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"This is a bad idea." Taiyo said for the nth time already, trying to ward off the products from his face. He had only been talking to his classmate since Mutsumi wanted him to be more friendly but he didn't expect it would become like this.
"Come on," one of the boys said, his eyes rolling at him. "It's just a prank! Who knows what Mutsumi do?" Taiyo bites back a 'murder me'. His wife is a lot more like her siblings than most people knew.
"And you think drawing bruises on me would make a good prank?" He raised an eyebrow, glaring at the brushes and the palettes on the table.
"Trust me," a girl picked up a brush menacingly. "It's not like they're going to murder someone for you." That's a good point. Taiyo thought. It's just a few bruises. Not like the life-threatening injuries I got before.
At last, he resigned, "Fine. Do it your way." He watches as his classmates cheered in his response.
"I am about to make you the ugliest person on this planet."
"Please don't. I still want Mutsumi to love me back,"
Taiyo would admit, reluctantly, that his classmates had skills. His classmate was showered in praises behind him as he gingerly touched the makeup. The bruises around his eyes looked real, it was almost terrifying how bad it looks. What kind of fight have I gotten in for it to be this bad? He thought to himself before slapping his forehead. I didn't fight. This is all fake.. Women are scary. Because how else could they make these bruises seem so real?
"Awesome job! It looks so real!"
"I know! This is the perfect disguise,"
Taiyo sighed out in exasperation. They were only happy because they didn't know how much trouble they would get into. I don't know what they'll do to me when they realize it was all a prank... He shivers at the thought. Maybe he should just call it off.
"Alright then," one of his classmate said, pulling Taiyo out of the chair and out of his thoughts. "I expect a detailed report of Mutsumi's reaction!" They pushed his school bag into his arms and then him.
Outside of the classroom, Taiyo lets out a groan, only then realizing the severity of his situation. I have to go home with my face covered in bruises... Everyone's going to stare at me.
There was one part of being a spy that no one seems to get: Being sneaky and quiet. Having bruises on your face as you walk home? Not so sneaky and quiet with how eye-catching Taiyo was going to be.
He quietly resigned and hoped for the best as he took the long way home.
Goliath barked at him as he entered through the gates, his tiny legs running up to him.
Taiyo rubbed his ears and Goliath relaxed in his hands, a small growl from content escaped his fangs. "Lucky you," he whispered to the dog, burying his face into the stomach. "So carefree, and not caring for my safety at all." Goliath only replied with a confused bark, his tongue licked his eyes. "Don't ruin the makeup," he said before pausing. "Nevermind, please get the makeup off."
Goliath lost interest and jumped out of his arms, resuming his position as the Yozakura guard dog.
The red-haired boy gave him one last pet before entering the mansion.
"Taiyo!" He heard Mutsumi yelled from the top of the stairs. Out of reflex, he lowered the hood onto his face. "How was school- why are you covering your face?" Taiyo hears the worry in her voice.
"School was fine. Everyone was wondering where you were though," he relayed the information to her, eyes trained onto the floor as he slipped his bag of his back. "I got a little something on my face so I'm just going to clean it up," he said, not sure why he was making up an excuse.
"Are you sure?"
Taiyo doesn't trust himself to speak, so he just gives her a small nod, ascending the stairs and slightly brushing past Mutsumi. Okay! That was natural, right? He thought to himself, but he sure hopes it was.
Unfortunately for him, her blue eyes followed him up the stairs.
The moment he entered his own room, he dropped his bag to the floor and ran to the bathroom. Taiyo took off his hoodie and grimaced at the sight of his face again. "Okay, let's just try and wash it off." He'll lie to his classmates, it's not like they'll know, but he knows he can not be seen with these anymore.
He grabbed the towel from the hanger, wetting it with water, and slapped it on his face. He wiped and wiped, but when Taiyo pulled the towel away, he stared at the non-smudging bruises and groaned.
"Damnit." He folded the towel and focused on one part of his face, trying to get rid of the makeup.
Then there was a knock at his door that made him pause.
"Who is it?" He yelled, his eyes reluctantly prying away from the mirror.
"It's Nanao. Mutsumi asked for you," the boy said. Taiyo bit down on his bottom lip and resigned, throwing his hoodie back on.
"Hey," he waved to the boy. "Where's Mustumi-" Taiyo feels his face get grabbed by the younger boy and winces when Nanao took off his hoodie. He watched as Nanao's helmet dipped.
Silence emerges from them. And then there was crash from behind him.
"What the fuck." Taiyo looked over Nanao's body to find Shion looking at him, a furious expression on the usual lazy woman's face. The cause of the crash, her phone, was on the ground, a rhythm game continued playing with multiple misses appearing on screen. "Taiyo, what the fuck happened," she shoved Nanao to the side, a small yelp coming from the boy, before gathering his face into her hands. Purple eyes glinted with rage as they scanned him.
"I'm fine, Nanao, Shion!" He said, trying to pry himself out of her grasp. It was unsuccessful.
"Who was it?" Came Nanao's uncharacteristic voice. It was cold, devoid of any emotions that Taiyo could detect.
I'm screwed. He thinks, watching as two more siblings walked over, wanting to know about the commotion. Taiyo tries to shift his head, a feeble attempt in trying to hide his face from them. Futaba and Shinzo notices anyways.
The calm face of Futaba is transformed into silent fury boiling within her eyes and the trembling body of Shinzo only freezes up, veins popping out on his biceps. They looked terrifying.
They cornered him against the door, and Taiyo feels like an experiment scrutinized under their gazes.
Futaba grabs his arms, pulling him down as she examined his 'wounds', her eyebrows furrowing even more. Nanao knelt down with her, a stern hand on Taiyo's shoulders. Shion clicked her teeth, grabbing her phone from the floor and inputting a few codes quickly. Shinzo has a hand on the gun strapped around his waist, a napkin cleaning the inside.
Taiyo wanted to cry. He shouldn't have fall to his classmate's whims. He wouldn't be in this position if he didn't go along with them.
He ends up tearing up a little but all that does is make their grip on him harder until he could feel their fingernails digging through his clothes.
"Nanao- Futaba-" His breath hitched as he saw his wife accompanied by her eldest brother climb up the stairs, a dark shadow on both of their faces.
Oh.
Oh.
He is dead.
The look on Mutsumi's face could barely be called peaceful. It was wrapped with rage and sadness all in one. Kyoichiro's fingers are tensed in a way Taiyo knows he's manipulating his invisible strings.
His point is proven when he curls his fingers and Taiyo is pulled towards the duo, stumbling into Mutsumi's arms.
"I wasn't aware you gotten in a fight, Taiyo." Her voice was sickeningly sweet, a sign that Mutsumi was mad and not with her usual anger. "Who did this?" Her fingers traced the dark spots as Taiyo's breath turned shallow. When did it get so cold? He shivered, unaware that the cold came from his in-laws, anger radiating off with ice instead of fire, pink tracing a small cherry blossom flower in their eyes.
"Just say their names," Kyoichiro finally spoke up, his eyes closed as usual, but if Taiyo had squinted, he would have seen black pupils gazing into his. "We'll deal with the rest since it's clear that you couldn't."
"That's not it-" Taiyo said, only to get interrupted by Futaba.
"Now's not the time to be embarrassed, Taiyo." She stepped up. "Someone touched you. Someone touched an Yozakura."
"Death would barely be a punishment, Taiyo-nii." Nanao said, his form shrunk as he pried his bucket off of his head, looking at him.
"Don't worry about their safety," Shion started.
"They deserved it." Shinzo finishes.
The red-haired boy was in the center of the makeshift circle, his brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, and wife surrounding him, providing him with no escape. Taiyo mentally hit himself. He really shouldn't have gotten involved with anyone in the classroom, no matter what Mutsumi would have said to him. Anything would be better than getting cornered like this.
His savior came in the form of blond hair with cat ears.
"Eh?" A voice spoke from outside of the circle. "What's going on here?" When Taiyo peeked over Mutsumi's shoulder, he finds Kengo in his usual clothes, a spoon in his mouth and an empty ice-cream cup in his hands. "Why's everyone so mad?"
Mutsumi turns, unshed tears in her eyes. "Kengo! You won't believe it! Someone hurt-"
"Taiyo? Is that makeup?"
Silence fell upon the group. The Yozakuras blinked once as they turned to face Kengo's confused face. Then they turned to gaze at Taiyo's guilt-ridden face.
He sighed, rubbing the nape of his neck in embarrassment. "Yeah," he said, making eye contact with Mutsumi, sorry written in his eyes. "I was going to say I was unhurt but they kept interrupting me."
"Makeup?" Kyoichiro repeated. In a split second, Taiyo feels his tense body loosen. Oh, he must have taken the strings off me. He thought. "I wasted my time, just to find out that it was makeup?" Taiyo took a tentative look at Kyoichiro, finding a blank face looking at him. He couldn't read anything from the black-haired man.
"I couldn't get it off." He confesses bashfully.
Kengo lets out a loud giggle. "You used water instead of makeup remover, didn't you?"
"Yeah," his head hung low, ears red at his mistake.
"But- why?" Mutsumi stuttered, confusion still in her eyes. "Why do you have fake bruises?"
"Our classmates thought it was a good idea to prank you with fake bruises on my face."
"Our classmates? You hung out with them?"
"You asked me to." Taiyo said. "I told them it was a bad idea but they didn't listen. I didn't expect you guys to react like this though." They stiffened. "You've seen me with bruises plenty of times before. This really isn't new."
His words fell flat as none of them dared to utter a word. For a second, Taiyo thought no one heard him.
"It is new, Taiyo-nii." Nanao pouted at him. "We usually know when and why you get hurt, we know you're powerful enough to protect yourself too. But one day, you come home with bruises despite not having any missions? What were we suppose to think?"
Well, if Nanao puts it like that, he could understand a bit.
"Don't you guys think you were overreacting though?" He said instead. "I can take care of myself."
"We know." Futaba sighed. "Anyways, our worries have been solved. I'm glad you're not hurt, Taiyo." She said, sending him a small smile before walking away.
"What Futaba said." Shinzo ruffles his hair, messing up the red locks even more. He walked away but everyone could still hear his mutters.
Shion only dropped her shoulders, rage leaving her eyes as tiredness settled in. "I'll be in my room then." She lazily waved and turned her back to them, immediately going back to her games.
"I'm happy you're not hurt too, Taiyo," Nanao looks up at him, a smile plastered on his face. "I'm going to go work on the new formulas again." He gave Taiyo's hand one last squeeze before leaving.
Kyoichiro was already gone when Taiyo turned back to Mutsumi and Kengo. The both of them were sharing a smug and knowing smirk.
"What's with your faces?" He asked, catching them off guard.
"Nothing!" Mutsumi said, red on her cheeks. "It's nothing important!" Taiyo raises an eyebrow but drops the topic. "I'm glad you're okay, Taiyo. You know you have us if you ever get hurt, right?" Taiyo nods slowly. "Then everything's fine." She smiled at him. "Next time, it's fine if you don't indulge with our classmates, they don't know better." She said. "I'm going to get started at cooking dinner. See you later, Taiyo!"
"Sure, Mutsumi," he said, waved goodbye to her, watching as she descended the stairs.
Now it was just Kengo and Taiyo standing in the hallway.
"Need help?" Kengo offered, gesturing to his face.
"Please," Taiyo said, almost begging him. The latter barks out a laugh, dragging the younger over to the bathroom.
Plenty of products laid across the floor and sink as Taiyo kept his eyes closed through the entire ordeal. When Kengo finishes, he opens his eyes and finds the white towel stained in unflattering colors.
"Thanks again," he said, helping him clean up.
"Don't mention it!" Kengo beams. "Just try not to look like that again."
Taiyo sweatdropped, a winced smile on his face. "Don't worry, I don't plan on indulging my classmates again like Mutsumi said."
"Not what I meant." Kengo said. Taiyo raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's not?" He questioned, tilting his head at him. "What else would you mean then?"
Kengo looked at Taiyo, taking in his confusion as his mouth formed a small 'o'. "You think we'll be fine if we find you coming home with a beaten up face, even if it was because of a mission?" Taiyo feels something off with his words but nods nonetheless.
"You guys seen me beaten up before." He pointed out. "And it's for a mission. I'm bound to get hurt."
Kengo lets out a low chuckle, a sound unfamiliar to Taiyo's ears. "Never think we'll be okay with that, Taiyo," he lets out a small growl. Before Taiyo knew it, his cheeks were squished together by Kengo's hands. Kengo hovered over Taiyo in a way where Taiyo could see his eyes poking through his blond hair. He took in a sharp breath.
Kengo's eyes were cold.
"Mission or not. None of us would be fine seeing you like that." He mutter darkly. "We dragged you into this world, but none of us want you to die in it."
"If its for you guys-"
"No." That shut Taiyo up quickly. Before he could finish his sentence, his mouth snapped shut at Kengo's words. "I thought we would obvious with it, Kyoichiro being the exception, but I guess we weren't showing it enough."
"W-What are you talking about?" Taiyo gasped, wincing at how hard Kengo was gripping his face. He just got rid of the fake bruises, he didn't need real ones to replace them.
"When you came into our lives, Taiyo, you brightened them." Kengo said. "You are the sun that graced its presence to the Yozakuras. Is it so wrong to protect the sun that we love?"
Taiyo gaped at his words, as they slowly processed in his mind.
"The moment you were engaged to Mutsumi, you became a Yozakura, you became our family. Don't tell me you forgot our rules surrounding family."
"Kengo-"
"We adore you, just like Mutsumi." Kengo said. "You're ours."
The words ringed in his ears. He's theirs. Their family.
A hesitant hand reached out for Kengo's hoodie and the moment it touched, he clenched it. Taiyo laid his head onto Kengo's shoulders, his eyes fluttered to a close, just sinking into his scent.
"You're my family too." He said. "I don't want to hurt any of you, even if its not physically." He admits.
"Then take care of yourself." Kengo whispers back, a hand patting his head. "You can even join me in my daily spa time!" He blurts out, back to his fun self. "I'll teach you all about taking care of your body and skin!"
Taiyo smiles softly. "Sure, if that's what you want."
"So? So?" His classmates crowded him the moment he entered the classroom. "How did Mutsumi react?" They were waiting for Taiyo to answer them, an anticipating look on their faces.
Taiyo ponder for a second, before sneakily smiling at them.
"Nothing that you need to know about." He ignores their whining and went to his seat.
Indeed. He thought, thinking back to yesterday where everyone had been fretting over him as quietly as they could. For a bunch of spies, they were terrible in hiding their worries, even Kyoichiro, who messed up during their sparring by making a misstep because he didn't want to 'harm' Taiyo despite not having any qualms about it before. Having them act like that was strange but not unwelcome, it was quite nice being doted over. Nothing they need to know about.