The Tale of Ashi Inuzuka

Pre-Academy (2)

"I can't wait! Papa's letter will be here any day now. I want to hear all about his adventures in the land of lighting. I'm sure it's super exciting, with a name like that!" Ashi bounced on her feet as they walked back from visiting

"I don't see the big deal Ashi. Why do you care so much about Otou-san? He's never here anyway." the boy mumbled sourly.

He stopped in the middle of the dirt road, crossing his arms over his chest. He quickly turned away from his sister with a deep frown on his face.

He never understood the deep love had for the man who was their so-called father. He was always gone, traveling between the various lands. Whenever he would come to visit, it was never long. The longest he had ever stayed had been when they were babies, newly born into the world. He had stayed until they were 5 months old and had left until they turned 2. The only reason the twins could recognize him was because their mother kept a photo of him on her in a locket.

"Papa's a good guy. He always sends us gifts and letters. Whenever he comes home, he spends a lot of time with us. He always tells us stories of all the things he's done and the people he's met. That means he has a lot of friends."

The little girl snuggled up to her brother, nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck. The boy reciprocated her affection by wrapping his arms around her, nuzzling the top of her head.

"Papa said that if something bad ever happens, they would help us. That means, in a way, he's protecting us by being away, right? So it's okay that he's not here because I know he loves us and mommy."

"I know." he quietly whispered and squeezed her a little bit tighter.

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Year 3, June

"Come on Ashi, we have to do this before mama wakes up!

"It's too early for this. Can't we just make her dinner or something?" mumbled the sleepy toddler to her younger brother while rubbing her matching eyes the color of dark lavender.

"It's Kaa-chan's birthday! Otou-san's not here so we have to make sure her day is super good!"

While their father may not be his favorite person, their mother was always happier when he was around. She was always sad when he wasn't there for her birthday.

The younger of the two twins attempted to run his fingers through his knotted hair, but gave up after a while. When Ashi didn't get up, he quickly grabbed her arms and drug her out of the bed and into the small kitchen connected to the living room of the 4 room house.

Ashi yawned wide, covering her small mouth with her hand, while her other was pulled by Kishu. She grabbed their two small aprons while her brother grabbed two chairs for them to reach the counter and stove.

The twins had a discussion yesterday while their mother was distracted at a market stall, trying to barter down the price of squash with her favorite vegetable vendor. They decided to wake up extra early to make breakfast for their mother. They highly overestimated their cooking skills.

Their highly uncoordinated limbs created a large mess of the kitchenette that their mother always kept sparkling.

"How does Kaa-chan make pancakes look so easy?" huffed the light-haired girl.