Every act has its consequences...
I'm sorry for leaving this abandoned for 2 years.
Many things happened in my life that discouraged me from continuing the story, but I can assure you that this is not cancelled.
It will continue until the end and more!
No matter what!
I hope this 2nd chapter will make up for the waiting time.
Remember that there is a Spanish version of this fanfic.
This is for latin fans.
If there are any :')
Yureimoto Village - Japan, January 14, 20XX, 18:28 pm
Osamu and Amaya returned to their home in Yureimoto Villa, they were greeted by their daughter Fumiko, along with her boyfriend Haru and some rather fearful servants. The latter asked them if they needed anything, to which Amaya reacted with annoyance and made them all shut up, ordering them not to disturb her.
Fumiko instructed the servants to leave, which they did without a second thought. Besides that, Fumiko noticed that, unlike her mother, her father looked quite... calm, which she didn't know if it was good or bad.
She walked over to her parents with Haru behind her. He stayed by her side out of caution, as she never knew if the Yureimoto Patriarchs would get stern with her.
"Mother, did something happen?" Fumiko asked.
"Fumiko, I'm not in the mood to explain." said the matriarch sternly. "Stand down, and take your pet with you."
Fumiko clenched her fists tightly, feeling very angry at the comment her mother made towards her boyfriend Haru. Ever since last year's Night Parade, her mother wasted no opportunity to make derogatory and cruel remarks towards Haru. However, as much as she wanted to, there was nothing she could do, so she had no choice but to swallow her anger and endure.
"As you command mother." Fumiko said with a bow in farewell.
Her father approached her and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't feel bad, your mother is just very tired from the trip." Osamu said smiling, not giving importance to his wife's attitude. "Oh, by the way, call your siblings, I want to see you all in the throne room as soon as possible, we need to talk about something very important."
She and Haru saw them enter the house, but not before seeing that on Osamu's back rested what seemed to be 2 gray rabbits, which when they were discovered hid among the feathers of the Daitengu.
They both wondered who they were and why they were hiding, but they would have to remain in doubt for the time being.
On their way to Fumiko's office, intending to pick up the phone and call everyone, they saw in the distance Ena and her butler Kenji coming from the garden of the house, both carrying some pots and planting tools.
"What are they doing?" Fumiko called out to them.
"We were planting some flowers. And I must say that the garden is looking beautiful." Ena expressed enthusiastically showing her sister the beautiful carnivorous flowers she was carrying.
After the destruction of her garden by the palace party a year earlier, Ena had been doing her best to fix it up. It wasn't easy for her, but over the months the garden has slowly been returning to its former glory.
"I see. I'm afraid you'll have to postpone what you're doing, mom and dad want us to meet in the throne room later"
Ena and Kenji were a bit surprised at this, as it was unusual for the patriarch of the family to gather them all together. Everyone had their own lives and things, so if this happened it must have been for something important.
"By the way, do you know where Kentaro is?" asked Fumiko to Ena and Kenji.
She had not seen her brother all day, and she had to locate him as soon as possible for the meeting.
"I don't know, although now that you mention it... I haven't seen him all day." Ena replied, looking thoughtful about it.
Fumiko nodded, agreeing with her sister. She hadn't seen her brother today either. She hadn't even seen him leave the house. Which was extremely strange, since he always let them know if he was going out.
"I saw him leave, my lady." Kenji said, stopping Fumiko's train of thought.
"Do you know where he went?" Fumiko asked her sister's butler.
"Ehh, he said something about having to go help a friend organize a party… yeah, b-because it was a relative's birthday today." Kenji replied, trying not to sound nervous as he spoke, failing in the process. "B-but he said he would be back before sunset."
It was obvious to Fumiko that he was hiding something, but she didn't have time to find out anything. She had work to do.
"Okay, Ena go get Mayumi, please. Tell her to get ready, and you should too." She pointed to Ena's gardening clothes, which were very dirty.
"Yes, of course!" Ena shouted, embarrassed that she had not noticed the state of her clothes, proceeded to go, taking the carnivorous flowers with her.
"Haru, Kenji, can you go get Kentaro, please? I have to call Yori, Emiko and Rin."
Both boys nodded, said goodbye to her and went their separate ways. Once they got far enough away, the two of them turned a corner to have some privacy.
"¿Really?! A party!" Haru muttered, scolding him "Couldn't you think of something better? Fumiko almost caught you."
"¡Hey! I'm sorry, okay? I got nervous and it was the only thing I could think of. Besides, you were supposed to call him to remind him to come back before tonight." Kenji defended himself, almost raising his voice. To which Haru shushed him.
"Okay, okay, you're right about that." said Haru accepting the blame "But you almost ruined it by saying that Kentaro went to a party."
"Well, technically that's true, but I "left out" the most important part, so the "secret" is still safe... I think."
Haru sighed, seeing that this conversation was leading to nothing. What was done was done, and there was no way to change that anymore.
"Let 's get Kentaro."
Osamu and Amaya had arrived at the throne room, making sure that no one was there, they wanted to be alone, especially for their "guests".
"You can leave now." Amaya said as she turned her back to her husband.
Between the plumage of Osamu's wings, two small figures peeked out, a pair of dark gray rabbits, who inspected the area before hopping out.
"Wow, that was great!" shouted one of the rabbits, a female rabbit with gray fur with white spots and black eyes, had around her neck a necklace with a crescent-shaped talisman.
"Shinju, behave yourself." scolded her companion, a rabbit of similar appearance who also wore a collar around his neck with a moon-shaped talisman.
Both at first glance were identical to any rabbit in the world, but with the obvious difference that they could talk, being a pair of Gyokuto, a very special Yokai species of rabbits that live on the moon. These beings, in turn, were very present in the cultures and legends of many countries, not only in Japan.
They were not anthropomorphic beings, but they had the reasoning of a human being, being able to express themselves and communicate like any thinking living being.
"Oh come on Satoshi, the trip was fun, you have to relax once in a while you know." said Shinju enthusiastically and stomping one of her paws.
The phrase "lost children" made Amaya grimace in disgust, for it was a reminder of the situation her family was now in.
Shinju raised a paw to ask for the floor.
"Lord Osamu, not that I want to question it but... how exactly are we going to look for them? I mean, there are hundreds of Yokais all over Japan, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack." Shinju expressed doubtfully, to which her brother tapped her on the back of the neck with his paw.
"Our eyes Shinju! Remember?!" Satoshi shouted, slightly annoyed by his sister's cluelessness.
"Ohh... right." Shinju flashed a big smile, laughing a little in embarrassment at having forgotten such an important detail.
"Your sister is right." Osamu said calmly, then showed a small smile. "You can't just go around Japan visiting every village, prefecture or city. It would take them 100 years or even more to find my children." Osamu explained, and it was those last words that made Amaya grimace, as her husband's relaxed attitude on the subject of his other "children" seemed cheeky to her.
Both rabbit brothers pondered their words, and indeed Osamu was right, they could not start this mission without a plan.
This was practically their first "important" job and they did not want to disappoint the Yureimoto family and much less the Three Wise Monkeys.
"That is why my children, my wife and I will contribute to the search." Osamu expressed, with a willingness to help in this mission that was quite impressive.
That simple comment was enough to break Amaya's patience, who could not take it anymore.
"No." said Amaya firmly, being direct with her decision. The two rabbits and Osamu looked at her expectantly at her words. "You won't count on me in this."
With those last words the matriarch of the family proceeded to withdraw from the throne room, leaving Satoshi and Shinju confused, and her husband Osamu very disappointed and slightly annoyed by her decision, he preferred not to focus on it for now, he would have time to talk to her.
Blairwood - USA, January 14, 20XX, 7:25 am
Like every year, cold temperatures and snow abounded in this small town. Families stay in their homes sheltering from the frigid cold. And a small family of four was one of them.
The Williams' were in the dining room of their home having breakfast, as the family's daughter, Erma, was still on vacation and it would be several days before she returned to school.
Near them was the family pet, a dog named Siris, who was eating from a small bowl. They usually fed him outside, but since it was very cold they preferred to keep him inside the house to keep him comfortable and prevent him from getting sick.
You could say it was a typical morning for a family like this.
And for someone in particular, Emiko Williams was very happy, she always enjoyed moments like this with her husband and daughter. Together, in their home, at peace and, of course, starting a new year.
A new year full of possibilities, goals and desires.
From one moment to the next there was the sound of the telephone ringing on the kitchen wall. Someone was calling the Williams' house. But who could it be?
Sam was about to get up to answer the phone, but his wife told him to stay put, that she would answer it. The man didn't object and let her go.
Emiko unhooked the phone from the wall, brought it up to her ear and answered.
"Hello?"
"Hello Emiko!"
"HeyYori! How are you?" expressed Emiko with joy when she saw that the caller on the house phone was her sister Yori.
Both sisters after the Night Parade had made it a point to keep in touch, and without a doubt, it was something Emiko loved, as they were getting back to living together as they did many years ago. Of course it was not limited to Yori alone, but she also tried to keep in touch with her other siblings.
"I'm fine, thank you for asking. I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, I know it's early over there, but Fumiko called me, she wants us to go to the village." Yori explained, and when Emiko heard that, she became alert.
"What?! Why?! Did something bad happen?!" Emiko asked, with a slight tone of concern in her voice.
Her reaction did not go unnoticed by Sam and Erma, who turned to her.
"I don't know, she only said that dad wants to see all of us urgently."
"And do you have any idea why?" Emiko asked, feeling a shiver run up her spine.
"I haven't the slightest idea, it seems like he wants to discuss something very important with us, or something like that."
Emiko continued on the line, getting lost in her thoughts, elaborating and imagining whatever reason her parents wanted to see both her and her siblings. And if she was honest with herself, it didn't bode well.
"Emiko, are you there?"
"Ahh, yes Yori, I'm sorry." Emiko apologized to her sister, she hadn't realized that she was still talking to her because she was lost in her thoughts "What were you saying?"
"I was asking you if Mitsu and Momo could stay at your house, I can't leave them alone, and I don't have anyone to leave them with either."
Emiko thought about it for a few moments. She knew of the difficulties her sister had to go through raising two girls alone, so lending her a hand would be a great favor to her. However, she couldn't ignore the fact that both her daughter Erma and her nieces didn't get along very well, and most likely if they were put together at home, things would get quiet... chaotic.
But, a very good idea came to her mind.
Felicia
She would call her and ask her that besides taking care of Erma she would also take care of her nieces, of course she would have to give her extra payment for it, but it would be worth it. Besides, considering how well the girl got along with her daughter, and how well she did her job as a nanny, she was sure she could also deal with the twins, even get along with them.
It was a great idea!
"You can leave them here Yori."
"Thanks to Santiago, you just saved my life." Yori sighs in relief, grateful to her sister. "But... are you sure Sam will be able to take care of the girls by himself?"
"I never said Sam was going to stay." Emiko would rather have holy water poured in her eyes than go to Japan without her husband.
"But then, who is going to stay and take care of them?"
"You don't worry about that, I've got it all figured out."
Tokyo - Japan - January 14, 20XX, 20:43 pm
To say that Mitsu and Momo were upset was an understatement.
Their mother had told them a while ago that she would have to go to the Villa on some business with their grandparents, they both figured she would take them with her, just as she had done on other occasions. While they weren't big fans of going there, this time they were looking forward to going, as they could take the opportunity to play some pranks on the palace servants. And with any luck, their grandmother would give them some gifts.
Unfortunately for them, however, their mother had other plans.
"For the last time, I'm not taking you with me." Yori said, her patience hanging by a thread.
But if there was one thing Mitsu and Momo had, it was an almost implacable stubbornness.
"But mom!"
"I said no, you're both staying at your aunt's house, end of discussion!"
Mitsu and Momo thought of objecting but their mother's angry expression made them retract, with that they gave up, for nothing they could do would convince her anymore. The twins turned their backs on her, crossing their arms and grumbling with indignation.
Yori sighed, trying not to think about it too much, the last thing she wanted was to stress herself out more. She took out her cell phone, opened the message tray and wrote a message to Emiko that she was almost ready for her to pick them up.
This last minute meeting her parents had made caught her off guard. She didn't like this kind of thing, but she knew she had no choice.
At first she thought about taking her daughters, but given the time, and the fact that she would not be able to take care of them, she was forced to look for someone to take care of them while she was away.
No babysitter wanted to take care of her daughters, Mitzu and Momo made sure to chase them all away, which at the time earned them several punishments. She didn't have time to look for one, but she soon thought of her sister Emiko and was grateful for her hand in this.
Once she had prepared the things in her bag she proceeded to check her daughters' backpacks. Finding inside slingshots, pellets, rockets and... a spell book?
Of course they would have that in their backpacks.
"Really?" Yori looked at her daughters and they pretended to be oblivious, as if they didn't know how those things got in their backpacks.
Yori certainly took all that stuff out of the backpacks, to which her daughters complained, but she ignored it.
She couldn't let the girls take these things to Emiko's house. She knows that her daughters were in no danger, after all she has seen that they know how to handle these things well even if she forbids them to use them, but we are talking about her sister's house, plus there would be her niece and the nanny there.
A girl Emiko talked to her a lot about, saying she was a great person, how she got along so well with Erma and other anecdotes.
However, Yori feared that this was not enough for the girl to reach out to Mitsu and Momo, both of them had too strong and proud personalities.
At times Yori couldn't help but see herself mirroring them.
However, Emiko had made it clear to her that the girl was excellent, of that she had no doubt, but it never hurt to be forewarned. So once she made sure there were no dangerous objects in the backpacks she asked the girls to take out whatever they had in their pockets.
"Why?" asked Momo with mock confusion.
"You know why." Yori replied, folding her arms.
Both girls, seeing no way out, were resigned to digging in their pants pockets and sweater pockets. Yori was not surprised when they started pulling out other slingshots, rockets and so on.
She let out a sigh, this would take a while.
Blairwood - USA, January 14, 20XX, 9:50 am
The doorbell of the Williams house rang and Sam went to open the door, letting in Felicia who was accompanied by another person. Both were bundled up warmly to combat the frigid cold outside.
Erma quickly arrived on the scene, for she knew it was Felicia. She flew straight to her, hugging her tightly. She had not seen her for several weeks, more specifically since Christmas, so it was to be expected that she had missed her very much.
Felicia staggered a little when Erma pounced on her, giving her a tight hug which the girl reciprocated.
"Hey kiddol! I see you missed me too much." Felicia said as she put Erma down and turned to her companion.
Erma noticed Felicia's companion, a person who had many thick sweaters on top, plus a scarf around her neck and a cold cap that covered most of her face. At the same time it was evident that all these garments made it difficult for her to walk, because she walked slowly, as if she was afraid of stumbling at any moment.
"I told you not to wear so many sweaters, you look like a penguin." Felicia let out a few laughs, something the girl in front of her didn't like.
"Do you think I wanted to wear them?! You know my grandmother wouldn't let me go out if I didn't wear all these sweaters!" shouted the girl, who because of all the sweaters was having a hard time unbuttoning them.
That made Felicia laugh even harder, and she couldn't help but find her friend's situation very funny.
"Instead of laughing at me, help me!"
Felica helped her take off all those sweaters, there were at least 2 thick sweaters and 2 simple ones, and once free of these the girl proceeded to remove the leafy scarf from her face and the snow cap, panting with a red face but feeling relieved, as she was finding it hard to breathe.
Erma recognized her immediately when she saw her.
Wearing a black sweater with a picture of a voodoo doll in the middle, black pants and boots, and with her trademark fluffy, messy hair dyed pink was Kirsty Downs, Felicia's best friend.
It had been a long time since she had heard from her. She met her at Felicia's birthday party, and the two of them got along quite well on that occasion. For a while she accompanied her and Felicia at home, and occasionally she would run into her on the street or in the supermarket.
They weren't close, but they weren't strangers either, they were more like those friends you see every so often.
But anyway, it was really a surprise for Erma to see Kirsty here.
"Hi Erma. It's been a while." Kirsty said greeting Erma, bent down to her level and shook her hand in greeting.
Erma opened her mouth to say something, but was quickly interrupted by her mother.
"Oh! Felicia, Kirsty!" Emiko greeted both girls kindly and they greeted her back. "We've been waiting for you, I guess the cold outside almost froze you, huh?" Emiko commented with amusement looking at Kirsty's pile of sweaters.
The girl shrugged, letting out a giggle, amused by Emiko's comment.
Sam and Emiko hadn't planned to hire Kirsty, but after Felicia related to them that the girl had been looking for a job for some time to earn extra income for their household, they decided to hire her along with Felicia. And after some reflection, this was the best thing to do, because this way Felicia would have someone to help her with the girls. Not that they doubted her ability, but she could certainly use the help.
Sam and Emiko chatted with both girls, giving them some directions before they left.
"Thank you so much for agreeing to babysit my nieces, girls. I know it's a bit sudden, but we had a last minute commitment." said Emiko, as she put her purse on her shoulder.
"Don't worry about it Mrs. Williams, believe me, we have no problem with taking care of three girls." Felicia declared, looking very confident.
"Ok, our numbers are in the kitchen and we left food to reheat, but you can order something if you want. We're not sure what time we'll be back, so we wanted to know if you have a problem staying with them all day." said Sam, who had sensed for a while that the meeting with his in-laws would last quite a while, and considering the big time difference between Japan and the United States, their schedules are certainly going to clash a lot with all of them.
"Well, I don't have a problem with that. I'd just need to let my mother know first." Felicia pulled out her cell phone to make the call. She stepped back a bit for a little privacy.
"In that case, I'll call my grandmother. I don't want her to worry." said Kirsty who, like Felicia, moved to make her call.
Emiko felt a little nervous, not so much about leaving the girls alone, Felicia and Kirsty would be with them, no, she felt nervous about the meeting with her parents. The fact that she didn't know why they were summoned was only making her tense, and that was reflected in the way she was clasping her hands together and playing with them.
Sam noticed it immediately, he knew his wife very well.
He slipped an arm around her shoulders and drew her to him, in a gesture to calm her nerves. He knew that for his wife the issue with her father was not easy, even if Osamu treated him well he did not minimize the events of the past, both with his wife and with his sisters-in-law and brother-in-law.
Erma on the other hand was sitting in the living room of the house, looking a bit anxious, occasionally going back to watching TV. Her mother would be going through this set in a while to pick up her aunt Yori and her cousins to bring them here.
It was a quicker method of travel than flying around or making portals with scrolls.
Her nerves were because she feared what Mitsu and Momo might do to Felicia and Kirsty, she knew what they were like and although they weren't mean, Erma knew they could go overboard with their antics. She was able to put up with them, at least to some extent, but Felicia and Kirsty didn't know them, and considering that facade of "innocence" they had, the last thing Erma wanted was to get them on her side.
She couldn't make Felicia and Kirsty leave the house, but she had an idea.
Stay close to them so nothing would happen to them.
At least in her head it seemed to be a great idea.
Before she could continue with her tangle of thoughts, Kirsty sat down next to her.
"Oh boy! It sure is freezing outside, isn't it?" Kirsty nudged Erma a little, making her laugh in the process. "You know, I envy how you can stand this weather, I guess ghost powers eh."
Kirsty wanted to lighten the mood, and just thought to start with this statement. And apparently it worked.
She had noticed Erma's attitude for a while now, and it wasn't hard for her to figure out why.
Felicia had told her about Erma's cousins, of course Felicia herself didn't know them, but from the way the girl described them, it was clear that they were one of those difficult children.
Kirsty wasn't too worried, she thought they were just girls who had a lot of energy and just needed some firmness to keep them calm. It was something even Felicia did, for as much as she and Erma were like sisters and got into mischief together, there were times when she had to stand her ground, for at the end of the day she was the oldest and the one in charge.
For Kirsty this would be a piece of cake.
"How hard can it be to take care of three girls?" Kirsty thought to herself.