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Ryoka Yukimura

"My life isn't what I thought it'd be... but I'd rather be here, now. With them."

0 · 1,143 views · located in Tokyo || 2020

a character in “Ephemeral Ascendence”, originally authored by Mihael, as played by RolePlayGateway

So begins...

Ryoka Yukimura's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Kiyoshi Motoyami
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Kiyoshi was, currently, bereft of his body guard. It wasn't a pressing matter, at least not to him. Mika was currently with Etsuko and Ryoka, helping the latter with her new uniform, and he wasn't required to be anywhere that called for Mika to be near him. In the month that Ryoka had been recovering, she'd been measured for her uniform, and informed of the new duties she'd be expected of. She seemed to take it well, or as well as he thought she did. He pushed the thoughts away, though, leaving them for another time.

He was headed nowhere in particular, and found that roaming the halls of his home distracted him from a strange feeling of loneliness when Mika was gone. It wasn't something he could explain, or at least not properly. It didn't even make sense to himself. It felt somehow worse than it did with Sakura. With Sakura, he could deal with not seeing her, and he'd be happy enough with their conversations.

With Mika, it was different.

"Kiyo-kun? You're spacing out," a voice he recognized as Ryoka's, interrupted his thoughts, and he blinked. He glanced in her direction, and tilted his head slightly. "You had a far-off expression on your face. Something bothering you?" she asked, raising a brow.

"Not particularly," he found himself replying. "Is there something you need, Ryoka-san?" he decided to ask. She wasn't speaking to him solely because she wanted to, right? She shook her head, though.

"Not really. I was actually looking for Ichi-kun," she replied, causing Kiyoshi to furrow his brows. Ichi-kun? She was referring to his father, he knew that, however; it was strange to see a human speaking of his father so casually. A ghost of a smile spread across his lips. His father would probably enjoy it. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and merely dipped his chin.

"He is on the roof. Would you like to accompany me? I was on my way to see him," he stated. It was partially true. While he wasn't heading anywhere in particular, he figured he might as well escort Ryoka to meet his father. He wasn't sure why, though, she was looking for him. It looked like she managed her uniform well-enough, but she wasn't required to be his father's body guard yet. She still had to go through the training.

"Lead the way," was the only thing she said. He nodded, and guided her through the home.

The roof was only accessible through an attic-style loft. Sure enough, when they got there, the window out onto the lower portion of the tiled roof was already open, admitting the chilly breeze of early November. No doubt it wouldn't bother his father any; the man seemed completely oblivious to changes in temperature as a rule.

Once they were out the window, all they had to do was climb a little until they reached the top, which was, coincidentally, where his father was. He appeared to be sleeping, resting comfortably on the slight downward slope, but the fact that he immediately cracked an eye open gave away the fact that he was not. The eye was golden, and neither his ears nor claws were in evidence, so he was obviously spending the day in his human disguise. The normal one, though, not any with dye or colored contact lenses or anything like that. His hair was still stark white and very long, after all, which was a bit of a giveaway, and he wore the slightly nicer clothes then the work uniform the servants had. Still a haori and hakama, though.

"Eh, Kiki. Don't tell me Micchan finally misplaced you." From his tone, he knew she hadn't. Tilting his head slightly, he glanced past Kiyoshi and set both eyes on Ryoka. "Well, well. Someone looks official. I hope it's up to your standards, Yukimura-san."

"Up to my standards? Hell, I don't ever want to wear anything else," she replied almost instantly, a large grin spreading across her face. Kiyoshi blinked in mild surprise. There weren't many who wore the uniform, only when it was required. He figured Ryoka would be the same. Apparently, he'd been wrong.

"Ryoka-san, I don't think that is what otō-san meant," he spoke, furrowing his brows. Ryoka huffed a laugh, and shook her head. He didn't understand what was entertaining, but he didn't say anything further.

"Ne, Kiyo-kun. I meant that it is up to my standards, and that I like it. Seriously, though, if I could, I would wear this everywhere," she stated, glancing down at her uniform with the grin on her face.

Everywhere? She was a strange one.

His father seemed to find it amusing, though; the corners of his eyes narrowed, a grin tugging at his mouth. "Finally. Someone appreciates my excellent taste." He sat up smoothly, pulling his legs underneath him until he was perched at the very apex of the roof, crosslegged and looking quite satisfied with himself. "It suits you, Yukimura-san." He nodded once, as if that decided something.

"Of course, now that you have the gear, it's time to start the work. I hope you're ready—your training schedule is going to be pretty intense. Micchan helped me plan it, and no one trains harder than Micchan." Kiyoshi knew that was more than a throwaway line, too—Mika was extremely dedicated to her self-improvement. He didn't really know what she did on her days off or after her shifts ended, but there were plenty of rumors that she practically lived on the training grounds.

Ryoka seemed to scoff slightly at Ichikage's statement. "If my interview process showed anything, it's that I'm not going to quit just because something gets a little tough," she spoke, seemingly satisfied with herself. Kiyoshi furrowed his brows slightly, and pursed his lips together. He assumed taiji-ya training was intense; it would have to be considering the lifestyle they chose. But could she really say that after the training began? He glanced at her, and studied her for a moment.

She was stubborn, if the tournament taught him anything, but even that stubborn pride of hers might not be enough. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he turned slightly so that he was standing comfortably in his spot. "If you need help, Ryoka-san, I'm sure Mika-chan will be glad to help out. All you need do is ask her," he added. No doubt that some parts of the training would be done with Mika, however; that's what most of the other members of the house were for. She was his personal guard, not his father's. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips at that thought.

"What's he looking smug for?" Ryoka spoke, though it seemed like she directed the question to Ichikage, and not to himself. Kiyoshi blinked in mild surprise. Did he have a smug look on his face?

Ichikage raised an eyebrow, leaning his chin into a hand by slouching forward and propping his elbow on his knee. "I think I know what he's thinking." He let the statement sit for a moment, in which it wasn't clear whether or not he planned to elaborate, but he seemed to let it go rather than explaining whatever hypothesis he had.

"Anyway. You'll be spending mornings from six to noon training with some of my senior retainers. Nobuyoshi shares your job, so he'll be teaching you a lot of the particulars of it. After lunch, you're with me from one to three. The rest of your time is your own for as long as you're still training, unless we need to adjust for particular circumstances. But I don't plan to make you work twelve-hour days regularly or anything." He reached into the layers of his shirt, extracting a trifolded sheaf of papers and holding it out towards her.

"Granted, I can't promise an eight-hour, Monday to Friday sort of thing all the time. My schedule varies, so yours will have to vary as well. But I'll do my best not to overwork you, lest that brother of yours sue me for all I'm worth." A grin followed the statement, as though he weren't actually all that worried.

Ryoka snorted at Ichikage's statement, and took the papers. She glanced over them, raised a brow, but didn't say anything. She was probably processing the information. Kiyoshi shot his father a glance, though, one that was slightly confused. He sighed softly, and decided it was best not to press the matter. If he looked smug, then so be it.

"Also, you'll need to program everyone's number into your phone, if you haven't already," he chimed in. It would be good for her just in case she had questions, or if she needed to reach someone. He certainly didn't mind giving her his number if she needed it. He'd help out, too, if and when he could. Ryoka glanced up from the paper, and grinned at him.

"You sure about that, Kiyo-kun? What if I accidentally get drunk and text you about how pretty your hair is, hm? Or maybe that I want to run my fingers through it?" she spoke, though she stated it a little slowly. The grin on her face wasn't as mischievous as his father's could be, but it was certainly close. Kiyoshi visibly frowned at that. He could feel his cheeks tingle slightly, and he pursed his lips together. Why did she have to keep saying that?

To make matters worse, his father cackled. "It is, isn't it? People used to be unsure whether Kiki was a boy or a girl, when he was growing up. He's always been too pretty that way." His father's eyes glittered with obvious mirth.

Kiyoshi frowned, and it deepened as his father spoke. It wasn't his fault that his genetics made him appear the way he did. "It's mostly your fault, ōto-sama," he muttered. He received most of his looks from the man, if anything. He couldn't recall what his mother looked like, or if he'd even seen her face, but he knew he took after his father the most.

"Is that right? I mean, Kiyo-kun does have that androgynous look to him. He could have certainly passed for either or. Even now, I think he still could. Maybe if you gave some padding around that area," she spoke, making circle motions with her hands around his chest, "and as long as he didn't speak, he could definitely pass for a woman. I think I'm kind of jealous, now."

If his lips weren't pursed into a fine line, Kiyoshi was certain they would be now. "Is this really necessary?" he asked, frowning in his father's direction.

"Of course it is," Ichikage replied, grinning slyly. "It's only fair to give Yukimura-san an accurate understanding of how things are in the household she'll be joining." He tilted his head. "You could always depart if you feel it's too unnecessary. I'm sure Yukimura-san and I can entertain ourselves just fine without a stick in the mud around." As with everything his father said to tease him, it was sardonic, but not cruel, even though he liked to pretend it was.

"Oh, no, Kiyo-kun can't leave. We were just getting started," Ryoka spoke, though it sounded like she was almost whining. Kiyoshi shook his head, and heaved his shoulders.

"As ōto-sama said, you both can entertain yourselves. I am going to go find Mika-chan, now. She's probably done," and he really didn't need his father's new guard teasing him in the same manner. A visible chill went down his spine. Was it going to be like this all the time when he interacted with his father?

Immediately, he turned and walked back towards the house. He certainly hoped not.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura Character Portrait: Etsuko Fujimori Character Portrait: Mika Sakuragi Character Portrait: Kiyoshi Motoyami
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#, as written by Aethyia
Ichikage adjusted the sash of his layered yukata, making sure that it sat right. It wasn't a particularly lordly garment, but then he didn't want it to be. They were just going to the shrine for the New Year, like everyone else did. The less they stuck out, the better, though of course it would be impossible to avoid entirely. Swift fingers braided his long mass of white hair; when he released it, it thudded heavily against the back of the dark red yukata. The layer underneath was black, and there was a small crest on the sleeve, but other than that, nothing gave away the fact that he was the man he was.

He, unlike some people he could name, was quite used to blending in. He stepped into his geta, the strap of the sandal fitting into the split in his thick tabi. Weather hardly bothered him any, but he'd look very strange if he wasn't properly bundled against the cold. The over-haori, also black, helped quite a bit.

Sure that it would do, he stepped back out into his office. "Yukimura-san, are you sure you don't want to change out of your uniform before we go? You should at least take the armor off. People will stare otherwise." He kept his tone light and teasing, but he was serious enough about the armor part. She might not care, but he didn't want to draw a crowd around his family. No doubt the guards would be able to deal with it, but it would be inconvenient and unpleasant for most of the people going with them. Looking like ordinary civilians was preferable.

She pursed her lips together, almost as if she were pouting. She seemed to chew on her bottom lip in a thoughtful manner before she sighed. "I suppose you have a point," she seemed to agree with him, glancing down at her attire. "I'll just take the armor off. If I tried putting anything else on, I'd have to have Toto-chan help. I... can't tie a kimono, or yukata, properly without his help," she replied. She was, perhaps, a little too forward with such information, but it didn't seem to bother her.

It certainly didn't bother him any. Ichikage was far too old to be bothered about propriety or ridiculous things like that. He'd seen and heard it all by this point in his life, more or less. There just wasn't any offense left in him, really. He snorted at her admission; it turned into a chuckle. "Somehow, I'm not surprised, since it's you." He grinned, flashing teeth at her. "In that case, just leave the armor pieces here and wear the haori normally. It shouldn't be a problem."

He waved a hand easily. "We've got to go get the others, though. Cricket's fussy and it might take her a while unless we prod her along. Micchan has to dress two people, but she'll be on time anyway, so we'll get them first."

She complied, but snorted in response. "Cricket might take a little more time since there's a certain someone around," she muttered, fixing her haori properly. "And that would explain why Kiyo-kun always looks so spiffy. I need to ask Mika-san for her secrets. Maybe she could help me, too. That way, I don't have to keep bugging Toto-chan," she stated, shaking her head as if to herself.

"And I would be surprised if Mika-san was late. She's always... punctual," she added and moved so that she was standing beside him. "Alright, who are we collecting first? Pretty Hair-kun, or Etsuko-chan?" she asked, snorting softly at her name for Kiyoshi.

"You know, if you were anyone else, I'd worry you might have designs on my son," Ichikage replied facetiously, sliding open the door out of his study and heading down the hall. "Fortunately, it's you." He could see from miles away that Ryoka and Kiyoshi were the furthest thing from each other's type, so to speak. Mostly because Kiyoshi's type was Mika, even if he hadn't quite figured it out yet.

Maybe he never would. Ichikage hadn't yet decided to what extent he wanted to interfere with that. Normally, he wouldn't have hesitated, but Micchan was more delicate than she appeared, and there were other things to consider that could not be easily disregarded. But that was all for another day. For today, he'd done everything he could in that respect, and was looking forward to seeing the results.

"But yes, Kiki first. Micchan probably dressed him before herself, in case she ran short of time."

"Well, what can I say? Kiyo-kun has pretty hair, enviously so," she made a face, though, and shook her head. "I wonder if he'd consent to cutting it and making a wig out of it," she spoke, though it sounded more like she was stating it to herself. Snorting softly, she kept an even pace with him. She was a little taller than the average Japanese woman, so she didn't have much trouble keeping up.

"If it makes you feel left out, you have... slightly prettier hair, but don't tell Kiyo-kun I said that. He might take it the wrong way," she spoke, chuckling softly to herself. She took a deep breath, though, and cleared her throat. "But in all honesty, it sounds like Mika-san has her hands full trying to dress him, and herself. What about you, Ichi-kun? Who picks out your wardrobe? You can't possibly be the one," she asked, addressing him as she had since the beginning.

Oh, he had the prettier hair, did he? Now he knew she was bullshitting him. Ichikage found it more amusing than anything, though. "Flattery and insult in the same breath," he chided. "I certainly do dress myself, thank you. Can you imagine anyone else putting up with such a task, really?"

She tapped her chin with her index finger, as if she were giving it some thought. "I'm sure someone could. I mean, if Kiyo-kun could find someone, surely you can. I, obviously, am not volunteering for that," she visibly shuddered at that. "No offense, Ichi-kun," she spoke, chuckling lightly. "At least one of the Motoyami members knows how to dress themselves. I could say the same about us, though, but it doesn't really count. Toto-chan can't really dress himself either. He always picks such boring clothes. Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, glancing towards him.

"You should help him. You dress nicely, he could learn a thing or two," she stated as if it were that easy.

He shook his head. "Well, I did inform him that nice clothes were mandatory today, so we'll see what he came up with, I guess." They reached Kiyoshi's door; Ichikage raised his hand and knocked. "Kiki, we're here! Let's go already." They still had to get Mika and the other two, after all.

"You know I don't like it when you call me that," Kiyoshi spoke not more than a few moments after Ichikage had knocked. His lips were pursed into a fine line, and he glanced towards Ryoka. "Ryoka-san," he spoke in way of greeting. Kiyoshi seemed to be dressed in a similar manner to Ichikage, only the coloration was different. Where Ichikage's was dark red, Kiyoshi's was more a charcoal grey. His clothing, however, looked a little more crisp.

"Kiyo-kun, it looks like you managed well for yourself," she spoke, the corners of her lips tilting upwards just slightly. He had a puzzled look to his face, but didn't say anything. "You look nice, Kiyo-kun," she stated, placing a hand on her hip. Kiyoshi narrowed his eyes just slightly, but smiled nonetheless.

"As... do you, Ryoka-san. Even if it is the unifrom," he added. It almost sounded like he was joking, but his face remained a little passive. "It seems you were not jesting about wearing it everywhere," he added, and a small smile pulled at his lips.

"I wasn't," she simply grinned back. "Alright, one down, three to go," she stated, glancing towards Ichikage. Kiyoshi did the same.

Satoru was next; his yukata proved to be dark blue. It had a subtle Yukimura crest, not entirely unlike the other two. He'd pulled his hair up high on his head as he often did. Ichikage didn't know many young men who wore their hair in such a traditional style, but he supposed if anyone was likely to, it was the son of a line of taiji-ya.

After that, they had to pause outside of Etsuko's room to wait for her to finish changing. He wouldn't be surprised if Cricket had forgotten they were going out today, too absorbed in her music practice to remember until there were only a few minutes left. The thought brought a smile to his face.

The door opened a few minutes later to produce Etsuko. She was dressed in a predominately black kimono. There were pink peony flowers on the bottom portion of her kimono, with one peony located on her left shoulder. There were also smaller, red peonies with a few orange ones as well. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, some strands falling out of the back of it. There was a single braid on the right side of her head, though, with the bun held in place by a sakura kanzashi.

"Sorry it took so long, Ichikage-san, Kiyo-kun," she greeted them first with a bright smile before her eyes landed on Ryoka and Satoru. "I... hope you weren't waiting long," she added, glancing down with a light pink hue dusting her cheeks.

"It's alright, Etsuko-chan, it was worth the wait. You look pretty," Ryoka spoke, causing the pink on Etsuko's face to deepen a bit.

"Ryoka-san is correct, you look nice, Tsu-chan," Kiyoshi chimmed in, a small smile pulling on his lips.

"Thanks," she muttered, playing with the hem of her sleeves. "Are we waiting on Mika-chan, too?" she asked, glancing towards Ichikage.

Ichikage glanced down at his phone. "She's already waiting for us, of course." Or so her message indicated.

He was getting a kick of watching Cricket. It would seem young Yukimura was not completely oblivious to her, either, though it seemed to be something he wasn't sure what to make of. He didn't blush, just kind of tilted his head, like there was a puzzle here he was trying to solve. But the reaction Ichikage most wanted to see—by which he meant "laugh at"—was yet to come.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait long for gratification. Mika was waiting for them just outside. She hadn't done much with her hair; it lay sleek to her shoulders as usual. But he had managed to force her to blend with the group by wearing a kimono. In defiance of him, perhaps, she'd selected a fairly plain one, but it suited her undeniably well all the same. Ichikage was the furthest thing from surprised by that; he'd known her mother once. He hadn't mentioned it yet, but the resemblance had only grown more striking as she grew.

The white she wore suited the season. The garment was edged in silver, really only visible when she moved, the way it glittered against the light. "You told me we were leaving ten minutes ago, Motoyami-sama," she chided.

Ichikage waved a lazy hand. "Did I? I must have forgotten. I do that a lot in my old age." From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Kiyoshi.

There was a soft smile on Kiyoshi's face. "Mika-chan, you look lovely," he spoke, though it looked more like he blurted it without really meaning to. Kiyoshi blinked mildly in surprise to himself, but didn't reel his words in. He simply kept his gaze on her. Etsuko was standing next to him, grinning just slightly and pushed her shoulder into his side.

"Come on, Kiyo-kun, you shouldn't keep Mika-chan waiting," she spoke, earning a light snort from Ryoka. She was, surprisingly, quiet on the situation.

Inwardly, Ichikage cackled, and it only got louder in his head when Mika started slightly, apparently quite surprised for all of half a second before her face smoothed over and she shook her head. "Thank you, sir. In any case, we should be going if we want to reach the shrine in time for the actual New Year." Her tone was as brisk and businesslike as Ichikage had expected; she always did that when she wasn't sure how to react to something: retreated into her professional demeanor.

"Ah yes. Let's go. It's not a very long walk, but if we want amazake and rice cakes, we should get there early," he declared. The younger Yukimura gave him a bit of side-eye at that, perhaps surprised by his childish concerns, but Ichikage didn't mind. He took delight in little things—it was basically mandatory if life was to be tolerable at all, after so many years alive.

The group headed down the path away from the estate. They couldn't all walk in one line, so he maneuvered himself beside Ryoka, forcing the others to organize themselves accordingly. One day they'd thank him for things like this, really.

"So... am I going to be buying up all the mochi to satisfy your sweet tooth, Yukimura-san?" He inquired playfully, ducking his head slightly to meet her eyes more easily.

"I doubt that they'll have enough to even do that," she replied back, almost too casually. As if she believed that. "But I'm sure they could substitute some daifuku, or some dango. Oh, they could probably add in manjū if they have any," she continued. She didn't even bat an eyelash as she listed the sweets. She kept his gaze, and raised her brow in an almost challenging manner.

"I'm not sure if you'll have enough for all of that," she added, smirking just slightly.

"Of all the ways to bankrupt myself, I never imagined this one," he confessed. "But I think I can handle it."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura Character Portrait: Etsuko Fujimori Character Portrait: Mika Sakuragi Character Portrait: Kiyoshi Motoyami
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#, as written by Aethyia
The spread in front of them was quite sumptuous, Ichikage had to admit.

But, well, he felt he had license to go a little overboard in celebration of Cricket's achievement. She'd placed second in her recital, and he was of course telling everyone who would listen about how wonderful she was: the waitress, the host, everyone else at the table... it was quite worth it to watch her reactions.

He'd all but demanded they celebrate after her excellent showing at the competition. Of course, at a place like this, reservations were necessary months in advance, but he'd had Mika take care of it well ahead of time. He'd intended to celebrate no matter what the result, after all. That she'd done so well was only more reason to do so.

Ichikage sat at the head of their rectangular table, Etsuko to his left and Kiyoshi to his right. He'd sat Ryoka across from him so she could watch his back and satisfy the requirements of her position, but he was much less concerned with that than having fun. Mika was, of course, next to Kiyoshi, leaving the younger Yukimura between Cricket and his sister.

"Well, here we are, everyone. By all means, dig in. And remember to thank Cricket if you enjoy it; we are, after all, here because of her immense musical talent." He winked at Etsuko when he said it, conspicuously enough that no one at the table could have failed to notice.

"Cricket?" Yukimura-kun asked the question of her, picking up his chopsticks in his left hand.

Etsuko narrowed her eyes at him and furrowed her brows. "It's a nickname Ichikage-san calls me. He's the only one who does, though," she spoke, though there was a tone of bitterness in her voice. Probably because he called her that in front of Satoru. Ryoka huffed softly.

"But why Cricket?" she asked, causing Etsuko's frown to deepen. She rolled her eyes softly, though, and sighed.

"Because crickets rub there legs together in a way that's reminiscent to the violin. Since I play the violin...," she trailed off. She shrugged her shoulders. "At least that's what I like to believe," she muttered before taking a bite out of her food. She grinned somewhat, and glanced towards Kiyoshi, who had chuckled lightly at her.

"He calls Kiyo-kun, Kiki. I'm sure everyone will, eventually, get a nickname from Ichikage-san. It's a thing he does," she spoke, narrowing her eyes in his direction again. Kiyoshi was frowning by this point.

"Please don't call me that."

"Oh no, please do. I'm hoping it'll catch on, you see." Ichikage smiled enigmatically. He never had explained why he called Etsuko Cricket, and honestly he didn't intend to. It was funnier just to do it and watch her pout at him regardless.

Working his way slowly through his food, Ichikage propped his elbow on the table and his jaw in his hand, pretending to contemplate the others. "Mika is Micchan, of course. That one I might not recommend anyone else use. There's no telling whether she'll murder you in your sleep, after all."

Mika blinked at him, her lips pursing slightly, but she'd long ago learned the lesson that Kiyoshi still hadn't: it was better not to provide him more amusement in the form of a reaction.

He let his eyes fall on Ryoka. "I think Yukimura-san will be Yoyo." She was certainly energetic enough, and sort of tethered to him, though the string was invisible. "And Yukimura-kun..." He hummed. Satoru was already looking at him with something like mild dread.

"I don't know yet. But I'll think of something. So you have that to look forward to."

"Great," he deadpanned in reply.

Ryoka huffed out a short laugh. "Oh come on, Satoru. It can't be worse than Toto-chan, can it?" she chimed in, grinning at him. Etsuko looked slightly disturbed at what Ryoka had said, and Kiyoshi just tilted his head.

"Toto-chan?" he echoed, glancing towards Satoru. "I don't see how you could derive that kind of moniker from Satoru, Ryoka-san," he stated, glancing back towards Ryoka. She grinned at him, and opened her mouth to say something, however; Etsuko interjected.

"Anyway," she spoke, apparently trying to divert the attention away from the nicknames. "Don't listen to what Ichikage-san says. He's just an old man with too much time on his hands, and not enough entertainment," she stated. Ryoka merely laughed.

"Absolutely," Ichikage agreed. "My old-man life is far too boring, so I find myself with so little to do but bother everyone else. It's a bad habit by this point, I'm afraid." He nodded with false sagacity, bobbing his chin up and down.

Mika snorted. "You might be less bored if you did any of your work, instead of leaving it to other people, Motoyami-sama." She lifted the last of her noodles to her mouth with the sort of ingrained elegance that could not truly be taught.

Ichikage pouted. "That's mean, Micchan," he whined. "Making me do paperwork would be cruel and unusual punishment at my age." For all his exaggeration, there was a grain of truth in the statement; for most anything in the world, Ichikage had done enough of it to man it bored him to tears these days. At least teasing them all was still fun to him.

"See what I mean," Etsuko stated in a deadpan voice that almost rivaled Satoru's. "Old man. Too much time. So little entertainment," she continued, finishing off the rest of her food. Kiyoshi remained mostly silent, preoccupied with watching the exchanges, apparently. Ryoka was laughing by this point, but it seemed mostly contained.

"You make it seem like entertaining oneself should be a crime, Tsu-chan," she stated. Etsuko gave Ryoka a flat look, and stared at her for a few seconds.

"It should be for Ichikage-san," she stated, causing Ryoka to chuckle. "You just wait, Ryoka-san, he'll drag you into it, too," she continued, causing Ryoka to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, really, now? I don't think that's possible, Tsu-chan. You see, Motoyami-san and I get along very well. Even the other day, we were talking about you and that certain someone you admire so much," she stated, grinning a little too widely. She leaned forward on her hand, and kept her gaze with Etsuko's.

Etsuko, however, seemed to turn a deep shade of red, before narrowing her eyes at Ichikage. "You guys are the worst."

Satoru looked vaguely confused, then shrugged, apparently deciding it wasn't any of his business. Shame; Ichikage so would have enjoyed holding the knowledge over his head. Mika, for her part, rolled her eyes and sighed softly. "Leave her be, at least for tonight," she said with a frown. "We are meant to be celebrating her success, in case you have forgotten."

"Of course not," Ichikage replied, feigning hurt by placing a hand over his heart. "How could I forget my little Cricket's impressive finish in her recital? I'm the proudest nosy old man there ever was." He grinned, flashing teeth at the table.

"She deserved the win, though," the younger Yukimura said quietly, shrugging and focusing quite intently on his plate. "The winner wasn't as good."

Mika blinked. "You think so? I found his performance to be one of the most technically proficient I've ever heard from someone in that age category." She raised an eyebrow.

Satoru lifted his head to meet her eyes, clearing his throat. "That's true," he admitted. "But it's not all about who is technically most accomplished. Fujimori conveyed the emotion of her piece much better than he did."

Ichikage leaned back in his chair, the smile on his face inching wider.

"I agree with Yukimura-san," Kiyoshi spoke, glancing in Etsuko's direction. "There were a few people in the audience who were quite moved with your choice, Tsu-Tsu," he continued, showing a soft smile. There was something behind that smile, though, that inched just a bit wider. "What made you choose that particular piece?" he questioned, though judging by the smile on his face, he knew.

Etsuko, however, managed to return to a healthier shade of not so red, and glanced down at her plate. As if it were the most interesting thing at the moment. She didn't look back up, but she did take a soft breath. It was easy to see by the movement of her shoulders.

"Yukimura-kun suggested it," she replied softly, almost too soft to hear.

"I see," he stated. Ryoka chuckled lightly, but it looked like she was trying to contain her laughter. "But Tsu-Tsu, isn't the original piece a little more fast-paced?" he asked, causing Etsuko to lift her head and stare at him. "You changed the way it was played, why?" he continued his questioning. Etsuko cleared her throat softly.

"I'm interested in knowing as well," Ryoka stated, leaning forward to prop her chin on her hands. Etsuko sighed, this time.

"I... had a particular audience in mind," she muttered, dropping her gaze back to her plate. Ryoka huffed softly.

"More like a particular person," Ryoka muttered, cracking a smile. Etsuko rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"It's actually not that simple, Ryoka-san. Changing the way a particular piece is played could be career suicide for most musicians. I changed the way it was played because there was something I wanted to convey. Music is supposed to make people feel something. Happiness. Sadness. Excitement."

"If a musician can't make you feel any of those things by the way they play their music, then they can't call themselves as such. So, yes, I might have had a particular person in mind when I played it, but..." she paused, huffing softly to herself.

"You played it well, Tsu-chan," Ryoka stated. To her credit, she looked like she was being genuine. Her voice had no traces of teasing in it. "I agree with Toto-chan, too. You should have won." Etsuko smiled.

"To the winner in our eyes, then," Ichikage said, raising his half-empty glass of water.

Mika huffed softly, but raised hers as well. The others followed, and for a little bit, their glasses all clinked together.

"Now keep eating. I've already ordered dessert."

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Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Mika Sakuragi
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Ryoka grinned to herself, allowing her legs to dangle off the engawa. It was still relatively cold outside, but she didn't mind too much. Being in the cold allowed her to adapt to it in small ways. She wouldn't be outside in a sleeveless shirt and shorts, though. That would require a way to adapt that she wasn't capable of. Still, being in the dark red turtleneck was more than enough to keep her warm. The pants she had chosen were black in color, and form-fitting in a way that allowed her maximum movement.

She liked when something felt more like second skin rather than an extra layer. Leather, though... the thought was enough to make her shudder. She was warm enough, and that was all that mattered. She allowed her thoughts to drift over the events that had occurred in the last few months. She was in a job she loved, caring for her younger brother, and thriving. She didn't think that was possible. She was much more comfortable here, than she expected to be. The people, they were something else.

She'd never known that there was someone who could be so... carefree. That didn't seem like the right word, but it was the only one she could associate with the household. Kiyoshi was, perhaps, the only one who seemed a little out of it. If it wasn't for Mika, Ryoka was sure he would have been lost a long time ago. Mika, on the other hand, was proving to be an exceptional example of what a bodyguard should be. Ryoka almost envied her.

Almost.

Ichikage, though, was something else. Something she wasn't quite sure of. He seemed a little too much like her, but perhaps that was a good thing. She had gotten along with him a lot better than she'd expected to. He had a certain energy about him that made her feel... at ease. It almost made her forget why she was here in the first place. Shaking the thought from her head, she heard footsteps coming around the corner. She grinned when she saw who it was.

"Tsu-chan, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked, leaning back on her hands. Etsuko blinked for a moment, glanced around her, and then back towards Ryoka.

"I was looking for otō-san," she finally replied. "Kiyo-kun broke the strings on my violin and I need to go get new ones," she stated, frowning just lightly. Ryoka huffed a soft laugh and shook her head. "Do you know where I can find him?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. It was adorable, Ryoka had to admit. She shook her head, though, and grinned.

"Currently, I don't. I'm on free time right now," she replied, watching as Etsuko's shoulders slumped. "Say, Tsu-chan," she stated slyly, narrowing her eyes slightly. "You know Valentine's Day is coming up soon," she began, watching as Etsuko's face turned slightly red. She nodded, but didn't say anything. "Do you plan on giving Honmei-choco, or Giri-choco to Toto-chan?" she asked, grinning broadly as the red on Etsuko's face, deepened.

"It's not your concern, Ryoka-san," was the only reply she gave, and turned on her heel to leave. Ryoka barked a short laugh before laughing a little too hard at what had just happened. That was too much fun.

It wasn't long before someone else wandered by, though to call anything Mika did wandering was probably a mistake. She always seemed to be moving with a purpose, either trailing slightly behind Kiyoshi or walking by herself. It was the latter right now—maybe she was taking a break as well? She still looked dressed for the office, in a sharp pair of well-tailored slacks, a crisp white shirt, and a cornflower blue sweater-vest. There was a tie between the shirt and the sweater, an elaborate, stylish knot tied in the dove-grey silk.

She was studying the screen of her phone, but paused when she rounded the corner and encountered Ryoka. "Yukimura-san. Good afternoon." She paused there, as though deciding whether to leave it at that, but surprisingly, she ventured a question. "Has Motoyami-sama sent you on a break, then?"

"Yeah, he has," she replied. She blinked at Mika, though, and tilted her head. The woman was always well-dressed, and hardly had a hair out of place. "You always look so pretty, Mika-chan," she stated truthfully. She wondered, for a moment, how the woman was still single. "Did Motoyami-san send you on break as well?" she questioned, raising a brow.

"If he did, do you want to join me? I found this particular area has less foot traffic, and it's calmer," she stated. There were probably better spots, but she liked this one, currently.

Mika looked like she wasn't quite sure what to do with any of that—either the compliment or the offer. Her lips parted slightly; she blinked. It actually looked like her face colored slightly, tinging just a little bit pink. She glanced back down at her phone, then sighed softly and took a seat next to Ryoka on the engawa. Her posture was considerably better than Ryoka's, straight and neat as the rest of her was.

"It's... not exactly a break. I think Kiyoshi-sama sometimes forgets that those exist. I have to schedule them for him, and it's not worth scheduling any for myself on top of that." She lifted her shoulders in a half-shrug. "But he's in a meeting right now with some of the household staff. That includes Nobuyoshi-san, who is acting as his guard while I try to take care of this." She gestured with her phone, though she didn't elaborate on what she meant by this.

Ryoka blinked slightly before whistling slowly. "Kiyoshi-san really makes you work, doesn't he," she stated. "I don't think Ichi-kun has had me do that much work. Wait," she paused, and glanced up for a second. "Nope, I can't recall," she continued, shaking her head.

"You really do a lot for Kiyoshi-san, don't you," she questioned, raising a brow. If Kiyoshi really did forget that breaks existed, there was no telling just how lost he would be without Mika. It was adorable.

For a moment, Mika looked indecisive, but then her expression turned wry, and she shook her head, sighing in what sounded almost like exasperation. "Want to know a secret?" She glanced at Ryoka, raising an eyebrow. Apparently, the answer was evident, because she continued. "My job is at least two-thirds babysitting. Kiyoshi-sama isn't as well-adjusted to this era as Motoyami-sama is, despite all appearances to the contrary. I manage his life as much as I guard it."

Despite her words, she didn't seem upset or irritated by it, just blunt. Glancing down at her phone screen, Mika dashed off another message, then let her hands fall back behind her, leaning back slightly on the engawa and kicking her legs out a bit.

"So... you're saying Kiyoshi-san is, essentially, a big child?" she questioned. She stared at Mika, brow raised, before a grin spread across her face. "And he's supposed to be how old?" it was a rhetorical question, and didn't need answering. It was slightly humorous, though, that a daiyōkai of Kiyoshi's age, and status, was just a large child. She shook her head, though, and leaned back so that she was resting on her forearms.

"I almost feel bad for you, Mika-chan. Almost," she spoke, glancing out at the view in front of her. "He seems to rely on you a lot. Do you ever wonder where he would be if he didn't have you?" she asked, slightly curious. Mika didn't need to answer that, though. "I think... you ground him in some ways. It's obvious in the way he cares for you," she huffed slightly. She'd noticed how Kiyoshi always seemed happier when Mika was around.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think he loved you," she stated without really thinking. Perhaps he loved her in a way a friend loves another friend, but Ryoka couldn't claim to know. "But as I hear it, he has a fiancée," and she knew it wasn't Mika.

Mika's expression blanked, losing all trace of recognizable emotion. "Ito-sama," she supplied dully. "Their wedding will be this year, yes." Still solemn, she turned her eyes on Ryoka. "What you just said... don't say it again. I know you only meant it as an idle speculation, but around here, reputations and rumors matter. If the wrong person, someone who didn't know me or Kiyoshi-sama, heard that and it got back to Ito-sama's family, it could jeopardize everything."

She pursed her lips. "That's the main difference between working for a household like this and working for anyone else. Motoyami-sama may not seem like it, but he's a dynastic lord, and his dynasty has been in place for more than a thousand years. Anything could matter."

Ryoka sighed, perhaps a little too heavily. She didn't mean to sigh like that, but she supposed Mika had a point. Mika, as she understood, had practically lived here for quite awhile as Kiyoshi's guard. If anyone knew how this place worked, Mika did. Something didn't sit right, though, with the way Mika looked, and how things were. Maybe Ryoka was seeing something that wasn't there. Maybe what she saw was just the workings of a bodyguard and her charge, and how efficient they were.

"Of course, Mika-chan. I meant nothing by it," and she really didn't. "Sometimes, it's easy to forget that I'm here, in this place, and not at home," she whispered the last word. She missed her family so much. She could feel her chest tightening, and shook her head. Sitting up properly, she took a slow breath and turned towards Mika.

"Well, Mika-chan," she began, forcing a smile on her face. She didn't want to let her thoughts overwhelm her at the moment. "Since it seems that the Motoyami both do not currently need us, shall we go get something warm to drink? I think some amazake or hot chocolate is in order," she stated, standing from her spot and dusting her pants.

Mika looked vaguely surprised by a moment, then nodded. "If you'd like." She stood as well, fluid and graceful as a cat. For a moment, she hesitated visibly, then she spoke.

"Ryoka-san. I'm... sorry. About what happened to your family. You should know... Motoyami-sama asked me to look into it. We're searching for any answers we can find. It's not much, but..." She seemed unsure what else to say.

To her own credit, Ryoka did not falter in her soft smile. "Thanks, Mika-chan. It's... there isn't much that can be done right now, but..." she would find those responsible. Somehow. Someway. She would find out who killed her family, and she would make them pay for it. She was slightly surprised, though, that Ichikage had asked Mika to look into it. Perhaps, she should ask him about that?

"I think right now, there is a cup of amazake, or hot chocolate, with our names on it. Let's go get warmed up." It was a question for another time.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Kiyoshi Motoyami
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He was supposed to be spending today with Sakura, enjoying their Valentine's Day dinner. Kiyoshi, however, currently found himself alone. He didn't mind. Something had come up, and Sakura had to cancel, but he didn't mind. It was the first time, but it wouldn't matter in the long run. He was to be married to her by the end of the year. Missing one dinner was not going to be the end of things.

"Why the long face, Kiyo-kun?" a voice interrupted his thoughts, one he recognized as Ryoka's. She stood in front of him, arms crossed over her chest, and a raised brow. He blinked slowly at her, before tilting his head. Did he have a long face? He furrowed his brows together, and shook his head.

"Nothing, Yukimura-san. Today's dinner has been canceled with Sakura, and I currently find myself looking for something to occupy my time with. Mika-chan is off duty, at the moment, as you are, I presume?" he asked, receiving a nod. He made an 'oh' before shaking his head again. "Would you, perhaps, like to help me?" he asked, earning a curt snort from her.

"You should be more careful how you word things, Kiyo-kun. That almost sounded like a proposition," she spoke, a small smirk crossing her features. Kiyoshi blinked, and felt something in his cheeks tingle. It must have been visible to Ryoka, because she started laughing. "I jest, Kiyo-kun. But seriously, be careful of what you say. People might take it the wrong way," she continued, causing him to furrow his brows.

"If you're bored, then I can probably keep you company until Ichi-kun needs me, or something. In the mean time, you can help me with a little problem," she stated. The smirk on her face, however, suggested that it wasn't a problem at all. It was almost similar to his father's smirk when he was up to no good. He sighed.

"How can I assist you, Yukimura-san," he found himself saying the opposite of what he wanted to say. It couldn't hurt to hear her out, at least.

"It involves your cute imōto-chan, and my otōto," she started, rolling her eyes in the process. "I know you know how she feels, but Toto-chan is about as dense as a pile of wood when it comes to that," she continued. Kiyoshi found himself huffing, just slightly, in amusement. "Now, I'm not saying we need to interfere to a big degree, but," she paused, glancing up to meet his eyes. She was fairly tall for a Japanese woman. About as tall as Mika was, actually.

But it made more sense for Mika to be as tall as she was. Mika was a hanyō; Ryoka obviously wasn't anything more than human. Maybe it was because Ryoka was taiji-ya? "Go on," he found himself saying. She grinned.

"We just need to give him a little push. I'd ask Ichi-kun to help, but..." she trailed off, pursing her lips together. "I'm not entirely sure how he'd feel about that," she continued. Kiyoshi chuckled softly.

"I assure you, Yukimura-san, that he would want to help in the most discreet of ways," he spoke. By that, he meant not-so-discreet. He also knew that Ichikage would likely want to help, but it was probably for the best that he didn't.

"Ne, is that my name I hear?" Ichikage himself rounded a corner as he spoke, coming into easy view of the two of them. He lifted an eyebrow in their general direction, the slight upwards tilt of his mouth suggesting that he'd followed at least enough of the discussion to know what it was about. "What's all this conspiring, then? Any good conspiracy has to involve me, you know. We old people are very good at them."

Ryoka snickered softly, but then cleared her throat. Kiyoshi, however, frowned towards his father. Good or not, making any sort of plan with Ichikage usually resulted in something a little more than what was originally anticipated. "If you must know, Ichi-kun, we are conspiring against your Cricket and my Toto-chan," she spoke, trying to hold back a laugh, it seemed.

"Ryoka-san believes that Yukimura-san needs a bit of a push. As she put it, 'he's as dense as a pile of wood,'" he spoke, earning a light chuckle from Ryoka. He merely pursed his lips together, though. "And Tsu-tsu won't necessarily take the steps to engage in anything more than their strange friendship," he continued. Their friendship was a little strange to him. If he didn't know better, he'd say that there was something else to it. Something a little warmer than before. He shook his head.

"Exactly. Toto-chan wouldn't know if someone had any kind of romantic inclination towards him even if it hit him in the face. He's a strange kid, that one, but I love him. Anyways, Kiyo-kun and I were just trying to think of some way to give him a little push, or rather, them a push," Ryoka spoke, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ichikage nodded along with the discussion in a way that suggested he knew all of this already, somehow or other. Kiyoshi knew he tended to know basically everything. It was much safer to assume that no secret escaped him than that something had. Reaching up, he scratched absently at his jaw with the blunted fingernails of his human form. "Well... jealousy works pretty well, but I don't think they're quite at that point yet." He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head.

"The enemy of all revelation is routine. You can quote me on that." He seemed rather impressed with the pithiness of his own wisdom, though Kiyoshi knew that was mostly farcical. "Why would either of them learn anything new or change anything if the circumstances around them don't change? They need to be put in a new context, one that's not comfortable for them. That'll force them to look at things differently. The push, if you will." His eyes, golden like sunset, glittered with something approaching sadistic amusement.

"Considering today is Valentine's Day, it shouldn't be too difficult, however; it might prove to be. I wasn't lying when I said Toto-chan was as dumb as a pile of wood when it comes to that kind of thing, but..." she trailed off.

"Leaving them alone together won't do, either," Kiyoshi mused. Ever since both Yukimura moved in, Etsuko and Satoru spent time together alone, working on homework. It wasn't all the time, but it was enough to leave that option moot. "Tsu-Tsu isn't exactly a shy person, either," which was weird in itself. Etsuko was honest with most things; she wasn't one to hide her emotions or what she thought.

"Even if they are not quite at that point, I think it's an angle you should still try. The jealousy, I mean. We need to get them somewhere, maybe doll up Tsu-Tsu a bit, and just throw her out to the sharks," Ryoka suggested, nodding as if it were a good idea. Kiyoshi, however, furrowed his brows and pursed his lips together.

"We should try something that will leave Tsu-Tsu in one piece, not torn in a different direction," he stated. This was more difficult than he thought. It should have been easier considering his current status, however; it wasn't. He sighed.

"Honestly, you two need to learn to think in the long term." Ichikage crossed his arms, leaning sideways against one of the square columns holding up the engawa's roof. "It's not going to magically happen today, no matter that you do. People don't come to such realizations so quickly, and as I said, I really don't think jealousy would work yet." He shrugged. "At this point, if one of them saw the other connecting romantically with some third party, they're likely to just congratulate them and not say anything. No, it's going to need to be more gradual than that."

He raised a hand to scratch absently at his jaw. "I think... we should all take a vacation. Somewhere nice and tropical, come summer. They'll be graduated and away from their familiar high school surroundings, meaning there won't be any homework to serve as excuse for their time together. They'll have to admit they want to spend time together, not just doing the same thing." He hummed; a sly smile stretched across his face.

"How does Hawai'i sound?"

Ryoka made a strange sound, something that sounded almost like awe. She'd taken in a deep breath, and her eyes widened slightly. "I hear they have amazing mochi, and all kinds of different sweets," she stated, as if what they were discussing held no immediate importance. Kiyoshi, however, blinked, and smiled softly. Rolling his eyes, he raised a brow in her direction.

"Is food all you ever think about, Ryoka-san?" he asked, the words passing through his lips before he could filter them better.

"Food and your pretty hair," she replied just as smoothly. She was smirking at him, and he could feel his lips pulling downward. His cheeks were tingling again, and her shoulders started shaking, slightly. "I do believe I know how to make Kiyo-Kiki embarrassed," she stated. She started laughing, apparently unable to contain it any longer.

"I shouldn't have asked." He shouldn't have asked.

"No shit." His father was, unsurprisingly, grinning broadly. "But isn't that nice, Kiki? Someone thinks you're pretty. Aren't you so lucky to have admirers?"

"Am I?" he deadpanned his father.

Ryoka snorted, though, and chuckled softly. "You misunderstand me, Ichi-kun. I said his hair is pretty, not him. Though, if I had to say...," she trailed off in what seemed to be a pause, and cast Kiyoshi a glance. He could almost see the mischief behind it, however; it seemed to disappear. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't worry Kiki, I won't tell anyone how sensitive you are about your hair. I'm sure a certain someone wouldn't like me mentioning it out loud, anyway," she spoke, offering Kiyoshi a small smile.

"Should I take that at face value," he responded, giving her a flat look. She seemed to find it amusing since she laughed.

"And this is why I like you, Kiyo-kun. My word is my oath, I shan't break it," she replied. Kiyoshi sighed softly. Perhaps, entering into a plan with his father and Ryoka was not the best idea he had. He could only hope, as strange as it was, that Mika would not find out. He didn't think she would be pleased about it.

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Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura
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#, as written by Aethyia
Ichikage hummed thoughtfully, tapping the tips of his fingers against the desk in front of him. The young Yukimura had awakened the day before, little the worse for wear despite his ordeal—and despite the bond-mark that had now darkened to an inky black right at the center of his chest.

He wondered if it could possibly be a coincidence that he had received this particular message today. Anyone with the right senses in a fifty-mile radius would have sensed the mark awaken, and Ichikage was no fool. That meant word would have gone out to the other daiyōkai in no time at all. No doubt this letter had been in the planning for much longer than that, but still. The timing was uncanny, and together with his other suspicions, well. He did begin to wonder a bit.

"A Gathering, is it? What are you scheming now, Kimiko?" He shook his head, rippling the silver-white strands of his hair, and exhaled heavily through his nose.

There was a slight rapping on the door outside. From the tempo, it was easy enough to tell who it was. There was only one person who knocked on his door that way, and not more than a few seconds later, she entered. She was grinning, as if something had amused her greatly. He'd learned by now that Ryoka was easily amused, and it was probably because she was teasing her younger brother, again.

“So, Ichi-kun, what's on the agenda today?" she asked, taking a seat in front of him. She looked to be contemplating something before she shrugged her shoulders, and situated herself so that she was sitting cross-legged in her chair. “Toto-chan's recovering, Kiki's with Sakuragi-san, and I think your Cricket is hiding from me," she continued in a nonchalant fashion. She almost sounded bored.

Despite the solemnity of his previous thoughts, Ichikage found himself smiling with no effort at all, lifting one eyebrow at the last part of her statement. "I see her self-preservation instincts have sharpened," he remarked wryly. It was certainly no secret that Ryoka enjoyed teasing Etsuko, and that his ward could only deal with it up to a certain point. Hiding was hardly an unexpected response, all things considered.

He set the paper down on the desk in front of him, then gave a careless shrugged. "As for what I'm doing, well. I was just about to get started planning a rather important event. Would you care to be of assistance?" It wouldn't be a bad opportunity to teach her a few things, actually—things that would be important for her to know if she was to successfully do her job. It, after all, involved a great deal more than just wearing a uniform and fighting when he told her to. Micchan should be evidence enough of that.

“It's why I'm here, right?" she replied, though it seemed to be in good humor. She unfolded her legs, and sat properly in her chair. “What can I do to be of assistance? Be forewarned, I can't... help anyone dress properly. You should know I'm horrible myself, without Toto-chan," she stated with a slight smile before her face smoothed over. Not quite in the same seriousness as Micchan's tended to do, but it was obvious enough that she was going to take what he said seriously.

"Hm," he replied. She'd have to learn that eventually, too, among other things. "For now, that won't be necessary. However, we're going to need to make preparations to host the other yōkai lords. In approximately two months. Not much time, honestly, but we shall make due." He sat back slightly, running a hand through his silvery locks, and hummed contemplatively. "A Gathering only happens once every few centuries, you see, and I wasn't expecting this one for about another decade, but, well... what Kimiko wants, Kimiko gets." He smiled fondly. She was really a force of nature, that woman. Had been since they first met, all those years ago.

Ryoka pursed her lips together, as if she were trying to understand what he'd just said. She wasn't an idiot, but something must have confused her. “Is she really that much of an influence?" she asked. “I didn't...," she paused in her sentence and shook her head. She took a deep breath, evident by the slight heave of her shoulders, and released it.

“Two months," she repeated. “Alright, two months to prepare. I've worked with shorter notices. What's the first thing we need to do? Planning an event isn't easy, right? You have to cater to everyone's specific needs, and I'm sure with all the yōkai, it'll be difficult to find a caterer of that sort," she stated, tilting her head just a fraction to the side.

“Unless yōkai have their own caterers I didn't know about," she muttered more to herself, it seemed.

"The food in particular won't be a problem as long as we give the kitchens enough notice," Ichikage said. "Preparing for this is going to come down to two major things: directing the staff appropriately in preparations they mostly already know how to make, and preparing you, your brother, and Cricket for the endeavor. This is not her school, where she can say whatever she likes to the children of prominent individuals." He sighed; the Valentine's Day incident had been cleaned up with an application of Mika's abilities and grease in the right palms, but smoothing ruffled feathers would not be nearly so simple when people just as powerful as himself were involved.

His name bore a lot of weight, but not more than every other.

And Ryoka would be in a highly-visible position, as well, if she were to continue acting as his guard. "On the positive side, herein lies an opportunity. I'm sure it would be a matter of considerable professional interest to you, to be able to put so many faces to the names of prominent demons. To interact with them and learn the culture, so to speak." Of course, he knew her interest was more than merely professional, but since she hadn't outright said that to him yet, he didn't point it out. She'd be a fool not to see the opportunity regardless.

“You're not wrong," she replied, though where she was usually a little more jovial, she seemed a little solemn about it. Something in the way her eyes dimmed just slightly, gave way to that. “Satoru's always been a well-behaved kid. I don't think he'll have too much trouble adjusting to this event. He's a quick learner, even so," she stated slightly upbeat, as if the solemnness of her previous expression wasn't there.

She sighed heavily, regardless, and slumped her shoulders. “Can't say the same for myself, but I'll do my best not to bring any shame to the Motoyami name. If I do...," she trailed off, getting lost in her own thoughts, it seemed. She was chewing on her bottom lip, and not looking at him.

Ichikage considered that for a moment, studying her profile. "Your respect for my name is appreciated," he said, injecting just a little of his customary lightness into his tone. He was taking this seriously, after all, or at least a particular part of it. "But I don't think it what has you looking so distracted."

Shifting, he let one hand rest on his knee and used the other one to gesture to the seat in front of his desk on the floor. "Take a seat, Ryoka-san. And tell me why it is you're so intent on being my bodyguard in the first place, hm? I won't be upset, no matter what you tell me. I promise."

She looked a little taken back by his statement since her eyes widened slightly. She blinked slowly, apparently processing his statement before standing from her chair. She took the offered seat, folding her legs beneath her in a proper sitting position. It wasn't quite a proper seiza, but it looked like she was trying. She glanced at him, holding his gaze with her own as if she were searching for something. She either found it, or didn't, since she dropped her gaze, and lowered her head slightly.

“For the record, I want to state that my intentions for being your guard have never strayed from being what they were: a source of income for Satoru. I have not lied about that," she began. She was quite serious in what she was stating if the tone of her voice was anything to go by. It was heavier, almost, and not quite as light as it usually was. She lifted her gaze back to his, though, and just stared.

“There is another reason why I wanted to be your guard, Motoyami-sama," she spoke formally, a little odd considering it was her. “I want to form a contract," she stated quite bluntly. She didn't even bother to lead up to it. She just asked. She slipped forward after the statement, though, and appeared to be bowing in what looked like a dogeza. It wasn't a proper dogeza, but as her seiza, it looked like she was trying.

“I... I need to be," she spoke, a slight hitch in her voice keeping her from continuing. “I need to be strong enough to find out who... who took my family from me," she finally continued in a softer voice. “I need to keep him safe, somehow. And I need to find justice for my family. There isn't anyone else who can help; I need to be the one to do it," she continued, keeping her face to the floor.

“I beg of you," it sounded like a plea.

A Contract...

He'd had a feeling that she was attempting to use him at least in part for information on her family's killers, but he hadn't been aware she even knew what Contracts were, considering the ignorance of both herself and her brother on the true nature of the mark on his chest. But of course—the pieces slotted together easily in his mind, completing his picture of the situation.

"An interesting proposal," he murmured, for once not making a joke out of it. Instead, he folded his arms into his sleeves, feeling his ivory claws slide against his skin, leaving no scratches behind. "I thank you for your honesty, Ryoka-san. In light of it, I shall consider your offer. In the meantime, I offer you the opportunity to learn what you can by remaining at my side. I intend to press some of the others on the matter of your clan's deaths while the Gathering is in progress. If you will allow me to do this on your behalf, you may be present when I do so."

He blinked, clicking his tongue against his teeth. "You need not bow so, Ryoka-san. Rise, and tell me if you find this acceptable."

Her hands clenched tightly, almost as if that wasn't quite the answer she was looking for. Her knuckles were turning white, however; her grip loosened and they regained color. She'd remained in her bow for a few more seconds before slowly rising. Her gaze hadn't quite reached his yet, and it looked like she was trying to meet his eyes. Her hair had spilled over her shoulders from the bow, but she made no effort to move the strands. Finally, she glanced up at him.

“Thank you, Motoyami-sama," she spoke, though the lightness in her tone was gone. “It is... acceptable," she spoke, dropping her gaze thereafter. There was a small smile fluttering across her lips, though, and she pushed a breath through her nose.

“If I'm not needed for anything further for the day..." she trailed off, seemingly contemplating her next words. She grinned. “My inner fat kid needs her daily dose of pastries. I'd like to go satisfy that. You're welcome to join if you'd like," she stated. She was still contemplating his offer, it looked like, even though she'd agree to it. She'd likely do that for the remainder of the day.

"Alas, I have boring preparation things to do for now. I'll arrange your schedule with Micchan's, however. You're going to need to start learning sooner rather than later." Ichikage gave her a small smile. No doubt she would have preferred his immediate acquiescence. Truthfully, he could understand—but even if he'd never act like it in the obvious ways, he took his responsibilities as both Lord and daiyōkai seriously. He could not form a Contract with someone only because she'd been wronged and it would help. He had to have proof that she was really worth the risk it entailed.

And that was simply not something he could discern with a few weeks, even if he had his intuitions already. She would have to learn patience, as he had. Then, perhaps, they could come to a more permanent agreement.

"Enjoy your pastries, Ryoka-san."

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Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Mika Sakuragi
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There was an uncomfortable feeling in her chest. It settled, ugly and nesting, and she wanted it gone. She should have known that he wouldn't have given her the answer she wanted, needed even. After all, who was she? Just some... she stopped those thoughts immediately, and pursed her lips together. Even though it'd been a couple of days ago, the thought still lingered. And it stung. More-so than it had any right to, actually. Sighing to herself, she ran her hand a few times up and down her face.

This needed to stop.

She had other priorities, right now. She hadn't even told Satoru, yet. That was something she was putting off, though. He didn't need to know she'd outright asked for a contract. He'd scold her, and tell her she should have waited a little longer, or something to that effect. She smiled softly to herself. She needed to collect her thoughts, for now.

“Right. I'm supposed to be with Mika-san and preparing," she spoke to herself. With her resolve, she set out to find Mika. Like Ichi-kun said, sooner rather than later.

She'd been informed that Mika would be waiting for her in the office she shared with Kiyoshi, who was apparently out with some other guard this afternoon, leaving one of what seemed to be one of very few blank spots in the hanyō woman's schedule. Apparently, she'd spent longer dwelling than she thought she had, because by the time she arrived at the office, it was five minutes past the appointed hour.

The door was open, precluding the need to knock, and Mika was inside, seated at the smaller of the two desks in the room, the one off somewhat to the side of the main office. Unlike Ichikage's, both of the desks in this room were at the standard modern height, and had chairs behind them rather than cushions. At Ryoka's entrance, Mika glanced up, setting aside her pen and standing.

Dressed in grey tailored slacks and a deep blue silk blouse with half-sleeves and a bow tied demurely in the front, she was as prim and well-kept as ever, not even one of her precisely shoulder-length dark hairs out of place. Gunmetal-grey eyes swept Ryoka dispassionately from the crown of her head to her feet on the floor, then back up again. Like everyone inside the manor itself, she did not wear shoes, but there was a pair of black heels tucked neatly against the side of her desk—she was certainly prepared to leave if necessary, then.

"Rule number one for dealing with yōkai," she said flatly. "Always be five minutes early to everything. Whatever you have to do to make that happen from now on, do it. They hate to be kept waiting, and almost every last one of them thinks their time is worth a lot more than yours is."

Ryoka felt her lips purse, and sighed inwardly as best as she could. It almost felt like Mika was assessing her, and her atttire. She probably was. Ryoka was not inclined to disagree that she didn't know how to dress properly. It wasn't really required of her, only for more formal occasions. She doubted taiji-ya clans were as formal as most yōkai, especially the older ones, but she'd always had Satoru help her. Now... now she would have to do this on her own.

“Alright," she replied. It wasn't going to be as easy as that, though. Even she knew that much. Straightening out her back as much as she could, Ryoka bowed as formally as she could. She'd never been great at it, but she would have to practice it. Right now, though, she wanted to thank Mika.

“Thank you, Sakuragi-san, for taking the time to help me with this," because Ryoka knew damn well it wasn't going to be easy. Perhaps that was why Mika was the one to help her with this? She was, after all, far more patient and attentive than anyone Ryoka knew. Even Satoru.

"Of course, Yukimura-san." Mika inclined her head in return, the motion effortlessly graceful and elegant. Clearly, she had no problems getting her bows and everything perfect every time. "It's going to be a lot to learn, and you're going to have to work very hard at it, but I promise to help as much as I can. If you're ready now, we can get started with the basics. I need an idea of where you're at before I can tell where we should start." Mika folded her hands in front of her, the picture of unruffled calm.

She almost envied Mika for that calm demeanor. She sighed, though, and nodded her head. “It's... it's pretty bad," she stated, rubbing her forearm a bit before she moved to stand in front of Mika. “I've never bowed properly before. My parents tried to get me to do it properly for the elders and the others... but I just," she trailed off, pursing her lips slightly.

“I've never really been good at anything other than fighting," she admitted softly. It wasn't something to admit so freely, after all, that she wasn't perfect. Or at least great at things most people should be. “And I'm sure my posture is horrendous," despite her efforts to correct it. She just... did what she wanted to most of the time.

Mika shook her head, pursing her lips. "That is the first notion you must banish. Telling yourself that these are the kinds of things you are 'not good at' will only impede your ability to learn them. Anyone can learn, and with practice, anyone can perfect what I am going to show you. You must apply yourself and work hard to succeed—but so must everyone who learns this."

Her feet made absolutely no noise on the green tatami underfoot as she started forward, approaching Ryoka with the same assessing gaze. "This will be easiest if you permit me to touch you." Pausing long enough to be sure Ryoka allowed it, she first took her by the shoulders. For someone with such delicate-looking hands, Mika's grip was firm and steady. "Straighten your spine," she commanded flatly, shifting Ryoka's shoulders back and down. "Stand with your weight evenly distributed across both feet. No leaning. You know how to find your center of balance, so find it."

That was easier said than done. She couldn't simply just banish what she knew to be true. Ryoka knew she wasn't good at things, and even with all the practice and hard work she wouldn't improve that much. But Mika also had a point, she supposed. She relaxed her muscles a bit when Mika gripped her, and allowed her to shift her. She pursed her lips together when Mika spoke, though. She could do that much, she supposed. She would just have to think of it as something else.

Like a training exercise.

Perhaps... if she could apply the same mentality to that, she could at least improve on something, right? It was worth a try. “Mika-chan," she began, glancing towards the woman. “Can... you help me with this?" she stated. Of course, Mika was already helping her, but she didn't mean it in that way.

“If... I can think of this as some sort of training exercise, I might just..." she trailed off, hoping Mika would get the implication.

"Oh, it's a training exercise," Mika confirmed. "You think running around swinging weapons hurts? That's because you haven't stood at perfectly still attention for nine hours straight. Yōkai do not tire as others do. Your endurance will need to grow to match theirs." Sliding around behind Ryoka, Mika placed her hands on either side of her jaw, aligning her head so that it was perfectly straight.

"The key is to not hold tension in your body. You will have to train yourself so that this is your natural posture. That will make it possible for you to relax into it. Stay still." She held Ryoka in place for just one more moment, then released her, crossing back to the desk and retrieving a pair of slim books of some kind from the surface. "If you're doing this right, you'll be able to balance this on your head at any level of movement." She placed one on her own crown to demonstrate. It didn't so much as quiver, not even when she reached up to set the other one atop Ryoka's head.

"Just stand still for now. Fold your arms in front of you, as I do." She returned her hands to the delicate front clasp they'd been in previously.

Ryoka did her best not to sigh heavily. Mika had a point there. This kind of thing was completely different from what she'd been taught as a warrior. This... whatever this was, was demanding something else of her. It wasn't calling for her to be the warrior she was. The fighter. This was calling for something with a little more elegance, she supposed. Balancing the book on her head was going to require a lot of patience. Patience she wasn't known to have.

Instead, she did as she was told, and folded her hands like Mika's. At least she was trying to do it. Her head kept shaking, and the book wasn't staying in place. She was trying to keep still, but it seemed like every breath she took, the book would sway. A few more minutes had passed, and every attempt ended in failure. She just couldn't balance the book the same way Mika could.

“Alright, one more try," it seemed like it was a mantra by now. She'd say that, place the book back on her head, and watch it fall not a moment sooner. It felt like hours had passed by the time she could balance the book slightly better, but it still moved. When it fell again, she sighed heavily.

“I suppose I'm off to an okay start," considering that she could keep the book balanced for more than a few seconds with clasped hands. She'd have to practice even when she wasn't with Mika in order to get this right, but she was determined. If it would help her at least get information about her family, she could do this. She had to.

"Keep practicing when I'm not around," Mika said simply, neither praising her nor disparaging her efforts. "For now... take a seat. A large part of this process is going to be teaching you information you need to know. For this part, at least, I have invited your brother and Etsuko-chan to join us, as they will need to know the information as well."

She gestured to a cluster of armchairs nestled in one corner of the office, affording Ryoka a chance to sit and rest a bit.

Well... she could do that, she supposed.

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Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura Character Portrait: Etsuko Fujimori Character Portrait: Mika Sakuragi
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Mika busied herself making tea, using the small electric kettle settled on a small table off to one side of the office. Her back was to Ryoka, but she could sense the other woman move to the seating area and take a chair. The hanyō made no attempt to fill the silence with needless conversation—she would be talking plenty later. For the moment, she allowed the meditative motions of preparing tea to quiet her thoughts, and as usual, those were many.

Chief among the things on her mind, of course, was the fact that she had two months to prepare three people for an event that they really should have been given a year, at minimum, to brace for. It was, she knew, a sign of his trust in her that Motoyami-sama assigned her to do this rather than someone else, but that did not particularly increase her confidence that she would succeed. It was a lot to ask of them.

Letting a soft breath escape her nose—not quite a sigh—Mika turned at the sound of a knock. She knew before laying eyes on him that it was Satoru, but she met his dark eyes and nodded anyway, grating him wordless permission to enter. He seemed much recovered from his earlier ordeals, and was still dressed in his school uniform, without the blazer. Five minutes before she'd asked him to be here. At least she wouldn't have to teach him that as well.

That left Etsuko.

“Sorry I'm late!" Etsuko spoke, going through the door a few minutes after Satoru. Though she wasn't entirely late, she wasn't early, either. “Mika-chan, Yukimura-kun, Ryoka-san," she greeted, giving them all a quick bow. Ryoka snickered off to the side, but made no comment. Etsuko turned and gave Ryoka a flat look, but said nothing either.

“Looks like the gang is all here. S'pose we should get started, then," Ryoka spoke this time, crossing her legs in the chair she was sitting in. Her posture wasn't pristine in that chair, either, but she'd agreed to keep practicing. “Tsu-chan, you can sit next to me," Ryoka stated, grinning all the while.

“I'll pass, thank you," Etsuko replied in a deadpan voice.

Satoru rolled his eyes; Mika ignored the banter and went back to her desk, pulling open the top drawer and extracting the files she'd already prepared. It was important to maximize the efficiency of these lessons; she'd only have about an hour a day free for them. If they could study and practice without her to further their progress, all the better—and that's what these were for.

Handing one to each, she gave them a few moments to open them while she poured the tea. "Included in each of these packets is information on each of the most prominent visitors. The lords and their immediate family members have longer entires with pictures. Important retainers are included, though not all of them have available photos or portraits." She blinked, passing the tea to each of them as well. "Each lord also has his or her crest displayed in their entry, so that you might be able to recognize whose household is whose. For the duration of the Gathering, we will all be wearing the Motoyami crest accordingly." Motoyami-sama was usually quite lax in his uniform requirements, but that would not be the case while the others were present for the Gathering. It was crucial for things to run smoothly that everyone be able to identify members of the host staff.

Ryoka's eyes were skimming the pages, though it didn't look like she was actually processing the information. Etsuko appeared to be taking her time with the files, flipping through them a little more passively than Ryoka was. At least she didn't appear as confused as Ryoka did, but that was because Etsuko was already part of the Motoyami household and should have been somewhat familiar with the names and etiquette. She needed to learn other things as well, though, in order to avoid another incident.

“What is this Gathering, exactly? And why is it so important," Ryoka asked, though her eyes were still on the files in front of her. She was moving a particular one back and forth, as if she were trying to see some connection or another. Etsuko made a soft humming sound as if agreeing with Ryoka's statement.

“Is it kind of like an important meeting of some kind?" she asked, still keeping her eyes glued to the files. “Because it kind of sounds more like a big festival of some sort," she muttered this as if she were saying it to herself. Etsuko just kept reading the files in front of her, and took a drink of her tea.

"It's more like a business meeting or political summit, right?" Satoru glanced up from his own perusal of the file, which seemed to be much more absorbed than Ryoka's or even Etsuko's. Clearly he was interested in the information. Perhaps it had something to do with being a professional taiji-ya. It was, in a sense, their business to know everything possible about yōkai, though these days they had little access to most of that information.

Mika nodded, impressed that he knew even that much. "Yes. It's a meeting between yōkai lords. Originally, a Gathering was the only time when all seven daiyōkai would be in the same place, and they used it to discuss matters that affected them collectively. Given that there are now only three daiyōkai lines remaining, the other four Covenant houses are represented by whomever their lord is, instead. The purpose is still essentially the same, however: meet with each other and play politics, such as it is."

“Why are they having one, now?" Etsuko asked this time. She'd stopped what she was doing, and glancing directly at Mika. Ryoka hummed as well.

“Given that we have only two months to prepare for it, it must be something incredibly urgent," she stated, placing her files down as well. “From what you just said, it sounds like they're usually planned months in advance," she continued.

“This is the first time I'm participating in one," Etsuko chimed in.

"Often they are planned further in advance, yes," Mika said. "But truthfully, one has been due for a while now, and as a whole, we're prepared to handle it. Motoyami-sama wasn't thinking with the Gathering in mind during recent events, however, as it had not yet been called."

She exhaled, taking a slow sip of her tea. "As for the reason—there have been quite a number of significant events lately. Any one of them, or all of them together, would be adequate cause for Takashi-sama to call the Gathering." Her voice was quiet. "The death of the most prominent remaining taiji-ya clan is of concern to us all, for one. Kiyoshi-sama's impending marriage also means that the daimyō who wish to offer congratulations before the event must do so soon, which likely influenced the choice to hold it here. All kinds of factors go into these decisions."

Satoru pursed his lips, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Have you met any of the lords, Sakuragi-san?"

Mika inclined her head. "Some. Of the seven, and discounting Motoyami-sama, I have personally been in the presence of the kitsune, hebi, and tengu lords. But to call it meeting them is inaccurate. As a servant, I do not speak in such situations unless asked a direct question, and barring special request, I am not introduced. You should expect the same, as non-family members of Motoyami-sama's household."

Though...

"There may be some interest in all three of you. It is of course known that Etsuko-chan is Motoyami-sama's ward, and some are bound to be curious, though it's unlikely any of the daimyō will themselves make inquiries. Their retainers may seek you out, however. It's also possible that the two of you will be asked to provide testimony before the gathering on what you witnessed that night. They will be interested in figuring out who is responsible, and will want your information to help make that determination."

Etsuko looked vaguely uncomfortable at the statement of possibly being sought out. Ryoka, however, merely pressed her lips into a deep line. She didn't look pleased about being questioned, either, but perhaps that was a little understandable. She'd been there that night, and had seen almost her entire family wiped out. It was likely a sensitive topic for her.

“So, in the case that we do meet these retainers and lords, how are we to address them? Motoyami-sama is, obviously, a little more relaxed about the formalities here, but I'm assuming that that won't be the case during the Gathering. We can't just call everyone Motoyami-sama if they share the surname, right?" she stated.

“I'm... going to need help with that as well," Etsuko murmured. “I only know how to speak with the people of this household. I don't want to smear otō-sama's name," she continued, though her voice was a little softer this time. It was obvious she had things weighing on her mind. Etsuko had always been expressive that way, even if she didn't mean to be.

“I agree with Tsu-chan. I don't want to do something I'd otherwise do in any other situation. I also don't want to say something or address someone incorrectly," Ryoka stated, leaning on her arm a bit.

Mika nodded once, setting her teacup down and folding her hands in her lap. "This is indeed very important. The lords who are actually heads of their houses must always be referred to as 'heika.'"

Satoru blinked, pausing with his teacup halfway to his lips. "Like the Emperor of Japan?"

"Yes. They are royalty within their domains, and have to be addressed as such. Likewise, their family members who are not heads of house always get 'denka.' It's better to just use those words by themselves, unless they give you permission to use their names, in which case keep using it as an honorific. If they insist on more informality, switch to 'sama.' Above all, do what they tell you to, but those are your default rules of address." She paused, grimacing.

"And if you have cause to refer to either of the lords Motoyami in front of a third party, it is Motoyami-heika and Motoyami-denka. Never anything else. Even for you, Etsuko-chan."

"And bowing?" Satoru asked, blinking. "Full dogeza all the time would be counterproductive to efficiency, I think."

Mika hummed. "That much is unnecessary, unless you're approaching someone in a very formal situation, such as an official audience. Otherwise, remain standing, but bow deeply and properly whenever it is called for. It goes without saying that your own pronouns should be humble. There is no need for anything self-effacing unless you upset someone, but don't use 'ore' or anything too arrogant, obviously. 'Watakushi' will do." More formal than the standard, but not actively putting oneself down.

Etsuko nodded her head, paying attention to what was said. “So heika when in the presence of the head, and denka for those in the same household, but not the heads," she spoke mostly to herself, it seemed. Ryoka groaned lightly, but it didn't sound like she was upset about something. Likely, she was just having a hard time processing the information.

“All the formality for demons living in the present," she muttered more to herself. She took a deep sigh, though, and glanced back at the files. “Toto-chan, you're going to help me with this," she spoke it as if she were questioning whether or not he'd help her. But the tone suggested otherwise.

"I know," Satoru replied, clearly unsurprised. "I'll make you a study guide. And I mean... you say demons of the present, but a lot of them have been around since even before Japan as we know it was a thing, right?" He glanced at Mika.

She hummed her agreement. "Motoyami-sama and Takashi-sama are both the original daiyōkai of their lines, yes." She knew little of it, because Ichikage was extremely silent on the matter by his own choice, but from the few tidbits she'd learned, he'd lived in an ancient ages of gods and demons, when the divine still walked and shaped the earth. Long before recorded history, in any event. Even Kiyoshi had been born into a more civilized age, even if it was the Yayoi Period.

“Always be formal, always address someone formally unless stated otherwise, and bow deeply and properly when called for," Etsuko seemed to be talking to herself since her eyes were now back on the files.

“Is there anything else we'll need to do, Mika-chan? Are we to dress formally, too? I know Ryoka-san will be in uniform, but what about Yukimura-kun and myself? I don't think Yukimura-kun has anything with the Motoyami crest, and most of the kimono's I have don't bear the mark, either," she asked.

"That will need to be addressed," Mika replied simply. "At some point soon, we'll have seamstresses take both of your measurements, and you'll be provided appropriate clothing for the duration of the events. Formal dress will be necessary at most times, according to your station within the house." As Ichikage's ward, human or not, Etsuko would have kimono for the event, with family crests placed in the necessary places. Most likely, Satoru would be attired in a similar manner to Ryoka or the other staff; she would see about having guard uniforms made for him—that would perhaps suit better than the vestments of a domestic servant or shinobi.

“That's great," Ryoka mumbled, though she was smiling. “That means Toto-chan can finally look spiffy," she added, grinning towards Satoru. Etsuko rolled her eyes, and it looked like she was going to say something, however; she merely turned a light pink, and shook her head.

“That means the Gathering will happen just before graduation," she stated, sighing softly and taking a drink of her tea. “Guess that means I'll have to put a few things on hold in order to prepare for this," she continued. She likely meant her music. She smiled, though, and glanced towards Mika. “But if it's for tō-sama, it'll be okay," she stated, setting her cup down.

“Alright, so we have formalities down. Is there anything else we should know, Mika-san? Because I'm all out of questions," Ryoka spoke, arching a quizzical brow at Mika.

"Not today," Mika replied, "as I'm out of time. However, I've cleared this hour every day. Once each week, I'll be working one-on-one with each of you, and the other four days will be all of us practicing together. I encourage you to study and practice in your free time, also. These are not skills that come to a person in a few weeks of casual preparation, and I hope you will all take it appropriately seriously."

Satoru nodded solemnly. Etsuko nodded as well while Ryoka grinned.

"Good." With that, Mika dismissed them, trying not to think about the effort that lay ahead.

They had a long way to go.

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Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Mika Sakuragi Character Portrait: Kiyoshi Motoyami
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Ichikage shifted slightly, the embroidered red silk of his juban coming to rest straighter over his shoulders. Over the top of it when the more staid and formal black montsuki, and he tied his slate-grey hakama with the ease of long practice, belting on his sash over it. His daishō, rarely worn, he slid into the left side, then draped the black haori over the entire ensemble, flaring it back to keep the tsuka of the swords visible. His mass of snowy hair, he tied into a tail atop the crown of his head, letting it fall in free waves to his thighs from there. Stepping into his geta, he leaned sideways and knocked on the door to the attached room.

"Ryoka-san, are you ready? The guests will be at the gate soon." And as host, he'd be meeting them there, along with Kiki, of course.

“Almost," was the reply he received from the other side. Some shuffling could be heard before the door opened, producing Ryoka as a result. She was dressed in her official attire, with some modifications for the event. Nothing too extravagent, just the family crest situated in the proper locations. Her hair, which she usually left down, was pulled tightly back into a bun. It didn't look out of place at all. Mika might have taught her well.

She bowed, apparently having somewhat mastered the technique by now. “Motoyami-heika," she greeted, straightening back out, apparently trying to apply what she'd learned over the last two months of training. “Shall we?" she stated, the usual smile from her face gone and replaced with something a little more serious. Micchan was probably the only one who could pull off that kind of look, though.

It was admittedly very weird to hear the title from her, though the sensation only lasted a moment. He was, after all, ultimately quite accustomed to such reverence, whether he really wanted it or not. Humming, Ichikage folded his arms into his sleeves. "Well... let's go then."

For once, he allowed himself to act the part of lord, striding through the estate like he really was the person that owned it, and quite a lot more besides. He lengthened his stride, let it roll so that he seemed to be floating more than walking, holding his head high as they approached the gate. Kiki and Micchan were already there, Kiyoshi attired much like he was and Mika also wearing the dress uniform of the house, though she'd left her hair to fall just an inch above her shoulders, perfectly neat and straight. What was still demonstrably in-progress on Ryoka's face was perfect neutrality on hers, and she bowed deeply as he approached.

He came to a stop just inside the gate; from the slight commotion outside, it was clear that someone had just arrived, and would be shown through momentarily.

Kiyoshi didn't seem too thrilled about who it was, though, if the slight motion of his facial features was anything to go by. He seemed to have recovered quickly, though, since his face was as smooth and neutral as it usually was. He bowed, though not quite as deep, when Kazetani appeared. She was the current head of the tengu clan, and she looked as lively as she ever did. Her hair, a pin-straight mass of black strands, fell to her back. It was partially pulled up on the top, though, with her bangs allowed loose above her eyes. She always seemed to prefer the hime cut, however; the strands on the side of her face were longer than the typical cut of that style.

Her eyes, always the most expressive part about her, lit up immediately upon seeing Kiyoshi. "Motoyami-denka!" she greeted, an airy tone to her voice as she approached. Kiyoshi looked like he tensed a bit, but relaxed his shoulders before glancing down at her.

“Kazetani-dono," he greeted, but said nothing further. She frowned in his direction, but then turned towards Ichikage, beaming all the while.

“Motoyami-heika," she greeted, bowing formally before straightening her posture. Her eyes landed on Ryoka who was situated to his left, and she tilted her head. “How are you faring?" she asked, the curiosity written on her face.

"Kazetani-dono. I'm the same as ever. You, on the other hand, are all grown up now, aren't you?" He favored her with a conspiratorial smile. Hiroko was very young by the standards of yōkai leaders; she hadn't even been in charge of her house last time there was a Gathering. He still remembered her as Hiroko-hime, the young girl who wanted to be just like Kiki, and who didn't mind joining him in teasing his son all the same. "Your kimono looks lovely, by the way." He winked; giving away the humor for what it was.

She giggled, and rolled her eyes. "And it seems you are, Motoyami-heika. You look as dashing as ever, as well. I'm still surprised you're not married," she replied, smiling brightly as she did. "Kiyoshi-denka, you look handsome as well. Is that a new haircut, Sakuragi-san?" she asked, turning towards Micchan.

“The others will be arriving soon, Kazetani-dono. Perhaps you would like to rest before they do? Your journey must have been long," Kiyoshi interjected before anything else could be said. She blinked up at him, and huffed lightly.

“You must not concern yourself with me, Kiyoshi-denka. The trip was not too long, and I wish to catch up with you," she stated in an innocent manner.

“There will be time for that, later, Kazetani-dono," he replied, his expression still passive. She sighed, but nodded her head.

“As you wish, Kiyoshi-denka, but," she paused, lifting a finger up as if she were pointing at Kiyoshi, “we will catch up. No excuses, okay?"

“If that is what you will, Kazetani-dono," he replied, dropping his gaze to hers for a brief moment.

“The same for you, Motoyami-heika. When this is over, we should all get together for dinner. Just the," she paused, her eyes glancing around at the people. “Five of us. That includes your new guard, Motoyami-heka, and Sakuragi-san as well," she stated, smiling up at them. It was no secret that Kazetani was fond of the Motoyami. She'd never expressed why, though.

"Of course, Hiro-chan." Ichikage went ahead and dropped the formality; it was immediately obvious to him that she had not changed so much that she'd now expect them to use, it, after all, and he much preferred talking without all the unnecessary manners.

When Kazetani had passed, to be led to her guest quarters by one of many house servants standing by for such a purpose, they had only a few minutes worth of a break before the next few arrived. Gōrō-dono of the kame, whose human guise resembled a slightly-squat old man, was unfailingly gruff as always, while never crossing any lines into disrespectful. Despite not being a daiyōkai, he was the third-oldest of the lords by far, and definitely the one who acted the oldest, so that was perhaps to be expected. Lady Bushōda of the hebi was a sly one, rail-thin and sharp-eyed, but then her family had always been like that. At least she was always willing to play word games with him.

The next to arrive was Oda's party, which included a rather interesting case of a half-guest. The lord himself was on the younger side, less than a third of Kiyoshi's age. That gave him the interesting distinction of being the last daiyōkai born, and it was honestly difficult to say whether there would ever be another. The rumor mill found fertile grist in him, and Ichikage had never had any trouble seeing why. Unlike Kiki, who was now off the market, so to speak, and himself and Kimiko, who had been single for so long everyone knew they'd always be that way, Susumu was ripe for both admiration and speculation. The tora lord's obviously fine looks and rather tragic background made for an ideal object of wistful fancy.

He was also, Ichikage thought, altogether too serious.

“Motoyami-sama. Motoyami-dono." As was his right, he addressed them as something closer to his peers, half-bowing with respect but no deference. It seemed he'd gained confidence since the last Gathering.

"Welcome, Oda-dono," Ichikage replied.

The tora didn't linger, as they could all sense yet another guest approaching. Rather, he looked to the dark-haired woman beside him, her bright golden eyes flashing as she nodded. While it would be bad form to acknowledge Tachibana as though she too were an equal, Ichikage did spare her a short nod, which she returned with a deep bow before moving off with her lord.

Unfortunate, what had become of her house. But not anything he could repair.

The next to arrive was the acting lord of the kitsune: Takeda Akihiko. His face was the epitome of seriousness, perhaps even more-so than Micchan's. His eyes were hard and dark, the color of onyx, with his hair the same color. He greeted both Motoyami with a bow, before his eyes landed on Kiyoshi.

“Motoyami-denka," he spoke, his voice deep and rumbling. It almost sounded like he was challenging Kiyoshi, however; not even Takeda was that inclined to start something he knew he would not be able to finish.

“Takeda-dono," Kiyoshi responded, his voice just as low, though it sounded more passive than Takeda's. “The journey was pleasant, I hope," he continued, keeping his gaze on Takeda. The kitsune merely narrowed his eyes, and nodded.

“It was," he merely stated before turning his attention to Ichikage. “Motoyami-heika," he greeted again.

"Good to see you, Takeda-dono," Ichikage replied. Honestly, if Oda was a bit too serious, Akihiko blew past too serious and into outright boring, save one thing: his odd little rivalry with Kiki. It was kind of entertaining, and Ichikage usually went to some lengths to encourage it subtly, because it amused him. Kiyoshi needed people in his life that didn't like him much, almost as much as he needed people to not like.

Maybe it was just the fact that he'd grown up on the field of battle, but Ichikage thought that an important part of working out who you were and who you wanted to be was done by placing yourself in contrast with people you didn't want to be like. And people who had no desire to be like you. It was... grounding, or something. Also potentially hilarious, when it was someone else dealing with it.

Takeda had moved on more than half an hour ago by the time their final guest arrived. Ichikage felt the presence of her ki as a ripple in the entire world. Takashi Kimiko filled his every sense like no one else had been able to do before or since, and by the time she came into view he'd already smelled, heard and felt her arrive. Hell, he'd tasted it, the way the air carried an almost ozone spark to it around her.

The Ice Queen of Hokkaido, she'd been called back in the day. He'd been the originator of the nickname, of course, and now he was the only one who remembered calling her that. It fit physically, even if that wasn't the reason he'd chosen it: her skin was almost translucently pale, her hair a white free of even the slightest taint of silver or platinum-blonde. It shone like snow crystals, rainbow lights playing subtly at the edges of it. Though she wore it up, looped and pinned between the pearlescent antlers that swept back from just in front of her crown, the bits that were allowed to artfully fall nearly trailed the floor.

The horns and hair alike bore elegant ornaments, even those little compared to the pristine, sumptuous black-and-gold kimono she wore. He felt a genuine smile break over his face, all the way up to his blood-red eyes, which met hers, liquid gold, easily enough.

Neither of them bowed to each other. That was not their way. Kimiko lifted an impossibly-elegant hand just slightly, and Ichikage caught it in his, the silken texture of the rest of her belied by the calluses she bore. Just like his.

He ducked his head a little to brush his lips over her knuckles, grinning when she gave an almost-inelegant snort. "Kimiko. You're as beautiful as the last time I saw you."

She rolled her eyes at him imperiously, withdrawing her hand, but not before squeezing his own with it. “And you still look like a mutt in silk, Ichikage." Her tone was light, humorous, and a smile touched her impeccably-painted mouth.

His smile stretched wider, flashing a hint of fang. "But you like me best that way," he rejoined.

Kimiko arched a white eyebrow at him, but did not respond directly, instead turning to his son. “Kiyoshi-dono. It's good to see you again too."

“Takashi-dono, likewise" he greeted, offering a bow in response. He didn't say anything further, though. He simply stared at her, offering little to no information of what he was thinking. It probably wasn't anything too particular, knowing Kiyoshi. “I hope your stay here will be pleasant," he finally stated.

“Thank you. I'm sure it will be." She shot Ichikage a look he easily interpreted, then strode past him to be shown to her room.

He turned to the others, letting out a long, slow breath. "And that's everyone. This is going to be an interesting couple of weeks, I think."

Setting

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Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura
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Ryoka sighed. Heavily. The last couple of days had been eventful. She'd crossed paths with, maybe, two of the lords when she wasn't with Ichikage, and it had been... enlightening. Of course, she'd done her best to be polite and demure, however; it felt like she was fighting her very nature. They looked down on her, and she hated that feeling. She hated a lot of things, she was finding out. Hating how they looked at her, how weak she was, and how powerless she was to do anything about it.

She furrowed her brows deeply. When did she start thinking like that? She had an opportunity to do something. Ichikage had given her the opportunity to find out some information about her family's demise. That had to count as something. Taking a deep breath, she pushed it out of her nose, and continued on her way to meet Ichikage.

“Yukimura-san," a voice called out to her, snapping Ryoka from her thoughts and causing her to search for the source. Silver-blue eyes met heterochromatic ones: left green eye and blue right eye.

“Eh? Kazetani-heika!" she stated, slightly alarmed and bowing as deeply as she could. Kazetani-heika giggled, a strange sound in Ryoka's ears, as she waved a hand in front of her.

“There is no need for that, Yukimura-san. I was merely hoping you'd seen Kiyoshi-denka," she asked as Ryoka straightened back out. She blinked slowly and pursed her lips together. Kazetani reminded her a lot of the Motoyami in the way she acted around everyone. She didn't seem too concerned with formalities and held everyone in some regard. She was so nice and polite despite being the head of the tengu at the moment.

“I have not. If you can find Mika-san, I'm sure you'll find him with her," because Kiyoshi followed after Mika like a lost puppy. It was heartbreakingly funny. Kazetani-heika nodded her head and bid Ryoka farewell. Unfortunately, on her way to meet Ichikage, she passed by another lord. It was Takeda-heika. She bowed as she'd been taught, and said nothing. He merely stared down at her, silent black eyes peeling her skin. That's what it felt like, at least. She did well, though, not to shiver beneath his gaze.

He was intimidating to some level, but Ryoka was taiji-ya: she feared nothing. Well, maybe one thing, but that was something no one would ever find out. She'd make sure of it.

“Yukimura-san," he merely spoke, and Ryoka could have sworn he actually spat her surname. She could feel her jaw lock, but still spoke nothing. “You are on your way to Motoyami-heika, correct?" he asked, causing Ryoka to inwardly curse her luck.

“I am," she merely replied. He took a step forward, as if waiting for her to continue. She inwardly groaned. Which Kami did she piss off to deserve this? Before she could continue forward, a voice called out.

A familiar one.

“Takeda-dono," Kiyoshi spoke, his gaze traveling from Takeda to Ryoka. "May I speak with you for a moment," he stated it, as if it weren't even a question but a command. Takeda must have heard it, too, because he looked almost livid. But maybe that's just how he always looked? He, however, acquiesced and followed Kiyoshi.

“I can make it through this," she muttered to herself. She could make it to Ichikage's side before she ran into another lord. She had a feeling Kiyoshi wouldn't be there to bail her out if she did.

Perhaps it was by a stoke of luck, but passing down one of the side hallways, she was able to pick out the sound of Ichikage's laughter. At least, it sounded like his. She hadn't ever heard it quite that... free? Unrestrained? Genuine? Something like that. As usual, he was keeping his ki concealed, but the rumble of his voice eventually led her to one of the guest rooms, the door of which was currently closed.

The scent of tea and mint wafted out from beneath it, and she could differentiate the sounds a bit more clearly, now. Ichikage was definitely in there, and he was talking to a woman.

She debated whether or not she wanted to interrupt him. He sounded like he was having... fun? Maybe that wasn't the right word, however; she took a deep breath. She couldn't just leave him, either. She was his guard, after all, and it would be poor form if she wasn't there. With some reluctance, she raised her hand to the door, and tapped it gently. She'd learned restraint the last two months, and she didn't want to interrupt anything important. They would hear her knock regardless.

“Motoyami-heika," she called out, just to let him know she was outside. It still felt odd to call him that, but she was getting used to it. That was how she should have been addressing him to begin with, however; he never forced that upon her, or anyone else in his household. Everything was free, just like his laugh. She blinked slowly and huffed lightly to herself, waiting to be acknowledged or dismissed.

"You can come in, Yukimura-san." Ichikage's only concession to company had been to revert to using her last name instead of her first one. Otherwise, he'd basically been treating her the same way as he always did—he never gave commands, just requests and sometimes instructions or permissions.

She waited a few seconds before entering the room, briefly laying eyes on Ichikage before they traveled to his companion. She bowed deeply in respect to Takashi-heika, though she did not speak. She wasn't to speak unless she was spoken to. Mika-san had told her that much, and she refused to disrespect Mika's teachings. She'd taken them to heart, after all.

Once she'd straightened back up, she glanced towards Ichikage again, and took post where she could be most useful. Which was near the door in case he decided to dismiss her, or if Takashi-heika decided Ryoka shouldn't be there, and Ichikage agreed. Either way, she wasn't going to leave until she was told otherwise.

“So this is her, then?" Takashi-heika's tone was mild, inflected with a little bit of curiosity and a little bit of sympathy; her eyes were bright as they swept over Ryoka. “The last of the Yukimura?"

Ichikage had his back to her, so she couldn't see his face, but she did notice him nod. "And her brother, Satoru-kun, yes."

Takashi's brow furrowed slightly, her lips pursing. She made eye contact and spoke to Ryoka directly. “I'm sorry for your loss, Yukimura-san. It was a blow to us all, though to no one as much as you and your brother, I'm sure." She seemed quite sincere, the ornaments hung from her antlers swaying slightly as she tilted her head.

“Arigatō gozaimasu, Takashi-heika," she responded, bowing once more. She could feel a slight pang in her chest at the reminder, though she did her best not to let it show. It had been months since her family's passing, but she was no closer to finding out who was responsible. She felt... far, for some reason or another.

“It was," she added, keeping Takashi's gaze. She wasn't going to allow herself to falter nor give in to the seeping solemness that threatened her almost every day. “It was unexpected," and swift when they'd came. Retaliation from lesser yōkai was not an uncommon thing, however; yōkai who were coordinated, and were well-informed was another thing. She could feel her brows beginning to furrow, but she managed to keep them passive. It wasn't easy.

Takashi must have found the answer adequate, because she dipped her head and returned her attention to Ichikage. “Has your investigation made any progress, Ichi?"

Ichikage hummed. He certainly hadn't mentioned anything about an investigation to Ryoka, but he made no extra effort to explain himself right now, either. "It has, unfortunately, stalled. It may be difficult to learn anything more unless we can present the perpetrators with another opportunity to strike."

“At what, though?" Takashi rejoined. “Surely you don't intent to make bait of Yukimura-san and her brother?"

He shook his head, rippling his hair. "No... no I think they've achieved what they wanted in that respect. They have my attention, after all. I intend to present them with an opportunity to grip it a bit tighter."

Ryoka, against her better judgement, allowed her brows to furrow slightly. Had the slaughter of her family been the intent to gain Ichikage's attention? Was it necessary for her family to die just so someone could grab someone else's attention? She calmed herself as best as she could. She was looking at this the wrong way. Surely there had to have been more to it than just that. Even so, the fact that Ichikage stated he wasn't going to use Satoru or herself as potential bait, was relieving.

She wouldn't have agreed to it had she known, otherwise. Taking a slow breath, she allowed herself to calm down further, before relaxing in her posture. She was still interested, however, on how Ichikage planned to do that. How did you present someone with another opportunity like that? She shoved the thought down for now. She could dwell on this information at a later time. For now, she just wanted to learn what more she could.

“To what end are they acting, though?" Takashi wondered aloud. She took a delicate sip from the teacup in front of her—that explained the smell, anyway. “Everyone knows how fond you were of your taiji-ya clan, but what do you think they'd want from you?"

Ryoka watched him shrug. "What does anyone ever want from us, Kimiko? Money? Power? A new way of doing things? I wouldn't be surprised if conquest was the goal in the end, though you know as well as I do that no one does that directly anymore." He sounded almost wistful.

Takashi snorted. “I understand. I don't think anyone else would, but I do. It's all shadows, these days. But you can hardly blame them for not wanting to challenge you openly. They ran when you appeared, didn't they?"

"They did."

Now she knew her face was doing things she was willing it not to. He was there that night? How had she... she paused in that thought. The last thing she remembered was her mother being decapitated, and nothing more. She couldn't remember anything after that besides waking up in the hospital and trying to find Satoru. She sighed softly, hoping they wouldn't hear. Considering what they were, though, it was likely they did. Hopefully they'd take it as some whimsical sigh, or some other thing.

What was the point, though? If they were trying to send Ichikage a message, why did they run when he appeared? She glanced towards the daiyōkai and felt her brows furrow. He was strong, and they were not. That was the logical explanation, however; it just didn't make sense to her. The things he listed didn't seem to make sense, either, as a reason to why. Money, power, those didn't seem like typical things a yōkai would want. It didn't seem like something to kill for, either. They could have easily done something else.

So why wipe out her entire clan? “It's not like we were a complete threat to anyone," she spoke out loud, realizing belatedly that she had. She glanced wide-eyed in Ichikage and Takashi's direction, bowing deeply to apologize.

“No, dear," Takashi said, shaking her head. “That wasn't the point. It was never about your clan's power. Or even about their occupation, really, though there are some yōkai who find the existence of taiji-ya offensive, no doubt."

"It's because of Yutaka," Ichikage finished, his shoulders slumping in a rare moment of seriousness. "They were striking for my—hm." He turned halfway, studying Ryoka from the corner of his eye. "I think I know what they'll try next. If you'll excuse me, Kimiko. I have some adjustments to make."

She nodded like she understood. “Of course. Let me know if I can do anything to help."

Ichikage was already on his feet, making a gesture for Ryoka to follow him. It was hard to say what he was thinking, and he didn't speak to let her in on his thoughts, but she could tell from their direction that they were headed back towards his office.

She followed after him, wordlessly.

Setting

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Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Kiyoshi Motoyami
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Kiyoshi glanced around him, feeling the different levels of yōki surrounding him. He tried his best not to sigh, and dropped his gaze to the paper in front of him. He had spent a great deal of time trying to figure out his own schedule, and what he needed to do. After that talk with Mika-chan, he'd realized that he needed to do something about her schedule. It wasn't... fair, to him at least, that she had that heavy of a burden to bear. Even if she'd said that she liked what she did, he didn't want that for her.

And it produced such a strange feeling in his chest that he couldn't explain. It felt tight, and pained. He knew, now, that her burden was because of him, and the things he did. Currently, she was out again, and Sasegawa, Hoshino, and Watanabe were with him. He did not doubt their competence at their job, however; it always felt empty when Mika-chan wasn't with him. As much as he coveted their time together... he paused in that thought.

He enjoyed their time together? He pursed his lips together and shook the thought from his head. He'd help one way or another to lighten Mika's duties. It was the least he could do for her after everything she's done for him. With that in mind, he stood from his chair, and glanced to the three. They all nodded in unison, and took a step back so he could exit. Maybe he could have his father help him with the dilemma?

Searching for Ichikage had always been a chore, though. He liked suppressing his ki, which made it difficult for anyone, really, to find him. Mika had been the only one, but she was currently occupied. He didn't want to bother her even if she wasn't.

“Motoyami-denka," a voice greeted him, causing him to pause in his steps. He turned and blinked in Takeda's direction, feeling a faint frown tugging at his lips.

“Takeda-dono," he responded, offering a short nod. He didn't linger much longer near the kitsune. There was just something about Takeda that Kiyoshi didn't like. He wasn't sure what it was, but Takeda had a way of crawling beneath his skin. More-so than his father. With Ichikage he could at least tolerate it because he was Kiyoshi's father. Takeda had no such connections to Kiyoshi. Maybe because he was a kitsune, and the last time Kiyoshi interacted with one, he wasn't exactly too thrilled. They were tricksters, and too cunning for their own good.

Besides, he wanted to seek his father's advice on Mika's schedule. That was, without a doubt, more important at the moment. The other lords would convene for the actual Gathering in a day or so, which gave him some time to do this. He'd bring up the changes with Mika after that.

He finally found his father just parting company with Gōrō and Bushōda, Ryoka a couple of steps behind him. They were in one of the auxiliary gardens, one of the better places to enjoy the weather. While it seemed the other two and their attendants would be staying, Ichikage and Ryoka seemed to be leaving.

Of course, Kiyoshi did not bother masking his ki, so it was no trouble at all for his father to notice him, flashing a jagged smile with very little actual humor in it. Something seemed to have been bothering him lately, but that would make sense. He'd kept Kiyoshi up to date on his hypotheses regarding the Yukimura massacre, and the reasons for the increased guard presence throughout the estate. Compared to what other yōkai lords had normally, it wasn't even that much, but for their own lax security habits, it represented a significant change.

Ryoka greeted him with a bow, somethimg she had improved on greatly since the last time she attempted one. Kiyoshi nodded in her direction but allowed his gaze to fall back to his father. “Otō-san," he spoke, giving his father a proper greeting before straightening his posture back out. “There are some things I'd your advice on," he questioned. Kiyoshi knew, by this point, to just say what he needed to say to his father. If he took a more indirect approach, Ichikage would draw it out and tease him somehow.

He did not doubt that he would do so, now, but it was a risk Kiyoshi was willing to take. “Specifically about Mika-chan's schedule load," he clarified, giving Ryoka a quick glance. She'd quirked her brow, but didn't say anything. She glanced towards Ichikage, though, apparently interested in what was being said.

"What about it?" Ichikage gestured them forward; they took one of the side pathways that ran along the garden's edge. The groundskeepers were quite proud of their work here, and rightfully so; the landscaping had never looked quite as spectacular as it did now. Everyone had worked very hard for the Gathering, from Ichikage himself to the newest servant on staff.

At least no one would be able to fault that.

“I'd like to lighten it somehow," he responded, trailing slightly behind his father. “But I do not know how to do that for her," mostly because he'd never really done any scheduling for her. She either did it herself, or someone else did. He could start with that, maybe? He would need to keep it from Mika, too, because he had a guess of how she would take it. Every time he tried to do something nice for her, she'd take it badly. He didn't want that for her right now.

“I would also like to keep this between us," he stated, glancing towards Ryoka. She merely blinked at him and nodded her head.

“Of course, Motoyami-denka," she replied. He furrowed his brows at the title, but he supposed it wouldn't be much longer before they could drop it. He was certain Ryoka was as uncomfortable saying it as he was hearing it. Maybe that was just him? “My duties only include Motoyami-heika at the moment. Whatever you discuss between the two of you, I am not here," she stated, though their was a faint smile on her face. He supposed he could take her word for it.

His father, on the other hand, arched an eyebrow and folded his arms into the sleeves of his haori. "I'm sort of confused here, Kiki. You think Micchan wouldn't notice if the number of dutues she was doing dropped? Or the amount of time she spent doing them? I think she would, and I think she'd be insulted." He was probably right about that much—Mika took her job very seriously, after all.

He pursed his lips together. That wasn't what he'd meant. “I do not wish her to know that I am considering it for the moment, before I tell her. I'd like to lighten the load for her, but I also want to make sure that what I present to her would be something she'd accept. If she doesn't..." he supposed he couldn't do much about it. He wanted this to be her decision to make, and he wasn't quite convinced that she actually enjoyed what she did. Even if it was challenging.

“I want her to have more free time for herself instead, is all," because he was sure she didn't do much on her own. Perhaps if she'd had more time, she would find something else she'd enjoy, and he could encourage her in whatever it was. “I'd like her to be a little happier," he admitted. He could never tell if she was.

Ichikage sighed, the gust of his breath stirring a bit of hair near the side of his face. "Does she really give you the impression of someone who is unhappy, Kiki?" His father tilted his head, flicking an ear as if to rid it of some chance dust that had come too close. "Abstract goals like that are hard to go after. And certainly no one else can attain them for us. Maybe you should think a little more closely about what you're really trying to do before you take any kind of action."

He thought he was. Kiyoshi pursed his lips together, however; his gaze met Ryoka's. “Motoyami-denka, if I may say something," she asked, waiting for his answer. He didn't see what the harm would be so he gave a short nod. “I believe Mika-chan is happy doing what she does. I certainly am, but it's the only thing I've ever known. It's the only thing I know I'm good at," she trailed off at the end with her voice getting a bit softer.

“Just because she doesn't show it, or makes note of it doesn't mean she's not happy at all. If she told you anything other than that, you should believe and trust her. Perhaps, what you have in mind are good intentions, but she might not think of it that way. You should talk with her," she stated, keeping eye contact with him. Kiyoshi frowned slightly. He opened his mouth to say something, but Ryoka shook her head.

“I mean you really have to talk with her, Kiyo-kun, and not just assume. You have to listen to what she says, even if she says nothing at all. But right now, I don't think it's a good time. After this is all said and done, perhaps give it a week before you do. I'm sure she might appreciate it," she continued. Kiyoshi tilted his head in confusion. He thought he did that with Mika that day, but perhaps he didn't hear everything. He sighed softly. His father had a point, too.

He sighed again and nodded his head. “Then I shall do that," he stated, glancing back towards his father. “Will you at least keep this from Mika-chan, until then?" he knew his father well enough to believe he could keep this secret. Until he talked with Mika, until he could find out for sure what she wanted, he would keep things as they are. If she truly likes what she does, perhaps he should start paying a little more attention to her and find out the truth.

"Ryoka-san, when did you get so wise?" Ichikage's tone was lilting and light, but his eyes were serious when they returned to Kiyoshi.

"Our lips are sealed," he promised, though the solemnity of it was kind of ruined by the fact that he grinned toothily immediately after he said it. "For now."

Ryoka looked like she wanted to laugh, but she managed to keep her face together. Kiyoshi, however, just frowned at his father. Hopefully things did not fall apart before then. He could only hope.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Etsuko Fujimori Character Portrait: Mika Sakuragi
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#, as written by Aethyia
Mika grimaced, letting the ki built up behind her eyes fade. No matter what she did, she couldn't clearly discern who the mercenaries that attacked Etsuko and Yukimura had been working for. They were at too great a distance from the fate of their employers, suggesting that a chain of intermediaries had been used to hire them for the job. That was probably just ordinary paranoia—to her knowledge, no one knew of her ability save the Motoyami, and neither of them was the type to circulate the information. Especially not when it had come in so handy before.

But it was useless now, and she felt that keenly. The Kurote were a well-known group of contract killers, at least to people with the right connections. They thrived on secrecy, on keeping even their own cells ignorant of one another, directed by people they never met. Contracts were handed down to the cells by way of computerized communication, encryption and code words serving to secure the lines and prevent any dupes from slipping in. Her eyes were not all-seeing; there were things even she could not bypass, connections even she could not make.

Now more than it ever had, the failure felt personal. It was Etsuko who'd been targeted, someone close to her home and heart. Someone whose protection Mika took very seriously. Someone she was willing to admit she loved. And she could do nothing now, in the wake of what must have been a terrifying experience for a girl who—through no fault of her own—had been helpless against her attackers.

Helpless.

Mika knew what that felt like. She'd been helpless once, and hungry, and alone. It was terrifying to realize that your life was completely in the hands of someone else. Particularly someone with obviously hostile tendencies. She stared unseeingly at her computer screen for a long moment, then sighed. Perhaps there was something to be done about that, but not now. Not while Etsuko was still trying to get her bearings after the experience.

Though the Gathering was not yet over and Yukimura was still recovering from his wounds, Mika had a day off today, and she'd already resolved to spend it with Etsuko. It was their monthly girls' day, and she didn't want to interrupt their routine. Perhaps for her own benefit as much as Etsuko's. Closing the laptop over, she set it next to her on her bed and rolled out of it to shower and dress, choosing casual clothes that would go unremarked-upon among humans: close-fitting white jeans tucked into light grey ankle boots and a soft, long-sleeved blouse, robin's egg blue and with a silk bow on the left shoulder. It wasn't cold enough for a jacket, but they hadn't quite reached short-sleeve weather yet, either.

Combing her hair back, Mika slid a band just in front of her crown, then locked her room behind her and went to retrieve Etsuko.

It wasn't too hard to find Etsuko. She'd been in the same place, unmoving, as if it were the safest place to be, even on the estate. The music room was also Etsuko's favorite place, most likely because of her music. She wasn't alone, though. Ryoka was with her, and from the small smile on Etsuko's face, it seemed Ryoka was making her smile. It was something, considering Etsuko had stopped smiling for a day. She blinked, though, and waved towards Mika.

“Afternoon, Mika-san," Ryoka spoke, bowing just slightly in way of greeting. Etsuko turned to glance at Mika, and offered her a soft smile as well.

“Hi, Mika-chan," she greeted as well, though it was apparent enough that the usual life behind Etsuko's eyes was missing. She wasn't as jovial as she usually was. “Ryoka-san was just telling me about how she nearly burned down her first job's establishment," she stated, as if explaining what they were talking about.

“I didn't think it was possible, honestly," Ryoka muttered, but she seemed to be in good spirits since she was grinning.

Mika considered the scene for a moment. Apparently, it was also Ryoka-san's day off, something which she hadn't thought to check. Perhaps a slight modification of plans was in order. "It's the first," she said quietly, informing Etsuko that she hadn't forgotten the date. "Which means that if you'd like to, it's our day out. Perhaps Ryoka-san would also like to come?"

Etsuko blinked, and tilted her head in slight confusion. Her eyes widened, though, as she nodded her head. “Oh, that's right," she spoke, turning her gaze towards Ryoka who looked vaguely confused.

“I'm not sure I should, though," she replied, quirking her brow. “I mean, it seems like its something you and Etsuko do. I don't want to intrude on that," she continued. Etsuko huffed lightly, and shook her head.

“But Ryoka-san, you're part of the household, now, too. Besides..." she paused, chewing the bottom of her lip in a thoughtful manner. “If it's you and Mika-chan, I might... I might feel a little better," she continued. Ryoka, however, pursed her lips together.

“I'm not doing anything important, so I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tag along," she stated, shrugging lightly.

Mika appreciated Ryoka-san's consideration, something she would have to tell her later. For now, though, it seemed better to keep the focus on Etsuko, as the entire point of the outing was to make her feel a bit better after everything she'd been through recently. "Very well then," she said mildly. "Let's head to the car. Someone should pick where we go."

“Uh," Etsuko started out, pursing her lips together. It looked like she was thinking of where to go, however; Ryoka snapped her fingers and made a slight huffing sound.

“We should go to the movies!" she stated, glancing towards Etsuko and Mika. “I heard they have this really good horror movie out right now. I think it has something to do with this one vampire dude and this teenage girl and how he's basically stalking her," she stated, glancing towards Etsuko.

Etsuko stared at Ryoka with a flat gaze. “Ryoka-san... it's not a horror movie. It's a sad attempt at a vampire romance," she explained, causing Ryoka to 'oh'.

“I thought it was a horror movie given the description," she muttered, causing Etsuko to snort softly.

"I think it's a remake," Mika added. She was pretty sure the same thing had been out about ten years ago, though she hadn't paid much attention even then.

“How about we go get ice cream? I heard they just opened up a new gelato place not too far from here," Etsuko suggested. Ryoka's eyes widened slightly, though, at the suggestion.

“Ice cream... I love ice cream," she stated, causing Etsuko to shake her head softly.

“You like all kinds of sweets, Ryoka-san."

"At least she's easy to please," Mika said with a shrug, reaching the car at last. It was more modest than most of those owned by the estate—a silver Volkswagen Jetta. This was the car she usually drove, mostly to blend in more than any of Ichikage's expensive sports cars (or his ridiculous Beetle) would. It was also far better than the limousine, and the build had been customized for security and so on, which made her much more comfortable transporting Etsuko in it.

"We usually spend the whole afternoon out, so after ice cream, perhaps we should go somewhere else? Were either of you in need of any clothing or the like?" Mika turned the key in the ignition, pulling the door shut on her other side.

“More like a new wardrobe," Ryoka mumbled. She was seated in the back with Etsuko up front. She had insisted on it being that way, for some reason. “Actually," she stated, shuffling around in the back until she was between Etsuko and Mika. “Toto-chan usually helps me with my wardrobe, and Mika-chan, you helped me to properly put on my uniform, so..." she trailed off.

“You want Mika-chan and I to help you pick out an entire wardrobe?" Etsuko spoke, seemingly catching on to what Ryoka was saying.

“Correct. I don't have the slightest clue about what's fashionable. I figured since Mika-chan always looks so pretty in everything she wears, and you know more about fashion than I do, you both could help me," she stated, causing Etsuko to laugh softly.

“And it doesn't have to be an entire wardrobe. Just one or two outfits would be nice."

Mika's eyes went slightly wide for just a moment. She was not often complimented on her appearance—while she supposed there was a certain extent to which she'd ended up better off in that department than the truly unlucky hanyō, she'd never considered herself especially aesthetically pleasing, either. She just... wore what appealed to her, and what fit professional standards, of course.

"I think we could help you with that, certainly. I won't ask exactly what Motoyami-sama is paying you, but I'm sure it's enough to get some nice things." She barely needed to touch her own salary, since her room and board was free and she had no extravagant tastes or hobbies to keep up with.

The district she and Etsuko usually shopped in had an ice cream shop within it, so Mika just drove there. It was a bit of a trip with Tokyo traffic, but Ginza wasn't as bad as some of the other districts. Parking away from the main pedestrian area, Mika exited the car, discreetly checking for anything suspicious before opening Etsuko's door. "Ice cream or shopping first?" she asked, checking her phone for the time and weather forecast. Plenty of hours and sunshine left in the day.

“I think we should go shopping, first. That way we can enjoy a nice cup of ice cream, or cone, when we're done," Etsuko spoke, glancing in Ryoka's direction. She nearly smiled a little brighter at Ryoka. “Ryoka-san, are you alright?" she asked, some amusement in her tone.

“What... is this place?" Ryoka asked, awe and wonder laced in her voice. “It's so... so..." she seemed at a loss for words.

“Nice? Large? Extravagent? Something?" Etsuko listed off, trying to figure out what Ryoka was trying to say.

“Bright. I was going to say bright," Ryoka replied, glancing in Mika and Etsuko's direction.

“It's where Mika-chan and I go to get our clothes, and other things," Etsuko explained with a light shrug of her shoulders. “You'll find really nice options here, Ryoka-san. I'm sure they'll have something you'll like," she continued.

“If you say so, but I agree with Tsu-Tsu. We should get ice cream last that way it can be the last thing we do," Ryoka chimed, a smile crossing her face. It looked a little more genuine, free of any mischief.

Mika nodded. That was a sensible way to go about things. "In that case, perhaps we should try the Ginza Six first. It has many styles and brands of clothing, but also other things you might care to purchase or just browse." Food, interior design, a book shop that specialized in art books, and various other things. Mika wasn't much of a purchaser of any of the above unless it was on business for the Motoyami, but she did like to look, at least.

She led the way to the building in question, making sure to position herself so as to have a wide view of the goings-on as they proceeded through the closed-off streets, reserved at this time for pedestrian traffic. Naturally, there were quite a lot of people about, and she was ever the bodyguard, but this didn't preclude her from enjoying herself.

Holding open the door for Etsuko and Ryoka, she gestured them in first and then followed.

“That sounds good to me," Ryoka stated, nodding her head as she did. She walked behind, though, with Etsuko in front of her, perhaps because of her mentality of trailing behind Motoyami-sama. It might also have been that she was letting them lead the way.

“Is there a particular style that you prefer, Ryoka-san? Because that might actually help in deciding which clothing store we visit," Etsuko spoke, turning her head just slightly to glance at Ryoka. Ryoka merely pursed her lips together in a thoughtful expression.

“Honestly, anything that's comfortable," she replied, causing Etsuko to sigh.

“That's not helpful, Ryoka-san," she stated.

“Um, how about something similar to what Mika-chan is wearing. It looks comfortable, though I suppose with spring coming up, it shouldn't be long sleeved," she glanced in Mika's direction.

"Sleeves are more business-appropriate," Mika replied, "so you'll want a few things that have them even for summer. But most of the time, sleeveless or half-sleeved will also work, if the garment is otherwise suited for the setting. You'll also want at least one suit. Fortunately there are very few things we ever do that require heels—usually just meetings with people who are supposed to think we're assistants rather than bodyguards. So one pair of those will be quite sufficient."

Frankly, Mika hated them, and never trapped herself inside any she could not easily shed, because she was a bodyguard and therefore needed every possible physical advantage available to her, including the ability to run at full speed at any time.

"Aside from business, is there anything you want to have clothing for?"

“Casual clothing would be nice, too. I mean, I do get days off, and I'm thinking of spending more time out of the estate," Ryoka replied, huffing lightly as she tugged a piece of her hair over her shoulder.

“Are we boring you, Ryoka-san?" Etsuko stated, a small, sly smile crossing her face. Ryoka snorted before she chuckled lightly.

“Of you and Toto-chan? How could I be? You are both adorable together it's hard to be separated from the both of you," Ryoka stated, causing Etsuko to turn a light shade of pink.

“You're horrible, Ryoka-san."

Mika scoffed softly. "In any case, you're allowed to leave, so we'll add that to the list. Let's start with suits."

Setting

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Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura
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Ryoka sighed softly, running a hand through her hair and giving it a shake. She'd actually spent yestereday in the company of Mika and Etsuko, the latter feeling a little better after her ordeal. Frankly, when Ryoka had found out, she'd been livid. Someone had hurt her little brother, and had targeted Etsuko. She didn't find that out until everything was said and done, but the fact remained that someone had done something to someone she cared about. Satoru was her only living relative; he was her little brother and she promised she'd protect him.

He was, mostly, recovered now. He'd always been a little unusual that way, but it wasn't something Ryoka concerned herself with. Her brother was a bit of an odd ball, but she loved him all the same. Just as he surely loved her with all of her eccentricities.

“Ryoka-san, are you doing well?" Kiyoshi broke Ryoka out of her thoughts, and she blinked at him. “You looked a little lost," he explained, causing Ryoka to mouth an 'oh' and shake her head.

“I'm fine, Kiyo-kun. I was just lost in my thoughts," she replied. He nodded his head, humming in a satisfied tune, and continued on his way. He wasn't with Mika-chan, probably because she was running an errand elsewhere, however; he was with another bodyguard. Ryoka always found it odd, honestly, when they weren't together. They looked so... she didn't have the right word for it. They just seemed to fit in a way she couldn't explain.

Shaking the thought from her head, she made her way to find Satoru. Even though she'd hounded him enough, she hadn't really had a chance to just be with him. She had some time before she had to report to Ichikage. She wanted to see her little brother before she did.

Given that the Gathering was still ongoing—she was pretty sure Ichikage had some kind of important meeting today about what had happened to her family—it made sense for Satoru to stick to the places where he wouldn't accidentally run into someone important. She found him in Ichikage's library.

Though it looked like he was still sporting some bandages, from the white gauze just visible under the neckline of his shirt, he otherwise seemed to be completely fine. At the moment, his head was bent over what looked like a math textbook, and he was writing in a thin hardcover notebook, the rhythmic scratching of his pencil the only sound in the room save the occasional turn of a page.

He never failed to notice her, though, and glanced up after reaching what looked like the end of a line. "Nee-san." He blinked. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

She scoffed lightly. “Trying to get rid of me already? I just got here," she stated in a mock hurtful tone. The frown on her face didn't stay for long, quickly replacing it with a smile. “I am, but Motoyami-heika," she'd never get used to saying that, “is in a meeting. At least I think it's a meeting, but I'm not needed at the moment. I have at least an hour before its over with so I came to see you," she replied, grabbing a chair from nearby and setting it in front of him.

“Ever the dutiful child you are," she stated, motioning her head towards the notebook he'd been writing in. He'd always been like that, taking more to that kind of lifestyle than she had. She was mostly homeschooled, after all, because she couldn't quite adapt the way she should have. It hadn't really bothered her at the time.

"I'm not a child," he muttered, laying his pencil down in the notebook's crease. He certainly didn't look much like one anymore—aside from his eyes, he actually looked a lot like their father had. He might have gained another inch in the months they'd been here, too.

“You know I'm going to ask, so you might as well just reassure me," she stated, the smile on her face fading slightly into something a little serious. Even though he'd been cleared, and he looked fine, she felt a little better just hearing him say it.

He pursed his lips at her, eyes narrowing a bit. "I got shot. It hurt. But I'm fine now." Satoru shrugged, his hand shifting until it rested against his chest. He rubbed at it like something was sore there, but kept his eyes on the work in front of him. "It's not that different from stuff we did before, you know. Bullet was kinda new, I guess—I don't recommend it, by the way."

Ryoka narrowed her eyes just a bit pursing her lips into a fine line. Normally, she would have laughed at his last statement, but she found herself unable to. “Of course it's different from before, Satoru," she spoke, her voice unnaturally firm. It sounded almost foreign to herself. “You got shot, but it could have been a lot worse," she continued, feeling her brows furrow just a bit deeper. She felt an uncomfortable pull in her chest, and she had to swallow thickly to regulate the sudden beat of her heart.

Standing from her spot, she moved abruptly to his side of the table. Without missing a beat, she pulled him towards her, almost causing him to fall off of his chair, but she didn't care. Her chest hurt, and she knew why. “You could have been killed, you idiot. If... if that'd happened," she felt a slight crack in her voice, and she had to take a deep breath to keep it from cracking further.

“I know you were protecting Etsuko, and I know it's something you'd do regardless, but still, Satoru. You can't... it's not," she paused in her words. She couldn't exactly explain what she wanted to say because she couldn't find the words for it. She didn't want him to stop being who he was, but she also didn't want to lose him.

“I know you're not a child anymore, and that's... it scares me, Satoru," she'd never really been afraid of anything until that night. But nothing scared her more, now, than the fact that her little brother wasn't exactly little any longer. He was his own person, but that didn't change the fact that she worried about him. It didn't change the fact that she feared, above all else, losing him.

A crease appeared above Satoru's nose; he'd furrowed his brows. "And what? You're the only one who can risk yourself? Don't you get it, Ryoka? I wasn't doing anything different that day than you could be called upon to do at any moment. That's what it means to do your job. You think I don't worry about you? You think I don't know what you're risking, just so we might have a chance of figuring out what happened to our family?"

He shook his head emphatically, stirring the topknot high in his head. "Because I do. I know. And I'm not trying to stop you, even if I get really fucking scared thinking about what might happen to you if even one of these yōkai thinks you looked at them the wrong way or something." He gestured widely to encompass the estate beyond, distress seeping into his expression. He clearly fought to banish it, but the crease at least refused to be smoothed away.

She sighed softly, trying to fight down the tightness in her chest. She knew the job she'd taken would be dangerous in one way or another. She could die in the line of duty, for something so minute as looking at a yōkai wrong, or just being who she was where she was. She knew some of the yōkai abhored her, knew they didn't like her, but she'd been the one to take the job. It had been offered to her, and damn them all for thinking what they thought.

But it was a risk she was willing to take because she didn't have any other choice. They would be lucky if they could figure out what had happened to their family, and still be alive. She'd be lucky, at least. She wasn't so sure that, if they did find out what happened and got justice, she would still be employed with Ichikage, though. As much as she actually enjoyed doing what she did, this was the reason why she didn't want to do it, any longer.

If he was this worried about her, and she him, perhaps... it was time to think of something else. She could find a job that wouldn't require her to be just a sacrificial ornament of some kind. She could have a normal life, and she could watch Satoru grow into a wonderful person she knew he could be without having to worry if she'd even be alive the next day.

But could she truly leave that kind of life? She took in a deep, shuddering breath. She'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

“I know, Satoru," she spoke softly, finally finding her voice. “I know," she repeated. “Just... if you want to leave, if you ever want me to quit, I will. If it becomes too hard, or you just..." she continued, glancing down as she did. She didn't know how to finish that sentence.

That didn't seem to reassure him much; if anything, he looked like he'd tasted something a bit sour. Shaking his head—this time more as if to himself than at her—he released a heavy sigh. "I can handle it, Ryoka. I don't... I don't need revenge the way you do, I guess. I want to know what happened, why someone thought it had to happen, and I want to see justice done, but I don't need to mete it out with my own hands. That doesn't—it's not what's important to me."

He met her eyes, his own troubled behind the glasses. "But I understand why you feel like you need it. And as long as you do, I'll support you, even if I don't agree with what you're doing. I'm not going to tell you to quit unless you want me to tell you that. I'm not going to say we have to leave, or anything like that." He shrugged. "Despite... everything... I actually sort of like it here. The rest of the yōkai lords can take a long walk off a short pier, but Motoyami-sama's been good to us."

He really was a good kid. She swallowed thickly, huffing as she did. “How'd you ever get stuck with a sister like me, huh?" she stated moreso than questioned. He had a point, though. Ichikage has been extremely generous to them. She must be doing something right if he's still keeping her here. It was enough to manage a smile on her face, though, and she pulled him into another hug.

“You know I suck as an older sister, but you know I love you, right?" because she really did. He was her brother, her family, and she loved him dearly.

He hugged her back this time, relaxing a bit as he did. "You don't suck as a sister, nee-san. We're both doing the best we can." He paused; she could hear him swallow thickly. "And I love you, too."

“It's okay, you don't have to lie to me, Toto-chan. You can say I suck as an older sister," she stated, laughing lightly. She hugged him a little tighter, though.

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Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura
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Ryoka couldn't remember the last time she'd been this excited about something. There was a slight fluttering in her chest, and she had actually giggled to herself. Herself. She was glad that there hadn't been anyone else around when she did. Despite the eccentric qualities of some of the members of the household, she didn't want to be counted among them. Shaking her head softly, Ryoka glanced up at her reflection, and frowned.

As excited as she was, she'd wanted to dress nicely for her date. She couldn't remember the last time she ever went out on one, and she'd never really owned anything nice until she'd gone shopping with Mika and Etsuko. But all she could see were the scars crawling from her chest and reaching the tips of her clavicles. They had healed, though not properly. They had been too deep, far too deep, to heal completely. The results were jagged, miscolored flesh that did nothing for her self-esteem.

By no means did Ryoka consider herself a beautiful person. In fact, she didn't even know if she was. She'd never really thought about her appearance, and she'd never really been complimented about anything. Which was surprising when Daichi, her date, had. It had taken her completely off guard, and here she was trying to live up to that first impression he had of her. The shirt, though, that she'd wanted to wear was a deep v-neck. It exposed some of her chest, which meant it also exposed her scars.

She lifted the blouse gently in her hands, running her fingers through the fabric. It was soft, and gentled on her calloused hands. If she remembered correctly, the saleswoman called it a chiffon blouse, and given the temperature outside, it was sleeveless. The red, though, was what had caught her attention. She'd always loved the color. The blouse itself, was admittedly very beautiful. And a part of her really wanted to wear it.

Sighing in defeat, she slipped the blouse on, allowing it to fall around her waist comfortably. She pulled her hair back, tying it momentarily in a tail. She'd need to keep it out of her way if she was going to finish dressing herself. Once the shirt was on, she smoothed out the bottom before walking towards the chair. Draped over it, were her pants, black in color and a little form fitting. Mika had picked these out because they provided mobility, but also a decent amount of comfort. Honestly, the way they felt on her, they reminded her of leggings.

Or at least the material did.

They tucked into a pair of knee-length boots, and Ryoka drapped a black cardigan over her shoulders. Her hair, she'd fixed it properly in its tail, threading a single braid in it. Held in place by a silver hair cuff, she glanced over her outfit one last time. It was, essentially, a comfortable look for her. It wasn't too nice, she didn't think, which was what she was going for. This was just a date. It wasn't anything more, for the moment.




Was it something she'd said?

Ryoka stared at her glass, half empty with lemonade, and stirred the ice around. The waiter had informed her that Daichi had left, leaving her with the bill. But that wasn't what upset her.

Was it because of the scars?

Subconsciously, her hand went to her chest. She was trying to think of what they'd talked about, what she'd done, how she laughed. What went wrong? What did she do wrong? She couldn't think of anything. He had seemed so nice, and attentive to what was going on. He'd even smiled at her. It was such a soft smile, too. She felt something warm behind her eyes. She couldn't do anything right, could she? Not even something as simple as a normal date.

Normal.

Nothing about her was normal, was it? At one point in her life, Ryoka would have been thrilled to know that. She was different, and she was proud to be. But now... now there was nothing for her. If she ever found justice for her family, what was she going to do after that? She wasn't Satoru; she wasn't as adapted to the outside world as he was. She doubted she'd be in Ichikage's employ after that, as well. The only reason she'd taken the job in the first place was to find out what happened to her family, however; she truly enjoyed what she did. But that was a life she no longer wanted. She wanted... something.

She just wasn't sure what that something was. She wasn't going to say she was ungrateful, though. She truly was grateful for everything Ichikage has done for her and Satoru. She was, in all honesty, surprised that he'd even done so much as to allow her to gain some insight to her family's massacre. He was... there were no words for what he was.

She really was hopeless, wasn't she? She really couldn't do anything right. Not here, not before, not... ever. She wasn't cut out for a normal life. That thought, that sudden realization, hurt more than it should have. She'd always known that she wasn't exactly competent at normal things, but she'd never accounted for the possibility that she'd be where she was, today. Daichi was the painful reminder that she would never amount to anything other than being a slayer.

A fighter.

Someone who wasn't normal.

Someone who had nothing.

She sniffled softly.

"Is this seat taken?"

The voice was familiar; a glance upwards confirmed that it belonged to her employer. Ichikage was in his human guise, of course; his white hair sat artlessly disheveled on his head. The suit he wore was similarly bastardized into something slightly less formal—the jacket was open and he'd loosened his tie and undone the button on his shirt that sat right at his neck. It made him blend a little better with the surroundings, but he still kind of stuck out. The combination of his height and coloration did that.

Without really waiting for a reply, he slid into the other side of the booth, glancing down at the half-eaten food in front of him and pushing the plate off to one side. With his thumb and index finger, he plucked the dessert menu off the table, waving over a waitress, who approached with what might have been enthusiasm.

Smiling, he tilted his head at her. "We'll take a triple brownie sundae here, thanks. Put it with the rest of the bill and charge it to this." He plucked a card out of his jacket pocket, one of those discreet-looking black ones that meant the owner had some fancy membership to something or other.

“Oh—right away, sir," the girl chirped, turning on her heel to hurry the order to the kitchens.

Ichikage, on the other hand, propped an elbow on the table and leaned his chin into his hand. "You look lovely today, Ryoka-san. Red is a good color on you."

She was slightly baffled. What was he doing here? She could feel her lips part, but no words would pass through them. She frowned slightly once his words registered, and lowered her gaze. She still stirred the straw in her drink, and sighed a little too heavily. “Thanks, Ichi-kun," she finally found her voice, still keeping her gaze on her drink. She didn't want to look up quite yet. She didn't know why, but that was how she felt. She was still trying to sort through her thoughts of what she did wrong. Maybe she'd been too forward, wearing her heart on her sleeve as she usually did.

“What brings you here, Ichi-kun, looking as dashing as you are?" she finally asked, lifting her gaze to meet his and allowed a small smile to cross her features. Honestly, to her, he'd just shown up out of the blue. Maybe he was here for the dessert, or food? That made some sense to her. But he could have gone anywhere for that. She shook the thought from her head. It didn't really matter at the moment. He was here, now. And he'd ordered a triple brownie sundae. She found herself smiling just a tad bit more.

"Oh you know me," Ichikage replied easily, "without you around to keep me in line, I tend to just up and leave. Wander all around the city on a whim. And I always look dashing." He waggled his eyebrows in a comedic manner, smiling when the waitress reappeared with their dessert in a large dish. She laid a napkin down on his side, then another on Ryoka's, flashing a smile before retreating.

Ichikage picked up the unused spoon on his side, digging it into the ice cream layer and then the brownie one below it. He popped the whole thing into his mouth and hummed, drawing it back out cleanly. "So... what's got you so down, Ryoka-san?"

She snorted softly at his earlier statement. He didn't need her to keep him in line; that was just a fact. Besides, she knew him enough that he always did whatever he wanted regardless if she was with him. He was just like that. The frown, however, returned when he asked his question, and Ryoka found it rather difficult to speak at the moment. She sighed softly, not as heavily as before, and raised her gaze back to his.

“Just the reminder that I'm not normal," she spoke, huffing slightly at herself. Not to mention that she couldn't figure out what she did wrong. “I just... this was my one chance to do something that didn't require me to be a..." she paused, pursing her lips together. It was her one chance to do something that didn't call for a taiji-ya, or a guard. She was supposed to be a simple woman on a date.

“It was supposed to be a normal date," she spoke, her voice softer than normal. It was foreign, even to her own ears. “I don't know what I did wrong," she confessed lightly. Maybe it was just her?

"Normal, huh?" Ichikage tilted his head at her, blinking golden eyes slowly in her general direction. "Is there some reason you want to be normal, Ryoka-san?" He took another bite of the sundae, making a general motion with his spoon that seemed to indicate that she should eat, too. The question wasn't asked in a judgemental tone; in fact he sounded genuinely interested in the answer.

“Yes," she replied almost immediately. “You know my previous life," she started, picking up the spoon and taking a bite of the sundae. She swallowed it before answering, “but now it's gone. I've my job with you, but it just..." she paused, unsure of how to answer. She wasn't upset with her job, nor was she bored of it. She enjoyed it because it gave her purpose. It made her feel like she could do something right.

“I want to be able to do things other than that. Satoru, as you've seen, isn't like me. He's adaptable, and he adjusts so smoothly. I can't do that, though. The life of a Yukimura was all I knew, and after what happened, I never took into account that I wouldn't have that life anymore."

Being a bodyguard was completely different than being a taiji-ya. “Being normal is something I've never been good at. My first job, actual job, I nearly burned down the establisment. I avoid driving as much because I can't drive properly. As for cooking," she scoffed to herself, “I can't even make a decent meal. Need a sandwich? I'm sure I can fuck that up somehow," she stated, wincing only slightly after she realized she'd said that.

He was still her employer, and she shouldn't say things like that to him. Not that he would care, she didn't think. “Even before The Gathering, I couldn't even properly put on a kimono, or the uniform. That... that is one thing I've learned how to do because of Mika-chan," which was honestly her proudest acheivement. She wouldn't need Satoru's help for that, any longer.

"You can," he agreed, a little smile tilting his face. It was hard to tell exactly what he was thinking, but that wasn't really unusual. "Maybe you're more adaptable than you think, Ryoka-san. But if you don't think so, then..." He pursed his lips a moment. "What does one do on a normal date like this? What were your plans for it?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly in thought. She didn't know, exactly. She'd never been on a normal date. What constituted as normal? She sighed softly through her nose. “Well, I..." she began, losing her voice for a second. She cleared her throat before she continued. “Lunch first. That's... what we were doing," she stated. She hadn't really thought about what was going to happen next.

“My plans only included lunch, and then maybe... something that would help me get to know who he was. Maybe the other way, too," because that was something she'd always thought was nice. Knowing someone, whether it was something as small as what their favorite color was, or what they enjoyed, was something she'd always liked. But someone to know who she was, that was something else entirely. She'd have to omit a few things, of course, but that didn't mean she had to cut out her entire life.

They had done some talking during their lunch, but she had hoped to continue it after. Maybe just a walk around the town, or the park. She didn't want to do the whole go-to-the-movies schtick. That was a little weird even for her.

“I guess I should evaluate what normal means to me," because at this point, she truly didn't know any more. What felt normal to her was being at the estate with him and the others. It was going out with Mika-chan and Etsuko to the mall or some other place. It was teasing her younger brother and watching him respond in adorable ways.

But she also knew that that wasn't normal to most people, and if she ever planned on having any sort of relationship, it would be with someone like that. She highly doubted she'd be able to reintegrate herself into another clan, even if she'd wanted to.

Ichikage hummed thoughtfully. "My favorite color is red," he declared with a shrug. "Which is why I made it my main house color, as I'm sure you could have guessed." He flashed a quick smile, then leaned back a little in his booth set, putting the arm that wasn't attached to his spoon up along the back of it. "Of all the things in the world, my family is the most important to me, though I'm not sure either of my children could tell you that. I suppose that's probably because I'm not really good at coming right out and saying things like that." His eyes narrowed.

"And yet I somehow had no problem telling you just now. Funny how that works, isn't it?" He took a last bite of sundae, then used the spoon to nudge the rest of the dish towards her. "What about you, Ryoka-san? I know you like dessert, but what else? Just tell me about the things that are normal for you."

She blinked in mild surprise, and quirked a curious brow. Slowly, she could feel a small smile across her face, and shook her head. “I don't like dessert, Ichi-kun," she muttered softly, taking the last few bites from the sundae. “I love dessert. I could live off of it if it wasn't so bad for me," she spoke, the small smile still in place.

“Things that are normal for me," she stated out loud before humming. “Well, for some reason or another, you share my favorite color. Satoru is my whole world now, even though I annoy the shit out of him, sometimes. I enjoy teasing him and Tsu-chan because they are adorable with how they respond. Mika-chan is someone I admire greatly because she's just... there aren't words for Mika," she continued, pausing only momentarily to take a slow breath.

“And... you," she started, searching his face for something. “You're probably one of my favorite people, and I owe you a great debt that I can't ever repay," because of all he's done for her, for them. She wasn't going to lie, because Ryoka didn't lie. She wore everything out in the open, even if she shouldn't.

"Well, I don't know about you, but that all sounds pretty normal to me," he said, his tone light and his eyes somehow... soft. "You love your family, and like having fun and teasing your little brother. There are people in the world that you admire, because they're interesting or accomplished or... whatever I've done to make you like me." His smile became a grin at that, flashing a row of white teeth.

"The rest is just details, isn't it? And if your details are a little odd, well—that makes things interesting. It sounds to me—" he shrugged, signing the receipt that the waitress handed him and handing it back to her before she left the table—"like your date is missing out."

Ichikage stood, offering Ryoka a hand, probably to help her slide out of the booth, though he had to have known she didn't need one. "How about we call this one a wash and head back home?"

Of course he would say that. He was just as strange as she was, perhaps a little more. Still, it didn't stop the smile on her face from growing. She felt just the slightest bit better, however; there was still much more she needed to sort out. She blinked at his hand, and felt the slightest bit of heat rise to her face. She fought it down, and mentally rolled her eyes at herself.

“Yeah, I suppose you're right," she replied, taking his offered hand and sliding out of her side of the booth. “Besides, there's always a next time, right?" she stated. She huffed lightly to herself, and cleared her throat. “In the mean time, thank you for being my substitute," she stated, a grin on her face. He, technically, was her substitute date.

"Always happy to help."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura
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#, as written by Aethyia
This year, Satoru's birthday fell on a Saturday.

He'd almost managed to forget it—not completely, but enough that it had only occurred to him that today was the day when he'd checked his phone in the morning and observed the date. April 23rd. He was eighteen years old today.

It was the first birthday he'd ever had without his parents and the rest of his family around. That was a difficult thought to swallow; he dropped the phone back onto the mattress and dressed without any feeling of excitement or anticipation. He'd never been one for making himself the center of attention, but he had enjoyed his birthdays in the past because everyone else was together for a while.

He'd just have to get used to that not being the case anymore.

Pulling his hair up on his head, he dressed for a normal day around the estate and pulled open the door to his room, heading towards the kitchen with the intention of making himself some breakfast. While he was sure he was welcome to the large meals the staff made to be shared amongst themselves, he preferred to do his own cooking, still not quite sure that he should accept such gestures. He was only a temporary tenant here, after all.

“Toto-chan!" Ryoka called out, appearing around the corner. Satoru hadn't made it to the kitchen yet, and she was wearing a big grin on her face. She stepped to the side before circling him. Quirking an eyebrow, her face smoothed over to a more gentle smile. “My little Toto isn't so small any more. I think I'm going to cry," she spoke, but it was obvious in the small quirk of her lips that she was joking. Instead, she shook her head and placed a hand on her hip.

“And if I know my otōto, he's going to the kitchen to make breakfast, right?" she stated, a more mischievous smile crossing her face. “Well, sorry to say, kiddo, but you're spending your breakfast with me. It's not every day my little otōto turns eighteen, after all," she continued. “Ichi-kun has given me the morning off, and I'm spending it with you."

“So... where do you want to go? There are a few places around here that have a really good selection as far as breakfast goes."

Satoru didn't bother concealing his heavy sigh. "Anytime you want to stop calling me like I'm under ten years old would be great, Ryoka." Frankly he hated being called 'Toto-chan,' but really no matter how many times he said so, she wasn't great at paying attention. Or caring about his opinion, as the case may be.

He didn't really especially want to go celebrate or do anything for the day, either, but... he was conscious in a new way that they may not have that much regular time left together, even if he stayed in the city for college. So he just shrugged. "I don't really care where we go. Pick someplace with pastries you want to eat or something." He offered a slight smile, more tired than happy, but he was trying. Even if he'd never be able to muster half her enthusiasm.

Ryoka chuckled lightly beneath her breath and shook her head. “Alright, Satoru," she stated, smiling a little softer than she usually did. “Today is supposed to be your day, but if you insist, there's a little shop not too far from here we can go to. It's within walking distance, and it's not usually crowded, so it might be just to your liking," she continued, rolling out her shoulders slightly. She took a step forward before stopping and turning in his direction. She pursed her lips together as if she wanted to say something, but she remained quiet.

“I know I don't say it often, Satoru, but... I want you to know I am proud of you. Despite me constantly getting on your nerves and all," she finally spoke, the same soft smile on her face. There was nothing mischievous about it, and seemed to be genuine. She sighed, though, and turned back around to lead him out.

It didn't take them long to reach the bakery, and Ryoka opened the door to let him through. “So... is there anything you want to do today, Satoru? I didn't get you anything because I know you don't like gifts, but I want to do something with you other than just breakfast."

To his credit, he did try to think of something. Making his way into the bakery, Satoru distantly registered the warm scents of cinnamon and apples, as well as the sharper tang of raspberry tart. Somewhere else he wanted to go...

It occurred to him, not for the first time, that he didn't really have a lot of hobbies. Basically everything he did was work or work-related, except his music, and that wasn't exactly something that you went somewhere else to enjoy. He'd been to the museum pretty recently—more than once since he'd gone with Etsuko and Ichikage, actually. But he wasn't really feeling the desire to go again, nor to go anywhere else in particular.

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. An idea—a ridiculous idea, but an interesting one—occurred to him. Something one of his friends had mentioned doing once. "Actually," he said, "what would you think of taking some of the others out to play paintball?"

Ryoka blinked a little slowly, at first. Her head was tilted, and she seemed to be processing his suggestion. “I think they'd love it. I know I would," she spoke in a nonchalant manner, but she was smiling all the same. “After breakfast, we should go ask them," she spoke, making her way towards the counter. She ordered something for herself, thanked the woman behind the bar, and turned towards him.

“I suppose I could also just send them a text, but that doesn't seem nearly as personal as actually asking them," she stated, running a hand through her hair and giving it a light shake. She looked genuinely excited about it, though, if the grin on her face was anything to go by.

Satoru nodded, putting in his order as well and smiling thinly when the raspberry tart was handed to him on a small plate over the counter, along with a cup of black coffee and a little container of milk to flavor it. Following Ryoka back to the table, he sat down across from her in the little booth.

"Something tells me it's going to be a lot more intense with them than with pretty much anyone else," he observed, breaking a piece off the tart. It hit his tongue with a sort of effervescent sweetness, the sugary confection melting away and yielding to the tart sting of the concentrated raspberries. He could deal with sweet if there was also sour involved. "You wanna take a bet on who wins? My money's on Kiyoshi-dono."

It was perhaps an odd bet to make, but Satoru had his reasons for thinking so. "I'll put two thousand yen on it."

Ryoka feigned a hurtful look. “You don't have much faith in your sister? Ouch, Satoru, that hurts," she spoke, taking a bite out of her strawberry danish. She chewed it in a thoughtful manner before washing it down with a cup of milk. “But my bet would be on Mika-chan. She's... she has the looks of someone skilled," she stated, taking another bite out of her danish.

“I'll take your bet, though, so when you loose, I'll have an extra two thousand yen to buy more pastries with," she continued, grinning in his direction. Her love of pastries, or anything sweet for that matter, was no secret. She finished off her danish and her drink before setting the cup aside. “Here, we'll shake on it," she stated, though she didn't hold out her hand immediately. It seemed she was waiting for him to finish before shaking his hand.

Satoru popped the piece he was holding in his mouth and wiped his fingers on his napkin before reaching across the table, a slightly-sly smile on his face. He was definitely counting on Mika being skilled, but not in the same obvious way that Ryoka was. That was like her—observant, but not quite as observant as he was.

"It's a wager, then. If someone else wins, we'll call it even."

Maybe he'd buy himself something with his winnings.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura Character Portrait: Etsuko Fujimori Character Portrait: Mika Sakuragi Character Portrait: Kiyoshi Motoyami
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Etsuko was, admittedly, a little excited and confused. She was currently adjusting the goggles on her face, and rolling down the sleeves to her shirt. They were at the paintball range for Satoru's birthday, and she felt a little out of place. She'd only been once, but it was two years ago. She didn't really remember how to play. Shaking the thought from her head, she glanced towards the others. Mika was standing with Kiyoshi, who looked extremely confused about the paintball gun in his hands, and Ryoka was standing with Ichikage.

She looked like she was muttering something to him that was amusing because she was grinning, which was never a good sign with Ryoka. Satoru was to Etsuko's left, and he looked a little happy. Or at least she thought he was. She wasn't good at reading body language, but he had been smiling slightly when he'd returned with Ryoka from their breakfast. Shrugging lightly to herself, she adjusted the paintball gun in her hand and turned towards Satoru.

“So... uh, how is this played, again, exactly? Are we supposed to do it in small groups, or as a sort of free-for-all?" she asked. If it were the latter, Etsuko was certain she'd be covered in paint by the end of it.

Not far away, Mika was helping Kiyoshi strap himself into his protective vest—all of them had rental equipment that was mostly black, but with accents in a color that matched the paintballs they'd be using. Kiyo's were yellow, Mika's green.

Satoru next to her was clipping his CO2 tank onto his back. Those apparently provided the air that "shot" the paintballs from the rifle-like guns they'd been given. Their faces all bore paint in their colors as well, since tō-san had insisted. Satoru's were double vertical lines under his eyes all the way down his jaw and neck; he hadn't put his own goggles on his face yet, and turned towards her when she asked the question. His paint color almost matched his eyes: a dark, cobalt blue.

"It sort of depends on what we want to do," he said. "The winner of the match is sort of split between who gets the most hits on other people and takes the least themselves, but I don't see any reason there wouldn't be teamwork." He shrugged, hefting his paint gun so that the barrel faced the sky and pulling his goggles down over his eyes. "But since we each have a color, there's still only one winner."

She already knew she was going to lose, but it didn't stop a small smile crossing her face. At least they would be having fun, she hoped. “Well, I guess I'll say to the winner go the spoils," she stated, laughing to herself at the stupid comment. It's not like they were waging anything. “But, uh, good luck?" she stated a little unsure of herself.

“Hey you two, stop looking so adorable together and get over here," Ryoka's voice called out, causing Etsuko's face to heat slightly. She pursed her lips in Ryoka's direction, and narrowed her eyes slightly. “What?" she stated, not bothering to hide the grin on her face. Etsuko shook her head slightly and sighed softly.

“You shouldn't tease Tsu-chan so early, Ryoka-san," Kiyoshi spoke finally, glancing around at the others. Etsuko inwardly groaned and rolled her eyes. The two of them together was not an ideal combination, however; she already knew tō-san added to the mix was bound to be disasterous. She could almost feel it in her bones; they were up to something.

They were always up to something.

Ichikage, fully decked out in his own set of gear with red accents, wore his matching facepaint in a surprisingly-intricate pattern for some reason. He was still loading paintballs into the feeder thing on top of his rifle, but snapped it closed a moment later. "So here's the rules: no intentionally aiming for anyone's head, no powers, and we have a thirty-second setup window to take our positions, starting..." he paused, flashing them all a toothy grin. "Now."

He was off in a flash, heading what was probably in a general westward direction. There were all kinds of obstacles and such settled around the area, from half-fallen walls to the hollowed-out shell of what used to be a building of some kind to the copses of trees. He cleared a wall in a single bound—powers or not, they were still playing paintball with yōkai.

And that, at the moment, Etsuko decided was unfair. Mika-chan, Kiyo-kun, and tō-san still had the advantage. She sighed heavily, but allowed herself to grin. That didn't mean she had to give up at the beginning, though. She'd lose, yes, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight. Ryoka had taken off in the opposite direction of tō-san, but she was laughing almost maniacally. It wouldn't be too hard to find her if she kept that up. Kiyo-kun had taken off with Mika-chan, causing Etsuko to inwardly laugh. Old habits must be hard to break for him.

Etsuko, however, decided to go in the direction of tō-san before veering off a little to the left. She wanted to find cover, first. Then, she could scope the area out and see if anyone passed her by. She frowned slightly to herself, though. She didn't want to camp, exactly. She'd heard her friends use the term whenever they played their games, but she'd never been too interested in system games. All she knew was that camping was a lame thing to do.

And she didn't want to be lame.

She managed to find cover in a hollowed mound, setting her paintball gun up so that she could see if anything was nearby. Sighing to herself, she moved from her spot, only to have something whip past her. She yelped, throwing herself to the side to avoid it.

“Well you're no fun, Tsu-chan," it was Ryoka's voice. Etsuko turned to face her, and narrowed her eyes. Ryoka opened her mouth to say something, but she was prevented from doing that when something collided with her shoulder, causing her to wince. “Ow, what the..." she stated, turning her gun on the culprit.

"You should have been paying better attention, Ryoka-san." Ichikage sing-songed the words, ducking behind a tree, which absorbed the light blue paintball headed his way. He'd managed to shoot from... quite a long distance, actually.

He would have that kind of skill, though. Etsuko snorted when Ryoka muttered beneath her breath, however; it turned into a bout of laughter when Ryoka was hit with another paintball. “Am I a walking target or something?" she stated out loud, glancing down at the yellow paint splattered on her other shoulder.

“The purpose is to keep moving and get as many hits as possible, is it not?" Kiyoshi's voiced called out. He had a point. Etsuko turned her gun on Ryoka, shooting a paint ball in her direction as well. Ryoka was now sporting three different paint colors on her person, but she merely grinned.

“How right you are, Kiyo-kun," she stated, aiming her paintball gun towards Etsuko. Etsuko yelped as she tried to get out of the way, however; the sharp stinging sensation in her shoulder and the pale blue color paint there, gave way that she was hit. Ryoka laughed before turning on Kiyoshi.

A very well-aimed green paintball knocked her arm off-course, and the shot missed, going wide instead. Mika only sported one mark thus far—a dark blue one that meant Satoru must have hit her at some earlier point. "This way, sir," she directed, pointing with the muzzle of her rifle. The two of them disappeared as well, scattering the field once again.

Though it started as mostly a free-for-all, it swiftly became apparent that Mika was not aiming for Kiyoshi, and in fact stepped in front of a couple of hits he might otherwise have taken, from Ryoka and Ichikage respectively. Aside from Kiyo, everyone bore at least some paint, the most prominent colors being green and dark red, though it looked like Satoru wasn't doing too bad for himself either. Ryoka had mostly prevented herself from doing that well by pretty much always giving away her position with laughter. It didn't help that she wasn't hiding, either.

It was when Etsuko was crouching behind a wall that she felt another body slide in next to her, facing the other direction. "Don't shoot," Satoru said, inching up to peer back over the wall. He ducked immediately, a red paintball whizzing by over his head. "You want a truce? They're gonna destroy us otherwise." Despite the almost-seriousness of his tone, he was actually smiling a little, the blue paint on his face already smeared out of its neat lines.

Etsuko glanced down at her attire, noticing the various paint covering her before she glanced back up. “Truce," she agreed. They were getting destroyed, and Etsuko didn't exactly want to lose. Besides, if Mika-chan was taking care of Kiyo-kun, Etsuko could team up with Satoru. It gave her a better chance at something, she supposed. “I'll go first," she stated, lifting her head over the wall to make sure it was safe. “I can distract them and you can go for the shots."

He was likely a better shot than she was, after all. She had done okay, but the color schemes on everyone indicated that the lead painters was a tie between Ichikage and Mika-chan. There needed to be more color other than just red and green.

Satoru nodded. "Okay. Don't stay exposed for too long, and whatever you do, don't stop moving." He gave her a short nod before hefting the barrel of his paintball gun over the lip of the roof, sniper-style. "Whenever you're ready."

Etsuko took a deep breath. She could be the bait, while Satoru picked off the others. It was a good team dynamic, she supposed. Shaking her head, she lifted herself from where she was, and jumped out. She could feel the sharp sting of a paint ball on her shoulder, and judging by the color, it belonged to Ichikage. Another paintball managed to miss her, but in the end, she ended up almost as covered in paint as Ryoka had.

Ryoka was primarily blue and red, some hints of green and yellow peeking through, however; Etsuko was covered in all the colors. She didn't mind so much; she had had fun with them. Catching her breath, she glanced towards Satoru, and grinned in his direction. The others were taking off their gear, and were getting ready to declare who won. A quick glance in Kiyoshi's direction, however, showed he wasn't even colored. Not a single paint ball managed to hit him.

“Well, that was fun," she spoke in Satoru's direction. She, honestly, couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun. With anyone. “I, uh... happy birthday, Satoru," she stated a little awkwardly. It had occured to her that she hadn't told him that, yet. “I hope you had as much fun as I did."

“Yeah, Satoru," Ryoka chimed in, wiping the streaks of paint off of her face. Kiyoshi was offering Mika a towel at this point, but he was glancing in Satoru's direction as well, a strange soft smile on his face.

“I believe we all had... a good time," he stated, almost as if he was unsure of the wording. Etsuko just rolled her eyes at him, but she was still smiling all the same.

Satoru did a rare thing, then: he actually smiled. A real one, broad enough to flash teeth and light up his entire face. "It was great, honestly. Thanks, everyone." His smile turned a little sly, then, and his eyes sought out his sister's.

"And Ryoka: you owe me twenty bucks."

Ryoka grumbled something beneath her breath, but she didn't seem too upset about the statement. Instead, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out what appeared to be her wallet. She shifted through it and pulled out the amount she owed. She handed it to Satoru, causing Etsuko to keep her brow raised. They placed some sort of bet, probably. She shrugged her shoulders, though. It's not like it pertained to her. She pursed her lips together, and chewed her bottom lip, thoughtfully.

She'd gotten something for Satoru for his birthday, but it was a custom order. She had placed it a little late, though. It had cost her a lot, considering the material was hard to come by, but Kiyoshi had offered to help her with the payment. She'd spent most of her own money because she wanted to get something special for Satoru. Something that would be helpful, too. It would be done next month, so maybe she could give it to him as a graduation present, instead?

“So, now that we've finished brutalizing each other, should we go out to dinner?" Ryoka stated, interrupting Etsuko's thoughts. She blinked in Ryoka's direction, who was grinning broadly towards Satoru. She'd tell him about it later. “Because I'm starving," Ryoka continued, causing Etsuko to give her a flat look.

“Ryoka-san, you're always starving."

"Sounds like an excellent idea to me," tō-san added. "Let's get cleaned up at home; I'll make us a reservation at that new dim sum place."

Setting

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Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura
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#, as written by Aethyia
Satoru nudged the papers together with his fingertips, pressing his lips together and sighing through his nose. He'd been dreading this decision for a while, but he was running out of time to make it—and he'd put off talking to his one remaining family member about it for too long. It was with a certain heaviness that he stood up, folding the papers along their creases and exiting his room in search of his sister.

It was her day off, so he tried her room first, lifting his hand and rapping his knuckles on the doorframe. "Nee-san. Are you in there?"

There was a soft thud on the other side, and some shuffling. He could hear Ryoka muttering profanities underneath her breath before she pulled the door open. “Eh, Satoru?" she stated, running her hand through her ponytail and giving it a shake. It looked like she was trying to detangle it, but considering how long it was, she would need to take a brush to it. She was dressed in a pair of baggy pants, and a dark red tank top. Maybe she was going to go out for a run?

“Whatcha need, kiddo?" she asked, focusing her gaze on him. Her eyes were slightly lighter than Satoru's, but there was something else behind them. It made her eyes brighter than they were, perhaps because she was happier these days.

Not that noticing this made him feel any better. If anything, he worried that the discussion might put a bit of a damper on things. He hoped not, but... given everything that had happened to their family, what might have been a pretty normal discussion about his future plans could easily turn into an emotional minefield, considering just how close they'd become over the last... half a year? Maybe it was more than that—his sense of time was just so off these days.

"Can I come in?" he asked. "I need to talk to you about something—but if you have plans right now, I can come back later." He kept his voice neutral; it wasn't exactly an emergency and he didn't want her to think it demanded her attention right now if she wanted or needed to be elsewhere.

“Sure," she replied, opening the door wider as if to let him in. “I was just about to head out for a bit of a run, but that can wait. I'm off all day so..." she trailed off before ushering him in. Her room was, surprisingly neat. Ryoka was never one for well-cleaned rooms, but perhaps considering where they lived, it made sense. There was a small table in her room, and she pointed towards it, the point clear to take a seat.

“So, what is it that you need to speak with me about?" she asked, and for once, there was no teasing tone to her voice. She sounded genuinely interested in what he had to say, and she was holding his gaze with a strange kind of steadiness.

He wasn't sure if he found that reassuring or just more daunting. Still, Satoru had never been one to beat around the bush when the option to be direct was available. So he settled himself down at the table and set the letters down on the surface in front of him. Folded like this, they were just innocuous sheets of white paper, the American one sized slightly differently from the Japanese one, but fitting together well enough for his purposes.

"It's about college," he said simply, pushing the letters towards her. "I need to decide between these two places, and I want to know what you think." It might be his life—he knew it was, that these decisions were his to make. But there wasn't any point in ignoring the obvious either: Ryoka was important to him, and to his life, and he cared about what she thought of all this. Her opinion mattered to him, just like he knew his mattered to her.

It wouldn't be fair to make the decision without talking it over with her first.

“College?" she stated more than questioned. She took one of the papers, and opened it. Her eyes scanned the paper, apparently reading the information on it. When she was done with the first one, she picked up the other one, and read it as well. Her brows had furrowed slightly, and her lips were pursed in a thin manner. She stayed quiet for a few minutes after that, and simply stared at the papers. It was almost as if she were contemplating what to say.

It was at least another five minutes before she sighed, heavily. “So, you've been accepted into two colleges. One is here, but the other one..." she paused, lifting her gaze to meet his. Her brows were still furrowed, but it seemed more because she was thinking about something rather than being upset.

“It's in America." The tone was laced with something light and soft. “And you want to know what I think about which one you should go to," it sounded more like she was talking to herself, but she was still holding his gaze. Her shoulders slumped, though, as did her posture and she remained quiet.

“I think... you should go to the one you want to the most, Satoru," she finally spoke, shaking her head lightly. “If you go to the American college, you'll be so far away," she stated, and there was something heavy in the way she said it. Her voice almost cracked when she spoke, but she appeared to be calm about her statement.

“But if you go to the one here, you'd be close by," she continued, pursing her lips together. “Satoru," she called his name, and for once, she looked completely serious. “I've told you before that, whatever you wanted to do with your life, I would support you. What do you feel is best for you?" she asked, tilting her head just slightly.

Satoru glanced down at this hands, folded together on the table. "That's what I'm trying to figure out," he said, releasing a sigh. "MIT is... not just any American school. It's probably close to the best school in the world for the kinds of things I'm interested in." That fact alone was hard to turn down, and his English was easily good enough to make it feasible.

"On the other hand... Todai's a really good school, too, and I would be closer. Could probably still live here, if Motoyami-sama didn't mind. Or at least get a place in the city close by." He raised his eyes to meet hers again, pushing his glasses up his nose.

“I don't think he'd mind," she spoke, a small smile fluttering across her face for a second. She sighed again, and leaned back a bit to stare up at the ceiling. “From what I hear, though, is that MIT might be a better fit for you. You know I'm not proficient in a lot of things, and I wouldn't be able to tell you the difference in which college is better or worse, but," she paused to take a breath and lower her gaze to his.

“It sounds like MIT would be the best school for you. For whatever it is you are interested in, if it's the closest to the best school for you... I think you should go." She sounded completely sincere about it.

If it came to that, she was probably right. For his studies, there was nowhere better to go. But...

He grit his teeth for a moment, shaking his head slightly. His ponytail settled against his back when he leaned forward slightly, bracing his forearms on the table. "What if that's not the only issue, though?" he asked quietly. "What if it also matters to me whether I'll be here—whether I'll be able to..."

A grimace formed over Satoru's face. It was hard to find the right words for this uneasy feeling. It was never quite right there on the surface for him to name easily. It was more like a hunch, or an instinct, something below the level of conscious thought. "It's just—we're the only ones left. I don't know if I can just... walk away from that. Have a different life."

Once, it had been exactly what he wanted. When he'd had to worry about his parents disapproving and trying to keep him in the family business. Ironically it was now, when he was really free to choose his path, that he wasn't so sure he wanted out of that life anymore.

“But isn't that what you wanted?" she asked, tilting her head in slight confusion. “I understand if what you're worried about is me, but," she stated, pursing her lips into a thin line. Her lip quirked slightly to the left as if she were chewing on it. “If it's that important to you, Satoru, you don't have to worry about me. I'm not... I might not be any good out in the real world, but I don't want you to stay because we're the last ones. I mean..." she stated, sighing in frustration. She scratched the back of her head before shaking it.

“If you stayed, I wouldn't feel... worried about you. I'd know where you were, and I'd be able to help if something happened, however; if something happened to you overseas..." she trailed off, the implication clear: she wouldn't be able to do anything. She smiled softly in his direction, though.

“Maybe you can have the best of both worlds? You could go to Todai, and you could stay here. At least here, you have people who could help you with your abilities, and you'd still be getting into a decent college, right?" she stated.

It wasn't just for her that he felt this way, though he'd be lying if he said she wasn't a big part of it. Slowly, he dipped his chin, nodding his head down. "I've... been thinking the same," he admitted. "It's just a really difficult opportunity to turn down, even though I know that I want to." He couldn't help but think of all the what-ifs and could-happens.

“Well kiddo," she began, leaning back so that her arms were draped behind her. “If what you really want is to be here, I won't try to change your mind," she stated, grinning in his direction. “But, Satoru, I want you to be absolutely sure this is what you really want. I don't... I don't want you to regret anything. You're a bright kid with a bright future ahead of you," she spoke with a sort of seriousness to her voice.

“As much as I want you here, safe where I can keep an eye on you, I want you to be happy, more than anything. If going to MIT makes you happy, then go. If staying here, going to Todai makes you happier, then stay here and go to Todai. Your happiness is all that matters to me, even if my selfish little heart wants you here," she stated, a soft crack in her voice giving way to what she was actually feeling.

A lump rose in Satoru's throat, one he had to try and swallow past so that he could speak as well. "Okay," he replied quietly, his voice almost a whisper. "I got it. Thanks, Ryoka." Impulsively, he stood, gesturing for her to do the same and sort of shrugging his arms open a bit. Hopefully she'd read his intention without him having to explain or ask, because he wasn't sure his voice would hold that long.

She stood as well, and walked around the table. The force with which she hugged him with, though, conveyed everything that she was feeling. There was a slight tremor in her body, but she didn't say anything. She simply hugged him, and remained where she was. She let go after a few minutes, though, and smiled at him.

“You're welcome," she finally stated. “Now, I have a run to go make. Do you want to come with?" she asked, raising a brow when she did. Her eyes were slightly glossy, but she blinked a few times as if to clear them.

"Give me two minutes to change," he replied, squeezing once before releasing her and stepping away from the hug. "And we'll throw in some obstacles. I know how much you love those."

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura Character Portrait: Etsuko Fujimori
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#, as written by Aethyia
Hotaru no hikari, mado no yuki,
Fumi yomu tsukihi, kasane tsutsu
Itsushika toshi mo, sugi no to wo,
Aketezo kesa wa, wakare yuku.


The graduation ceremony itself had been more or less what they'd been practicing for over the last several weeks, from the speeches to the diploma handouts to the songs and all that, but in the minutes since, the crowd had broken up and was now mostly milling around outside the school building, in the gardens behind it. Early April as it was, the cherry trees were budding; a few of the flowers had already bloomed, their pink petals now littering the light green grass of the season.

Satoru, still in uniform, sipped idly from his cup of water, watching his classmates and their families mingle with each other. There were no few instances of tearful hugging and the like, people more or less dissolving at the realization that they wouldn't be seeing each other nearly so regularly anymore.

Tomaru mo yuku mo, kagiri tote,
Katami ni omou, chiyorozu no,
Kokoro no hashi wo, hitokoto ni,
Sakiku to bakari, utau nari.


He wasn't surprised that even yōkai did this. They had friends, too, after all, and most of the ones at the school weren't much if at all older than he was—still teenagers. He squinted against an obnoxious camera flash in the corner of his eye; two girls were taking a picture together.

He'd lost track of the clump of people that had come to the ceremony for himself and Etsuko, but he wasn't too worried about it. They'd show up again eventually, probably at an inconvenient time. Like a bad rash—especially his sister and her employer.

Etsuko wasn't too far from where he was. She was standing with a small group, her friends likely, and chatting amicably with them. She was smiling until the one on her left, Haru-kun as she had called him, leaned into her ear and said something. Whatever it was, it caused her face to turn a deep red. She shook her head almost violently while he laughed. With pursed lips, she turned towards Satoru's direction and waved. She said something to her friends, and left their side to join him.

“Hey, Satoru. Congratulations," she stated, the red on her face now just a light pink. “I take it Ryoka-san and Otō-san have disappeared?" she stated, glancing around as if to look for them.

"Congratulations to you, too," he replied, leaning a little more comfortably back against the tree behind him. The skin on his chest was a bit itchy beneath the uniform, maybe from the proximity of so many yōkai. "And if I know my sister at all, they're probably conducting a raid on the refreshments table. I saw some fancy-looking mochi earlier. She might leave enough for some of the other guests to have some."

He had no idea how his sister had developed a bottomless abyss for a stomach, but she had one. Usually that was the kind of thing people said about teenage boys, but Satoru himself probably only ate slightly more than the average person, and he figured that made sense since he also worked out a lot more. Ryoka, though—that was just freakish.

Etsuko snickered lightly, and shook her head. “Yeah, and I bet otō-san is encouraging it. They're so weird, but I suppose it's good for the both of them. I haven't seen otō-san that happy to have someone as... strange as him, I suppose," she stated, rolling her eyes with a grin. She blinked, though, as if she were trying to focus her attention and glanced back at him.

“I can't believe it's actually over," she stated, her attention going back towards the crowds of people. “I mean, not over, over, but... you know what I mean," she stated, furrowing her brows slightly.

He nodded, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. "It's pretty weird," he admitted. "I mean, I know we're not legally adults yet or whatever, but it still kind of feels like... the last part of being a kid is over with." Not that he'd felt much like a kid in a long time now. Definitely not since his family had died.

"Where are all your friends headed?" He mostly asked to be polite; Etsuko didn't hang out with anyone he disliked, but he'd just... never really made friends easily. She and her ridiculous family were really—

They were really all he had, come to think of it.

“Some of them are going home to family businesses," she spoke. It made some sense considering some of her friends were yōkai. Some would either go back to their homes, but a few would actually attend some colleges. “Chihiro-chan is going abroad to study in America. She's going for medicine, and I think Haru-kun is actually going to Todai, as well," she stated, her brows furrowing just a little deeper.

“None of them are going to Toho, though," she stated, sounding just the slightest bit upset. She smiled, though, so it probably didn't bother her too much. “But I guess that just means I'll have to make friends there, too," she spoke, grinning up at him.

Tsukushi no kiwami, michi no oku,
Umi yama tooku, hedatsu tomo,
Sono magokoro wa, hedate naku,
Hitoe ni tsukuse, kuni no tame


"You're good at that, though," he said matter-of-factly. If she could make even a few friends in a school full of young yōkai, most of whom were predisposed to think of her as inferior to them, he was willing to bet she could do so just about anywhere. Certainly at a normal university, where the students were overwhelmingly humans and lots of them would share her interests. "So I think you'll be fine."

She snorted softly to herself. “I suppose you're right," she stated. “But in the mean time, at least I'll be able to see one of my friends on an almost daily basis," she stated, the grin on her face smoothing out to something more mild. She was probably referring to him considering they lived in the same house, technically.

“Hey Satoru," she spoke almost cautiously, as if what she were about to say was something meant only between them. She stayed quiet for a few seconds before shaking her head. “Thanks for being my friend this last year. It's meant... a lot to me," she finally spoke. “I, um," she started again and shifted a bit on her feet. Whatever she was going to say, didn't make it past her lips because a sudden flash seemed to temporarily stun her.

“Aww, look at that. It's almost too perfect," Ryoka stated, holding the camera in her hand. There was a strange grin on her face, like she'd meant to do that. Knowing her, she probably did.

Ichikage was right behind her, and in fact leaned down to prop his chin on Ryoka's head, also grinning. Satoru didn't bother resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Really, Ryoka?" He arched an eyebrow at the both of them, unsurprised that they were being annoying. It was the kind of event where family members just... did that kind of thing. He wasn't mad about it or anything, but it would have been nice if she'd interrupted in a less-obnoxious way.

Satoru sighed, turning back to Etsuko for a minute. "Ignore her. What were you going to say?"

Etsuko didn't look amused, but she shook her head. “It's not important," she replied, glancing towards Ichikage and Ryoka. Her eyes narrowed slightly in their direction, causing Ryoka to snicker. She heaved out heavy sigh and slumped her shoulders. “Where are Kiyo-kun and Mika-chan?" she asked, instead.

“Somewhere around here, I would assume," Ryoka responded. “And yes, really, Satoru. You both looked adorable and I couldn't resist," she added, still grinning. Etsuko visibly rolled her eyes at the statement.

“Isn't there a dessert table that needs raiding?" she stated, quirking a brow in Ryoka and Ichikage's direction. “Tō-san can help you find it, I'm sure." She was giving both of them a flat look.

Satoru snorted, matching the look on Etsuko's face and leveling it in the same direction.

Ichikage laughed at that, standing up straight again and tugging on Ryoka's sleeve. "Ne, Ryoka-san. We should leave them alone, don't you think?"

They moved off after that, definitely towards the dessert table. Satoru rolled his eyes and sighed again—both of those things seemed to happen a lot when those two were around at the same time.

Of course, that left him with Etsuko and a conversation that now seemed to be stalling. "Uh... anyway. Congratulations. Again." For some reason, he felt his face getting a little warmer, and his ears—especially his ears.

What the hell?

She smiled up at him. “Yeah, you too, Satoru. Congratulations. Can... I give you a hug?" she asked, stepping back a bit. “I just... I wanted to ask beforehand because I know you're not usually too comfortable with... that," she continued, sounding a bit unsure of her wording. She stuttered a bit, too, something she hasn't done in a while. Her face turned a light shade of red as she glanced down at the ground for a second. She didn't quite meet his gaze, though, when she lifted her head back up.

He blinked. "I, uh..." If his face hadn't turned red before, it probably was now. He hesitated for a moment; she was right. He generally didn't go in for much personal contact with people, but—oddly he didn't mind the idea. Maybe because she'd actually asked instead of just assuming he'd be all right with it.

Satoru felt a little like he'd been kicked square in the chest: a bit short of breath and with the beginning of some kind of adrenaline response. His tongue was a little too heavy in his mouth, but he nodded. "S-sure. That's fine."

He opened his arms slightly, as if in invitation, though the idea had been Etsuko's.

She met his gaze when he did, smiled, and stepped in to hug him. It wasn't a long one, a bit brief, but her arms gave a tight squeeze. “Congratulations, for a third, Satoru. Thanks, again, for being one of my best friends," she'd muttered it since her face was slightly pressed against him, considering she was shorter than he was.

"Yeah. You, too, Etsuko."

Even though part of their lives were ending, Satoru didn't regret that this was part of it that wasn't. In fact—he felt relieved, more than anything. Relieved that the best thing that had come of his time at school wasn't finishing along with the rest.

It was okay to carry some things with him into the future, he supposed.

Chishima no oku mo, Okinawa mo
Yashima no uchi no, mamori nari
Itaran kuni ni, isaoshiku
Tsutome yo waga se, tsutsuganaku

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura Character Portrait: Etsuko Fujimori Character Portrait: Mika Sakuragi Character Portrait: Kiyoshi Motoyami
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Kiyoshi sighed, adjusting the tie around his neck. He'd learned how to that a little more proficiently after Mika had taught him, among other things. It was a dark purple in color, and it contrasted against the light grey suit he wore. Another thing Mika had taught him. He smiled softly to himself as he shifted his ponytail behind him. Today was a special day, as his father had called it. Kiyoshi couldn't exactly remember why, but he suspected it had something to do with him. They were all gathering in the foyer for some kind of dinner, but Kiyoshi would have much preferred to do it here.

He couldn't exactly refuse, though. His father had planned it out months in advance, and he'd rather not let Ichikage down. Kiyoshi might not have always been fond of Ichikage, but he was still his father. Pursing his lips together, he made sure everything was in place before leaving his room. The walk to the foyer was quick, and indeed, everyone was already waiting for him.

“Well look who's handsome today," Ryoka stated, grinning in his direction. She was dressed in a spaghetti strap v-neck red chiffon dress, and surprisingly not in her uniform. Considering where they were going, it made some sense to Kiyoshi. She'd also started wearing red more often, but it was a nice color for her, he supposed. Her hair was left down, but it wasn't as unruly as it usually was. It was a little straighter, but Kiyoshi wasn't one for such things. Fashion, hair, clothes, those were not exactly his forte.

“You look nice as well, Ryoka-san," he simply stated. Etsuko snorted softly, causing Kiyoshi to tilt his head. She was dressed in a more modest halter dress, though the color was a deep sapphire blue. It almost looked black if not for the sheen. “As do you, Tsu-chan," he stated, the subtle quirk of his lips giving way to his teasing nature. He almost chuckled when her face turned pink, and she pursed her lips together at him.

"Ne, is everyone ready?" His father chose that moment to appear, looking basically the same as he always did in human guise, only this time in a suit. It was fairly straightforward as they went, and he'd elected for a cream colored silk tie rather than anything brighter. The suit itself was black, as was Satoru's.

The younger Yukimura looked much less comfortable in his, tugging a bit awkwardly at the cuffs of his shirt and then his black tie. It was knotted very neatly, but obviously he wasn't used to wearing one as part of anything fancier than his school uniform. Clearing his throat, he glanced around at the others, pressing his lips together and gamely trying to suppress his discomfort.

"We look weird, is how we look," he grumbled. It was hard to tell, but he seemed to be making an effort not to look directly at Etsuko. Though classes had started for both of them at the university by this point, they both still lived on the grounds, and their summer break was quickly approaching. Still—it seemed like Kiyoshi saw less of both of them than he used to, so they probably saw less of each other than before as well.

"Anyway, uh, Sakuragi-san said she was going to go have someone pull the car around and just meet us all there, so."

“We do not look weird, Satoru," Ryoka spoke in a nearly hushed voice, pursing her lips in his direction. Kiyoshi just raised a brow, and said nothing. He supposed both of the Yukimura hadn't really dressed nicely, or in any kind of fashion before. Perhaps because of their lifestyle as taiji-ya. Did they do what his family did, go to important meetings in formal attire, or dinners and lunches? Probably not, but the thought did not linger long. Instead, they made their way to where Mika was, indeed, waiting, and Kiyoshi merely blinked in her direction.

“You look lovely, Mika-chan," he spoke before he registered what he'd actually said. He could feel a smile inching across his face as well, and his eyes softened for just a fraction.

“Of course she does; Mika-chan always looks lovely," Ryoka chimed in, but there was no hint of teasing in her voice. It sounded more matter-of-fact and obvious than anything else. Kiyoshi just furrowed his brows and did his best not to sigh.

Mika, typically, frowned slightly at the commentary. It was hard to say why she did that, but she was consistent about it, at least—outright compliments, especially about her appearance, tended to produce that reaction in her.

"We are attending dinner at a very formal restaurant," she replied, adjusting her pale sleeves slightly. She'd chosen to wear a kimono rather than a dress—come to think of it, she'd never worn a dress that he knew of. The garment was black and white, with a pattern of pale golden flowers on a branch, and the same color and silver on the obi. "I am merely dressed appropriately for the occasion."

"And armed appropriately, too, right?" Mirth glittered in Ichikage's eyes; he was clearly teasing her.

She probably knew it, even, but responded seriously all the same. "Of course, Motoyami-sama."

The car pulled up, then, Abe-san at the wheel as usual. Mika opened the door for the rest of them to pile into the back of the limousine, which for once was just about the right size for all the people that needed to fit in it. Ichikage immediately pulled Ryoka over to sit next to him, nodding Satoru into the seat across. When Mika herself entered last of all, the only spot left was the one immediately next to Kiyoshi. She took it, folding her hands neatly into her lap as Abe-san pulled out of the driveway.

Kiyoshi felt something pull in his chest when she did. He couldn't help but smile a little more. The ride to the restaurant was relatively quiet—about as quiet as it could be with Ichikage and Ryoka, anyway. When they arrived, everyone filed out of the car, and almost instinctively, Kiyoshi stood next to Mika. He wasn't quite sure why he did, but he put it down as something natural. She was, after all, his guard, and he had to be within her sights at all times. He blinked slowly at that thought.

They approached the stand where the hostess was, and she smiled brightly at the large group. “Welcome," she greeted, glancing at the party of six. “Name on the reservation?" she asked, flipping the book open in front of her.

“Motoyami," Kiyoshi spoke first. The woman, Aiko, from her nametag, nodded and flipped through the book, frowning slightly when she did.

“It looks like I have two reservations for the name of Motoyami. One is for a party of four, and the other for two," she stated, glancing back up to meet his gaze. She looked sincerely confused, and perhaps she was. Kiyoshi sighed heavily.

“Is there a table available for the size of our group?" he asked, watching as she gave an apologetic bow.

“Unfortunately all of the tables that would have been large enough are booked for the evening," she stated, causing Kiyoshi's expression to fall flat. He glanced towards Ichikage and furrowed his brows lightly.

His father hummed; crossing his arms loosely over his chest. "That can't be right," he said, brow furrowing in much the same way Kiyoshi's was. "Micchan, you made the reservations, didn't you?"

Mika looked slightly perturbed, which was saying something since little ever made it past the stoic expression she so often wore. "Yes, sir. I'm certain I made it for a party of six."

Aiko was beginning to look a little nervous, like she expected to be yelled at or something, but Ichikage forestalled any such worries by waving a hand. "It's quite all right. We'll take this as it is. Since Ryoka-san has to be with me and Micchan should stay with Kiki, we'll stay in separate groups. Cricket, Satoru-kun, would you like to come with us?" It made some sense to do it that way, since Satoru was Ryoka's brother.

But then again, Satoru and Etsuko could have taken the table for two instead of Kiyoshi and Mika. Oddly, though, Kiyoshi didn't mind. Etsuko, however, nodded her head. “I don't see why not," she stated, shrugging lightly in the process. Kiyoshi pursed his lips together, but he allowed his shoulders to relax. Aiko waved another hostess over, and handed her two menus.

“Mizuki will show you to your table," she spoke, smiling still in an apologetic manner. “If the four of you will follow me, I'll show you to your table as well," she stated, ushering the others away. Mizuki, however, motioned for Kiyoshi and Mika to follow her. He glanced over his shoulder for a brief second towards his father, and narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling Ichikage was behind this, however; he allowed a small smile to cross his features. He supposed it wouldn't be that bad.

“Can I start you off with anything to drink?" Mizuki asked once Kiyoshi and Mika were seated. Kiyoshi pursed his lips together, flipping open the book to glance at the selection. He didn't see anything that caught his immediate attention, though.

“Water will be fine for now, thank you," he spoke, glancing in Mika's direction. He'd order something else if something popped up.

Her own reply was immediate. "Water for me as well too, thank you." No doubt she considered herself to still be on the job, to some extent, which meant she'd never let herself drink anything.

“Alright, two waters," she spoke, bowing slightly before leaving. Kiyoshi frowned just, though, as he glanced through the menu. He didn't understand why the reservation was made here. His father knew Kiyoshi was never one for such places, but today had to have been something a little more special. Knowing Ichikage, though, today could have just been something his father did on a whim. Even if the reservations were made a head of time, his father had some pull to do things on a whim like this.

“Mika-chan," he spoke, turning another page before glancing up at her. “Are you well?" he asked, tilting his head just slightly. He never knew what to say to her, or why his throat always seemed to dry up when he tried. He could sit in silence with her, and be completely happy, however; he also wanted to know her. More-so than what he already knew about her, at least.

She was looking at him strangely, one eyebrow raised slightly over the other. It was a frequent expression of hers, when she expressed anything at all. "I'm quite fine, sir, though considering what day it is, that should probably be something I ask you." She cracked open her menu, scanning the items on offer dispassionately. She'd never seemed to take particular pleasure in the atmosphere of an expensive sort of place—but it was nonetheless obvious that she appreciated quality in basically everything, including food.

He supposed he was the same. He didn't particularly like these kinds of places, but he didn't mind them so much when he was with his family, or her. He blinked a little slowly at her comment, though, when it registered what she said. Tilting his head slightly, he furrowed his brows in her direction.

“Is there some particular event going on?" he asked. He wasn't too sure what today was. Did he forget a meeting of some sort? Was today someone's anniversary? “Why would you be asking me, that?" because he didn't quite understand. What was so special about today?

Mika snorted, a tiny smile flickering across her face for just a second. Mizuki came back with their water before she could answer, though, and the smile disappeared into her glass when she lifted it to her mouth. It was only after the waitress had left again with their dinner orders that she answered his question.

"Sir, it's your birthday. That's the entire point of this dinner." She set the glass back down, letting her hands rest below the table in her lap. Even in a relaxed setting like this, her posture didn't slump even slightly.

Kiyoshi didn't register what Mika had said. He'd seen it, that small smile. He felt like he couldn't breathe at the moment, as if all the air had been sucked out of him, and his heart rate increased. It wasn't until he realized that he was smiling as well, and staring, that he cleared his throat awkwardly. He took a sip of his water, trying to get some moisture in his throat. It felt dry all of a sudden.

“My birthday?" he finally questioned. Was today his birthday? “Oh," was the only thing he said. He'd forgotten his own birthday. This was not the first time it happened, he knew that. He should have known, however, that Ichikage would have remembered it. “Otō-sama's idea," he spoke out loud. It was more of a statement than a question, and he sighed softly.

“How are things with you, though," he asked. Even if it was his birthday, he didn't have anything in his life worth mentioning at the moment. Mika, though, had days off that she spent doing other things. He wanted to know how she was faring, and what she did. He wanted to know her because he still wanted to talk to her. Here, he knew, would not be the best place to do it.

But if he could at least glean some things from her personal life, of things she did outside, then the talk would be easier. That was what he was hoping for, at least.

"The two are not entirely unrelated, you know," she told him, perhaps referring to his birthday and also the answer to her question. That had to be what it was, though the connection was not at first immediately obvious. "I suppose I can understand not really finding your birthday too significant—I don't either. But..."

She exhaled through her nose, dropping her eyes to regard the glass of water in front of her. There was a strange expression on her face—her brows were knit, forming a little line above her nose, but she looked more puzzled than anything. "This marks twenty-five of your birthdays since we met," she said at last, the furrow deepening. Mika's tone betrayed some level of uncertainty, like she wasn't sure she really wanted to say that. "I'm sure it's not a very significant amount of time for you, but for me... that's most of my life, by a lot of years."

That was right; Mika had been taken in when she was about seven years old. She had been but a young girl out on the streets, pick-pocketing people in order to survive. He'd known that much when she tried stealing from him. The thought brought a solemn smile to his face, though. She'd grown up in his care, under his father's care, and the care of the household. Unlike Etsuko, however, she wasn't raised as a ward. She wasn't a daughter to the house of Motoyami, like Etsuko was, but that didn't stop Kiyoshi from feeling like she was still family.

“Despite the circumstances of how we met, I'm grateful that we did," he spoke gently. She might not be, but Kiyoshi could not claim to know her thoughts. He wanted her to know this thing, though. This one thought and emotion he'd always felt from meeting her. “I hope... it hasn't been an unpleasant life for you Mika-chan," he continued, pursing his lips lightly. That was the last thing he wanted for her. If it had been... he couldn't finish the thought. It brought an unpleasant restrictive feeling in his chest where his heart was.

"Upleasant?" she echoed, face hard to read.

Unfortunately the waitress chose that moment to reappear with their food, and Mika paused to thank her and pick up her utensils. The restaurant was a western-style one, with forks and knives and such—most of the food was Italian, though there were some Greek dishes available as well. Mika spent several moments winding her linguine around her fork, pausing with the utensil still on the plate, held still as she studied him with compressed lips.

"Sir, my life has been—" She stopped, shaking her head slightly; he could see the subtle movement where she swallowed. "What could ever make you think that anything about it has been unpleasant for me?"

Mostly because he'd never seen her smile. He'd seen it twice, now, that he could think of. The first time he'd seen her smile was when she was speaking with Oda-dono. That thought produced a foreign feeling in his chest, one he knew was the same as displeasure but also something else. Something that felt... sad? He couldn't quite place it. The second time she'd smiled was only moments ago, despite how small it was.

“You have spent most of your time as my guard with hardly any time to yourself. The days you do have off I've..." he paused momentarily to stare down at his own plate. He hadn't touched it yet, though he could smell that it was particularly pleasant. Maybe that was because there was a different smell he was focused on. He couldn't be too sure.

“I've never really made it easy for you, either," he finally spoke, glancing back in her direction. He'd tried not to do that any longer, but it was hard when he felt like something was missing. Like he missed her, for some strange reason. He'd never felt that with Sakura. She wasn't around as often as Mika, and though he spoke with her on a daily basis and went to dinners with her, he didn't quite miss her the same way he missed Mika.

“I have said it plenty of times before, but I want you to be happy, Mika-chan. I... am not good at noticing things like that when it comes to you, and all I ever seem to do is cause you great pains and headaches," he confessed solemnly. Even though he was currently trying to learn things on his own, he felt like he was burdening her by taking away some of her free time. If Ryoka could notice that Mika was happy with her job, with her current state, why couldn't he?

"That's..." Mika sighed, taking a bite of her dinner and chewing slowly. It gave her a moment to gather the words she wanted; at least that's what it looked like she was doing.

She met his eyes deliberately, something she did not do that often, given her strict observance to most of the norms of traditional servitude. "If it seems to cause me trouble, sir, that's only because it is hard work. I would feel the same as anyone's assistant about that. Also, it's... important, to me, to maintain professionalism at all times. But—but the work I do—it's the most—" She struggled for a moment, dropping her eyes back down to her plate, the certainty and ease leeching out of her tone and leaving it soft.

"What I do—helping you, protecting you and the things you care about—I don't care if it's easy. I don't care if it gives me headaches or means I don't have a lot of days to myself." She gripped her glass hard enough that the pads of her fingers began to whiten, seemingly only then realizing she was in real danger of breaking it and easing her hold. "I don't care about any of that, and I wish you wouldn't either. Because it's..."

She very visibly forced herself to reinitiate eye contact. "It's all I've ever wanted. For me, being able to do this—it's an honor, and a privilege. My whole life, I've done everything I could to be worthy of it. Of being the person who is allowed to help you achieve the things you want to do. And every time you ask me if I'd rather be doing something else, or if I want to leave for the day... it feels as though I've failed in that."

“Mika..." he began, though he paused and kept his gaze on her. Didn't she know, though? Everything he was able to do was because of her. For everything she was able to do, for every task she was able to handle, if it wasn't for her, Kiyoshi would not have achieved as much as he has. He might have years of life under him, but it wasn't until he'd met her, had her as a guard had he realized how much more he could do. He took a deep breath, slow and agonizing. He ached, and he wasn't completely oblivious as to why.

He lowered his gaze for a moment, before clearing his throat softly. “Mika, you have not failed in anything," he spoke the last word with a bit more emphasis, and slowly. “You have done more for me in the last two decades than anyone else ever has. Because of you, I have learned new things. Because of you, I no longer have to feel useless when it comes to tying my own ties, or something so simple as clothing choice," he offered her a small smile.

“I apologize if that is how I have made you feel. That was never my intention," he stated. If he had known that doing that was making her feel like that, he wouldn't have suggested it so often. “I only wished for you to be more than just a guard," he spoke, though he was unsure of what he meant by that. “I only wished to be your friend," though that wasn't quite the word he was searching for.

He could not name what it was.

Mika curled her fingers back around her fork, lifting it deliberately and slowly making her way through half her plate of pasta. She had heard everything he'd said—that much was clear from the way she'd listened with obvious attention while he was speaking. But anything by way of response was a long time in coming. She'd always been like this: slow and careful where others were flippant or hasty.

She ate with the sort of meticulous neatness that came with needing to fit into his social circles. In a lot of ways, she did, at least as far as her behavior and mannerisms were concerned. But in other ways, she would only ever be able to be an outsider to it, an auxiliary to him. Mika was habitually a lot more conscious of station than Kiyoshi himself; she enforced polite distance even with someone as personable and gregarious as his father.

"It's not that I don't like you, sir. Or that I think our personalities are incompatible in some way. It's just... relationships like this aren't the same as friendships. They can't be. Already, people—" she grimaced slightly. "They say things. They see our situation from the outside and assume things about us. You're a daiyōkai and a prince, and I'm a very young, female hanyō. They don't believe I could possibly be of use to you at my job, and so I must have obtained my position in some other way." Mika set her fork down on the plate, tines facing downwards. "Many of the possibilities are damaging, to your reputation and standing. And so I protect those things by behaving in a way that makes it very clear that I am here to do a job, and that I am excellent at it. My conduct must be above reproach, because this is a form of protection as well. If I were to act like your friend, then I would be worse at this part of my work."

Kiyoshi did not bother to hide his expression from her. His lips pursed into a fine line and his brows furrowed deeply. People said things like that about her? He was unaware of such things, and knowing this all now, made him upset. It made him angry, almost. He could feel his throat constrict in an unpleasant way, and he could not lift the sudden mood change. Mika was, as she said, excellent at the things she did.

She was talented, graceful, and so many other things he could not say. “I am sorry," he apologized, instead. He knew the others would not stoop to that, and he knew that she would not accept his apology, however; it was something he wanted to say. “I am sorry that they say those things about you. You are... regardless of my station, or where we stand, I still consider you my friend, Mika. A dearest friend, nonetheless." How could she be anything less than that?

“I want to make those things easier for you, to make them understand that you are good at your job, and that you have earned that because of your skill. I am afraid I would not know how to make them understand, though." He couldn't just force people to do that. Customs were hard to change; he would know that for as long as he lived. And not many houses were not like House Motoyami who embraced that sort of eccentricity.

She shook her head faintly. "I appreciate your support, sir. Truly, I do. But this isn't the kind of situation that can be solved by simply telling people that they are mistaken. It is something I have to deal with in the only way available to me: by being professional and competent and doing my job well. They will see, and some of them will change their minds when they do. That's all I can hope for."

“You deserve more," he stated softly, shaking his head. She deserved so much more, more than what he could give her. “I am thankful that I get to spend this day with you, though." Of all the people he could of spent it with, he was glad it was with her. He chanced a glance towards his father's table, and smiled lightly. He'd have to thank him someday, though he was not going to do it today.

For now, this would have to do.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Ichikage Motoyami Character Portrait: Ryoka Yukimura Character Portrait: Satoru Yukimura Character Portrait: Etsuko Fujimori
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#, as written by Aethyia
Ichikage kept half an ear on the conversation several tables away, but the majority of his attention remained on the other three people with him. They'd all put in their orders by now, and were waiting for things to get back to them. He turned the stem of the wineglass in his hand, sloshing the red liquid slightly inside.

"So Cricket, Satoru-kun: how are you finding your classes?" He moved his eyes from the wine to the two young humans across the table from him. Neither of them had alcohol, of course, but he hadn't seen any harm in partaking. This little wouldn't do anything at all to him.

Ryoka had a glass as well, but she hadn't touched it yet, perhaps saving it for when the food arrived. Etsuko, however, glanced up from her hands and tilted pursed her lips together. More in thought than anything else, it appeared. “Classes are going well," she spoke a little slower, as if those were not the words she wanted to use. She shrugged, though, and took a drink from her glass of water.

“We have a project coming up, soon, where we have to compose something together. And it can't be a piece that already exists," she muttered.

“So something original?" Ryoka chimed in, apparently curious to it.

“Something like that," Etsuko replied, nodding her head at the same time.

"That's kind of implied by the word composed, isn't it?" Satoru smiled when he said it, softening the possible implications of the correction. "I'm sure you'll do fine, anyway." He lifted his glass of water to his lips and swallowed a few times.

Ichikage maintained a patient silence, and was rewarded with an answer to the original question.

"Mine are pretty good, I guess. I've got a project, too, for civic engineering. We have to design a water conveyance system for a settlement without indoor plumbing. The cool thing is that it's also a contest for a development group—they want models that can actually work in remote places without easy access to water."

"Sounds practical," Ichikage mused with some approval. "But I thought you were more of a computer engineering type, Satoru-kun."

The young man hummed, then shrugged. "I am. But the degree is more generalized, so... I'm doing other stuff too, for now."

Ryoka sniffled softly, though it was a feigned kind. “They grow up so quickly, don't they," she stated, wiping away a non-existent tear. Etsuko snorted softly and rolled her eyes.

“It's not like that, Ryoka-san," she muttered, but she was smiling somewhat. Ryoka laughed lightly, causing Etsuko to furrow her brows at her. “And what about you, otō-san? Still meddling in everyone's affairs?" She spoke it less as a question, and more as something obvious. Ryoka snorted, choking on her drink of water at the same time.

Ichikage feigned offense, placing a hand over his heart and leaning back slightly. "You know, maybe the real way to think about this is that everyone else is continuously meddling in my affairs. In my house and my businesses and all that, hm?"

Satoru snorted. "He kind of has a point."

The daiyōkai beamed. "If Satoru-kun says it, it must be true." His grin momentarily disappeared behind his wineglass.

“Hm, that's not how that works," Etsuko replied, pursing her lips with a slight smile. She almost looked like she was smirking. “While it is your house, we do our best to stay out of your way. And yet somehow there you always are," she spoke, rolling her eyes with a bigger smile on her face.

“It's not like it's a big house," Ryoka chimed in, making an attempt to lean on her arm, however; she straightened back out. She was still grinning in Etsuko's direction, though.

“To you, maybe not."

“Hm, if that's what you say. What about you, Satoru? Made any new friends at your school?" She was smirking at Satoru in a way she did when she was teasing him.

He rolled his eyes, obviously unimpressed with her segue. "None of your business, Ryoka." Their food arrived, and he speared a meatball with his fork, not volunteering anything further on the subject.

Ichikage, sensing opportunity, elected to press the point. "Ah. Secret friends then. But what kind of a friend could be so secret that you'd keep them from your sister, hmm?"

Satoru regarded him with unamused eyes.

“Oh? Secret friends? Could it be?" Ryoka started, leaning forward somewhat with curious eyes. “Has my ototō found that special friend?" she continued, her smile inching wider. Etsuko rolled her eyes lightly, but remained quiet for a moment.

“And this is why no one likes you, otō-san," she finally spoke, giving Ichikage a flat look.

He grinned back at her, unrepentant. Satoru only sighed loudly and ate another forkful of spaghetti.

"Anyway," Ichikage said, taking mercy on the both of them for a moment. "Kiki and Micchan are having a nice little heart-to-heart over there, aren't they?" He glanced down the room at his son and Mika, whose hands were currently folded in her lap. She looked vaguely uncomfortable, almost, though he doubted anyone here but him would be able to hear the words she was speaking.

Still, body language could say a lot.

Ryoka chuckled lightly but turned her head, as best as she could, towards Mika and Kiki's table. The grin she was wearing, softened to a mild smile before she turned back around. “It's about time they did. I was beginning to worry about those two. Kiyo-kun is a little dense, but hopefully he'll be able to work things out with her."

“Dense is putting it mildly, Ryoka-san. I doubt Kiyo-kun even knows," Etsuko spoke, almost as if she were aware of the problem between Kiyoshi and Mika. She didn't say anything further, though, and began to eat her linguini.

He wouldn't have put it past her to know. Cricket had the heart of a romantic, and she spent a lot of time with the both of them. Add to that the fact that she didn't quite feel the force of status considerations the way others would, and Ichikage was not at all socked that she had the opinion she did.

Satoru looked a little more thoughtful, only glancing their way once. "Isn't he engaged, though? I mean, I thought that woman I saw once was his fiancée, right?" Confusion temporarily distorted his features. "Or am I just totally misunderstanding what you all are getting at?"

"No, no," Ichikage countered, waving a hand. Luckily it wasn't the one with a forkful of ravioli attached. "You're quite right on both counts." It was probably the closest he'd come to expressing any kind of view about Sakura Itō.

“Yes, Kiyo-kun is engaged to Itō-san," Etsuko spoke first, though she didn't continue. She placed another fork full of her pasta in her mouth and chewed it. Ryoka, however, had just finished the spoonful of food she had been eating, and turned her attention to Satoru.

“Kiyo-kun is about the same as you when it comes to those kinds of things, though," she spoke, referring to Satoru, apparently. “He's engaged to a woman he doesn't love because he already has another person he loves. In this case, they're both either too blind to see it, or they're letting something else get in between them. I'm betting it's a little of both."

“You know how politics work when it comes to yōkai," she added, though her lips were pursed as if she thought the whole thing was a bit ridiculous.

Satoru obviously did not understand the comparison. "Ne, Ryoka, I know you think I have secret girlfriends or something, but I'm not engaged." He cocked his eyebrow at her. "And the hooker jokes were just jokes."

Ichikage snorted into his wine, unable to stop the startled laugh that passed his lips. "I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds quite interesting," he prompted.

Ryoka nearly choked on her drink since she'd taken the moment to sip from her glass, however; she didn't bother to hide the laugh that escaped her. She waved a hand in front of her, though, as if attempting to reassure the others that she was alright. Etsuko, however, had turned a slight shade of pink, but had diverted her attention to her food. She coughed lightly into her hand before working on her plate, again.

“And I know you think your sister is a dunce, but I am not. Besides, you didn't deny you had secret girlfriends. I'm sure you do, and you don't want to risk embarrassing yourself by introducing them to me. It's alright, you're not breaking my little heart or anything," Ryoka spoke, still suffering from small bouts of laughter.

“But the hookers... you said that's what you'd spend your savings on if it weren't always being used to bail me out," she added, the grin on her face turning almost mischievous.

These two were really something. Ichikage found himself grinning, not bothering to make any attempt to conceal the fact. It would seem Satoru had quite the robust sense of humor after all, even if it was a bit dark. And apparently only surfaced with people he was close to. That was perfectly understandable; Ichikage was glad he'd been able to see a hint of it.

A hint of nostalgia was nagging at him—Yutaka's humor hadn't been all that different. And they really did look so similar, even if the lion's share of the personality resemblance was between his old friend and Ryoka.

"Very interesting lives the both of you lead," he noted. Ryoka's arrest record was of course known to him, given the background checks he performed on his employees. It didn't concern him—minor scuffles that had resulted in fines, which apparently Satoru had paid. That seemed to track.

Ryoka merely shrugged her shoulders. “I'm not sure interesting is the word I'd use, but..." she began, the large smile on her face softening to something more solemn. “We're doing the best we can," she continued, shaking her head lightly.

“I'd say it's no different than what goes on at our household. It's probably why the both of you have fit in so well," Etsuko stated in a nonchalant fashion, probably because she hadn't meant to say it out loud. Her face had turned a deeper shade of pink and her eyes had widened slightly.

“I always knew you liked us."

"Oh, very much," Ichikage replied, leaving his exact meaning ambiguous and returning to his ravioli.

His life had become so much more lively in the last year or so—there was no denying that.