Page 24 of Kimiko and the Accidental Proposal
Akira snorted. It wasn’t like he and Suuzu needed permission to be friends.
But Suuzu seemed more favorably impressed. Propping himself up on his elbows, he asked, “Truly?”
“I added his name to the registry myself.”
“Hold up.” Akira wasn’t quite so sleepy anymore. “Does this mean theydidn’tapprove of me before?”
Juuyu clucked his tongue. “Be fair. Many humans outgrow the fascinations of their childhood. The elders wanted to see if your paths would diverge.”
Suuzu grumbled, “He is mine.”
His brother inclined his head. “Being fair to both sides, it does not hurt that your nestmate has lofty relations.”
Incredulity added a note of injury to Suuzu’s protest. “I did not choose Akira for his family.”
“He didn’t know about Sis when we started rooming together.” Thinking back, Akira added, “We were friends before Sis even met Argent.”
“Granted,” Juuyu soothed. “But these are factors that worked in your favor. Akira Hajime, the Farroost clan considers you one of our own. If you choose, you may wear our clan’s crest.”
It was Akira’s turn to prop himself up on elbows. “Seriously? That’s … major.”
Clan crests were part of any Amaranthine family’s identity. Juuyu wore his as a gold lapel pin. Akira sat up more fully and touched the small disk with its swirl of stylized feathers around a roughly triangular center.
“Suuzu would normally be discouraged from accepting a human nestmate, but they are willing to overlook the irregularity.”
“Because of my connection to the Mettlebright foxes,” murmured Akira.
“No.” Juuyu quietly said, “Because Suuzu is a tribute.”
“A what now?”
“It is … a private family matter.” Suuzu pulled Akira down so his head rested on his shoulder—their usual sleeping arrangement when Suuzu was in speaking form. Looking to his brother, Suuzu added, “We do not usually speak of such things.”
“He is your nestmate. He will bear our crest.” Juuyu’s tone took on the edge of authority. “He can keep a secret.”
“Yeah, of course!” Akira promised.
Suuzu turned his body so he could speak directly into Akira’s ear. “Juuyu is a tenth child, and so am I. We are our clan’s tributes.”
“You havenineteenolder siblings?”
With an affirmative hum, he shielded Akira as Juuyu transformed into a mythical bird—long neck, showy crest, and an extravagance of trailing tail feathers. It was nip and tuck, fitting into his newly-claimed nest, but Juuyu settled over them, as if further blanketing this conversation in secrecy.
Downy softness surrounded them as Suuzu told him what it meant to be a tribute. There were secret tasks and sacred roles that belonged to one child in ten. While he couldn’t reveal everything that meant foreveryclan, he shared what it meant for the two brothers. “We had to leave the colony.”
“Like … ambassadors?”
“Yes and no.” Suuzu sighed against Akira’s ear. “That is more my role, for I was set apart for peace. Juuyu was set apart for war.”
“And that’s why he’s a secret agent?”
He chuckled. “Juuyu is more investigator than spy, but he does carry many secrets. They are the birthright of every phoenix, but since the Founding, they were entrusted to our warriors.”
“And Juuyu’s one of these warriors?”
Admiration and conviction saturated Suuzu’s simple answer. “He is.”
The lateness of the hour was getting to Akira. Tucked as they were beneath Juuyu’s chest, it was deliciously warm, although it was strange to share the scent and softness of feathers with Suuzu. Usually, Akira was the lone chick in this nest. “It’s like you’re both of you.”
