Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Family Ties Part 2: Children of a Blessed Union ❯ The Family Grows ( Chapter 3 )

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Chibi_apple's Fushigi Yuugi Webpage for providing me the names of Tasuki's five sisters: Aidou, Li'an, Jiang, Pa'liu & Mai. I didn't know who was the oldest so I just guessed. I also changed the names into their romaji spelling so they would match the Japanese pronunciation.

 

 

If you have any questions or comments please leave them in your reviews.

 

 

III: The Family Grows

 

 

The fiery warrior watched with swelled up pride at his two young sons. Takato, the eldest, ran around the yard as his younger brother, Sousuke, tried to keep up with him. They were trying to beat each other around an imaginary circle. From what he'd over heard at the start of the race, the first one to do a trillion laps wins. So far the circular race track became an oval, and, at first was situated in front of the house, was now all the way in the fields. If Tasuki hadn't cut the crops early this year, his wife would have killed him for loosing their sons in the sea of tall grass. The doting father observed the boys once more as Takato proclaimed himself the winner.

 

 

“Ah! No fair!” cried Sousuke indignantly. “Ya' didn't even count how many!”

 

 

“Yes, I did,” retorted Takato, “I went passed th' rock twice as fast as you did!”

 

 

“Nuh-uh! Th' rock wasn't our marker, anyways! It's th' dead li'ard by th' shed!”

 

 

“NO! When ya' ran after me into the fields, the start/end marker was th' rock!”

 

 

“THEN YA' CHEATED!” cried little Sousuke. “PAPA!”

 

 

As peacemaker and unofficial referee, Tasuki had to comfort Sousuke as both boys argued their non-matching views of the race at the same time. The few words he could make out were Sousuke screaming `dead lizard' and Takato yelling `I ran the fastest'. He tried to get a word in edgewise, but the brothers were too busy fighting for dominance in the squabble. Although he had already lost his patience, Tasuki couldn't bring himself to raise his voice at them. He was more of the adoring, frivolous, spoil-your-kids-rotten sort of father. He didn't have the heart to discipline them in this pointless tiff.

 

 

In spite of himself, he smirked. He became just like his old man. No muscle or back bone to hold him straight. I'm such a worm, he thought.

 

 

Ever since he could remember, his busty mother was the only one who held dominance in the household. And, much to his dismay, his five older sisters ended up the same. He could still remember the heavy objects and degrading insults that had been thrown at him. It was still true even now after he had settled down and had a family of his own. Hell, he could even remember when he and Miaka decided to stay at his parents' house after arriving in Taitou.

 

 

-

 

 

As Tasuki drove the horse-drawn cart away from the Konan capital of Eiyo to the Kou prefecture, he had expected his hometown to be demolished due to the Kuto invasion. So many villages had been wiped out during the war. He had severely doubted his family and the small farming village would have survived. Miaka tried to ensure hope in him as they made their way to Taitou.

 

 

The redhead was amazed his hometown was still in one piece after the Konan/Kuto War. Little had changed since he had left seven years ago. The pig farmer was still sleeping with his pigs in their pen. Even the rock he had thrown at town square's decorative tree as a boy was still where it had landed. The dusty farmhouses were untouched and the townsfolk went about their business as always. It was like he was never gone. Secretly, he was a little disappointed.

 

 

His childhood home was still there, looking as old and foreboding as it ever did. This was when he began to feel nervous. He hadn't reconciled with his family ever since he had left to join the Reikaku bandits. Miaka gave him a nudge to knock on the door while she burped little Takato. She smiled at him, eyes shining. Knowing that was enough to motivate him, he knocked.

 

 

His mother, despite her whitened hair and defined wrinkles, hadn't changed a bit. “Well, whaddya want?” her voice booming and crotchety. “ If yer peddlers sellin' yer crap, we don't want any!” She was short, squat, irritable and demanding with a huge rack just like he remembered. Oh, how he had missed her.

 

 

“Maw, it's me, Shun'u. Remember?” he asked hopefully. Her face distorted into non-amused confusion so he had to be blunt. “Your son…Your only son.”

 

 

“Oh, yeah. I know it's you, Shun'u. The family had t' pretend you was dead since ya' left t' be a bandit.” Her tone was dismissive, affirming he hadn't been missed.

 

 

He sighed. “Yeah, good t' see ya', too, Ma.”

 

 

Home sweet friggin' home.

 

 

 

That whole visit had been awkward for him. When he had introduced Miaka and Takato, his mother had been ecstatic. She kept proclaiming what a beautiful woman Miaka was, clearly avoiding to refer to her as his wife. The woman raved on about the fact the baby took after his `pretty momma' rather than a certain `runaway o' a son'. He had scowled all through dinner; he and his impassive father remaining invisible.

 

 

But that night was wonderful. After his parents went to bed, it was only him and his family in the spare room. When Takato slumbered, his wife would soothe him to sleep with sweet nothings. She wouldn't tell him he was a disappointment or a humiliation. Miaka would tell him he was a strong husband and a gentle father. Better yet, a damn good lover. Then they attempted to keep their motions quiet until the rooster woke the sun.

 

 

Poor, sullen Tasuki had tried to patch things up with his mother, but she would try to busy herself with some other task. When he would try to strike up a conversation, she would take one up with Miaka as they prepared a meal. As he prepared for an apology, she'd accuse him of being a lollygagger and order him to help his father weed the garden. There he would be standing in the cabbage patch, looking like a stooge, holding a hoe. The former-warrior couldn't understand why his mom was being extra curt to him.

 

 

Much later, he found out why from his father. Despite him being a worm of a man, the old farmer proved to be very observant. He had explained to his son that the reason for his mother's offhand behavior was because of his sister, Aidou.

 

 

“When the war was going on, the town was pretty much left alone,” the older man explained. He took a drag from his pipe. “We were too far west to ever be of any interest to Kuto. `That's just fine', Maw said, `just as long they don't steal the cow'. So we lived in peace.” Tasuki watched him cough out smoke. “But yer sister, Aidou, she was one of the feisty youngsters that wanted to do something about the war. Yer maw and I told her not to go, but y'know how stubborn she is. So she went off with a bunch of other youths who wanted to do something…” His father sighed, forlornly. He took his time as he wiped wistful eyes. “We haven't seen `em since…”

 

 

Both men took a moment of silence to reflect. Aidou was gone. She had been the youngest of his five older sisters; wasn't even spoken for from what he suspected. Tasuki had thought his older sister had gotten married and left the house during the time he had been away. Now he probably had only four older sisters.

 

 

“Whether she's alive or dead, we don't know.” His father picked up his hoe and started tending to the soil. “If she's suffering somewhere, we don't know that either.”

 

 

Completely through with talking, father and only son annihilated weeds together.

 

 

 

The first few months had been unbearable for Tasuki. With his father still a spineless wimp and his mother mourning over the loss of Aidou, he didn't get any where to apologizing for running away. Miaka, who had been adjusting quite well in the home, kept comforting him. She was positive that his parents knew he was sorry for leaving. After all, why would he have left the prosperous life in Eiyo to come back to the country? He didn't bother to remind her that she and Takato had been the only reason.

 

 

What was even worse about staying with his parents was that Tasuki's infamous sisters came to visit. They had all married and moved out, but they still lived close to home. Mai, the eldest and almost bearable sister, dropped by the most. All through the time she was there, she had spared time with him for only five insults; a new record in his book. Then the terrible two, Rian and Shan, came. Ever since childhood, the twins had used a tag team system to inflict insults upon him. They still used it even though he had become a man who towered over them. Finally there was Paru, the second-to-last sister; in their mother's eyes she wasn't special. She wasn't the oldest or the youngest, and there wasn't two of her. She wasn't noticed, but that was the beauty of it. Due to her oblivious existence as a child, Paru got away with practically any thing, abusing Tasuki especially. The little brother could still remember how she would dunk him into a barrel of water whenever she was in bad mood. How he wished those days would finally be over.

 

 

What had really burned his ass was when all four sisters came together. Then they would be an unstoppable force of overpowering estrogen. So much so, he decided to move out as soon as he had the opportunity. It had come on an ordinary day, with Tasuki helping the men to do chores while the women sat and strung dried vegetables on cords. They had been complimenting Miaka and coddling over baby Takato, until Paru exclaimed,

 

 

“Aiyaa, Shun'u! When are ya' gonna get yer wife a decent house?” She had been the only one with the gall to call Miaka his wife.

 

 

“Yes, Shun'u,” continued Mai, “when are you going to leave the nest and find some land of your own?”

 

 

“Yes, yes!” said the twins in unison.

 

 

“You should be ashamed of making a profit off of Dad's crops!” said Rian.

 

 

“And ya' should start supportin' yourself like a real man!” Shan finished for her sister.

 

 

Miaka tried to come in Tasuki's defense. “Now, now. I don't mind living with Mother and Father. They're very kind and there's more than enough room to live here.” This was a lie; she couldn't stand her mother-in-law's suffocating aggression toward her husband. She had tried, but they blatantly ignored her so they could scrutinize their brother.

 

 

Up until then, the redhead hadn't bothered to raise his voice at them in front of his wife. But his male pride had been hurt. He may as well be damned if he let that slide.

 

 

“The heck yer' talkin' bout?” he retorted. His country accent thickened with his rising anger. “Dad's gettin' old an' he needs help with th' harvest this year! 'Sides, its tradition fer a son t' move in with his parents after he's hitched!” He spat on the ground since his mouth went dry. “I have all right t' stay here an' help!”

 

 

“Dad has more than enough men to help him,” replied Mai. “With the help he has, he'll be able to gather the crops by the start of the fall.” She went back to stringing ginger.

 

 

Paru did the same. “Yeah, yer prolly just too much o' a wuss to get yer own farm goin'.”

 

 

“Hmph. Maybe,” said Shan, “you'll never change…”

 

 

“…Little Brother…” finished Rian.

 

 

And that was when he officially decided to look for a farmhouse.

 

 

After a month of searching for a vacant home, Tasuki was able to purchase one. He had bought it at a fair price from the pig farmer, who decided to abandon his farm in order to be with his pigs. Doing what the redhead warrior didn't want to know. The home was quite large with a kitchen/living room, three bedrooms, and an outdoor latrine. It had three or so acres of fertile land in the back which would be a beginning for the farm. What had made it a bargain was that it was far enough away from his parents' house and closer to Mt. Reikaku.

 

 

Receiving a cow and a few chickens with his remaining pieces of gold, he had readily moved a toddling Takato and an expecting Miaka out of that mad house. As a house warming gift, his father was ready to offer two pigs and a steer, but Tasuki refused. He was determined to be a farmer independent from his family. And the less involved with the family business, the farther away he could be. So Fang Boy left the Kou family residence, hoping that his sisters would never find his new address.

 

 

That was a little over three years ago. Since then the farm had grown considerably. There were nearly six acres in the fields. A steer and two cows and two horses held in the stable, a chicken coop with a rooster and three hens, and two pigs in a small pen. So far the tiny farm was doing well, and it had to because of the growing family. Soon after they had moved, Miaka gave birth to their younger son, Sousuke. This time the boy was the spitting image of him. His mother and sisters couldn't help but point that out after Miaka had pleaded him to invite them over. Now his whole family knew where he lived.

 

 

Miaka once told him that maybe there was a reason for his family's abuse. She deduced that his sisters and mother's criticism was there to motivate him to achieve something. Or better yet to express their love for him. Tasuki had replied, “If my family were abusin' me so they could express their love, I should have `em arrested fer incest.”

 

 

-

 

 

“…AD…! DAD! Daddadadaddad dadadadadadadadadad DADDY!”

 

 

The father finally broke out of his stupor when Takato's voice made his ears ring. He got up abruptly from where he sat and noticed the afternoon sky had turned auburn sunset. Both boys pussyfooted around his legs, hoping the dopey look on his face would go away. He looked down at them after reacquainting himself with his surroundings.

 

 

“Sorry, you two. Guess I kinda zoned out there.” He patted both their heads.

 

 

“Mama said it's time t' eat,” said Sousuke, pulling on his father's sleeve. “She said we're eatin' Shin tonight!”

 

 

“Shin?” Tasuki reacquainted himself with the name. “Ya' mean th' goose we bought from th' market?” From what he remembered, the boys had been overjoyed to have a new `pet'. They had been completely oblivious to Shin's true purpose. “Aren't ya' th' least bit sad `bout what happened to him?”

 

 

“No,” said his sons.

 

 

“He looks even tastier on th' table,” Takato said frankly.

 

 

Tasuki shook his head. They were Miaka's sons alright. Her insatiable gluttony had been passed down to the new generation. Suzaku help them if there was a famine.

 

 

As they neared the house, a familiar silhouette filled the glowing doorway. Sousuke and Takato ran ahead to embrace their mother. She hugged them with one arm since her other one was busy juggling the baby. It had been a girl this time; another beautiful Miaka look-alike. They hadn't named her yet since they decided to do it on her hundredth day of life. If she survived until then, her name would either be Aidou or Miyu.

 

 

Their eyes met as he reached the door. Spring green met amber. Admittedly, Tasuki had been a little worried when he officially decided to be a farmer. Miaka had been brought up in the royal courts as a child. He thought the role of a farmer's wife wouldn't suit her.

 

 

Contrary to belief of social class, she proved that the rural life suited her just fine. She didn't mind getting up early in the morning or getting dirty while tending the fields. As a matter a fact, she was happy. This proved to be a lot easier than being a priestess.

 

 

“Hey, Mi-chan.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. The smell of dinner she put on the table clung to her body. “Roast duck, steamed dumplings and white rice. Delicious.”

 

 

Miaka took a tentative sniff and pouted in disgust. “Hey yourself, Mr. Muddy sandal wood with a dash of manure.”

 

 

She had him, he went to wash up. But not before he could grab her and meld their lips together. From inside the house, cries of repulsion were heard.

 

 

“EWWW! Mom and Dad are spreading the disease!” cried Takato.

 

 

Sousuke shielded his eyes. “My eyes! They're infected!”

 

 

To be continued…