Work Text:
School project
The teacher went through each row to verify that the task was written. Although he had no intention of doing so, he forced himself to take notes . Perhaps if he faked a cough , he would avoid going to class next monday because he wouldn't even be wasting his time on nonsense.
“Kids, don't forget that we will have the presence of your parents, so put some effort into it.”
None of it made sense.
"Master Hana, did you forget that you will have a demo class?"
He blinked more confused, especially when Amidamaru flew over his head to take the lead.
"Don't tell me you didn't deliver the invitation and it's still in the backpack."
Hana smiled carelessly.
"Don't get upset, Amida," he replied confidently, "If you don't say anything, no one will find out."
The problem is that luck never favored him.
He hadn't even been home for ten minutes when the phone rang , and Matti told Tamao that someone was talking from the school. A chill ran down his spine when he heard from the other room that she knew nothing of the invitation.
His body was small, so maybe he could hide under the table, really hoping to go unnoticed. If God existed, he prayed that he heard him, because he didn't want to spend the whole weekend grounded.
“Something happened ?”
Anna Asakura's voice had a double effect on his small frame.
Of course he remembered that feeling. Months ago, he visited the serpentarium at the Natural Museum as part of school activities. Some children watched in fear. As curious as he was, he watched as the little rodent went into the snake bowl. The little boy trembled with fear and thought that something very similar may happen to him every time one of the two women discovered one of his illegal acts.
"It seems that Hana forgot to let us know that he would have a special class at school and his teacher called to remind us of the invitation."
Just like that, similar to when the snake cornered the little mouse against the glass and left it with no escape.
“You have to do a project and present it in front of everyone.”
It was hard to breathe, thinking about the punishment he would get. Would the snake open its mouth and devour him? Would he die waiting for that eerie silence?
Suddenly he felt the grip on his ankle and felt his blood run cold amidst the swift movement that dragged him out of hiding. He let out a terrified scream and he cringed as he was turned upside down in the air, waiting to be devoured by the snake.
Would he be eaten whole?
"Hana? What are you doing under the table?
He slowly opened his eyes, skeptical, ashamed of his weak mind that played with him and took him to the limit of his emotions. There was no dangerous reptile, no other scary being of that caliber, it was really just his hippie father pretending to be funny.
“Hey, what are you doing! Let me go!”
His survival instincts were answered by a loud laugh. One kick to his father's face and he would fall to the ground. Perhaps he would break his neck or wake up with a lump on his head. He didn't know and there were a thousand possibilities between one and the other, but as long as he didn't see that mocking face anymore, he was willing to test the statistics.
“Easy, don't get mad”, Yoh said. “I'll put you down, don't move so much.”
But his smile didn't go away. What was so funny to him? As if it was normal to hold people in the air. He bet that he would never do such an act with his mother. And speaking of her…
"Why all the fuss?"
Another chill ran through his little body.
He didn't want to turn, but his instincts also told him that his next move would be based on the faces of those two women. Indeed, Anna was holding a card between her fingers. Of course, he remembered, he hadn’t seen it for days. Although in reality, he thought that they would never find it in the depths of his briefcase. This was complicated and Tamao's seriousness behind the blonde didn’t look encouraging.
What would the mouse do to escape from the snake?
“Nothing, nothing, I was just doing my homework.”
The skepticism was obvious. If nobody believed him, then why did they ask him?
“Ah… you mean the project that you are going to present in your exhibition class that you didn't tell us about?”
Hana swore that although Anna's voice was calm, it was as if the weight of her words were falling on him so he couldn't move. Would the little mouse suffocate to death?
“Ah… I thought… yes…”, he began to stammer. “Ah yes, I remembered, I told him”.
Out of nowhere, a distracting mouse appeared and he pointed to his father.
Both gazes focused on Yoh who had to think at a fast pace. He had to or they would eat him alive. Hana hoped he had the mental acuity to do it.
“Oh yeah. I think I forgot to tell you too," Asakura replied nervously. "I didn't think it was that important."
To be honest, Hana also thought the same. But that didn't mean they were out of danger , he could tell on Tamao's face.
“The truth, I don't know whether to believe you”, she said. “The invitation was very hidden in your backpack.”
"It's just that I forgot to take it out," he answered hurriedly, "I got so excited that I forgot to show it and how... I only told him. It's not my fault, if Dad has a bad memory, why wouldn't I have it?”
Gosh, what an argument! He swore that if he didn't listen to Ryu's dramatic crime drama on TV, the mouse would have been eaten by now.
"He's right, it's not his fault," Anna ruled, moving closer to him. His breath hitched as soon as she was at his height, closely evaluating his gestures. "Yoh may be forgetful and Asakura genetics don't favor you, but I was a very good student. So we're going to your class and I hope you do the best presentation in the group.”
Perhaps he wasn't eaten, but it was clear that the rodent was lying on the ground after such a bite. Now he would have to actually do the homework and present it to everyone. Hana didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of anyone. The initial plan was to fall asleep at home, not sit at your desk trying to do something nice.
“I don't even know how to draw,” he mumbled, doing a couple of lines on the sheet. “Stupid project, stupid homework, stupid students who like school, stupid teachers.”
"Young Hana, cursing the school won't do you any good," the spirit said worried. "It doesn't have to be perfect."
Didn't he listen to his mother? He took the crayon and highlighted the purple color on the purple silhouette that pretended to be the samurai until it looked like a stain.
“I like that part.”
He raised the drawing to see it against the light. Amidamaru was right, it wasn't so bad.
“I could be better inspired elsewhere.”
He didn't guarantee anything though. He reached for a notebook and a pencil in search of a halo of hope but only found dust when he found the flower trio shaking the sheets. Ryu was kind and presented him with baked bread. But just like his previous stop, he ended up covered in flour when the chef unhooked the freshly made noodles.
He came out of there with white hair.
"Won't you visit Mount Osore?"
He didn't recognize the voice. Would it be a new guest? He looked carefully at the porch, if he had to run because of his bad appearance, he would. He was in no position to attend to anyone.
"You could take a quick trip, since your anniversary date is coming up."
Fortunately, he wasn't a guest, just his father's dwarf friend. Apparently , both enjoyed the day without worries. They drank lemonade, while doing nothing.
Hell, he felt so much envy towards the adults.
"Or did you already have something in mind, Yoh?
The thoughtful sound of his father’s voice indicated that his answer would be negative, even though he knew it and he was no genius.
"Not to Mount Osore as such," his dad said. "We were thinking of taking Hana to the par k. I t hasn't been decided yet."
He didn't even know what they were talking about or why they were involving him without his permission, but if he had no say in the matter, he just hoped the park was Disneyland.
“Actually, I never asked Anna if she wanted to go there on that date. It still fills me with sadness.”
“I understand… it must bring back so much memories.”
“Many…”
Silence prevailed for a couple of minutes. How entertaining those two were. Hana thought about leaving when he saw that there was nothing interesting, until a laugh revived the conversation.
"But I saw her son when I visited hell," Yoh commented gracefully. "He's changed a lot since I met him, at least he doesn't dislike me anymore."
Did he hear it correctly? Did his mother have another child?
“He told me to take good care of his mom”, he repeated in the middle of a sigh. "I hope I did well, I don't want Anna to complain to him."
Had he heard correctly? Hell? So, his mother’s other child was dead?
"I'm sure she will complain," his friend joked.
“Do you believe? She… actually never complains on trips.”
“Then maybe Anna could mention to him that he already has a little blond brother and maybe you'll include him in the family photograph.”
“That's crazy, Manta”, added Yoh. “Anna will kill us.”
A calm atmosphere prevailed between laughter, it would have been a good time to break in, but his sixth sense warned him of danger. Down the hall, her mother was walking towards him. It was the perfect moment to ask for explanations and he would, if it weren't for the fact that he had more fear than guts to inquire about his lost brother.
Instead , he ran decorously to hide under the table with a blanket.
"Are you still wasting your time? Or will you already move the construction material?”
Anna's tone was harsher than usual.
"Come sit with us," encouraged his father. "I was talking to Manta about your other son."
He heard her snort and the movement in the wood, as he tried to peek his eyes out from under the fabric.
“My Oh-oni would crush you if he saw what a lazy husband you are.”
“Easy, Anna," said Manta. "If you want, I can hire a team to help you.”
“Really? Why don't you mobilize now?”, she asked ironically. “You're taking your time, Mantamune. ”
“Mantamune?" repeated Yoh, "Did you give Manta a nickname?
Hana stuck his head against the floor, after the talk turned to the little man. Who cared if Anna gave good nicknames?
“You have to admit it's witty," Anna gloried herself. "Besides, Manta really thought he was the reincarnation of the cat when I told him.”
Complaints and more complaints. Hana was beginning to despair of seeing them talking about meaningless things. He needed more data from his brother. Maybe he needed to teach them a lesson to stop fooling around.
And he might as well have done it… but out of nowhere he felt the wrap around his ankle. Hana didn't have time to resist the forceful slide out of his hiding place.
“Hana?”, asked Tamao.
“Aaaaaaaaaaa!" he exclaimed loudly, focusing the attention of others. “I'm still doing my homework. Sorry, I overslept!”
Tamamura looked at him strangely as he picked up his things from the floor. He didn't care anymore if he was just making a fool of himself, all he wanted was to run away from the crime scene and that's what he did.
Hana was so fast that no one could even admonish him. So fast that he barely heard the whispering of adults wondering about what had just happened. Still, he didn't stop. He went upstairs like a mad soul to his room and once inside he let all the stress release.
No one was as good as he was at escapes, he congratulated himself. As soon as he managed to steady his breathing, he jotted down his discovery in the notebook.
I have a brother.
He needed to put it into words because otherwise, he wouldn't believe it. A sibling, apart from the Munzers. Hana imagined the look of surprise on Redseb’s face when he learned that they weren't the only children in the family. Seconds later, all the joy dissipated as he remembered one tiny detail.
“But he's dead," he sighed defeatedly. Maybe that's why it was secret. Maybe that was why returning to the Osore was making them so...sad? Well, that wasn't his business, what mattered now was to get down to work. “I'll do the best possible tribute to my brother!”
He began to laugh in a macabre way, attracting the attention of Amidamaru, who appeared intrigued with the noise in the room.
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing. I just found my inspiration," Hana said proudly, scratching his nose."Now get out, I need to concentrate here.”
He had no choice but to fade out of the room. There were times, many of them, when the behavior of his young master was just too outlandish.
"Is everything okay, Amida?" Yoh questioned on the way to the room. "Hana ran upstairs."
What could he tell him? He had no idea, but he also didn't want to worry his lord about things he didn't understand himself.
"He's very excited about his project, that's all.”
At least that was true. The answer seemed to be well received because the concern dissipated from his face.
"Really?" he asked, relieved. "Anna put a lot of pressure on him with that project, I was planning to secretly help him a little.”
It was a good intention, although Amidamaru remembered Hana’s exacerbated enthusiasm and the misfortune it would be to cut his fantasy. He didn't know what the blonde had in mind, but whatever it was better for him to finish it. He wouldn't advise anyone to intervene in the creative process of his young master.
“No, I think he already found what he was looking for, it's better to leave him be.”
“If you say so…” Yoh pronounced calmly. “You know him better.”
Amidamaru smiled knowingly at Asakura's slight disappointment.
"But I can tell you a few stories, Master Yoh. I know most of the stories of each of his scars.”
Asakura's face regained enthusiasm. He wasn’t good at crafts, but he knew how tedious it was to do school work and he wanted, in a way, to participate more in his son's life. But if Amidamaru recommended leaving him alone, then he accepted his best offer.
"I'd love to hear them."
“Me too, I also want to listen.” Manta joined, who was going up the stairs. “That mini Anna seems to have many amusing anecdotes.”
"Actually, he inherited his personality from both of his parents, not just Mrs. Anna," Amidamaru said proudly. "He's a very reckless boy."
Yoh smiled hearing him talk like that, he understood that despite not being present, Hana had good company. The afternoon passed quickly between stories and laughter. Even Anna was surprised to see how quickly Hana ate his food, only to return to work. None dared to check on him, but Anna warned everyone not to disturb him.
As she sipped her tea in their bedroom while reading a book on her lap, Yoh could see her smiling discreetly. He doubted it was because of her reading. Asakura didn't think ' Better Finance for Entrepreneurs' would make her so proud. He didn't want to bother her with questions, but when the lights went out and his hug was well received, he knew she was in for one of those special moments.
"I like the mix of our genes," Anna whispered.
And before the torpor of the night took effect, he returned her words with a slight murmur.
“Me too.”
That thought accompanied him until the day of the presentation. Although the age difference between the parents compared to them was clear, he wasn't afraid to confront the looks. Tamao accompanied them . As his tutor it was the regulation, but beyond the formalities, it was proper.
She was also Hana's mother.
After a light breakfast prepared by the children, they sat down to listen to the scheduled presentations. He smiled when he saw him standing out with his big drawing sheets at the end of the row.
He looked nervous, reading his cards in hand. He remembered Amidamaru saying that he wasn't good at memorizing, maybe he would be anxious to see his classmates present their amazing projects.
"I'll be right back," Yoh s aid, getting up as discreetly as possible.
Anna only caught a glimpse of him slipping behind the fake stage that was set up for the performance.
"He shouldn't take long, Hana could be reprimanded for indiscipline," commented Tamao. "The teacher is keeping a close eye on him."
Anna didn't doubt that argument and could not agree more with the discipline, but seeing Yoh's figure with one knee on the ground while talking to his son trying to motivate him, was an image worth admiring.
"Yeah, I guess it won't be long."
Anna watched the two men of her life have a light argument. She wasn't listening to the dialogue, although Hana's expression of pride made it easy to tell how hard it was for him to let go of his fears. Did he look familiar? Of course, she identified the same attitude from her childhood.
“Asakura Hana.”
Yoh gave him a small pat on the shoulder, before he went up to the dais. He didn't take ten seconds before Hana looked back at him for approval. She had known her husband since she was ten years old and had been by his side for a long time, so reading that phrase full of peace on his lips without hearing it was an easy task.
There it was, the point of support from both and the respite that his son needed to place all his materials on the easel.
Hana cleared his throat to get attention.
“My project is called: Building a happy family .” He began eloquently showing his first print. “This is my house, the Funbari Onsen. The best Hot Springs place in all of Tokyo.”
The blonde smiled involuntarily, seeing the drawing of the future plan of the building and the facade of the house with its logo in the center. He put the cards aside when he knew that he could explain without reading.
"I'm back," Yoh whispered, resuming his seat next to his wife. "I think he's trying hard enough."
"Did you help him?"
"No," he denied with a smile. "It wouldn't have turned out so well."
Her husband was right. because he wasn't a man eager with crafts. Tamao was also smiling proudly, denying her involvement in the project too. Then Hana began to gain more confidence as he went through each of his drawings, which although weren't perfect, the people in it could be easily recognized by the colors he applied.
He began to explain how they generated better sales with longer noodles and the cleaning system in the house and the people involved in each activity. A work of art, at least he thought so, until he got to the last page.
“And here is my family: my mom: Anna, my dad: Yoh, my other mom, who is not married to my dad, but is also my mom: Tamao.”
She swore, she didn't expect such a detailed description, but almost all eyes in the room focused on them, especially since Yoh was the one who occupied the central seat. Her face burned here an unusual red and not only her, also her companions, who also looked at each other without words.
Hana continued, deep in his own explanations.
“They are my parents and also… I have many siblings!” He pointed to two figures of medium height on his chart. “My older brother is Redseb; my sister, Seyram and last but not least , my dead brother…”
No… he couldn´t mention it.
“Oh Koni!”
Oh Koni? Yoh exchanged a look of surprise and horror with her . Was her son referring to the same demon? Anna was looking impassively at the figure, it was very similar to Amidamaru's orb, floating near him, inside the drawing, but the color was very noticeable.
“Dead?” asked the teacher. “And why did you draw it in red?”
“Because…”
He wouldn't say.
“Because there is a heaven and a hell,” he answered with obviousness. “I didn't know my brother, because he is only my mother Anna's son.”
Again, all eyes focused on her. She was young, they had already been told that, so the way they were being evaluated by people around here led to very strong wrong conclusions.
“And apparently, he did something bad, because he ended up in hell. I didn't know him, so I drew a little devil instead, but where he is doesn't matter, because he's my brother.”
With that, he concluded his presentation and Anna almost would have preferred the shy kid before the motivational speech.
The blonde felt her hands stiff, even so she applauded loudly to her little one, trying to maintain an ironclad temper that she didn't feel, because that didn't take away the pride she felt for him.
"How quickly can we enroll him in another school?" she asked Tamao.
"I'll see that, right now."
Anna had to remember not to talk or joke about some topics in the presence of her son.
“And…? How was I?” asked the boy. “Was it so good that it surprised you?”
As everyone cleaned up the room, Hana approached them with a gleam of excitement and smugness.
“A bucket of cold water would have been more kind.” Yoh commented, receiving an elbow punch in the stomach from his wife. “Ouch… I mean, it was perfect.”
Sure, it was natural. He had spent days cooped up drawing the whole house for that silly school project.
"I can give you my drawings to put in the inn, but you'll have to put my name there," Hana said boastfully, imagining how his work of art would look at the reception.” But you don't have any pictures of my brother, so I couldn't draw him well.”
Done, he had said it. The fact that his mother intimidated him, and his father caused all kinds of emotions in him didn´t stop his frustration of not being able to draw the little ogre from hell well.
“I emptied the whole house looking for the slightest sign of him, there was nothing.”
The pout increased when he saw them both look at each other askance, why were they silent? And why did they look so weird?
"It seems to me that we need some time to talk about your… brother ," Anna conceded. "Because it seems that you did draw him well."
Finally! Some first-hand information. Wait, what did she mean by drawing it well?
“Things may sound worse than they are.”
"No, I think the way he said it sounds prettier than it was," Yoh admitted, receiving another blow from his mother. He didn't want to admit it, but seeing them together and not imagining them was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. "We'll go around the park, do you have something to do?"
"Does it include a ride on the boats and ice cream?"
Anna nodded and he couldn't stop himself from showing off his winning pose.
"Yeah! But before we go, I must do something important," he said, showing them a bag of food, "I can't leave it without eating."
He ran to the far corner and dragged a chair up onto the cabinet, where he uncovered a glass container of sawdust. Hana was familiar with the feeling, so he took it between his fingers. The little mouse slipped through his fingers, but he recognized the friendly hand of the boy who had saved him from being devoured by a snake.
Although not at a lower cost, since the war wounds were still on his forearm where he received the lethal bite of the reptile . At least that was what the teacher explained to the group of parents who cleaned that part of the classroom.
“The kids got sensitive and the school decided to adopt the mouse as the classroom mascot.”
They had been through extreme situations in the war. However, imagining Hana being paralyzed by snake venom was outside their parameters of horror.
"Amidamaru must have forgotten to tell me that story."
It was Yoh's only comment on the feat. How many things had been lost in his absence? It seemed that they would have a long walk in the park to update all the pending stories. Anna sighed and stroked the blonde hair of the boy who was still busy with his game.
"We'll wait for you outside.”
He understood that it was time to leave, so he left his little friend in the habitat and took the backpack from the locker. It was an everyday thing when he went out, he shouldn't feel any different, but as he put on his shoes, he realized that this time it wouldn't be Ryu who would wait for him outside the school. This time the one waiting under the tree was the brown-haired hippie and his blonde-haired mother. The two people he always hoped to find at the end of college hall.
"So, will you tell me about that famous Osore ?"
"That's what we'll try," admitted Yoh. "I think we're going to start by building that happy family."
Just like his project´s name. He moved closer to them and instinctively they both offered him their touch. They might not be in a common place but holding hands with his parents as they walked down the street to the park, it felt like a real home and that was the best thing ever.
THE END