Visit
"Tadaima."
"Okaeri nasai." Rei sighed as he entered his home. It had been a busy day for him. He had given morning practice for the archery team and had taken two tests while at school. He still had to give an afternoon class, but only those who were formally his students would attend; members of his team were given the afternoon off since their practice was held so early in the morning. He had just come home and had to be ready for his class, which would arrive within half an hour. All he really wanted to do was get out of his uniform, take a hot bath and relax.
As he passed the practice hall, Rei could faintly hear a thud through the wooden door, shortly followed by another one.
"Nanda?" he whispered to himself. "There isn't supposed to be anyone here yet." Slowly sliding open the door, he peeked inside, wondering what the noise was.
At the sound of the door being opened, Yuusuke paused in the middle of his shot. He turned and grinned wide when he realized who it was, turning to greet Rei.
"Konnichi wa, Rei-kun!" he said playfully.
"Oi oi! Watch where you point that thing!"
"Eh? Nani nani?" Yuusuke looked at his hands and realized he still held the drawn back arrow fixed to the bow in his hands�and it was pointed in Rei's direction.
"Ah! Gomen gomen!" He breathed a sigh of relief and spoke again after Yuusuke put the bow and arrow away.
"De, what are you doing here anyway? Practice isn't for half an hour."
"Oh, I know that," Yuusuke replied cheerfully as he took a seat on the floor of the practice hall and adjusted the glove on his hand. "But I was looking on the calendar and noticed the world archery tournament was about two months away. Since I didn't have afternoon classes today, I thought I would come and work on my aiming. Ayako-san let me in."
"So�" Rei was about to say more but was interrupted by the chime of the door bell. He ignored it, hearing Ayako's feet shuffle towards the door almost the second the bell was rung. He opened his mouth to speak to Yuusuke but was interrupted again, this time by a high squeal of delight.
"Onii-chan!!!!!" Three girls, about Miyu's age and a little younger, ran passed Rei, pushing him into the wall behind him, and darted into the practice hall. Still squealing, they jumped all over Yuusuke, demanding hugs and presents.
"Usako-chan, Yumeko-chan, Fujiko-chan, what are you doing here?" Clearly Yuusuke knew the girls but was just as surprised as Rei to see them.
"Ano ne ano ne," the youngest girl, four-year-old Usako, said as she sat in his lap.
"Okaa-san wanted to come see you, Onii-chan," ten-year-old Fujiko said, sitting to Yuusuke's right.
"Kaa-chan? She's here?" Six-year-old Yumeko nodded before speaking.
"Otou-san and Hiro onii-chan are here too." As if to prove her point, a woman in her early forties rushed in, again knocking Rei into the wall behind him, and hugged Yuusuke till he turned blue.
"Yuu-chan!" Arisugawa Kikyo, mother of five, said as she hugged her eldest, examining him up and down like a typical mother.
"Yuu-chan, I think you've grown."
"Kaa-chan, don't start that again."
"Honto yo! You look about an inch taller than the last time I saw you."
"I've passed my growing stage."
"Give it up, Nii-san," the voice of thirteen-year-old Hiro said, greeting his brother with a nod as he entered. "Kaa-san sees me every day and still thinks I grow."
"That's just because Kikyo-san loves you all," replied the deep alto voice of Arisugawa Mamoru, patriarch of the Arisugawa family.
"Oyaji!" Yuusuke called in surprise, disentangling himself from his mother and sisters to stand in front of his father.
"You could have at least called before you all came down here."
"Kikyo-san wanted to surprise you."
"Well, she did. And I don't think I'm the only one who's surprised." Brushing past his father and brother, Yuusuke stepped into the hallway and helped Rei to his feet. The poor guy had been thrown aside one too many times as the Arisugawa family members made their way past him. He stood, rubbing his head and dusting off his clothes. Never in his life had Rei ever seen such lively people.
"A ra, gomen nasai!" Kikyo apologized, bowing to him. "I hadn't realized you were standing there. I was so intent on seeing my Yuu-chan I didn't see you. You must be one of Yuu-chan's friend." "Kaa-chan!" Yuusuke nearly shouted. "Rei-kun is my archery instructor."
"Eh? Honto? Ja, anata wa onamae?"
"Ishikawa Rei desu," Rei replied with a slight bow. As he stood, he found himself unexpectedly staring face to face with Kikyo. She looked him up and down, examining his school uniform and taking in his general appearance.
"You're awfully young for an archery instructor. How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"And you run this school?"
"Hai."
"Are you helping your father run it? Or maybe your grandfather?" Before Rei could speak, Yuusuke interjected, standing in front of him.
"Kaa-chan, Rei runs the school by himself."
"Eh???" The news clearly surprised not only Kikyo but the rest of the family as well. Rei simply stood there, eyeing them all.
"Ja, you keep account of everything that goes on in this school?" Hiro asked, getting a little starry eyed as he admired Rei.
"Iya, Kotaro-san helps keep records of the school."
"Kotaro-san?"
"Oshiro Kotaro-san, he's my accountant."
"You have an accountant??" Yuusuke rolled his eyes, batting his little brother over the head.
"Baka, you expect him to run everything in this school and household himself? Rei can't do that alone."
"Alone?" Mamoru asked. "You're alone?" Rei simply nodded, his expression never changing.
"It must be so lonely for you," Kikyo said, her voice softening.
"Iya, I've been all right these last five years. It's nothing, really.
"Suimasen, but I have to get ready to teach the afternoon class. Yuusuke, if you want, you can skip class and spend some time with your family. Even if you're from Kyoto, you can't make that trip everyday."
"Iya desu, Rei," Yuusuke protested. "The world archery tournament isn't that far away. The entire school is participating, even you, ne? I need to practice."
"Suit yourself." Bowing to the rest of the Arisugawa family, Rei turned, heading for the changing room.
"Such a strong boy," Kikyo remarked, gazing after him. "He's gotten to be very brave and strong through such situations."
"Ma ma, Kaa-chan. Rei knows how to handle himself.
"Sa, you all should go back to my apartment. The rest of the class will be here. We can't be disturbed during practice with such a big tournament approaching."
"I don't want to go, Onii-chan!" Usako said, clinging to his leg. "I want to watch Onii-chan practice."
"Watashi mo!" Fujiko said cheerily. Hiro and Yumeko simply smiled; his parents silently agreed. Yuusuke sighed; once they all made up their minds, there was no changing plans. To him, this was going to be a long practice session.
For the next hour, while the Ishikawa students and their master practiced, the Arisugawa family sat in a remote corner. There, they could watch without causing any disturbance or being a general distraction. They were awed time and time again at the skill each student handled the arrows and bow. They were most impressed by Rei, who never missed his target nor strayed out of the white center of the target face.
"Wa, sugoi wa," Yumeko said in awe as the students filed out, leaving the family and Rei in the practice hall; Yuusuke had already left to change before joining his family for dinner.
"Honto ni sugoi ne," Fujiko agreed. "Ishikawa-san, you really are a skilled archer."
"Of course he is," Hiro interrupted. "He's part of the Ishikawa family, isn't he? They're said to be among the best archers in all of Japan. But they are very picky on who they let in as students."
"Iya, that's not true," Rei interrupted, releasing his last arrow without so much as flinching. It sailed through the air in a graceful arc before coming down to strike the very center of the target. He then turned to the family, the bow low in his left hand.
"We allow anyone to enter as long as they put in the discipline and time needed to practice. Kotaro-san takes a count of how often a student practices; he also takes a tally of how often my team practices. The only time we ask students to leave is if they show no improvement in their skills or their improvement diminishes."
"That sounds reasonable," Mamoru mused.
"Ja, how is my Yuu-chan doing?" Kikyo asked, curious as to the skills of her first born.
"Yuusuke is among the top, according to Kotaro-san's accounts. He comes to practice often, sometimes staying after to practice or coming at other times to make up lost time. He's only been here a short while, but he's improved greatly."
"I'm glad to hear you say that, Rei." The voice startled Rei but not as much as did the arms that playfully wrapped around him from behind. He swung backwards with his right arm, intending to elbow whoever it was in the face. Yuusuke let go just in time and ducked, chuckling at he now stood in front of Rei.
"You really need to loosen up," he chided playfully. He got a scowl in return before Rei turned and replaced his bow on a rack next to the others.
"Where are you going?" Kikyo called after him. He turned, standing in the doorway of the practice hall.
"I need to change before dinner. Afterwards I have some studying to do."
"Join us for dinner. It would be so nice to have your company, Rei-kun." He debated the invitation. Rei wasn't one to intrude on others' family affairs, even if invited. He saw how happy they all were and didn't want to interfere. In reply, he simply shook his head.
"Iya, thank you for the offer but I'll decline. Oyasumi." Bowing deeply before he left, Rei turned the corner and headed down the hallway to his own room. He could hear laughter and cheerful voices behind him as the Arisugawa family gathered their things and made ready to leave the Ishikawa household.
Koitsu, Rei thought to himself as he entered his room, shut the door, and began to change. It's no wonder he's so cheery. With a family like that, how can you ever be sad? A mother who loves you, a father who respects you and takes pride in what you do, a brother who looks up to you, and sisters who think you're the best thing in the world. How can you not be happy? He sat at his desk, now changed into a sweatshirt and jeans. Rei wanted a few minutes alone before dinner.
Placing his head on his arms, he listened to the noise of a disappearing, happy family and of the approaching night.
Kaa-san, Tou-san�I miss you.