When I Met Yukkuri - Ch2: Of Gutter Trash, Scum, and Family
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Hitosura
Dec 5, 2015, 12:01:27 AM12/5/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
[Alright, time to start picking up the pace. Lots to do, much to organize, and a story to build.]
I was surprised. Well, sort-of. Marisa seemed to adjust well to the daily routine. I wasn't exactly sure how well she was handling herself in an empty house during my work days, but she was always happy to see me when I got home.
"Welcome home, Mister Kei!" she would yell, and bounce up and down.
All I had to do was offer my arms and she would jump right in. She'd tell me about her day -- about the cartoons she watched, and we'd eat dinner together. She kept her droppings organized in the toilet I made, or she would simply use my bathroom. As for the whole wanting to sleep with me, I'd let it slide some days.
"Okay, this time. But tomorrow, I need my sleep," I would tell her, then let her into my room, "But tomorrow, you have to sleep in your easy place."
She always seemed a little depressed about that, but I had to put my foot down now and again. Couldn't let her start taking advantage. I knew, with all the stories I read, that I had to raise her like a human child -- boundaries had to be set. She knew not to test my patience. She had her stray life as a reminder of what it meant to upset the human who took care of her, and in this case, she was considered, 'less than a pet.' Or at least that's the impression I wanted to leave with her. For the time being. In any case, I kept my eye on her. I looked up common yukkuri diseases, and checked her out myself. Seemed she was rather clean for a stray, or perhaps the disease and such had yet evolved to attack their species as of yet. They existed in the other countries for years, but were still relatively new here. Or maybe she just got lucky.
In the meantime, life proceeded as normal. I took a few photos of her for friends at work. I saw some more strays moving in around our neighborhood. They kept to themselves -- our city was rather large. When they built the city, they built it with mostly homes, but kept things sparse. They didn't want the kind of issues the nearby, high population density cities had, so there was plenty of space for stray yukkuri to make homes with little interference from humans. Some had even made homes on my walking paths -- to and from work, and to and from the market, and other areas I normally walked. They were clever -- our city spent a lot of money on beautification projects, like maintaining trees and shrubbery. The yukkuri would simply move into these large bushes and built small homes, often by just positioning some plastic bags and other junk within the branches. Like a make-shift tarp. It did well to keep them dry during the storms. Others built their homes into burrows near trees, then simply covered the opening with junk in order to keep the rain out. They had to adjust fast -- it was rainy and hot around where I lived. Even the winters never got too cold.
Perhaps it was all the work the maintenance crews did, but the flowers I noticed springing up near work? I saw her. It was a green-haired, red-eyed yukkuri. A Yuuka, I believe. She maintained the small garden of flowers. I overheard the gardeners ponder who had planted them -- Yuuka kept almost completely out-of-sight when humans came near, but I knew she was there. I saw her leer at me when I approached her flowers.
"Mmm. They smell so nice. Someone must have put a lot of easiness into these to make them so lovely."
I'd drop praise like that, mostly to ham it up. I knew she listened, and knew she loved that someone noticed her work. Yukkuri loved praise, especially when they worked hard. I would make sure each day I passed by to lay on a compliment. I even saw her once leave the comfort of her easy place to watch me pass by one time. After a few days of this, she stopped hiding and simply continued her business. I gave her a small wave as I passed by.
"Take it easy!"
She gave me a smile and nodded. Maybe she wasn't the talking-type. On the way home after that day, however, I decided to see if she would be willing to chat...
"So, this is your garden, huh?"
She looked up at me and nodded. I lowered myself down so I could get a closer look at her. I looked at the flower and gently stroked it's stem.
"You must be a very easy gardener. Mister flower here looks very happy."
Her face beamed. She gave a few nods. I looked to her.
"You know, mister human has a pretty big easy place with lots of space for Yuuka to make a really big easy garden. Best of all, there aren't any mister humans to have to hide from -- you can just stay right out there and work as long as you want."
She blinked a few times. She sank a bit and looked off to the side. She shook her head. I canted my head and blinked.
"Are you sure? I don't mind at all. I'm not asking Yuuka to be mister human's pet, I'm just offering her, ya know, maybe an easier place to make her garden?"
She smiled and shook her head. I stood up with a sigh and smiled.
"Well, if you change your mind, let me know~"
She nodded, and went back to work tending to her garden. I could almost swear I heard her humming.
The next subjects of interest was when I was at the supermarket the other day. Did all my shopping for foodstuff there, and they even had a decent supply of yukkuri goods, along with other various pet goods. It wasn't anything special, but had all the stuff one would need if one was so inclined to research what one needed to raise a yukkuri. Also, they made fantastic subs. I ran through the checklist in my head as I was leaving, and
"Hey! Mishder Human!"
I looked down. It was a Reimu. Not just a Reimu. A wasa-type. She had the bushy little pom-pom-like piu-pius.
"You shuud gib Reibu wots of munsh-munsh! Now ish fine! Showy for being sho coot!"
I stared for a moment. Hm. Normally in other peoples' tales, this is the part where they'd kick her, kill her, or some other form of abyuse. I was feeling rather magnanimous. I think I'd have some fun here. Towards her side, under the bench, was a small Marisa. Must have been a relative. She was shaking a bit, her piu-piu curled over her face.
"Hey! Shtoopid human! Didn't chu hear Weibu! Wanna die? Give munsh-munsh!"
I knelt down. I lifted my brow.
"Mister heard you. Mister was just curious about something."
"Oh? Wash mishder human shtunned by Weibu's cyootenesh?"
I shook my head.
"I was wondering, is that how you ask your mother for food?"
That seemed to shock her.
"M-mishder human bedder nod be buwwying Weibu'sh mommy!"
Bingo. I grinned slightly. The Marisa crawled out slightly.
"W-Weibu... wet's just gow eajy..."
Reimu turned to her.
"Don'd be shiwwy! Weibu's cutenesh ish gonna ged ush lotsh of munsh-munsh easy!"
"Hey! You didn't answer my question. Fine," I said, and pointed at the Marisa, "You. You're hungry, too, right? How do you ask your mother for munch-munch?"
The Marisa jumped slightly in panic. She trembled as I asked the question. It seemed to confuse her a bit, but she took a moment to think. She looked up at me.
"Mowmy... Mawisha ish hungry... pwease give Mawisha mishder munsh-munsh... lots is fine?"
I looked into my bag. If I was going to give her food, it would have to be something soft. Yukkuri that young don't have well-developed teeth. Well, I was picking up some grapes today... I opened the bag, plucked off a few, and placed them in front of Marisa. Her face beamed and she scooped one up into her mouth. She chewed and exclaimed.
"Dewishus!"
Reimu's jaw dropped and she moved to take one of the grapes.
"Widdle shishter should share munsh-munsh!"
I chopped my hand down and cut off Reimu's path. She stopped in front of it.
"H-hey! Mishder human! Move mishder hand so Weibu can munsh munsh! Don't be a buwwy!"
Marisa looked at my hand, then to me.
"M-mishder... Mawisha wands to share wich shishder..."
I shook my head.
"If your sister wants munch-munch, she can ask mister human for it."
By then, she was trying to push my hand away with her head. Apparently, the idea of going around it never crossed her mind. Upon hearing that, though, she looked up at me. She puffed-up slightly and glared.
"You can get as angry as you want, but if you don't ask nicely, you will get nothing."
"Ask wike misder human ish mommy!"
She growled and puffed more. Tears came to her eyes as she heard her sister call out her happiness from the grapes again. She lowered her head and deflated.
"Mowmy, can Weibu have munsh-munsh? Now ish fine..."
I lifted my hand and reached into the bag of grapes. I took a few more, placed the same amount in front of Reimu as I did Marisa, then placed more in between both. I smiled to them.
"Enjoy."
"Babies? Babies!" I heard cried.
A larger Reimu came bouncing over.
"Oh, oh, babies! Mommy was so worried!" she said, and quickly took both with her piu-pius.
She hugged and rub-rubbed both, then placed them both down. Apparently, she hadn't noticed me y-- wait. She sprang up as she saw me. She put both of her children down, turned them to me, then forced them to bow with her piu-pius.
"Ah! A mister human!" she said, and quickly bowed, "Please, do not hurt Reimu's precious babies! Forgive them if they were rude to you! Beat up Reimu if you must, but do not hurt her babies!"
I stood up and smiled. A proper mother.
"M-mowmy, mishder human ish..." Marisa tried to say.
"No! You should always be nice to a mister human! They can do horrible things to yukkuri if you make them uneasy!"
I raised both of my hands.
"It's fine, it's fine! Take it easy! Mister human is an easy human. Reimu's precious babies are also easy little ones..." I said, and pointed to the young Reimu, "Even if they don't know how to be all that polite. But that's okay, she learned a little, right?" I said, and pushed the grapes to the family.
Reimu looked at the grapes, then to me. It was then I noticed her left eye was closed, and her right eye was only slightly opened. Her face had dents in it. Stray life must have been rough on her, and she must have taken a few beatings for her kids.
"Is Mister really giving this to us?"
The children were already happily munching away. I gave her a nod, broke off a small branch, and offered them to her.
"By all means. Let your meal tonight be on me."
Her look of surprise shifted to a large smile.
"Thank you easy, mister!" she looked to her children, "You see, you should always be nice to mister humans! They can be very kind!"
She must have been a pet. My inquisitive nature was piqued. I had to investigate.
"Would you mind if mister human escorted you and your family home?"
She gave me a puzzled look.
"Pweash, mowmy! Mishder human ish our eashy fwiend!"
Yes. Please. Convince mommy. She looked to her children, who continued their pleading, and gave in. She lead me around the corner of the supermarket, and behind it. She had a small cardboard box she lived in that was situated in a corner, behind some pallets they had. A good spot, and was hard to get rained on, especially with the gutter just above them to redirect any rain that came from the roof. Smart mom. I started my inquiry -- I asked about her, her family, where her husband was... was the usual story. She was, indeed, a pet. Silver badge, this time. Her mister human was nice, from what I gathered, or at least she thought he was. From things she said, I gathered he was a bit of an asshole. As she continued, it ended in the usual fashion -- her human kicked her out after she met the love of her life. Even before they had children. Sounded to me like he was just looking for an excuse to get rid of her. She then told me about how her husband betrayed her; the Marisa just used her in hopes of becoming a pet yukkuri, then left the family.
"Well, if you like, mister human has a rather large easy place..."
I thought I'd offer. She refused. It seemed odd to me -- with how everyone depicts them as lazy, easy-seeking creatures, with the exception of the Marisa who lived with me now, no adult stray seemed to want to move in with me. Was it my smell? My approach? I'd have to spend some time thinking about it. Even the children liked how they lived -- the supermarkets always had plenty of discarded food. Reimu told me that there was another mister human hunt-hunted there and would sometimes share his munch-munch with her and her family. I gave them another stem of grapes to help them get, 'full-full.' I hung out for a little while -- chatted with them. The wasa wasn't that bad -- she was pretty narcissistic, but she wasn't 'bad.' She was just self-absorbed and vain. I talked to her a bit about it, and explained how her sister's politeness is more important than her cuteness. She didn't get it much, but I knew she eventually would -- if I kept pushing it into her mind. Of course, I felt her mother had passed on much of her knowledge as a pet yukkuri into her babies. They were very polite around her. A cute little family. It was odd, seeing this third set of Reimus and Marisas, and they were so variant from the others I had encountered already. Even though they all looked the same to me, they all varied greatly. Hell, I began to wonder how they could tell one-another apart. Scent? Chemical? Some kind of vibration their cores put off? Shape? Exactly how good was their eyesight? My mind snapped back to reality, and I checked the time. I was running late.
"Well, if you change your mind, I don't mind at all. I already have a Marisa who lives with me. I'm sure she'd love to have the company while mister does hunt-hunt."
We bid our farewells. I was worried that something was going to happen to the family. I kept it in the back of my mind as I got home. Marisa was waiting for me by the door and eagerly greeted me. Once I settled in, dinner was served, and TV was watched, as our usual routine. Sometimes I'd have to catch-up on my gaming, but not always. Marisa was a great fangirl; she'd fawn over my victories and would curse my failures. I didn't even have to say anything -- she did it all for me, all while yelling at a screen. During dinner, though, I felt the need to pop the question...
"Hey, Marisa?"
She looked over to me with a soft, "Yu?"
"What would you say if I wanted to adopt a few more yukkuri?" I studied her expression as she turned to face me, "You know... to keep you company during the day, maybe? Or maybe even find you a new wife?"
She fell silent for a few moments, then blinked.
"Why is Mister Kei asking Marisa this?"
I shook my head. Still speaking in third-person.
"Me this, Marisa. Remember: stop saying your name. I at the start of a sentence, me at the closing. Talk of yourself, not about yourself," was off-topic... I shook my head, "Anyway, I wanted to know what you thought of that idea. You know, maybe bring in another yukkuri or two... I just wanted to see if you'd be easy with it. Like, I don't want you getting jealous and thinking that they're going to steal me away from you. Rest assured -- I'm still gonna take care of you all the same."
Her gaze lowered, then returned to me.
"But... why is Mister Kei asking Ma-- me? It's Mister's easy place, and Ma--", she paused, and thought for a second.
"I am."
She gave a nod.
"... and I am just mister's guest."
I grinned. Okay, confession time, I suppose. I let out a light sigh, then gently lowered myself down onto the floor. I wanted to be at eye-level with her.
"Alright. I'll tell it to you straight -- I've been thinking about it lately, and I've decided," I said, and pointed to her, "Marisa is no longer my guest."
Her face filled with hope.
"Mari -- uh, I am Mister Kei's pet?!" she exclaimed, and almost started bouncing.
"... no!"
She froze in confusion.
"B-but...?"
I shook my head, and smiled.
"Pet implies ownership. I don't feel I own you. You're Marisa, a yukkuri, and you've earned your individuality."
She moved to speak, but I think she didn't quite get it. I kept the smile and continued.
"See, if I say you're my, 'pet,' that means I own you. Like a slave or something. But you're not a slave. You're family now."
Her eyes widened as she rose up slightly.
"F-family? Like, Mar-- I am a human?! Or Mister Kei is yukkuri?!"
I shook my head and laughed. Not quite getting it.
"No, I mean like, humans who own dogs and cats like to view their pets as family. You know, one of them. Family takes care of family, like how I take care of you, and you take care of me."
That seemed to confuse her again.
"But how does Ma--"
She stopped. Guess more grammar lessons.
"How do I?"
A nod.
"How do I take care of you easy?"
A smile and I poked her head.
"By being easy. When I get home, you greet me with such energy and happiness, no matter how tired I am, no matter how hard my day was, I feel better again. I look forward to coming home and spending the rest of my evening with you!"
Her face beamed.
"L-like wife!" she exclaimed.
Whoa. Back up, a second here.
"Uh, no... like... family!"
Yeah... that whole, 'she's in love with me thing,' just kind of slipped. Freudian, I suppose. Odd that she viewed me as the mother figure. Well, whatever. She seemed to get it. Sort of.
"So! Back to my question: would you be okay if I brought home some more yukkuri?"
She gave a large smile and nodded.
"If they are as easy as Mister Kei, then I am easy with it too!"
"Alright! Take it easy!" I said and gave her a thumbs up.
"Take it easy!" she exclaimed and gave a sort-of thumbs up with her braid.
I let her sleep with me that night. I didn't want to tell her she was family, then go yell at her to sleep in her easy place. Over the next few days, the routine had it's additions: I'd visit Yuuka on the way to and from work, stop by the Reimu family if I had time, but had one little event occur: when I passed by the storm drains near my house, I almost faintly heard the voice of a Marisa and the voice of something unknown. I couldn't see anything -- they must have been further up the drains. They must have taken refuge down there. A dangerous place to live, considering how much it rained around here. I called to them, but the voices would only go silent. Either that, or they started talking so low, I couldn't hear them any more. I yelled down the warning. Doubt they'd heed it. The interruptions aside, the routine proceeded normally for about another week and a half; me occasionally coaxing the Yuuka and Reimu to come home with me, while also noticing that yukkuri presence was on the rise around town. It still wasn't that often, but I'd still sometimes spot one ducking around a corner or notice a box where one wasn't the other day. I made it a point to not disturb them.
It wasn't that long later before I went to Reimu's house to check-in. The box was gone. Well, shit. My heart dropped for a moment.
"... seriously. Again?"
I stood up and looked around. There's no way they could have gotten far. Someone who worked there must have disposed of them and/or their home... I sniffed the air. No. Nothing rotten. I moved around the pallets and saw her -- Reimu. Her face was swollen, but she had a light smile on her face. Her eyes were closed. Scoff marks decorated her, and even a few foot prints were indented into her skin. Near her were her two flattened children; their paste had the distinct markings of a shoe. Marisa's hat seemed to be missing, as well.
"Mo...mmy...is...co...ming..."
She talked. She couldn't have been dead. It must have been very recent. I didn't have any time to waste. I sprinted around and darted into the grocery store. Let's see... orange juice, medium lock bags, flour, sugar... I didn't know how much of it I had left at home. I darted to the customer service desk -- they could ring you up there, and was, oddly enough, almost never occupied by a line, unlike the express lane. I bolted outside and around the corner. I didn't have much time. They gave me my purchases in two bags -- which was perfect. I moved the OJ, flour, and bags into the one bag, picked up the mother, and slid her into the other bag. I moved to the children and, as gently as I could, pushed the bean paste back into their bodies. I slid what I could, took out a baggie, scooped up the Marisa, slid her into the bag, opened the OJ, and poured a little in. Almost instantly, I could see her body absorbing it. Her squashed body began to inflate. My heart rose a bit. Now, for the wasa. She, likely, was the cause of this -- her form was face-up, unlike the Marisa, who was face-down. As I worked her body back together, I pieced together in my mind what probably happened. She probably mouthed off to a human, and he didn't take kindly -- he squished her. The mother, likely too late, probably begged him to stop, or told Marisa to run, who couldn't have possibly gotten far before whoever got her, then probably beat the mother because she was there. With the OJ added to the bag, I observed Reimu's body begin to slowly reform. The paste seemed to seep back into the body. I let out a sigh of relief, and looked to the mother Reimu. I placed my hand on her head. Still warm. I dabbed a little OJ on her, picked up my Reimu-in-a-Bag, and headed home.
"Mister Kei! Mister Kei!"
I came dashing into the kitchen, but shushed her. Her braid came up and covered her mouth.
"Not so loud! They need their sleep!" I whispered.
She pointed to the mother Reimu with her braid. She was stirring. I walked closer, Marisa's eyes on me. I gently pulled the bag down around her. I placed my hand on her cheek. Her eye cracked open -- I examined it. It was dull. She was likely delirious. Possible concussive-like status.
"Y-yu... w... warm..." I heard her utter, "i... is thish... heaven?"
A slur. Yep. A few of her teeth were knocked out. I'll have to take care of that later. I leaned down to her.
"Well, not quite heaven, but possibly the next best thing."
I felt her rub against my hand as I spoke. She stopped and looked up at me.
"Y... yu... ish that... kind mishter human...?"
"Mhm."
I could almost feel her mood darken through my hand.
"P... pleash... kill Reimu..."
Marisa gasped. I looked at her with a slight glare. She put her braid over her mouth. I looked back at Reimu.
"I will do no such thing."
"B... but... Reimu... her preshush babiesh... th-they..."
"They're fine," I replied.
The color began to return to her. She rose up, and her eye seemed to regain focus.
"Y... yu?"
I turned around. I kept them in a small shoe box while they recovered. I turned around and showed her the contents -- two mostly-mummified yukkuri, sleeping peacefully. Her expression shot from hope to disbelief to happiness in the span of 5 seconds. I quickly put my hand over her mouth, just in time to muffle her cry of happiness. I felt her push against my hand, her braids flailing, trying desperately to reach for her two sleeping children.
"Shh! They're sleeping. Your babies need time to rest. They'll be okay, but they need easiness right now. Mister human will take care of them. Mommy should rest and take it easy."
She looked up at me. Her eyes welled-up. Something must have happened to her right eye -- it didn't open. She looked up at me and nodded. I placed the shoe box back on top of the kitchen counter and turned back to her. I had already prepared some lemonade for them, in case they woke up and had trouble falling back asleep. I offered it to her.
"Drink. It'll help you sleep."
She took a mild sip, yawned, and snuggled into her bag. I looked to Marisa and nodded. She happily bounced up and down. I placed my hand on her head to stop her, then gently ran my fingers through her hair.
"Before you ask, yes, they're the ones I wanted to adopt."
There were others, but these three were high up on my list. I picked up the mother and went to Marisa's easy place. I slid her onto her bed. Of course, she didn't mind -- I already told her that if she lets them sleep in there, she gets to sleep with me. I got about as much argument as I thought I would -- none. When she was secured, I brought the shoe box over. I filled an eyedropper with some orange juice, and dripped it onto the children. Directions stated to not overexpose yukkuri to orange juice -- it could lead to some bad side-effects, the worst of which was addiction to OJ. Hope I didn't overdo it.
I took Marisa into my room and explained to her the, 'game,' I played with her -- that the idea was not to make them feel entitled to living with us.
"You have to be nice to them. No matter what. Even if any of them say or do something that makes you uneasy." I pointed to Marisa, "Just let me know if they do anything that makes you uneasy."
She understood. I hope she did. Couldn't have her blowing my cover that I really wanted to keep them. Had to make them feel like they earned it -- they'd appreciate it more, that way. Marisa understood it when I explained it to her.
"It's like as if you spent all day hunt-hunting a delicious bug... and you finally caught it... and it tasted so much better because you worked so hard to catch it. Know what I mean?"
A small trickle of drool was rolling down from the edge of her mouth. Was pretty sure she got it.
I left my door open that night and told Marisa to wake me up if she heard anything. I was a late sleeper -- Marisa was always, apparently, awake way before me. Like the obedient friend she was, she woke me up, bright and early the next day. We both sat back and watched as they awoke to their unfamiliar easy place. All three of them, at first, thought they were in heaven. The mother slowly recalled last night, and the children weren't sure why they were bundled-up in so much soft-soft. It was rather amusing. Even Marisa got a chuckle. The mother moved to the closet door and slid it open.
"Take it easy!" Marisa and I shouted to them.
The mother was taken aback. The children's mouths hung open.
"Mishter human!"
The kids bounced to me and rub-rubbed against my legs. I offered them my hand, and they rub-rubbed against it frantically.
"Hey! Easy, you two! You're going to rub off your bandages!"
The mother was still in shock. She was in a home again, after all. I looked to her and waved to her with my free hand. Marisa waved to her with her braid.
"Welcome home, Reimu."
What followed the events was what I spent the night rehearsing to myself. I knew everything she'd say -- she didn't want to stay, didn't want to be a pet, blah-blah-blah. I was already prepared.
"I'm not taking no for an answer. You're staying here. You and your family."
The children loved the idea. The mother, I could tell, really liked it, but her pride was in the way. I explained to both Marisa and Reimu that it was their job to teach their kids how to live in-doors. To poo-poo and pee-pee in a mister toilet, the dangerous electrical snake jungle, where not to go in my house (even though I kept the doors shut), where food and water was, and my role in all of this. I don't know what happened, and nor did they remember, but they knew one minute they were at their easy place, and the next, here. Probably for the best that they forget. I took preparations for this a few days ago -- I got an extra two toilets to place around the house -- I kept one near the closet, and the other in the bathroom. I got a child seat attachment for the toilet -- when the kos got older, I'd potty-train them. I also picked up stuff to clean up strays in case they had any kind of parasites -- some special shampoo for any bugs inhabiting their hair, conditioner to clean it up, medicine to kill off any worms, and a spray in case parasites lived in their mouth. I especially kept my eye on the KoMarisa, who's hat was gone. Probably taken by their assailant, or possibly destroyed. Or both. Regardless, I clapped my hands together.
"Alright! First thing's first! A tour of the house!"
I picked up Reimu, and she picked up her children. I copied the exact tour I gave Marisa. I even let her tell most of the details of the household. I'd be adopting more. It'd be nice to not have to do all the work myself. Once we finished, I headed to the master bedroom's bathroom, and placed them on the ground. Marisa was giggling. She knew what was coming.
"Alright! Time for an easy shower!"
The children were confused. They turned to their mother.
"Mowmy, was a shower?" the hatless Marisa asked.
She seemed confused. Probably her asshole owner never sanitized her. I let Marisa explain.
"It's when Mister Kei is going to take some mister shampoo and clean-clean you! When he finishes, you'll be all nice and shiny like Marisa!"
I smiled.
"Yup. But first!" I said, and raised my hand. I offered my open palm, "I need your accessories. I'll go put them in mister washer so they can get clean-cleaned as well."
KoMarisa panicked.
"M-mommy! Where ish Mawicha's mister hat?!"
Guess she noticed now. She went into full-on panic. Tears and wails. Her sister, despite her scum attitude, seemed to be very affectionate and reassuring to her sister. It took a few moments to calm her. I made sure to call her Marisa at every possible opportunity -- I read about accessory loss, and how untrained yukkuri panic at the loss of their accessory. Perhaps by reminding her of her identity, it would ease her.
"Don't worry, Marisa. Mommy knows Marisa is Marisa," Reimu told her child.
I plucked up Marisa's hat, then pointed to her. She jumped for a second, startled, then looked back to them.
"See? It's fine," I said.
"Marisa is still Marisa!" she said.
The little one made a few more sniffles, then seemed to calm. The family hugged.
"Alright, let's have 'em."
I held my hand out again. The mother seemed to know -- she took off her ribbon and handed it to me. I took off the wraps on her piu-pius. I then turned to the wasa.
"You ready?"
She shivered, then nodded. I reached down and very carefully took off the ribbons.
"Alright, wait here. Be back in a minute.
I tossed them in, a scoop of soap, and set the machine in motion. I moved back to the bathroom. The four of them were talking about me. The Reimu was curious, and worrisome for her children. Marisa seemed to set her at ease. I heard her voice her apprehension of the idea of becoming a pet again. Marisa explained to her what a, 'mister guest,' is. It's easier for a yukkuri to explain to a yukkuri. I hate having to diminish my linguistics, but I have to in order to make them understand. I stepped into the room, and nodded to the children. I picked up the family again and placed Reimu on the seat. I offered my hand, and her two kids hopped in. I placed them on the stand in the back of the walk-in shower. It was time to wash them. I kept an eye on the Reimu as I splashed her with the warm water. She let out little yus of joy. I leafed around her hair with the shampoo -- her scalp seemed pretty clean. I wasn't a professional. I dried her off and left her wrapped in the towel. KoReimu seemed to be excited -- she saw how much better her mother looked, despite being wet. I had to be much gentler with her -- she was still a ko. Too much water could cause her to dissolve. Too hard, and I'd penetrate her skin. I stuck with a single-finger, and actually, just let her rub against my finger. She really did enjoy it. I had a hand towel ready for her. After that, it was KoMarisa's turn. She was scared at first, but after a cheering from her family, calmed down. Bit of a coward, this one. She enjoyed it, though. I had to massage her, myself. Painstaking care had to be taken. Was happy that was over. I'd have to figure out a way for them to do this themselves.
After that, it was grooming. I started with the mother. I took a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, poured some of it into a small glass, picked up my 'special' comb that I still had from my dog, and began grooming her. I'm surprised -- usually those kinds of shampoos burned the scalp. I thought I'd be hearing cries of pains. Nope. Seemed they were better at the chemical effect for yukkuri. The small buggies began to pop out of her hair. She let out little cries similar to Marisa when I did this for her -- she had knots, but there were also small insects that occasionally popped up. Most of them were dead. I'd simply bring the comb to the cup and flicked them into the solution. Isopropyl alcohol killed them on impact. Learned that from my mom when she took care of our cats. Eggs and bugs. Had to make absolute certain I got them all. Pretty sure they didn't have time to get onto the pillow. What an odd set of bugs -- they weren't lice, nor ticks. There was no oils or dandruff in yukkuri scalps, nor was there blood under their skin, so what exactly did they eat? The sugar? The other two, I had to be far more careful with. If I combed too hard, it's likely I could just rip their hair out. The bugs weren't present -- likely, their scalps were too small to inhabit. Koreimu seemed to enjoy it. Her hair had almost no knots. Komarisa was scared, and shaky with the lack of a hat. I'd have to do something about that. Sanitation aside, I had to retrieve their accessories and fix their hair. Komarisa seemed upset when her family got their accessories back, except her's. I took a moment in the garage to find something for her... I dropped a small safety cap on her head.
"That'll have to do for now, little Marisa."
It seemed to calm her a bit. Now, on to more pressing matters...
"Alright! Munch-munch time! I'm sure you are all starving, and haven't had a warm meal in ages..."
The kids' faces lit up. All three began to drool slightly.
"Marisa, show them where we eat while I go prepare our food."
Marisa brought them to the couch. They were already dry. I set to work; I figured two meals would be sufficient. I often just cooked one large meal and shared it with Marisa. Whatever was left over, I'd just eat. I came out, and all four were eagerly waiting on the sofa. I placed my plate down, and the other family leaned over. Their tongues hung out of their mouth. I blocked them with my hand.
"No no. This is mine and Marisa's."
I placed a similar-looking plate across from the family. They were elated. I placed three forks around the plate.
"I'm sure you don't know how to use these, so I'll trust Marisa to show you."
They all hopped over to the table. I sat down and began poking at my food with my fork. Marisa demonstrated how to use the utensils. Mommy Reimu set to work feeding her kids. It was too difficult for them to handle. Komarisa couldn't even pick up the fork; it was too heavy for her. Koreimu tried, but couldn't figure out how to balance it. Mother did the job, and simply fed them.
"Dewishush!" cried the children as they each took a bite.
"Delithuth!" slurred the mother.
Her teeth were slowly regrowing. Not too badly. The orange juice I gave her over the last day probably helped a lot. Rather amazing -- yukkuri could regrow anything. The Koreimu told me about how at one time she was blinded by a bad yukkuri, but her eyes came back. After she woke up here, she told me she could see much clearer. I didn't quite get how orange juice could do so much for these creatures, but it worked, almost like an elixir out of one of the many RPGs I played. Afterwards, I reintroduced them to their easy place -- the spot Marisa had picked for herself. She told them how she was letting them 'borrow' it while she slept with me for the time being. Of course, Marisa and I already discussed what all of this was about. Mother Reimu pulled the door open, and her two children hopped in. Reimu slowly made her way in. In her spare time, Marisa built herself a little wall and door, which gave it a feel of a self-contained home within the closet. I placed the toilet on the outside just in case nature called in the middle of the night.
"Thith ith Reimu'th eathy plathe!"
Home declaration. I looked to Marisa, and she returned my look. We exchanged a nod. Hopefully her teeth would grow back soon. That lisp was annoying. I explained to Mother Reimu and her children the function of the toilet. Mother Reimu reiterated it to her children.
"If you don't use the toilet, you'll have to clean it up. I don't care how uneasy the smell makes you. I'm not your maid, nor your servant. I am the master of this abode, and you are my guests. If you poop and pee everywhere, I'll be forced to put you back out on the street where I found you."
The children gasped. Mother Reimu nodded.
"Now, take it easy! Mister Kei and Marisa are going sleep-sleep. You three sleep easy!"
We all exchanged good nights. Mother Reimu pulled the closet door shut behind her. I could hear them chatting away about how great it was to be indoors -- a nice soft-soft, an easy toilet, a nice meal... Marisa and I stayed up for a bit after I laid down.
"What do you think?" I asked.
Marisa looked up from her spot.
"Think of what?"
"Of them. An easy family?"
She went silent for a minute.
"Very easy family. Makes Ma-- me think of my family..."
I stared at the ceiling and thought for a second.
"Ever thought about maybe having another family again? You know, meeting another Reimu and having a few more kids?"
I heard her gasp.
"No, not them. Another Reimu. Or another yukkuri."
"W-would... mister Kei be easy with that?"
I poked her with my foot.
"You have my permission. Just let me know. I'd like to meet who Marisa chooses for her bride."
"O-... okay!"
Oh, one last thing... I know this might be tough for you, but... would you be willing to give that Marisa your little one's hat?"
I looked over at her. She looked as if she knew I was going to ask. She looked to me and shook her head. I smiled.
"It's okay. It's too precious for you. It's fine."
She let out a sigh of relief. I had a feeling it might be asking much. I rolled over onto my side and drifted away. I felt her snuggle into me again just as I had fallen asleep. It didn't really disturb me -- but any sudden movement like that always alerted me.
I made sure to wake up early with Marisa. Wanted to check in on the family and make them breakfast. The toilet had been used last night. Good. They were learning how to be indoor yukkuri. I let Marisa do most of the explaining about breakfast, greeting me when I get home, eating mister crunch-crunch flakes, mister TV, mister remote control, and mister building blocks. Stuff to keep them busy. I'd bring them some toys later. We bid our farewells, and I set off to work. Work was a little rough for me today. My mind kept wandering to the family. I had a feeling they weren't going to suddenly scum out on me, and possibly make Marisa go scum. Stay positive! Marisa knows what she's doing, and they're a fairly easy family. It rained fairly hard, which meant we were a little busier than usual. When I got off, I made sure to make a quick stop at the store. The rain had cleared and I had to restock food and get some toys for the little kids. Got a small broomstick toy for Komarisa and a ying-yang ball for Koreimu. I was almost home, still a bit worried about what I was going to find when I opened the door.
"H...e...l..p..."
My concentration shattered. I looked around. Where did that come from? It was faint, but had a distinct tone to it... the echo that was attached to it... the storm drain? I moved to it and leaned over. Sure enough, there was a Marisa down there. A stem was growing from her head, and she had a large tear up her torso. Her paste was floating in the water, and she was lifeless. Not good. I quickly bolted to my house and opened the door.
"Welcome home..." I bolted by them, "... easy?"
I ran to my room and grabbed my pair of snips, then to the kitchen. I filled up a glass with some water and took a few large tablespoons of sugar and mixed it in. I darted out the door with my items. The four yukkuri stared at me as I passed by. They tried to say something, but my mind was too preoccupied to hear it. They followed me outside, but remained on my driveway. I placed the cup and my snips next to the storm drain. I leaned down and grabbed the grate. These things were freakin' heavy. I pulled and slid it open, then eased my way down. Couldn't make any heavy splashes. I reached out and grabbed the snips. I leaned down and examined the Marisa. I lifted her eyelid. Her eyes were dull. She was too far gone, and lost too much paste. However, that stem... I snipped it as close to her head as I could. By now, the four were on the edge of the slope into my driveway, and were watching me. I slipped the stem into the sugar water. I picked up the Marisa. Shame. Looked like she was abandoned by her spouse. I climbed out with the Marisa, pocketed my snips, and picked up the cup. She hung lifelessly under my arm. The four looked to me. Mother Reimu had tears in her eyes. I approached them, and held the glass to them.
"Don't cry. In her death, new life will spring forth."
I held the glass out to them. Their eyes went wide.
"Babies..." Marisa whispered.
I brought the glass inside and told them to keep an eye on it. I went around to the side of the house where the four stones were. They were weather-worn. I placed the Marisa there; I'd bury her later. I returned inside.
"Any changes?"
A sad expression hung on their face. The first of the buds fell off and splatted. The darkened creature was clearly dead. Possibly from the waterlogged mother. I scooped it up and placed it into a nearby napkin. I frowned and picked up the glass.
"Let me try something..."
I took it to the kitchen. They followed me in. I placed it on the counter. I added some of the growth stuff they tell you to get to help koyukkuri mature properly. The four were chatting away about the similar stalk growth of their kids. While they were distracted, I leaned over and spit in the cup. They say yukkuri in stalk birth can absorb the DNA of humans when added in. I stirred the mixture with my finger, then moved back out to the family room. All of us watched with eager anticipation. The second bud moved around, but when it opened, it was another darkened yukkuri. It's face was deformed, the accessory was not-present, and her hair hadn't grown in. Reimu, at this point, was crying slightly. The two children were unhappy. Marisa looked to me. No, I wasn't giving up yet. The third bud... it looked healthy. I took my snips out of my pocket. If I leave the second one, it'll take all the nutrients and the third won't receive any. I reached over and snipped it off. I caught it and placed it in a nearby napkin.
"Look away, please."
I folded over the napkin and squished the contents. Two out of three. Bad odds. We returned our attention to the third bud, which was showing signs of life. It stirred and bobbed. The leaves parted, and a koyukkuri gently slid out. That face. That hair. The hat. Oh, dear. I got up and ran to the kitchen. I pulled a bowl out and filled it with water. I darted back out and slid it under the stalk. Just in time! She fell from the stalk and landed into the bowl of water with a soft plunk. Her small eyes opened and she swam to the surface.
"Chake it eajy!"
The five of us exchanged glances. I nodded to them and we smiled.
"Take it easy!" we cried in response.
I gently slid my hand under the Nitori, and placed her on the table. She shook off the water.
"Hello, little Konitori, easy!" I said.
She gave a wide smile and looked to Marisa.
"Ish yew mowmy?"
Marisa shook her head.
"No, little one. Marisa is daddy!" she pointed to me with her braid, "Mister Kei is your mommy!"
I blinked a few times. I drummed my fingers against the table. Well, that was true. To an extent.
"Mowmy! Baby ish hungwy!"
Right. Just born. First meal time! As I stood up and headed to the kitchen, they exchanged greetings. Reimu's children introduced themselves as Konitori's big sisters. She was ecstatic at the idea of already having two big sisters and another mommy. I returned with a knife, removed the stalk, and chopped it up into little pieces.
"Here you go! Eat up easy!"
She went right into it. Reimu explained to her children about when that happened -- when they ate her stalk. The two listened with great intent. I picked up the two napkins. Marisa watched.
"I'll be back in a few minutes."
I moved around to the side of the house where the dead Marisa was. I looked down at her.
"Well, at least one of your kids made it. Guess the responsibility falls on us."
I leaned down and turned over some dirt.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she lives easy."
I could see Marisa watching me. She bounced over. I slid the mother into the hole and placed the two children with her. Marisa looked up at me.
"Mister Kei..."
I looked to her, then gently turned the dirt over them. I patted the spot.
"I'll get grave markers later."
I stood up and dusted my hands onto my pants.
"For now," I said, and looked to Marisa, "I believe it's dinner time."
Her expression didn't brighten for a moment. I smiled at her. She returned the smile.
Looks like our family is getting bigger...
[Ch2 end.]
[Whew.]
[Not all the stuff I wanted in this chapter, but about 95% of it]
[Got lots more to come. It's about to get even bigger.]
[Please be patient as the busy time at my job starts now. Dunno if I'll have the energy to pump out the next chapter as fast. I'll give it my best, though.]
[Thank you for reading easy!]
I was surprised. Well, sort-of. Marisa seemed to adjust well to the daily routine. I wasn't exactly sure how well she was handling herself in an empty house during my work days, but she was always happy to see me when I got home.
"Welcome home, Mister Kei!" she would yell, and bounce up and down.
All I had to do was offer my arms and she would jump right in. She'd tell me about her day -- about the cartoons she watched, and we'd eat dinner together. She kept her droppings organized in the toilet I made, or she would simply use my bathroom. As for the whole wanting to sleep with me, I'd let it slide some days.
"Okay, this time. But tomorrow, I need my sleep," I would tell her, then let her into my room, "But tomorrow, you have to sleep in your easy place."
She always seemed a little depressed about that, but I had to put my foot down now and again. Couldn't let her start taking advantage. I knew, with all the stories I read, that I had to raise her like a human child -- boundaries had to be set. She knew not to test my patience. She had her stray life as a reminder of what it meant to upset the human who took care of her, and in this case, she was considered, 'less than a pet.' Or at least that's the impression I wanted to leave with her. For the time being. In any case, I kept my eye on her. I looked up common yukkuri diseases, and checked her out myself. Seemed she was rather clean for a stray, or perhaps the disease and such had yet evolved to attack their species as of yet. They existed in the other countries for years, but were still relatively new here. Or maybe she just got lucky.
In the meantime, life proceeded as normal. I took a few photos of her for friends at work. I saw some more strays moving in around our neighborhood. They kept to themselves -- our city was rather large. When they built the city, they built it with mostly homes, but kept things sparse. They didn't want the kind of issues the nearby, high population density cities had, so there was plenty of space for stray yukkuri to make homes with little interference from humans. Some had even made homes on my walking paths -- to and from work, and to and from the market, and other areas I normally walked. They were clever -- our city spent a lot of money on beautification projects, like maintaining trees and shrubbery. The yukkuri would simply move into these large bushes and built small homes, often by just positioning some plastic bags and other junk within the branches. Like a make-shift tarp. It did well to keep them dry during the storms. Others built their homes into burrows near trees, then simply covered the opening with junk in order to keep the rain out. They had to adjust fast -- it was rainy and hot around where I lived. Even the winters never got too cold.
Perhaps it was all the work the maintenance crews did, but the flowers I noticed springing up near work? I saw her. It was a green-haired, red-eyed yukkuri. A Yuuka, I believe. She maintained the small garden of flowers. I overheard the gardeners ponder who had planted them -- Yuuka kept almost completely out-of-sight when humans came near, but I knew she was there. I saw her leer at me when I approached her flowers.
"Mmm. They smell so nice. Someone must have put a lot of easiness into these to make them so lovely."
I'd drop praise like that, mostly to ham it up. I knew she listened, and knew she loved that someone noticed her work. Yukkuri loved praise, especially when they worked hard. I would make sure each day I passed by to lay on a compliment. I even saw her once leave the comfort of her easy place to watch me pass by one time. After a few days of this, she stopped hiding and simply continued her business. I gave her a small wave as I passed by.
"Take it easy!"
She gave me a smile and nodded. Maybe she wasn't the talking-type. On the way home after that day, however, I decided to see if she would be willing to chat...
"So, this is your garden, huh?"
She looked up at me and nodded. I lowered myself down so I could get a closer look at her. I looked at the flower and gently stroked it's stem.
"You must be a very easy gardener. Mister flower here looks very happy."
Her face beamed. She gave a few nods. I looked to her.
"You know, mister human has a pretty big easy place with lots of space for Yuuka to make a really big easy garden. Best of all, there aren't any mister humans to have to hide from -- you can just stay right out there and work as long as you want."
She blinked a few times. She sank a bit and looked off to the side. She shook her head. I canted my head and blinked.
"Are you sure? I don't mind at all. I'm not asking Yuuka to be mister human's pet, I'm just offering her, ya know, maybe an easier place to make her garden?"
She smiled and shook her head. I stood up with a sigh and smiled.
"Well, if you change your mind, let me know~"
She nodded, and went back to work tending to her garden. I could almost swear I heard her humming.
The next subjects of interest was when I was at the supermarket the other day. Did all my shopping for foodstuff there, and they even had a decent supply of yukkuri goods, along with other various pet goods. It wasn't anything special, but had all the stuff one would need if one was so inclined to research what one needed to raise a yukkuri. Also, they made fantastic subs. I ran through the checklist in my head as I was leaving, and
"Hey! Mishder Human!"
I looked down. It was a Reimu. Not just a Reimu. A wasa-type. She had the bushy little pom-pom-like piu-pius.
"You shuud gib Reibu wots of munsh-munsh! Now ish fine! Showy for being sho coot!"
I stared for a moment. Hm. Normally in other peoples' tales, this is the part where they'd kick her, kill her, or some other form of abyuse. I was feeling rather magnanimous. I think I'd have some fun here. Towards her side, under the bench, was a small Marisa. Must have been a relative. She was shaking a bit, her piu-piu curled over her face.
"Hey! Shtoopid human! Didn't chu hear Weibu! Wanna die? Give munsh-munsh!"
I knelt down. I lifted my brow.
"Mister heard you. Mister was just curious about something."
"Oh? Wash mishder human shtunned by Weibu's cyootenesh?"
I shook my head.
"I was wondering, is that how you ask your mother for food?"
That seemed to shock her.
"M-mishder human bedder nod be buwwying Weibu'sh mommy!"
Bingo. I grinned slightly. The Marisa crawled out slightly.
"W-Weibu... wet's just gow eajy..."
Reimu turned to her.
"Don'd be shiwwy! Weibu's cutenesh ish gonna ged ush lotsh of munsh-munsh easy!"
"Hey! You didn't answer my question. Fine," I said, and pointed at the Marisa, "You. You're hungry, too, right? How do you ask your mother for munch-munch?"
The Marisa jumped slightly in panic. She trembled as I asked the question. It seemed to confuse her a bit, but she took a moment to think. She looked up at me.
"Mowmy... Mawisha ish hungry... pwease give Mawisha mishder munsh-munsh... lots is fine?"
I looked into my bag. If I was going to give her food, it would have to be something soft. Yukkuri that young don't have well-developed teeth. Well, I was picking up some grapes today... I opened the bag, plucked off a few, and placed them in front of Marisa. Her face beamed and she scooped one up into her mouth. She chewed and exclaimed.
"Dewishus!"
Reimu's jaw dropped and she moved to take one of the grapes.
"Widdle shishter should share munsh-munsh!"
I chopped my hand down and cut off Reimu's path. She stopped in front of it.
"H-hey! Mishder human! Move mishder hand so Weibu can munsh munsh! Don't be a buwwy!"
Marisa looked at my hand, then to me.
"M-mishder... Mawisha wands to share wich shishder..."
I shook my head.
"If your sister wants munch-munch, she can ask mister human for it."
By then, she was trying to push my hand away with her head. Apparently, the idea of going around it never crossed her mind. Upon hearing that, though, she looked up at me. She puffed-up slightly and glared.
"You can get as angry as you want, but if you don't ask nicely, you will get nothing."
"Ask wike misder human ish mommy!"
She growled and puffed more. Tears came to her eyes as she heard her sister call out her happiness from the grapes again. She lowered her head and deflated.
"Mowmy, can Weibu have munsh-munsh? Now ish fine..."
I lifted my hand and reached into the bag of grapes. I took a few more, placed the same amount in front of Reimu as I did Marisa, then placed more in between both. I smiled to them.
"Enjoy."
"Babies? Babies!" I heard cried.
A larger Reimu came bouncing over.
"Oh, oh, babies! Mommy was so worried!" she said, and quickly took both with her piu-pius.
She hugged and rub-rubbed both, then placed them both down. Apparently, she hadn't noticed me y-- wait. She sprang up as she saw me. She put both of her children down, turned them to me, then forced them to bow with her piu-pius.
"Ah! A mister human!" she said, and quickly bowed, "Please, do not hurt Reimu's precious babies! Forgive them if they were rude to you! Beat up Reimu if you must, but do not hurt her babies!"
I stood up and smiled. A proper mother.
"M-mowmy, mishder human ish..." Marisa tried to say.
"No! You should always be nice to a mister human! They can do horrible things to yukkuri if you make them uneasy!"
I raised both of my hands.
"It's fine, it's fine! Take it easy! Mister human is an easy human. Reimu's precious babies are also easy little ones..." I said, and pointed to the young Reimu, "Even if they don't know how to be all that polite. But that's okay, she learned a little, right?" I said, and pushed the grapes to the family.
Reimu looked at the grapes, then to me. It was then I noticed her left eye was closed, and her right eye was only slightly opened. Her face had dents in it. Stray life must have been rough on her, and she must have taken a few beatings for her kids.
"Is Mister really giving this to us?"
The children were already happily munching away. I gave her a nod, broke off a small branch, and offered them to her.
"By all means. Let your meal tonight be on me."
Her look of surprise shifted to a large smile.
"Thank you easy, mister!" she looked to her children, "You see, you should always be nice to mister humans! They can be very kind!"
She must have been a pet. My inquisitive nature was piqued. I had to investigate.
"Would you mind if mister human escorted you and your family home?"
She gave me a puzzled look.
"Pweash, mowmy! Mishder human ish our eashy fwiend!"
Yes. Please. Convince mommy. She looked to her children, who continued their pleading, and gave in. She lead me around the corner of the supermarket, and behind it. She had a small cardboard box she lived in that was situated in a corner, behind some pallets they had. A good spot, and was hard to get rained on, especially with the gutter just above them to redirect any rain that came from the roof. Smart mom. I started my inquiry -- I asked about her, her family, where her husband was... was the usual story. She was, indeed, a pet. Silver badge, this time. Her mister human was nice, from what I gathered, or at least she thought he was. From things she said, I gathered he was a bit of an asshole. As she continued, it ended in the usual fashion -- her human kicked her out after she met the love of her life. Even before they had children. Sounded to me like he was just looking for an excuse to get rid of her. She then told me about how her husband betrayed her; the Marisa just used her in hopes of becoming a pet yukkuri, then left the family.
"Well, if you like, mister human has a rather large easy place..."
I thought I'd offer. She refused. It seemed odd to me -- with how everyone depicts them as lazy, easy-seeking creatures, with the exception of the Marisa who lived with me now, no adult stray seemed to want to move in with me. Was it my smell? My approach? I'd have to spend some time thinking about it. Even the children liked how they lived -- the supermarkets always had plenty of discarded food. Reimu told me that there was another mister human hunt-hunted there and would sometimes share his munch-munch with her and her family. I gave them another stem of grapes to help them get, 'full-full.' I hung out for a little while -- chatted with them. The wasa wasn't that bad -- she was pretty narcissistic, but she wasn't 'bad.' She was just self-absorbed and vain. I talked to her a bit about it, and explained how her sister's politeness is more important than her cuteness. She didn't get it much, but I knew she eventually would -- if I kept pushing it into her mind. Of course, I felt her mother had passed on much of her knowledge as a pet yukkuri into her babies. They were very polite around her. A cute little family. It was odd, seeing this third set of Reimus and Marisas, and they were so variant from the others I had encountered already. Even though they all looked the same to me, they all varied greatly. Hell, I began to wonder how they could tell one-another apart. Scent? Chemical? Some kind of vibration their cores put off? Shape? Exactly how good was their eyesight? My mind snapped back to reality, and I checked the time. I was running late.
"Well, if you change your mind, I don't mind at all. I already have a Marisa who lives with me. I'm sure she'd love to have the company while mister does hunt-hunt."
We bid our farewells. I was worried that something was going to happen to the family. I kept it in the back of my mind as I got home. Marisa was waiting for me by the door and eagerly greeted me. Once I settled in, dinner was served, and TV was watched, as our usual routine. Sometimes I'd have to catch-up on my gaming, but not always. Marisa was a great fangirl; she'd fawn over my victories and would curse my failures. I didn't even have to say anything -- she did it all for me, all while yelling at a screen. During dinner, though, I felt the need to pop the question...
"Hey, Marisa?"
She looked over to me with a soft, "Yu?"
"What would you say if I wanted to adopt a few more yukkuri?" I studied her expression as she turned to face me, "You know... to keep you company during the day, maybe? Or maybe even find you a new wife?"
She fell silent for a few moments, then blinked.
"Why is Mister Kei asking Marisa this?"
I shook my head. Still speaking in third-person.
"Me this, Marisa. Remember: stop saying your name. I at the start of a sentence, me at the closing. Talk of yourself, not about yourself," was off-topic... I shook my head, "Anyway, I wanted to know what you thought of that idea. You know, maybe bring in another yukkuri or two... I just wanted to see if you'd be easy with it. Like, I don't want you getting jealous and thinking that they're going to steal me away from you. Rest assured -- I'm still gonna take care of you all the same."
Her gaze lowered, then returned to me.
"But... why is Mister Kei asking Ma-- me? It's Mister's easy place, and Ma--", she paused, and thought for a second.
"I am."
She gave a nod.
"... and I am just mister's guest."
I grinned. Okay, confession time, I suppose. I let out a light sigh, then gently lowered myself down onto the floor. I wanted to be at eye-level with her.
"Alright. I'll tell it to you straight -- I've been thinking about it lately, and I've decided," I said, and pointed to her, "Marisa is no longer my guest."
Her face filled with hope.
"Mari -- uh, I am Mister Kei's pet?!" she exclaimed, and almost started bouncing.
"... no!"
She froze in confusion.
"B-but...?"
I shook my head, and smiled.
"Pet implies ownership. I don't feel I own you. You're Marisa, a yukkuri, and you've earned your individuality."
She moved to speak, but I think she didn't quite get it. I kept the smile and continued.
"See, if I say you're my, 'pet,' that means I own you. Like a slave or something. But you're not a slave. You're family now."
Her eyes widened as she rose up slightly.
"F-family? Like, Mar-- I am a human?! Or Mister Kei is yukkuri?!"
I shook my head and laughed. Not quite getting it.
"No, I mean like, humans who own dogs and cats like to view their pets as family. You know, one of them. Family takes care of family, like how I take care of you, and you take care of me."
That seemed to confuse her again.
"But how does Ma--"
She stopped. Guess more grammar lessons.
"How do I?"
A nod.
"How do I take care of you easy?"
A smile and I poked her head.
"By being easy. When I get home, you greet me with such energy and happiness, no matter how tired I am, no matter how hard my day was, I feel better again. I look forward to coming home and spending the rest of my evening with you!"
Her face beamed.
"L-like wife!" she exclaimed.
Whoa. Back up, a second here.
"Uh, no... like... family!"
Yeah... that whole, 'she's in love with me thing,' just kind of slipped. Freudian, I suppose. Odd that she viewed me as the mother figure. Well, whatever. She seemed to get it. Sort of.
"So! Back to my question: would you be okay if I brought home some more yukkuri?"
She gave a large smile and nodded.
"If they are as easy as Mister Kei, then I am easy with it too!"
"Alright! Take it easy!" I said and gave her a thumbs up.
"Take it easy!" she exclaimed and gave a sort-of thumbs up with her braid.
I let her sleep with me that night. I didn't want to tell her she was family, then go yell at her to sleep in her easy place. Over the next few days, the routine had it's additions: I'd visit Yuuka on the way to and from work, stop by the Reimu family if I had time, but had one little event occur: when I passed by the storm drains near my house, I almost faintly heard the voice of a Marisa and the voice of something unknown. I couldn't see anything -- they must have been further up the drains. They must have taken refuge down there. A dangerous place to live, considering how much it rained around here. I called to them, but the voices would only go silent. Either that, or they started talking so low, I couldn't hear them any more. I yelled down the warning. Doubt they'd heed it. The interruptions aside, the routine proceeded normally for about another week and a half; me occasionally coaxing the Yuuka and Reimu to come home with me, while also noticing that yukkuri presence was on the rise around town. It still wasn't that often, but I'd still sometimes spot one ducking around a corner or notice a box where one wasn't the other day. I made it a point to not disturb them.
It wasn't that long later before I went to Reimu's house to check-in. The box was gone. Well, shit. My heart dropped for a moment.
"... seriously. Again?"
I stood up and looked around. There's no way they could have gotten far. Someone who worked there must have disposed of them and/or their home... I sniffed the air. No. Nothing rotten. I moved around the pallets and saw her -- Reimu. Her face was swollen, but she had a light smile on her face. Her eyes were closed. Scoff marks decorated her, and even a few foot prints were indented into her skin. Near her were her two flattened children; their paste had the distinct markings of a shoe. Marisa's hat seemed to be missing, as well.
"Mo...mmy...is...co...ming..."
She talked. She couldn't have been dead. It must have been very recent. I didn't have any time to waste. I sprinted around and darted into the grocery store. Let's see... orange juice, medium lock bags, flour, sugar... I didn't know how much of it I had left at home. I darted to the customer service desk -- they could ring you up there, and was, oddly enough, almost never occupied by a line, unlike the express lane. I bolted outside and around the corner. I didn't have much time. They gave me my purchases in two bags -- which was perfect. I moved the OJ, flour, and bags into the one bag, picked up the mother, and slid her into the other bag. I moved to the children and, as gently as I could, pushed the bean paste back into their bodies. I slid what I could, took out a baggie, scooped up the Marisa, slid her into the bag, opened the OJ, and poured a little in. Almost instantly, I could see her body absorbing it. Her squashed body began to inflate. My heart rose a bit. Now, for the wasa. She, likely, was the cause of this -- her form was face-up, unlike the Marisa, who was face-down. As I worked her body back together, I pieced together in my mind what probably happened. She probably mouthed off to a human, and he didn't take kindly -- he squished her. The mother, likely too late, probably begged him to stop, or told Marisa to run, who couldn't have possibly gotten far before whoever got her, then probably beat the mother because she was there. With the OJ added to the bag, I observed Reimu's body begin to slowly reform. The paste seemed to seep back into the body. I let out a sigh of relief, and looked to the mother Reimu. I placed my hand on her head. Still warm. I dabbed a little OJ on her, picked up my Reimu-in-a-Bag, and headed home.
"Mister Kei! Mister Kei!"
I came dashing into the kitchen, but shushed her. Her braid came up and covered her mouth.
"Not so loud! They need their sleep!" I whispered.
She pointed to the mother Reimu with her braid. She was stirring. I walked closer, Marisa's eyes on me. I gently pulled the bag down around her. I placed my hand on her cheek. Her eye cracked open -- I examined it. It was dull. She was likely delirious. Possible concussive-like status.
"Y-yu... w... warm..." I heard her utter, "i... is thish... heaven?"
A slur. Yep. A few of her teeth were knocked out. I'll have to take care of that later. I leaned down to her.
"Well, not quite heaven, but possibly the next best thing."
I felt her rub against my hand as I spoke. She stopped and looked up at me.
"Y... yu... ish that... kind mishter human...?"
"Mhm."
I could almost feel her mood darken through my hand.
"P... pleash... kill Reimu..."
Marisa gasped. I looked at her with a slight glare. She put her braid over her mouth. I looked back at Reimu.
"I will do no such thing."
"B... but... Reimu... her preshush babiesh... th-they..."
"They're fine," I replied.
The color began to return to her. She rose up, and her eye seemed to regain focus.
"Y... yu?"
I turned around. I kept them in a small shoe box while they recovered. I turned around and showed her the contents -- two mostly-mummified yukkuri, sleeping peacefully. Her expression shot from hope to disbelief to happiness in the span of 5 seconds. I quickly put my hand over her mouth, just in time to muffle her cry of happiness. I felt her push against my hand, her braids flailing, trying desperately to reach for her two sleeping children.
"Shh! They're sleeping. Your babies need time to rest. They'll be okay, but they need easiness right now. Mister human will take care of them. Mommy should rest and take it easy."
She looked up at me. Her eyes welled-up. Something must have happened to her right eye -- it didn't open. She looked up at me and nodded. I placed the shoe box back on top of the kitchen counter and turned back to her. I had already prepared some lemonade for them, in case they woke up and had trouble falling back asleep. I offered it to her.
"Drink. It'll help you sleep."
She took a mild sip, yawned, and snuggled into her bag. I looked to Marisa and nodded. She happily bounced up and down. I placed my hand on her head to stop her, then gently ran my fingers through her hair.
"Before you ask, yes, they're the ones I wanted to adopt."
There were others, but these three were high up on my list. I picked up the mother and went to Marisa's easy place. I slid her onto her bed. Of course, she didn't mind -- I already told her that if she lets them sleep in there, she gets to sleep with me. I got about as much argument as I thought I would -- none. When she was secured, I brought the shoe box over. I filled an eyedropper with some orange juice, and dripped it onto the children. Directions stated to not overexpose yukkuri to orange juice -- it could lead to some bad side-effects, the worst of which was addiction to OJ. Hope I didn't overdo it.
I took Marisa into my room and explained to her the, 'game,' I played with her -- that the idea was not to make them feel entitled to living with us.
"You have to be nice to them. No matter what. Even if any of them say or do something that makes you uneasy." I pointed to Marisa, "Just let me know if they do anything that makes you uneasy."
She understood. I hope she did. Couldn't have her blowing my cover that I really wanted to keep them. Had to make them feel like they earned it -- they'd appreciate it more, that way. Marisa understood it when I explained it to her.
"It's like as if you spent all day hunt-hunting a delicious bug... and you finally caught it... and it tasted so much better because you worked so hard to catch it. Know what I mean?"
A small trickle of drool was rolling down from the edge of her mouth. Was pretty sure she got it.
I left my door open that night and told Marisa to wake me up if she heard anything. I was a late sleeper -- Marisa was always, apparently, awake way before me. Like the obedient friend she was, she woke me up, bright and early the next day. We both sat back and watched as they awoke to their unfamiliar easy place. All three of them, at first, thought they were in heaven. The mother slowly recalled last night, and the children weren't sure why they were bundled-up in so much soft-soft. It was rather amusing. Even Marisa got a chuckle. The mother moved to the closet door and slid it open.
"Take it easy!" Marisa and I shouted to them.
The mother was taken aback. The children's mouths hung open.
"Mishter human!"
The kids bounced to me and rub-rubbed against my legs. I offered them my hand, and they rub-rubbed against it frantically.
"Hey! Easy, you two! You're going to rub off your bandages!"
The mother was still in shock. She was in a home again, after all. I looked to her and waved to her with my free hand. Marisa waved to her with her braid.
"Welcome home, Reimu."
What followed the events was what I spent the night rehearsing to myself. I knew everything she'd say -- she didn't want to stay, didn't want to be a pet, blah-blah-blah. I was already prepared.
"I'm not taking no for an answer. You're staying here. You and your family."
The children loved the idea. The mother, I could tell, really liked it, but her pride was in the way. I explained to both Marisa and Reimu that it was their job to teach their kids how to live in-doors. To poo-poo and pee-pee in a mister toilet, the dangerous electrical snake jungle, where not to go in my house (even though I kept the doors shut), where food and water was, and my role in all of this. I don't know what happened, and nor did they remember, but they knew one minute they were at their easy place, and the next, here. Probably for the best that they forget. I took preparations for this a few days ago -- I got an extra two toilets to place around the house -- I kept one near the closet, and the other in the bathroom. I got a child seat attachment for the toilet -- when the kos got older, I'd potty-train them. I also picked up stuff to clean up strays in case they had any kind of parasites -- some special shampoo for any bugs inhabiting their hair, conditioner to clean it up, medicine to kill off any worms, and a spray in case parasites lived in their mouth. I especially kept my eye on the KoMarisa, who's hat was gone. Probably taken by their assailant, or possibly destroyed. Or both. Regardless, I clapped my hands together.
"Alright! First thing's first! A tour of the house!"
I picked up Reimu, and she picked up her children. I copied the exact tour I gave Marisa. I even let her tell most of the details of the household. I'd be adopting more. It'd be nice to not have to do all the work myself. Once we finished, I headed to the master bedroom's bathroom, and placed them on the ground. Marisa was giggling. She knew what was coming.
"Alright! Time for an easy shower!"
The children were confused. They turned to their mother.
"Mowmy, was a shower?" the hatless Marisa asked.
She seemed confused. Probably her asshole owner never sanitized her. I let Marisa explain.
"It's when Mister Kei is going to take some mister shampoo and clean-clean you! When he finishes, you'll be all nice and shiny like Marisa!"
I smiled.
"Yup. But first!" I said, and raised my hand. I offered my open palm, "I need your accessories. I'll go put them in mister washer so they can get clean-cleaned as well."
KoMarisa panicked.
"M-mommy! Where ish Mawicha's mister hat?!"
Guess she noticed now. She went into full-on panic. Tears and wails. Her sister, despite her scum attitude, seemed to be very affectionate and reassuring to her sister. It took a few moments to calm her. I made sure to call her Marisa at every possible opportunity -- I read about accessory loss, and how untrained yukkuri panic at the loss of their accessory. Perhaps by reminding her of her identity, it would ease her.
"Don't worry, Marisa. Mommy knows Marisa is Marisa," Reimu told her child.
I plucked up Marisa's hat, then pointed to her. She jumped for a second, startled, then looked back to them.
"See? It's fine," I said.
"Marisa is still Marisa!" she said.
The little one made a few more sniffles, then seemed to calm. The family hugged.
"Alright, let's have 'em."
I held my hand out again. The mother seemed to know -- she took off her ribbon and handed it to me. I took off the wraps on her piu-pius. I then turned to the wasa.
"You ready?"
She shivered, then nodded. I reached down and very carefully took off the ribbons.
"Alright, wait here. Be back in a minute.
I tossed them in, a scoop of soap, and set the machine in motion. I moved back to the bathroom. The four of them were talking about me. The Reimu was curious, and worrisome for her children. Marisa seemed to set her at ease. I heard her voice her apprehension of the idea of becoming a pet again. Marisa explained to her what a, 'mister guest,' is. It's easier for a yukkuri to explain to a yukkuri. I hate having to diminish my linguistics, but I have to in order to make them understand. I stepped into the room, and nodded to the children. I picked up the family again and placed Reimu on the seat. I offered my hand, and her two kids hopped in. I placed them on the stand in the back of the walk-in shower. It was time to wash them. I kept an eye on the Reimu as I splashed her with the warm water. She let out little yus of joy. I leafed around her hair with the shampoo -- her scalp seemed pretty clean. I wasn't a professional. I dried her off and left her wrapped in the towel. KoReimu seemed to be excited -- she saw how much better her mother looked, despite being wet. I had to be much gentler with her -- she was still a ko. Too much water could cause her to dissolve. Too hard, and I'd penetrate her skin. I stuck with a single-finger, and actually, just let her rub against my finger. She really did enjoy it. I had a hand towel ready for her. After that, it was KoMarisa's turn. She was scared at first, but after a cheering from her family, calmed down. Bit of a coward, this one. She enjoyed it, though. I had to massage her, myself. Painstaking care had to be taken. Was happy that was over. I'd have to figure out a way for them to do this themselves.
After that, it was grooming. I started with the mother. I took a bottle of isopropyl alcohol, poured some of it into a small glass, picked up my 'special' comb that I still had from my dog, and began grooming her. I'm surprised -- usually those kinds of shampoos burned the scalp. I thought I'd be hearing cries of pains. Nope. Seemed they were better at the chemical effect for yukkuri. The small buggies began to pop out of her hair. She let out little cries similar to Marisa when I did this for her -- she had knots, but there were also small insects that occasionally popped up. Most of them were dead. I'd simply bring the comb to the cup and flicked them into the solution. Isopropyl alcohol killed them on impact. Learned that from my mom when she took care of our cats. Eggs and bugs. Had to make absolute certain I got them all. Pretty sure they didn't have time to get onto the pillow. What an odd set of bugs -- they weren't lice, nor ticks. There was no oils or dandruff in yukkuri scalps, nor was there blood under their skin, so what exactly did they eat? The sugar? The other two, I had to be far more careful with. If I combed too hard, it's likely I could just rip their hair out. The bugs weren't present -- likely, their scalps were too small to inhabit. Koreimu seemed to enjoy it. Her hair had almost no knots. Komarisa was scared, and shaky with the lack of a hat. I'd have to do something about that. Sanitation aside, I had to retrieve their accessories and fix their hair. Komarisa seemed upset when her family got their accessories back, except her's. I took a moment in the garage to find something for her... I dropped a small safety cap on her head.
"That'll have to do for now, little Marisa."
It seemed to calm her a bit. Now, on to more pressing matters...
"Alright! Munch-munch time! I'm sure you are all starving, and haven't had a warm meal in ages..."
The kids' faces lit up. All three began to drool slightly.
"Marisa, show them where we eat while I go prepare our food."
Marisa brought them to the couch. They were already dry. I set to work; I figured two meals would be sufficient. I often just cooked one large meal and shared it with Marisa. Whatever was left over, I'd just eat. I came out, and all four were eagerly waiting on the sofa. I placed my plate down, and the other family leaned over. Their tongues hung out of their mouth. I blocked them with my hand.
"No no. This is mine and Marisa's."
I placed a similar-looking plate across from the family. They were elated. I placed three forks around the plate.
"I'm sure you don't know how to use these, so I'll trust Marisa to show you."
They all hopped over to the table. I sat down and began poking at my food with my fork. Marisa demonstrated how to use the utensils. Mommy Reimu set to work feeding her kids. It was too difficult for them to handle. Komarisa couldn't even pick up the fork; it was too heavy for her. Koreimu tried, but couldn't figure out how to balance it. Mother did the job, and simply fed them.
"Dewishush!" cried the children as they each took a bite.
"Delithuth!" slurred the mother.
Her teeth were slowly regrowing. Not too badly. The orange juice I gave her over the last day probably helped a lot. Rather amazing -- yukkuri could regrow anything. The Koreimu told me about how at one time she was blinded by a bad yukkuri, but her eyes came back. After she woke up here, she told me she could see much clearer. I didn't quite get how orange juice could do so much for these creatures, but it worked, almost like an elixir out of one of the many RPGs I played. Afterwards, I reintroduced them to their easy place -- the spot Marisa had picked for herself. She told them how she was letting them 'borrow' it while she slept with me for the time being. Of course, Marisa and I already discussed what all of this was about. Mother Reimu pulled the door open, and her two children hopped in. Reimu slowly made her way in. In her spare time, Marisa built herself a little wall and door, which gave it a feel of a self-contained home within the closet. I placed the toilet on the outside just in case nature called in the middle of the night.
"Thith ith Reimu'th eathy plathe!"
Home declaration. I looked to Marisa, and she returned my look. We exchanged a nod. Hopefully her teeth would grow back soon. That lisp was annoying. I explained to Mother Reimu and her children the function of the toilet. Mother Reimu reiterated it to her children.
"If you don't use the toilet, you'll have to clean it up. I don't care how uneasy the smell makes you. I'm not your maid, nor your servant. I am the master of this abode, and you are my guests. If you poop and pee everywhere, I'll be forced to put you back out on the street where I found you."
The children gasped. Mother Reimu nodded.
"Now, take it easy! Mister Kei and Marisa are going sleep-sleep. You three sleep easy!"
We all exchanged good nights. Mother Reimu pulled the closet door shut behind her. I could hear them chatting away about how great it was to be indoors -- a nice soft-soft, an easy toilet, a nice meal... Marisa and I stayed up for a bit after I laid down.
"What do you think?" I asked.
Marisa looked up from her spot.
"Think of what?"
"Of them. An easy family?"
She went silent for a minute.
"Very easy family. Makes Ma-- me think of my family..."
I stared at the ceiling and thought for a second.
"Ever thought about maybe having another family again? You know, meeting another Reimu and having a few more kids?"
I heard her gasp.
"No, not them. Another Reimu. Or another yukkuri."
"W-would... mister Kei be easy with that?"
I poked her with my foot.
"You have my permission. Just let me know. I'd like to meet who Marisa chooses for her bride."
"O-... okay!"
Oh, one last thing... I know this might be tough for you, but... would you be willing to give that Marisa your little one's hat?"
I looked over at her. She looked as if she knew I was going to ask. She looked to me and shook her head. I smiled.
"It's okay. It's too precious for you. It's fine."
She let out a sigh of relief. I had a feeling it might be asking much. I rolled over onto my side and drifted away. I felt her snuggle into me again just as I had fallen asleep. It didn't really disturb me -- but any sudden movement like that always alerted me.
I made sure to wake up early with Marisa. Wanted to check in on the family and make them breakfast. The toilet had been used last night. Good. They were learning how to be indoor yukkuri. I let Marisa do most of the explaining about breakfast, greeting me when I get home, eating mister crunch-crunch flakes, mister TV, mister remote control, and mister building blocks. Stuff to keep them busy. I'd bring them some toys later. We bid our farewells, and I set off to work. Work was a little rough for me today. My mind kept wandering to the family. I had a feeling they weren't going to suddenly scum out on me, and possibly make Marisa go scum. Stay positive! Marisa knows what she's doing, and they're a fairly easy family. It rained fairly hard, which meant we were a little busier than usual. When I got off, I made sure to make a quick stop at the store. The rain had cleared and I had to restock food and get some toys for the little kids. Got a small broomstick toy for Komarisa and a ying-yang ball for Koreimu. I was almost home, still a bit worried about what I was going to find when I opened the door.
"H...e...l..p..."
My concentration shattered. I looked around. Where did that come from? It was faint, but had a distinct tone to it... the echo that was attached to it... the storm drain? I moved to it and leaned over. Sure enough, there was a Marisa down there. A stem was growing from her head, and she had a large tear up her torso. Her paste was floating in the water, and she was lifeless. Not good. I quickly bolted to my house and opened the door.
"Welcome home..." I bolted by them, "... easy?"
I ran to my room and grabbed my pair of snips, then to the kitchen. I filled up a glass with some water and took a few large tablespoons of sugar and mixed it in. I darted out the door with my items. The four yukkuri stared at me as I passed by. They tried to say something, but my mind was too preoccupied to hear it. They followed me outside, but remained on my driveway. I placed the cup and my snips next to the storm drain. I leaned down and grabbed the grate. These things were freakin' heavy. I pulled and slid it open, then eased my way down. Couldn't make any heavy splashes. I reached out and grabbed the snips. I leaned down and examined the Marisa. I lifted her eyelid. Her eyes were dull. She was too far gone, and lost too much paste. However, that stem... I snipped it as close to her head as I could. By now, the four were on the edge of the slope into my driveway, and were watching me. I slipped the stem into the sugar water. I picked up the Marisa. Shame. Looked like she was abandoned by her spouse. I climbed out with the Marisa, pocketed my snips, and picked up the cup. She hung lifelessly under my arm. The four looked to me. Mother Reimu had tears in her eyes. I approached them, and held the glass to them.
"Don't cry. In her death, new life will spring forth."
I held the glass out to them. Their eyes went wide.
"Babies..." Marisa whispered.
I brought the glass inside and told them to keep an eye on it. I went around to the side of the house where the four stones were. They were weather-worn. I placed the Marisa there; I'd bury her later. I returned inside.
"Any changes?"
A sad expression hung on their face. The first of the buds fell off and splatted. The darkened creature was clearly dead. Possibly from the waterlogged mother. I scooped it up and placed it into a nearby napkin. I frowned and picked up the glass.
"Let me try something..."
I took it to the kitchen. They followed me in. I placed it on the counter. I added some of the growth stuff they tell you to get to help koyukkuri mature properly. The four were chatting away about the similar stalk growth of their kids. While they were distracted, I leaned over and spit in the cup. They say yukkuri in stalk birth can absorb the DNA of humans when added in. I stirred the mixture with my finger, then moved back out to the family room. All of us watched with eager anticipation. The second bud moved around, but when it opened, it was another darkened yukkuri. It's face was deformed, the accessory was not-present, and her hair hadn't grown in. Reimu, at this point, was crying slightly. The two children were unhappy. Marisa looked to me. No, I wasn't giving up yet. The third bud... it looked healthy. I took my snips out of my pocket. If I leave the second one, it'll take all the nutrients and the third won't receive any. I reached over and snipped it off. I caught it and placed it in a nearby napkin.
"Look away, please."
I folded over the napkin and squished the contents. Two out of three. Bad odds. We returned our attention to the third bud, which was showing signs of life. It stirred and bobbed. The leaves parted, and a koyukkuri gently slid out. That face. That hair. The hat. Oh, dear. I got up and ran to the kitchen. I pulled a bowl out and filled it with water. I darted back out and slid it under the stalk. Just in time! She fell from the stalk and landed into the bowl of water with a soft plunk. Her small eyes opened and she swam to the surface.
"Chake it eajy!"
The five of us exchanged glances. I nodded to them and we smiled.
"Take it easy!" we cried in response.
I gently slid my hand under the Nitori, and placed her on the table. She shook off the water.
"Hello, little Konitori, easy!" I said.
She gave a wide smile and looked to Marisa.
"Ish yew mowmy?"
Marisa shook her head.
"No, little one. Marisa is daddy!" she pointed to me with her braid, "Mister Kei is your mommy!"
I blinked a few times. I drummed my fingers against the table. Well, that was true. To an extent.
"Mowmy! Baby ish hungwy!"
Right. Just born. First meal time! As I stood up and headed to the kitchen, they exchanged greetings. Reimu's children introduced themselves as Konitori's big sisters. She was ecstatic at the idea of already having two big sisters and another mommy. I returned with a knife, removed the stalk, and chopped it up into little pieces.
"Here you go! Eat up easy!"
She went right into it. Reimu explained to her children about when that happened -- when they ate her stalk. The two listened with great intent. I picked up the two napkins. Marisa watched.
"I'll be back in a few minutes."
I moved around to the side of the house where the dead Marisa was. I looked down at her.
"Well, at least one of your kids made it. Guess the responsibility falls on us."
I leaned down and turned over some dirt.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she lives easy."
I could see Marisa watching me. She bounced over. I slid the mother into the hole and placed the two children with her. Marisa looked up at me.
"Mister Kei..."
I looked to her, then gently turned the dirt over them. I patted the spot.
"I'll get grave markers later."
I stood up and dusted my hands onto my pants.
"For now," I said, and looked to Marisa, "I believe it's dinner time."
Her expression didn't brighten for a moment. I smiled at her. She returned the smile.
Looks like our family is getting bigger...
[Ch2 end.]
[Whew.]
[Not all the stuff I wanted in this chapter, but about 95% of it]
[Got lots more to come. It's about to get even bigger.]
[Please be patient as the busy time at my job starts now. Dunno if I'll have the energy to pump out the next chapter as fast. I'll give it my best, though.]
[Thank you for reading easy!]
Baron Mind
Dec 5, 2015, 12:36:27 AM12/5/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
I didn't comment on the last one, but rest assured I'm reading all of these! Your ideas about yukkuri are rather different to mine, but that only makes it more interesting to read.
Looking forward to more.
Саша Зайцев
Dec 5, 2015, 2:53:46 PM12/5/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
i love this story
so nice
Hitosura
Dec 5, 2015, 2:53:46 PM12/5/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
Like I said, I tend to be more magnanimous. Even though the Koreimu is a wasa, and yes, she's self-absorbed and narcissistic, I can figure logical ways around it in order to get her to do what I want. Kind of used to it with all the retail experience. She's, 'bad,' but not, 'that bad.'
The real stuff is yet to come -- next chapter, some big stuff starts happening, and it's gonna really escalate.
The real stuff is yet to come -- next chapter, some big stuff starts happening, and it's gonna really escalate.
Thomas the Dank Engine
Dec 7, 2015, 8:38:16 PM12/7/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
I imagine you will have Yuuka now enter the family. Her garden is destroyed and basically looses hope for life until mister hero pops in. Also, I like how you treat the yukkuri. They're not creatures where if they're born bad, then they're bad. They are actually just children; learning what's wrong and what isn't, of course they don't head through some torture lesson to learn. They in turn learn from having complex concepts broken down and having a peer explain. Or just He breaks it down himself. This story is honestly very nicely written. gr8 m8 w0rth the w8
Merciless Anon
Dec 8, 2015, 7:43:38 PM12/8/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
People of Fandom! Cast thine eyes upon this stoyu, and known that it is good!
Christopher Colon
Dec 9, 2015, 10:38:38 PM12/9/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
I like this, I find it quite interesting.
Hitosura
Dec 10, 2015, 5:42:19 PM12/10/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
Ch3 is in progress. Still deciding on how many events I want. In the middle of the second event for that chapter.
FYI, if you haven't figured it out, I'm basically running this entire story based on all the gathered and collective lore. In addition, I plan on expanding upon/filling in gaps of the lore. Be patient! More good stuff coming.
Assuming the season doesn't kick my ass (though I'm making progress). :P Retail. Worst month of the year.
FYI, if you haven't figured it out, I'm basically running this entire story based on all the gathered and collective lore. In addition, I plan on expanding upon/filling in gaps of the lore. Be patient! More good stuff coming.
Assuming the season doesn't kick my ass (though I'm making progress). :P Retail. Worst month of the year.
Саша Зайцев
Dec 11, 2015, 12:20:33 AM12/11/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
im out of reading material and your my only hope
Hitosura
Dec 27, 2015, 4:23:16 PM12/27/15
to Yukkuri Fanfic Translations
Sorry for the delay.
Season's over, so I should be able to get more energy to divert to my story.
Ch3 is almost done, I just couldn't find time/energy to finish.
Once I start getting my days off, etc., I'll get my motivation back.
Season's over, so I should be able to get more energy to divert to my story.
Ch3 is almost done, I just couldn't find time/energy to finish.
Once I start getting my days off, etc., I'll get my motivation back.
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