This had been the last place she expected to find herself. Despite protesting that she would stay in hotels, she knew she would eventually run out of money, even if they were cheap rooms, then she would be even worse off. After hearing about the news, her parents offered to take her back in. Knowing their kindness, they would want nothing but the safety of their child in return. Besides the few odd and brief drop-ins, the raven haired girl had not been home since, well, she left to get married. Now at twenty five years old, approaching twenty six, it had been almost ten long year. The fact that she was now moving back in with her parents embarrassed her. After the academy had been taken from her, plus a significant amount of debt to her family name, the Aihara name was collapsing. However, deep inside, she new she wanted to get the academy back. She just needed some time to clear her mind.
With a deep breath, she hesitantly brought up her hand, waiting a couple of seconds before gently knocking on the apartment door. She didn't have to wait long, fortunately. The door opened to the smiling woman that she recognised to be her step mother. The kind woman her father recklessly marries, the kind woman who would provide her arms, shoulder and ears whenever needed, the kind woman whose daughter made her feel something other than cold for once. Despite aging a little, she still had those bright emerald eyes that ran in the Okagi family. Yet the raven wouldn't admit how special they were to her.
"Welcome home Mei-chan~!" Ume says cheerfully as she pulls the girl into a hug, "Come inside, You're just in time, I've just finished making lunch."
It wasn't as if she had a choice, as her mother practically pulled her inside, quickly closing the door behind them. The small apartment didn't appear to have changed much. Not that Mei minded - she had always found the living space somewhat cozy even if it was confined. Inside was quiet, it only seemed to be her and her mother. Ume wasted no time in directing her to sit at the dining table as she began arranging plates and cutlery. Mei complied, taking the seat she remembered as her own from her teenage years.
"Oh - I'm afraid you've just missed your father. He's going to be out of the country for work work about a week," Ume sighs apologetically, "You know him, always out and about. But I really wish he would spend some more time with you."
"It doesn't surprise me anymore. But thank you for taking me in and I'm sorry if I'm being a burden," Mei says, head down so that her eye's don't meet with her mother.
"Don't be silly! You're my daughter and there's no way I could let you go homeless. I don't think I could ever forgive myself."
Mei says nothing in response but observes how her mother continues to place plates around the table, filling it for six. Instead, she questions her mother about said observation, "Were you expecting guests?"
Ume chuckles and shakes her head, which added to the raven's confusion.
"We were just waiting for you, the other's are already here. Yuzu!"
Just hearing that dreaded name sent chills up her spine and guilt suddenly flooded her. Ten years. Each visit, she had made sure that the blonde wasn't home, just to avoid explaining. She knew she was being selfish, yet she also believed it was the right thing to do, in order to be able to focus on her future and not to be stuck in forbidden love. Only when it all failed was when she truly regretted her decisions.
The door of her ex bedroom could be heard opening, followed by foot steps. A familiar damp haired blonde came into view with a towel wrapped around her shoulders, accompanied by a shorter, unfamiliar brunette, who had two children clutching onto either of her hands. Just the sight of her step sister made Mei;s heart race. She placed both hands between her thighs as an attempt to stop them trembling.
There was no doubt that the blonde was Yuzu - Mei could recognise those golden locks from anywhere. She had gotten slightly taller, though the older sister was now shorter than her younger step sister. She still sported her love for make-up and faux blonde, wavy hair, and her eyes were still full of life. The blonde had definitely toned herself up, however. Slimmer, which exaggerated her long legs, but she appeared much more delicate. She had dressed herself in a casual pair of blue denim shorts and a plain white tank top.
Behind her, the brunette who was unfamiliar with Mei, stood with a friendly smile, her baby blue eyes shining. Her silky, tawny hair easily reached the top of her thighs. The girl was small in every way. Height, chest, weight, she appeared childlike - but it wouldn't be long until Mei discovers that there's only a few months between them. The girl wore a loose black halter top and a white a-line skirt which fell to just above her knees. Unlike when looking at Yuzu, Mei felt a sharp stinging sensation when lavender met soft blue. It was wrong for her to assume the two girl's relationship, but was this jealousy? The only other time she could ever recall feeling this way was when she would catch that Matsuri girl fooling around with Yuzu. She pulled her eyes away from the brunette's.
The children, on the other hand, both had chestnut brown hair and green eyes that resembled her step sister's. A boy and a girl, the similar heights but the same shy smiles, they hid behind the brunette. The girl was dressed in a white wrap dress covered in small sakura flower prints, secured with a cherry red bow tied at the back around her waist, and her hair tied up into twin buns on the top of her head. Meanwhile, the boy was dressed in a white, short sleeved, button down shirt and long khaki shorts that came to his knees.
"It's nice to see you again, Mei."