Semi-cracky Gaim fic.

[estirose]

Smoothing skirts universe.

"Michi?" Kouta looked confused at a piece of paper. "Are we married?"

Michi's brow furrowed as she looked at the paper. "I don't think so, I'd need my family's permission and I'd never get it, but... this piece of paper looks like it."

Kouta took a deep breath. How was he going to break this to his sister, if it was true? He had a sixteen year old wife, he had to find a job and take responsibility for making sure she was provided for.

"I doubt it's real, Kouta." Michi's voice was calm. "And even if it was, nobody would ever notice." She shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

"B-but this would make you a Kazuraba, wouldn't your family notice?" She was almost too calm.

"Actually, this would make you a Kureshima instead." Folding the paper, she slipped it into her pocket. "But don't worry. If this is real, we'll just divorce. Nobody would ever find out it happened." She gazed up at him, as if challenging him to argue. Becoming Ryugen had changed her, he swore.

But he didn't have a chance to say anything further, because soon she was gone, presumably to take care of the whole thing.

Comments

[reka]

I'm really grateful to live in a world where I don't accidentally get married to my friends.

I do like the mention that Kouta notices things but doesn't really know what to say or get a chance to try.

[estirose]

Yes. At least this is crackfic and Michi probably can fix this without Takatora even knowing his sister was accidentally married to her teammate that she's not even supposed to have.

And poor Kouta is awkward. At some point he would hit "but wait, why would I be taking Michi's surname?" but he's not there yet.

[reka]

He does know Michi's family is wealthy and probably important, so he could figure out that they'd insist eventually. It's probably outside of what Kouta thinks about, though.

Yeah, Takators probably wouldn't notice at all.

[estirose]

Takatora would probably find out around 36 (or post-series), when Kouta tells him "oh hey, I was somehow married to Michi for about two or three days".

Kouta's definitely more "How did this happen" and "If Michi can't fix this, I really have some awkward explaining to do" than "I just somehow married into a wealthy family that will insist on me taking their surname".

[reka]

Yeah. Takatora could be musing about how he wishes his younger sibling had turned out more like Kouta and someone could point out that Kouta was his younger brother briefly.

Michi would know how to fix these things better than he would, after all. But Kouta probably won't be able to avoid awkward explanations entirely.

[estirose]

Michi would tell Kouta to tell no one of the whole thing. He'd also try to avoid saying anything about it, because, well, Michi's sixteen. Actually, he'd like to forget the whole thing entirely.

But he would mention it as something Takatora should know, once they became allies and Kouta knew the family relationship. Just in case it became an issue.

[reka]

Kouta would try very hard not to tell anyone. He could probably fend off any questions from Akira by saying that Michi's taking care of the thing that's bothering him and she wouldn't press.

Yeah. Marriage has legal consequences. I think a friend's mother who remarried had to prove that her divorce from her first husband was legal for the paperwork, and it wouldn't be surprising if other countries did similar things.

[estirose]

Yes. Akira knows when to step away. Kouta is worried, but he trusts Michi.

Michi might be able to get it annulled (since neither she nor Kouta consented to this - or in her case, her family didn't consent to this), but she'd more likely need to somehow find out who got her married in the first place or such and have them wipe out the marriage. Or she could just not mention the fact that they're still married to Kouta.

[reka]

They probably could get it annulled, but that might have more legal hoops to jump through than a divorce. Or just remaining married, yeah, which would probably blow up in Michi's face sooner or later. Michi's best bet is asking Takatora, but since it's unlikely she'd do so, maybe if she can blackmail someone on the legal team at Yggdrasil. Not that they'd specialize in anything like what she wants.

[estirose]

Yeah, I can't figure out which would be easier for her to do from what I've read. Her minor status kind of complicates things. It would be slightly easier for Kouta, though then he'd have to explain things to Akira probably.

----

"So, you're still married to Kazuraba?" her brother asked, and Michi winced. She'd done a lot of bad things, but this one was particularly embarrassing. Not that it mattered, with everything that had happened. She fully intended him to die later on, so it really didn't matter if they were still married.

"Yes," she said quietly. Kouta did know that she'd lied about the marriage once he'd become... whatever he'd become after eating the Forbidden Fruit. Because of course he knew a lot of things now. He encouraged her to end it so that she could go on, but she found she couldn't. She felt that could manage his affairs as a way of repaying him, and maybe it would help him in other ways if he was a Kureshima instead of a Kazuraba.

"Maybe you should do something about that," Takatora suggested gently. She wondered if Kouta had talked to him about it as well because she refused to do anything about their marriage.

She nodded. She wasn't ready to let Kouta go, but as her hallucination had reminded her before she completely broke, she'd come to where she was because she refused to let go and move on. "Maybe I should. Will you help?"

Her brother smiled. "Of course."

[reka]

Yeah. Law is really complicated. I barely understand what I read when I look up laws for the state I live in, and that's all in English.

Awww, poor Michi. But yeah, I'm sure Akira wouldn't mind letting her in from time to time. So she can let go without giving up everything.

[estirose]

Yes. Akira is a nice person (and Michi, even divorced, is still kind of related to her now, just as Kouta is somewhat still a Kureshima even if he isn't married to Michi). Law is really complicated and poor Kouta just wants Michi to be able to move on and live her life. Mai feels the same way.

ETA: It's possible that Michi could be considered a widow at some point, given that Kouta's missing in canon.

[reka]

That's true. Michi might not have to get a divorce at all, which is probably good since getting a divorce from a missing person might be difficult.

I bet. Mai is Michi's friend too, after all. Fortunately Michi has both Takatora and Akira to watch out for her, and together they cover a bunch of the places Michi might go to be depressed that aren't in public.

[estirose]

Akira gave Michi coffee, and she gave her sister-in-law a weak smile. Takatora had tried to help her divorce Kouta, but Kouta was missing. Until they could find him or enough time had passed, she was married to a missing person.

She sipped at the coffee. Akira had taken well to having a sudden, unexpected sister-in-law and had invited Michi to come over as often as she wanted - and if she needed to, she could sleep in Kouta's bed. They were married, after all. Michi had blushed a little at the implications, never mind that they'd never happen, at least outside a dream and she was too afraid to bring that up with him.

Kouta had smiled at her after the whole missing person thing in the dream that was his way of talking to her. Not that she'd had to explain much - Kouta pulled it from her head, and nodded, and told her that if that was what it took, well, Akira was alone now too and would Michi spend time with her?

Michi asked if he minded being a Kureshima since their marriage was still intact and he didn't think it was an issue. There was no body to bury, after all, and it made things much easier on her.

With Takatora making trips all over the place, it felt good to have family relatively nearby. Michi suspected that was more why Kouta had asked her to spend time with Akira. Just like he'd healed Takatora out of his coma, he'd made sure that someone was with her as she attempted to heal.

She'd asked Mai when Mai had come to visit the dream what she felt about her still being married to Kouta, and Mai had been silent for a few moments. Then she said that she thought it helped Kouta a little to have that connection back to her and Takatora, and it wasn't like it was forever. Mai loved Kouta, but they had eternity together, and maybe it would be best if Kouta had someone reminding him to be human.

So Michi tried. Just as Kouta was there for her and tried to make sure she was all right, she tried to be there for Kouta, or make things better for him. That's all she could do, and all he could do.

[reka]

Michi would probably feel pretty uncomfortable with Akira, but Akira would be a good resource for her, being much more perceptive than Takatora and such. Kouta and Mai can't keep visiting her forever, so it's good that she's getting to know Akira.

[estirose]

Thing is, Kouta and Mai could probably visit their teammate for a long, long time, as long as it's in dreams. Though admittedly they have a lot going on themselves so I can't imagine that they visit that often.

And gradually, I think, Michi will come to appreciate Akira, who can act as an older sister to her. She might not have been expecting to have a sister in law, but she can live with that. Plus, in some ways, she really does appreciate Kouta sending Michi to her.

(Kouta frequently visits his brother in law in dreams, just making sure he's all right too and talking to him to make sure he doesn't have any issues.)

[reka]

Yeah, but visiting Michi too often might not help her emotionally. Kouta and Mai will always be there for her, but Michi needs to move on too. Regularly talking with Takatora isn't a bad idea, though. There are some things regarding Michi that only Kouta would know that might help Takatora understand what his sister needs, and support is good in general.

I think having Michi around will help Akira cope, too. She's not as traumatized as Michi is by a long shot, but she still does need to cope.

[estirose]

True. It'll be healthier for her if they withdraw (or at least limit their visits), and hopefully Kouta will realize that. I think Takatora will appreciate Kouta's input, and Akira really enjoys having her sister in law around.

--
Akira always knew when her dreams were actually Kouta's. Oh, occasionally he set them in their little apartment, always over the food that he couldn't eat anymore, but more often they were set in an Earth-like world, probably the one that he and Mai had terraformed with their powers. They'd sit wherever Kouta had set things, and they'd chat - sometimes about Akira's life, sometimes about what Kouta was up to, sometimes about Michi and her brother.

Michi needed a lot of help. Akira wished she'd known that Michi and Kouta were married when Kouta was still corporeal. Kouta hadn't known, either, so she'd long forgiven him for not telling her about what had seemed a fanciful tale. Akira was grateful that Michi was there, since the whole mess had given her family that she hadn't even known about. Someone to be with when she started grieving for her lost brother. Not that Kouta was lost, but he certainly was missing.

Helping Michi helped her. They knew him better than almost anybody else still left on Earth. Michi was someone she could talk to about Kouta, and in return, she tried to get Michi through her rough spots. She'd struck up a friendship with Takatora, Michi's brother, who was also hurt. Also wounded. He spoke highly of Kouta, how happy he was to have her brother as a brother-in-law. There was something in there that was pain, but in a way, the two of them were her new family.

[reka]

Kouta's a smart guy and has access to more information than he had before, so I think he'd figure it out. If he forgets, there's always Mai to remind him.

I like the implication that Akira has similar dreams that aren't related to Kouta. I have dreams about telling people things that I haven't gotten to talk to them about yet, and I think that Akira's situation could definitely produce those. She and Kouta lived together and talked. There are probably a lot of situations that come up where she'd talk to him if he was there.

I hope Akira can help Takatora understand Michi a little better, too. She did know Michi before the events of the series, right? And I'm sure Kouta mentioned her sometimes too.

[estirose]

Yes, Akira knew Michi a little bit before everything happened. At least, I'm guessing so from the fact that she was familiar with canon!Micchy. She's determined to do what she can. (Takatora likes Akira and they often have coffee together and discuss their siblings.) And she reminds Kouta that Michi does need to heal on her own.

Akira does have similar coffee-table dreams that are her subconscious figuring things out, which is why Kouta tends to set his on his own planet so that he doesn't confuse her, even though she instinctively knows which ones are his.

[reka]

There could also be a little "look, sis, I'm in a good place," maybe. Yeah. I think everyone dreams a little differently.

I think Akira is the kind of person who wouldn't be comfortable without someone to take care of in some way.

[estirose]

He is, at the very least, in a very wild place. Akira is semi-amused and sometimes reminds him that their kitchen table is fine.

Yeah, Akira is happy to have a family due to Michi's mistake. She is also vaguely attracted to Takatora (I have very shippy muses), but her brother is/was married to Takatora's sister so she's not going to even try to start a relationship with him. (Kouta thinks that she and Takatora would be a good match, and even if he and Michi are/were married, that shouldn't stop Akira.)

[reka]

Yes, but it's his and Mai's wild place, and they're safe there (for now, anyway, but Kouta's not going to tell his sister that).

I can't really envision how a long-term romantic relationship would go, but I can see how they'd work together well. And the basis for some mutual appreciation. I think the marriage thing might make things seem awkward, but as time goes on it might be easier to forget why Michi's kind of a little sister to her.

[estirose]

Yes, for the moment. I think they would work together well, and if they don't get married I can see them becoming close friends.

--
"He's got the same kinds of worries that you do, big sister," Kouta said. They were relaxing in a glade on Kouta's world. "I talk to him a lot."

"I know you do." Takatora told her about his Kouta-dreams, of how Kouta encouraged his brother-in-law and tried to help him understand Michi a bit better. "I'm glad you get along well with him."

"He and I are alike, in a lot of ways." He leaned back a bit. She thought she saw a little silvery-blond in his hair.

She sighed a little. "I know." Sometimes Takatora reminded her so much of an older, more mature Kouta.

"I think you and he should date." Kouta flashed a smile at her, reminding her that even if her little brother was pretty much a god now, he was still Kouta.

"Kouta, it's too soon." Kouta was still technically married to Michi, after all, and would be until he was finally declared dead. "You're still...."

"Married to Michi, I know. But we never felt married. And, um...." his face turned slightly red.

"Yes, I know. You presumed that Michi erased your marriage." In some ways, her brother could still be innocently cute. He and Michi had made quite a couple.

"Yeah." He looked away. "Don't let our marriage affect things. It'll be nice for Michi to officially have an older sister again."

Kouta felt responsible for Michi, that was clear, just as Takatora did. He was backing off and letting Michi find her way again, but that didn't mean he didn't want to step in. He just simply knew better now.

She had to go on, too. It was tempting to ask Takatora out, for the man would never think of asking himself. But she had a life. She and the Kureshimas would remain a kind of family even if nothing else happened, and there was a whole lifetime ahead of her.

She smiled, and hugged her brother, for there was little else she could do.

[reka]

I think it might take some time for Takatora to feel comfortable doing something like that for himself, too. Before, Yggdrasil and the world needed him, so his own desires weren't important. Now Michi and the world need him, and while I'm sure Michi would want Takatora to show a bit of his own desires (because I think part of their emotional distance is that Takatora never humanized himself to his little sibling and ended up seeming kind of alien), I think Takatora wouldn't feel comfortable dating unless Michi gave him permission. Which I'm not sure she'd feel comfortable bringing up. Which yeah, is probably why Akira would have to be the one to ask.

I hope Kouta is also thinking about his own life where he is. It would be like Kouta to spend more time worrying about the people he left, I think.