There was a bit of laughter when Effie mentioned that her height was the only thing that hadn't changed. Trying to console her, Rashomaru said: "It's alright, you're back safe which is enough for me." Yukari came out with a tray of tea snacks and agreed. "Of course, we can have it shortened when we return to the house. I'll also give you a new kimono now that Nui's will be too short for you. Every now and then I trim my sons' hair as well, though not as often as I did when they were young. Did you know that Rashomaru only started tying up his hair after he was ten? He wanted to copy his father, though I had to shorten it more when people asked if we had a daughter."  Nui complained that she wished she could have seen that, making Rashomaru red. "Aww, I bet both of you were so cute as kids!" There was a cry as the older boy raised the tea snacks out of the fox's reach as she pounded her fists against him. Things calmed down a bit then Effie showed everyone the reason for her journey. In her hand was a beautiful necklace, something delicate that it looked more like it belonged to a noble. "Is it an heirloom? It's more detailed than what I've seen in the markets. There's so many perfectly shaped pearls set in the gold." Ornamentation was something he was familiar with, as he saw the ceremonial weapons his mother's kin had during the year's major festivals. Arahabaki's sheath had a bit of gold set in the lacquered wood. 

His parents decided to close up shop early, setting a sign for old customers to know before they headed back home. Rashomaru was nervous as this would be the first time Effie would enter their house, and he was hoping Genjiro hadn't left things a mess. They shared a room, as his brother easily overslept. Nui and Genjiro went off to grab a watermelon, arguing whether the yellow or red ones were better while his mother went to find the kimono she had bought last snowfall for when Effie returned. His father spent a few minutes sitting with them in an awkward silence, then got up when the two younger 'children' had the melon they'd agreed on. With the same unchanging expression, the man chopped the fruit up, then plated it. Knowing his father, Rashomaru guessed he was a bit anxious on what to do. In the months while she had been away the fox and meddling brother had managed to squeeze out information on just how Rashomaru found Effie, and Rashomaru swore before his parents that he would take responsibility. It was hard to tell, but his father was quite happy. 

"Ah, here we are. What colors would you prefer? I wasn't sure what you liked so I had two made. Glaciem can be quite cold here outside the city, so these are thicker garments than the lighter kimonos we wear the rest of the year." The choices had the main robe and the obi in complementing colors and different fabric patterns. There was also a brand-new pair of sandals for Ignius days. He remembered how his mother had stopped by the seamstress' shop and asked him which fabrics he thought were prettier. Had she told Effie that he was the one who picked them out? The next few hours had Nui and his mother dressing Effie up, until it was time for the evening meal. She called Nui and Genjiro to help so they could have some time alone, despite Genjiro not catching on and complaining that he wasn't good at cooking. Nui pushed him in nonetheless, winking at them before her tails disappeared beyond the door. 

Now that they were alone, he had so many questions saved since she left. Shyly he turned to her and asked, "So…how did things go while you and your father were away?"

Effie chuckled a bit towards her boyfriend. “You sound adorable.” She watched as Rashomaru punished Nui and she realized not much had changed on this end and that was a good thing.

Effie’s face lost its smile as she tilted her head. “I don’t know. I can’t remember and Father won’t tell me why it's so familiar to me… He just said its a long story.” Her thumb ran over the detail of the necklace. “I just know its mine but I don’t remember it.”

Once they got back to the house she chose one of the kimonos. “Ahhh I like the rich red. It goes nice against the Glaciem colors!” She didn’t know much about obis but she was glad that Yukari helped her. They got her hair trimmed up to just where Effie wanted it before she pulled the top half back and left it in a loose bun with a hairpin in it. “Thank you so much for these clothes. I wasn’t expecting this when I got back. I feel right at home.” This was her home after all.

She sat there with Rashomaru for a long time before the others left. She caught on that they were giving them some time alone so she slid over and got practically into his lap. She pulled her legs to her. “There were so many bodies Rashomaru.” Her head looked up at she could see his face. “I killed so many of them… Just to get this necklace. I know this necklace but I don’t know how but I knew it was mine the moment I saw it.”

Taking his arms she snuggled them around her. It was comforting to her as she rested her head against his chest. “I fought a demon lord. I won. I was shaking for three days before we made our way back. I was scared I wasn’t going to make it home. I kept passing out during the fights and I’m not sure how I won them… Father says I must have been filled with enough energy to continue. I’m scared of passing out again.”

She sucked in a breath. "I don't like sleeping anymore."

Having lived a peaceful life thanks to his parents' efforts, he wasn't sure how to comfort Effie hearing she had been fighting in those six months. Arahabaki had never been used out of its sheath since he received it, and he knew he had never been in a real fight. His father had worked hard to drill into him that a man who handled things without using his fists was far greater than one who did, and that was the standard he lived up to. The thought of losing consciousness in such a dangerous situation made him shudder. Did someone or her father protect her in those moments? Fights were one thing, but taking lives… It was something no parent would wish for their child to experience. "Everything will be alright, don't worry. I'm here." He wrapped his arms around her gently like how he did for his brother when they were children. "You can stay with us if you feel afraid. Nui won't mind. With all of us here, nothing will hurt you. Genjiro knows how to defend himself, and mother knows magic as well. Father once told me how he had to fight against overwhelming odds, though he's glad he doesn't have to anymore." 

The most frightening thing must be being alone. With time, just like Genjiro, her fears would subside knowing she was in a safe place. He was going to tell her what he had held back from her before she left for her journey, but now wasn't the right time. Later, once she was feeling better. Nui poked her head out and saw them, but only grinned. It was a relief that she wasn't being as bothersome as usual, probably she ran out of energy being mischievous day in and day out. Patting Effie on the head, he looked down at her and smiled. "It looks like the food will be done soon. Nui probably wants us to help set the table, unless she has something else up her sleeve." To welcome Effie's return, they cooked a big meal–soup, seaweed and rice rolls, stewed meat, clams, fish, and seasonal fresh vegetables picked that morning filled more than a dozen plates. The table barely could hold it all. The one other time they had so much was on the first day of the year, to bless the rest of the year with good luck. 

"There's sweets too, if you're still hungry. Rashomaru made some yesterday that we chilled." This would probably be the first time Effie had eaten with a big family, and everyone was eager to see how she liked the food. After the meal, Nui passed out before she could hear the call for dessert. Rashomaru asked if they could give Effie a spare room to stay for a while, explaining why. His mother had no issue with it, and his father didn't seem to mind either. "Hm, in that case why don't you have Effie stay in your room then? Nui often sleeps over with you and there's plenty of space." "Would that be alright?" He asked hesitantly. "If Effie doesn't mind, then I don't see why not." His mother replied. "We have plenty of extra bedding to spare, and you can divide the room for privacy." Nui's snoring picked up as the fox was completely in a food coma, tails all over the place. Looking at Nui, Rashomaru sighed and shook his head. At this point she was basically like a sister.

“That would be wonderful…” Rashomaru always made her feel safe and it wasn’t just because he was tall. She couldn’t put her finger on why he did just that he did. Once they had settled down she nodded. “Yeah sure.” They got up and set the table for a feast that she would likely remember for a long time.

She was home where she belonged.

Effie had an appetite like always but she perked up when she heard that Rashomaru had made something. “I’ll try anything he makes.” Like the words of a love-struck child, she was ready to dive into whatever he had for her.

There was a light blush but she looked at Rashomaru and back to both his parents. They were reaching an age, she guessed, where they were more or less adults now. Plus Genjiro would be in the room with them. “I would really like that.” Especially since she didn’t want to be alone.

The first night came and she found herself having already changed into her sleeping clothes. They had gotten a divider for Effie just so she could change and she padded over to where Rashomaru’s bedding was. They had managed to make a larger bedding set for them to be in and she was putting the quilts and blankets up for ready. “I’m exhausted,” she chuckled towards him. “And I think that it is really good to be back.” Her hair was braided into two long twin tails making it so Rashomaru wouldn’t die from her hair.

It wouldn’t be more awkward than the first time they had slept together. At least he knew she was a bed hog. “You ready for bed?” She climbed in and snuggled up to him. Patiently her eyes watched and she waited. It was a safe place.

Admittedly he felt butterflies in his stomach when she tasted the sweets he made. He had worked hard in cooking the sweet red bean paste, making the mochi, and cutting the fresh fruit. It was very different from Irian cuisine, but he wanted to show off the fresh flavors of the season. When it was time to sleep Rashomaru had gotten the futon and blankets ready earlier, laying out a separate set for his brother. Nui already helped herself to her own, now a blanket cocoon with nine tufts of fur sticking out from the backside. Effie changed her clothes and came over as he was already lying down. "You ready for bed?" He gave a nod and she curled up beside him. "We were all a bit anxious I suppose, waiting for you to come back. Nui did very well for herself, managing to keep her excitement contained until today. When she found out I was practicing making sweets she said she wanted to be the taste tester." He chuckled, looking over at the unconscious bundle of a fox across the room. That's what happened when you ate too much, and Nui was particularly greedy when it came to dessert.

Genjiro would be sleeping a few feet away from them, which Rashomaru felt should be fine since they were still in the same room together. He didn't fuss when he came into to get ready to sleep, though Rashomaru knew he wasn't the type to be mean. The lamps were blown out and moonlight filtered in through the windows. Silence came over the room leaving only the chirping of insects. All was peaceful in the first few hours. Genjiro was fast asleep, but he began tossing and turning. Gradually he scooted towards Effie and Rashomaru's side of the room. It was only a few inches at first. He shifted positions a lot, as if he had yet to settle down into being completely comfortable.

Another few inches closer.

His blankets were twisting and his futon was now askew. Lying motionless for more than half an hour, he turned to face the other side of the room and settled in.

A few more inches closer.

Over the course of two hours he had shifted a few feet and was only half a foot away from the sleeping pair. Opening his eyes, he blinked and then got up. Leaving his futon and pillow behind he wrapped himself up in his quilt and wormed his way in between Effie and his brother. Turning his face towards his brother's side, he closed his eyes and settled in at last with a smile on his face. He was in a deep sleep almost instantly, with Effie getting a face full of his untied hair and one of his elbows. Things were suddenly very cramped and when she woke up she would see why.

Effie blushed a bit and put her lips to his cheek. “You did great! It was my first time having it and I want some more. So maybe I can weasel my way into convincing you to make some?” Though she thought that it was a dirty trick giving him kisses and borderline begging. Maybe the bat of her eyelashes was going a bit too far. “Sounds like Nui though.” There was a chuckle.

Sleep finally came fast for her after several months of struggling. Rashomaru smelled good to her too as she pressed her nose closer to her boyfriend’s chest. It was like a relaxation drug to her as sleep continued well into the night.

Curiously she was pushed out of the way and she thought maybe she had snuggled to much. That was until suddenly there was hair in her face. Her nose wrinkled and she popped her eyes open disoriented. “…” This wasn’t Rashomaru’s hair. “CREEP.” She screamed as she grabbed hold of the body and tossed it with ease thanks to her demonic strength.

Effie jumped up sleepily with her pillow and waved it towards the body. She realized the mistake and put a hand to her face. “Genjiro?!” What was he doing in bed with them?!

Effie's natural instinct sent Genjiro flying, landing and rolling on the floor with a whump. He began to groan in a complaining pitch as he got up and found he was no longer in his comfy place. "Mmmm….I was getting comfy." He sleepily rubbed his eyes, clothes rumpled and blanket now sliding down the corner of the room. This wouldn't be out of the ordinary if this wasn't a fifteen-year-old being tossed out of bed. That toss wasn't enough to deter him from attempting to reclaim his spot on the larger futon, intending to get back in before his spot went cold. Unfortunately Effie wasn't so keen on relinquishing her 'comfy spot' either, and things began to get heated in a non-malicious way. Rashomaru wrinkled his face as he was rudely awoken by things being thrown and shouting. Then there was an animal-like yelp as something was hit and somebody came crashing down. 

Sitting up and yawning, he was greeted by the scene of bedding all over the place with Effie wielding a pillow in hand and Genjiro on the ground with a white blur attacking his face. An abandoned pillow was on the ground next to his younger brother, and he was just trying to figure out what was going on. "What…what happened?!" Squinting his eyes as he lit a lamp he stared at the white pile of fur. Was that Nui? "Mmgh! MMGHH MGH!!!" Genjiro was desperately trying to pry her fox form off, a form she rarely used unless she was extremely agitated. The ruckus had woken up his parents too, as they opened the sliding door with a lantern in hand. 

It was still pitch black outside. Taking in a deep breath he rubbed his eyes and face with a sigh. It was too early for this. From what he could gather, something happened where Effie felt she had to defend herself–probably related to why his younger brother was on the floor dealing with a very angry Nui. Nui had attacked Genjiro likely due to being hit by the pillow and was annoyed she had been disturbed from her sleep. He was sure that much was Genjiro's fault, as Nui normally didn't get bothered that easily. "Is everything alright?" His mother asked, his father behind her with his eyebrows furrowed deeply. 

“I was comfy!” Effie was able to retort. She was fully ready to fight for what was hers. She watched as Genjiro moved and she was quicker as she dove into the futon right onto Rashomaru. There was a low growl that left her lips mainly because now she was cranky.

She proceeded to take her pillow and beat Genjiro with it. He threw his pillow and Effie managed to flip over the pillow as it was thrown. She was oddly graceful in her sleepy state. “That’s what you get!” Effie pointed at Genjiro who now had an angry Nui on his face. She looked at Rashomaru and pouted. “Genji pushed me out of bed!”

This would be enough for his parents as she crossed her arms. She would fight him for it and while she didn’t look like it… Effie had received a lot of one on one training.

The next few weeks were just as bad… Genjiro had managed to sneak into their futon on more than one occasion. Rashomaru and Effie had begun to discuss what they could do. He was a clinger and sometimes he clung onto Effie.

The sleep deprivation was beginning to show especially in her morning training with her father. Their hand to hand combat was often equally matched until the day that Effie got launched into the house wall. “You aren’t sleeping?” Her father recognized it easily.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She knew that Rashomaru was watching. He was fascinated by the fighting style that Aelos had. She came back easily and managed to pin her father to the earth. They had decided to start setting him up on dates with girls around the village… It wasn’t going well for them.

“I’m going to go take a bath.” Effie declared it out loud before she stomped off towards the bath. She needed to calm down. She sunk down into the hot water and relaxed.

Aelos sighed a bit and looked towards Rashomaru. “…Girls… Don’t ever have girls.”

After a very one-sided scuffle, Genjiro was giving it his all trying to get back to his spot on the futon. Unfortunately his aimed throw was deflected and it went sailing…straight into Nui's face. He didn't even know where it landed until something jumped him and he couldn't see a thing. Mom and dad came hearing the noise and he was given a stern talking to. He was a bit disappointed, but he was feeling sheepish. Old habits were hard to break as moving himself to another room was hard. He was used to that room, even if it wasn't as roomy when they were kids. He had a lot of memories there and sometimes he still snuck in when he thought they were all fast asleep. As tough as it was for Effie and his brother, it was tough for him too. He wouldn't have felt as bad if he was allowed back in the room again, and Nui tried her hardest to help him by being a 'substitute hugging pillow'. But it wasn't the same. In the morning his brother would comfort him in private so he knew he wasn't angry at him. He really liked Effie too, but he was so used to being right next to Rashomaru.

Nui was out running errands for Gramps again and his brother was busy so he was by himself. There wasn't much to do, since he wasn't good at cooking like his big bro. The house was always clean, the laundry was drying outside, and it was too quiet. Not sleeping well for a while had him feeling down lately, even if he was good at hiding it. "I guess I'll have to get used to sleeping by myself." He said with a sigh. Rummaging through his closet, he took out a towel. Whenever you felt tired, there was nothing better than a nice bath to make it all melt away. The warm water was comfy, and he liked that feeling. Without giving it a second thought he slid open the door to the bath whistling, towel tucked under his other arm. He didn't even see it was occupied until he heard the scream–then he knew he really was in big trouble now. Abandoning his towel, he made himself scarce before he could be caught and booked it!

Mere seconds after Genjiro had made his narrow escape, Rashomaru came in on full alert–catching a fleeting glimpse of black hair tips vanishing out of sight. The next sound made Genjiro hold his breath and pump his arms and legs faster. "GENJIRO!!!!" This was bad–that was his brother yelling and he knew that tone of voice meant he'd better get ready for the chase of a lifetime.

Effie felt really bad for Genjiro but it took everything for her to sleep. She remained resilient in her protects against him. She had let Rashomaru know the whys so that he didn’t think her heartless. There was also the fact that Genjiro was naturally hot and it was almost killing her whenever he got into the blankets with her.

She was thinking about it more while she was in the tub. It felt good with the oils and the scents. Then she heard the door slide. At first, she thought it was Rashomaru checking in on her but then her eyes met not Rashomaru’s eyes. She grabbed her chest and threw herself into the water letting out a shriek that was probably heard halfway across town.

Out ran Genjiro just as Rashomaru ran in. She flailed in the water. “THAT WAY HE WENT THAT WAY!” She yelled and pointed as she flopped out of the tub and into a towel. She was dressed and running out of the room and she stopped at the entrance of the house when she realized… They were just gone.

She was sopping wet and so were her clothes from her not drying properly. The demon-touched girl was shivering when Yukari finally came home had a look of concern. “Effie, why are you standing out drenched like that?”

There was a vivid blush across her face as she saw Rashomaru’s father get closer. “I was taking a bath and Genjiro just walked in! They took off! Rashomaru is chasing him but I don’t know where they went.” Yukari put a blanket around Effie and they waited for what was literally hours before they saw the boys making their round back.