Chapter Text
Ikki blinked the sleep from her eyes and sat up. Her? Wasn’t she a her? Huh? She?? Why couldn’t she call herself her. She was a her. She was a woman. Huh. She was a Woman. Dangit why could she think of herself as a man. Wait, that one worked. Why did that one work? She was a woman, wasn’t she? Wait. No. This was giving her a migraine.
George untied her from the table and removed the straps
“Good Morning, and good news. Whatever you did, I think Vice has reformed. Much more stable, too. But it’ll be a while before he’s ready to come out of you. How are you feeling?”
“A bit weird, but as good a girl can. Er. Except for that. I can’t remember details, but. I think me and Vice made a contract? But it was reversed.”
“A reversed contract? Interesting. So, theoretically, any negative effects should be on Vice?”
“Well, i guess? But for some reason, all its doing is refusing to let me say I’m a girl. A girl. A g-i-rl. A Woman! Dangit! I’m not a man! I’m not a guy! No wait no, I’m a wo-m-an. Gosh darn it!”
George looked at Ikki much like how one would look at a puzzle, then smirked.
“You know, that might be for the best. That would explain a lot. Vice is a very smart demon.”
“Explain?”
“Ikki, have you heard of *&^%$@><!@# people?”
“What people?”
George cocked his head, “ What? *&^%$@><!@#.”
“Come again?”
“People who *&^%$@><!@#*&:3^%$@><!@#”
“How are you doing that with your mouth?”
George sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“What’s wrong with me?”
“Nothing nothing, I’m just trying to think...hmm I wonder actually…I wonder if its an audio based thing...”
George went over to his brief case, digging through it and displaced various items, including the Juuga Driver just sort of chunked over his shoulder.
“No, No No. Ah! Yes!”
George pulled out a small and crinkled pamphlet, handing it to Ikki.
“Can you read this? It’s kanji, so you should be able to.”
Ikki read the title to herself.
‘Transgender people and you: a guide to understanding gender and changing genders.’
“@#$%^^&*:3?”
“YES! So you can say-”
“How did I say that with my mouth??”
“Oh No!”
“… never mind that, I...didn’t think this was a thing you could do? A girl like me certainly couldn’t? Er. Dangit you know what I mean. Why are you showing this to me again?”
“Oh my God!” George exclaimed, before grabbing a pad of paper, “Perhaps this will help you understand what I’m saying.”
George scribbled out a sentence. Ikki read the sentence. She read the sentence again. And again. And again. And once more for good measure.
‘I, George Karazaki, think that you, “Ikki” Igarashi, are a transgender woman, meaning that while you have a boy’s body, you have a girl’s heart; You are a woman and you desire & deserve to be treated that way.”
“That’s crazy. I could never...no way. I mean, I’d think I’d know by now if... and besides I’m a woman’s woman. Er. Dangit, you know what I mean. This makes no sense!”
George slammed his head into the desk, repeatedly.
“You...okay there?”
On the fifth slam, George raised his head, “Grab the pamphlet. We’re going to head home and have an honest discussion with your mom.”
Ikki cocked her head, “Why her?”
“Just...come on. Grab the pamphlet I’ll drive you.”
Ikki shrugged and headed out to George’s car. It was a short drive, but too much time to think. So she didn’t. Can’t get hurt by thoughts if you aren’t thinking, after all. Especially not thinking about the whole gender thing. Couldn’t think about the weird shiver she got every time she heard her and girl and...nope! Not thinking about any of that! Just had to zone out, like normal. Numb herself to the dull ache of her body. No thoughts head em- Ow! It felt like someone flicked her in the forehead. What the heck was that?? Maybe if she tried to zone out harder it would go away? She furrowed her brow, staring into the distance, ending up with a killer migraine.
“You okay there, Onsen-Girl? Thinking about gender?”
“Trying not to, but every time I try to zone out like normal, I get head pain.”
George hummed and flipped on his bluetooth, with some j-pop band playing. Then it caught up to Ikki.
“Onsen-Girl?? Seriously??”
“Well, it’s only fair since I call your little sister Karate-Girl.”
“Hmmph.”
George blinked a bit, looking at Ikki before steering his eyes back to the road.
“What??”
George grinned, “Oh, nothing.”
That left Ikki stewing in wondering just what Vice had done to her until they pulled in.
Yukimi Igarashi greeted them as they entered, both hands on her stomach and…
“Mama?”
“Yes Ikki?”
“Why is your demon holding Koshiro? And why is your demon uh.”
“Out?” Yukii smiled innocently as her demon floated, with the baby cradled on the lower portion of the statue. One of the smallest wing segments was out of place, with its tip in the mouth of Koushiro.
“Yeah, because last I remember it could level a city!”
“Jeez, and make a poor pregnant mother carry a second child in her arms? What else was I supposed to do?”
Ikki’s eyebrow twitched while George smile manically at the imposing demon.
Ikki counted on her fingers, “Baby Bjorn, Baby sling, Stroller, cradle, rocking chair, literally anything else! And you aren’t pregnant last I thought? When on earth did that happen??”
“Sweet Ikki, you worry too much.”
Ikki’s eyebrow twitched again, “That demon can level Tokyo. Hell, it could level all of Japan if it wanted!”
“Yes, but it can even nurse! Oh what a burden that is off of me! Anyway! I assume one adult for Mr. Karizaki over there?”
Ikki floundered at that statement, but George picked up pace.
George shook his head, “Actually, maybe later. But for now, we’ve had a breakthrough in reviving Vice.”
“Oh wonderful! Where is h-e?” Yukimi said, hastily swapping from a feminine pronoun to masculine. What did she, George, and just about everyone that wasn’t Ikki know?
“Not quite ready, it appears. But the result is that Vice has contracted Ikki. With some. Interesting results. Tell me, how did that catchphrase of yours go? ‘The neediest guy in Japan!’”
“No no no, it’s ‘The Nosiest Woman in Japan!’ Wait. Dangit. You tricked me Mr. Karizaki. Its Woman not Man. Darnit. I’m a woman same as- oh gosh darn it!”
Yukimi grinned, before the smile faded as George explained his thoughts, “So. Apparently their contract stipulated that Ikki cannot refer to herself with masculine terms.”
Yukimi sighed, “Yeah, it was about time someone resorted to drastic measures. Welcome to the sisterhood, my dear daughter.”
“Wait wait wait no! I’m not a girl! I’m uh. Well, what’s the guy version of a Boku girl?”
Yukimi’s hands left her stomach, shaking as they changed direction from moving up to her face to clasping on Ikki’s chubby cheeks.
“You take after me in so many ways, but you really do have your father’s self awareness. Which is to say, none. Tell me, dear, why couldn’t you be a woman?”
“I just can’t! It’s not for me! I’d make a terrible man. Wait. No. The other thing.”
The external door slammed open, Daichi rushing in through the curtain alongside Kagero...who were in matching sundresses. One white, one black. They even had matching sunhats, with silver bows. Both were out of breath and grinning ear to ear. Ikki and George did a double take, while Yukimi’s wide smile returned.
“Mama! I figured something out about myse...did we interrupt something??”
Yukimi didn’t miss a beat, she walked on up the two pair, grabbing one of each of their hands, “Not at all dears! So, what did you work out?”
“Well...it goes like this...”