MOONSTRUCK, otsutsuki indra

39 - Family Affairs

He looked over his shoulder only to see his dreaded mother-in-law walking up to him with arms wide open, golden hoop earrings and countless metal bracelets jingling with every movement. Her gray eyes were gleaming with motherly love, too artificial for Indra's taste and her dark-red lipstick painted lips were curled up into a terrifyingly bright smile.

"Aranyani." He spoke his wife's mother's name with all the fake delight he could muster.

She pulled Indra into a tight, almost suffocating hug, he would rather have avoided; the overpowering scent of her perfume - a mix of cinnamon, lavender and other spices - flooding his nostrils as he reluctantly wrapped one arm around her small waist.

Aranyani pulled away, resting her bony hands on her daughter's husband's shoulders. "Look at you; so handsome." She said, complimenting him on his dashing looks.

"Mum, it's enough. He knows how good-looking he is." Shachi said in awkward jest.

"Oh of course, of course; I know that. It has been a while since I've last seen both of you - you have grown so beautifully." she said, flashing an almost perfect fake smile at Indra. "I can't wait to see the both of you as an actual family."

Indra remembered the conversation he had with Zetsu two nights ago; this woman with her artificial youthfulness, over-dramatic mannerism and a face too heavily painted for a woman her age, knew about his unfaithfulness to her beloved daughter. Aranyani might have been a gaunt and small middle-aged lady but she possessed the strength of mind to talk down everyone and everything - including Indra.

"Less than four months and you'll see, mum." Shachi reassured, an awkward smile on her lips. "Why don't we all go inside, yes? Hagoromo can't wait to see Indra. So let us go, shall we?"

A quick nod of the head and a movement of his elegant hand to beckon Nortia to follow them was enough to dissolve their inconvenient reunion.

.

A feast in his honor was not what Ashura would have had expected.

Only a week or so ago, they had welcomed him in utter hostility, umpteen pairs of narrowed eyes gleaming with fear of the unknown; now, however they celebrated Ashura as if he was a god - a position that belonged to his grandmother or even his father, maybe to Indra in a way but not to him.

It was confusing in a way - scary even.

"Why the f'ck do you look s-so depressed, Ash'ra - , Taizo tried to utter; his speech slurred by intoxication. "'tis your feest, 'o why a face gloomy and sad l-like 'tis?"

The brunette rolled his obsidian eyes. "Taizo, I guess you should stop drinking. Honestly, I lost count of how much you've been consuming but I can tell by the way your eye lids nearly close, that it has been way enough." He told his childhood friend in half worry, half annoyance.

"Naaaah ... I'm fine; 's you I worry 'bout, my frien'" he said before taking another large slug of his wine-filled cup. "You missing 'er; I know, I know." Taizo added.

Being quite appalled by how right his quite heavily tanked friend was, Ashura raised his brows in anger of being seen through. "That is not the -

"S'rry ol' frien'- gotta go; a beautif'l woman's jus- beckn'd me to dance, ya know."

And with saying this, Taizo disappeared.

"Such an idiot." he winced, shaking his head in disbelief as he stared down into the contents of his own glass.

"He's quite the drunkard, isn't he?" Kanna said as she sat down in the seat across from Ashura; the one Taizo had sat in only a few minutes ago.

"Yes, he obviously is." He chuckled lightly, locking eyes with the woman who had run off on him only yesterday.