The Day of Thunder

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Very well, I will keep that in mind," she smiled lightly. Her mother would've had much more experience with something like that, but she'd learned a thing or two on her own.

"Are you headed back to the camp? Doesn't seem like we can visit the shrine here..."

[Jiyo Sora]

"Seems that way indeed."

The urge to ruffle her hair was awful.

"I don't know, think I might head into the village for a bath, it's been a long walk getting here..."

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Much good that will do you," she snorted a laugh and skipped ahead of him to avoid any punishment from the remark.

[Jiyo Sora]

Much good as it did her...

"Spoken like someone who needs to hear her mother's story about the Lion messenger and the frogs again!"

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Bah! That was one time!" Satsuki stopped to kick a rock further down the path. "How was I supposed to know that most people don't find frogs cute, huh? They are adorable! With their big little eyes, and the way they go 'ribbit ribbit'."

[Jiyo Sora]

"I believe it was less any objection to frogs as such than in the method of delivery..."

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Oh come on, it was rather genius, wasn't it? No one suspected a child to cover themself in mud for camouflage when sneaking in to deposit said frogs in the room."

Never mind the fact that she had been of the genius-mind that she shouldn't ruin the clothes her mother made her, so she had gone without.

[Jiyo Sora]

He kept a remarkably straight face.

"It might have worked better if you'd waited for darkness."

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Oooh, my silly child mind didn't think of that," she chuckled and slapped her forehead for emphasis. "I was probably thinking that the mud was enough."

The laughter quieted down. "... I miss those days. The days before the nightmares."

[Jiyo Sora]

"We'll get 'em back. If not for us, then for the kids who haven't been born yet."

He was firm on that point.

"And then I'll give you a whole new set of nightmares with my dancing at 'Yuki and Taiyo's wedding. You'll miss the good old days!"

[Togashi Satsuki]

Satsuki tilted her head to the side as she regarded him. "But... you don't even know how to dance...?"

[Jiyo Sora]

He smiled with a malice all of the demons of JIgoku and Yume-Jigoku could never hope to match.

"Indeed! But why let that stop me?"

[Togashi Satsuki]

She grimaced slightly. "What exactly are you intending to do? Won't Kinyoubi be rather embarrassed if you do that?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"Ah, my saintly wife, that goddess in human form, has seen much, much worse from the man she inexplicably chose to wed."

He nodded sagely.

"And besides, if I'm doing it to torture Shirayuki.... or you... she'll consider it a righteous and just course of action. After all, it will simply be an old dance of the Hikaru tribe, lovingly presented at the blessed union of the daughter of one who knows it. And you Dragons seem able to handle a little bit of an axe dance..."

[Togashi Satsuki]

Satsuki's eyebrows rose. "Well, I'm not the one who is the target of your torture-dance..." she wasn't going to stop him from doing something so silly. Even if Shirayuki might've wanted her to do it.

"I didn't even know the Hikaru had dances, to be honest."

[Jiyo Sora]

"Oh, we had plenty. It was an art form very good for getting a group whipped into the right kind of fervor. Koz- Koyama actually did one when Lady Doji had a little.... demonstration of art during the Tournament of the Kami. But he was always better with people than I was. Soem of the tradition actually lives on among the Ki-Rin. at present. The remnants Bayushi took in were... other types."

[Togashi Satsuki]

As uncle Kozan had always seemed to have a strange way of speaking, Satsuki wasn't sure which one between the two men were actually the best (or worst) with people.

"I see..." she thought then looked at Sora. "But you need practice to make it truly memorable! Show me, and I'll give you pointers?"

[Jiyo Sora]

"But if I practice it might be good!"

He shook his head, his expression as grave as a statue carved to ward off evil spirits. Then relaxed slightly as he grew a bit more serious.

"And besides, doing it in front of a shrine we're locked out of might be seen as disrespectful by the people here."

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Ah," she glanced back up the mist-covered path. "You're right about that."

"But I still think you should practice! It's your daughter's wedding, so you have to do your best. Trust me, she'll be embarrassed no matter if it's good or bad... maybe even more if it's actually good because no one will stop you." Satsuki grinned. "Taiyo might even love it if it's good. Which will no doubt vex your daughter more."

[Jiyo Sora]

"... maybe I could teach you and you could teach him on the sly..."