Slowly, the young woman places her hands on the desk before leaning into the other exorcist’s space with a firm scowl in place. It’s a bit more difficult than usual with her newly found girth around the middle, but the table isn’t too high and Izumo manages it just fine once she goes a bit up on her toes.

“I’m sorry,” Izumo begins, not sounding sorry at all. In fact, she sounds sweetly sinister. “Could you repeat that?”

The man behind the desk can only cower as he slowly draws up a hard backed folder in the hair’s breadth space between their two faces. He looks entirely too relieved as he flips it open, forcing the young woman before him to draw back, revealing a missive of some sorts.

“I-I-I said th-that--ehem, I said that as of today, Miss Kamiki, you’re no longer allowed to take any True Cross sanctioned jobs, no matter the Branch. It’s not a permanent ban just a sort of ah, probation due to your, um, your current, ah, circumstances,” finishes the man, eyes darting meaningfully from Izumo’s extended belly and her eyes and back. He totally nailed it.

“’Circumstances?’”

Something twists in the man’s gut. Her tone is carefully light, airy, as if she could not care less. Considering this is Arc Knight Kamiki Izumo, the True Cross’s single biggest workaholic after one Okumura Yukio, he highly doubts that’s the case. An odd sense of impending doom descends over the man. He’s going to die, he realizes, Kamiki is going to kill him. He can run and she will most literally shoot the messenger or he can stay put and be strangled to death.

The inevitability of his end brings a sort of calm to the man. He nods easily before answering almost inaudibly, “Yes.”

Izumo makes a sort of noise of acknowledgement before her dangerously narrowed eyes slide to look at her partner, one Rin Okumura, beside her.

Rin, who had been watching the exchange with a sort of detached amusement, stiffens as a strange, immediate need to surrender shoots through him. His eyes shift to meet Izumo’s gaze even has his hands come up in defense.

“Oi! I’m only an honorary Knight anymore! I don’t have anything to do with this!” the half-demon splutters in alarm, his hands waving frantically in front of him.

Izumo’s gaze snaps back to the exorcist behind the desk who also throws up him hands in surrender, dropping the folder.

“By whose order?”

“S-sir Pheles--!”

“Ha, Pheles can’t ban me from all branches he’s only in charge of the Japanese Branch...,” she trails off, a triumphant glint in her eyes and the curve of her mouth. It shouldn’t take very long at all to send her familiars to a nearby branch and gain a mission there. Damned demon meddling in her family life. So what if he’s an uncle of sorts?

“Erm, well, Sir Pheles suggested it but, well, the current Paladin is the, uh, one, who approved it so--,” the exorcist’s throat closes up in terror as the fire in Izumo’s eyes reaches a new pitch. A mere moment later absolute relief courses through the desk exorcist, causing him to slip slowly, bonelessly, from his chair to the floor when the red-eyed menace turns completely away from him to focus on her husband.

“Yukio, hm?”

Sweat began to bead along Rin’s forehead.

“Well...he is a Doctor so maybe he has the right idea, yanno! You should probably take a break especially so close to your final months. It at least couldn’t hurt...? Um, Izumo, where are you going?”

“Just to have a chat with my brother-in-law, is all,” replies Izumo airily, stalking in the direction of the nearest door, the Paladin’s office key in hand.

“W-wait!”

Rin gives a quick apologetic bow to the exorcist now slumped on the floor before scrambling after his wife.

“Izumo, wife, dearest, love, light of my life, you can’t go threatening Yukio! He’s the Paladin! I’m pretty sure that’s like one-hundred percent illegal!”

“I’m pregnant, Rin! Not sick or fragile or wilting away!”

The purple-haired woman jams her key into the door before yanking it to reveal the waiting area before Yukio’s office.

“B-but! The baby!”

The half demon rushes after her, closing the door much more gently behind them.

“Exercise is good for the baby,” Izumo counters ruthlessly turning a glare onto the trailing Rin. Her arms cross defensively in front of her chest. “And don’t think I don’t know you talked with him. He wouldn’t have done it, otherwise, seeing as last time I knew he trusted in my abilities as an exorcist.”

Rin fiddles nervously with Kurikara’s strap across his chest, an anxious grimace pulling at his features.

“It’s not...it’s not you I don’t trust, Izumo!” he blurts out in a half yell, coming to a stop. His gaze firmly fixed on the floor. “I-I know you’re great--you’re the best I know and I wouldn’t want anyone else at my back but...mistakes can happen. Exorcists can get overwhelmed or tricked or hurt no matter how good they are.”

He rocks a bit on his feet, anxiety rising with no response from Izumo, before forging ahead more quietly.

“I’ve always worried about that, y’know? It’s not just because you’re pregnant. It’s just now...now, its more than you, it’s our kid, too. And it kinda seems like you...don’t even really care? You’re just the same reckless you taking the same dangerous jobs. And I know I’m one to talk but I just...,” Rin finishes with an explosive sigh before only shrugging. His eyes do not leave the floor in front of him as his tail lashes to and fro behind him.

There’s a long pause of silence broken suddenly by the sound of Izumo’s ever decisive footsteps. Her boots come into his view as she stops. She doesn’t say a thing.

Lips thinning, Rin raises his gaze from Izumo’s heavy boots, noting bare calves, thin capris, and her over sized, waist length, and unbuttoned exorcist’s jacket. A far cry from her usual, more protective outfit of thick pants, arm and leg guards, and full length jacket, much like Rin wore now. It’s too vulnerable, too exposed, and leaves him feeling sick with worry.

When he finally reaches her face, he’s surprised. Izumo’s arms are still crossed, he had expected to see something like irritation or anger once finally meeting her stare but instead there’s something soft. Appreciation, understanding, and care edged with a deep affection. Even after all this time his heart still skips a beat when Izumo turns such looks on him.

He’s such a sap, really.

“Izumo...?”

She sighs, gently, before spreading her arms. Not one to pass up a rare invitation such as this, Rin immediately steps forward to scoop her up into a hug, resting his chin on her shoulder. Izumo had stayed short while Rin had shot up in his final years of puberty and now she had an extra bump he needed to bend around, but Rin wouldn’t mind all the back cramps in the world so long as he got to hold her.

Izumo’s arms come up around him in turn as she presses her face against his opposite shoulder.

“I know,” she murmurs, voice muffled against him. “I know all of that and I do care. I do worry. Why do you think I bring you with me now?”

Rin hums in consideration. Finally, he replies, “Because you like to boss me around?”

Izumo seems to choke on air as she smacks his back, an indignant cry bubbling out, “Rin!”

Her husband only laughs as they draw apart to look at each other, bringing a soft smile to Izumo’s face.

“Just checking! Just checking,” he snickers, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Izumo only rolls her eyes, huffing out in an haughty manner, “Well, I suppose it is a bonus.”

“H-hey!”

Izumo sighs, hands dropping from Rin’s to grasp one of Rin’s between them, “I bring you with because I trust you to watch out for me when I can’t watch out for myself. There’s nothing I don’t trust you to keep me safe from.”

She smiles up at Rin, her expression full of absolute confidence in him.

Rin feels his mouth drop open. His eyes wide in startled wonderment. The flame of his love for her, ever present, seems to suffuse out from his chest, filling him with warmth until he’s near bursting with tenderness. He kisses her and Izumo’s face flushes almost immediately, burning a cherry red even as she returns it.

When they pull apart, Rin cant help the grin that splits his face or the way his tail wags excitedly behind him. His own cheeks and pointed ears are flushed as well but its fine, he doesn’t mind looking the fool as long as it’s for Izumo.

“You’re such a sap,” Rin tells her delightedly, drawing a flustered protest from her, before pressing yet another kiss to her forehead. “I can’t believe you like me that much.”

“We’re married!”

“I know!” he says, just as excited as the first time she’d said so. The grins slips away suddenly as he seems to realize something. His tail droops low as he slumps, peering at Izumo through his lashes. “I’m still worried, though.”

Izumo only tilts her head to the side, smile still in place as she returns Rin’s scrutiny.

“Hmmm, how about a compromise, then?” she asks, watching Rin perk up curiously. “I won’t quit taking missions completely, I just can’t just sit around doing nothing, it’ll drive me up every wall, but I’ll start taking more lower ranked ones, okay?”

“...and I’ll still come with?” questions Rin after a moment’s pause.

“Of course.”

“Heh, well, I can’t argue with that. As long as you’re happy and safe, I’m okay with it,” he declares, pressing their foreheads together affectionately.

Dryly, Izumo replies, “So glad you approve.”

“Mm, so does this mean you won’t yell at Yukio now?” asks her husband hopefully. He’s taken both her hands in his, rubbing a thumb soothingly over the backs of them.

Forehead touches and hand rubbing is usually a good enough distraction to pull Izumo from whatever warpath she’s set herself on. It’s a good move and has saved many a person from evisceration by spoon...when it’s worked. How unfortunate today is not one of those days.

Izumo smiles serenely at up Rin and kisses him gently on the nose.

“Oh, no,” she says, tone positively the embodiment of sweetness. “He’s dead to me, now.”

Rin sighs forlornly.

The brunette raises an immaculate brow, eyes zeroing in on the kill with a genuinely interested and sweet, “Yes?”

Rin grabs Paku by the shoulders and shakes her all but screaming, “PAKU, YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!”

If the eldest Okumura weren’t one for regular hysterics, Paku might actually be worried.

“With what?” she asks, trying not to laugh to hard.

“Okay, well, recently Izumo has been talking about...about this other Rin! Shimura Rin! All the time, she talks about her every day. It’s always Rin did this and Rin did that and ‘you won’t believe what Rin did today’. And I’ve met this Rin and let me tell you, she talks about Izumo the same way, too!”

Paku interrupts with a gasp, “You mean like secret lovers?!”

A hand covers her mouth for the extra drama.

The noise that explodes from Rin then sounds like a dying animal and a broken blender. His huge, broken puppy dog face almost makes Paku feel guilty. Almost.

“You think?!”

“Oh, no, not at all, Izumo has no secrets from me,” she assures. The glint in her eye almost sinister.

“Then why would you...” Rin shakes his head violently. Some minds are best never understood. “Nevermind, I still think she has a crush! Izumo waxed eloquent for thirty minutes about the curve of Rin’s abdominals. Thirty minutes, Paku, thirty minutes.”

Paku eyes slide shut. Her whole being--physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual--slumps. As Izumo’s longest lasting friend, she has already been exposed a many a time to Izumo’s complete lack of self awareness. Especially, in relation to her sexuality.

(There’s a particularly memorable time Paku cherishes as the moment she lost any and all innocence to just how truly bizarre Izumo’s affections could be. It’s a year or two after Paku’s dropped out of cram school. The sun shines brightly despite Autumn’s cold and Izumo has started as a Middle Second Class exorcist. This means, of course, longer, harder, and more dangerous missions. 

Paku knows Izumo’s just returned the day before from one such mission. It’s the reason why she finds Izumo’s dazed inattentiveness so worrying. Had something happened? Something horrible? Her former mentor, Shura, had been on that mission. Why hadn’t the elder woman watched out for her?!

The brunette tries not to ask. She really does. But by the time lunch break rolls around Paku simply cannot take the glazed look in Izumo’s eyes anymore. Paku lets them get lunch, settle onto their usual spot of grass, and start in on their food before even thinking of questioning Izumo.

“Izumo, can I...ask you something?” Paku begins delicately.

“Mm,” Izumo says, not even looking at her. Paku is fairly certain the juicebox she holds to her mouth is empty by now and yet Izumo doesn’t set it down. Simply stares into the far distance.

Anxiety grips Paku’s heart like a vice. With a shaky inhale, she braces herself for whatever horrors Izumo might share with her. She can do this. For Izumo.

“Did...something happen? On your mission? It’s just, you’ve seemed off all day and I’m worried,” Paku explains, stressing the last word in a way to get Izumo’s immediate attention. She keeps her expression open and kind and is not surprised when Izumo’s eyes snap to her. She ever more nervous, however, when Izumo turns her head away, hiding her face.

An eternity seems to stretch between them. Paku readies herself to press forward when Izumo finally answers.

“Blood...”

Paku winces. Just as she’s feared--

“There was so much blood on her. I always thought it would be gross to see someone like that? But! she looked amazing and terrifying. Definitely terrifying. And the way she moved! It was like watching a war goddess in action,” Izumo murmurs, ecstatic.

Paku blanches. She’s bewildered, floundering. The direction of up is a mystery.

“What.”

Izumo turns back to her then, face flushed. A rapturous smile curves the corners her lips and admiration pours forth from her every pore. Adoration practically leaps forwards in physical form when she sighs, “Shura.”

“What,” Paku repeats. She wonders if the world will align anytime soon.

“I think I want her to punch me?”

Paku doesn’t ask.)

“See! You know exactly how I feel. Which means she’s done this before. Which means she has a crush. Which means I’m doomed because tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day and if Izumo is crushing that means Rin is definitely crushing back because, I mean, who wouldn’t? Izumo is so amazing...but, anyway, if Rin’s crushing then she’s definitely going to do something tomorrow! What do I do? Paku, please, you have to help me. Before I’m doomed to be some old guy’s trophy husband instead of Izumo’s!” whines Rin. He slides to his knees, grasping his hands in front of himself in a begging sort of gesture.

Paku shakes herself free of the past, focusing on the poor boy in front of her.

“Now, now!” she scolds shaking a finger. “That’s quitter talk!”

In all honestly, Paku doubts the relationship between this mysterious female Rin and Izumo is so serious. Nonetheless, she’ll help Rin out. If only to get rid of this will they, won’t they tension driving her absolutely insane.

The brunette taps her chin thoughtfully as she thinks aloud, “Now clearly you have to make some sort of grand gesture. One that’s modest but clearly separates you from whatever this mysterious Shimura can come up with! Have you done chocolates, ever? Izumo is a sucker for sweets! And you’re really good at cooking, right? So you could probably make some special chocolates in the shape of cats. Or maybe foxes? Both?

Oh! Get her flowers too and a stuffed animal. I can help you with the flower message I’m sure Shiemi will drop a hint for you--”

“I’ve done all that,” cuts in Rin, sounder even more dejected.

A tingling sense of evil crawls over Paku. 

“What? Chocolates? Flowers? Stuffed animals? Grandiose declarations of love? All of it? And you’re still not dating?!” gasps Paku, true horror bringing her hands to her mouth. Is Izumo truly such a hard nut to crack?

“Erm, well, not the last one! And not all at once. But I’ve done it all...I just....chickened out half way through and said they were all friendship gifts,” mutters Rin, toeing the floor.

“And she believed it?” Paku returns in surprise. Actually, scratch that. Izumo absolutely would believe that. She tries not to close her eyes. Her soul almost leaves her body. 

Rin bobs his head still focusing on the floor before perking up excitedly.

“But! I haven’t done the declarations of love part! Should I write it on the chocolate?”

Life returns to Pakus eyes and she chimes, “Oh! Yes, that would be so cute. How would you write it?”

“Hmmm, ‘Dear Izumo, you could stab me and I’d say thanks. P.S. I love you.’ Does that work?” questions Rin eagerly.

Paku resists slapping a hand to her face. Only just. Something in her expression must give her away, however, for Rin makes a noise of discontent.

“You’re right, it’s too long. I don’t think Izumo would eat that much chocolate.”

Paku really does slap her face then. With both hands. Look all ye upon these halpless fools and despair.

“I don’t think...”

“Oh! I got it!”

Paku doubts that.

“Bwahaha, it’s so perfect! There’s no way I can lose with this plan!”

Wait, is his voice getting farther away? Paku raises her face from her hands to spy Rin striding confidentially away from her.

“Gah, Rin, hold on! You haven’t told me your plan, yet. Rin!”

Izumo stretches her arms above her head languorously, feeling the comfortable burn of well worked muscles. Her skin sports a few new bruises, as well, but it’s well worth it to the red-eyed girl. With Rin’s busy schedule, these spars kept getting further and further apart, making these moments even more precious to Izumo.

With an explosive sigh, Izumo flops back onto the gym floor.

A husky laugh follows her.

“I didn’t hit you too hard, now, did I?”

Izumo grins up at the older woman.

“Pft, as if, that was a sigh of content, yanno.”

The black-haired woman sniggers as she settles into her own stretches beside Izumo’s prone form. Like always during her cool down, Rin provides tips and critiques on Izumo’s performance before questioning why Izumo moved like this or did that at this point in the spar.

Izumo is in the middle of answering such a question, explaining why she thought the kick would have given her an advantage, when Rin--the Okumura one--bursts into the recreational space.

“Izumo!”

Rolling her eyes, Izumo pushes herself to a stand to flag him down.

“Over here!” she calls, eyes widening when notices what he’s carrying. “What’s all this?”

Huffing, Rin carefully and expectantly hands off each item to her. 

Bemusedly, Izumo takes each and every one, a bouquet of every kind of red flower under the sun and a box of what can only be chocolates remain in her hands while the overly large teddy bear with gaudy heart ballons takes a seat next to her on the floor. After she marvels at its softness, of course. It’s...a lot. She knows Rin likes to give things to her to affirm their friendship, espcially on Valentine’s Day. But all of this? At once? She’ll have to bump up his shameless rating.

“Rin, even for you this is too much,” Izumo laughs feeling simultaneously pleased and flustered. There’s a flush in her cheeks tempered by the fact that this is simply Rin being, well, Rin. An overly affectionate friend. She lifts up the lid of the box and almost drops both the chocolates and flowers in surprise when twenty, little cat-shaped chocolates stare back at her. “Oh my god, they’re so cute!”

Awe makes Izumo’s legs weak, she sinks to the floor, not quite sitting, staring with wonderment.

“Aaah, how am I supposed to eat you? Your just little faces with little pawsies but you’re so adorable! Gah, I could scream with how cute you are,” she murmurs to herself. Perhaps, to the chocolates too. 

Shimura watches Izumo with amusement before glancing at Rin, Blue meets blue as the woman smiles in a pleased manner. Strangely, there seems to be a glimmer of pride within her eyes.

“So--”

“Take this!”

“Ah..., thanks?” says Shimura uncertainly, staring at the little box. Could it be a Valentine’s Day gift? She wouldn’t have guessed Rin considered her so highly.

Determination burning in his gaze, Rin nods, explaining, “They’re Valentine’s chocolates. For the special bond we share.”

Alarms widens Shimura’s eyes as they dart first worriedly to Izumo who, thankfully, still appeared lost in the experience of her own treats, then back to Rin.

“Um, are you sure you mean to give this to me?” asks Shimura uneasily.

Another nod.

“I wrote my feelings on the chocolate, so take a look.”

The woman can almost feel her face cramp with the attempt to keep herself from grimacing as she slowly lifts open the lid of the box to reveal the incriminating chocolates beneath. A cross between a laugh of incredulity and sob of relief explodes out of the black-haired exorcist as she reads aloud, “Rival confirmed!?”

Beside her, Izumo inhales her chocolate in shock..

Rin slides a foot back, planting a hand on his hip as he points dramatically at Shimura.

“That’s right! Shimura Rin, from this moment forward, I, Okumura Rin, declare you my rival in the contest of Izumo’s heart!”

Shimura stares. Izumo begins to choke. Rin doesn’t let up.

“I respect you for choosing this wonderfully terrifying girl as the object of your affections but I must you insist you back down! Unless you want to taste bitter defeat, that is. For I will never stop fighting for her, ever!” he declares. He pauses to look at the now coughing Izumo in worry but she waves a dismissive hand at both the Rins. The Okumura’s fiery gaze returns to Shimura’s. “Unless, Izumo chooses you. I’d probably? Stop? Or if she tells me to stop. Because I respect her decisions and...”

Rin wavers for a moment. Frown in place.

“...A-and! Anyway! Be prepared!”

With that, Rin about faces with a cocky toss of his head before fleeing the scene as rapidly as humanly possible.

Bursting in sniggers, Rin--the Shimura one--crouches down and rubs the struggling Izumo’s back soothingly. In between laughs and snorts, the woman asks, “So, when do you think I should tell my fiance I’m apparently leaving her for you?”

Izumo covers her face with a single hand, the other resting on her hip as she hangs her head. There’s a long moment as she goes through a couple of more cycles of meditative breathing before she drops both hands to her sides. Her head tilts back to stare up at the ceiling in apparent despair.

“How long have they been here?” she asks, tone full of the tiredness of a war general finally settling into the grave of defeat.

Emi winces sympathetically and gives Izumo’s shoulder a squeeze.

“It’s only been two minutes, it can’t be too bad right?” she answers, cheer in the lines of body and the smile on her face. Even her long brown hair seems cheerful in the way it bobs as she nods encouragingly.

Her smile is a lie, however. Izumo knows this down to her very bones. She’s done this too many times to be fooled. Has watched the light drain from her subordinates eyes, bit by painful bit, as she’s sent them again and again on this mission, a fate worse than death.

(”Never be the one to keep Arc Knight Izumo’s family busy while she’s out,” they whisper around the water cooler. Only when the light is brightest for fear of bringing ill luck, otherwise. “You’ll never come out the same.”)

It is that bad, Izumo knows. Her red eyes pierce brown and find nothing--Emi is dead inside already. Which is why she’s meeting Izumo outside her subordinates’ shared office space and not Izumo’s own. Emi’s given up. Set them free. Izumo finds herself imagining the carnage that awaits the two of them beyond the ridiculously tall, ridiculously thick double doors.

Izumo sighs. Then straightens, pulling back her shoulders and tilting her chin up. If she is going to walk into hell then she is going in proud and unbroken.

Decision made, Izumo strides forward. Emi trails behind her superior. Her own back unbowed, as well. Izumo will remember her fondly.

Grasping a handle, Izumo pulls open the wooden door. Internally, she braces for screaming both wild, victorious and low, despairing kinds; for seeing her subordinates, good exorcists the lot of them, spread among their desks, slumping lifelessly like forgotten debris; for the horde held precariously within to come rushing towards her the moment she’s noticed. She does not brace, instead, for silence.

Only just realizing she has closed her eyes, Izumo cautiously cracks a single one open.

“SURPRISE!”

Izumo’s eyes fly wide open, her hand gripping tightly onto the door handle in shock. Her mouth drops open and all she can do is stare.

There’s a different sort of carnage than what she had expected: confetti, burst across the office upon her entrance, a banner strung from the ceiling declaring “Happy Birthday, Kamiki Izumo (Mom)!”, and a ridiculously large cake behind the whole group. There were screams but all of delight and cheer. Not a single one of horror. Before her stands the horde, her little family of gremlins: children, husband, and wife, grinning wildly in alliance with her coworkers, waiting for her reaction.

“Oh,” murmurs Izumo. It’s all she can seem to get out past the sudden lump in her throat.

It’s enough, however. Emi slips out from behind her to join Izumo’s subordinates while the red-haired twins, Izanagi and Izanami, rush towards their flabbergasted mother. The rest of her children and her spouses follow after at their own paces. The twins collide with her legs before wrapping their arms firmly around them. In unison their grinning faces peer up at Izumo with mismatched eyes.

“Are you--”

“--very surprised?”

“We did our bestest--”

“--to keep it secret!”

Heat begins to creep up her neck as Izumo laughs just a bit nervously before encircling the two in a hug as best she can.

“Oh, yes, very surprised,” she replies, watching her words transform their faces from happy to positively gleeful.

Izumo lets them go, though they remain attached, to draw her next two kids--Shiro and Sadako--into an embrace. They’re older than the twins. Twelve and ten and already standing at her shoulder. Sadako presses her face into Izumo’s neck while Shiro leans up to a plant a shameless kiss on her cheek. Izumo ruffles his hair in retaliation, smiling as he squawks.

“Mother, I worked all day on that!”

“It was a beautiful mohawk,” Izumo allows. Smile turning into a smirk as Shiro protests that he’s ‘not beautiful, oh my god.’  “But, you know the rules, kisses get smushes.”

Shiro pouts, whining, “I’ve never heard of that.”

“Are you sure that’s not a made-up rule, mom?” asks Sadako, in turn.

“Oh, no, it’s definitely a real rule. I was there when she put it into the official lawbook,” assures Aiko as she comes up and manages to encircle her siblings and mother in one huge hug. Only fifteen and she’s already as tall as her father. It brings a spark of prideful envy to Izumo, as her eldest leans in to press their foreheads together. “Happy birthday, Mom.”

Before Izumo can say anything (though she doubts she could’ve, that lump seems to have grown several sizes in just a span of seconds), Izanami yelps excitedly, “She’s very surprised!”

The six of them break into laughs drawing apart just as Rin and Shiemi arrive, bringing up the rear.

“Really? I was worried you would figure it out and be all grumpy about it,” admits Rin, his grin unwavering.

Shiemi slaps him lightly on the arm before stepping forward and grasping Izumo’s hands, “What Rin means to say is that while we know you don’t particularly care to celebrate your birthday...so we hope this is okay.”

“A-and! If you don’t like it we don’t have to do this ever again,” assures Rin quickly, looking ready to take cover behind Shiemi.

“We just want to show you how much we appreciate you, is all,” finishes Aiko, giving her mother’s shoulder a soft squeeze. Sadako, Shiro, Izanami and Izanagi all give chorusing agreements.

The seven of them give her such hopeful looks that Izumo almost feels scared to breathe. She does, somehow. Past the tightness and the lump.

“Heh, well,” begins Izumo, licking her lips and swallowing. Her eyes avert to the ground. “What am I supposed to say to that? Especially, with those puppy dog looks that I’m pretty sure I banned...Of, course I like it. Thank you, very, very much for caring so much about me.”

“C’mon, bring it in!” Izumo calls, keeping her head down even as she raises her arms.

“Group hug!” shriek the twins.

Shiro gulps, “Two hugs in one day? Is this the end--ow, Sadako!”

“Get in here already.”

“I’m so glad you liked it! Just wait until you taste the cake I made your favorite kind.”

“I made sure he didn’t go too overboard on the sweetness factor, too,” Aiko adds, squeezing into the hug from behind. “And Shiemi brewed some mean tea.”

“We did--”

“--the presents!” 

“I’m the one who came up with the plan! Your secretary helped too, I guess.”

At that, Izumo weakly rubs her knuckles into her eldest son’s black hair, forcing out, “I-it was you who conspired to give me a conniption, then, huh?”

Her eyes burn and she can’t seem to draw in enough air. A small tremble runs through the purple-haired woman’s frame and Izumo draws her family in tighter with a shaky inhale. Her family’s voices buzz around her, almost lost in  the background drone of her cheerful colleagues.

I haven’t been fair to them, she thinks, remembering many birthdays passed by with ‘abrupt’ long-term, out of country exorcism missions that she simply ‘couldn’t’ pass up or flat out refusal to participate in anything more extravagant than a nice dinner at home, sans presents. Even now, she can feel the urge to brush them off and flee. The urge to hide away from the day that had only ever served to remind her mother how much she hadn’t wanted Izumo. 

(I wish I’d never given birth to you!)

Shame bubbles up inside Izumo. Only to be smothered by the sheer overwhelming amount of love pouring from her family to her. She hugs them tighter still, a sniffle breaking from her.

Shiemi gasps, “Izumo! Are you crying?”

Her family pulls back in concern, Rin spluttering, “N-now, don’t you start! If you start cr...crying then I...I...I will too!”

He really does start blubbering, waterworks, soft sniveling, snot and all, sending the twins off into whimpers. Aiko pats Rin’s back in faint amusement while Sadako worriedly gathers up Izanagi and Izanami to shush them. Beside his two mothers, Shiro stands stiffly. His arms raised in apparent surrender and eyes so wide he looks like he might faint at any second.

“I’m not crying!” protests Izumo in a sharp whisper. She attempts to point an accusatory finger in Rin’s direction. It’s rather difficult, however, when Shiemi holds onto her hands firmly. Supposedly, in attempt to calm her. “I-I’m just real-real-really happy!”

“See? Happy crying, happy crying, no need for you two to go weeping too!” Sadako all but wails in the background.

“I’m g-glad!” sobs out Rin.

Izumo chokes out, “Stop yelling!”

It’s too late, however, the damage has been done. The victim of carnage Izumo had been expecting earlier, namely dignity, has come at last. She just never thought it would be hers.

“Stop looking! Get back to work, you heathens!” Izumo shouts at her subordinates. They all stare back at her with an odd mix of well-trained fear and bemused bewilderment in their gaze. If Izumo hadn’t been ready for funeral drums before she certainly is now.

“But we haven’t even had cake yet!” objects Emi from the crowd, looking quite put out.

“She’s right. You haven’t opened presents either. How about we take care of that and then they can go back to work afterwards,” soothes Shiemi, sounding all too reasonable and polite.

Izumo can only stare at her wife with watery eyes, betrayed.

“Oooh, yes, don’t you two want cake? You only get cake if you stop crying, though!”

The tears drain away immediately to be replaced by near battle cries.

“Cake!” shrieks Izanagi.

“I want cake!” demands Izanami.

Grinning the sort of mad grin that possesses those who’ve just scraped by death, Sadako jogs away with the twins in arm, shouting, “Alright! Cake for everyone!”

A cheer goes up from the crowd at her declaration, followed by ever more raucous orders for only the biggest, most icing-est pieces of cake from the two twins.

Aiko hums. One more pat to her father’s back and she’s striding over to the still frozen Shiro. She hooks an arm about him and starts to drag him away, musing aloud, “I could definitely go for some cake. How about you, Shiro?”

Indescribable mumbles are the only response she receives. 

“Good enough,” declares the eldest Kamiki-Okumura cheerily, steering them towards the front of the growing line. 

Shiemi and Izumo watch them go. Shiemi faintly amused. Izumo falling somewhere to between mortification and glassy eyed acceptance. When they glance back at each other, Shiemi’s smile softens. Gently, she dabs at Izumo’s eyes, drying them.

“Let’s go eat, alright?”

Izumo doesn’t nod, or make a noise of agreement, but she doesn’t resist Shiemi’s tug towards the promising, if diminishing, cake. A sort of smile is even managing to creep onto her face. Sure, she’s certainly going to be a laughing stock around her office for a while but for once she’s pleased and happy on her birthday. With her family no less!  Snide marks around the office aren’t anything a little iron fist ruling can’t fix. If she ever comes off this endorphin high, that is. She might not even care--

“Aaah, I love you guys so much!”

Izumo and Shiemi don’t even get a chance to run before they’re lifted off their feet by one--no longer sobbing but still deliriously overcome with emotion--Rin. 

“I love you too, Rin,” returns Shiemi serenely. A faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Quite oppositely, Izumo writhes, claws, and howls like a trapped, wild animal.

“We love you too, Dad!” chorus all their children at once. More than one voice muffled through cake.

Izumo slumps in Rin’s arms. They’re out to kill her. Honestly, truly. Through kindness.

“Shameless! All of you are shameless!”

notes: honestly hope to explain this with subsequent stories but for now here’s a rough guide.

Izumo had Aiko when she was 22. Izumo, Rin, and Shiemi are all 37 in this fic. The rest of the children were adopted at various points. Shiemi became a part of the marriage (although not officially recognized) around the time Shiro was adopted.

Aiko is a carbon copy of her mother Izumo, bc manga genetics, with her father’s build, quarter demon, does not appear to have her father’s flames. Wears her hair ridiculously long. They don’t think she’s ever cut it, not even once. Training to be an exorcist, possibly dragoon.

Shiro is a brown haired and brown-eyed human. His hair pretty shaggy, he tries to do mohawks and fails spectacularly. Hasn’t decided whether he wants to be a cook or rockstar.

Sadako is also human. Currently, she has black hair but she eventually starts dying it blonde like her mother Shiemi. Blue eyes. Loves dressing up. Practicing to become a professional kickboxer.