Come meet my family

"That one kinda looks like a bat."

"No, you idiot. It looks like a... Oh, wait. It does look like a bat."

"We shouldn't be here. We should leave."

I slowly opened my eyes to unfamiliar faces hovering over me.

"Crap. He's awake."

There were three of them.

All girls.

The one on the left was little and had purple hair. The one on the right appeared to be a teenager with white hair. The one in the middle was another teenager who almost resembled Sakuya—but with blonde hair.

They were all looking down at me. I was confused. The back of my head was hurting a little.

"Where... Where am I?" I asked.

The little girl with purple hair drew closer to my face.

"You died. This is the afterlif—"

Smack!

"Aw!"

The purple-haired girl rubbed the back of her head after receiving a slap from the blonde girl, who I assumed was her sister. They both had those green eyes like Sakuya.

Wait.

Like a flashback, I suddenly remembered everything.

...

The nightmare I had of Ogun.

Being attacked by an invisible force in my room.

Almost dying.

Blood.

Pain.

Someone carrying me.

Someone dropping me carefully.

Someone kissing me on the forehead.

No.

I recognized the person.

It was her.

It was Sakuya.

But she looked so different.

...

I shot up to a sitting position, shirtless, causing the girls to scatter. My tattoos were on full display, and I had been lying down on a mattress.

"Sakuya," I said. "Where is she?"

***

We were sitting outside the temple, on a rock overlooking the valley below. Mitsuzawa Temple, as I came to learn, was intentionally positioned on a mountain so it could get a constant, strategic view of Yamazawa Village. The soft evening breeze blew gently over the trees as we sat in silence. After forcing me to gulp down a mixture of herbs she had prepared, Sakuya brought me outside to talk.

"So, ima, daijōbu?" Sakuya asked, turning to face me. "How are you? How are you feeling now?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled before replying. The bandage around my head was starting to itch a little, so I scratched it.

"I'm good," I replied. "Umm... atama ga sukoshi itai. Demo, hoka wa... genkai."

"Daijōbu. You mean daijōbu, not genkai," Sakuya said, smiling.

"Oh, yeah," I replied, smiling back. "I guess I still need a bit more practice."

Sakuya reached out and placed her hand on mine. She looked at me.

"You're perfect," she said.

"Awwwwwww."

"Awwwwwww."

"Awwwwwww."

We quickly turned around to investigate the simultaneous awwws that emanated from behind us—Sakuya with fury in her eyes, me with flustered curiosity.

"Crap. I think they see us."

Sticking out from a patch of bushes were three distinct colors I had recently come in contact with. Purple, white, and blonde. The girls from before.

"Get out of here!" Sakuya exploded, and all three girls quickly got out of the bushes and ran off.

***

"Then we heard the frantic voice of someone shouting for help, and when we got out, we found you. Alone," Sakuya said. "I couldn't focus on anything after that. I just wanted to stop the bleeding and clean you up."

I took a moment to investigate my injuries. I had some scars behind my arm, most likely from the broken glass cutting into my skin when the invisible force slammed me against my bedroom mirror. The memory alone caused me to shudder from the experience. I had a good guess as to who—or what—might have attacked me, but it had been so long since I was last warned about it that I ended up deluding myself into thinking it was never going to be a possibility.

It was obvious now that wasn't the case. I could only hope with the ring on my finger, and the herbs I had started to drink, that it didn't happen again anytime soon.

"But other than the nightmare, you really don't remember anything else?" Sakuya asked.

I told her everything. The dream, the invisible force. But I had deliberately left out the part where the person who saved me looked exactly like her.

It was so weird. I still wasn't sure whether what I saw was actually real. That other Sakuya wore black, while this one was wearing white. That other one looked a little older, with tired eyes, while this one still looked nineteen, with very bright eyes. I wasn't even sure how to begin explaining what I saw.

But that didn’t stop me from coming out and telling her.

"Okay," I said. "This might sound a little weird, but the person who saved me from the unseen force, and then brought me to the temple for treatment, was actually you. I think. Or at least, someone that looked like you."

Sakuya was quiet after that. Her expression was suddenly frozen. The look on her face was a mix of what the hell did you just say? and come again? Her eyes were widened in shock, and her beautiful, cute mouth was hanging open in astonishment.

She didn’t believe me.

Of course, she didn’t.

Even I didn’t believe me.

...

"It just doesn't make sense," Sakuya said, still grappling with what I had told her. "It couldn't have been me. I was at the temple training with the samurai and Ash... I mean, I was busy all day doing temple stuff."

She quickly covered her mouth.

Too late. I had already heard.

"Samurai?" I asked.

She immediately turned her head so I wouldn't see her face.

"Kuya," I said, moving in from the side to get a closer look. "What did you mean by training with the samurai?"

She didn't answer. She kept quiet. She shifted uncomfortably on the rock. She shook her head.

I knew she was hiding something, so I kept my gaze on her to build pressure.

Eventually, she removed her hands from her mouth and sighed.

"Jumo, there is something I really have to tell you."

She still wasn’t looking at me. I would have asked her to continue, but she did anyway.

"I've been meaning to tell you for quite some time, but I've been scared of how you might react."

"What is it?" I asked softly, sensing the atmosphere turning serious.

But instead of answering right away, Sakuya stood up, dusted herself off, and held out her hand for me to hold.

"Come," she said. "I want you to meet my family."

...

Taking my hand in hers, Sakuya pulled me to my feet and began leading the way back to the temple. We remained quiet the entire time. She didn’t let go of my hand—I didn’t want to let go of hers either. She was determined. And honestly, it was kinda hot.

We entered through the large wooden doors and passed through the courtyard. All the while, my anxiety levels began to rise.

What if they didn’t like me?

What if her parental figure disapproved and didn’t think we were a good match?

What if something, somewhere, somehow, went wrong, and I was asked to never see her again?

Suddenly, I didn’t think it was such a hot idea.

"Kuya, wait."

I stopped Sakuya just as she was about to open the door to the living room. She turned to look at me. My God, those eyes. The sexiest of them all. I cleared my throat before speaking.

"What if… What if it doesn't go well?" I said. "What if I lose you?"

A sudden sadness enveloped her eyes.

"That's funny," she said, lowering her gaze. "Because I'm scared of the same thing too. Not that I'll leave you, but that you'll choose to leave me once you learn the truth about who—and what—I really am."

I was momentarily confused.

What was she talking about?

She looked back up.

"And another thing before we go in."

Sakuya suddenly took my hand and placed it above her left breast.

Without warning.

No heads-up.

Nothing.

Holy shit it felt...

It took me a moment to realize what she was doing.

Her heartbeat.

She wanted me to feel it.

"This is yours," she said, pressing my hand deeper into her chest. "My heart. It belongs to you. Nobody else."

I didn't know what to say. I know it sounds cliché, but I was truly speechless.

"So you shouldn't worry about me leaving you," she continued. "Because—

Kimi ga nozomu kagiri, nando demo kimi no moto e modoru yo.

For as long as you want me, I will always come to you. Nothing can keep us apart. Not distance, not time, not even destiny itself."

***

When we finally stepped into the living room, everyone was already waiting. And without wasting a second, Sakuya went straight into it.

"Jumo, these are my sisters—Shiun, Ayane, and Ash," Sakuya said, gesturing toward Purple, Blondie, and Snowy. The three girls from earlier. They were waving and flashing nervous smiles. They must have remembered the incident from the bushes. And the fact that I woke up and caught them staring at my tattoos.

I waved back.

"It's good to meet you all," I said, adding a bow.

"And this is Aunt Kanna."

This time, she gestured to an older woman standing in the corner. She was dressed in a light blue kimono and had an obi—an extra material for the outfit—tied around her waist. Her gray hair was pulled back into a bun, and unlike Sakuya's sisters, she wasn't smiling. Or nervous. In fact, it was almost the complete opposite. She seemed shocked.

Despite this, I remained calm. I bowed as I greeted her.

"It's nice to meet you."

The woman didn't respond immediately. But when she did, it was like an actress who suddenly remembered her lines.

"Oh. Welcome," she said.

And that was it.

She didn't say anything else. I guess she was still trying to process what was happening in real time.

"And everyone?" Sakuya said, completely choosing to ignore the nervous energy in the air as she addressed the entire room. "This is Jumo. My..."

She turned to stare at me.

"My boyfriend."