-"Nii-san, you look tired. Why don't you go to bed? I can finish this on my own." Momo suggested after Momiji readjusted his sitting position for the third time in the last half hour. She could see clearly how exhausted he was, despite his efforts to look enthusiastic helping her with her homework. She'd love to spend her time with her brother doing something else, but she desperately needed the help. It was frustrating for her, having to rely on someone else for something as simple as school work. She never had that kind of a problem before, and now… Momo recognized all they'd been teaching her lately in school; she was just unfamiliar with the Japanese terminology for all that. She was a fast learner, but she required tutoring to get the foreign words into her brain.

-"No" his reply cut off any arguments. "You… we need to get this done tonight, right? We're almost done."

-"But…" she started again, even though she knew it to be useless. She'd learned a fact in the month she'd been living with her brother: once he set himself to do something, he did it without fail. Taking that into consideration, she wondered how it was possible that he had given up on Tohru and was also willing to let go of his sister just a couple of months ago.

-"No 'buts'. I am tired, but I don't mind helping you. I really want to do it." It was true. He didn't really mind helping her. After all, with all the work he'd been having lately, it was becoming more difficult to spend as much time with her as he'd like. He regretted that, of course, but right at that moment in time he was in the middle of an important negotiation and he couldn't help it. He had to work long hours every day going over every little detail of the transaction. He hoped that it could be over soon. He didn't bring Momo back to Japan only to have her spend her time alone, waiting for him at home.

Momo nodded. She knew that he was being honest. Besides, he'd been working long hours lately, and this was their only chance to spend quality time as a family, even if it was going over school work. Strengthening her resolution, she concentrated back on the book in front of her, listening intently to the soothing voice of her brother.

--

Next morning, Momiji woke up to the sweet smell of pancakes. Mouth watering in anticipation, he reached the kitchen in record time, still wearing his pajamas. Momo was already dressed in her school uniform, turning a pancake over. Momiji yawned.

-"You're still tired" she greeted him in German. "Have you noticed that you overslept? You're usually ready to go to work at this time in the morning."

-"I'm dead tired" he agreed in slurred Japanese.

-"I'm sorry. If you didn't have to stay up late every night you could get a proper night's rest" she apologized sincerely while she poured the last of the mix into the frying pan.

-"We've been through this before" he sat on one of the high chairs in front of the bar that served as dining room most of the times. He had a clear view of his sister in front of him. "I told you that I don't mind. I like to do it so that we can spend some time together. I should be apologizing instead. It seems that I can never get back home on time. I usually keep you waiting for me to have dinner together."

-"And I've already told you too that I don't mind. I worry about you, though. I get scared when you take too long to get back…" Despite having her brother with her, the death of their parents was still too fresh in her mind. She had yet to get over the fear of losing someone else. Every time that she heard a siren, she froze in panic.

Momo put a pile of pancakes in front of her brother, and then she sat down next to him, an identical plate in front of her. As soon as they'd said the blessing, Momo proceeded to drench her pancakes in maple syrup, while Momiji waited impatiently for her to be done.

-"Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to me" he said. He grabbed the syrup and started to pour it over his pancakes until they were in the same condition as his sister's. As soon as he was done, he started to eat happily. His voice usually had a soothing effect on her, but this time it was the opposite. Hearing him speak reminded her of her father: Momiji had the same voice, and right then it reminded her of her loss.

-"You can't stop me from worrying or being scared. What am I going to do if something happens to you? What if you get sick?" she told him of her greatest fear openly. It was easy talking to Momiji. He always listened to what she said. His fork stopped before it reached his mouth with more food. He didn't like seeing her so upset.

-"I'll be fine" he repeated. Momiji wanted to ease her worries away, but he knew better than to take things for granted… "But…" he started. He had to say it, just in case. "…if something does happen, you know that you have our family here to go to."

-"I'd rather call Grandma" she said. "I'm not that familiar with the Soumas. So far, I've only seen a few of them, and only because they happen to live nearby." Granted, she had never expected them to throw a welcome party for her, but it was odd that so few had dropped by to say hi.

-"I met Hiro-kun yesterday. He asked me about you" he told her. Momiji made a mental note to tell his cousins that they could finally visit Momo. He'd asked them to give her some time to get settled, but apparently Momo felt rejected. He smiled. Had it been up to their cousins, they would've come to see her as soon as they heard the news.

-"Hiro-chan? I remember him and Kisa-chan from school. How are they?" She remembered teachers used to tell her about how brilliant Hiro-chan was and how he could've done so much better in school if only he decided to make a little extra effort.

-"Hiro's doing fine, or so it seems. Kisa-chan moved to go to college, so I don't know much about her, but apparently she's doing well too." He remembered the day when Kisa-chan visited him to tell him that she was going away. She'd been really excited. Hiro-kun on the other hand…

-"She moved? Where did she go?" Momo was really curious.

-"She went to America. I don't remember the exact location, but she's been there a year and a half already. I was told that she spent the first year perfecting her English, but apparently she's enrolled in the regular classes now." Tohru kept in touch with Kisa-chan regularly, and she'd told him all he knew. Kisa-chan never called nor wrote to anyone else. She didn't even come to visit during school breaks or vacations.

-"That's great!" Momo felt really happy for her cousin, and she knew by her own experience how exciting and scary it was to start over in a new city, a new school. She checked the clock in front of them on the wall. "Let's have breakfast before we are both late."

-"By the way, Hiro-kun said that I look 'plump', and I blamed you" he commented to her in between mouthfuls of pancakes.

-"Blame me all you want, I'm still making you eat properly" she countered, half joking. As soon as she moved in with her brother she'd taken over herself to do all the cooking. She decided that it was the least she could do to show him how much she loved him and appreciated everything he did for her. Her best reward was the smile on his face while he ate each and every meal.

-"You're over-feeding me" he mock complained.

-"Maybe" she conceded. "But you're eating everything I give you anyway, so I know that you don't really mind."

-"I can't help it. You're a great cook." Momo was used by now to his compliments. Momiji always told her what he thought. He was smiling at her with his eyes, his mouth busy with breakfast.

-"Nii-san, I don't want to repeat myself, so I'm just reminding you that you're still wearing your pajamas and you have a meeting in less than an hour. Ritsu-kun will be here to pick you up in a few minutes." Momiji glanced at the clock and almost choked when he saw the time. Both of them were ready to go half an hour later when their cousin arrived.