Brother

Calm is copyrighted to Sallie Drazzi

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Mizumi pulled his fluffy white hair over to his left shoulder, and then the streak of blue, tucking it all between head and shoulder as he canted his head. He brought his pointed ear forward and up slightly, watching the light catch off the metal earring that now rested there.

His skin was still red and irritated from being so newly pierced, where Calm had taken one of Damael's claws and pierced it. It was traditional for the father to pierce his children's ears with his own claws, but of course Calm wasn't Kouryou, so they had improvised. The actual ceremony, from what Mizumi had gotten his mother to talk about, was also more lengthy, and the earring was usually charged by magic by the father and given with a blessing.

Damael's earrings had actually all been given to him by his mother, a custom a little odd, but not unheard of, since his father was a high level warrior and his honour had to be earned - something Damael had never done, being a pacifist and hating fighting and all, of course he wasn't going to please his father. However, Damael had pleased his mother, and she'd given him five earrings, one for each parent and three for his favourite siblings, to carry on their powers.

Mizumi's earring didn't have any magic, not even a blessing, but that didn't matter too much. Calm was a Force, not a Kouryou, and Mizumi wasn't even full Kouryou himself, a little bending of traditions was allowed. That little bit of metal there felt good enough by itself.

Mizumi blinked his reflective blue eyes, taken from his thoughts by a small cry. A very small cry, like a weak little kitten might cry. He looked around, finding Damael curled up in his nest of blankets asleep, as he often was lately, recovering from the birth of this newest sibling.

The Kouryou pattered over slowly, circling where the crying was coming from. Chase, the newborn, was squirming and fighting at his blankets, rubbing his eyes against his wrists, whimpering that soft little cry.

Mizumi crouched down there, not really sure what to do. If Chase cried much louder he'd wake Damael or alert Calm from wherever he was, and then the baby would be taken care of, there was no reason for Mizumi to do anything really.

And yet, Mizumi found himself reaching out towards the baby, sliding one hand behind that little head, the other beneath that light body, lifting him up and bringing him against his chest. Chase blinked his reflective green eyes, the same eyes as Calm, confused and curious. The baby reached up where the blue streak of hair was and grabbed at it, eventually succeeding and tugging on it, as babies often did.

"I was so upset when Chance was born, well... I was excited at first... thought maybe a no gender wasn't so bad, but... Chance is really a girl, or more girlish really, like mom was meant to be, y'know? Which meant... well Chance is like mom... so mom really doesn't... it was kinda like... I felt Chance was going to replace me, instead of be someone to play with, rough and tumble with. Wanted a playmate... but I loved mom's... sole, perfect attention to be on me... I loved being an only child... and to have a baby born so like mom, and then mom so wrapped up in new mate..."

Mizumi nodded, "Yeah, that contributed a lot to my anger," he paced around with the baby, "a whole lot, was like I had mom stolen three times and me dumped on my head... not like they just ignored me, they tried, but I kept pushing them away, like... I dunno... didn't want to fess up to all my feelings, got all mixed up."

"But... here's that baby brother I was hoping for, right here in you... yeah you," Mizumi smiled as Chase tugged on his hair. "You're not so bad. Maybe we can play someday... have fun together... I'm remembering how to play, slowly, so I might know how to by the time you get old enough, teach you some things... which you probably won't like or something, but..."

Mizumi nuzzled his nose against Chase's tiny one, "Oh well... still my brother."





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