Just Another Morning. {Closed/Tsutsugami & Friends}

Time, for people like Kouta, was a strange little thing. For centuries, people had pondered about how desperate the plight of time made the victimized human race, with infamous quotes about how "time is the greatest teacher. Or, would be, if it didn't kill all of its students" but Kouta could just change time around and make things age, wither and die or become young and beautiful again all for his own entertainment. For such a man, time must be like water on a flightless bird's back... but that wasn't the case.

Kouta had never grown to like early-mornings, no matter how important he considered them. Early mornings were one of the best times of the day, they allowed people to do their activity without having to be watched by the scornful eye of the public, but they also required someone to disturb their own sleep patterns to be able to meet it properly, and for someone who lived as active a life as Kouta did, sleep was deadly important. But, he couldn't just wake up early and go to bed early; "early to rise, early to bed, makes life so boring that I wish I were dead", not to mention the obvious fact that the amount needed to be done in a day far exceeded the amount of hours there were to actually do said things. Time wasn't a luxury that he had, ironic as it might sound. That was why he felt like he was getting less and less sleep as he slowly approached into his middle age. He wasn't even thirty and already he had become so decrepit...

He ran a hand through his hair, smiling slightly; time was fleeting even for someone like him. Stepping out into the dew-kissed morning grass, he couldn't help but hear the pitter-patter sound of running feet. His eyes scanned the area for where the sound had come from, and soon found the bearer of those noisy feet...  his niece. There was something about her that reminded him of himself when he was that age; with unbound energy, constantly getting into trouble, making his parents worry... no, they never did worry, they just seemed to get mad. Shaking his head to get rid of that unpleasant little thought, he smiled at her antics, apparently undisturbed by the somewhat depressing tangent his thoughts had just traversed. 

What made it funnier was that Taiki, his one and only nephew, was being his usual self.  He forced himself not to chuckle at the boy's somewhat cowardly actions; running around like that just because it was cold? He wondered if Haruki had begun training him properly yet, for that wasn't a reaction that he expected off of someone who was in the middle of their training. He was wearing open-toed sandals at this time of the morning, the frozen dew slicking his feet as he walked, and even he wasn't reacting as badly as the boy was. In fact, after you've got used to it day after day, it was somewhat therapeutic. His approach was silent, something that he had very little control over nowadays. Even when he wasn't trying to be silent, it felt like it was his default mode of walking, but anyone who looked in his direction for half a moment would have noticed him. 

"Don't worry about Natsuki-chan, my dear. After all, if she wasn't causing trouble, we might have to question if she was a true Tsutsugami." he joked, announcing his arrival and probably making Taiki jump once more. The servant girl seemed honestly surprised to see him, though she clearly didn't mind having his company, considering it helped to diffuse some of the awkwardness of being alone with her master and his son, both of whom she must have felt like she disappointed. "I'm sure that Haru-nii and I got into ten times her trouble when we were her age. Just make sure she's safe; I can heal any broken vases or damaged paintings, but I can't heal my precious niece."

Finally approaching his family, the familiar grin that almost constantly covered his face was there, before crouching down and ruffling Nat's hair affectionately. The girl scooted off to be able to prepare the breakfast, obviously hoping not to get in any more trouble today. Despite how lenient Kouta was with people who screwed up with little mistakes like this, haruki had never been a forgiving sort, and he could understand exactly why she seemed to flee from under his gaze. He'd despised the man a long time ago, before he realized just how wonderful a person he could be when given the chance. Still, turning his attention to the boy who jumped at the cold, he couldn't help but tease him slightly.

 "You know, Taiki, you could do with being a bit more adventurous like your sister here. It's in our blood to be a danger-chasing lot, and if a little cold is the worst that we can expect from the world around us... well, then we should prove to be very lucky indeed. Besides, as a great man once said, "'tis healthy to be sick sometimes". If we can't be sick, we can't develop immune systems, and then where would we be?"

It was at this point that he realized that the lad probably had no idea what an immune system was, and that that little quote had probably gone so far over his head, it had hit the wall and stuck in it. Henry David thoreau was a genius... but probably so far beyond tai right now that it was like speaking of space to a caveman still looking for fire. He loved the boy, but sometimes he forgot how long it took children to mature. He'd been a killer by the boys age, and that was not a fate he desired for the boy. He should let the boy make his own mistakes and grow at his own pace, even if that meant shivering at the cold grass on a morning like this. 

Three hours and forty six minutes.

A new record, but one that didn't settle the churn in her stomach any as she felt her husband's departure from the bed they agreed to share. Time enough between them had passed that she learned how to play the part of a sleeping woman without a care in the world. An arm tucked between head and pillow, legs curled slightly, and back curved forward enough that she appeared smaller, more vulnerable than they both knew she was, Cecania waited until she heard the shower turn on before the dusty rose colored lashes parted to reveal the too alert teal of her vibrantly colored eyes. Her gaze sought the aid of an alarm clock at the sleek nightstand, the numbers blinking in time to reveal the hour and her sigh buried itself into the pillow.

She slid a hand out to feel the place his body left an imprint with inquisitive fingers. Still warm, bed covers dipped and pulled where he had been. Her body moved, leaving the little burrow of her own space to invade the one he'd abandoned for his morning ritual with a soft sigh of skin and satin against the sheets. Cecania lay there, feeling much the pathetic teenager she had been with her arms wrapped about his pillow and face buried into it. There was always precious little time for her to savor the warmth he left behind, to play the little fairytale out within her mind that all was well, that she had merely woken up too late to bid him a good morning, and that each day would begin as favorably as they always would.

The shower turned off, and she listened, smiling as she heard the ritualistic care of his extraordinarily long hair begin. He hadn't cut it in years, if ever, and that he still spent such time and devotion to that part of himself was something that never failed to amuse her. Endearing little vanities, he had so few of them, and the ones he did have were the ones she treasured the most.

Particularly since those who complained about his appearance being rather effeminate usually wound up the victims of an admittedly cruel prank that never ceased to be entertaining.
His nails were going to need to be redone, she thought with a frown, the chips out of the color in her own meticulously cared for nails reminded her of that. The smile curved further, softening her face to that of a woman who was utterly besotted. For a man who has practically mastered the fine art of calligraphy, one would think painting his own nails would be nothing. Not that she would mind, she'd only been doing that exact task since they'd been children and he had taken an interest in the nail art she'd been practicing on herself.

The pink haired woman cocked her head to the side, estimating the amount of time left to her and rolled back over to her side of the bed- pillow successfully stolen in the endearing way of a woman who'd half-woken to find their beloved no longer there, and had grabbed something of theirs to content themselves with.

At least, it was supposed to be endearing.

She doubted it drew anything other than a frown of annoyance and a shake of his head before he left the bedroom, and thus herself to do as she would when she "woke up".

Were it not an obvious ploy meant to get his attention, I would almost see about giving the girls and Taiki another sibling. The idea had merit, she wasn't old enough to where pregnancy would be terribly harsh on her body, or would put the child in any danger. Plus, being "spoiled" with attention during her pregnancy had allowed her to dream of a day where they might put aside... everything and be who they had been to one another.

She frowned, calculating the "prime" years she had left before matters of age and hormonal changes would begin to disfavor her. Natsuki was old enough for a sibling, really, and it would do her little darling good to understand that she could not be pampered forever. Another son would be nice though, her eyes flicked to the framed photograph of their family after the traditional shrine visit to celebrate their daughter's fifth birthday.

Her son had been a delightful surprise, one that had made her throat swell with pride that her firstborn had not only been healthy despite her own complications, but had been male in a traditionally minded family. Though she would call him 'spirited' in kindness, the boy's headstrong nature needed careful handling, lest he grow too reckless and arrogant. Rules of succession had their place in society, it wouldn't hurt to shake up that confidence a bit and make him realize that he had to conform to particular standards if he wished to reach his full potential.

She would broach the subject with her husband after-

The phone rang, the name on the screen filling her with foreboding as she swiped the screen to answer.

"Hello?"

--

She was going to find a way to have that man replaced with someone competent, and would fire him herself with a smile on her face and a fire in her eyes the likes of which few of those fools had ever seen in their lives.

Lavender nails tapped in a furious sounding chatter against the keyboard as she booked the flights to and from their destination, muttering to herself all the while. Los Angeles house was close by, meaning packing would be minimal and thus save them time in the long run...

The sound of a delighted girl-child broke the tension mounting in the room, followed shortly by the high pitched shrieking giggles of one being tickled to pieces by her rather doting father.

Cecania pushed away from the desk with a low chuckle and headed for the door that would take her out to the gardens where her littlest child- a flare of energy- and her son awaited the rest of the family. Natsuki might have been little, but she had a voice that could reach the other side of Mount Fuji if she put her mind to it. Her brother in law was there as well, his voice floating over along with Natsuki's exclamation in between giggles and shrieks.

Taiki was going to end up with his first lecture of the morning, for certain. She had told him that practice remained strictly for appropriate times, and showing off was a waste of energy.

She smiled as she leaned against one of the wooden support pillars, arms folded over her chest as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. Koyuki and Maiko must have been up late into the night, the former likely working with "Beni", and the latter ensuring her schedule for the next several weeks.

"Perish the thought, and here I thought you loved your brother and I." Warm affection filled the mock horrified tone that floated from the place the wife of the Daimyo had chosen to stay and observe.

Long black skirt fell just below her knees and danced in the breeze as she moved to ruffle her son's hair affectionately, leaning down to press a kiss against his forehead and squeeze him to her. Mommy cooties, she thought with a smile. "We will chat about your performance later, my little light." She murmured softly to him. The affection didn't completely conceal the disapproval in her tone, though the manner in which she gave him another short squeeze spoke that she wasn't terribly upset at him.

His mother being "overly huggy" with him would have to be enough punishment for now.

Natsuki squealed, demanding to be put down and threw herself headlong into her mother's arms. Lavender hair whipped about like the wavy petal pink locks of her mother's as she spun the child about and kissed her cheeks. "As for you," she spoke to the child in her arms, smile widening at the giggling girl's wide eyed innocence. "were you playing hide and seek with the maids again?" Giggles were her only answer, followed by a arms thrown about her neck and a head tucked under her chin.

Cecania shook her head, casting a look in Haruki and Kouta's direction. "Noise and energy this early in the morning surely means we have been blessed with health. It is good to see you in such high spirits, Kouta." She gave as much of a bow in greeting as she could with the little imp squealing and demanding she "do it again faster". Her news regarding business would have to wait, just a little bit longer.

Enough that she could savor the moment of "family" being reunited and as one for the morning.

Six in the morning. Who got up at six in the morning?

“Apparently my family.” the girl answered herself. She tried to slip back into the dream she’d been having, hair fanned out over her back in a sort of cloak, working in conjunction with her blanket to block out the outside world. The squeals of her little sister were too much to ignore though. So energetic and happy, it shattered any expectations she had of being able to get back to sleep. Just another morning that she wouldn’t be able to get all the sleep she deserved after being up all night researching and cataloging everything she could find on the chupacabra. She was almost certain by this point the creature was a small hollow with some sort of power that allowed it to suck all the blood out of it’s victim though a small hole. Though to what effect other than death of the target, she had no clue. Probably for that express purpose so that it could then eat the soul. Must have bee a pitiful thing though if all this time had passed and it still wasn’t able to take on a human frequently.

“Alright Yuki, get up you lazy bum.” she chastised herself, rising from her bed and looking around. Of course since it was early morning and they lived in the shadow of a dormant volcano, the house was going to be dark in the morning without any of the lights turned on. She stretched her head and shoulders up, turning her back concave as she strained the muscles in it in one direction.

“And…..downward facing.” Her back turned to convex and she curled up, laying her forehead back not he pillow for a moment. With her morning stretches done, the girl rolled off her bed and onto her feet. For a moment she considered pulling off the black nightgown she wore, but instead opted to pull on some black shorts, and to secure her deck box to her hip underneath. She never went anywhere without her tarot cards. The more memories transferred from full bringer to the item in their possession, the more powerful the fullbring would become. Not once in seven years had she left these cards anywhere but on her hip if she could help it. The cards on her bedside table of course went into the box. All but one. She looked down at it in her hand, smirking as the jester in the card’s image seemed to be smiling.

“And good morning to you too Beni. Must be a little cramped in that card huh? Don’t worry though. I’ll let you out.” She held out her hand, and the card levitated, facing her, then slowly spinning in place above her palm. It seemed to catch fire, though this was really just her reiatsu surrounding the card. “Number Zero, The Fool.” Her words echoed in the room, and the card was consumed by the fire of her reiatsu. The embers of that flame swirled in her hand, then leaped from it, growing in size and number until they formed together into a figure, tall enough to touch the eight foot ceiling with ease, and clad in red and gray armor. The Crimson Jester, Benidōke. Beni grinned down at her mistress, though that was normal since Beni was always taller than Koyuki, and always grinning.

“Good morning Mistress. I told you that sleeping on your belly would leave you with less bedhead in the morning.” Koyuki raised a brow, which caused Beni to bow and ask forgiveness, though it did not conceal the giggle in her voice. Yuki brushed it off, going over to the half of her desk with a vanity mirror. A few quick passes with a stiff brush, and her hair was presentable enough for her family. Beni gave a few brushes still, just to be sure that Yuki was presentable, then followed behind as she usually did, ducking to avoid doorways.

The pair made their way to the side of the house where all the commotion was taking place. Where all of her family was gathered. All of her conscious family at least. She yawned as she stepped into the doorway to the outside, seeing her mother nearby holding the squealing little thing that seemed to have roused most of the main family. Koyuki giggled, walking up behind Cecania, and giving Natsuki a poke on the nose when she wasn’t expecting it. What was expected were the intense laughs and giggles that followed in the wake of the girl being startled by her older sister. Yuki poked her again, then stepped out onto the grass after giving Cecania a small hug. She wasn’t embarrassed about showing affection to her parents. In the privacy of their home at least. As Yuki walked, Beni remained behind, hands folded in front of herself like one of the house servants, though her appearance was anything but.

A visible shiver ran through the girl as first one bare sole, then the other made contact with the dew-slick grass. After taking a moment to collect herself, she strode out onto the lawn, actually finding it a little refreshing. She didn’t want to be awake at this time of day, but if she must, then at least she should feel awake. And it was either this, or snag a cup of coffee, but after her first little misadventure as the coffee bandit, she hadn’t touched the stuff. Both because she realized just how hyper she’d been while the caffeine had passed through her system, and because it had tasted horribly bitter.

Her first stop on this morning walk was over to her bother for the traditional morning noogie. A fist, delivered straight down to the top of his head, then twisted four to five times.

“You’re the second loudest of the bunch, you know that? What’s the matter? Big bad heir to the Tsutsugami afraid of a little grass and water?” She hadn’t heard the others address him about getting sick, and what it meant to be healthy. Just her bother complaining about the cold. She turned, and slipped alongside her brother, far from foolish enough to turn her back on the little brat. Especially after she’d just teased him. She waved to her uncle and her father, calling morning to the both of them.

___________________________________________________

Word Count: 1062
Gp Gain: 21
Gp Total: 21

Time alone was indeed difficult to achieve in the Tsutsugami house. If it were just his darling princess awake, Haruki had little doubt that his maskless morning could have continued but with the squealing child usually came others.
 
As if on queue, they began to show up one by one.
 
Taiki leaned out of his window, face smeared with a silly smile, and called out them. “ Crazy isn’t the word I’d use, son. “ He kneeled, hand coming to glide across the dew soaked grass so that they could soak in the icy temperatures. “ Unique. Now that is a fitting word. We’re unique.” He doubted the words were spoken loud enough to be heard over the distance let alone with the elevated volume the youngest child produced. While not necessarily the most soft spoken individual, Haruki wasn’t known for speaking loudly. 
 
No sooner had he returned to his upright stature did Taiki eject himself from the second story window. The muscles in his legs tensed, bulking up beneath the thin kimono he wore as he prepared to use his families renowned shukuchi to rescue his only heir, yet his all too keen eyes caught glimpse of the energy produced from the bottom of the boys feet. Immediately his thoughts left the concern of his child behind and instead began discerning who could be the one responsible for teaching him the neat little trick. Neither his wife or brother had mentioned anything of the sort, not that he expected them to. His wife liked to believe herself sly, performing various spiritual deeds behind his back. He didn’t put it past her to train their son in secret. 
 
Whomever was responsible had proven themselves at least adequate enough to teach the boy how not to kill himself, as he managed to land upon a concentrated cushion of energy. Not that it mattered at all. The display was reckless, needlessly so and would need to be squashed so to prevent a reoccurrence.
 
“ What is it you were hoping to achieve? “ The lids over his sapphire globes narrowed, and the stress lines reformed upon his forehead. “ Trying to show off? “ Graceful and powerful strides that exuded confidence and irritation all at once carried him across the moist ground. “ What if you had made a mistake? Did you consider that, my child? “ His frame stopped mere inches before the porch. 
 
He tried to maintain his current poise but failed miserably. With a heavy hearted sigh, Haruki reached out and retrieved his house slippers that resided adjacent to the open door. One hand grasped the boys thin ankle, enveloped it and lifted it so that he could slip the shoe on; the action repeated for the other foot. “ Just be more careful. Got it? “ He began to turn away, pausing only for the briefest of moments to drop his hand down upon the pre-teen’s head and ruffle the already messy hair. 
 
As was the usual, Kouta appeared from beyond the estate halls and contradicted everything he just said. “ Damnit. “ He squeezed the word between soft chuckles, his head shaking in astonishment. “ Don’t go filling the boys head with such nonsense. We don’t chase danger, it comes knocking at our door. “ Boy was that a bold faced lie. How many times could either of them count that they actively sought out death, only to thwart it in the end? Not that his son needed to be told such stories. 
 
 Haruki allowed his body to tilt backwards, rear planting firmly upon the edge of the porch as his brother lectured the boy on how immune systems were strengthened. “ Get that from another one of your books, did ya? “ Formalities were often forgotten when only family was around. “ You keep talking like that and Suki will end up calling you Uncle Iroh. “ He referenced one of his daughters favorite cartoons. 
 
Through the corner of his eyes he spotted pink silk, which were soon followed by his wife’s voice. He remained silent as she drew nearer, words directed at her brother-in-law while everything else happily greeted their youngest child. “ Kouta only loves his flowers. “ He jabbed in response to his wifes quip about the younger sibling loving them, all too satisfied grin presenting itself upon his face. 
 
He continued to watch her through the corner of his eyes, as he always did, while she made her morning rounds with the children. She was good to them, all of them. Only two of their children shared her blood, but she showed the same warmth and affection to each and every one of the members of his family. It was one of the few things he liked about her, even if the word like was strained.
 
“ Morning sweety, Beni. “ He spoke above the others even before his eldest daughter revealed herself. Out of all of them, she was the one he was most in tune with. As per her usual, Yuki played with her younger sister for a moment. The child’s giggling and laughing brought his smile to full view.  Moments after she turned her full attention to her brother, who she enjoyed torturing just as much as he did her. 
 
He pushed off the porch as several of the servants arrived with food and cushions to sit upon. Without needing instruction, they arranged the cushions and plates before leaving the family to their meal. He didn’t bother speaking, they all knew breakfast together was mandatory as it always had been. “ I didn’t get to hear about your school week. “ He noted as he stood beside his wife, with hand outstretched to help her to sit. Afterwards he retrieved the small pile of blankets the servants had brought out before gently wrapping one over each of their shoulders; except for Kouta, whom he simply tossed the covering to. 
 
“ So, tell me about it. “ Violet brow rose inquisitively as he took his seat beside Cecania, eagerly awaiting to hear about their week.
 

Raising a questioning eyebrow at Haruki's claim that they didn't go chasing danger, he couldn't help but chuckle some himself. "You're completely right; danger comes knocking at our door, but that doesn't mean that we need to open the door. The normal, sane thing for a human to do when danger comes knocking at the door is to climb out the back window and try to avoid them at all costs. We, on the other hand, seem to open the door and pounce on it before it can get a word in edgewise. Not saying that's a bad thing, but ya can hardly claim that we're besieged by all sides all the time. What would life be if it wasn't for a little bit of danger?"

It was true, as much as Haruki would try and claim otherwise. The fact was, they were the type of people that would be called busybodies by those who didn't agree with his actions. Whenever they sensed a hollow or a shinigami they didn't just let someone else deal with it as many other spiritually-empowered humans did, they seemed to see it as their duty to protect other people. it wasn't a bad thing to have a strong sense of duty like this, but it certainly did mean that they needed a lot more courage and bravery than the little lord seemed to be showing right now.

Deciding not to comment on Haruki's assumption that he had gotten that little piece of biological knowledge from one of his books (completely correct as it turned out, you'd be surprised what you find when you start reading with no real particular care about what you're reading) nor about the reference to someone called Iroh. Frankly, watching tv was not something that Kouta did on a regular basis, the world would slip by if someone was silly enough to be sat in front of a screen for hour after hour, and that was what tv did to people. Dawkins might have said that religion was the opiate of the masses, but so was tv. He only ever really watched it nowadays to keep a track on world news, so this Iroh figure had completely avoided his notice.

Another thing that had avoided his notice was the other people gathering around the porch. It appeared that everyone save for Markus was out this morning as he heard the familiar voice of Cecania coming from one of the corridors of the house, telling him off for putting ideas into his nephew's head. "Me? Love the pair of you? Why, I have no idea what you're talking about Missus." he said, his voice keeping a tone of playful mischief as he spoke. It was obvious in the way that he spoke and the way that he held himself that he was feeling a lot better than he usually did. There was something about this morning that had put him in good spirits... maybe it was the fact that nothing bad had happened yet, or maybe it was the fact that everyone seemed to be gathered in one place for once - He found a lot more chance for happiness when surrounded by those he loved, and he wasn't going to let it pass without enjoying it just a little.

"Besides, it's not as if I don't love you either, I just happen to think that our little lord could do with a little more spirit in his soul, rather than being stopped by something as simple as cold grass. I mean, at his age, I'm pretty sure I saw Haru-nii get tossed through a building like a ragdoll and just shrugging it off. What's worse, glass or grass? It's not even touching his skin~" He teased, almost going in for rubbing the kid's head affectionately before his older sister showed up. Seriously, was there some sort of beacon that said come down this hallway at this specific time of the morning? It was 6am, normal people should not be up so early. As much as their family was important to the rest of the world, the fact remained that it was 6am, and the kids really should be sleeping right now. You won't grow properly unless you have enough sleep, as all the doctors said. Still, he turned back to Haruki and cut him down

"Don't talk like that, Haruki-nii. I don't only care about my flowers... I also like my motorcycle. After all, they don't have a big mouth like someone else I know." Despite Kou's rather chipper mood, there was something about Haruki right now that was beginning to put him ever so slightly on edge. The way that Haruki looked right now... there was something unpleasant about it. It was like he was a little too self-contented, as if he was getting a lot more pleasure from that simple joke than a normal person would. He suppressed that little mental diagnosis as him just being a little bit paranoid this morning (after all, despite only being awake for half an hour or so, it had actually turned out to be very hectic).

Still, he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander a little about this whole situation that they had found themselves in before Cecania brought him back to his senses with a direct comment. It was a shame, his thoughts were one of the few places this morning that he might have had any real chance for peace. Not that peace and quiet was always a good thing, but it wasn't like having a little bit of thinking space was a bad thing. He, more than anyone  else in the family, seemed to benefit a lot from the chance for a bit of thinking room.

"Well, can you really blame me? I'm surrounded by my beloved family, nothing's exploding, and I don't feel any hollow reiatsu. I'm pretty sure that means that nothing's going wrong, and when nothing goes wrong, you just have to assume that something's going right." 

Beni just couldn’t catch a break in life. All she wanted to do was serve Koyuki quietly by slaying all of the girl’s enemies. Otherwise, she would happily fade into the background. Sure she might be a seven foot jester with no eyes, an eternal grin, and crimson armor, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t go unnoticed, right?

Wrong.

Koyuki was more than happy to take her baby sister into her arms for a little bit of play. She didn’t expect anything else from the little bundle of energy. Even the girl’s hop from her arms to those of Beni was unsurprising. Unsurprising to everyone but the jester. Benidōke caught Yuki’s little sister with easy, but she still looked almost terrified. What was she supposed to do in this situation? Her eye- wait, she didn’t have those. Her face was turned to Cecania as she hoped the woman wouldn’t become defensive or anything. Luckily, the woman was busy addressing her eldest adopted child.

“I’ll be fine mom. I was working on my chupacabra file. I’m pretty sure I’ve got it nailed down by now. It’s got to be some sort of small hollow. Beast like, maybe born of a violently deceased monkey of some sort. Through some process it draws out the souls of animals through the blood. Easier than killing it then getting the soul. I just can’t figure out what it does with the blood though. Or how it’s connected to these canine creatures people find that look like mangy dogs. There’s probably more than one of it too since it’s been feeding to long to not be strong enough to go after people. Maybe if I got my hands on- Oh dear, Beni’s about to faint.”

She could feel it. The social anxiety of Benidōke threatening to boil over into something more. Couldn’t have that happening. Koyuki patted her avatar on the shoulder to try and calm her down. An effort undermined by her father addressing he jester by name. By name. There was no greater level of note than being addressed by name.

“Good morning Tsutsugami-san.” As soon as Natsuki was free of her arms, the jester retreated some back into the house to take up a watching position.

“Now where are you- Oof! Why you little-”

An elbow to her side cause Koyuki to turn her head and find her little brother retreating with all haste. He was right to run, but he wouldn’t find any place to hide. Yuki drew one of her cards, quickly lifting the side of her nightgown in the process, about to take aim for her brother’s foot. Just enough force to throw off his run and send him face foot into the grass yes? The card was almost out of her fingers when she took notice of Taiki’s final destination. Though she was loath to let a challenge go uncontested, she had to let her brother go for now. Just tripping him up would be enough of a reprimand. Trying to perform a trick shot around her mother to do it was definitely out of the question. Which was a pity because she would have loved to see her little brother with a mouth full of grass. Remind him that even though he was the heir, she was still older than him.

Yuki pretended not to know what Cecania meant by being so easily goaded by her little brother. And on reflection, she had started the whole thing. But what was a morning without bestowing her ‘beloved’ little brother with a boogie to remind him of his place in the pecking order? A duller one for which the world suffered, that was for sure.

Her face went from obviously not oblivious to a little concerned. School. Of course the talk would turn to school. The talk always turned to school. Especially when it was time for exams. Though she could never express this in a manner that her parents would understand, Koyuki hated school. If she was allowed to just sit home and research all day, she would have been the happiest girl to live.

She managed to um and erm her way to the breakfast table, sitting and pretending to be busy with her hands. She found something real to do in finding a hair band in her pocket and putting her hair back into a ponytail. “Wow, I am sleepy.” she muttered to herself. Going around the house without a ponytail? This got her through until her cup and the food arrived. She took a sip and let out a sigh. Hot chocolate. Perfect for any occasion. Though there was something off about it. Another sip confirmed her suspicion, and her third gave her a suspect. There was something bitter. Just under the smooth flavor of the chocolate. What would be bitter and served as a morning-

Coffee!

There was coffee in her hot chocolate. Now why hadn’t she ever thought of that? With coffee she could stay up even later!

“I’m not convincing anyone with my stalling, am I?” she spoke, a tad sheepishly. “School was fine. The same thing, day in, day out. Takeshi-sempai, Matsumoto-sempai, Oriheshin-sempai, lunch, and the rest of my teachers.” A few more sips of the enhanced morning beverage, along with some small bites of breakfast. “The exams were nothing special. Pay attention and return the information given to you by the teachers. I passed and pretended to be worried like those around me.” Flat, expressionless orbs of water gazing out over her food as it entered her lips. They barely moved as the words her parents expected flowed past them.

“Oh!” And then there was the life. “I almost goofed up history. I swear I heard a hollow cry in the middle of the exam, and almost started writing everything I’d gathered on kappa-type hollows.” she giggled.

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Word Count: 977
Gp Gain: 19
Gp Total: 40