(Thankfully, Isabella made it out of the hospital without a hitch. I felt bad about the fact that she couldn't attend the rescheduled summer festival, and none of us had the heart to just go without her. But you see, Aika and Rei came over after Isabella was discharged. They brought boxes of fireworks and bags of groceries with them too. Those two...they really came through for me, for all of us. They had a wonderful idea that day, and it gave us memories that I can never forget...)

A blanket of sunlight covered the town that early afternoon, making the air shimmer with heat waves and the streets reflect mirages of the sapphire blue sky. Needless to say, this had been one of the hottest summers in a while. It was too hot to go out and do anything, but Osamu and the gang had planned a day that could be spent inside until nightfall.

Yoko and Osamu helped Aika and Rei bring in a few bags of groceries while Izanami prepped all of the ingredients. Isabella could only watch with star-lit eyes. Izzy's outfit was entirely black, from the shirt to her shoes. Not the smartest choice if you're trying to stay cool during the summer. However, the heat didn't seem to matter to her once she saw the groceries Aika and Rei bought spread out on top of the kitchen counter.

"Our own fireworks and grill?!" Isabella shouted in awe.

"Damn right! You're officially one foot in the grave, so you got to live like you're dying!" Rei said.

"Oh Rei...you were never good with softening your blunt words..." Isabella sighed.

"Well, despite her way of saying it, the core of her message is true." Aika interjected, turning around in her blue, summer dress. "If this is your last summer, we need to end it with a bang, don't we?

Isabella nodded. "Yeah, I agree! I'm already excited! Thank you guys for doing this for me!"

Osamu helped carry the last bag inside and dropped to the floor on his hand and knees, struggling to catch his breath.

"Osa, are okay?" Isabella asked.

"The air...feels like...fire in my lungs!" Osamu wheezed, tugging at the collar of his v-neck Johnny Cash shirt.

"You did well, babe." Yoko commended. "Seeing you carry all that heavy stuff was a huge turn on! Thumbs up!"

Tsukiakari came in through the front door with the Shoku Twins at her side. She announced her presence from the antechamber as she kicked off her brown boots and stuffed her sunglasses in the breast pocket of her yellow dress shirt. She and the twins sauntered into the kitchen, greeting everyone with hugs and smiles.

"Hey everyone! Look who wanted to come along and celebrate with us!" Tsukiakari said.

(Do I even have to explain to you how much my heart raced with excitement when I saw the Shoku Twins? No? Okay, good. I won't)

"Akatsuki! Omagatoki!" Osamu sang in joy.

"Please don't molest us." Akatsuki said in her usual stone-faced expression and monotone voice.

Osamu hugged the twins and picked them both up, one in each arm. Omagatoki couldn't look happier with her pearly smile and rosy cheeks. Despite Akatsuki's cat-like ability to look as uncaring as possible at all times, her blushing cheeks betrayed her genuine excitement to be with everyone.

"I missed you two so much, you little angels! How have you been? Are there any apocalyptic disasters coming?" Osamu asked.

"Nope! We're all good!" Omagatoki declared with a thumbs up.

"At least until the sun runs out of fuel, morphs into a red giant, and consumes Mercury, Venus, and Earth. But that won't be for a few billion more years." Akatsuki explained.

"Good to know, dear!" Yoko said.

"Hey, Isabella, wanna cook with me, for old times' sake?" Tsukiakari asked.

Isabella worried if she even had the energy to be able to cook anything in the house anymore. "I don't know..."

"Aww, come on! We're culinary war buddies, aren't we?" Tsukiakari encouraged.

Isabella was able to cast away her doubts and live in the moment. She gladly took Tsukiakari's hand, and the two put on their aprons. Yoko tied her hair up in a ponytail and joined them in the kitchen.

"Are you ready to assault Burgerstan and the United Hot Dogs?" Tsukiakari joked.

"I sure am, Tsu Tsu!" Isabella affirmed. "Looks like we're gonna be dealing with raw meat today, good on Aika for getting ingredients we could start with from scratch!"

"Of course, it's insulting for a rich girl to buy pre-cooked ingredients." Aika said.

"To battle, Tsu Tsu!" Isabella cheered.

Tsukiakari responded with even more enthusiasm. "To battle!"

"Would you idiots hang on? I need to unwrap the seasonings first!" Rei said, hastily opening up the myriad of seasonings and spices she bought.

"Osamu, the women will handle the cooking and cleaning. Why don't you relax?" Yoko suggested. "You helped carry in the bulk of the stuff, after all."

(Man, she's so traditional with household gender roles. It's kind of refreshing, actually.)

"Sure, I'll go sit down." Osamu said.

As Osamu sat down and watched TV, the girls all got to work. On today's menu were burgers and bratwurst. Rei had the duty of seasoning the fresh beef that would be used to make the burger patties. Once she finished that, she handed the bowl of raw meat over to Isabella and Tsukiakari for shaping.

"Finally! Beautifully seasoned with salt, a medley of peppers, garlic powder, onion powder, a little bit of chili powder for kicks, and diced red onion!" Rei squealed.

"Since when can you cook, Rei?!" Isabella recoiled.

"Oh, I can't. I'm good with flavoring things though." Rei admitted.

"Beautiful! Are your hands clean, Tsu Tsu?" Isabella asked.

Tsukiakari nodded. "Yep!"

"All right! We're gonna dig our hands in here and gather a ball of meat like so."

Isabella took a chunk of the seasoned and mashed meat, forming it into a ball, and then a patty. "And then, we shape it into a patty about an inch, maybe inch and a half thick. I know Osamu likes his burgers big. He also likes big buns."

"I heard that!" Osamu shouted from the couch.

"Got it!" Tsukiakari said.

"Izanami, let's go get the grill ready." Yoko said.

"All right!" Izanami sang.

(Shouldn't a man handle the grill? I feel like I should be the one helping...aw what the hell. It's her grill, so she knows how to use it.)

"Rei, can you get some water boiling? I'm plan to make mash with those potatoes." Aika requested.

Rei dried her hands off on the kitchen towel after washing them. "Okie dokie. Uh, Izzy, do you know where the pots are?"

"Oh my god! You called me Izzy!" Isabella gasped, dropping the ball of beef in her hands.

Isabella could almost cry from the happiness. She hugged Rei and rubbed their cheeks together, being mindful not to actually touch her with her hands, of course.

"This is a monumental moment in our love/hate relationship!" Isabella sang. "You've finally called me by my nickname! Now we can really hang out and tell each other our secrets and borrow panties from one another!"

"Izzy, you're scaring me." Rei said.

Akatsuki and Omagatoki tugged at Isabella's shirt. She knelt down to them to talk to them on their level.

"What's up? Do you want to help too?" Isabella asked.

"Yes please!" the twins begged in unison.

Isabella quickly washed her hands before picking them up and setting them down on the counter. The twins helped form the meat into patties and placed them in neat rows on a white plate, ready for cooking. The twins were surprisingly good at forming patties. They didn't necessarily need to eat to survive, and it sure didn't seem like they were the kind of girls to make burgers in their spare time, but they proved to be very efficient at the task.

"You guys are so good at this! Where did you learn to handle meat like that?" Tsukiakari questioned.

"Reading books and staying informed on the ever-changing world around us." Akatsuki said.

"I just watch Sis do it and learn from her." Omagatoki admitted with a smile.

Omagatoki kicked her legs back and forth as she sat on the edge of the counter. Isabella carried them both over to the sink so they could wash their hands. Yoko and Izanami opened up the glass backdoor leading to the sun-kissed back yard, the grill flaming and ready to go.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"Grill's ready, so bring the meat over if you have any!" Yoko hollered

"Right away!" Aika responded. "Good job, Omagatoki! Akatsuki!"

"I'm sorry, I never asked. What do your names mean?" Isabella questioned.

"My name means 'Dawn'." Akatsuki stated.

Omagatoki was hesitant to share the meaning of her name, for reasons Yoko already knew about.

"Come on, Omagatoki! What does your name mean?" Isabella encouraged.

Omagatoki twirled her index fingers over each other. "Uhh...well..."

Akatsuki spilled the beans anyway. "It refers to Dusk but is actually written with very sinister characters. One meaning is 'A Time of Great Calamity', and the other is 'The Time of Meeting Yokai, Yurei, and Dark Creatures'"

(Yeah, the sweetest one has the creepiest name...)

"Oh my..." Isabella gasped with widened eyes.

"Sis! You could've stopped at Dusk!" Omagatoki pouted.

"Lying by omission is a terrible thing, sis." Akatsuki responded.

Omagatoki brought an end to their conflicting wills and personalities by joining hands with her, thus unifying them.

"There we go, that's—"

"—so much better."

"Creepy...and cute...at the same time..." Isabella recoiled in awe.

The meat hissed and sizzled against the grill, filling the air with the aroma of its spices. Izanami was tending to each patty, flipping them when they needed to be, and removing them from the grill when ready. Aika applied the condiments and loaded them on buns and paper plates. With their collective work, the food was prepared at the best quality and at the same time. Every bite was like a taste of July all on its own.

Osamu got up from the couch to put some food in his belly, and wasn't all too surprised when Yoko preemptively handed him a plate and a glass of iced tea.

"How did I know you were going to do that?" Osamu asked.

Yoko smiled and winked. "No one knows you better than your ex, my love."

"Hey, what about Izzy? I mean, her appetite..." Osamu said with a worried tone.

Yoko pointed to Isabella, who took a mighty bite of her burger with all the energy and glee of a little kid. "I guess she was expecting to eat something around the time Aika and Rei showed up here, so thankfully, she's stuffing her face. I think Aika and Rei specifically chose something more American to give Izzy a taste of home."

(Of course!)

"Wow, that was sweet, even for them. Especially for Rei..." Osamu shivered.

Yoko snickered. "Rei's a good girl. She just doesn't want to admit it."

"Your skills in interpersonal observation are sharp, Yoko. Did you manage that without kissing her?" Osamu asked.

Yoko nodded. "Yep. She's just easy to see through."

(Thanks, you guys.)

Aika opened up the cooler and took out two bottles of beer, both dripping with water and shards of ice. She held them up like trophies to get everyone excited.

"I forgot to mention, I got beer! Amber ales and stout!"

"Yes!" Rei cheered.

"I want one!" Izanami squealed on her tippy toes.

"Toss me one, Aika!" Isabella sang with her hand raised.

"Aww man, Aika brought the alcohol?" Yoko groaned.

"What's wrong with that?" Osamu asked.

"Haven't you heard the stories about her band's drunk escapades?" Yoko asked. "I heard they once got so drunk that they trashed every hotel room of the floor they rented out and then set fire to the curtains because they didn't like how they were designed!"

(What?!)

"Oh come on. Aika isn't like that." Osamu protested.

"Not yet. I know one thing, they better not burn down this house." Yoko warned.

(And then, that evening, when the sun was setting...)

Everyone sat in a circle around Yoko's outside fireplace. The sun had fallen just below the horizon, leaving the western edge of the sky in a ghostly veil of orange light while the rest of the heavens had darkened. Everyone had been melting marshmellows and chocolate to make s'mores, a delicious summertime treat indeed. A mood of nostalgia made everyone want to reminisce of the past.

"Holy crap, Izzy! You seriously shot him through the stomach?!" Aika laughed.

Isabella nervously laughed and scratched the back of her head. "Hehe, yeeaaah....I'm still sorry about it, Osamu."

"Don't be, it was a long time ago. Wait, how did I survive that again?" Osamu asked.

"I kissed you and stopped you from dying! It was so romantic!" Izanami giggled. "Thankfully, you weren't supposed to die that day, so I was allowed to intervene."

Osamu sighed in relief. "The gods are truly looking out for me..."

Omagatoki bit into her smores a little too early, and had to endure the burn of a hot marshmellow in her mouth. "Big Brother Osamu, your stories are so cool! Sis and I don't have many stories like that at all."

"Our lives have consisted of watching the sun rise and then set. At least until we got involved with all of you. So, Rei?" Akatsuki called out.

"Eh? Yes?"

Akatsuki bowed her head. "Thank you for nearly destroying the world."

"Hehe...anytime..." Rei said.

Aika suddenly stood up, chugged down the rest of her beer, and set the bottle down. She let it out a very uncharacteristic howl that would even frighten any nearby wolves.

"Well, it's night time! Now we got to bust out the fireworks!" Aika commanded.

Tsukiakari stood up in excitement. "All right, let's do it!"

"Not here. There's too many nearby trees. Let's do it out on the streets since they're empty anyways." Yoko suggested.

"My girlfriend is so smart!" Tsukiakari sang.

Yoko laughed. "No, I'm just not completely inebriated right now."

"Alrighty! Rei, can you carry the ammunition? Izzy, grab the mortar!" Aika barked like a drill sergeant.

"And here we go." Osamu said, shaking his head with an excited grin.

Izanami and Yoko locked arms with Osamu, and Tsukiakari locked arms with Yoko. Everyone made their way out of the house, down the street, and stopped right in the middle of an intersection. The neighborhood was all theirs, like a kingdom to a king. Izzy set up the launcher and Rei handed a drunken Aika the first big round of fireworks as she chugged down another beer.

"I have a really bad feeling about giving a drunk girl explosives." Osamu said.

"Two-thousand yen says you burn a building down, Aika." Isabella teased.

"Forty-thousand yen says my next album hits number one on the charts!" Aika countered.

"Oh man, now it's on." Rei giggled.

"Ready, Izzy?" Aika said.

Isabella nodded. "All set!"

"Back up everyone!" Aika ordered.

"Don't blow yourselves up, assholes!" Yoko shouted.

Aika lit the fuse, sending sparks flying onto the street. Isabella ran from the fireworks as Aika calmly walked away from it like the protagonist of an explosive action film.

"Five, four, three, two, I'm wasted!" Aika screamed into the night sky.

The round popped off like a canon firing, whistling as it soared into the air. The night sky lit up with a huge splash of purple light and a thunderous, yet satisfying pop. The lights and sparks dazzled among the glittering stars before dissipating in the air, carrying the scent of gunpowder with it. It seemed the whole block glowed purple for those few yet magnificent seconds.

"That was amazing!"

Aika took another swig from her beer bottle."Rei, next round!"

"All right, we've got like twelve more big ones!" Rei announced.

"Perfect!" Aika said with her thumbs up.

"Hey, Akatsuki, wanna sit on my shoulders? You'll be able to see them better." Osamu offered.

"Me? But you usually pick up Omagatoki." Akatsuki said.

"True, but it's about time I treated you the same way, right? Come on, hop on my back!"

Osamu bent down and let Akatsuki climb on. Yoko did the same for Omagatoki.

(Man, like this, it looks like we're both parents helping our children see the show...)

Yoko quickly noticed Osamu staring at her. She simply returned his affection with a smile. "I love you too, Osamu."

(Sharp girl...)

"Fuse is lit!" Isabella announced.

"Let's go!" Aika shouted.

(You're damn right if you're thinking those fireworks were amazing. Being there, with all of us together...it really washed away a lot of our troubles. I know Isabella especially needed it. I can honestly say that was best July of my entire life.)

After the fireworks had all been expended and the block smelled of gunpowder, Aika and Rei had just one more surprise for everyone. Inside their big box of wonders, the two pulled out another cooler, but this one was filled with water balloons. Initiating the surprise attack, Rei gripped one in her hand and threw it at Isabella, hitting her right in the face.

"Got you! We'll just call that my revenge for high school! We're even now!" Rei laughed.

Isabella had the biggest smile on her face. If it was a water balloon fight Rei wanted, it was a water balloon fight she was going to get.

"Every man for himself!" Aika shouted, running off with an armful of balloons.

Everyone took a few water balloons, and the war broke out in the street. Everyone was getting soaked, even Akatsuki and Omagatoki, who kept throwing water balloons at each other. As the war went on, Rei noticed there was still a big firework in the box, hiding in the corner. Now, of course, our little Rei isn't very smart. She set the firework down and lit the fuse, but the launcher fell over sideways.

"Oh shit!" Rei cursed.

The round went off without warning. Osamu and Yoko were able to dodge the spiraling round as it flew right past them and into one of the buildings directly ahead of the intersection. The red sparks were a little too close for comfort. Osamu, Izzy, Rei, and Yoko were just outside of the blast radius as the block was illuminated with blinding red light, and then...the buildings ahead caught on fire. All of them were now staring at the burning monoliths, their shadows as tall as the buildings themselves.

"Holy shit! Who fired that off?!" Aika questioned.

"I'm sorry! The launcher fell over and..." Rei mumbled.

"Rei, that was fucking awesome!" Isabella cheered.

Everyone began laughing and cheering as part of their neighborhood was literally burning down. Isabella walked over to Yoko and bowed to her, her hair and clothes still dripping wet.

"Yoko, I'm very sorry!" Isabella lamented.

"Huh? For what?" Yoko asked.

"For this!"

Isabella, without fear and without regret, stood on her tippy toes and kissed Osamu like it was her last day alive.

Usually, Yoko would have a fit at such a scene, but since she understood the reason behind her brash behavior, she let it go. We've all got to let the dying live a little.

"All right, I won't scalp you for that one. Enjoy it, princess." Yoko giggled.

"Hell yeah, Izzy!" Aika cheered.

"Oh my! Hot blooded indeed!" Tsukiakari whistled.

"Gekko, what are you doing just standing there?" Yoko questioned. "A couple is kissing right in front of us, almost like they're trying to one-up our love. If this goes on any longer, I won't be able to help but feel disgraced."

Accepting the challenge, Tsukiakari grabbed Yoko by her butt, squeezing on both cheeks as she kissed Yoko.

"Girl-on-Girl?!" Rei recoiled.

Aika laughed so hard her gut nearly popped open. "Oh man, this is great! We did it, Rei! I think we gave them a good time! That's what we're about, you know?"

"Yeah. Hey, Aika." Rei said.

"Yep?"

"Just this once, since we're drunk anyway, wanna make out?"

Aika laughed in disbelief. "Really?! You want to kiss me?"

"We're not even gonna remember anything anyway!" Rei said.

"Ah, why the hell not?"

And so, even those two joined the kissing party.

"Is it normal for girls to kiss girls?" Omagatoki asked.

'In some places, it's pretty common. I hear even some young female friends kiss each other as a simple act of affection." Akatsuki informed.

"Yep." Izanami confirmed. "Humans get more intimate with every generation, it seems. Still..."

Izanami hugged Omagatoki and Akatsuki, and innocently kissed their foreheads. "That's for you! My favorite servants in the whole wide world!"

Akatsuki's pale face turned pink as she froze, unable to respond. Omagatoki reacted like a daughter who had just been kissed by her mother and jumped on Izanami to kiss her cheek and hug her back.

"Thank you, Izanami! You're my favorite master!" Omagatoki gushed.

"K-k-kiss....I was k-k-issed...." Akatsuki stuttered like a broken record player.

(Thankfully, those buildings were grouped by themselves, and there were no trees or brush around for the fire to extend. It eventually died out on it's own, but those few buildings were completely charred. Next thing you know, I wake up, and everyone is sleeping all around the house. Man, they're gonna hate the hangover when they get up...)

Osamu got off of the couch, where Rei and the Shoku Twins were sleeping next to him. He stretched out his arms with a yawn and stepped over Aika's futon as he climbed upstairs to use the restroom. When he got there, he saw Isabella standing with her hand over her stomach and the sink running with cold water.

"Izzy! Are you okay? Is it your stomach again?" Osamu worriedly asked.

Isabella dispelled his worries with a hearty laugh. "Nah! It's actually the alcohol this time! No need to worry!"

The two laughed to themselves until they heard a familiar sounding groan in the bathtub. Pulling apart the shower curtain, they saw Tsukiakari and Yoko sleeping together, naked.

"Ah man, these two...what are we ever gonna do with them?" Osamu sighed.

"Let's just let them rest. They've got one hell of a hangover to look forward to!" Isabella teased.

Osamu smiled. "As you wish."

(Summer is already on it's way out. Soon, Autumn will be here, and then, Winter. I'm proud to say, without a hint of doubt, that I'm glad this day happened. We all came together and sent our summer out with a bang...and then a fire.)