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The Hamato family home was absolutely buzzing with excitement this morning!
Today, their youngest members would be turning five years old! Today is the day they get to pick their colours!
Annibale had been waiting his entire life (as short as it is right now) for this moment!
Their Gigi had gone and found various bandanas in brightly coloured hues, and today, after breakfast Anni and his siblings would decide which ones they wanted to wear.
It was exciting! Thrilling! Exhilarating! All the happy big words he could think of!
His siblings have the same amount of excitement as him, Merisi can barely sit still, Gio can't seem to stop talking (no one ever tells him to stop when he does, daddy says he needs to get all the excitement out of his system) and Artemisia's hands shake as she rapidly signs to their pops about a dream she had last night.
Something about cotton candy clouds and oceans made of soda. Which sounds amazing .
The four of them finish their breakfast in record time (Thought Gio does nearly choke on his waffles) and before they can even say anything about it their mama says "you guys can pick your colours as soon as we get done eating kiddos!"
"Aw but Mama!"
"We wanna do it nowwww !"
"S'not my fault you ate like you're starving."
"Blehhh!" Merisi flops back into his seat, head leaning alllll the way back as he pouts.
Mama and their dads don't take too long to eat though! And Anni sits very patiently next to his papa, Merisi and Gio aren't as patient as him but that's ok!
"Ok! ¡Vamos! ¡Comencemos esta fiesta!" Mama says, helping daddy pick up all the empty plates and putting them in the sink.
Papa turns to him and he immediately raises his arms, giggling as papa pretends to struggle picking him up.
Gigi sets out all the pretty bandanas for them, and Anni sees the one he wants immediately .
"Ok my little ones, today is a very important day for you; today you will be picking out the colour mask you wish to wear. Your masks are your symbols, your identity in this family. It is both a way of hiding yourself and making you known to the world as a Hamato." Gigi starts, his big whiskers twitching as he smiles.
Their other sofu stands behind him, big and tall just like pops! He's smiling too, but he doesn't have whiskers that twitch with the expression.
"Now, come sit right here and Artemisia can choose her bandana first." He instructs, they don't waste any time listening, sitting in a neat row in front of him.
Artemi stands in front of them, her head turning this way and that to look at all the masks laid out before them.
She chirps, pointing to one he can't see and bouncing on her toes when Gigi picks it up to her.
"This is the colour you choose? Little flower?"
"Chirp!"
"Well then" Gigi leans over the little table, reaching around Artemisia's head and tying the cloth around her "welcome to the Hamato clan, my granddaughter."
She turns, a smile soooo big Annibale knows it hurts, but she doesn't seem to mind.
Her bandana is pink! A bright happy pink that matches her brighter happier smile.
"Misia, that's a beautiful colour!" Daddy praises clapping his hands together over his chest.
Artemi squeals, jumping from foot to foot in her excitement.
"Oh you look beautiful mija! C'mere!" Mama says, kneeling down to catch her when she runs straight into his chest. He lifts her up, nuzzling their faces together.
He can't wait to pick his mask!
"You look so pretty Artemi!" He says, because she does! The long mask tails fall down her back like Auntie April's when she makes it all straight.
His sister does the sign for thank you, bashfully hiding her face in Mama's neck.
"Ok, Mirisi, come here little fighter." Gigi says, holding his hand out for Isi to take.
He does, both his hands barely filling their Gigi's shaky palm.
"Little fighter, choose your colour."
Merisi looks at the masks for a long time, studying each one the same way Papa studies which cupcakes have the least icing on it.
There's not any icing on the masks, but that's what his face looks like.
Merisi points to one, bouncing up on his toes.
"This one? This is the colour you choose?"
"Yes Gigi!"
"Ok, then" Gigi ties the mask to Miri's head, his brother happily turns around to proudly show it off before he's even finished speaking "Welcome to the Hamato Clan, my grandson."
Mirisi's bandana is blue! Like Mama's! It's a much lighter blue, like the skies Daddy likes to paint.
"Isi! We match bud!"
"Lookin' sharp little man!" Pops cheers, Merisi skitters over to him and the big turtle lifts him up onto his shoulder.
"I'M A NINJA!!"
"YAH YOU ARE!!"
"Giovanni, please come here my little star." Gigi asks, the rest of the room goes real quiet and Gio gets up to stand before him.
"Giovanni, pick your colour."
Gio doesn't even hesitate, patting a bandana immediately and surprising Gigi.
"Are you sure little star? This is the one you want?"
"Yes Gigi!"
"Ohokay? Well then" Gigi picks up the bandana and ties it around Giovanni's head, smiling gently as he jump spins around to face them "Welcome to the Hamato clan, my grandson."
Gio's mask is yellow! Its bright tails just barely reach the floor. It was the same shade of yellow as his own freckles.
"Oh Auntie April is gonna be so happy you guys are matching!" Daddy says, Gio runs and practically throws himself into Daddy's open arms.
It's his turn now, his time to pick a mask and become a ninja.
What if he picks a bad colour? What if he doesn't like the colour he picks later and can't change it? Does the colour of his mask actually matter?
"Annibale, come here little champion." He stands up, ignores the very gross feeling of nerves in his chest and marches up to his Gigi with his little chest puffed out.
"Pick your colour child."
He gives each mask a hard look, there's six of them left.
One's a real dark blue that kinda looks like their other sofu's eyes, one a pale green that looks like Mama's scales, another that's a dark dark red, another a pale purple and one pink just like Artemisia's, and the last one is a dark grey.
He shakes his hands out a little, driving out the nerves building up in them before hesitantly pointing to the bright green mask.
"Is this the colour you have chosen?" Gigi asks, Annibale takes a deep breath before nodding.
"Yes Gigi."
"Well then, Annibale" Gigi picks up the mask and bends forward enough to reach behind him and ties the cloth around his head. "Welcome to the Hamato Clan, my grandson."
He turns, watching his parents' expressions carefully. Mama looks excited, big happy smile on his face stretching the red markings running over his blue eyes, Pops looks happy too, and Daddy. He watches Papa, relieved to see the big lopsided smile on his face.
"Look at you! That's such a nice green bud!" Papa cheers, kneeling down to catch him when Annibale runs into his chest.
Papa hefts him up and presses a big gross kiss to his cheek, laughing happily.
They're big kids now! They'll get to train to be ninjas just like their parents!