The coochie descendant {46}

A thick, suffocating tension hung heavy in the air of the Igarashi bathhouse as Aaron entered. It felt like a bomb had gone off, the aftermath a tangible weight upon the room.  He'd been busy dealing with his own issues – that ice princess, Miyuki, never made things easy – and had left Rui in charge. Though, considering the frosty vibes he'd picked up on earlier between the two, maybe that wasn't the best decision.

George, usually radiating a chaotic energy, was uncharacteristically serious. The air itself seemed colder, a stark contrast to the usual warmth of the bathhouse. Aaron's instincts screamed that something major had gone down in his absence.

He opened his mouth to speak, unaware of the bombshell he was about to drop. "Damn," he drawled, "this room is tense. Feels like someone just confessed to being Giff's secret love child or something."

The room went silent. The air crackled with a new kind of tension, heavier and far more dangerous than before.  Aaron's eyes widened as he saw the collective reaction. "For real?" he blurted out, finally catching on to the implications of his own words.

"That's hilarious," Aaron said with a grin on his face, the opportunity was endless.

To think that they were the descended of Gifu, the jokes just write themself for him.

Despite the gravity of the situation, a flicker of amusement danced in Aaron's eyes. "Oh, this is rich," he chuckled, the humor laced with a hint of danger. "So many 'coochie' jokes I could make right now."

Sakura, already on edge, bristled. "Do you find this funny?" she demanded, her voice tight with anger.

"Yes, actually," Aaron admitted, his nonchalance only fueling her ire. "It's the sheer absurdity of it all. Here you are, freaking out about being descended from... well, coochies, and yet, here we all are, in the same dysfunctional family dynamic you knew."

Sakura glared at him, her fists clenching. "This isn't something to laugh about!" she hissed.

Aaron's grin widened. "Lighten up, Princess," he teased. "Has this revelation – the fact that you three are apparently 'coochie' descendants – changed anything about who you are? You're still the same Igarashi family, keeping secrets from each other like a game of competitive amnesia."

The room fell silent, the weight of his words settling heavily. Sakura opened her mouth, a question trembling on her lips. "We come from that thing," she whispered, her voice laced with a mixture of fear and existential dread. "Are we even human?"

Aaron, surprisingly gentle for once, approached her and pinched her cheek playfully. "Ow!" Sakura yelped, rubbing the spot.

"See?" Aaron said with a grin. "You can feel that, which means you're human. Being a 'coochie' descendant doesn't change that. It just means you're the first generation born from... well, two instead of one. Big whoop."

Sakura stared at him, a flicker of something akin to gratitude flickering in her eyes. Despite his crass exterior, Aaron's words offered a grounding perspective, a reminder that their core identities remained unchanged.

The revelation of their heritage was a bombshell, but it didn't erase who they were – the Igarashi family, a messy bunch bound by love, loyalty, and a whole lot of hidden secrets. The path ahead was uncertain, but at least they would face it together.

A mischievous glint flickered in Aaron's eyes as he surveyed the room, the heavy atmosphere begging for a lightening rod. "Alright, alright," he conceded, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Let's move past the existential crisis for a moment. The bigger question now is..." he paused dramatically, drawing out the suspense, "...what kind of awesome nicknames should I bestow upon you all?"

Predictably, groans erupted from the Igarashi siblings. Sakura, still smarting from his earlier pinch, shot him a withering look. "Nicknames?" she scoffed.

Undeterred, Aaron rubbed his chin, a playful smile plastered on his face. "Absolutely! Coochie descendants need cool codenames, right? Let's see..." he began, pointing a finger at each of them in turn.

"Ikki, the eldest," he declared, a playful glint in his eyes. "Hmm, how about 'Coochie Junior'? Simple, classic, gets the point across."

Ikki, with a sigh that could curdle milk, rolled his eyes so hard they threatened to disappear into his skull. "Coochie Junior? Really, Aaron?"

"Hey, it has a certain ring to it," Aaron countered, before turning to Daiji. Daiji, ever the mediator, tried to lighten the mood with a forced chuckle.

Aaron, unfazed, simply grinned. "You, my friend, need something edgier. How about 'Edgy Coochie'? It captures your brooding spirit perfectly."

"Edgy Coochie? That's even worse!" Daiji exclaimed, his voice laced with mock horror.

Finally, Aaron landed his gaze on Sakura. "And for you, Sakura," he declared, a hint of respect underlying his teasing, "we need something that reflects your fighting spirit. How about 'Invincible Coochie'?"

"This is not a laughing matter"Sakura said looking at Aaron square in the face to which he just sigh before spreading his aura.

He unleashed a power that manifested as a shimmering golden aura. It pulsed and intensified, bathing the room in its radiant warmth. A wide, goofy grin stretched across his face as he addressed his siblings, his voice dripping with playful confidence, "See? This doesn't faze you one bit. If you were those wretched Akuma, this would be a whole different story."

The siblings, already familiar with Aaron's power – a potent bane to all things Akuma – braced themselves. Yet, instead of the expected dread or discomfort, a wave of exhilaration washed over them. The golden aura didn't burn or sting; it felt like a life-giving current coursing through their veins. Imagine a parched plant basking in the first rain of spring – that's the kind of invigorating sensation that filled their bodies.

It was as if their very cells were being supercharged with pure life force, a feeling so potent, so utterly blissful, it defied description. Gone was the tension that had choked the air moments ago, replaced by a sense of renewed vitality and a surge of shared amusement at Aaron's dramatics.

Sakura, overwhelmed by the surge of energy, mumbled a surprised, "It feels good," to herself. Aaron, ever the tease, couldn't resist a jab. "Don't get too excited yet," he chuckled, "that's just the tip of the iceberg."

His playful remark instantly backfired. Sakura's expression morphed into one of playful menace, and Aaron found himself narrowly dodging a flurry of punches and kicks. A few well-aimed jabs grazed him, a minor inconvenience compared to the amusement dancing in his eyes.

Shifting his gaze, Aaron landed on Vice and Ikki. Their situation presented a different challenge.  He could help them, but his reserves of the energy he now dubbed "solar energy" were depleted.  A mischievous grin tugged at his lips – yes, "solar energy" was a stroke of genius.

Months of basking in the sun and practicing focused breathing exercises had allowed him to not only tap into this dormant energy within him, but also replicate it at will.  There was a definite correlation between his overall energy and the amount of solar energy he could store. It was like a muscle – the more he used it, the stronger it became, but the more he exerted himself, the more depleted his reserves became.

So far what he learned it could was heal his muscles when they were tired,give him more energy,he could infuse the energy into weopons and fight with it,he could also use it to boost his stats even further,although the boost was only around a 2x time boost last time he checked.

That however didnt matter as last time he checked,this power made him virtually unbeatable to anyone that use Akuma power.

So he was basically a walking cryptonite to any Akuma,that was neat,if he play his cards right he could fight a very strong Akuma in base form and win.

Though the power is very effective againts Akuma attacks,its a pain in the ass trying to move it around his body.

He will give himself a week of pratice and by then he would have mastered,the only reason its at this low of a level is because it was gifted to him by a celestial and Aaron is not very willing on using a power given to him by a celestial.

Yes the reason stopping it from using his ceativity and developing the technique further than just the basic state was simply because Aaron was relunctant on using it.

After a playful sparring session that left Sakura fuming (none of her punches landed on the ever-evasive Aaron), he excused himself and teleported back to his base.

Stepping through the shimmering portal, a tense atmosphere greeted him. Miyuki sat slumped on the couch, an uncharacteristic docility cloaking her. Bruises marred her pale skin, and a flicker of ice clinging to Rui's cheeks painted a clear picture. He knew these two didn't exactly see eye-to-eye, especially after Miyuki's initial attack on himself, but an all-out brawl wasn't something he anticipated. The severity of the situation was evident – while Rui emerged relatively unscathed, Miyuki bore the brunt of the fight.

"Welcome, Nii-san," Rui chirped with a saccharine smile, a stark contrast to the tension in the air.

"Yo," Aaron replied curtly, his gaze snapping to Rui before pointing an accusing finger at Miyuki. "Explain what happened here."

Rui, the picture of innocence, glanced at Miyuki before feigning a conciliatory tone. "We just had a little... disagreement, Nii-san. But everything's settled now, right, Miyuki-san?"

Miyuki's response was a disgruntled grunt, her pride clearly wounded. Aaron sighed, unsurprised by the conflict but surprised by the victor. Miyuki's usual arrogance would take a hit after this, but at least she hadn't lost to a "filthy human," unlike him, she silently fumed, twisting his earlier words in her mind.

"Oh, almost forgot, Nii-san," Rui chirped, her innocent facade barely masking a hint of mischief. "I'll be needing all your buckles for some upgrades."

Aaron groaned internally. "So, back to square one, huh?" he muttered, feigning nonchalance.

"Not quite! You can still fight in Raion mode, just... without any fancy boosts," Rui explained, a playful glint in her eyes.

Aaron stared at her, deadpan. Nerfed. That's what he was getting – a temporary nerf. Just his luck that no supervillain would decide to attack during this opportune time, right?

With a resigned sigh, he rummaged through his pockets and produced an assortment of buckles: Tycoon, Geats, Zombie, Boost, Construction, and finally, the Command Twin.  He tossed them all towards Rui, a silent acceptance of his temporary limitations.

Rui's eyes lit up at the sight of the buckles clattering towards her. Catching them deftly with a practiced move, she beamed at Aaron. "Thanks a bunch, Nii-san! These upgrades will be epic!" she exclaimed, her voice practically bouncing with excitement.

Aaron offered a tired smile. "Yeah, yeah, just don't break anything," he mumbled, already picturing the chaos that might ensue from Rui's tinkering. He tossed a roll of bandages in Miyuki's direction, the gesture surprisingly devoid of his usual teasing. "Patch yourself up, Ice Queen," he said with a hint of gruffness that masked a hint of concern.

Ignoring the offended huff that escaped Miyuki's lips, Aaron turned and headed for the training room. The weight of the upcoming fight, the limitations of his temporary nerf, and the lingering tension between his sisters all swirled in his mind. He needed to focus, to channel his frustrations and anxieties into a productive workout. Perhaps a good, grueling session would be just the thing to clear his head and get him ready for whatever challenges awaited.

Surely there will be nothing to disturb him once its done.

A/N...he didn't stutter he meant what he said