Amaranthine

It was such a mystery why their sweet and loving parents would not eat their dinner with them. The long, wooden dining table that seemed to glimmer under the small chandelier had been the quietest and most listless place in the entire household on weekends. The clattering of the silverware against the ceramic plates and bowls were the only sounds that could break the silence of the dining room. Besides the clinking ceramics, there were sighs to listen to as well. A sigh could be heard from the far end of the table, and it would be followed up by a chorus of another exasperated breath on the opposite side. If sighing was a new way of conversing, perhaps the three kids sitting at that side of the table were chatting for a long time now.

The paintings of the sceneries from dead people's imaginations hanged on the wall, decorating the spacious dining room with colours of summer, cottages and lakes. Some had portraits of a beautiful lady in a frilly dress and fancy parasol, standing amid a sunflower field. The head of the house wished to put on these paintings on the walls, claiming that they reminded him of the day when he met his lifetime partner. He would always tell this to his children when he would eat dinner with them - which was not like everyday and well, never on weekends either. And he would always talk about their first meeting when his wife was never around.

Round, black-rimmed, green eyes stared at the paintings on the wall opposite his seat. A man in black coat sitting near the pond had a tall hat on him. It was the sort of the hat circus magicians had; the same hat where bunnies and pigeons would come out, leaving the audience wondering how those animals fit in there. The young boy blinked innocently, his small hands remained still against his mug of milk. He kept staring at that painting for another minute, no one would pay attention to his untouched dinner; and after what felt like an eternity, he heaved a sigh. It was quickly followed by a chorus of sigh from his siblings seated before him, who were a year older than him.

"Mikuo, will you please stop doing that?" the eldest boy seated two chairs away from the so-called Mikuo said, his voice almost echoing in the dining hall. The teenage boy's sharp, forest-green eyes tried to intimidate the younger boy, who was only five, only to soften when he saw the lonely expression Mikuo was wearing. The boy just looked down on his younger brother's plate, and he too, heaved a sigh. "Mikuo, eat your dinnner. If mum and dad suddenly come here, they won't be glad to see your plate still full."

The younger brother glanced at his elder brother, his eyes twinkling at the sight of his brother's golden locks. "Brother, did dad wear tall hats too?" asked Mikuo, lifting his mug to drink a little of his milk. His question made the second eldest sibling look Mikuo's way, her clear blue eyes narrowing at him. Flipping her pale blue hair back, she cleared her throat.

"What makes you ask, Mikuo? Shouldn't you be eating your dinner rather than asking out-of-the-blue inquiries?" commented Ring, putting down the spoon and fork on her plate silently. She was the second child, two years younger than the eldest child, Lui, who was already fourteen. Unlike Lui who would instantly soften after seeing the child's long face, Ring was rather stern. "Eat your meal, or else I will tell mum."

"Don't talk to him so brashly, Ring. You're scaring the kid," the eldest sibling removed the napkin on his lap and stood from his seat, ignoring the skeptical look his younger sister was giving him. He passed by the seats of the blond twins sitting before Mikuo, and then he turned around to pull a seat next to the lonely boy with round, green eyes. Perhaps his fondness towards his younger brother was because of the green eyes that the two of them shared. Ring and the twins had the cobalt blue eyes of their father.

"Here, Mikuo," said Lui, picking up the spoon to feed Mikuo. The younger boy sighed, wincing his head. Mikuo's sigh was replied by the twins' sigh. Looking at the twins, Lui frowned at them. "Lenka, Rinto. Stop that and finish your dinner."

The blond twins sighed again, but did as what they were told. The twins were already six, and since they were only a year older than Mikuo, that made the green-eyed boy five years old - the youngest child.

"Brother Lui, can't you just ask mum and dad to come and eat with us?" asked Lenka, taking a wisp of her long, platinum hair to twirl it around her forefinger.

Her twin, Rinto, nodded as he wiped his mouth with the table napkin. "Yeah, brother. Mikuo's sulking here."

"No," answered Ring instead. "Either mum or dad eats with us on weekdays, and on weekends we are to dine by ourselves. Brother and I have gotten used to do that since we were little, so were you."

"Eh, that's sad." Mikuo managed to say despite his mouth being full. He was scolded by Lui as soon as he spoke, though.

"That's weird," Rinto emptied his glass of water and stood from his seat, stretching his arms above his head. "Don't you find it weird, Lenka?"

When the twin brother grinned at the girl, Lenka hopped down from her chair and stretched her arms too, imitating her twin. "Yes, very weird. Do you know what it means?"

"Oh, gosh. No, please. Don't start," Ring winced and reached up to nurse the crease forming between her brows.

"Whatever, witch!" exclaimed Rinto and Lenka in unison. The blond twins screamed and jumped in excitement, saying that tonight was the world's greatest sleuths debut. The two ran around the dining hall, circling the dining table as they yelled tonight's mission: find out what mum and dad do on weekends. This excited the youngest child too, making him stir on his seat - only to be scolded by Lui again.

"But Mikuo wanna know too," he puckered his lips and stared up to his blond brother, his father's face almost resembling Lui's. "Please?"

Lui sighed in defeat. Why was he weak against this cute brother of his? Oh, yes. He looked a lot like their mother. "Fine, only after you finish your dinner."

"Really?" Rinto popped on Lui's shoulder, his chin drilling on his shoulder blade. The kid was kneeling on the chair again. The last time Rinto did this, he was only three and he fell off the chair.

"Really?" Another goldilocks popped, this one was on Lui's lap though. Her long blond ponytail tickled his knees. "Does that mean you're coming with us, Brother?"

"Does that mean Sister Witch is coming with us, too? We need her evil magic to hide us in the dark!" Rinto chuckled, jumping down from the chair only to run towards Ring. "Are you joining us, Sister Witch?"

"Who are you calling 'witch', Rinto? Come here!" she tried to catch the boy but he quickly ducked and crawled under the table. "I'll tell mum you're bad mouthing me!"

"That's because you're so uptight," Lui sighed and fed the now happy Mikuo. The boy was swinging his chubby legs back and forth, humming his favorite nursery rhyme as he munched his food.

"And you are so lenient! You should be disciplining them well, not spoiling them," barked Ring, flipping her long hair back once more. She crossed her arms on her chest and held her chin high just to tell that she wouldn't tolerate any of their younger siblings' nonsense.

"They're just children," Lui wiped the suds from Mikuo's face, who in return gave him a cheeky smile. "Just come with us. I know you're curious why they never joined us on dinnertime as well. I mean, the two of them would rarely show up together on the dining table."

The girl scowled, though this was rather a thoughtful scowl than the typical one she would give the annoying Rinto. She wanted to refuse, knowing that if she gave-in, she was being nosy about their parents' business. But then again, parents shouldn't be leaving their children in the cold like this.

"Fine, just this once." Ring stood from her seat and called for Lenka, telling that they would prepare for bed now. Rinto ran out of the table, doing some weird victory dance with his twin as they followed their sister out of the dining hall.

Mikuo, on his brother's arms, asked again if their father was wearing tall hats like the man from the painting, and he was asking this while he was playing with Lui's blond hair. Again, his hair was a lot like his father's.

"I really don't know, Mikuo." Lui smiled and ruffled Mikuo's hair. "Maybe he did. Why don't we interrogate dad later, if Rinto and Lenka capture him later?"

Mikuo's smile widened and his cheeks flushed. Well, that sounded like a great idea for the teal boy.

The five siblings in their pajamas walked stealthily across the hallways. The master's bedroom was located two corridors away from the children's quarters, forcing the children to walk in the dim-lit corridors. Lui had Mikuo sitting on his shoulders, while Ring was keeping the twins from running away. Their steps were carefully taken since the floorboards were quite squeaky, and their mum was very sensitive with noise. Hence, the master's bedroom was located two corridors away.

It was really late in the evening now. They were supposed to be in bed, just like what their nannies had seen earlier. However the children just waited for the nannies to leave them before commencing their special mission. Once the coast was clear - aka all lights were off - the five quickly left the room. And here they were, sneaking out quiet as a mouse.

The mansion where they lived in had hundreds of rooms that neither of the elder siblings had opened before. Most of the rooms were nearly shut. Their father told them that his great granddad lived here before, and so all the grandfathers his granddad had. This house was really old, and yet it was still elegant and well kept. They could tell from the portraits of the unknown faces on the wall, though.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Ring whispered loud enough for Lui and the twins to hear. "Mum wouldn't like it, I swear."

"Sister witch is a chicken," taunted Rinto, tugging on Ring's braid. "Chiiiiiicken."

She glowered at the blond boy and squeezed his hand. "I'll leave you alone later and let's see who's chickening out."

"Witch."

"Hush," the eldest grumbled. "We're almost here, no turning back." Lui put down Mikuo and guided him towards the room at the end of the corridor.

The five could see a line of light on the floor, coming from the ajar door on the right. Lenka pulled away from Ring, running towards the door to peek what was inside. The other four followed her and peered at the door, too. There they saw one of the rare miracles of the manor - seeing their parents together. Usually one of their parents would join them in the table on weekdays, but the two of them going together was a rare sight. Both of them were busy with work, the children were told.

The five gawked in awe. Their mum was sitting on a cushion and was wearing a blue silky robe. She was wearing her long teal hair down, her eyes shut close. The children were convinced from the beginning that their mother was some sort of princess or fairy not only because of her beauty, but also because of her youthful look. Seeing her dressed in nothing but a nightdress, she even looked younger. She was lean and fair, one could mistake her as a maiden. No one could possibly think that she had given birth to five children already.

"Mum is so pretty," Lenka giggled, in which the other four agreed.

"I wanna kiss mum," said Mikuo. Lui told him that he could, later if they were given a chance. Rinto tugged on Lui's sleeves and asked if they wouldn't get caught, but before the eldest could answer they heard their father walking towards their mother.

He was wearing a matching blue pajamas, the same color like his wife. His hair was caught in a pony, other than this one's a high ponytail and his usual was on the nape of his neck. Some wisps of his golden hair fell off the pony, draping his visage with a few thin strands. Like his wife, he was equally beautiful and youthful. He stood behind his wife and handed her a glass of water, and then he began massaging her shoulders.

"Is it just me or our parents looked like they were only on their early twenties?" Ring asked Lui, slowly tearing herself off from the door.

"We know better than that, though. They're both thirty-two," Lui said, picking up Mikuo. "Now, buddy. Let's go. Mum and dad are tired on weekends."

"Do they work extra hard on weekends?" Lenka looked up to Lui, her bright blue eyes seemed to glimmer in the dim light.

"They're working hard to feed us more 'coz we're all growing kids," answered Lui.

"I'm a growing boy, yes," agreed Rinto and began mumbling the details of their mission's success. Ring was trying her best to shush to boy; she was mentally screaming to stop making any form of noise that would notify their parents inside the room. She even put a hand over his mouth.

"Brother, I want to kiss mum and dad. They look so tired," Mikuo placed a sloppy kiss on his brother's cheek and wound his short arms around Lui's neck. "Mum and dad are growing up, too. Right? Who work to feed them? They look tired."

Lui smiled at his brother's request. He ruffled the boy's hair before looking back at Ring and the twins, whispering that he would knock so they could get in. And so he did, rapping his fist on the door.

"Mum, dad, can we get in?"

The door was pulled open. Standing before them was their father, towering like their wardrobe. Lui instantly noticed that he was standing right under his father's nose. Lui had grown taller over summer.

"Oh, children." He picked up the twins in his arms and walked inside the room. His wife was staring at them, her tired green eyes widened in surprise. "A gang of cute kids come to pay us a visit, Miku."

"Lui, Ring," the mother stood and tightened her robe around her. She beckoned the elder siblings to come to her arms, and the two ran swiftly and hugged her. Placing a kiss on their heads, she asked how was their day. She even took Mikuo from Lui's arms. "Aw, someone had gotten fatter."

"We are doing fine, mum. It's just Mikuo is a little sad, since neither you nor dad showed earlier." Lui smiled. His mum was really beautiful.

"And because of that, he almost didn't eat his meal, hadn't Brother fed him," added Ring.

"Is that true, sweetie?" Miku ignored the twins screaming as her husband let them hang onto his arms. She walked to the bed with the Ring and Lui.

Ring couldn't stop staring at her, she resembled Mikuo a lot. Of course, why else would she name the youngest after her?

"I just want to see you and dad," the boy answered softly, his round eyes looked glassy. "You look tired, mum. Can I kiss that away?"

The mother chuckled softly and nodded. The boy leaned forward and kissed his mother on the lips, then he asked if he could do that to dad too. This made the mother laugh once more before putting the kid on the bed.

"Len, will you stop that? You guys are so noisy," Miku said and rose from the bed, taking the twins by the hand. The twins instantly pulled her down by the arm and kissed her on the cheeks. The husband swept her from the twins in a jiffy, though.

"My, my, it's time to go to bed now. Mum's really tired. Give us your good night kisses, kids." Len put her down on the mattress, ignoring Miku's glares. The kids kissed their parents good night and left the room. Mikuo kissed Len the longest though, saying that he was kissing his dad's tiredness away. When he asked if his dad wore tall hats too, Len said that no one would wear them anymore.

Len followed the kids back to their room, assuring that they would go to bed, and he apologized for his absence on tonight's dinner. He and his wife had to always visit his parents on weekends to take care of some matters. When the kids bid him another good night, the father went back to his room and found his wife waiting on the bed, the smile on her face from earlier was gone.

"Miku," he called, occupying his side of the bed as he leaned in for a kiss. Miku just let him do what he wanted. "I thought you'd feel better when you see the kids. I told you, they'd be coming tonight."

His voice was laced with concern and sweetness just like fourteen years ago when they married. Among all guys in the world she chose him, because he was the one she loved. Moreover, he was the father of her children. As much as she wanted to cheer up for him, to make him worry less, she couldn't help but crinkle her face and knit her brows. Weekends were the most stressful part of the week.

"I am happy to see them, Len. Of course." Facing him, she placed a cool hand on his cheek. His face never changed at all; he was still the beautiful and glowing man she used to know. "It's your mom's fault why I'm always over thinking. She's making childbirth a competition. Why do you have to be born in a big family, Len? And why were you the first one to marry in your family, huh? The pressure is all mine, you know, being your wife."

"Don't mind mum," he mumbled and pulled his wife to his arms and played with her hair. "We have our own big family now. And anyway, I don't want to have a dozen of kids who wouldn't get along really well. That's based on experience."

"How can I not mind, Len? She's always like that when we are coming over. Am I that slutty to her? She kept on bringing up how we married fourteen years ago."

The blond let out a hoarse chuckle, burying his nose in her hair. They smelled like jasmine, really nice. "You're always slutty to me, Miku."

Miku's nails began to dig on his beautiful face. Of course, he was the same man. He was always that playful, rich jerk she used to hate many years ago. "Watch your language, Len Kagamine. Say that again and you'll get a divorce."

"Oh no, you won't," the blond pulled her hand away from his face and kissed her knuckles. "We have five children and I won't hand them over to you and your parents. I don't want them to wear the same sailor uniforms all throughout their childhood."

"Are you mocking my dad's upbringing?"

"No, no," he winced, voice still sweet (and surprisingly annoying). "I'm not making fun of you, not at all. In fact, I'd like to see you in a sailor uniform once more."

"Really," she looked at him, aghast. "Why did I marry you?"

"We both know just how bold we were when we're teenagers," he winked; she shrugged. "But that's because we love each other, don't we?" added he.

"Perhaps."

Len laughed and hugged her closer. He was addicted to the warmth of her body whenever he would trap her in his embrace. The first time he did this though, he got massive black eye. "Don't 'perhaps' me, Mrs Kagamine. You know I hated that word the most." When Miku didn't say a word, he whispered to her ears, "The kids have grownup, haven't they? I kind of felt guilty for not spoiling them. When we had Lui, I thought we would spoil the boy a lot."

"I know," she whispered back, resting her head comfortably on his arm. "Lui is such a good brother. Have you seen how he held Mikuo in his arms? He's such a gentle boy. I can't believe he's fourteen now."

"Yeah," Len sighed. "I can still remember when we first made him in the courtyard-" Miku punched his stomach. She was glaring up at him now. Really. And they say marriage life is boring? It's certainly vexing for Miku.

"Why are you so...ugh. Act your age, Len. We're not teenagers anymore." She continued on her tirade, reminding him that they were on their early thirties now; and if anything, they were no younger than how they looked. Her husband just laughed and kissed her on the forehead as an apology. This side of her was a lot of fun to deal with as well, because when they were younger, she would fluster once the issue was brought up. Right now, it angered her a lot. The catch, he thought she looked sexier when she was mad.

"I won't forget any of that, you know."

a/n. yep, 32-14=18. the two were young parents lol, they're rich kids anw; this is definitely not set in 21st century. (i had fun writing this lol)