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"Tell us a story, dad!" the oldest boy said excitedly. He, his younger brother, and his three little sisters were all on their parents' bed, wearing their pajamas. They loved bedtime stories.
"Ok," their father agreed, smiling. "But you all have to go to your beds as soon as it's finished. You can't sleep here tonight."
"All right," the oldest daughter promised. The rest of the children nodded their heads in agreement.
"Once upon a time, there was a lovely little girl," the father began.
"Like me?" the youngest daughter asked.
"Just like you," the father grinned as he kissed her forehead. "She was a kind and thoughtful girl, who brought joy to everyone she met.
"One day, she met a little boy, about the same age as her, maybe slightly younger, and they became best friends. They loved to spend time together. They went on trips together, and even went to the same school. They saw each other a lot and grew very fond of each other."
The girls started giggling, but the boys were silent and anxious.
"But," the father interrupted, "the little boy had a secret. He would turn into a rabbit if he ever got hugged by a girl."
"What?!" the oldest boy asked incredulously, as his younger siblings began shrieking with laughter.
The father nodded, trying to keep a straight face. "I know, it's silly," he admitted. "But remember, this is just a story.
"Anyway, every time he hugged the girl, or she hugged him, he would turn into a rabbit."
"What about the little girl?" asked the middle sister. "Did she turn into anything?"
"No," the father answered. "But people sometimes called her a Riceball, because she was a bit odd. Not in a bad way, just misunderstood by her peers, that's all.
"Anyway, the little girl swore to keep the little boy's secret. She never told anyone else that he turned into a rabbit whenever they hugged. Neither of them minded, because after a few minutes, he would change back into a human, and everything was normal again.
"Well, they got a little bit older, and they started to fall in love. The little girl became a young woman, and the little boy became a young man. Once they fell in love, the young man's curse broke, and he no longer turned into a rabbit, even when they hugged each other."
"So it was a curse?" the younger son asked.
"Yes," the father said.
"Who cursed him?" the oldest daughter chimed in.
"It's a long story," the father replied, "for another day.
"Anyway, once the curse was broken, they were able to run away and get married. And they lived happily ever after. The end."
"Didn't they have any babies?" the youngest daughter asked.
"As a matter of fact, they did," the father said. "Five of them, in fact."
The children burst out with laughter once more. "You're just saying that because there's five of us!" the oldest daughter cried.
"I am," the father smiled. "Well, I'm afraid that's the end of the story. Good night, my loves." He kissed all of their little heads, and sent them to bed.
Tohru emerged from the shower, wearing her bathrobe, and rubbing her hair dry with a towel. "What was all that laughter I heard?" she asked, smiling at her husband.
Momiji beamed at her. "Just telling the kids a silly bedtime story," he said.