Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, places, etc. from Laughing Under the Clouds. It all belongs to its respectful owners.

Note: Slight Spoilers for rest of series concerning certain characters.

Stuck with Us

The former ninja was often used to the antics of the youngest Kumoh brother by now, often being able to avoid them completely. He also should have taken what the small 'family' had said more seriously, considering the predicament he was now in…

*flashback*

It had been stated about a week ago, just shortly after Tenka had declared that Soramaru was' leaving the nest'. To the youngest and the eldest, this just wouldn't stand.

"You can't leave Sora-nii! We just wouldn't be a family if you did!" The concerns of the youngest were once more voiced, much to the middle-child's dismay and annoyance.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not leaving!?" Shooting the eldest an angry look, he glanced back towards the food a moment later in annoyance. "Tenka just misunderstood things!"

"Aww… come on Sora! You can't leave when Chuutarou looks like that!" Both of the older Kumoh brothers glanced over to see the youngest in a state near to depression at the false statement, although for all they knew he could just be acting it up.

"You're not helping things!" Soramaru huffed angrily at the predicament that neither of his siblings seemed to understand. "Besides, I bet if Shirasu was leaving, you two wouldn't be acting like this!"

The statement caused the other two to freeze, as well as all three glancing over at the former ninja when Soramaru realized what he had implied. It was a known fact that Shirasu could leave whenever he desired, but the Kumoh brothers had never actually considered the outcome. Much to their horror, and the realization that Shirasu was now dragged into their debate, none of them looked quite happy about the situation.

"Well… he can't leave either!" The youngest boy's voice was heard first, a pout already on his face at the implications of their adoptive older brother leaving.

"Technically that's not fair Chuutarou… Shirasu can leave when he likes…" Even Soramaru seemed hesitant to remind their youngest brother about that fact, as if to not remind Shirasu in case he had forgotten somehow. The next statement, however, caused the middle-child to groan once more.

"Nope, he can't."

"Seriously Tenka!? You're acting as bad as Chuutarou now!?" The antics of the three brothers weren't lost on the ninja cleaning in the corner, a small smile on his face as he realized the reasons for their argument.

*end flashback*

The white-haired ninja had been going about his daily routine, mostly cleaning the house at this hour, not expecting to find the second Kumoh son sprawled on the floor for no reason. What had concerned him the most was that the teen didn't seem to be breathing, causing the purple-eyed man to rush over in a state of panic.

"Lord O-!?" The rest of his concerned outburst that he was going to say was cut off as he felt something pull at his legs, causing the man to nearly fall on his face. Confusion entered the man as he realized that he couldn't move, or more specifically, he couldn't move his legs.

"Wow! Sora-nii, it actually worked!" A voice coming from behind the white-haired man caused him to turn towards where the youngest was emerging from. He glanced back to see Soramaru, looking quite sheepish, getting up from on the floor.

"Why am I not surprised…?" The mutterings of the teen in front of him caused the former-Fuma more confusion, if not slight annoyance. Soramaru normally didn't get involved in Chuutarou's schemes…

"Soramaru, Chuutarou, can I ask what's going on here?" The youngest had now moved to stand in front of the trapped adult, a bright smile on his face.

"Now you're stuck with us!" The words caused more confusion, causing him to glance over at the older teen. Soramaru had a hand to his forehead, as if this all pained him to admit that he had gone alone with his younger brother's antics for once.

"Chuutarou had this plan to get you to stay…" The black-haired teen stated rather hesitantly.

"But I wasn't planning on leaving…" Shirasu muttered, trying to remove his feet from whatever substance was keeping him suspended in the same spot.

"That's what I told him but he didn't believe me…"

"Who didn't believe what now?" The two youngest seemed to freeze as a figure stepped through the door from outside. As the eldest took in the scene before him, he let out a small sigh at their antics. "Who should I blame more for this…?" The mutterings of the eldest didn't go past the other brothers, causing them to quickly point fingers at one another.

"Chuutarou thought that-!"

"Soramaru agreed to-!"

The eldest cut both of their arguments off by holding up a hand, a small smile on his face.

"While this is unexpected, it's actually quite amusing." Shirasu thought that if he were to voice his thoughts that the other man would still find the predicament amusing, despite how far it was putting him behind schedule. "What did you use this time?"

"Glue!" The bright smile was back on the youngest's face as he said this, causing everyone to glance down at where Shirasu's feet were glued to the floor.

"But what did you use to make it so… potent…?" The question came from said glued-victim in dismay.

"That's a secret!" This earned a light smack on the head from the middle to the youngest child. "Now he can't ever leave!"

"Tenka, I've explained to them that I never intended to leave." A sigh came from the eldest's mouth at his friend's words.

"Alright… un-glue him." The youngest's head whipped over to glance at his brother in surprise and dismay.

"What?!"

"Like I said… un-glue him. If he's not planning on leaving, then there's no reason to leave him like this. Besides… I know someone else you can use it on…" The slightly wicked smile that was on the eldest's face was soon mirrored on the youngest's as they stared at Soramaru.

"Hey! I'm not planning on leaving either!" The black-eyed teen merely sighed, most likely knowing that he would have to be extra vigilant for the next few days. "Just un-glue him already, Chuutarou…"

"Well… you see…" The youngest began, a sheepish look on his face as he stared at the glue. "I never made an antidote…"

"What?!"

I figured that despite how… silly… this is, that I just had to write it! The youngest brother is always getting into trouble and I just couldn't resist! :) The reason I ended it off there is because I want to see your reactions as to how Shirasu might have gotten out. On that side note, I hope to write much more for this archive despite this being my first entry. I hope you all enjoyed the Kumoh brothers' antics for this time!

-AnimeWolfGirl16