//------------------------------// // Tag, You're It // Story: Three More Things! // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// "So..." Jackie began quietly as he paced back and forth in Section 13. "Jade's first day at school with Hsi Wu." "You really shouldn't worry so much, Jackie," Captain Black spoke up. "A familiar is supposed to take care of their mage. It's part of the binding. Hsi will keep her out of trouble." "Except his magic is bound to the spirit of her will," Jackie pointed out. "And she likes getting up to mischievous adventures that inevitably get her in trouble." Captain Black paused in his paperwork. "...oh. Definitely glad they're at school, then. Especially today." "Why especially today?" Jackie asked curiously. "Despite appearances, Jackie, the world doesn't revolve around the crazy adventures your family gets up to," Augustus pointed out dryly. "Today I had to send one of our best agents out to deal with a techno-mancer who was a long time thorn in our sides even before magic was the norm." As he spoke of that, he looked rather put out. "Why does that upset you?" Jackie asked curiously. "Because he impressed me more before he had a Level 5 Luck bloodline," Augustus grumbled. "Meaning random coincidence will always act to his benefit if there's anything serious going on." "Useful," Jackie murmured thoughtfully. Jade groaned as she buried her face in her hands at the lunch table, the girls and 'Seymour' joining her shortly thereafter. "This has been the most frustrating day of school ever," she groaned out, rubbing at her hand where the familiar binding mark - the complete Harmony sigil surrounding the Magic symbol - spiraled down the back of her hand to wrap around her wrist like a fingerless glove. "I must have said Hsi wasn't my boyfriend...how many times now?" "That makes 37," Hsi spoke up helpfully. "Nearly double that if we count the mental mutterings that were practically a mantra." "You were counting- wait, you can hear my thoughts- you were keeping a count of that?" Jade demanded, plainly unable to determine which question was of greater importance there. Hsi smiled softly. "If you're specifically thinking loudly about me, the thoughts transfer through the bond like the summoning. Same method lets you call me to you, or mentally direct me." "Figured it was something to do with the magic," Jade murmured irritably, making a mental note to watch her thoughts...or not. She grinned wickedly at Hsi. He shuddered a bit at that. "And Sweetie made me keep count so she wouldn't have to." "Snitch!" Sweetie complained, making Apple Bloom and Scootaloo giggle. "Hey, I don't recognize that pact marking," a voice suddenly called. Jade lifted her head, then blinked in surprise. Six kids her age were standing there, all of their faces showing a familial stamp like siblings, though some were taller and some shorter. What immediately caught her attention was that the youngest, white-haired boy...had visible cat ears and tail. "Uh..." she began nervously. "What family crest is that?" the cat boy asked curiously, his voice soft and not showing much emotion. "...crest?" Jade asked in confusion. "It's not a family crest," Apple Bloom corrected. "It's a mark o' Harmony magic." "Never heard of that," the tallest boy, who stood about a head taller than the others with long black hair that went straight down to his waist, murmured with a purring chuckle. "What mythology is that?" "I think we're approaching this the wrong way," a red-haired girl spoke up insistently, making the others calm down. Smiling, she held her hand out to Jade and the others. "Rianna Hyoudou. My siblings and I just transferred in." "Jade Chan," Jade greeted, accepting the handshake. "My cousins, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. And this is Seymour, my, uh..." "Your familiar, right?" the blonde girl deduced happily. "Oh, I'm Asuna." "Aku," the tall boy greeted warmly. "And don't make the joke." He grinned wickedly, lifting one finger playfully to his lips as his eyes narrowed. "I live up to the hype, in more ways than one." "You're so lucky your familiar's a cute boy!" a second blonde girl, this one dressed far more elegantly than the others, complained. "I still haven't got mine, but my Mom forbids one that takes a human form..." "Oh hush, Rakel," the last boy - this one with light brown hair and crimson eyes - snapped out. "At least you get to choose your own familiar. Mom made me take the Undine Dad passed on when she showed up for me, too." He shuddered grumpily. "That is no 'water maiden'..." Rianna groaned, rubbing her forehead. "Chissei, your Mom's an angel! How in all the Hells did you end up the one who took after Dad?" "You all seem rather close in age," Hsi Wu murmured softly. "Not to mention you each have referred to 'your Mom' and 'Dad'. Is there...?" "We're six of a set of half-octuplets," the cat boy offered softly as he sipped at a juice box. "Oh, I'm Shiro." "...half-octuplets?" Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head in confusion. "...how?" "It was a big day for Dad on his birthday," Shiro explained softly. "Our Moms thought he deserved a special treat." "That...sounds like a very awkward family dynamic," Sweetie Belle offered nervously. "Only on special occasions," Rianna insisted delicately. "Or when my Mom and your Mom-" Aku began playfully, laughing as Rianna punched him on the arm. "How did your Dad pull all that?" Scootaloo asked curiously. "I mean, he sounds pretty important if he's got...eight wives?" "More than that," Asuna murmured softly. "Yes...Dad's super important," Shiro murmured flatly as everyone's expressions - save Chissei's - turned flat. "He's one of the most important devils in the Underworld, and considered a close personal friend to the Satans, and has staved off several wars. Not to mention he's one of the most powerful, and most popular." "You...don't sound enthused," Jade murmured as the fillies began slurping their own juice boxes. "Does he...not have enough time for you?" "Oh no, he always makes time for us," Asuna insisted. "He even chooses seeing to our needs before spending time with our Moms. He's an excellent father." Her face fell. "It's just..." "It's hard to be enthusiastic about your father's reputation when he's known throughout the underworld as the 'Oppai Dragon'," Rianna groaned softly. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo's eyes widened as they spat their juice, knowing enough Japanese from their childhood research project to translate the title. Hsi Wu's eyes also widened, recognizing which being that title referred to, and promptly dove under the table to hide. School just became much more dangerous.