Evening came and the Asahina household was still pretty much filled with energy. They were all gathered in the living room, sitting on the long couch and single sofas which were spread around the room.

"I should get started with dinner soon." Ukyo said as he stood up from one of the single sofas. Ayako was sitting on the armrest of his chair and her gaze followed his form.

"I'll help you out, Kyo-nii," she said and stretched her stiff body. Everyone fell silent as they watched Ukyo and Ayako go inside the kitchen, chatting animatedly and oblivious to the gazes of their siblings.

"Oi," Tsubaki called out in a soft voice, breaking the silence among them. Ema and the rest looked at him curiously and waited for what he was about to say.

"Have you prepared your welcome gifts for Aya?" He asked. This earned him smirks and knowing smiles except for Ema who was looking panicked. Who would ever forget to give a gift to their beloved sister on her welcome party?

"Eh? But I haven't bought a present for Ayako-san." The only female currently in the group stated, her tone filled with anxiety. She wondered if Ayako would be sad or worst, be mad at her for not preparing a gift for her. It would seem as if Ema is not welcoming her back.

"It's fine, imouto-chan. Aya won't mind," Kaname patted the girl's head reassuringly, who was in between him and Masaomi. Somehow, he knew that the younger girl was dwelling on the matter too much. However, they all knew that Ayako isn't someone so petty to get angry over not being able to receive a gift from Ema.

"I hope so," was the only thing she was able to mutter softly, as she was still worried if it was actually for her not to prepare a present.

"Anyway, we should prepare everything after dinner. Someone should take A-chan out so that we could decorate the villa and such," Azusa suggested and everyone nodded in agreement.

Kaname looked thoughtful for a moment and he was reminded of what happened earlier that day. Ayako seemed to be bothered at something that he did... or said. He figured that later would be his only chance to ask her about what happened. Seeing that there are a lot of them who wanted to spend time with her, it would be a difficult task to have an alone time with the said girl.

"I'll take Aya out for a stroll later then," the blonde monk declared. This made some of the males to stare at him suspiciously but he raised his arms up defensively. He was actually slightly offended that his siblings would be so distrusting of him.

"Don't worry! It's not like I'm going to do something indecent to my sister." Everyone sighed in relief. But deep inside they knew that Kaname won't do anything to harm the blue-haired girl.

She is an important person to him after all. To all of them.


"Kyo-nii, what should we cook for dinner?" Ayako asked the blonde lawyer as he rummaged through the fridge for the needed ingredients. Ukyo barely glanced behind him as he rinsed the cooking utensils they were going to use.

"Well, I was thinking of preparing Aya's favorite foods since it's supposed to be your welcome party today." The male smiled as he helped her brought out several ingredients on the kitchen counter. She hummed, thinking of different cuisines that the both of them could cook for their family.

"What about pasta? I love carbonara~" the younger girl cooed as she clasped her hands together. Her dark blue orbs glinting with excitement as she imagined her favorite food being served on the table. She was sure that tonight would definitely be a feast.

"We could make karaage and katsudon?" Ayako grinned childishly at Ukyo who shook his head. A fond smile lingered on his lips as she saw this rare expression on her face. Lately, it seemed as if Ayako is thinking of a lot of things which worried him quite a bit.


"What's up, Kana-nii?" Ayako asked as she was ushered out by the said male urgently. He had a hand on her back, guiding her on her way out of the villa. She shivered involuntarily when the cold, night air hit her skin. She was only wearing a thin shirt and half-pants after all. As if knowing her supposed reaction, Kaname placed his large, warm coat on her.

"Let's go for a stroll, Aya."

The both of them headed to the shore. The sea was calm and the dark sky was littered with sparkling lights coming from the stars and moon. It was a beautiful night. Comfortable silence wrapped the pair of siblings along their walk. No one bothered to disturb it. However, a certain blonde's mind was getting plagued of questions about what happened earlier between the two of them.

Why did Ayako seem irritable a while ago? Did he say something wrong or that would annoy her? Kaname wondered all about it. The only thing that sent him back to reality from his own musings was Ayako.

"Did you know, Kana-nii?" Ayako asked quietly. Her voice was serious and somewhat nervous. His attention was immediately on her. It was always like that, even in the past. Being their only sister back then, their focus was always quick to shift to her.

"What is it?" His hazel eyes were trained on her as he patiently waited for the continuation of what she was about to say to him. He knew that she'd always somehow end up opening up to him. It was always like that whenever it comes to him or Iori, as far as she could remember.

"I was really surprised when I arrived at the house," the blue-haired girl smiled sadly as she looked up at the sky, halting for a second from walking. Ayako was standing in front of Kaname, so he was not able to see what kind of expression she had on her face.

"I have always thought that you guys won't be having another little sister anymore except for me... But it hit me that fate really works in mysterious ways."

His brows furrowed at her statement, getting the hint that she was anxious of being replaced by Ema. He thought long and hard about that and he figured that maybe she felt unsettled because she had been separated from them for so long.

However, Ayako wasn't finished just yet.

"It hurt me when I heard you use the same nickname that you call Ema. Petty, I know... I suck as a little sister, huh?"

Kaname's eyes widened at her revelation. So, that was the reason for her aggravated attitude earlier. It completely left his mind that Ayako is the sort who is sensitive and possessive. It had been a really long time. It seemed like it was only finally beginning to sink in to him. And he was sure that his other siblings would also realize that sooner or later.

But later might be too late.

"I'm sorry..." Ayako laughed when the older male apologized. She just waved the matter off although tears were prickling the corner of her eyes. She was feeling emotional the past few days so she dared not to blame Kaname. Maybe the pent-up frustration was getting to her? Or maybe she was just feeling insecure all along?

"It's fine, Kana-nii. I just figured I'd let it out. You even went out of your way to talk to me after all. It would probably bother you to the point that you won't be able to sleep tonight." She faced Kaname and smiled widely, clasping her hands behind her back.

No words left his mouth. His hands reached out for Ayako, pulling the said girl in his arms for a tight hug. Reciprocating the action, her slim arms wrapped its way around his toned torso.

"Kana-nii has always been worried about us even if the matter does not concern you. You always go out of your way just to solve a problem between all of us siblings." Ayako could smell the scent of mixed flowers and a musky scent. Had Kaname always smelled this way? She remembered his scent to be gentler.

His chest reverberated slightly when he chuckled. Ayako has always been one of his siblings who was watching at the sidelines quietly but observes all of them attentively. She was always the first one to notice every important or petty detail about all of them and she was always the first to know if there was something bothering them.

The two of them stayed like that for a few more minutes under the moonlight illuminating their figures in the dark. They simply enjoyed each other's warmth in the cold, summer night with the sea breeze gently blowing on their figures.


In the villa, the fourteen people were going back and forth to set up the preparations for Ayako's 'welcome home' party. They wanted everything to be perfect for her, because anything less would be like undervaluing Ayako.

"Ukyo-san, where do I put these streamers?" Ema asked as she showed the colorful, chain-like streamers to the bespectacled lawyer who was busily setting up the table with a variety of Ayako's favorite food.

"Don't worry about that. We'll be the one who's going to put it up on the walls. Just lend me a hand in the kitchen, will you?" The female brunette smiled and nodded before heading inside the said part of the vacation house.

"Tsuba-nii, help me put this banner up." Yuusuke spoke as he held onto the ends of the banner while standing on a chair. The white-haired male looked slightly puzzled at first because he was fixing the gifts on the rectangular, coffee table to make it look presentable, when the red-haired high-school student called him.


Almost an hour later, everybody finished the preparations just in time for Kaname and Ayako to arrive, with the monk covering the girl's eyes so as to not lose the essence of surprise. They were already standing before the opened front door.

"Kana-nii, what's this all about?" Ayako tried so hard to pry his large hands away from her eyes which were preventing her to see. She was quite worried that Kaname prepared a prank for her – or worse, all of her brothers prepared it for her.

"Here we go," she heard him speak as he finally let go.

What welcomed her was the sight of a beautifully-decorated villa. Streamers were hung around the walls and ceiling. A table was set up with desserts that she loved so much. Another table on one side, were filled with neatly-wrapped presents.

The blue-haired teenager gawked wordlessly. She was left utterly speechless at the touching actions of her siblings. Tears prickled her eyes and were threatening to fall down her cheeks. The older male beside her silently wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his comforting embrace. This caused her water-works to flow endlessly.

"Thank you," were the only words she had managed to softly whisper when Kaname finally let go of her. However, it seemed like everybody in the house had heard what she said despite her saying it in a small voice. Also, her slightly trembling form made her seem fragile – as if she's going to break any second now.

"Come on, Aya. It's your day," Kaname led her further inside towards the room where the venue of her welcome party was supposed to be; the living room. The girl looked around, her face expressing beyond belief. It was also clear that she was really happy by the way her eyes shone under the chandelier's lights.

"Ayako, welcome home!" They greeted her once they were all settled in. Everyone, except her and Kaname, popped the party poppers with wide, fond smiles. Anybody would find this scene touching. All the more to the person who's the subject of their affections.

"Aya-nee, you should really stop being a crybaby." Fuuto teased and despite him making fun of Ayako, he went to her and patted her head gently in an attempt to stop her from crying. She lightly thumped his chest, but he didn't mind one bit like he normally would.

"I can't help it Fuuto! All of you are making me cry." The blue-haired girl wiped away the last batch of fresh tears. She let out a wholehearted laugh, feeling touched because of everyone's efforts for her. Everyone laughed at what she said and finally decided to get the party started.

"Eh..." Azusa was pulled by Tsubaki to center of the living room. The two of them were holding a toy microphone and will be acting as MCs according to someone from the left side of the couch that they were sitting on.

"To our beloved sister, Asahina Ayako, will you please come here and say a few words to your favourite big brothers?" Ayako chuckled and shook her head but complied to what Tsubaki asked her to do.

"I should be given a talent fee for this," she said and got the microphone from the white-haired male and stood in between the twins. She cleared her throat before starting.

"I'll make you guys cry, for sure."

"Please do!" Fuuto called out, earning him a glare from the older girl.

"Zip it," was Ayako's response, making the idol laugh.

"Since Fuuto had already shut his trap, I'm going to start now." She smiled widely before looking serious. Everybody immediately settled down and kept quiet, anticipating what Ayako would be telling them.

"First of all, I missed all of you and you all know that I love you and you all mean the world to me."

This sentence was enough for all of them. It was enough for them to realize they missed her. It was enough for them to be relieved that Ayako is finally back in their arms. It was enough for them to realize how influential, how important, how meaningful, how significant and other words that are synonymous to that, to describe her existence to them.

"I ran away from a lot of things in the past," she could hear someone sniffling inside the room and saw the familiar faces of her siblings who were either holding back their tears or openly crying. Ayako flashed them a forced smile, which came out more as a distressed one than a reassuring one.

"Even now, I am running away from the things that I know would hurt me. But I know that everyone is behind me and is supporting me. It may not be the time where I will be able to fully explain everything to everyone. But I hope you could all wait until I am able to come to terms with my emotions, my feelings and my past. I don't want to leave out a single detail. I want to tell everything. Until then, please wait for me."

She paused for a brief moment. Her eyes brimming with unshed tears once more as she stared at every single person present in the room. She studied all their expressions, wanting to etch them in her memory for as long and as clear as she could, before she continued, uttering three words before she ended what she wanted to say.

"I love you."

Three words were enough to express what she felt towards her siblings back then. Three words were enough to express what she is now still feeling towards them. Three words were enough to express what they felt for each other. And those three words were enough to reassure them that she was not really going anywhere.

"Come here, Aya." Ukyo called out and stood up from his seat. One after another, the males of the Asahina household followed suit. All of them gathered and hugged each other, the said girl in the center of them all. No one minded if the scene looked awkward in other people's eyes.

This is how a family should be.

Ema just looked from the sidelines to give them space. After all, she was not t1hat close to them yet, unlike Ayako who was with them since she was a baby. She looked on, a sad yet touched smile on her lips. Juli watched over her and the scene before them.

Today has been filled with smiles and tears. Surely, no one would be able to forget this event in their lives. It was such a nice and heart-warming reunion for all of them. Hopefully, from now, everything goes well too. But all they can do for now is leave it up to fate's will.


Author's Note:

Hey guys! TheWhimsicalNoirette is here~

Well anyway, seems like Aya's past has been revealed vaguely, huh? LOL. I KNOW. I'm sorry for not actually revealing anything. It would be explained further in the upcoming chapters. Don't worry. I know that the past few chapters have been sappy and filled with tears.

But I assure you guys, it wouldn't be that much in the future... hopefully. The following chapters after their vacation is more on Ayako's school life, most probably. And a little conflict here and there among the siblings. *insert evil laughter*

Anyway, I hope you liked the update! Also, please give this story lots of love and support from now on too. See you all again!

Thank you so much for that! :)