Spring into the Saiki Family - Part 1: The Grandparents

"We're here!" Kuniharu cheered, stretching his arms over his head. "The air is always so refreshing here! I can't get enough of it."

His darling wife joined his side, the ever-pleasant smile on her face.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?"

Joining the couple was their youngest son, as always his default placid expression on his face. The Saiki family of three stood on a lone road, a beautiful mountainscape not too far in the distance. A farming field was just down a hill's length away. Piles of snow dusted the ground, the winter air starting to make way as spring rolled in. It was the perfect picturesque setting of the countryside.

While Kusuo's parents admired the change of scenery, he seemed rather bored.

"It is quite nice here."

Kusuo glanced to his left, and who else would be there but Lotus. How did she end up on this little family trip? Well, let's find out, shall we?

It was a week before spring break and all Kusuo was doing was going downstairs to grab a snack, something small to hold him over for dinner. He wasn't surprised–thanks to the use of telepathy–to see Violet was present. The young woman sat at the table with his mother, the two women chatting, laughing, and having tea. There was a plate of cookies being shared between the woman, no doubt baked by the hands of Lotus. Kusuo had to venture by the two women in order to achieve his goal.

"Since we had the time off, Ethan and I were going to have a little vacation together. A romantic getaway, if you know what I mean," Violet giggled with a teasing smirk.

"Oh, that sounds wonderful. It's so nice when you can have a little time to yourself," Kurumi said.

"Yeah, we don't get that much time with how busy our schedules are, but we're really looking forward to it." Violet's smile lasted for a moment longer before dropping into a frown, a hint of sadness on her face. "I'm just a bit worried since we'll be leaving Lotus by herself."

"She's old enough to take care of herself."

"I see…." Kurumi had a thoughtful expression.

"Are you really going to do it?"

"I know!" Kurumi smiled

"She's really gonna do it."

"Lotus can come with us! She is practically family anyway! I'm sure my parents would love to meet her!"

"That's a great idea!"

And thus that is how Lotus joined the Saiki household on the family trip. At this point, she and Kusuo were wondering what the two women were scheming. While Kurumi was a kind and somewhat oblivious woman, she had her own part in the meddling of the two teens' relationship. Lotus was sure she caught her sister one day picking out wedding dresses and flowers, and not for her own upcoming ceremony. Next thing they'll know Violet will have somehow convinced Kurumi to add Lotus to the Saiki family registry. Sure, they were dating but….

Lotus placed her hands on her lower back, stretching. There were two distinct pops and she sighed out in pleasure, as the taut tenses of her back loosened.

"Man, that was a long trip. I should've got up more," Lotus said.

"We rode on the train for an hour and a half. Then it took a two-hour flight. Then took another train for two hours, then finally a 45-minute bus trip all to get to a whole lot of nothing. The reason why we came to the middle of nowhere is because my grandparents live here. We're visiting them since I'm on spring break."

Kuniharu had made his way toward the edge of the hill, hands pressed together in a praying position.

"What are you doing now, honey?" Kurumi asked.

"Isn't it obvious, love?" Kuniharu looked over at his wife, eyes shining with a smitten glow of love. "Look, I'm thanking this land for nurturing you."

He winked at Kurumi and the woman gushed, hearts floating about with a soft blush adorning her cheeks. "Oh, you're too much, honey!"

"But this place is surely out of the way. When we go home, let's have Kusuo teleport us," Kuniharu said.

"You know we can't do that. My parents don't know about Ku's powers, remember? Besides, a long journey can be a fun chance for bonding."

"That's true-" Kuniharu almost jumped as his son appeared next to him. "Hey, where'd you go?"

Kusuo held up his hand, showing them covered in a pair of red gloves. "It's cold, so I went home to get my gloves."

"You know you're really spoiling the mood here!"

"Oh, Ku, are those gloves new? They look different than your normal ones," Kurumi pointed out.

The keen eye of a doting mother was rarely ever wrong. She was right, Kusuo's standard gloves were black but these ones were red.

"They look really nice too. Don't tell me you went and spent all your money on some designer gloves?" Kuniharu said.

"Only you'd do something like that."

"Oh, I know!" Kurumi smiled, with a lightbulb appearing overhead. "Lotus must've given them to you, right? Her brother is a designer."

"Yeah, you're right. I noticed Kusuo's gloves were a little worn, so I asked Ethan to make him a pair," Lotus said.

"Ah, so that's how it is," Kuniharu smirked, crossing his arms. "You know it seems just like yesterday that your mother and I were young and in love sharing small little gifts like that. Bet you were over the moon when you heard she was coming with us? Huh, son? But don't think you're going to be doing any funny business while-"

A pile of snow smacked Kuniharu in the face, knocking the man off his feet.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

Lotus was by Kusuo's side as they arrived at the childhood home of Kurumi. Passing through the threshold of the gate, Lotus paused doing a double rake.

"Uh….Kusuo how come the nameplate on the gate says, Saiki?"

"My mom's maiden name is Saiki too."

"Wait really? That's sure a coincidence."

"It is. But my dad always says, 'Your mother and I were destined to be together before we were even born.' Even as a kid, I thought the Satos' must have a lot of fated people, idiot. But I didn't say that to him."

Kurumi knocked on the door, cheering as it was opened by a rather youthful-looking older woman.

"We're here!" Kurumi sang out.

"Welcome back! Kusuo! You've grown so much!"

"Wow, Mom, you're looking as young as ever!" Kuniharu said.

"Thank you Kuniharu, you sly flatterer!"

"That's your grandmother, Kusuo?"

"Yup, Kumi Saiki."

"Wow, she looks so young!"

"She's over 60 but looks so young, people confuse her for being in her 40s."

"I see. She must have great genes. Lucky you!"

"Oh!" Kumi finally noticed the new person amongst the family. "And who might this lovely young lady be? Is this Kusuo's girlfriend, you told me about?"

"Yup, this is her!" Kurumi said.

"Hello, ma'am." Lotus greeted, giving a polite bow. "I'm Lotus Yamaguchi. I'm sorry for intruding. Thank you for inviting me into your home."

Nervously, Lotus looked up only to be wrapped up in the arms of Kumi.

"My dear, it's no trouble at all! Such a lovely young lady! Oh, and those manners are so wonderful." Kumi pulled away but had one hand resting on Lotus's cheek. "You are so pretty! You could be a model!"

Lotus blinked before laughing. "I could say the same to you too!"

The two laughed together, and Kusuo's lips ticked just a hair. He didn't think it mattered beforehand, but he was glad that his grandmother liked Lotus.

"My grandmother is really nice."

"I can tell. She's got a warm personality."

Kumi turned, leading the family further into the home. "Dear, guess who's here! Kurumi and the family, they also brought a special guest."

"The pain is the other one."

Kumi opened a Shoji door leading to the main living area. Inside sat an older man, a newspaper held in his hands doing nothing to obscure the surly expression on his face. The frown he held was deep-set, showing nothing but annoyance and irritation.

"Come say hello," Kumi said.

"Yare Yare Daze. Quiet, let me read my paper."

Lotus nearly bit her tongue, a hand flying over her mouth. The moment the first "Yare" left the man's mouth, Lotus had to hold back her laughter. Hearing Kusuo's famed catchphrase being uttered by his grandfather was too much.

"So this is where he gets it from!" She thought, laughing internally.

"This is my grandfather, Kumagoro."

Lotus snorted. "Yeah, the resemblance is there."

Not at all deterred by the man's grumpy attitude, Kurumi smiled, taking a seat by her father.

"Long time no see Dad!"

"Why did you bother coming all this way for no reason?" Kumagoro huffed.

"Oh, I know you don't mean that, Dad."

"Huh? Well, I see how she knows how to handle her son so well."

"Kusuo's here to Dad. It's been a while since you've seen him."

"Hmph, I take it you've grown some," Kumagoro grunted.

"Unlike my Grandmother, he's terse and unfriendly."

"Oh, you don't say." Lotus bit her lip, shoulders shaking in silent laughter. "It's like he can't see it at all," She thought, giggling.

"And guess what, Kusuo brought a special guest."

"Please don't make it sound like it was my idea."

"This here is Lotus Yamaguchi. She's Kusuo's girlfriend."

Lotus bowed in the same polite manner that she had shown Kumi. "Nice to meet you, sir. Thank you for welcoming me into your home."

Kumagoro took one long look at Lotus. His eyes moved up and down as he examined the girl. When he was done, he just huffed and went back to his paper.

"He can be a bit difficult."

"Seriously, it's like an older version of Kusuo!" Lotus thought.

"Long time no see Dad, it's great to see you!" Kuniharu greeted.

"Who the heck are you? Get lost!"

"Actually, he's very difficult."

"Despite what he says, he's been looking forward to your visit for weeks now," Kumi said.

"Don't feed them such lies." Kumagoro got up and opened the door to the next room. "I'll be in the other room. Let me know when dinner is ready."

He slammed the door shut, the shoji door rattling just a little.

"Oh, he's as stern as ever," Kurumi smiled.

"Was coming here a bad idea?" Kuniharu asked.

Kumi waved the notion off. "Nonsense, you're always welcome here. Let's just leave him alone for now."

The family, plus Lotus, took a seat at the kotatsu table, tucking under the warmth of the heated table. Lotus and Kusuo shred one side together. Lotus was taken aback as she felt a hand gently come around her waist, pulling her a bit closer to Kusuo.

"We'll fit better if you're closer."

Lotus held back her smile, allowing just a small one to grace her lips. The flush of her cheeks is enough to warm her face. The couple's thighs lightly brushed against one another as they sat close for warmth.

"That's just how he is," Kurumi told her husband.

"What he is is frustrating. My grandparents don't know about my powers. So I don't tell my parents what I learn telepathically and they don't ask me. I'm the only one who knows his secret, but I guess you'll know too Lotus."

"Know what?"

"Just focus on the room next door. The reason my grandfather is such a pain is….well, I hate to use the term because it's kind of dated but…"

Using her powers to zone in on Grandpa Saiki, Lotus saw the man with a childlike smile on his face, eyes watering with what looked like pure joy. He was against the wall that connects the two rooms, ear pressed firmly on the smooth surface.

"Huh? What's with that face? Wait?! Don't tell me he….?"

"~Oh Kurumi I'm so glad you came!~"

"Yup, he's a tsundere. 99% of the time he behaves coldly, hiding his affection inside from everybody."

Kumagoro's cheeks started to turn peach pink, and he resembled a gushing schoolgirl. "~It's Kumi's fault. She said something embarrassing, so I had to leave the room, but I really wanna talk to them.~"

He started to whine, hands rubbing up and down the wall.

"Don't whine, you sound like a baby."

"Oh wow. Now I'm seeing the big differences between himself and Kusuo."

"In any case, he's a real pain in the neck."

"Don't be that way, Kusuo. I'm sure it's not that bad."

"Anyway, how long has it been?" Kumi asked.

"About two years," Kurumi said.

Kumagoro straightened up, adjusting his glasses. "~Two years, one hundred twelve days, and six hours.~"

"Wow."

Kumagoro reached into the pocket of his sweater, pulling out a photo of a younger Kusuo. "~I can't believe how much Kusuo has grown.~" His eyes were watering, lips quivering. "~He's really something.~"

"You could just tell me that."

"~And I can't believe Kusuo brought a girl with him! A real live cute little girl!~"

"Little girl?"

"~She was so sweet and nice to me.~"

Lotus sweat dropped. "All I said was hello."

"~I want to go out there and get to know her some more. She and Kusuo looked so cute together. He's growing up too fast!~" The man burst, gushing. "~Will I be a great-grandfather soon?~"

"No!"

Lotus and Saiki looked away from one another. At least this little embarrassing tidbit would be kept between the two of them.

"Okay, maybe he's a bit much."

"Told you so."

Kumagoro held back his tears holding the photo of his grandson close to him."~Come visit us more often! Come back every week!~"

"Yeah, no. Since he loves us so much I can't disable the guy, but he's still super annoying."

Kumagoro tucked the photo back away, turning back to the wall, excited to hear his beloved family talk. "~Now let me hear your beautiful voices.~"

"Has he actually heard you speak before?" Lotus questioned.

"Have I ever told you how cozy your house is?" Kuniharu said.

"~No one wants to hear you speak, you parasite!~" Kumagoro flared with his teeth tightly clenched, clawing at the wall in anger.

"Oh, he actually does hate my father."

"Ah, the old fashion trope of the father-in-law hating the son-in-law, what a classic."

"How long are you planning to stay for? Do you have to go back tomorrow?" Kumi asked.

"Well, let's see…."

"~Stay longer! Live here!~"

"I guess we can stay for a couple of days," Kurumi said.

"That's wonderful, you can relax a bit," Kumi said.

"Yahoo!"

Kumi glanced back, confused. "Ya-hoo?"

Kumagoro jumped away from the wall dancing in delight. "~Alright, this is great! There's so much we can do together! I don't even know where to start! I'm gonna spoil 'em with all the pension money I've been saving up!~"

The man's jigs of joy were cut abruptly at the sound of his son-in-law's voice filtering from the other room.

"Sorry, I thought we were only spending one night, so I only took two days off."

"Then I guess we're leaving tomorrow," Kurumi said.

Kumagoro became a withered husk, all happiness was sucked out of him. He went from a joyous little man to a dispersed shriveled raisin.

"~My life is over.~"

"He aged fast."

"It's hard for him to take time off so…"

"Well, I can take off more time, but I don't want to be a bother."

"And yet you force my girlfriend into awkward situations like this."

Lotus bit her lip and she felt butterflies flutter about in her stomach. While she was used to his and her family referring to her as his girlfriend, it was still fresh coming from him and it truly made her feel warm on the rare occasions he said it.

Kumagoro came back into the room brushing past Kusuo.

"Hey, Dad," Kurumi greeted.

"Only in here to grab the paper." He bent down seizing the newspaper that was resting on the kotatsu.

"We were thinking of staying for an extra couple of days. Would that be a problem?" Kurumi asked.

~Just say it! Tell them Kumagoro. Stay for three years! Be brave!~"

Instead of speaking his mind, the man huffed, going back into the other room.

"Do what you want," He said before closing the door.

"Thanks, Dad."

"~YEEEEAAAAHHHH!~"

"That's about as much emotion as we'll see from him."

"~Waaaaahahahaha!~"

Lotus was glad that Kusuo had such a loving family, tsundere or not, but she felt as if she continued to hear the elated cheers of Kumagoro within her mind she was going to get a headache.

The man was still in the room next over, silently cheering, as he paraded around the room.

"~Whoho! I did it! I did it! I get to spend three whole days with my daughter and grandson! Oh! I'll even get to know his girlfriend.~"

"Calm down and act your age."

Incredibly, as if he had heard his grandson, Kumagoro stopped his jumping and took a seat. "~This is great. I am so happy. I'll have more quality time with the boy.~"

"Are you a girl now?"

Kumagoro pulled his knees in close, tucking in his chin. There was a shy smile on his face, almost bashful in a way. "~As if that weren't enough when I went to the next room. Hahaha! Yes, I finally did it! I was able to finally touch my grandson when I walked by him. I'm so happy. That must be what a grandparent causes a tender embrace.~"

"Not really."

This 'tender embrace', was a mere brush of the man's knee against his grandson's back. If Kusuo wasn't hyper-aware of his surroundings, it would have gone completely unannounced.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Kurumi beamed, holding up a green bag. "We brought you a little something. I hope you like it!"

The happy woman pulled up a square package and the simple packaging revealed it to be castella.

"Oh, castella!" Kumi said happily.

"Yup! Dad loves it, right?"

"Oh, does he? I'm impressed you remembered that."

"Of course, I would."

"Oh, I brought something too." Lotus held up a pink bag. "I thought it'd be rude to come without something, so I baked some macaron cookies."

"Oh, how lovely! Thank you so much, dear!" Kumi said.

"Knock it off before he starts weeping again."

"Oh come on, you know you want some too." Lotus giggled, elbowing Saiki.

He neither confirmed nor denied this.

Kumagoro had once again taken up his spot by the wall, pressed so close you'd think he was trying to meld with the flat surface. "~Kurumi picked out a gift just for me just because she thought I'd like it! Honestly, I don't care for Castella but still….~"

Kumagoro was sure to be dehydrated with the amount of tears he had been shedding as of late.

"~The love behind it brings a lump to my throat.~"

"Don't cry if you don't even like it."

"~And that young lady was kind enough to bake something for us.~"

The castella was opened and divided evenly to be shared amongst those around the table. Lotus also pulled out her homemade macarons, revealing an array of pink and green-colored cookies.

"I wanted to go a little out of the normal range so I baked vanilla mint and strawberry cream macarons," Lotus said.

"They look so delicious!" Kumi said.

"Let's eat together now," Kurumi said.

"Here," Kumi held out a plate with a slice of castella and two macrons on it, "This one for Grandpa."

"Ku, can you bring that slice to him?" Kurumi asked.

Kumagoro pulled back from the wall. "~My grandson is coming?!~"

The man started shuffling about the room. His actions were akin to a rushing homeowner trying to prepare a guest.

"~My grandson is coming in here! What do I do? I need to do something!~"

As the door started to rattle the older man froze, before reacting with the agility of a cat. He somersaulted forward landing at the table, newspaper in hand.

"What now?" His gruff voice came off, hiding the coy nature held within.

"Hello, Dad!"

At the door was not Kusuo, but rather his father Kuniharu.

"I brought you some food, I hope you like it."

"Gooo aaaway!" Kumagoro screamed.

The anger was real, and it was raw, fueled by the older man's irritation.

Kuniharu returned to the room in tears, sobbing.

"All I did was bring him snacks."

"Sorry, I didn't wanna go in there."

"Kusuo…" Lotus sighed.

In the next room over, Kumagoro was having a fit. The high he had from the idea that he was going to see his grandson had taken such a nosedive that it had not only hit the earth, but it broke the surface of the earth's crust, burrowing itself towards the earth's core.

"~Idiot! Why did you have to come in here? Anyone but you!~"

Kusuo sighed. "I have no choice."

"You can do it, Kusuo!" Lotus gave her boyfriend a telepathic cheer, only to have her forearm grabbed.

"I'm not going alone."

Kumagoro was still, for a lack of better words, throwing a tantrum. He'd ended up on his back, in a pose known to the Yoga world as Ananda Balasana or the Happy Baby, but he was anything but happy. His legs kicked and his arms flailed, as he had fit over what had happened.

"I was expecting to see my grandson!"

And that was the position Lotus and Kusuo found the man in when they entered the room. His infantile show came to an abrupt end as he stared up at the two teens, who stared right back.

"Well, what is now? Do you want something?"

"He can still act tough in that position?"

Kumagoro sprung to his feet stretching out his back, acting as if nothing was out of the norm.

"It is kind of impressive."

"Most people caught in this situation would panic, but an expert tsundere like him isn't affected at all."

The man stretched in a way that put his back towards the two. He flushed, truly embarrassed, and he didn't seem to be breathing. "~It's my grandson!~"

"But inside his head, it's a different story."

"He needs to take a breath before he passes out."

Kumagoro gasped, inhaling some much-needed air. He did his best to calm himself, but the blush on his cheeks remained. "~And he brought his girlfriend too! He must want to introduce her personally.~"

Kumagoro bit his lips, quite possibly about to be in tears again.

"Don't cry again, you've already lost too much fluid."

"~Darn it! They both saw me acting like a fool! I'm alone with them now, I don't know what to do anymore.~"

Kusuo stepped into the room, placing the plate of snacks, along with a cup of tea, on the table. "You're creeping me out, old man. Well, I'm just gonna leave this here so we can go."

"~Nooo! They're leaving! I've gotta stop them! Talk to the boy! Say something!~"

Kusuo grasped Lotus's hand and pulled his girlfriend towards the door. Kumagoro continued to freak out, as the couple exited the room.

"~Ahhhhhh! He's gone! Stupid! And after Kusuo went through all the trouble to bring the desserts!~"

Kumagoro dropped to the floor, a stormy cloud of sadness starting to form overhead.

"~I'm hopeless! Just a stubborn old man and even now worried some much about his dignity, that he can't show affection to his own grandson. I'm gonna die alone.~"

"This is just sad."

"Kusuo."

Lotus smiled, holding up two plates, one with the castella and the other with some macarons. He nodded his head and opened the door again. The moment he heard the door open Kumagoro's head snapped back.

"You've been a tsundere longer than I have so I'll show affection this time. Lotus."

"Hello, Saiki-san. Would it be okay if Kusuo and I joined you?"

Kumagoro swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. His blush came back full force, the kind of blush a small child would have when they see something amazing. Kumagoro coughed, clearing his throat.

"Do what you want."

So the trio ate together in silence.

Lotus felt a tad drained from today's events. From her planes, trains, and automobile expedition to meeting her boyfriend's grandparents, the girl was ready for some much-needed rest. She'd been one of the last people to use the restroom, offering to go last so she'd have more time to soak in the bath without the worry of having someone else waiting their turn.

Ethan had provided her with a modest set of pajamas, a silk long-sleeve button-up top, and a pair of pants. Light pink in color with a red border on the edges with cartoon bunnies and carrots printed on the fabric. With her hair slightly damp, Lotus pulled it up into a messy bun, a white terry headband sitting atop her head at the border of her hairline.

"Oh Lotus darling, there you are."

Kumi came from around the corner holding a futon set.

"Let me help you there." Lotus rushed over to the woman's side, taking the bedding.

"Thank you, dear. Here, let me show you to where you'll be sleeping."

Lotus followed the woman towards the back of the home. She didn't have time earlier to examine the home, but now she could see how warm the house was. It was homely, with family pictures on the wall, vases of fresh flowers, accent rugs, and traditional ornaments. The home was well-kept and had a decorated style that could only come from the loving touch of a mother.

"Here you go." Kumi opened a door, revealing a small office space. A desk had been pushed off to the side, allowing more room.

"I hope you don't mind."

Lotus waved a hand with a smile. "No, no, this is fine. Thank you."

"Have a good night, dear."

"You too, ma'am."

Kumi laughed, waving a hand. "No need to call me Ma'am, feel free to call me Kumi or even better Grandma."

"Uh…"

"I think that's a bit too forward. I can kind of start to see where Mama Kurumi gets her attitude from."

Kumi left Lotus alone in the room, giving the girl the space to set up her temporary sleeping quarters.

"Makes sense I'd be in here alone." Lotus chuckled. "It's not like I could share a bed with Kusu-ahhhh!"

The girl flushed shaking her head, batting the thought away so fast it would have surely scored a home run.

Falling face-first into her pillow, Lotus kicked her legs, rolling around. "Hm? Smells good, like lavender."

Just a few doors down, Kusuo was having his own little sleepover with his stoic grandfather, Kumagoro.

"Tell me Kusuo, that girlfriend of yours, how much do you like her?"

"What? No way. I can't talk about that. It's way too embarrassing."

"Come now, you're 16, don't be shy. She must be special for you to bring her all the way out here."

"Well….okay, come closer Grandpa Kuma."

"Oh, you wanna whisper it to me?"

"Promise not to tell Mom and Dad, okay?"

Kusuo rolled out of his futon, crawling over towards his grandfather. He cupped his hands around the man's ear, ready to slip.

Kumagoro couldn't be any happier, his heart swelling and overflowing with joy. So this is what it was like to share a tender moment with his grandson? Kumagoro felt like he was in a dream….maybe that's because he was.

Kumagoro's eyes snapped open. His brows furrowed for a moment in confusion. Just a moment ago he was sharing secrets with his grandson, and now he was on his back staring up at the ceiling. His mind worked and adjusted, coming out of the hazy fog that had been cast by the grip of his former slumber. With a clear mind, he quickly concluded that none of what had occurred was real.

"~Ah….it was just a dream.~"