
Hao looked at her, and, to everyone's surprise, grinned.
No.