A few weeks later, the air still carried the faint metallic tang of late summer.
Tetsuya returned from another mission.
It was becoming more and more of a casual thing, much like someone would send you for groceries.
Almost routine, in a way.
This time, it had been a Grade 3 curse haunting an old warehouse in the Osaka outskirts. Shame he wasn't allowed to make that a trip.
Nothing flashy. A few Missile Fists, some reinforcement to block and dodge its flailing limbs, and it dissolved into nothing before it could even scream properly.
No injuries this time. He'd learned that lesson.
He walked the familiar cedar corridors of the estate, haori slightly damp, heading straight for the training grounds to shake off the lingering adrenaline.
Coincidentally, he noticed one of the sliding doors to the small pond garden was ajar.
As he entered, curiosity flaring, Tetsuya heard a pair of voices quietly talking.
The kind of voices only very small children make.
Tetsuya slowed his steps, his training showing the fruits of his labor, as his geta sandals made almost no sound.
There they were. The twins. The conjurer, and the one restricted by the heavens.
Maki and Mai were squatted side by side at the pond's edge, their tiny hands braced on the stone rim, staring at the slow drift of orange and white koi beneath the water's surface.
Their backs were turned to him.
Their kimonos were small, or rather, appropriately sized for them, and their hair was styled in a neat, short form.
They were mere toddlers, four and a half now.
Maybe just a little taller than last time he'd glimpsed them.
He saw the bruises first.
Faint purple marks blooming across Mai's upper arm.
A fresh red welt on Maki's cheek, half hidden by her hair.
Nothing broken, nothing bleeding. But unmistakable. Ogi's temper had a signature style to it.
Tetsuya's jaw tightened.
He'd told himself to keep his distance. Don't get involved. Don't make waves. Survive until you're strong enough to leave this place behind. Plan for the future. Right now, things don't matter too much.
The cannon story will run its course.
But sitting here, watching two little kids, his own two cousins, filled with bruises they shouldn't have, pretending everything was fine...
What was the point of all this training if he couldn't even protect two kids?
It left a bitter taste in his mouth. And Tetsuya didn't like that.
Still.
There was no point getting mad when the very cause of his anger was stronger than him. For now, at least. Use that anger as fuel for training.
Tetsuya squatted down beside them, keeping a respectful distance so he wouldn't loom.
"Hello there. Mai. Maki." Tetsuya spoke softly, as he squatted down, resting his arms on his thighs.
"You two watching the koi?"
The twins startled for a moment, Maki's head whipping around first, eyes wide in surprise, while Mai flinched and scooted closer to her sister, before they both relaxed, looking at him.
"Tetsuya nii…You scared us!" Mai pouted.
Maki echoed it a second later, quieter, but with the same familiarity.
"Tetsuya nii."
Tetsuya let a smile take bloom in his face for a short moment.
He'd crossed paths with the twins a few times over the last three years. Mostly because He was just too busy training. Jinichi being over his head and all.
It was in those quick moments, where he'd give them a headpat, a word of support, or a sweet, that they'd apparently decided he was nice enough to trust.
Or at least, trust that he wasn't going to be mean to them.
Where did he gain those sweets? Why that's a secret of course.
Tetsuya shook his head, trying to focus on the twins, not on his thoughts, and he nodded towards the pond. "That big orange one's been circling for a while. Think he's the boss?"
Mai giggled, a small and shy sound leaving her lips. "He's fat."
Maki pointed at a smaller yellow one. "That one's fast."
Tetsuya nodded seriously. "Yeah. But it's also got an ugly mug for a face. Kinda reminds me of someone." The boy spoke, making the two girls smile and giggle.
Despite his lack of interaction, something he was quickly starting to regret, seeing the normally downcast girls smiling and all.
It only made it harder to keep his distance. His plans had really been simple.
Even getting too close was a problem.
It would give another reason for Naoya to bully the twins.
Give another reason for Ogi to see the girls as even bigger failures.
Getting close to the girls right now, meant that he was giving Naoya more ammunition.
If he wanted to protect the girls, he needed to become strong enough to challenge the clan itself.
And to be honest, despite his confidence, Tetsuya wasn't sure he'd be able to fight the Hei, or whoever else would not agree with him, all at the same time. At least not right now.
They sat like that for a minute, quiet, watching the fish drift. No pressure. No demands. Just three kids staring at water.
Mai rubbed at the bruise on her arm, unconsciously.
Tetsuya's voice stayed gentle.
"Hey. Mai. I want you to remember that it doesn't matter what the clan thinks of you."
Both girls looked up at him.
"The same goes for you too, Maki."
He reached out slowly. Slow enough for them to pull away if they wanted, and ruffled their hair, one hand on each head.
"Just...Keep being true to yourselves. And I..." Tetsuya paused, struggling to find the words. Or simply struggling to say them.
"I'll get strong enough that nobody will be able to bully you two and get away with it."
"You promise?" Mai spoke, as Maki just stared at his face.
"Yeah. I promise." Tetsuya spoke, crushing his unwillingness to get close.
'You know what? The future doesn't fucking matter. Fuck the cannon. These here, are my cousins. And I'll be damned if I don't take care of them.' Tetsuya thought, feeling a spark of determination.
Maki stared at him for a long moment, those sharp eyes studying his face like she was trying to figure out if he was lying.
"...You mean it?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah." Tetsuya said, meeting her gaze. "I mean it."
Mai sniffled, clutching her mochi. "Father says... Father says we're-"
"I don't care what that old bastard says." Tetsuya cut in, voice firm but gentle.
"To me, you two are not failures. You're Maki. And Mai. My cousins. I meant what I said, Okay?"
Tetsuya spoke as he wiped Mai's eyes with the sleeve of his haori and slipped two small mochi into each tiny hand.
"Eat these before someone sees. And don't tell your dad it was me who gave them to you two, mkay?"
Mai clutched hers like treasure, while Maki bit into hers immediately, cheeks puffing up.
Tetsuya stood, patting his thighs.
"I've got to get going. Training stuff. Don't want Jinichi deciding I need extra laps now, do I?"
"...Will we see you again, Tetsuya nii?" Mai spoke hesitantly. Maki didn't say anything, but her gaze was obvious enough.
"Yes. yes you will." Tetsuya spoke back, waving his hand.
As Tetsuya walked back toward the training grounds, hands shoved in his sleeves, his mind was already wandering.
He didn't know how he'd keep that promise.
A moment later, a pair of quiet voices could be heard in the small pond garden.
"Tetsuya nii is nice…"
"Yeah. Nice."