#minamino aiko

[destinygoldenstar]

So I got asked regarding ‘Danganronpa The Privileged Traitor’’s casts families. NO SPOILERS

Sara Fumihito - Two living parents. At the time of her joining Hopes Peak, her mom is pregnant with a brother who hasn’t been born yet.

Senri Endo - Orphan. No parents. No siblings. Nothing.

Jo Minamino - Only child. Parents abandoned him as a teenager. Was raised by stage directors who were heavily abusive.

Rose & Rain Nicholas - These two are blood sisters with two parents.

Miki Peridot - Only child. Two adopted parents. Blood parents gave her up for adoption at birth.

Pierre Meiya - Blind but living mother. Three younger triplet sisters. Dead father ; died when Pierre was twelve.

Akira Takahashi - Two living parents. Youngest of five kids. Has two older brothers and two older sisters.

Hibiki Hino - Has a dozen half siblings. All sisters. All share the same mother but all have different fathers. All fathers are dead.

Riyuko Kurai - Only child. Orphan. Abandoned. Nothing.

Lyric Lancaster - Only child. Two living parents.

Dante Fabbri - Only child. Two living parents. Has grandparents, aunts, and uncles from both sides living with them.

Eireen Alarie - Has a single teenage mother and a twin sister.

Mox Gammale - Two living parents. Youngest of three kids. Has an older brother and older sister.

Kiyoshi Aiko - Two living parents. Second oldest of four kids. Has an older sister, a younger sister, and a younger brother.

[unlockthelore]

Hidden in Plain Sight [ TLC ]

Hiei never would have guessed that part of being a father of a young child would be sitting in silence. For the better part of a half hour, he laid on his back and watched his daughter scribble on a piece of paper by the sliding glass door leading to the backyard.

The glare from the sun and his own bleary eyes from falling asleep one too many times obscured the drawing from his sight, and the occasional glances she gave him along with a hushed hiss of, “No peeking” gave him the idea that glimpsing it wasn’t allowed.

Propping up his elbow, he rested his cheek against his palm as he watched her switch from one crayon to the next. Most of them lying around her haphazardly but the quickness to which she found the next one bespoke of an orderly chaos.

Green eyes flicked from one corner of the page to the next and her tongue poked from the corner of her lips, eyebrows furrowed as she worked. If Hiei knew that it wouldn’t have disturbed her, he might have laughed, but the similarity was uncanny. Even in the way that she leant back to admire her handiwork, all he could think of was how similar she was to Kurama.

[ She is his daughter. ]

The disembodied voice of the Dragon whispered close to his ear and Hiei closed his eyes, seeing the image of the ethereal creature in the darkness, staring at where their daughter sat with a soft smile tugging at his lips. In the form of a scaled beast, made of not only the shadows of the Void, but iridescent violet scales glowing with youki far older than the Makai itself — the Dragon was softened by the sight of a child.

[ Our child. ]

Violet eyes flicked in his direction and narrowed challengingly but Hiei didn’t want to fight. The sunlight pouring in from the windows warmed his skin and furious scratching of wax against paper as their daughter continued her work was pleasant to the ear. Right now, he was happy to simply just be.

“Papa?” Her voice called out to him, tiny fingers poking and prodding at his cheek for his attention. “Papa, wake up.”

Hiei slowly opened his eyes, curious green ones studying his face closely with her nose mere inches from his own. The corners of his lips twitched and though he didn’t smile, she did. A soft giggle slipping past her lips as he bumped his nose against hers before settling with his head pillowed on his arms.

“Done already?”

She shook her head, lying flat on her stomach beside him, obscuring his view of the drawings left in the sunlight. Hiei yawned loudly, pulling back one of his arms and resting it around her, dragging her closer to his side and resting his cheek against her head. Despite her laughing protests and insistence that his hair was tickling her, he rubbed his cheek against her head and hugged her close. Eventually, the protests died down and she rested her head on her arms, tucked beneath his chin.

“Hey Papa, what’s your favorite color?”

Hiei arched a brow and hummed, his eyes drifting shut. Over the years, he found himself liking other colors more and more, and allowing himself to admire the world around him rather than view it in contempt.

Opening his eyes, he glanced down at his daughter’s peaceful face and smiled.

“Green.”

She tipped her head to one side, slipping it from beneath his chin and Hiei shifted, laying his head on the arm tucked in front of them to stay beside hers.

“Why green?” She asks, resting her cheek on his fist and he smiles at the sparkle in her eyes. Always wanting to know, always curious. He hoped that she never changed even if it meant all of her questions would be heaped on him.

“Why not green?” He asks playfully, and she wrinkles her nose, mulling the question over.

“You don’t ever wear green, that’s Uncle Yusuke’s color.”

Hiei hummed at the observation and she had a point. Admittedly he wore black more often than not and even now, despite all the colorful clothes in his shared closet with Kurama, black was a prevalent color. Kurama said he didn’t mind, that the color suited him, and Hiei loved him for it.

His mind wandered to Kurama. The redhead with vibrant green eyes and a golden-eyed silver fox, both one and the same, but qualities of Kurama that he loved without question. Accepting and nurturing, gentle and kind, but with the ability to be cold and callous. Those eyes that chose to look upon him with care rather than contempt and saved him time and time again simply by glancing his way.

“Papa,” she whined, and Hiei felt a tug at his shirt along with a poke to his cheek. “Are you dreaming again?”

Looking down at her, he smiled at the slight pout she wore. It was in the little things that reminded him of how much he saw Kurama in her but those eyes — those eyes told it all. Ever since she was born, always smiling, always laughing, looking at him as if he hung the moon and stars. Hiei huffed, burying his face in her hair and pressing a kiss to her temple, his chest feeling warm as he heard her giggles.

He would burn the sun to cinders for her smile and for those eyes to never shed a saddened tear.

“Your eyes,” he says, and her giggles gradually taper off as she focuses on him, eyes wide and adoring. “And your dad’s eyes.”

Hiei rested his hand on her forehead, brushing her hair aside and laying a kiss there while she hummed and patted his hand.

“They’re precious to me. Seeing them, it gives me all the reason I need to like green.”

Pink tinged her cheeks a darker shade and she squirmed beneath his arm, curling closer to him and wrapping her arm around his back. A low rumbling in his chest as he laughed and hugged her closer, letting her stay tucked against him for as long as she wanted before lifting his arm as she wiggled away from him.

Arm dropping to his side, Hiei closed his eyes and prepared to drift off to sleep when he felt his hand being lifted again. Crinkling paper shifted in front of him and the smell of wax hitting his nose as he opened his eyes. Her hands rested on the edge of the paper but the picture itself was clear.

Three figures standing side by side, smiles on their faces as they held hands, each a little difference but the one in the center shared traits from the other two. Hiei smiled amusedly, resting his cheek in hand as his gaze flicked over the page, taking in the shorter dark-haired figure with a purple smudge in the middle of its forehead. The taller red-haired figure with a flower growing from the top of its head, and the one in the center holding their hands, the smallest out of the three.

“Why is a flower growing out of your father’s head?”

“Uncle Yusuke said that if you pour water on dad’s head, a flower will grow.”

Hiei stifled a laugh, covering his mouth and jerking his head away when she looked at him confusedly. Yusuke would die if he did something like that. Kurama was forgiving and he could appreciate a joke but unsuspectedly having water thrown on him just to see a flower grow would be a test to the fox’s infinite patience.

“And there’s more on the back, Papa.”

Glancing down, Hiei watched as she turned over the page and his eyes softened. A similar picture was at the back but instead of the red-haired figure, one with silver hair and two triangular ears atop its head was present, golden-eyed and with a bushy tail, but holding the smallest figure’s hand nonetheless.

“Do you think dad will like it?” She asks, no less excited but with a hint of concern that darkens the sparkle in her eyes.

Hiei feels the swell of pride and hugs her close to his side, brushing his thumb over her hastily written signature.

“He’ll love it, Aiko.”

[jennasart]

My full piece for the Magical Meeting zine over on twitter!! It’s all about magical girl crossovers so I had to draw the doremi cast playing some music with the suite precure team!!

Doremi is my long time favorite magical girl (and favorite just in general) and Suite is more of a recent addition to my catalog so I thought it’d be nice personally to have old and new favs together for this

[parfaitwaffles]

Since I love Owari no Seraph and know that Yuu and Natts (Yes! Pretty Cure 5) share their voice actor, I made a list of all OnS seiyuus that also had a role in Pretty Cure.

Hyakuya Yuichiro = Natts,  Miyu Irino Hiiragi Shinoa = Ha-chan/Cure Felice, Saori Hayami Ichinose Guren = Kushi (Mahou Tsukai),  Yūichi Nakamura Ferid Bathory = Joe Okada, Takahiro Sakurai Jujo Mito, young Yuu = Haruno Haruka/Cure Flora,  Yū Shimamura Hanayori Sayuri = minor character in DokiDoki,  Atsumi Tanezaki Iwasaki Shusaku = Elisio,  Daisuke Hirakawa Aihara Aiko = Some Kazumi from HaCha,  Ayumi Fujimura Hiiragi Kureto = Myoudouin Satsuki,  Tomoaki Maeno Hiiragi Shinya = Yamazaki Kenta (HaCha), Tatsuhisa Suzuki Sangu Aoi = Loretta (Maho Tsukai), Ayako Kawasumi Krul Tepes = Cook (KiraKira movie), Aoi Yūki Crowley Eusford = Soular,  Kenichi Suzumura Lest Karr = Minamino Souta, Yumiko Kobayashi Lucal Wesker = Oresky, Takehito Koyasu Asuramaru = Amanogawa Kirara/Cure Twinkle,  Hibiku Yamamura

This list was made by browsing the wikipedia articles of the cast. It’s very possible that it’s not complete due to wikipedia being wikipedia.

[kimonobeat]

aiko bon “Profile Interview” Chapter 3 (1/3)

My middle school years: My rocky life and puberty

Her relationship with her parents, life at her relatives’ house, and romance. Puberty. Her life turned out to be quite dramatic.

(Thank you parasmichael for the commission!!!)

ーAfter you were done commuting to the elementary school like you’d been doing since you were in 4th grade, did you start attending the school close to your relatives’ house for middle school?

aiko: Yeah, I went to a school that was about a 7 minute walk away. It was close enough that I’d watch all of “Ponkikki” before going to school every morning.

ーWere you in any clubs?

aiko: I joined the volleyball club as the setter. I was in band all through elementary school and wanted to keep doing that. They didn’t have one at middle school I was going to though, so I decided to do volleyball instead. That said, I was only in volleyball for a hot minute. (laughs)

ーSo basically, you went straight home after school and stayed in your room.

aiko: I’d listen to music in there. Once I was a middle schooler, I felt uncomfortable around my relatives in a completely different way than I did in elementary school. I guess you could say it got complicated.

ーRelationships can be pretty dicey around that age, even between parents and their children.

aiko: Exactly. It was even trickier because they were my relatives. For example, phone calls. When you’re in middle school, you call your friends up all the time just to chit-chat about dumb stuff, right? I talked a lot on the phone too, for long stretches of time. But at my relatives’ house, they used their home phone as a business phone too. They used to get SO mad at me whenever I was on the phone for a long time because I was taking up the business phone line. I still wanted to talk on the phone though... I’d just end up using the phone again. They ended up getting me my own phone because they figured it’d be better to keep it separate. The only thing was, I had to pay my own phone bill. At first I was super happy. I thought I’d get to use the phone as much as I wanted… but then I thought about it and realized, “Oh… right.”

ーDid it feel like they’d set some boundaries when they did that?

aiko: Only sort of. It was more like, I realized I was probably running up their phone bill. Nowadays everyone has their own cell phone so it probably isn’t much of a problem anymore, but back then all we had was the home phone. After a few things like that happened, I spent more and more time alone in my room. The first floor of the house was the store, so when I came home, I’d sit and listen to the radio in my room on the second floor, or watch TV. They had cable radio in the store, so sometimes when no one was around I’d go there, turn the radio on, and make requests over the phone. I’d request a couple of songs I liked and listen to them by myself, every single time.

ーWhat kind of songs did you like at the time?

aiko: I’ve been listening to cable radio since I was in elementary school. At the time I liked a lot of idol music, like Hikaru GENJI or Minamino Yoko. As far as Western music went, I liked Gilbert O’Sullivan and The Beatles, stuff like that. I really loved the song “Alone Again” that would play during the anime “Maison Ikkoku”, so I requested that one a lot. My dad gave me a Beatles cassette tape that I used to listen to quite a bit.

ーWhat kind of TV shows did you watch?

aiko: I absolutely loved “Hissatsu Shigotonin”. I was always like, “Nakamura Mondo RULES!!!” (laughs) I also liked “Totsuzen Gabacho!”. It was super funny, but they never played it in Tokyo. There’s this person named Kaku who’s the head of the newscaster department of the Osaka TBS channel. It was show he was on with Fukutei when he was younger. There’s this thing they would do called “The TV Staring Contest”, where’d they have a staring contest with the audience. The audience had to hang tight while he read a joke off a card. Anyone who laughed got carried off by some macho dudes, screaming the whole time. I thought that was soooo funny. I’d puff out my cheeks like I was sitting in the audience and stare back, laughing with my mouth closed like, “Hmp hmp hmp.” (laughs)

ーYou never played with your friends?

aiko: I did sometimes. I was always hanging out with Murai Miki, Matsuda Kaori, and Asamaki Kurumi. But you know how you can be the best of friends with someone in middle school, and then the next day it feels like everyone’s ignoring you? Like, when your girl friends try to get you to break up with someone by bad-mouthing you behind your back. Well, a few things like that happened. I talked to them whenever we were on teams or at school together, but I haven’t hung out with any of them since I graduated.

ーAre you still close with any of your friends from middle school?

aiko: No. I’d stop and chat if I ran into them somewhere, but I don’t have any friends from back then that I keep in touch with. I had this one friend in middle school I was so close to that we kept a diary we traded back and forth, but then we had a falling out after a fight. That happened when I was going to junior college. I lost touch with her after that, even though we were best friends at the time. She was the kind of person who took all the shocking things that happened to me into stride, you know? At the time, I used to get really upset over minor misunderstandings. I wasn’t the type to just sit around sulking at my relatives’ house though, so I’d just try my best to act all chipper and say, “Hey, guess what? Something crazy happened to me today!”

ーIn true aiko fashion.

aiko: Yeah, like changing shifts. I just wanted someone to listen. When I called her to tell her about it, she started crying before I did. She said, “I feel so bad for you, Aiko!” The first time she did that, I cried too.

ーYou were just keeping it all bottled up inside.

aiko: Yeah. I think I was just averting my eyes from how awful I felt. I probably would’ve cried in front of my relatives too, if I talked openly about it with them. But I didn’t want that, so I kind of just acted like it someone else’s problem. Hearing my friend sobbing and choking up finally made me be honest with myself, I guess you could say. Crying made me feel a little better about it.

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[bigoliveofficial-blog]

BIGO LIVE JAPAN - Cheerful and Gentle Aiko Minamino Loves Fitness

Download App: https://bigolive.onelink.me/sG8X/globalTumblr

[destinygoldenstar]

A Fanganronpa Concept

Sara Fumihito is an 18 year old high school graduate in Clovis California who became popular in her teenage years for her YA Books. She’s willingly closed off from the rest of the world due to her anxieties and introverted nature and only found happiness in writing stories where real world rules didn’t apply.

In her lowest point in mental health, she wrote a book called ‘Despair’, a murder mystery horror fantasy about a villain protagonist convincing the privileged and talented to kill each other to save humanity from tragedy. This book was accidentally leaked to the world and it became a quick best seller, making everyone know Sara Fumihito’s name and many more of her works and always treating her like some celebrity who could factory produce fiction.

And Sara hated all of it and it made her even more closed off with people outside of her loved ones. She never wanted to become anyone noteworthy, she just wanted to be in her own little corner and live life her own way. But instead her own corner became a spotlight with people not knowing her loving her and hating her when knowing her more because of her fame.

So, you know, if there’s no say you have why try? Why fight? Why tell anyone no? Just do what people want, take what you get, and move on.

Life wasn’t awful though, as she too was decently privileged with a cozy home, a loving family who supported her status, and a romantic partner, Katie Sharma, who despite not having the same talents as Sara, knew the real her and became a person of comfort and acceptance.

With that support and hope, Sara thought she could go back to her corner and be her indie novelist self who could do what she wants, until she got an acceptance letter to Hopes Peak College as ‘The Ultimate Young Adult Writer’.

An opportunity like that was super rare and only went to the most talented high school graduates all over the world. It was a campus in Japan that helped found so many careers of privileged talent to shape the works. And when the acceptance presented itself, Sara’s parents were proud and honored to send her there to have her be set for life.

Sara did not want to do. It was not what she wanted. But she had no courage to tell her parents no. This decision was the best one for herself, right?

Katie was able to convince Sara that wherever she went, things would open up to her in ways a small corner couldn’t do. The two young women would promise to contact whenever they could and see each other again.

But in the transport there, Sara gets kidnapped.

She wakes up in a classroom with covered windows. Quickly upon awaking, she’s found by a robot plushie called Momobunny, one of the ‘staff’ of Hopes Peak. She finds Sara on the list of ‘new students’, and takes her to her class.

The class consists of fourteen other college students from all over the world with varying talents:

Jo Minamino, The Ultimate Musical Sensation, Miki Peridot, The Ultimate Scientist, Kiyoshi Aiko, The Ultimate Poetry Writer, Rose Nicholas, The Ultimate Good Cop, Rain Nicholas, The Ultimate Bad Cop, Riyuko Kurai, The Ultimate Vigilante, Mox Gammale, The Ultimate Video Game Modifier, Pierre Meiya, The Ultimate Archer, Akira Takahashi, The Ultimate Environmentalist, Hibiki Hino, The Ultimate Arsonist, Lyric Lancaster, The Ultimate Violinist, Dante Fabbri, The Ultimate Renaissance Student, Eireen Alarie, The Ultimate Dance Streamer, And Senri Endo, The Ultimate Assistant Teacher, who… more on this one later.

As it turns out, these students were taken here to live on campus for the rest of their lives without traditional escape, ruled by a staff of robotic bunny plushies, the principal being Monobunny.

They are to attend a schedule of classes on this campus to learn valuable subjects to prepare them for life, such as detective training, how weapons work, and methods of committing murder. And every weekend has a prize of a ‘motive’.

This is because the only way a student will be allowed to leave is if they kill another student and get away with the murder by winning a class trial. Losing the trial means punishment.

Everyone is devastated by the revelation of this situation with seemingly nothing they can do about it. But Sara is the first to have a mental breakdown, storm out to hide, and cry. She had no skill to kill and was physically and mentally weak, so in her mind, not only was she never going to see her loved ones ever again like she promised Katie, but she was for sure going to be the first victim of murder.

Or would she?

Senri Endo, with bunnies, including MomoBunny, comes in Sara’s room to check on her, assuring her he’s going to help her out. And then decides to force their meeting to be classified information she can’t tell anyone about (otherwise death penalty), to tell her that he is the Mastermind running the killing game and the school.

He’s a descendant of a member of the Ultimate Despair cult, and after the cult lost, he had been born and raised within walls away from the world rebuilding itself and its talents.

Because his experience of the real world is little to none, he found ‘Despair’, Sara’s book, when it became a best seller, and became heavily inspired by it. He took the books story and applied its theming to real life, and had himself and his many Monobunny creations take over Hopes Peak to model this story. ‘The privileged people, especially the talented ones, are all narcissistic and the world would be better and free of tragedies if the privileged died and/or were taken down a peg.’

And this whole killing game is his dream come true, especially since the books author is one of the students, a person who he’s had platonic feelings for. If anyone would be his first ever BFF in his whole entire life, let alone a friend, it would be her.

So that’s why he’s chosen Sara to be his ‘traitor’.

Work for him as a spy, and help come up with the motives to carry this killing game out. In exchange, she would be given safety by the monobunnies, and she, along with him, would be the two survivors the game allowed.

Senri promised that if she took this offer, not only would she be guaranteed safety, but absolutely zero harm or form of death would come to her family or that girlfriend of hers.

The only condition was that no matter what, she could not let anyone find out about this meeting, about Senris role, or about her status.

Otherwise, she could say no. He couldn’t help her though.

Sara decides to accept this deal and become The Privileged Traitor.

While Senri is enthusiastic about gaining his new BFF and Killing Game buddy, Sara has absolutely no idea what she’s gotten herself into and the many consequences that are going to come as a result of her decision.

Sure, she’s saving herself and her loved ones, but she’s also helping a sociopath kill other people who too have lives to obtain that. How moral is that choice, really?

But she’s on the leash now, and she can’t say no. Take it and play your part and move on.

While she’s oblivious to how murders play out unlike Senri and has to solve those cases for the sake of herself and those people, the biggest mystery is one she already has the answer to. But she can’t let any of the other students solve that mystery, as it would mean certain doom for her if she is found out as a traitor.

What she doesn’t know is that Katie, suspicious of the broken promise, is determined to find out what happened from the outside, figure out how to get in, and save Sara. Not knowing it’s already too late.

[destinygoldenstar]

Danganronpa Privileged Traitor Opinions

You can edit the image in the colors below to express your thoughts and reblog it.

First row left to right: Eireen Alarie (Ultimate Dance Streamer), Pierre Meiya (Ultimate Archer), Rose Nicholas (Ultimate Good Cop), Miki Peridot (Ultimate Scientist), Dante Fabbri (Ultimate Renaissance Student)

Second row left to right: Lyric Lancaster (Ultimate Violinist), Jo Minamino (Ultimate Musical Sensation), Sara Fumihito (Ultimate Young Adult Writer), Senri Endo (Ultimate Assistant Teacher), Riyuko Kurai (Ultimate Vigilante)

Third row left to right: Kiyoshi Aiko (Ultimate Poetry Writer), Hibiki Hino (Ultimate Arsonist), Rain Nicholas (Ultimate Bad Cop), Akira Takahashi (Ultimate Environmentalist), Mox Gammale (Ultimate Video Game Modifier)

[unlockthelore]

Down to Earth [ TLC]

Being a mother and becoming a grandmother were two entirely new experiences for Shiori. While her own son had been rambunctious growing up, she could hardly believe that he had been a thousand year old demon or willing to put his life on the line for her. And after a series of events that in retrospect were quite suspicious, he’d help bring the most adorable and mischievous little girl into the world.

If being Kurama’s mother was a trial, being Aiko’s grandmother was a test of whether her heart would give out first or her grandchild’s surprises. Though staring up at the ceiling of her living room, Shiori was both unsurprised and concerned to see Aiko floating in mid-air.

Kurama watched her with a fond little smile, following her with his eyes and occasionally walking after her when she drifted too far. Stepping further into the room, his gaze drifted to Shiori and he smiled fondly at her wide-eyed confusion and the crease in her brow when Aiko drifted too far to one of the walls.

“Shouldn’t she have a helmet or something?” Shiori asked, wincing when Aiko nearly bumped into the overhead light, turning at the last second to chase one of the dust particles that shook loose. “So she doesn’t hit her head.”

She sighed heavily and gave one of the mugs to Kurama while keeping the other in hand for something to grip when her grandchild was close to scaring her half to death. Even though she knew Kurama was over a thousand years old, he was still her son and his lack of worry was alarming if not commonplace.

He chuckled warmly, a low rumbling that caught Aiko’s attention and her head popped up as she wiggled in place to see him better. It was positively adorable and Shiori tried her best not to coo over her grandchild when she was this concerned. Distracting her might end up in worse consequences than a little bump on the head.

“She tends to only float a little in place and she seems to have enough understanding to ease herself back down again. As long as you remain close for her to have a warm place to land, she should be fine.”

Shiori sighed, taking a sip of her tea and letting the sweet taste of marigold ease her nerves. Surreal as it was that they were standing in her living room watching the youngest addition to their family tumble about in the air, it felt almost normal. After finding out who her son truly was, she felt closer to him than ever. His smiles that she loved were genuine and he seemed happier. She wasn’t entirely sure what would happen when he and Hiei announced that they would have a child.

Finding them in disarray, often forgoing sleep and eating, having to rely on one another when they were both reaching their limit. She worried at times that she had been overstepping but she didn’t want either of them to do irreversible damage to themselves even if it would bring her first grandchild into the world. Her son would always be precious to her. Glancing at Kurama from the corner of her eye, she smiled and watched him gravitate closer to Aiko as she tumbled through the air.

“How do you keep her from floating elsewhere?” Shiori asks, sitting down on the couch and setting her mug on the coffee table.

Without looking at her, Kurama responded as he walked after Aiko. “I have a tendency to keep her in my arms when we’re out.” He took a sip of his drink before lifting his finger, one of the wall plants reaching out with its petals to gently ease Aiko from the wall that she was close to knocking her head on. “Or if I noticed she’s beginning to laugh enough where she will begin to float, I make it a habit to pick her up.”

Shiori doubted that she would have only been happy at home. And this particular incident came after Kurama started tickling her sides and blowing raspberries on her stomach, rewarded with the sound of her laughter and squealing. Leaving them alone for a few seconds, Shiori came back to her grandchild floating and the rest was history.

“So when she’s happy, she’s really lighter than air.”

A small shadow loomed overhead and Shiori tilted her head back, startling when she saw Aiko descending toward her. Her heart hammered as she held up her arms to catch her and cuddled her close to her chest. Aiko hummed contentedly and reached for a fistful of Shiori’s hair, waving it around in her closed hand. The couch dipped beside her and she smiled at Kurama, shifting her grandchild around in her arms to be able to see her father. Aiko’s green eyes meeting Kurama’s own and she positively glowed.

“Well at least Kazuya hasn’t seen this yet.” Shiori tapped Aiko’s nose and gently eased her hair from Aiko’s tight grip. “I can’t imagine how much he’d panic.”

As if on cue, the front door unlocked and the deep baritone of Kazuya’s voice carried from the entry hall announcing he was home. Shiori glanced at Kurama and narrowed her eyes at her son’s look of mischief. He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, wiggling his finger into Aiko’s hold.

“Ai, Grandpa Kazu is here.”

Whether she understood or not was lost on Shiori but she did perk up at the sound of his voice and her body slowly lifted from Shiori’s arms.

“Oh no.” Shiori muttered, covering her mouth with her hand to hide a smile as Aiko started tumbling through the air again. Kazuya’s footfalls coming to a stop nearby and when she turned around, he was staring wide-eyed and jaw-slacking.

Shiori loved Kazuya infinitely but he was very protective when it pertained to Aiko. Even during her period in gestation, he wanted to see her as often as he could and talked to her as if she was already born. Hiei mentioned that it might have been why she took to them so well. That she retained memories of that time and how much they loved her. And Shiori was certain that if Aiko was close to harm, Kazuya would throw himself in the way.

“Kazu, don’t panic.”

Kazuya dropped everything as Aiko did a small roll and grabbed her feet. “I’m not panicking. This? This is me not panicking.”

Hearing a muffled snort, Shiori glanced at Kurama and rolled her eyes. He was doing his best to try and keep from laughing but she knew that look.

“Aiko,” he called, and she turned to look at him. “Go tell your grandfather hello.”

His smile was practically beaming and Shiori dropped her head into her hand, trying to stifle her chuckles. Kazuya gradually backed up toward the wall and held up his hands as Aiko slowly spun upside down. A curtain of dark hair suspended in mid air as she drifted toward him. He wasn’t sure what to do really. His son never floated when he was young, but he did have a habit of turning himself upside down.

Carefully spinning his finger clockwise, he hoped that it would work and breathed a sigh when Aiko turned right side up. Holding his hands up to her, she drifted close enough for him to pluck her out of air and cradle her to his chest, back pressed to the wall as he slid down.

“Okay…” He sighs, lifting her up to eye level and looking her over. “You’re okay?”

Aiko smiles at him and waves her arms, kicking her feet back and forth. Good as a response as he’d get, he sighed and held her close to him, resting his head against the wall while she laughed and squirmed in his arms.

“The board is wrong. I have all the excitement I’d need at home…” Kazuya mumbled, sitting Aiko in his lap and letting her play with the buttons on his shirt. “Pretty sure none of them have grandchildren that float.”

He tried not to pay attention to Shiori’s quiet chuckles and the trembling in her shoulders. But Kurama laughed freely, his face lighting up.

“You’re handling it surprisingly well, father.”

Kazuya chuckled nervously. “I��m really trying uh… not to.. Panic. I heard babies can sense fear.” He smiles at Aiko, lifting her up and laughing when she stuck her hands in his hair, wiggling her small fingers about. Lowering her to eye-level, he shook his head.“Ai, n—“

She stuck her hand in his mouth and he wrinkled his nose, turning his head away.

“Okay, okay,” he said, careful to pull her hand from his mouth and set her on his knee, giving her his cufflink button to play with.

“She just wants to make you smile.” Kurama voices, taking another sip of his tea.

Kazuya looked from Kurama to Aiko, and she tilted her head and stared back at him when she noticed him looking at her. The impromptu staring contest continued for a few minutes before she bursted out into giggles and Kazuya chuckled softly.

“Well, she’s doing a good job at it — ”

As her giggling continued, she started to float and drift off from his hands.

“Woah…”

He watches her tumble through the air and slowly pushes himself up from the floor, going to grab his fallen bags and notebooks, setting them on the table. Shiori picked up her mug and the three adults watched as the small child floated about without a care in the world.

“Does she always do this? Try to make others smile?” Kazuya asks as he sat on the arm of the couch, wrapping his arm around Shiori’s shoulders and pressing a kiss to her head.

“Quite often,” Kurama said with a nod. “There have been countless times that I’ve returned from work exhausted and she immediately comes to make me feel better.”

As if knowing that they were talking about her, Aiko looked between her legs at Kurama and righted herself, holding out her hands to him with a peal of laughter.

“Coming home to that face must be nice,” Kazuya said, glancing down at Shiori with a slight smile. “Does she tire out easily? That’s… a lot of energy.”

Kurama set his mug aside and reached out his hands to her, letting her float into his arms before he hugged her close, nuzzling her head.

“It depends on the day,” he explained, smiling softly as she brushed her cheek against his own. “Most of the time it takes quite a bit to wear her out.”

Shiori smiled adoringly, resting her hand on Kazuya’s, and they watched Aiko curl up in Kurama’s arms.

“She’s a lot more… affectionate than most children,” Shiori said. Though now knowing that her son had been a thousand year old demon in disguise, it made sense why he wasn’t entirely affectionate and even seemed very wise as an infant. Even if Aiko could understand them, she was a child through and through, content to be held and played with.

To smile and laugh and love.

“I was very similar when I was her age,” Kurama muttered, sitting down once she calmed and settled in his arms. Aiko rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and shifted slightly, trying to suppress a yawn.

Kazuya walked over and brushed his fingers against her cheek, a pleased hum and bleary eyes being the short response until she started drifting off.

“Well, she certainly knows how to brighten a room.”

[unlockthelore]

Breaks Never Hurt

“Shuuichi, I thought that you wanted a quiet place to cram.”

Kurama loved his little brother with everything that he had. Shuuichi was a good kid and he did his best with everything that was thrown at him. University wasn’t being particularly kind to him and as a way to spend time together, he often came over to cram at Kurama’s house. However, this was definitely not what cramming looked like.

Shuuichi turned to look at him with the strainer atop his head, adorned with tinfoil colored with stars and done up in a point. Around his shoulders was the quilt that Shiori made for Aiko but the way it was tied made it look like a cape. And Kurama wasn’t sure if he was seeing things right but it looked like he was holding the wooden sword that Hiei used for Aiko’s training.

“I did want a place to study, but I’m under attack.” Shuuichi whispered, eyes darting from left to right.

Kurama looked around them. He most certainly wasn’t under attack. If there was anything malicious that would harm his family around his home, it would’ve been immediately restrained and likely killed by his plants. And for that matter, they were in the living room where Hiei was lounging on the couch reading and barely restraining his laughter behind his book. Kurama narrowed his eyes at the fire demon suspiciously. Hiei glanced his way then put a finger to his lips, gesturing to the back of the couch with his thumb.

While Shuuichi was crouched behind the coffee table, from Kurama’s height and as he leaned back, he could see Hiei’s cloak behind the couch and it was moving. Realization dawning, Kurama shook his head and knelt down beside his brother, making a show of looking around before he leant in.

“Under attack from what?” Kurama asked, lowering his voice to a whisper.

Shuuichi smiled at him and winked, making a show of whispering. “Not what, brother. Who.”

Kurama glanced over his shoulder as Aiko climbed up onto the back of the couch, muscles poised and ready to lunge. His eyes widened he looked between her and Shuuichi.

“Ai, no.” Kurama said, barely holding back laughter as she looked at him with a dumbfounded expression then pouted. “If you jump on your uncle from there, he’ll get hurt.”

“But he’s the sorcerer trying to steal my treasure.”

Kurama squinted. “Your treasure?”

“Candy.” Hiei chimed in, flipping a page in his book.

“…And you weren’t going to help your daughter secure her bounty?” Kurama asked. That didn’t seem like Hiei at all.

Shuuichi glared at Hiei, pointing the wooden sword at him. “He was on my side but he defected to hers.”

“She promised me candy,” Hiei said when Kurama glanced his way, Aiko nodding sagely from her perch.

Now, that sounded like Hiei.

“Well, you two take this epic battle outside, and Ai try not to jump on your uncle too much.” Kurama said, pinching his little brother’s cheeks and giving his face a little shake. “And actually study once your break is over.”

Aiko and Shuuichi looked at one another. They might have been enemies for the time being but the one who won out in the end was the King of Thieves.

[unlockthelore]

Her Name is Love

Hiei ignored the stares and stifled giggles as he walked through the rows of cubicles. Red outlined the corner of his vision and dribbled down the side of his face in sticky droplets clinging to his skin. He sighed heavily, standing outside of an office door and reaching out to turn the handle only to notice that bits of red were under his finger nails too. Rolling his eyes, he opened the door and stepped inside, eyebrow raising at the serious look on Kurama’s face. The redhead sitting at a desk with a seemingly endless stack of papers beside his computer monitor. He glanced up when the door opened and his eyes immediately softened as he laid eyes on them.

“Isn’t this a wonderful surprise?”

Hiei huffed. The fox had a twisted sense of wonderful. “Your daughter is a menace.”

Overhead, said daughter squealed and leant forward, pressing against the back of Hiei’s shirt as she reached for Kurama. “Dad!” She poked and prodded at Hiei’s cheek. “Papa, put me down!”

Hiei rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who climbed up there, get down yourself.”

He regretted saying those words as she started to lean back and forward, even going so far as to stand up on his shoulders and use his hair as a handhold. He suppressed a wince as she started to climb down, feeling something wet pressing against his back as she made her descent. Though once she reached the floor, she threw her hands up and Hiei glanced at her, giving a little clap.

She bounded for Kurama as quick as her little legs could carry her. Kurama chuckling and setting down his pen as he turned his chair so she could climb up into his lap. “She’s my daughter now, is she?” He asked teasingly, looking up at Hiei as he wrapped his arms around her.

Hiei gestured wordlessly to his shirt and the state of his hair. Though he was used to his hair being down occasionally, red paint is not what he’d considered a good look for him. Stepping in Kurama’s office, he closed the door so the prying ears and wandering eyes could return to their own affairs.

“For a few minutes,” Hiei huffs, folding his arms across his chest. “Or until this is out of my hair. I can’t decide.”

Kurama leant down to nuzzle his daughter and she smiled up at him, holding up her hands to press them to his cheeks. Despite Hiei’s current state, she didn’t have a drop of paint on her from what Kurama could tell.

“What happened?” Kurama asked, glancing over her head to look at Hiei, trying not to laugh at how he looked.

“Finger-painting,” Hiei grumbled, sitting on the edge of the desk. Kurama gave one look to the papers and gently shifted them over from the dripping red paint. Hiei pretended not to notice. “She decided to run over and hug me without washing her hands.”

“You surprised me!” Their daughter pouted, but the mention of finger-painting made her perk up and she immediately turned her attention to Kurama, smiling widely. “Dad, I made you a picture!”

Kurama bit his lip to avoid laughing, looking down at her with an interested hum. “Did you? Do you have it with you?”

She shook her head. “The teacher said that it has to dry. And Papa’s shirt has to dry too.”

Hiei rolled his eyes, glaring at Kurama half-heartedly. “Laughing at your husband’s misfortune? I actually liked this shirt.” Though he had say that he was happy it wasn’t his cloak at the very least.

Kurama chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I can’t wait to see it then.” Glancing at Hiei, he looked over his shirt from where he could see. There didn’t seem to be that much paint aside from what was on his shoulder. “I can rescue your shirt from a little paint.”

“You haven’t seen the back of it,” Hiei muttered, standing up and turning around.

Kurama covered his mouth with his hand. At least ten hand and food prints in red paint littered his back including ones at his shoulders. Well, that explained why she didn’t have a drop of paint on her at least. Kurama’s shoulders shook slightly and he tried to hold back his laughter, choking it down though his voice wavered as he spoke.

“That might be a little more difficult.”

Their daughter tugged on Kurama’s sleeve and motioned for him to lean down. Turning his attention back to her, he leant down and listened attentively as she whispered in his ear.

“I think a monster attacked Papa’s back.”

Kurama hummed softly, smiling playfully as he feigned a look of surprise. “I think you’re right, firefly. What should we do?”

She took one look at Hiei’s back and furrowed her brows, her face lighting up as she got an idea. “Flowers! The monster likes how dad smells, if you change how he smells, it won’t like him anymore!”

Though he had to agree that it was a sound idea, Hiei glanced back and arched a brow at her. “Are you saying I smell bad?”

She tilts her head. “No, but you do have a lot of stuff on you.”

“And whose fault is that?”

She shrugs. “The monster.”

Hiei sighed and glared half-heartedly at Kurama, fighting down his own smile. It was like arguing with a little mastermind and it didn’t help that Kurama was trying not to laugh.

“I’m right, right Papa?” She asked, looking at him expectantly.

Hiei chuckles softly. “You’re right.”

Ignoring the little dance she does and the small fits of laughter that slips through Kurama’s control, Hiei put on his best thoughtful expression. “Alright then, you have your plan. How do you intend to carry it out?”

She looked toward Kurama, the two of them sharing a playful smile and the sparkle in their eyes was so much alike that it made Hiei smile. Kurama loved her to pieces ever since she came into existence and she loved him right back. It didn’t help that they were alike. A mischievous duo.

“Tell me how to help you, little one.”

“Do you have any seeds like… suisen?”

Hiei nodded approvingly. She was learning more about flowers especially from Shiori, Yukina, Mukuro and Kurama. She seemed to take to them well enough and tried to help with many of them around the house. And Kurama, to his usual preparedness, opened one of his desk drawers and sifted through for seeds he tucked away. Even in times of peace, he was always prepared, unsure of what would happen. Pulling out a small pouch, he handed it to her and she took it with a soft thanks, nudging some of his papers aside. Opening up the pouch and letting the seeds spill out onto the desk, she set the pouch aside and covered them with her hands.

Hiei loved this part the most. She stuck her tongue to the corner of her lips and focused her youki into the seeds. Kurama’s hand resting over hers as he watched her work.

“Remember what we talked about when we did it at home.”

The fox had been trying to teach her little by little how to grow plants using her youki. Though she was still young, she was getting the hang of it.

“It’s like… tiny little sparks inside trying to come out.” Her eyebrows furrowed but Kurama’s hand over her own made her smile and when she looked away, a surge of her youki caused the flowers to bloom. She jumped back into Kurama’s chest with a startled cry. Hiei bursting into laughing and doubling over. “Papa! That’s not funny!”

Kurama nearly began laughing but managed to hide it behind his hand. “Very good, firefly. You did it.”

She huffed, giving a hard serious nod and puffing her cheeks, squinting at Hiei as he tried to stop laughing.

“Alright, alright…” Hiei chuckled, wiping at his eyes. “What’s next?”

She picked up each of the flowers and started to make a crown like she’d asked Kurama to do time and time again. Her grip on the flower stems was a bit clumsy but she managed to get them into something close to a crown. Beckoning Hiei over with a wave of her hand, she frowned when he came closer and looked down at her.

“You have to bend down, papa. I’m not that tall.”

Hiei knelt down instead and lowered his head, letting her sit the crown on his hair, tucking some of the stems in his hair so it wouldn’t fall off. “Like this?”

“Almost…”

He couldn’t see what face she was making or what she was doing but he felt something being tucked into his hair in different places.

“There, all done.”

Hiei slowly lifted his head, adjusting to the added weight. “So, will I be safe?”

She nodded. “Uh-huh.”

Hiei chuckled softly, tapping her nose with his own. “My hero.”

“It’s a good look for you,” Kurama said and Hiei glanced at him with a raised brow.

“Is it?”

Even after years of marriage, fighting alongside one another and the occasional argument, Kurama still looked at him with the fondness and adoration of when they were first falling into this. The look still managed to make his heart skip a beat and Hiei scratched the back of his neck, chipping paint caught under his fingernails.

“Seeing you with flowers on you is a wonderful sight.”

Hiei smiled faintly. “… Thanks.”

Pressing his hand to the desk, he leant closer and Kurama leant up to meet him halfway. The kiss was gentle and soft and Hiei was more than happy to lean into the familiar warmth. A light tug at his shirt made Hiei pull away from him and look down at her, her arms folding across her chest.

“I saved you,” she points out, tipping her head back and pouting.

Hiei chuckled, rolling his eyes with a fond smile. “You did.” Leaning down to kiss her forehead, he bumped his nose against hers afterward. “Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome,” she says, looking up at Kurama expectantly.

Kurama leant down and nuzzled his head against hers, the little girl brightening up immediately and laying her hands over his.

“I’m proud of you, firefly.”

Looking at the papers, Hiei hummed softly. “Busy day?”

Kurama nodded, looking down at the stacks. “One of my coworkers called out unexpectedly, and I’m the only one that knows how to handle all of her work.”

Hiei sighed. That didn’t sound good at all. With Kurama’s work ethic, there was no telling how long it would take him or how deep in his head he’d get. Looking at their daughter as she played with Kurama’s sleeves and wiggled her legs, Hiei weighed his options then looked around Kurama’s office, pointing to an empty corner. “Can I use that?”

Kurama nodded, setting their daughter on her feet before turning back to his desk and picking up his pen. “Go ahead.”

Hiei nodded, kneeling down and holding her hands in his. She looked up at him curiously and tilted her head. “Stay here and look after your dad, dragonfly. I’ll be right back.”

She nodded. “Papa, can you bring youko back with you?”

Hiei chuckled. Of course she wanted Youko. She practically took the stuffed fox everywhere with her. Though Hiei didn’t regret making it for her at all. “I can,” he promises, walking over to the window and unlocking it, sliding it open. “Close it behind me, alright?”

He climbed out then glanced back at her. “And what’s the rule?”

“Don’t open the window for strangers,” she says and Hiei nods, leaping out and she closed the window behind him, sitting down with her arms wrapped around her legs.

Kurama began to return to his work, falling silent rather quickly as he began to go through the papers he had to sort through.

After some time, his daughter began to move about from watching the cars going by to splaying her legs out then lying back. Finally, she moved to rest her legs against the window and let her feet rock from one side to the other.

“Left, right, left right.”

Hearing her voice was soothing despite his need to concentrate. And she was adorable as she continued on.

“Your coloring books and toys are still here from last time if you’re bored, Aiko.”

Half the time she would have too tay with him when he worked late, and he didn’t want her to be bored. Boredom tended to lend way to mischief with his kit.

Aiko rested her head against the floor, arching her back enough to look at him upside down. “My colored pencils too?"

Kurama looked over to her momentarily and nodded. Sliding open the bottom drawer of her desk, he gestured inside before returning to his work.

Aiko rolled backward, head over heels then tumbled upright and shook her head. Dark hair curling at the ends ran down her back and draped over her shoulders, a fluffy mess or at least that’s how Kuwabara put it when he saw her stumbling downstairs after waking up during one of the groups’ early breakfasts.

Pushing to her feet and walking over, she looked through the drawer and hummed. “Hey dad, where do you put the pictures I make?”

“I hang them up in various places,“ Kurama said. “I have kept every single one you have made for me.”

Some were in their bedroom, a few in the living room and one framed and sitting beside the other personal pictures in his office. It was worth keeping them. Showed how much she was progressing with her artwork and it warmed his heart to know that she made so many for him. She smiled at him sunnily and continued rummaging through the drawer.

“Dad, do you have tape?”

Kurama signed off on another paper then pointed toward the cabinet near the bookshelf. “It should be in the third drawer down.”

He glanced up as she set her coloring books and pencils aside, pushing the drawer closed. Walking with assured steps and the confidence that reminded him so much of Hiei. She counted the drawers out loud before finding the one she was looking for and pulled it open with both hands.

“Got it!”

Kurama hummed in response, looking down and reading the papers he was working on.

It wasn’t until he heard the tear of tape and paper that he looked up to find her standing on one of the chairs, putting up the pages she’d colored.

“Decorating my office?” He asked, smiling softly.

“Uh-huh.” Aiko looked between two pictures, before going to put them both up. “You like colorful stuff.”

“I do. Especially when they come from my favorite daughter.”

Aiko grinned at him and turned around but stiffened up a second later, turning back and squinting at him. “I’m your only daughter.”

Kurama smiled at her. She was perceptive and that was good. “That’s why you’re my favorite.”

Aiko stared at him for a few seconds then sighed softly. “Oh…” Climbing down, she went back to coloring with a smile. “That’s okay then.”

Kurama went back to his work, keeping in mind that the sooner he was done, the sooner they could go home.

A soft knock at the window stole Aiko’s attention and she stumbled to her feet, hurrying over to open the window for Hiei.

“Papa!”

“Hm?”

Kurama sniffed, catching a hint of Hiei’s usual scent without the added chemicals of the paint though he also smelled like Kurama’s body wash. Eyebrow raising as he glanced at him, the clothes he’d been wearing switched out for a loose black t-shirt, jeans and boots, his jacket unbuttoned and bandana left, his hair covering the Jagan well enough that it shouldn’t have attracted attention. Especially with the flower crown still resting upon his head, the other flowers tucked behind his ears like a wreath.

“I need your help,” Aiko says, tugging at Hiei’s hand and guiding him over to her crayons.

Hiei closed the window behind him and followed after her, her pink backpack that’d once been Kurama’s slung over his shoulder. “Putting up pictures?”

“Uh-huh.”

Hiei shrugs. “Alright. But you should color them first and then we put them up.”

Putting down the backpack, Hiei took out her blanket and set it down in the corner. Aiko hurrying to lay on it and smiling when he hands her Youko. The silver fox plush lovingly held in her arms as she curled up on her blanket. Hiei glanced at her coloring books and began to pick them up with her pencils.

“Don’t forget the tape, Papa.”

“They’re your things, if you want them then remember to pick them up.”

Kurama watched with amusement and fondness as Aiko curled up at Hiei’s side once he sat beside her, smushed between the wall and his child. She wiggled beneath his arm and showed him what he pages he could do and let him use her crayons. Hiei shook his head and let her tuck herself close to his side with Youko lying beside her. As much as he wanted to join them, the papers remained a threat to his family time and he simply allowed his youki to swirl around the pair like a warm blanket.

After a few hours passed, Kurama let out a soft sigh of relief and stretched his arms above his head. He glanced at the clock then looked over. A soft gasp leaving him and his lips curled into a smile as he watched Hiei sleep with Aiko lying on his chest, his jacket draped over her like a blanket. His arm was tucked beneath his head and they were both dozing with coloring pencils and half-done pages around them. Youko’s paw held in the little girl’s hand as she curled up on Hiei, his arm wrapped around her unconsciously and holding her close.

Getting up from his chair, Kurama kept his footsteps light and quiet as he cleaned up around them, returning everything to where it was in his desk. Coming back, he knelt down and gently rubbed Hiei’s arm.

“Hiei.”

Hiei grumbled, sniffing deeply and rubbing his hand down the side of his face, eyes opening blearily as he glanced up at Kurama. “… How long was I asleep?”

Kurama smiled fondly, brushing his knuckles against his cheek. “A couple hours.”

Hiei groaned and pressed his hand to his face, content to lay in silence until Aiko shifted and he looked down. “… Oh.” He cradled the back of her head, smiling fondly.

Kurama looked down at her. When she wasn’t moving and excitable, it was easy to see how small she was. Gently brushing her hair behind her ear, he smiled apologetically. “I apologize that it took so long.”

Hiei glanced at him and reached up to take off his flower crown, sitting it on Kurama’s head instead. “You’re worth waiting for,” he mumbled, cupping Kurama’s cheek with a sleepy smile.

Kurama smiled widely, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his lips before he moved to pick up Aiko. “Let’s get her home.”

Hiei eased his jacket off her and gently pried her hands from his shirt, shrugging on his jacket once she was bundled up in Kurama’s arms.

“It’s getting colder outside,” he said.

Despite his resistance to the cold, he still worried over her being sick. Picking up her blanket and tucking it back into her backpack, Hiei pulled out her jacket instead and handed it to Kurama before zipping up her backpack and shouldering it. Kurama took to the task of trying to bundle Aiko up with her jacket and once he was sure, they left together.

Hiei yawned, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they walked in an easy quiet. Aiko’s head resting on Kurama’s shoulder and Youko held tightly in her arms, Kurama’s head resting against hers as he looked ahead.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think she cares how it’s done. She just wants to spend time with you.”

Kurama glanced at Hiei and then down to Aiko’s sleeping face and he smiled softly. “That means a lot to hear.”

[unlockthelore]

Never Too Old

The last thing that Kurama expected at work was a child’s laughter ringing throughout the cubicles and hallways. Some of his coworkers paused in their musings, conversations falling short and head turns as they tried to find the source of the noise. Especially with the deeper baritone of an older man’s laughter that sounded just like his stepfather. True enough, Kazuya Hatanaka came hurrying through the door leading to the upper floor of accounting. His tie undone and hair a bit messy, glasses tucked into the pocket of his shirt and lips curved into a wide smile. He made a beeline through the cubicles, chasing after something that Kurama couldn’t quite pick out with the number of people standing and murmuring, watching the man as he darted about like a child.

“Dad!”

Kurama’s grip on the papers in hand loosened and they fell to the ground as a little dark blur barreled into his legs. Tiny fists gripped at his pants and he couldn’t help but smile, swinging her up into his arms, bright green eyes meeting his own.

“Ai, what are you doing here?” Kurama asked, tapping her nose with his own.

“Playing with grandpa.”

Kurama glanced at Kazuya as he rounded the corner, a thin sheen of sweat across his forehead as he slowed to a stop in front of him. Kazuya doubled over and held his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Aiko giggled and wiggled her legs, boundless energy thrumming beneath the skin and Kurama could feel it radiating from her, the potency making his own respond in kind.

She was far more difficult to tire out than the average child and being at the tender age of four; her energy was seemingly endless. He could tell that she was even taking it easy on her grandfather. Kazuya would’ve never been able to catch up if she was going at her actual speed.

While most went back to their work and the attention was taken away from them, there were a few onlookers. Almost everyone knew that Kazuya was his stepfather and they were a close-knit family but his daughter’s appearance was new. Kurama could only imagine how many questions he’d have to field for the next few weeks.

Kazuya’s cheeks were flushed as he rose to his full height, only a few centimeters taller than Kurama.

“I thought that it would be a good idea to get Ai out of the daycare for a bit.” Kazuya said, adjusting his tie and straightening his hair as best he could. “I didn’t expect her to take off running.”

“She likely thought you were trying to play tag with her. When Hiei picks her up, that’s the first thing they do.”

Kurama could remember coming home to see two blurs running about in the backyard. One smaller than the other but the speed at which they were going made it difficult to discern which was which at times.

“Well, you’re never too old to play tag.” Kazuya grinned, ruffling Aiko’s hair to her delight. “Just take it easy on your grandpa, okay?”

Aiko brightened up and rocked backward despite Kurama’s attempts to keep her still so he could fix her hair ribbon.

“Can we play again, grandpa?”

Kazuya hesitated, glancing up at the clock and Kurama shook his head.

“It’s time for lunch, firefly. You can play with grandpa later, okay?”

Aiko pouted. “But dad…”

“How about we have mochi with lunch?” Kazuya suggested.

Aiko immediately brightened up but Kurama leveled his stepfather with an unimpressed look. The damage had been done though and Aiko was steadily wiggling out of his hold, Kurama setting her down and letting her run off to the door. At the very least she said excuse me to the people that she cut off and they seemed entertained enough to see a fresh new face, and an incredibly excited one at that.

“You do know that she will be even more excitable after eating mochi, right?” Kurama said, side-eyeing Kazuya as they followed after Aiko who was hopping from one foot to the other at the door.

Kazuya laughed heartily and patted Kurama on the shoulder. “She’s not too old for me to spoil her.”

Kurama shook his head and sighed. “I doubt she ever will be, father.”

[unlockthelore]

Sleep Is For The Strong

Bedtime in the Minamino household was a trying affair which ranged from a number of pleas for extra time to negotiations for additional bedtime stories to downright warfare with pillows. Out of their children, eight-year-old Kohaku was the easiest to put to bed and out like a light before Kurama finished the last of one of his tales from his days as a bandit, making a mental note of where he stopped should Kohaku ask him later.

Pressing a kiss to his cheek and tucking his blanket beneath his chin, Kurama slipped out of the room with the door ajar and listened for the soft outro tune playing from the television downstairs.

Bypassing his room, he peeked inside, able to make out the silhouette of Hiei’s sleeping form curled up on his side of their bed. The slow rise and fall of his breathing bringing a smile to Kurama’s face as he left the door ajar, heading down the steps quietly.

Since the children were born and their routines set with bedtime, Hiei was able to sleep easier. Kurama joked that it was because their children were able to exhaust him faster than any enemy could but his actual theory was that Hiei was at peace.

And he was safe enough within his own home that the horrors clinging to his psyche couldn’t keep him awake throughout the night.  Kurama padded across the floors once he reached the bottom of the staircase, following the sound of the television, an infomercial lighting up the screen and casting light over a slumbering five year old child splayed haphazardly on the floor in front of the television.

With as small she was, Aiko couldn’t take up much space but she still flailed about like a starfish. Her beloved stuffed fox resting at her side with one of her hands loosely holding onto its paw. Kurama took a second to admire her, crouching down beside her as he brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek, smoothing fluffy dark hair from her forehead, her face lax with sleep. Like this, she reminded him so much of Hiei.

Without her usual energy and talkativeness, she reminded Kurama of the fire demon when he was hibernating. Innocent and sweet in appearance, completely vulnerable in a way that warmed the heart. Dark hair splayed beneath her head, her dragon-printed pajamas askew likely with the amount of rolling and playing she was doing before she inevitably succumbed to sleep. Aiko stirred when Kurama rested his fingers against her cheek,  her eyes cracking open as he pulled his hand away.

“… Dad?” Aiko whispers groggily, sniffling as she clutched her plush’s paw tighter. “Is Occult Tanteiden over?”

Kurama glanced at the television and smiled faintly. The show had been long over but he was glad that she liked it so much. With all the work Yusuke and Kuwabara had put into the manga, they were surprised when it was adapted to an animated series and even more when it became a hit. Alas, seeing their journeys and mishaps caused for second hand embarrassment especially when their children insisted on knowing what really happened.

“I’m afraid so,” Kurama finally says, slipping his arms beneath Aiko’s and lifting her up. Her legs wrapped around his torso while her arms draped loosely around his neck, her cheek finding a place against his shoulder as she cuddled closer to him. Kurama slipped his arm beneath her, reaching down to pick up her toy and settling it in her arms.

“ ‘M not tired, dad..” Aiko mutters, hugging her plush closer to her as she played with the ends of Kurama’s hair, her legs wiggling and feet swinging.

“Of course not, little one,” Kurama says, smiling slightly as he started to straighten up the living room before moving to the kitchen.

Aiko insists that she’s not tired all the way but occasionally, her head droops and she falls silent. Her plush slipping from her hand and Kurama stops in his stride to pick it up and return it to her.

Determined to keep herself awake, Aiko rests her chin on Kurama’s shoulder and huffs. “ ‘M not , Uncle Yusuke said sleep is for the weak and I’m strong.” She punches the air for emphasis but her hand falls shortly after, the momentary burst of energy leaving her just as quickly as it came.

Kurama chuckled, turning off the kitchen light as he left, rubbing her back to soothe her. Aiko was quite understanding but she had her pride just as Kurama and Hiei did, and wouldn’t take kindly to laughing at her strength.

“You are the strongest little girl, but even someone strong has to rest eventually.”

Aiko settles in his arms, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder as he turns off the lights in the living room and the television.

“Why?” She mutters, swinging her feet a bit harder, rocking herself slightly.

“Rest helps keep you healthy so you can keep growing stronger and bigger,” Kurama explains, walking upstairs with her as she chants ‘boom, boom, boom’ with his steps.

“Am I gonna be big like you?” Aiko asks, and Kurama can practically hear the smile in her voice.

He nuzzles the top of her head, pressing a kiss to her cheek, her soft giggle warming his heart. “You might be someday.”

“Is Papa still small because he doesn’t sleep a lot?”

Hiei’s lack of sleep wasn’t lost on their children and while it was nice that they cared for the fire demon, it was also worrying and endearing. More than once, Aiko or Kohaku and at times both, would curl up to Hiei as he slept or ask him to take naps with them. It was the easiest way to ensure that Hiei also got sleep when he needed it most or when he wasn’t sure that he needed it at all.

Walking into Aiko’s room, Kurama flicked the light on. “It’s a possibility,” he says, looking around her bedroom.

The walls were decorated with her pictures, posters of video games that she enjoyed, and  games and toys littering the floor. Books were put away on her shelf but a few were set aside, likely for him to read to her. Though before Kurama could take a step further into the room, Aiko squeezed his shoulder.

“No.”

Kurama stopped and looked down at her. “You don’t want to sleep in your room?”

“Mm-mm,” Aiko mumbled, and Kurama heard a soft thump behind him. “Youko.”

Glancing down at the fox plush, Kurama sighed with a little smile and reached down to pick it up ,handing it to her before he stepped not the hallway and walked back to his and Hiei’s bedroom. Aiko shifted slightly in his hold, cradled in the crook of his arm as she hugged Youko to her chest.

“Bop,” she says, poking Kurama’s nose with one of Youko’s paws.

Kurama chuckles at the touch and hugs her closer, pressing a kiss to her head. She hums at the kiss and smiles, green eyes alight with such love and care that it nearly melts Kurama from the inside out. Pushing open their room door, the moonlight seeping through the curtains give him enough of a guide to bypass the objects in their room and find his way to their bed.

Setting her down, Aiko skillfully avoids Hiei as she flops backward and stretches out like a starfish. Rolling from the edge of Kurama’s side to Hiei’s back. The fire demon’s youki spikes then settles as he shifts slightly, crimson eyes finding Kurama’s own in the dim lighting before glancing at Aiko splayed on her back.

“No?” Hiei says, glancing at Kurama for confirmation.

“She said no.”

Kurama smiled gently as Hiei shifted further to his edge of their bed, guiding Aiko closer to him. She snuggled against his side as he settled down with one arm tucked beneath his head and the other loosely wrapped around her.

“I think she prefers cuddling before falling asleep,” Hiei mutters. “That right, firefly?”

Aiko perks up at the sound of her nickname, crawling up to rest her chin on Hiei’s chest and smile up at him.

“Enjoying our bed?” Hiei asks without opening his eyes, lightly rubbing her back.

“Uh-huh.”

Kurama shook his head, beginning to change his clothes before pushing their door partly closed. He wasn’t sure if they would be expecting another visitor tonight or if Aiko would want to leave to go back to her own room. Youko laid on the edge of Kurama’s part of the bed and he picked up the stuffed fox to return to Aiko before slipping beneath the blankets. Propping his head up on his arm, he watched her as she played with Youko in her lap, making him stand on his forelegs while she pressed her thumb to his paws.

“Going to stay with us all night again, little one?”

She did seem to sleep better when she stayed with them and he didn’t particularly mind it. Aiko was cuddly just as much as Hiei was, and between the two of them, Kurama never went without a hug or a cuddle, or needed the heat in winter.

“Uh-huh,” Aiko says, glancing up at him as Hiei shifted from beneath her.

The fire demon shrugged out of his shirt and slipped off his pants, likely forgetting to do so before he climbed into bed the first time. He tossed them across the floor, the clothing disappearing in the darkness before he hopped up and jumped on his side of the bed. The mattress shifting beneath his weight and Aiko bounced with the force, laughing as she settled back between them.

Kurama chuckled warmly, glancing up as some of his vines moved across the ceiling likely to pick up Hiei’s clothes ad move them to the appropriate place. Aiko shuffled beneath the blankets and tucked Youko in next to her, smiling up at Hiei with all of the innocent wisdom that a five year old could muster.

“Hey Papa?”

Hiei slipped under the blankets and settled with his arm beneath his head. “Mm?”

“Are you small because you don’t sleep a lot?”

Even without seeing his expression, Kurama knew that Hiei was confused from the startled noise. Covering his mouth to hide his laughter, Kurama’s shoulders shook and he could feel the weight of Hiei’s glare.

“I’m assuming you know something about this?”

Aiko tilts her head, hugging Youko closer to her. “It was Uncle Yusuke,” she says, glancing at Kurama, mischief in her eyes as she smiled sweetly.

Kurama chuckled softly. His habit of stirring trouble was beginning to rub off on his children if it hadn’t already. Returning her smile, he leant down to press a kiss to her cheek, mindful of her wiggling before he laid down, resting his arm over both ofthem.

“Comfortable?” He asks, lookin down at her.

Aiko nodded, curling closer to Kurama and looking up at him before she looked to Hiei. “Papa?”

“Hm?”

“Can you pat me?”

Hiei shuffled slightly, pulling his arm free from the blanket and resting his hand over Aiko’s stomach, gently patting her. Kurama smiled as her eyelids began to droop and she hugged Youko closer.

“… Can you sing the Acorn song too?”

Kurama choked back a laugh for Hiei’s sake, meeting his gaze after he looked down at their daughter with an exasperated fondness.

“Again?” Hiei muttered.

Kurama smiles. “She really loves it when you sing that song?”

“Just her?” Hiei asks, giving Kurama the same exasperated smile.

Kurama patted Hiei’s arm, giving it a light squeeze as he looked at him fondly. “I may also enjoy your singing,” he admits and Hiei glanced between them before sighing.

“Alright, the acorn song it is.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

written for the @foundfamilybingo prompt “bedsharing”