Ame swiftly slid open the screen panels connecting to the bedroom shared between the wolf siblings, where he would find his older sister now with her curled knees pressed against her chest, appearing to be lost in her own world of thoughts; basking in what seemed to be an eternal silence. Even as the sound of his steps entering the scope disrupted that tranquility, she did not even acknowledge his presence.
Standing there in his own silence, he stood above her curled form, observing her for a moment as he waited to see if she would talk – say anything at all. But she didn't. Within the grip of his hands he still carried the papers her classmate had personally delivered to her, extending a hand to lower them onto her study desk.
"I was asked to give these to you, from some guy at your school named Souhei," He stated plainly, moving backwards towards the wooden frame of the door to grant his sister space.
His words visibly shook her, a soft gasp emitting from under the security of her arms. Her reaction only increased the suspicion Ame had upon meeting the other boy only moments ago – he had to have been the one she accidentally lashed out on.
"So, who is he?" Ame pressed, voicing his curiosity as he leaned the weight of his arm against the frame now. Even if he did believe he already knew the answer, he wondered the bounds of the relationship they had.
Yuki did not answer his question, only to slowly avert her head in the other direction, avoiding catching her brother's gaze.
When the silence continued, Ame was the first to break it again, "He seems nice." He said, bearing no expression on his features to compliment that statement.
It seemed like long passing minutes when his sister slowly swayed her head in his direction to face him, and he could immediately spot the strain weighing behind her brown orbs as they quickly sharpened upon him. "He's no one, okay?"
Seeing through the lack of truth in her answer, he simply arched a brow at this; a tedious smile curling on the edge of his lip to accompany it. "You're not very good at lying." With saying that, though, his features slowly faded back to its usual deadpan state.
The fact of the matter was, this boy was injured by the hands of Yuki himself – accident or not, and despite this, he still cared enough to travel what must have been a fair amount of distance to their home in order to make sure she wasn't falling behind in school. That takes consideration; meaning he had to have harbored a fondness for his sister to a degree.
His words would only fuel her emotions, scattering for the closest pillow she could find and throwing it at her brother. "Look, can't you just leave me alone? It doesn't matter who he is!" She snapped with vexation behind her tone, scorn heavy on her expression. Ame remained silent with her sudden outburst, staring back at his sister with patience as his stature loomed over own.
Eventually, her breathing calmed and her brows retracted in relief, the tension softening from her face and replaced with a familiar gloom. "Anyway, he shouldn't even be here. I hurt him. I didn't mean to, but I did…"
The wolf-hybrid's chin lifted with her confession, his brown orbs glistening with a silent apprehension in the notion that his intuition was right all along. "It's because wolves aren't meant to be tamed, Yuki. We can't help what we are; we don't belong in an environment where we're forced to deny our nature."
Yuki shifted hastily to slip under the shelter of her blankets, expressing her displeasure with what Ame had to say. She hated when he tried to convince her she was anything but human. Ame believed that when she did this, it's because she was simply afraid he was right. "I'm not like you, Ame, I can't just abandon everything I've worked for this far. I like being a normal girl."
Ame was quick to shoot back, "Doesn't being a 'normal' girl sound boring?" He said, not bothering to mask the distaste with the word in his tone. "Were you afraid to let Souhei see who you truly are?"
Thrashing out of the blankets, Yuki raised herself upwards to glare daggers in her brother's direction, "Shut up…!" She muttered through gritted teeth. If they weren't comforting each other, then they were arguing. It was rare for them to have middle ground as of late. It was a prime example of what happens when two people are so different.
"Stop it, both of you." Hana's voice called from behind Ame, and he did not even need to face her to detect the unsettled emotions she wore. It was no secret she hated to see both her children fight like they do. It was as if the older they got, the less control she had over them, in turn.
There was a prolonged exchange of contrast expressions, Ame's face bearing nothing but a blank void, while Yuki displayed venom. This lasted in silence for a couple passing moments, before finally, the brother broke the contact and turned to leave without offering his mother and sister so much as a word, sliding the shutter closed behind him.
The following day, Ame was the first to wake between the siblings, the sun shining radiantly through the window and illuminating a reflection onto where Ame rests. From beside him at the other end of the room, was Yuki still fast asleep. He found it almost comical that she was the one who was supposed to be running on a suitable school schedule, yet he slept in less than she did without any drowsy moods.
He would pull the blankets off, sitting up before rising to his feet. Upon getting dressed into the usual shirt of white and comfortable dark-shaded pants, he quietly exited the room without disturbance, not even so much as sliding slippers onto his feet prior to stepping out of the country home's entrance, and instead was greeted with the warmth of the sun setting upon his silhouette.
As he descended from the wooden step and onto the ground, two bare feet welcomed the dirt shadowing his foot's surface. He was set on drifting quickly to the dirt path, away from civilization where he could change without witnessing eyes.
However, there was another walking up the path leading to his home. They seemed to recognize Ame before he noticed them, for he could make out an apparent hesitant arm raising, accompanied by a now vaguely familiar voice.
Of course, it was Souhei.
"Huh?" Ame's lips faintly parted, slowing his steps before coming to a complete halt – waiting for the other boy to approach closer. Just what could he want, now?
When he caught up, Souhei displayed a smile. "Oh, hey again. I don't think I got your name yesterday?" The boy so nonchalantly spoke up to him, raising an arm behind his head to ruffle at his short ends.
Ame peered down at the paper in the other's hands. ". . . It's Ame." He stated plainly, brown orbs peering upwards at the slightly taller boy. "What brings you here?" He followed with a question; suspecting he already knew the answer, though.
"I meant to bring these yesterday, as well, but I realized when I got home I left them in my bag. Anyway, I just wanted to give her these notes I've been taking in class so she won't be confused for the test on Monday." He said, averting his hues somewhat nervously.
The wolf-hybrid's lids fluttered in a couple blinks, feeling rather perplexed at his boldness. It was one thing to deliver homework to his sister on the one occasion, perhaps out of guilt, but he was here for a second time with yet another considerate intention.
"I see."
"Um," Souhei began, appearing to be unsure of what to say at Ame's lack of response. Instead, he merely extended the smile worn on his features, before outstretching his arms to pass him the stack. "Sorry to ask again, but think you could give her these, too?" He asked, eyes softening with a gentleness mirroring a wise nature beyond his years.
Brown orbs reflected into opposite sets of a darker hue, Ame's lips thinning as he continued to observe the taller one before him. "What do you get out of this?"
Souhei's expression shifted, appearing to be taken aback by the question, before dropping his shoulders into a shrug. "I feel like I owe her, you know? And besides, it's not fair she doesn't feel comfortable with attending school."
"You mean that bothers you?" Ame inquired, his gaze not faltering for a second.
"Of course. Wouldn't you want someone to be kind to you in moments you feel completely alone?" He asked without a hint of uncertainty behind those words.
A flash of imagery played through his mind; a protective arm comforting a sobbing older sister, a warmth accompanying their embrace. Yes, Ame could understand that. This time, he was the one to drop his gaze from Souhei and to the ground. "Yeah."
Tilting his head to one side, Souhei slowly lowered the papers, blinking as he noticed the way his question seemingly sent the younger into a series of thoughts.
"You're her younger brother, right? I don't see you at school anymore." He said, attempting to change the sensitive topic at hand.
The shorter boy shot a look up at Souhei again, surprise washing over his face. That was something this kid managed to do a lot to Ame. "It's just not my thing,"
Souhei's smile returned, and fortunately, no judgement seemed to cross his mind. It was actually a refreshing reaction. "Oh, okay. I can get that, I suppose. I wish I was brave enough to know what I wanted."
Meaning…? Ame thought, but he didn't want to press. He was beginning to grow nervous the longer he was forced to socialize. All he wanted to do was hide away in the forest and run freely as the wild canine he was.
"It would just suck if the path you've chosen doesn't make you happy." The taller added, gaze easing upon him now.
Ame, yet again, raised a questioning brow. His shoulders tensing. He didn't understand why he cared to hear his explanation, but he did. "Why do you say that?" He asks, his voice sounded bleak.
"Your eyes," Souhei stated, taking a step forward and leaning in within close proximity to Ame's countenance, lids narrowing slightly upon the detail he was closely examining.
"W-What….?" The wolf-hybrid felt heat rushing to his face, retracting a step backwards as he felt alarmed by the other boy's sudden closeness – raising two arms defensively.
"I don't know, your eyes just look kind of sad." He spoke softly, his older eyes looming over the younger's current nervous demeanor, before he straightened his back again. Ame parted his lips to speak, however, he couldn't find the words. Something about what he said just, somehow, burdened him in a manner he didn't want to think about.
Without taking the papers as asked of him, he would clear his throat and swiftly proceeded passed the other's presence and began down the path once more. "I can't help you, I'm leaving. Feel free to leave the notes on the deck."
He didn't turn around to take a last look at Souhei, but from what he could sense, he had still been standing there and was watching him walk away. "I guess I'll see you next time, then!" He could hear the older boy call out from a distance, and Ame was timid at the idea of seeing him again.
Next time, huh?