30 Shards

Title:Transition
Author:ginnekomiko
Characters:older!Kai and Shinta
Rating:G
Warning: Eventual use of OCs
Shard:#5 Memories
Summary:Kai reflects on Shinta's awkwardness.
Note: I'm going to be taking this slow because this and Kai's take on the whole thing  aren't finished. This story takes place eight (demon) years after that time line, though it's not required to have read the whole thing. Kai is currently (the equivalent of) eighteen and Shinta's almost thirteen.

 

Transition

“Hey Aniki, can I talk to you about something?”

Kai looked forward. He was dragging his kill behind him. “Sure, Shinta, what’s going on?”

“Aniki, how do you talk to girls?” Shinta asked shyly.

“The same way you talk to guys,” he remarked.

“That’s not the answer I wanted!” Shinta exclaimed as he walked beside him. “You’re popular with girls, right?”

“It’s not like I ever wanted to be popular among them, Shinta,” he said with a sigh.

“But you still are.”

Kai grinned a little. It was hard to be a preteen. He’d gone through it years ago, and now it was Shinta’s turn.

The first thing to go had been the term “An-chan.”

As one got older, the men were expected to use courser language. Poor Shinta hardly looked menacing with that gangly body and baby face. Being cute never bothered him before, but now, he was expected to be tough. He was due to get his armor soon.

“Aniki you really lucked out in getting your armor early. You got all the respect and never had to take a stupid test.”

“I didn’t plan on that, either. I just wanted my friend back.”

“Still, getting it that early made you look really cool. I think more girls liked you after that.”

 “Shinta, it’s not how many girls you attract, it’s the kind of girl you attract.”

“But if you have more girls interested in you that means you can pick from them when you become of marriageable age, right?”

“I don’t know.”

Normally, they declared the age of marriage to be between the ages of fifteen and twenty. The elders encouraged the younger generation to wed and have children to make up for the massive numbers lost during the shikon wars over eight years ago.

Every child born was given a chance at life no matter how small.

 Girls were no longer killed simply for bring born.

Of course, it helped that Kouga and Lady Ayame’s first child had been a girl.

That had been five years ago. Since then, a lot of little girls had been born.

He was eighteen now, but despite his popularity amongst the girls in his age range, he still hadn’t declared himself ready for marriage. 

“I bet you could pick from lots! I’d like at least two!” Shinta said.

“Have you been listening to anything I’ve said?” he asked with a sigh.

“So, who would you pick for your bride?” Shinta asked.

“You should know that answer,” he said.

“You still have that crush? Good luck. She outranked you before, but after everything that’s happened, she’s so far above you now, it isn’t even funny. Besides, do you really want to take Leader on in a fight? He’s got that special weapon and everything.”

“I think I could still take him.”

“You’re crazy, Aniki,” Shinta said.

“When you fall in love, really fall in love with someone, you’ll understand.”