Late March, 2006.
Inside a luxurious mansion somewhere in Kyoto, a large bed was buried under a thick blanket.
"Do you think he'll find us?" A voice came from beneath the covers. The tiny figure was completely wrapped up, speaking cautiously to the person beside him.
"Of course he will. Your dad is—ah!"
Before Onshin could finish her sentence, a pair of big hands suddenly grabbed the entire blanket they were under, making her yelp.
"Alright, time to get up and eat."
After a bit of playful struggling, Toji finally loosened his grip and lifted the blanket with a fond smile. Two figures, one big and one small, came into view.
"How did you even know we were hiding here?" The little boy with spiky hair that looked like a puffed-up cat glanced at the tall man, confused.
"Uh… just a feeling, I guess. It felt like something really important was hidden here."
He didn't mention that their hiding spot was actually way too obvious. Instead, he patted the boy's small head and looked toward Onshin, whose cheeks were now flushed.
"Alright, alright. Mukuro should be back soon. I'll go make lunch. You two have fun."
She gave his chest a few light pats before hurrying away, leaving behind Toji, who had experience with kids but had never really treated Mukuro like one, and the cold-faced little boy, Megumi, alone in the room.
The two stared at each other for a while.
"Want to go out for a walk? It's rare for Kyoto to still have snow this late in March." Toji scratched his head and turned toward the window. Outside was a pure white world.
"I want to go."
* * *
The boy quickly put on his thick coat and followed his father like a tiny shadow, stepping into the snow.
Noticing the small figure trailing closely behind him, Toji couldn't help but wonder, 'Aren't kids supposed to be cute and clingy? Why does mine seem so... different?'
He thought of Mukuro when he was little and regretted not learning how to deal with this kind of quiet kid back then.
Then he noticed Megumi's cautious steps and the way his little hand kept reaching out but pulling back.
'Is the snow too deep for him?'
Watching him carefully avoid slipping while still trying to keep up, Toji could almost picture the boy tripping, face-planting into the snow, and then pouting with tears in his eyes.
'That'd be pretty funny... No wait, Onshin would kill me.'
He sighed and was about to ruffle the boy's hair out of habit, but stopped midway.
This wasn't Mukuro.
"Hold on to me," he said instead.
Megumi blinked, puzzled, as Toji extended his hand toward him.
"..."
The boy's eyes darted away, his face turning red, but in the end, he reached out and held his father's hand.
When he saw other kids being walked to kindergarten by their dads, hand in hand, he never said anything, but deep down, he'd always envied them. He couldn't remember his father ever holding his hand like that.
(Of course, he had when Megumi learned to walk.)
Big hand holding small, they walked a short distance near the house, but to Toji, it was like he was walking through a life he never had.
He had never known what a father's love felt like, yet he still tried his best to play the role of one, clumsy as he was.
Smack!
Just then, a small snowball hit Toji right in the face.
"Pfft!"
Even the usually serious Megumi couldn't hold back his laughter at the sight of his father's face, now covered in snow.
"You little brat, getting cocky, huh?" Toji's eyes twitched as he glared at the tall young man standing across from him.
"Hey, it's rare to have snow this time of year. What's the point if we don't have a snowball fight?" As Mukuro spoke, he was already shaping another snowball in his hand, tossing it lightly in the air.
"Come on, Megumi, let's get him!"
Toji bent down, scooped up a handful of snow, and hurled it at his brother. The throw was so fast it cracked the air with a faint pop.
The snowball grazed past Mukuro's cheek and slammed into a tree behind him, leaving a dent in the bark.
"You maniac! Are you trying to kill me?!" Mukuro yelled, clutching his snowball.
Sure, his brother had thrown it slightly off target, but that kind of power could easily scare anyone.
Toji grinned. "Just a small counterattack."
He threw another snowball and hit Mukuro square in the face, this time at a normal strength.
A second later, a smaller snowball hit his leg. It was Megumi.
"I won't lose, Uncle Mukuro!"
Although he tried hard to suppress his excitement, the flush on Megumi's cheeks betrayed him.
And so, father and son teamed up against Mukuro.
"Brat, stop running!"
"Take this, Megumi!"
"Dad, help me!"
The three of them ran and laughed through the snow, locked in their first-ever snowball fight.
Half an hour later, Onshin called them back. Reluctantly, they trudged home.
* * *
"Really now... Megumi's only three. How could you two throw snowballs at his face?"
Back inside, Onshin was carefully wiping her son's face with a warm towel, worried he might catch a cold.
Behind her, the two brothers stood side by side, heads lowered, enduring her scolding.
"It was this brat who started it first." Toji, quick to deflect blame, pointed at Mukuro.
"I…uh…"
"No dinner for either of you."
Before he could come up with an excuse, Onshin announced their punishment.
"Huh?!"
Both men groaned in unison.
"Mom, I was the one who wanted to play..." Megumi stepped forward, standing up for them.
The brothers looked at him gratefully, while he straightened his small shoulders, a hint of pride on his face.
"Then you can't eat either."
"Eh?!" Megumi froze, his eyes going wide in disbelief.
"Just kidding. Come on, let's eat." Laughing softly, Onshin picked him up and motioned for the two "culprits" to follow.
Just like that, the four of them sat down together for lunch.
"Eat up, Mukuro. Once you head over there, who knows when you'll get back," Onshin said warmly, serving him some of his favorite dishes.
"Don't worry, Onshin-san. If I want to, I can come back anytime," he replied with a grin, still calling her name like he used to, despite her being his brother's wife for years.
"Uncle Mukuro, where are you going?" Megumi asked, a few grains of rice still stuck to his cheek.
"To Tokyo to ear—no, I mean, to study!" Mukuro quickly corrected herself.
He was headed for Tokyo Jujutsu High to make money, and maybe to study a little on the side.
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