Pen Pals Across Realms

Mia flinched, deciding she'd make more pudding for Lakshmi when she heard Aoi above them stealing the rest.

"So where do you work now, Mr Former Hobo-Rogue Dad?" Aoi seemed genuinely interested in the other red head's life, smiling at her newest victim. "Are you and Mehra happy? How is Masa taking having a dad now?"

Mia flinched more, burying her face against Hibiki's arm. "...Papa and Masa....are...not..."

This was not going to end well.

Ignore...the name...ignore that name...

"I am Lak-tan's assistant." Kaimu replied, his usual way of addressing Lakshmi slipping out instead of her formal title. "We are plenty happy, yes. Shi...rakawa..."

Sore subject. Sore...subject...

Aito glanced down at Mia as she buried her face against his arm; it seemed...this was not going well...

Then again...how could things go well when Aoi was calling the man that? That was a mouthful, wasn't his name enough!? At least pick one of the things to call him!

"...That's a cute name." Aoi's eyes widened, liking that nickname and grinning as she stored it away for future use. "Laktan~ Laaak-tan~"

"Mm, if you're his father now then you shouldn't call him that. Masabutt's the best one... Hey! Masa is like a big brother to me. Does that mean you're my dad now too? I've never had a dad before!" Aoi brightened and logicked her way into a wonderful discovery! Yes!

She looked up at Kaimu hopefully.

Pure horror, pure unadulturated horror filled Mia's face as her head popped up. No! She was NOT Aoi's sister! NOOOOOOO! She froze, not breathing or moving one tiny bit...

"Geh!?" That...That was just his manner of speech...most of the time! It wasn't a nickname or anything! He tended to refer to people rather...informally like that!

Shirakawa...

"I am not Shirakawa's father!" Mia and Shirakawa were not married!

What!?

This...He could accept the little girl, Nozomi, but when did his daughter's relationship become such a package deal!?

If Aito were a good person, maybe he would have tried to distract Aoi from this...but...he was not a good person. Saving his own skin came first, he was not getting into this.

It would only draw attention to him...

Aoi had no idea what that noise was to. She just ate her pudding in oblivious happiness.

"Most of us don't have fathers 'cause they're dead, so its a novelty when one shows up. Mom's either!" Aoi sounded so cheerful as she declared that rather depressing statement. "So therefore you have to pull double duty to all the orphans like Masabutt and I through her, since we don't really have families of our own. We lack structure and a familiar hierarchy. Parents must be firm hands to guide our development."

Mia looked over at Hibiki, a rather...hopeful expression on her face as her horror disappeared. "...Rin. Send a text to Rin. Lie to him...something get him to call...you have his number? O-Or someone who could? He makes a good distraction!"

How...How did that make any sense!? Just because he was a father he had to suddenly father every damn orphan in the Seireitei!? They were all practically adults, what development!?

Rin...Aoyama, he could stop her!

Aito nodded, reaching into his pocket and producing his phone, this might...

Rin Aoyama had been one of the numbers he'd had forced on him, despite not truly knowing the man. He'd met him, but it was...a short introduction at most.

He sent the man a message, claiming that he should...really speak with Aoi...along with maybe a little bit of the truth.

It wasn't long after that that Aoi's phone would be signifying a text.

[Aoi, Ruka will be gone for a few days with friends...]

Mia watched Hibiki hopefully, wishing against wish that this...this plan could work...

A little sound came from her phone not too long after Hibiki sent out his message and Aoi reached into her pocket. She smiled warmly when she saw who it was from. "Usa! What's he ne..."

Aoi blinked as she trailed off... And then she was at the window, hopping out. "Bye guys! See you later!"

She gave a wave and disappeared, leaving behind an empty pudding bowl and broken people all around.

Mia popped up from behind the island, violet eyes wide and staring at the rather...sudden exit. "That...worked better than planned..."

Kaimu blinked as Aoi trailed off and...disappeared? No, she was at the window now! Goodbye? She was leaving!

Usa, she'd mentioned a Shiro-Usa earlier so... so they contacted her!

And just like that Aoi was gone...

When she'd gone, Aito looked over the edge of the island. She...That had definitely worked. It had worked a lot better than he'd expected.

He gave a nod to Mia's words, definitely better than planned...

Kaimu's demeanor seemed to return to normal, though...looking at the empty pudding bowl... A long, but not really all that loud whine escaped him.

All of it...was gone...

Lakshmi...

Mia smiled and nodded in return. Mission Success!

"Its okay Papa. I'll make more...why does she have such a big bowl anyways? I mean...she couldn't possibly eat all of that...you'd get...tired of it..." Mia just stared as she straightened up, hearing her father's low pitched whine... He seemed worried over the pudding for some reason?

"Is Lakshmi really...that bad about her pudding?" Moving to the cupboards, she sighed as she went about gathering the items needed to make vanilla pudding. "You...don't mind do you Hibiki? I-If I take some time to do this?"

"That, it...we were both sharing it, so that's why there's a lot." Kaimu replied, that...was a good enough excuse. "There's a lot for both of us, plus extra...she just hadn't had a chance to have any herself yet..."

This...Mia still couldn't know. Not...yet...

Aito shook his head at Mia's words, emerging fully from behind the island; "s'fine..."

Making more was fine, Aoi had eaten all of it after all.

"Oh! I didn't know you both liked it that much..." Mia nodded thoughtfully and stored it away for future use. Hibiki gave his permission and for that he got a soft smile and a nod.

Once all the items were out, she moved around the island and over to the table. Reaching her father, she patted his head and gave him a sheepish smile. "The first encounter with the Vanguard Captain is um...its special. She'll...probably be back sometimes to bother you now Papa. I'm sorry..."

That girl was the captain....

Of the Vanguards no less... Well...along with fighting he supposed she had other methods of destroying her enemies...

Kaimu wanted to whine further though, she would be back...to bother him!? Why!?

When that thought settled, he did in fact...whine further.

Mia petted Kaimu's head as soothingly as she could. That whine told her just everything she needed to know... Poor Papa... "I'm sorry... I'm really sorry. Her boyfriend's about the only one who she seems to listen to... Outside of work related things that is."

Mia would give her that, she followed orders... Still they needed to make replacement pudding for Lakshmi! And it would be better than the kind she had had in there! Homemade was so much better.

She moved back to the island after a few more pats, beginning to get to work after shooting Hibiki a thankful smile... Looking over at her dad, she gave him advice. "Cuddle the kitten, they're soothing."

With Mia's advice to cuddle the kitten, Kaimu did so; he continued to hold Regalia and give her pets that she just seemed to eat up.

Aito glanced over to Kaimu and the kitten before moving to watch the pudding preparation. He was...calming again, he hadn't really had a chance to get loud or anything...which was good.

The air of the kitchen was relaxing and Mia glanced between the two calming men, smiling a bit as they both relaxed in their own way. Hibiki seemed to want to see how she made it, but instead of explaining the steps she started singing softly a happy little tune that seemed to be called ponponpon.

Birds...started moving towards the windowsill curiously, the open window allowing her voice to carry.

Aito watched silently as Mia went about preparing the pudding, he didn't need any directions or anything, he was just watching considering otherwise he'd be sitting at the table doing nothing.

Hearing Mia began to sing, his eyes shifted from the pudding preparation to her for a short moment before...

Birds..again...

Kaimu had yet to notice, focusing on soothing himself by playing with the kitten, but he did notice Mia singing; it was a nice, happy tune and it was cute.

Mia moved around the kitchen, singing and cooking the pudding. Hibiki seemed to like watching so she didn't mind letting him...and Papa was focused on the kitten who was adoring him.

As she sang more, more birds started swarming the window sill, a few hopping into the kitchen and getting closer to her.

More birds, they just...kept coming.

Mia didn't seem to mind them from what Aito could tell, but there were...so many just...swarming the windowsill, and some were even coming inside!

Regalia's attention went to the birds, the kitten having sensed something, and Kaimu's eyes followed as he noticed the kitten seemed to be really hooked on whatever was going on.

...Birds!?

How...How were so many of them just here!?

He watched as...they seemed to be attracted to Mia's singing? He...His daughter had animal-attracting singing abilities!?

Mia noticed cheeping after a few moments more and stopped singing...noticing the influx of birds and well...her face brightened in a bloom of red. "Sh-Shoo! G-Go back... Aoi you left...the window... o-open!"

Mia lamented as she rushed over to the window, chasing the startled birds out and away as she left the pudding alone for a minute. As the last of them fled, she closed the window with a slam and threw the latch.

Hanging her head in shame and embarrassment, she buried her face in her hands and wandered back over to pudding making... she couldn't face...either of them...

Both men watched, eyes slightly widened as Mia shooed the birds away, Regalia looked like she wanted to pounce at them, but Kaimu had a hold on her so she could not jump.

They were gone not long after they'd been shooed away, but...there'd been so many...

There was silence for a few moments, almost as if each person had gone back to what they'd been doing before but...

"Uwaaa~! Mia you can summon animals with your singing!?" Kaimu, while he'd been surprised, seemed amazed with this discovery.

Mia had hoped against hope, wished against wish and just slowly relaxed until she heard...that voice from her father. Could she sense the sparkles that were imminent? Yes...

"N-No! I can't... Th-That's impossible!" But it had just happened...the traitorous part of her brain thought. She hadn't even told Masaru this yet! Just...before it was just on occasion and now...lately if she...sang outside around...any animals it...

"You were just able to do so though! Uwaa~ That's amazing..." Kaimu seemed to brighten almost immediately, awed by Mia's talent; his daughter could sing and animals would come to listen!

It was almost like something straight out of a fairy tale!

Aito could only blinked, looking between the embarrassed Mia and the impossibly bright Kaimu.

Mia turned more red, her face being buried in her hands as she let out sounds. No no no! No no no!

She moved over to Hibiki, burying her face against his chest and trying to hide. Hide herself, hide far away! No one was supposed to know! She had to be hidden and Hibiki was the closest.

Aito blinked as Mia once again used him to hide, it...the singing was that bad of a thing! Though even from her father she was getting embarrassed...

Well, he'd seen this happen earlier with the coffee drinks so...it wasn't something to be surprised about...

Kaimu's sparkling dimmed some as Mia went about hiding, he...he'd just been in awe about what a talent that was!

"Th-Thats not...normal...its not... I can't let Masa know...p-please Papa...H-Hibiki you...can't tell Masa...I sorta...mentioned once but its...gotten worse lately. Th-The happiness... makes it...worse..." Mia shook her head against Hibiki's chest, her voice raised up to remove the muffle from her voice.

"If he knew...he'd...." She had no idea what he'd do.