A/N: Merry Christmas to you all!

I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I was more in a mood for AyaxAomine lately, and I'm putting a little WakaxKiku moments in WYD fic too, soooo... But here's the new chapter.

Enjoy!


There is a time to speak and a time to listen, and sometimes people need to shut up. – David Hope, Baron Hope of Thornes

Scar tissue is stronger than regular tissue. Realize the strength, move on. – Henry Rollins

Scars show toughness: that you've been through it, and you're still standing. – Theo Rossi

The most truly generous persons are those who give silently without hope of praise or reward. ― Carol Ryrie Brink, Caddie Woodlawn's Family


"Y-you don't like r-rainy weather?" Kiku asked, when Aya sighed after watching the rain outside.

It was raining all morning, and the basketball club was forced to stay indoors for the entire morning practise. "Not really. I just feel like having a huge cocoa and a good book and do nothing at all. Or, I want to go out there and enjoy it."

"I-I-I don't want to p-preach, but... I-isn't it a good recipe to catch n-nasty cold?"

"Probably, but it has never stopped me from going out without an umbrella." Aya shrugged. But Kiku could tell there was something bothering the redhead. Then she shrugged again and focused on her. "Do you think it's going to rain during the weekend?"

Kiku made an I-have-no-idea face. "Did you want to g-go somewhere?" She asked in a quiet, but hopeful voice. Some girls, Aki and Rei, looked her way, then turned back and whispered something. She turned her eyes down, and tried to hide herself behind her fringe. She knew they were speaking about her, even if she couldn't hear it. It felt so bad.

"I was thinking about some sightseeing, maybe going to the ocean." Aya was thinking out loud, acting oblivious, but she noticed this small, silent exchange. "Well… Only if I manage to finish the work I was assigned to do."

"I-i-it's still April, so the water is rather cold." Kiku muttered, not looking up from her desk. She didn't want to meet with anyone's glare. It was good that Aya-san hadn't noticed anything.

"I don't want to go swimming yet." Aya chuckled, acting as if nothing was out of ordinary. "How was your club anyways? You haven't spoken about it yet."

"O-o-okay. We cook and bake. Abe-san is an amazing cook. It's calm and warm and n-nice." Kiku's chocolate brown eyes sparkled in joy. She loved baking the most. If there was something to make her happy it was a good book and a tasty cake.

Soon, their conversation turned into exchanging recipes. Aya was asking a lot about Japanese food, because she was used to western food, and she seriously wanted to learn more; mostly because she was running out of bento ideas.

"You can even make chocolate cake?!" Kano asked way too loudly after overhearing a bit of the girls' conversation.

Kiku almost jumped out of her skin in fright, because she hadn't seen it coming. The girls in the front laughed and she blushed in embarrassment. It was too much on her. She knew she was easily scared by sudden loud sounds, and Kano's voice startled her. But why did they have to laugh at it? Was it so terrible that she got startled? I'm so useless… He must think I'm an idiot too. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she refused to cry in the classroom. You're so weak. She got up and headed out.

"Eh? What happened?" Kano asked, turning to Aya. Kiku's reaction surprised him, and hurt him a little bit.

"Kiku is very shy. So I suggest you don't speak that loudly to her, mainly when she doesn't expect you to. You startled her."

"Oh... I should apologise then... Right?"

"You can try and see." Aya suggested.

"Why do you even talk with her, Aya-chan?" One of the girls, Aki, from the front jumped into their conversation. "I mean, you are so much better."

But Kiku was only outside of the door, not away. She could hear everything. Yeah, Aya-san is so much better… She thought and slid down the wall, hiding her face in her knees. She felt like leaving, and at the same time, she wanted to know. A part of her believed that Aya would join the two in badmouthing, and she should be aware of it, she needed to know.

"I don't think I understand. Where are you going with this?" Aya asked. She noticed that Kiku was kind of ostracized, but she had no idea the girls from their class would actually speak like this, moreover, in front of the others. It was rather shocking, because Kiku did nothing at all to deserve this sort of attention.

Kiku blinked. What is going on?

"You are pretty, smart, cheerful, why would you hang out with that, that... with her." The girl spat out, not able to find a suitable insult. "It's obvious she is using you."

There was a beat moment of silence. Kiku stopped breathing. Now it was the time for Aya to agree with them.

"Thanks for the compliment, but I believe I can decide who I want to spend my time with by myself. And to clarify, I don't feel better than Kiku... Because I'm different than her, doesn't necessarily mean I'm better." Aya said levelly.

Huh? Kiku couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mind couldn't seem to process the fact that someone might be protecting her. During the running it might've been just a form of an obligation, because she'd been right there with Aya-san, but this… This time, Aya-san wasn't obliged to help. And without realizing it, Kiku was unconsciously testing if it was okay to trust the redhead. She wanted a friend, but she wasn't willing to trust just anyone, because it had been those 'friends' who had turned against her in the junior high.

"Someone wants to look good." Rei snickered, trying to provoke the redhead, because Aya was walking on the thin ice very efficiently. She didn't let herself to be provoked, and it got on the girl's nerves.

"You certainly do look amazing right now." Her remark came good on this one. The girls' faces twisted into an ugly grimace, which made Aya smirk. "Really. You should look into a mirror."

Kano whistled. "That one was good, Aya-chan!" He held up his hand to give a high five.

"Thank you!" She chuckled and high-fived with him. She only hoped she didn't make the situation worse for Kiku.

A few tears escaped from Kiku's eyes, but it wasn't because of her fears, it was because she felt happy. Unbelievably happy, that someone had stood up for her. For her. Out of their own free will. Because they saw something more than just a little scaredy cat. It had never happened before. Not to her. The tears of relief, and happiness were streaming down her cheeks. She covered her face, refusing to let anyone see them. Crouched down, with her back against the wall, she was hiding her face in her knees. With steady breathing she eventually calmed down. Students who'd passed by didn't notice her much and she was glad for that. Then, when she was ready to return and act as if nothing had ever happened, she got up, and returned to the classroom.

Aki and Rei sent her glares when she walked in, but Kiku put up a brave front, or rather, she avoided looking at them completely. She wasn't supposed to know what had happened after all.

"Kiku-chan!" Kano sighed in relief when she sat back to her chair, seemingly okay. "I'm sorry for startling you."

"I-i-it's o-okay, Kano-kun." She smiled weakly. "I-I-I'm so-sorry, for running a-away." It took effort to talk now. She stared at her math book, hiding behind her fringe, hoping no one could figure out she had shed a few tears.

"It's okay, it's okay. Feel free to punch me the next time I scare you, got it?" Kano said, laughing heartily. There was nothing the little girl should be scared of. Well, maybe Aomine, but otherwise…

"I-I'd n-never do that." She squeaked.

"Hmmm… I s'pose, just know you can." He was grinning widely, and she admired his friendliness and the ability to joke around.

She nodded.

When she finally dared to lift up her head and look at them, she was met with a pair of scrutinizing red eyes. She felt like those eyes could see the pit of her stomach, but the feeling was gone almost immediately, and Aya smiled at her.

######

Why they had to have P.E. as the last class on Friday too, was beyond Kiku. But at least she could go home right away. And having P.E. twice a week on Mondays and Fridays as the last lessons had some pros. For once, she could stay longer, wait for everyone to leave and just then go in to change. She didn't want people to see her changing clothes. At the beginning of the lessons she changed in the restrooms and at the end she waited.

Today, she managed to look like an idiot again. Thankfully, Aya-san had a club and didn't wait for her.

She sneaked into the changing room after everyone had gone back to tidy up the class.

There was a big mirror on the wall. So when her clothes came off, she stared at her scarred torso reflected in it. She didn't see the curves, nor the flat stomach she had; she ignored her nicely shaped C-cup breasts. All she could see were her scars and burn marks from cigarettes. And all that thanks to the three girls she had once considered friends; thanks to her inability to speak up and defend herself.

Oh, how much she hated those scars. She never wanted anyone to see it. No one would ever accept her like this. With those scars, she'd never be able to find a boyfriend. Who'd like to look at this anyways?

She bit her lower lip and averted her eyes from her reflection.

You're fine alone anyways…

######

Aya returned to the classroom to take out the trash. She had a feeling that something was missing. She stood out and stared into the rain, which hadn't ceased at all. She sighed and adjusted her hold of the, now empty, trash can.

Eh? The familiar weight was off of her neck. Her hand immediately reached up.

Her necklace was gone. She only ever took it off for P.E. lessons, because jewellery was officially forbidden in Touou, and she didn't want to risk the teacher finding out, or anyone else for that matter, that she was hiding a boyish necklace with a ring underneath her clothes.

Where did I put it?

######

"Kiku!" Aya abruptly opened the door into the girls' changing room, Miyuki-chan; one of the classmates had told her that Kiku was still there. "I lost my necklace! Have you seen it?"

Kiku startled. She wasn't dressed at all. It didn't matter that Aya-san wasn't looking at her. Yet…

She was staring at the redhead with eyes of a frightened deer staring into the headlights of a truck that is about to kill it. She was only in her underwear and squeezing the shirt of her uniform in front of her. She was paralyzed by fear. There was a reason why she stayed to be the last one in the changing room. She didn't want to be seen!

When she didn't answer, Aya looked up at her. And her jaw dropped. There were a few minutes of complete silence, and Kiku thought she'd pass out. Her world was spinning, her legs were shaking, but even so, she couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She couldn't run away. She was trembling like a leaf in a violent whirlwind. She squeezed her eyes shut, like a little kid playing hide and seek for the first time, in a hope to become invisible.

"Oh my god… What happened to you?" The redhead whispered. She wanted to shout out the question, but she knew she couldn't.

There were scars on Kiku's back and sides. Numerous scars; some looked like cigarette burns; some looked like deep cuts or scratches. Aya couldn't see the front but she would swear there were some too. At that moment Aya was shocked and infuriated. Who would do this?! What fucking bastards would do this?!

Tears welled in the corners of her closed eyes. She was mortified. She wanted to hide all those scars on her skin. But she couldn't move. And Aya-san was staring right at her. Aya-san would hate her now. Those scars were disgusting, hideous, she hated them.

Aya blinked her shock away and slowly approached Kiku, as if approaching a frightened animal. "It's okay." She whispered carefully, feeling the girl's fear. "I won't tell anyone." She assured her. Kiku needed to be protected and treasured, because despite all this, she was kind and she was trying.

Aya gently touched her shaking palms. "It's okay." She repeated, as she carefully took the shirt from Kiku's hands and wrapped it around her shoulders.

Only then Kiku breathed out, and slumped onto the bench.

Aya sat next to her, holding her around her shoulders in some sort of a comforting hug. Kiku didn't know how to react. Even her mother didn't know about the scars on her torso. She never thought someone would accept it. She never wanted anyone to find out. Those scars were mementos from her bullies. And now… Someone knew. Only after two weeks!

She started crying. This is the worst!

No sobs came out of her throat. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, but she didn't make a sound.

Just what a nightmare has she lived through? Aya wondered and squeezed the little girl tighter. "It's okay. It'll be okay." She whispered. And she was repeating it over, and over, and over again, until Kiku's tears stopped. "If you want, you can talk to me about it, but I won't force you." The redhead said. "Just know you can."

Kiku nodded and wiped her eyes. Maybe one day she would. But not today. She knew Aya-san wasn't stupid, and she could figure it out, but she was glad the girl didn't push her.

"Please, just tell me one thing…"

Kiku froze, but waited for a question, which was about to come.

"Tell me it's not your parents." Aya said in quiet, almost threatening voice. If Kiku could see the reddish eyes, she'd see a blazing hell. Aya was aware of it, and she held the girl so she couldn't look up.

Kiku shook her head almost furiously. "T-t-t-they'd n-n-n-ne-ne-never…" She couldn't finish the sentence. She was so terrified that her voice broke.

Aya let out a sigh. From the vehemence in which Kiku tried to answer, she knew the girl wasn't lying. Besides, the scars looked old. Some of them were relatively fresh, but still… At least a month old. Aya'd know; she had her own scars too, though probably of different origins.

"Do you want me to leave?" Aya asked in consideration, the necklace forgotten. She was probably late for the practise, but Katsunori could wait.

Kiku hesitated for a moment. Then she nodded. Yes, she wanted Aya-san to leave. No, she didn't want to deal with her demons, she was glad they were gone from her life for the time being.

The redhead looked into her eyes again, looking for a reassurance she was okay. Kiku nodded and smiled, though she knew it was just a ghost of a smile. She wondered how Aya-san could have such a strong, warm and reassuring look in her eyes. There wasn't pity, there wasn't disgust or condemnation, only worry, and… Understanding?

Whatever Aya was looking for, she found. She nodded in satisfaction and left the changing room.

######

"Does this belong to anyone?!" Wakamatsu asked after the practise, when he found a necklace with a boyish ring. "It shouldn't be at a place like this! Be more careful guys!"

"Eh?! That's mine!" Aya shouted, ran up to him and took the ring. "I was looking for it everywhere! I must've dropped it during P.E. Thank you senpai."

"Were you still here? I thought you've left with Momoi-san."

"I wanted to find it!"

"But isn't that a boyish ring, Aya-chan?" Tada asked, with a teasing smile. "Gift from your boyfriend?"

"Oh no. My brother, our best friend and I bought those years ago in a street shop. We wanted to have the same thing, and they are boys, so we voted and this one won." She chuckled. "Since it was inconvenient to wear it while playing basket, we also bought these matching necklaces. Symbol of our friendship."

"How cute." Tada smiled.

"And there I thought you had a boyfriend." Kano sighed.

"Why do you sound disappointed? Is it a problem I don't?!"

"N-no! Of course not, Aya-chan!" He said apologetically and ran to put mops away.


Kiku had the entire weekend to level with Aya-san finding out about her scars. She spent the entire Saturday curled up in her room and reading. It was raining anyways.

"Dinner's ready!" Her mother called them all.

They sat around the table and ate in silence. Surprisingly, her brother came home for the dinner. He was living alone in a rent, close to his job. He smiled at Kiku over the table.

The atmosphere was heavy, because they father wasn't that fond of Ryuunosuke attending a university or finding a job in an auditing company. He'd wanted his son to take over the dojo as it was expected from the firstborn son. But he'd been disappointed in his child. In both of his children. The boy was a stubborn mule doing what he wanted and the girl was a weak, scaredy cat. The only good think about his daughter was her exceptional shooting skill, but it was wasted on her as she'd never competed nor taught, simply because she couldn't handle working with people. If Kiku ever taught someone how to shoot it were either children or young girls similar to her.

Sora didn't like the silence that settled over the table whenever they ate a dinner together. She loved her husband, but she didn't like how he always doubted his children, never believing in them.

Kiku was looking into her plate, or when she mustered up some courage she looked at Ryuu, but never at their father. She wasn't scared of him; she just hated seeing the disappointment in his eyes whenever he looked at her. It'd never been her intention to be a failure. Only if she could change… She had to change…

"Do you have any plans with Kagami-san?" Sora asked, trying to start some conversation. "You seemed to be happy to hang out with her the other day."

Kiku blinked at her mother in surprise. She hadn't expected a conversation to start at all. "Ah… Uhm, n-not this weekend. She has work piled up." She peeped and averted her eyes. I can't face her after she discovered the scars… .

"Who is Kagami-san?" Her father asked immediately. He'd never heard Kiku talking about her friends, and despite he was disappointed in his children, he worried for them; even if they couldn't see it, or understand it.

"My friend." Kiku said quietly, trying her best to not stutter.

"What kind of a person is she?"

"S-she's a manager of boys' basketball club. Reliable, strong, confident, kind…" She replied, thinking about Aya-san, who was always helping her useless self.

Ryuu noticed the admiration in his sister's eyes, and smiled at it. If there was someone motivating his sister to open up, to change, to grow, he was more than happy. He wanted to meet the girl.

"Hmmm…"He hummed. "Good, good. Strong girls are great." He didn't realize that his words were hurting Kiku. "You should invite her over, some day."

"…Sure." She said, though she had no idea when that would be possible. Aya barely had any free time. And Kiku wasn't ready to face the redhead just yet. She was unbelievably happy she had a weekend just for herself.

######

A soft knocking snapped her out of her reading. "Yes?" She asked.

"Can I come in?" Ryuu's head peeked into Kiku's neat room. He wanted to talk with her before he'd leave.

She nodded and put her book away.

"You are anxious about something." He sat on the edge of Kiku's bed. "Does she know?" He was referring to Kiku's scars, and she knew it.

"She saw it…" Kiku bit her lower lip and looked down at her hands. "I-I don't know… what to do now, Ryuu-nii. How am I supposed to face her?"

"And what did she do when she saw it?" He asked in curiosity and a mild worry. The scars his sister had weren't something people would accept easily. But those who could and would... Those were worth being called Kiku's friends.

"…" Kiku blinked as tears welled up in her eyes again. God, how she hated this weak side of hers… "S-she… She hugged me." She said in disbelief. "And… She said… It was okay. It'd be okay…" Her tears broke free and streamed down her face. "A-aya-san…"

"Accepted it." Ryuu smiled and ruffled Kiku's short hair. "I've told you. There are people who will accept you, and love you for who you are, Kiku. You just need to keep your eyes and heart open. And you absolutely cannot hate yourself, understood?"

She smiled through her tears and nodded. Ryuu was the best brother out there. But she still wasn't sure how to face Aya when she'd see her at school again.

"And introduce the girl to us sometime. I really want to meet her."

"Haaai. When she has the time to visit, I'll ask her."


"Kou-nii-san!" Yuuta jumped on his brother to wake him up on Sunday's morning.

"Urgh!" He groaned at the impact. "Wha' time is it?"

"Eight! Let's go out! Come on! Get up! I wanna go cycling!" He nagged and tried to pull his big brother out of the bed, considering Wakamatsu's build and weight, it was not possible for the little boy to succeed.

"Can't you go with Shun today? I'm beat dead from Friday's practise." He said sleepily.

"Shun-nii is working, have you forgotten? And I wanna go with you! I wanna test the new bike already! Pleeaaaaase!"

Kousuke rubbed his eyes, sat up and yawned. Yuuta had gotten the bike for his eighth birthday a week ago, but he'd gotten sick and couldn't test it right away. So when he was finally healthy and fully recovered, he wanted to go out. I liked him more when he was sleeping with a fever… Kousuke thought in exasperation. He glanced out of a window. The weather seemed nice and warm, not like the previous day. Good for a cycling trip.

"Okay, but you are taking trash out for the next two weeks."

Yuuta puffed his cheeks, but nodded. "Fine. But hurry up."

"I need to eat first." He grumbled, finally got up and shuffled to the kitchen.

"Meooow." A pure white kitten with crystal blue eyes brushed against his bare ankles in a morning greeting.

"Mornin' Snowflake." He bent down to scratch the kitten's head.

"Greeting the cat before greeting his parents." Kousuke's father, Jun, shook his head and commented in a teasing tone

"He's the one who found her dear, she's his little girl." His mother joined in the teasing.

"Too bad it's just a cat." Jun said with a low chuckle.

Kousuke just rolled his eyes and scratched the kitty some more.

"Come on niii-san! Just eat already! I wanna gooooo!"

Jun raised an eyebrow at his younger son, and then looked at his wife. "Yeah, give Kousuke some food Yuuka, can't you see the lil' one wants to go out right away?"

######

Sundays were cleaning days for Kiku. She needed to clean the dojo properly. It was cleaned after each practise, but a general maintenance was needed every week. And once every three months she needed to wax the wooden floor as well. Thankfully, she didn't have to wax it today.

When she was done she took a broom and went to dust the path which connected the front gate, the dojo and their house. It was nice living in this old part of the city, and even if it took a lot of effort to keep the old dojo running, she felt like she was helping with protecting a part of a history.

The inside of their house was, however, renovated so it was easier to maintain.

######

"Yuuta! Wait up!" Kousuke shouted after his brother, as he raced through the old part of the neighbourhood, disappearing from Kousuke's sight at times.

They were cycling around for hours, only stopping it a local ramen shop for a quick lunch. Yuuta loved his new bike, and he wanted to fully test its possibilities.

Kousuke sighed and sped up to catch up with his brother. Usually it was calmer, but Yuuta seemed to have an enormous amount of excess energy he needed to burn after his illness. Kousuke didn't have a problem keeping up, but today, they wandered to some parts of the neighbourhood, he'd never been to. And he was still beat dead after the basketball practise.

Before he came around a corner he heard someone's voice, followed by a loud crashing sound and Yuuta's panicked scream.

######

Kiku heard someone shouting. She looked up the street just to see a boy speeding his bike around the corner. As she regularly used her bike to deliver cakes for an orphanage and as transportation to school, she knew there was a nasty bump on the road one couldn't see until it was too late. Yeah, she'd fallen there several times before she remembered it.

"Slow down!" She let out a warning, hoping it was loud enough – she wasn't use to shout.

But it wasn't heard. The boy ran onto the bump, screamed in surprise and fear, flipped in the air, fell on his butt, and the strength of the momentum flung him to his feet. Unable to keep his balance he tumbled down. All in all, it was a nasty fall, but he finally stopped. His knees and elbows were scraped, dirty and bleeding. He was shocked, frightened and hurt. His bike was lying on the ground, not damaged at all, but he didn't care at the moment. Thanks to adrenaline, he couldn't quite feel the pain yet, but tears filled his eyes.

Kiku rushed to the boy, who was spread on the ground in front of the dojo's gate. "A-are you okay?" She asked hurriedly and crouched down to the boy's side. She wasn't wearing glasses as she didn't need them that much when tidying up and she wanted to try shooting with a blurry vision – to test if she could hit a target she couldn't see clearly.

The boy had blond, almost white hair and his eyes in the colour of caramel were filled with tears. His chin was shaking and he was about to start crying. She had no idea who it was; she hadn't seen the boy in the neighbourhood.

When he looked at the pretty girl, who had a worried expression on her face, he broke into sobs.

Oh crap… Maybe I shouldn't have said anything? She thought. But nonetheless, she patted the boy's head. "There, there. It's going to be okay. Let me treat–"

"YUUTA!" Kousuke's loud voice could probably be heard all the way to their house, as he came to a full stop near to his little brother, letting the bike fall to the ground as well. "ARE YOU OKAY?! WHAT HAPPENED?! I'VE TOLD YOU TO WAIT UP!" He shouted, which made Yuuta cry even more, but Kousuke didn't mean bad. He was just worried.

Kiku took a step back, startled by the deep boyish voice. She didn't dare to look up at the face of the newcomer. She gulped and stared at her feet. "T-t-there i-i-is a b-b-b-bump on t-the r-road." She stuttered.

"HUH?!"

Only then he noticed a small girl dressed in hakama, with tenugui wrapped around her head to keep her hair away and absorb the sweat. There was a broom lying on the ground near the dojo's gate. Her chocolate brown eyes were staring at her feet and at Yuuta, but not at him.

"AH!" He had to double take; a cute girl in hakamas! "SORRY!" He said hurriedly, realising she was probably scared of his shouting, though his voice wasn't quieter one bit.

"I-I-I c-can t-t-treat him." She pointed at Yuuta with her chin, lifting her eyes a bit, but on her eye-level it was only the boy's chest. Upon seeing the broad muscled chest, strong arms and his built in general, she gulped. She didn't dare look into his face. The feeling he was giving out, reminded her of Aomine-san.

"Come on Yuuta!" He bent forward and grabbed Yuuta's upper arm. He looked away from the blood colouring Yuuta's limbs, he couldn't handle blood well. "Get up, so the lady here can treat you."

Eh? She blinked at the label he gave her. Lady?!

"Nii-san!" The boy protested through sobs and tears. "It hurts!" He whined.

Kousuke rolled his eyes. "Of course it hurts. You can cry all you want, but you are a big boy already, so get up and let yourself be treated." He encouraged him. "And you'll see it'll be much better."

Kiku nodded and smiled at the boy encouragingly. She was scared. The huge boy was intimidating, but she wanted to help the little one. She'd always had a soft spot for children. Maybe it was because of the kids from the orphanage she often visited and baked for once in awhile.

Yuuta liked the girl's pretty face and kind and warm smile she had on her lips. With his brother's help he got up to his feet.

Kousuke collected the bikes and rested them against the gate. "Can I leave it here?!" He asked as he followed after the girl and Yuuta.

"Y-y-yes." She stuttered.

Why's she stuttering? He wondered and followed through a small front garden filled with bonsai trees and one big sakura tree. He wasn't a great fan of history, but the place seemed like it was a world of its own. It was the first time he saw a traditional style dojo with a sliding door and all in the real life – well except for some school trips, but he hadn't been paying attention then.

The dojo was built several feet above the ground, with stairs leading into it. The door had been open and he could see through the entire space of it. Through the opened door he could see there was a long patch of grass with targets and makiwaras spread in an equal distances on the far end. He could see a large variety of bows, starting with traditional Japanese yumis and ending with something he couldn't even describe, but all bows seemed to be made out of wood or bamboo.

They took off their shoes and entered. The first room they entered was small, with a bench and another door probably leading to a sort of a bigger changing room. The place smelled from a cleaning detergent.

"I-I-I'll g-go get the first aid kit." She announced and left them in a large room leading straight to the long patch of grass separating the building, the shooting spots and the targets.

"So it's a Kyudo dojo." Kousuke hummed as he looked at the bows.

"Whoaaaa!" Yuuta stared at the bows in awe. "Kou-nii, do you think she'll let us try it out?"

"I dunno. She doesn't seem like she wants to socialise much. But if you ask." He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe she'll let you try."

When Kiku returned, Yuuta's knees and elbows were cleaned and bandaged in no time. She was efficient, quick and tried to cause him as little pain as possible. The only thing she focused on was Yuuta, and his wounds. She was trying to ignore the big boy as much as she could. Heck, she had no idea how his face looked like, but she didn't have the courage to look at him properly.

"Nee-chan?" Yuuta asked the girl crouched in front of him.

She blinked at him in surprise, and tilted her head in question. "Y-yes?"

"You know how to shoot, right?" He asked with a sparkle in his caramel eyes.

She nodded. Though she kept it a secret in school, she was at home here. She felt much safer. "W-why?"

"Can you teach me?"

She opened and closed her mouth. Such a question hadn't been expected. She knew that traditional martial arts were on decline during the past years, so it surprised her when a boy showed an interest. It wouldn't be her first time teaching a kid. She took a deep breath, in hope she'd calm down enough to speak without stuttering.

"I-is that okay?" She asked and turned her eyes on Kousuke, staring at his chest, but never looking at his face.

"Sure. Could I try as well?" He asked.

"Only if the two you will sweep the path in front of the dojo." A voice of Kiku's father echoed through the gym. He returned home and noticed the two bikes and the broom resting against the gate. It got him curious, and upon seeing the huge boy, he needed to step in. He knew his daughter wasn't good in dealing with people like that.

The boy's hazelnut eyes stared at him for a moment, and then he turned towards the little boy. "What do you say Yuuta? It's only fair we help out if we want a lesson."

"Hmmm…" Yuuta thought about it. "Fiiine."

"Very well. I'm Ohno Taiki, and this is my dojo." He announced and bowed to the boys.

"I'm Wakamatsu Kousuke, and this is my brother Yuuta." He introduced them both and bowed too.

"Kiku!" He called out to his daughter who startled at his voice, which made Taiki frown. "Take care of Yuuta-kun. I'll teach Kousuke-kun."

"H-Hai!" She said hurriedly and bowed.

The next hour they spent teaching the two boys about mysteries of Kyudo. At first Taiki let Kousuke to try and draw a bow however he wanted, which resulted in a failure. Only after getting a hang of the technique, Kousuke managed to draw one of the bows. Taiki had to smile at it, the boy was a fast learner, with good personality and had a good, strong built. Yuuta was taking a bit longer to learn, but Kiku was doing a good job. Taiki was surprised that she wasn't wearing glasses and that she was okay talking with the kid, but scared of the big boy.

After their small Kyudo lesson, the boys swept the grounds as they were told.

"Thank you sensei!" Yuuta bowed to Taiki as they were leaving. Kiku was nowhere in sight anymore. She retreated the moment the lesson had ended. "I want to come again!"

A smile found its way onto Taiki's face. He was happy when there were people interested in Kyudo.

Kousuke looked at the shorter sensei with respect and bowed as well. The greying man in front of him didn't look that strong, but he'd swear he had more strength in his upper body than him. Heck, he'd bet the girl had more strength in her upper body than him, because drawing those bows was hellishly difficult. His muscles would hurt so much the next day.

"You can stop by again if you feel like it." Taiki said. "…though it'd be better if my daughter isn't here alone." He sighed. "Sorry for her behaviour today." It was meant for Kousuke.

She didn't do anything wrong. "Nah, that's fine. Girls in school avoid me too. And she helped Yuuta anyways. I'm grateful for that." He shrugged. "Uuuhm… Tell her, we say goodbye." He said rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He didn't know what else to do. The girl was pretty, kind and he had a thing for cute short girls wearing traditional clothes, but he couldn't force her to talk with him.

"Go and tell her yourself. She should be shooting now." He said, and indeed a sound of an arrow hitting its mark echoed through the garden.

He wanted to see her shoot, but… He saw how his presence made her anxious. "I don't want to be a bother." He bowed to the man and pushed his bike down the street. "Let's go Yuuta. I don't want to miss a dinner!"

"Coming!"

"Last one at home has to do the dishes!"

"NII-SAN! UNFAIR!"

Taiki chuckled as he watched the departing boys. What an interesting pair…


A/N: That's it for now! We're slowly catching up with WYD fic. But there's still a lot to come. Wakamatsu and Kiku basically met here, but they have no idea who's who, or that they attend the same school. I hope Wakamatsu is in character, because he is challenging to write.

Let me know what you think and remember, reviews are appreciated but never necessary.

-S.