Last time we saw the human life of the Oni Todoroki, known in his human form as Ranto Hanabusa. The Raging Thunder struggled with his place in the academy for Evil Shinobi. However there remains one more Oni and the struggles in his civilian life.

In a snowy forest near one of Tokyo's mountains sat a school building of all things. This was Gessen Academy, a super elite Shinobi School that was attended by the children of Shinobi families that amassed large quantities of wealth over the generations. In this harsh environment five girls trained as the Elite Shinobi Team of the academy, led in most of their endeavors by their team leader. However three months ago they received a new addition, not another Shinobi, but rather a caretaker. The part that shocked the girls however was the fact he was a boy. While uneasy at first due to this detail, most of the girls eventually warmed up to the gentle yet meek boy that had become their caretaker. However unbeknownst to them, this seemingly unassuming young man had a secret of his own to keep.

Gessen Academy
It was dark within the halls of Gessen Academy, most members of the team were still asleep. However a figure walked through the hallway, a small green fire burning on the top of his right hand's index finger. He wore a black bowler hat on top of his dirty blonde hair, his brown eyes scanning the hall in front of him. He wore a red scarf around his neck, a brown robe over top of a brown shirt that had the texture of tree bark going across it. He wore green durable work pants that were tucked into a pair of black snow boots.

This young man was Akihito Yoshida, the caretaker of Gessen Academy's Elite Shinobi Team and secretly the young Percussion Oni, Eiki. "The girls are still asleep, I best start cleaning the Shinobi room before they wake up. Hopefully I can start breakfast before Yozakura wakes up." Akihito mumbled to himself gently as he reached the end of the hallway where a door sat. Akihito opened the door before stepping through and entering the room on the other side.

Shinobi Room
Akihito entered a traditional Japanese style room that was primarily red in color. Stone candle holders sat around the room, a sand pit sat in the middle of the floor with a stone path walkway going through it. An umbrella with a tea table sat next to it.

Akihito walked towards the stone candle holders before igniting the wicks with the green fire burning on the top of his finger. The fire turned to a natural orange after burning on the wick for a few seconds. Akihito then made his way over to a supply closet where he pulled out a a vacuum cleaner. Akihito powered the device on before he began vacuuming the red carpet that covered the floor. "Might have to increase vacuuming to twice a week with how often Minori gets crumbs on the rug." Akihito mumbled to himself as he continued to vacuum the rug. After around twenty minutes Akihito finished vacuuming before he put the device away.

Akihito then noticed a few dresses and woman's delicates splayed out on the tea table. "Looks like Shiki forgot to bring her new purchases back to her room." Akihito mumbled to himself as he began folding the dresses before he rather awkwardly folded the undergarments. Akihito put them away neatly in the discarded shopping bag and set it on the table. Akihito then returned to the supply closet before pulling out a wooden sand rake before stepping onto the stone path. Akihito used the rake to gently create a circular pattern in the sand. After fifteen minutes of working, he completed the pattern with a sigh of relief. "Now then I should be able to start breakfast. Seems I'm improving with my efficiency." Akihito mumbled to himself, a tiny smirk spreading across his face.

"Do you mind if I help you with breakfast?" A feminine voice asked from behind Akihito. The teenage boy nearly jumped out of his skin as he tossed the sand rake into the air while letting out a yelp. Akihito clumsily caught the sand rake before it could ruin his work in the sand. Akihito turned to see a girl with short blue hair with a pink flower in it and blue eyes standing by the door. She wore the Gessen uniform and carried a pair of gauntlets with her.

"Yozakura, would you please refrain from sneaking up on me like that? You know I frighten easily!" Akihito said rather meekly earning a smile from the Shinobi girl. Yozakura walked up to Akihito as he stepped off the stone pathway. "Sorry Akihito, forgot you spook easily." Yozakura apologized as she gave the caretaker a sheepish smile. Akihito let out an embarrassed sigh.

"Here I thought I'd be able to get breakfast started before you woke up." Akihito grumbled gently to himself, mostly out of disappointment for himself. Yozakura shot Akihito a concerned look as she patted him on the back in a supportive manner. "Hey, you know it's alright to ask for help right? No one person can do everything." Yozakura said as she gave Akihito a gentle smile. Akihito nodded before Yozakura grabbed him by the hand before leading him into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen the duo set to work preparing breakfast for everyone. Akihito and Yozakura danced around each other in a practiced routine. Eventually the duo heard footsteps approaching the kitchen causing them to turn towards the sound.

            "Good morning Yozakura." A cold female voice said as Akihito and Yozakura turned to see a girl with short grey hair and icy blue eyes. She wore a Gessen Academy uniform and carried two fans with her.

"Good morning Yumi, breakfast should be ready in a few minutes." Yozakura stated to her team leader who nodded her head in understanding. Yumi then turned to look at Akihito, her gaze becoming stony as the teenage boy stiffened slightly under her gaze. "I expect the kitchen to be cleaned up and laundry to be done by the time we return from morning training." Yumi stated curtly as Akihito gave a gentle nod of his head before refocusing on the task in front of him. Yozakura's gaze became stony as she wiped her hands off with a towel before grabbing Yumi by the wrist and dragging her out of the kitchen.

Yozakura led Yumi over to the other side of the Shinobi Room before stopping and turning around to face her. "Is there a problem Yozakura?" Yumi asked in her usual icy tone as she looked at her second in command, waiting for an explanation. Yozakura shot her leader a frustrated glare, this was getting ridiculous in her eyes. "Yumi, Akihito has been with us for three months now. He's been nothing but kind to us, would it kill you to be a little nicer to him?" Yozakura asked sternly as she waited for her leader to respond. Yumi's gaze grew even frostier as she was sick of this particular topic. "He is not a Shinobi, yet you expect us to trust him? He was dropped on us out of the blue with barely even an explanation as to why." Yumi said coldly as she shot a glare of her own at her teammate.

"Yumi, Akihito becoming our caretaker was rather strange, but he has never once done anything to earn your suspicion!" Yozakura retorted as she felt her leader was being incredibly unfair to the boy. Yumi's icy gaze didn't falter in the slightest. "Shinobi are secretive for a reason, he is a normal person. Is it wise to trust him with our secrets?" Yumi countered as she wasn't backing down in her suspicions of the young man that had become their caretaker. Before Yozakura could respond however the two girls heard a familiar yelp from the kitchen. Yumi and Yozakura rushed into the kitchen to find Akihito stiff as a board, a girl's arms coiled around his waist in a flirtatious manner.

The girl also wore a Gessen Uniform, she had long blonde hair and seductive red eyes. Leaning against the wall near her was a double headed scythe.

"Morning Aki, like do you mind making me that fruit smoothie? It was totes tasty!" Shiki said as she pressed her body against Akihito's. Akihito for his part remained stock still, not wanting to even accidentally graze the Shinobi girl. "S-Shiki, can you please let go?" Akihito asked in a timid tone as his face started to turn a bright red. Shiki let out a giggle at Akihito's reaction. "What's the matter Aki? Not used to a bombshell giving you a hug? Don't worry, I totally don't mind if you hug back." Shiki teased only causing Akihito's face to burn an even brighter shade of red at the suggestive comment from the blonde. Before Shiki could tease the boy further, an icy grip pinched her ear, dragging her away from Akihito.

"Yumi, chill with the icy grip! It's like bad for my makeup!" Shiki whined at her leader, squirming around in an attempt to break free from her leader's grip. Yumi ignored her teammate's protests continuing to drag her out of the kitchen. Yozakura walked up to Akihito, who's face was still a deep shade of red before gently patting him on the back in a supportive manner. "You okay Akihito?" Yozakura asked their caretaker, who's face was slowly turning a lighter shade of red. "I-I'm fine Yozakura, just need a moment to let my heartbeat slow down." Akihito admitted as he rested a hand on his chest where his heart would be. Yozakura gave the young man a sympathetic look, knowing how Shiki could be a bit much for some people.

"Shiki means well, teasing is just her way of showing affection." Yozakura said in hopes of helping Akihito relax if only slightly. After another moment, Akihito let out a shaky sigh before refocusing on the task of making breakfast. Yozakura quickly returned to her place in the kitchen as the duo quickly settled back into their dance of making breakfast. As Akihito continued to work, he felt a gentle tug on the back of his robe. The young man turned around to see yet another girl in a Gessen Uniform, she had long brown hair done up in a side ponytail, she had gentle green eyes. The girl timidly his half her face behind an oni mask as she struggled to make eye contact with Akihito.

"Akihito, I'm sorry to ask this, but could you organize my manga manuscript? I-I stayed up last night working on it and forgot to clean it up before going to bed." Murakumo said meekly as she looked down in embarrassment at her own lack of responsibility. Akihito gave Murakumo a gentle smile before gently patting her on the shoulder. "Sure thing Murakumo, I don't mind organizing it. You want it stored in the In Progress drawer?" Akihito asked as the shy girl seemed to relax at him not minding helping her with cleaning her room. Murakumo made eye contact with Akihito, a small smile on her face. "That would be great, thank you Akihito." Murakumo said shyly before walking out of the kitchen rather quickly.

Akihito watched the girl leave as he shook his head in slight amusement. "Akihito, the Tamagoyaki is almost ready. How the fish coming?" Yozakura asked over her shoulder, curiosity present in her eyes. Akihito plated the last few pieces of grilled fish before turning around and opening the rice cooker before filling bowls with rice. "Ready to got, just let me make Shiki's smoothie." Akihito called over his shoulder before he began filling the blender with strawberries, a banana, plain yogurt, a pinch of cocoa powder, a scoop of peanut butter, and finally milk. Akihito placed the lid on top before powering on the blender, blending it all together into a pink colored smoothie. Akihito grabbed a glass before pouring it into the cup.

         Akihito then sets everything down on one of three serving trays that Yozakura had setup for them. Yozakura took two while Akihito took one before they brought all the food out to the rest of Gessen girls. "Thanks Aki, you're like the best." Shiki said in a teasing tone as Akihito set the smoothie down in front of her. Akihito felt his face heat up as he quickly stepped away from the table, keeping his distance from Shiki. Shiki let out a small giggle at Akihito's reaction, but quickly clammed up when she saw Yumi shooting her a glare out of the corner of her eye. "Where is Minori? Did no one go to wake her up?" Yumi asked her teammates who all shook their heads no. Before anyone else could speak up however the sound of a door sliding open was heard.

            "Breakfast!" A bubbly female voice cheered before she ran over to the group. Another girl in a Gessen Uniform approached them, her brown hair was done up in twin tails. Her big innocent blue eyes were filled with excitement as she approached the table.

Minori's attention however quickly shifted to Akihito, who she leaped at. "Aki! Thank you for making breakfast!" Minori cheered as she wrapped her arms and legs around Akihito, pulling him into what could only be described as a super bear hug. Akihito let a sheepish smile spread across his face as he gently patted Minori on the back. "It was my pleasure Minori, however I can't take all the credit. Yozakura did half the work." Akihito said modestly as the youngest member of Team Gessen simply giggled at his words. Minori was pulled off Akihito by Yozakura who sat the bubbly girl down next to her at the table.

              Akihito looked the entire table, everyone was served so his job was done here. Akihito turned to return to the kitchen to begin cleanup. "Wait Aki! Why don't you eat with us?" Minori suggested as her innocent blue eyes gave him an inviting look. Akihito turned around nervously, he was afraid Minori would ask that question, just like she has been everyday for the last month. "Minori's right Aki, you do all the housework around here. Least we could do is like let you eat with us." Shiki said agreeing with her younger teammate. Akihito stiffened slightly, Murakumo and Yozakura also gave him nods of their heads, further supporting Minori's suggestion. Akihito's gaze then landed on Yumi and he got the reaction he expected.

           An icy gaze locked with his eyes, Akihito felt a shiver run down his spine, he got the message loud and clear from that. "Thank you Minori, but I have other work to get done. Maybe next time?" Akihito said gently before quickly retreating to the kitchen. Minori deflates at the rejection as she looks down sadly at the table. Shiki however shot a glare at Yumi, who had already started eating. "Would it kill you to unfreeze that heart of yours Yumes? Aki has taken care of us for the last three months, the guy's a sweetheart!" Shiki growled in annoyance as she continued to level a glare at her leader. Yumi simply ignored the glare as she continued to eat her breakfast. "Once we're finished we have training, be ready in ten minutes after we finish breakfast." Yumi stated simply as all her teammates let out a defeated sigh, there was just no getting through to her sometimes.

Four Hours Later
It had been four hours since the Gessen Girls departed to begin their training for the day. In that time Akihito managed to clean up the dishes, do the laundry and hang it up to dry. He also organized and stored Murakumo's manga transcript all within the first two hours. With all his work done, Akihito decided he would get his own training in for the day. On the roof of the academy, he setup a Taiko Drum that he had been playing for the last two hours.

Akihito raised both drumsticks above his head before he brought the right down on the drum face, followed by the left drumstick. Akihito fell into a rhythm as the beat of the taiko drum filled the air around him. The beat of the drum could be compared to the crackle of firewood burning, a warm and soothing tone.

"Gentle and steady beginning, that's good. Now to pick up the pace." Akihito thought to himself as he twirled the drumsticks before he raised them both above his head again. Akihito brought the right drumstick down on the Taiko drum. The strike was firm this time having more strength behind the strike. Akihito then struck with the left drumstick against the taiko drum, a stronger tune beginning to be produced. This beat sounded more like a roaring fire, a blaze just barely being contained. Steam started to roll off Akihito's body, his body's temperature slowly increasing with each strike on the drum. Snowflakes that fell onto his body melted before even touching his skin. Akihito then raised both drumsticks above his head before bringing them down simultaneously on the taiko drum.

The tips of both drumsticks ignited with green fire as Akihito held them up, slightly shocked by the sudden fire he generated. "I actually managed to do it. I can finally harness my element in a stronger form without transforming!" Akihito said in an almost giddy tone as he looked at the burning taiko drumsticks, a proud grin on his face. However this moment of pride was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps approaching the door to the rooftop. Akihito but back the urge to yelp as he quickly looked around for a way to extinguish his drumsticks. Akihito spots a pile of snow next to him as he quickly shoved the burning parts of the drumsticks into it. The fire melted a noticeable chunk of the snow before fizzling out.

Akihito let out a relieved sigh before turning to face the door to the roof. A minute later Team Gessen opens the door before walking out onto the roof. "Akihito? What are you doing up here by yourself?" Yozakura asked being the first to spot their male caretaker. Team Gessen approached Akihito who stiffened slightly, but remained calm. "All of you have returned, how was training?" Akihito asked, attempting to play the whole situation off. Shiki let out an annoyed groan at the mention of training. "Like, totally brutal as usual. I just wanna get a nice bubble bath in and unwind for the day." Shiki whined in a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. Akihito let a small smirk tug at his lips, he expected that answer from the blonde.

              "Akihito, why do you have a taiko drum?" Murakumo asked in a stronger voice, due to wearing her mask over her face. Akihito flinched at that question, he was hoping they would ignore his taiko drum. "W-Well this is rather embarrassing. You see back in my home town, my family were taiko drum masters. We would always perform during harvest festivals or holidays. I suppose I was feeling a tad homesick and decided to play." Akihito admitted in an embarrassed tone as he scratched the back of his head nervously. The girls looked at their caretaker for a moment, surprised, but accepted the answer. "You played for festivals Aki? Could you play for us sometime?" Minori asked in an aexcited tone as she gave the male teen a curious look.

Akihito remained silent for a moment, not knowing how to answer. His reason for playing the drum was mainly to train his Oni abilities. However after locking eyes with Minori, he started to cave due to the puppy dog eyes the sweets loving girl was giving him. "W-Well I am a bit out of practice, but if any of you wish to hear me play, I suppose I could put on a performance." Akihito said meekly as he still was unsure of putting on said performance. Minori squealed happily before tackling Akihito into a hug. "Thank you Aki! You're the best!" Minori cheered happily as she snuggled into the caretaker's chest. Akihito gently patted the top of Minori's head somewhat awkwardly as he was questioning what he got himself into.

"We'll help you get your drum back to your room Akihito, it's the least we can do after all the help you give us." Yozakura stated as she lifted the taiko drum off its stand while Murakumo grabbed the stand itself. Akihito let a small smile spread across his face. "Maybe even an Oni as inexperienced as I can potentially establish peace with the Shinobi." Akihito as Shiki grabbed his arm and began leading him back inside. Yumi watched them go, and icy look on her face, still unsure of their caretaker. Yumi then noticed the drumsticks in the snow as she let out a sigh before grabbing them. She was surprised however to find the ends buried in the snow to be charred black, as if set on fire. Yumi shot a suspicious glance at Akihito's back. "What exactly we're more you doing up here?" Yumi thought to herself before following after her team, more suspicious then ever of their male caretaker.

With this Song, we have got a glimpse into the lives and personalities of each of the Oni Trio! I'm curious as to who each of you reading has as your favorite from what we've seen so far! Of course with getting a glimpse into each of the Trio's lives, things will begin to pick up. As always leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments! What dangers will the Oni face next in their mission of protecting Tokyo? When will the Shinobi Girls find out of their existence? What other forces are at play? Find out in the next Song of Senran Kagura: Song of Shinobi & Oni!