I'm back! First off, I'd like to thank you for being so patient with my absence. I'm sorry I didn't give more of a warning! I had a wonderful time visiting family and it was very nice to have some time off work :) Second, I'm both giddy and humbled to come back and see so many reviews! I squealed like a squeaky toy and went bouncing around the room, seriously. Thank you so, SO much to everyone who took the time to read and comment, and I love that some of you went back and left reviews for every chapter *(^_^)* That made me so happy! To those of you who have been wondering when our glorious Natsume will be making an appearance, I'm still doing things in (mostly) chronological order according to the anime/novels/games and so he won't show up in the story until Miwa and Rintarou's wedding - patience! I'm being a total hypocrite here, as I've gone back and forth and written bits of later chapters already just so I could include him a bit. It won't be much longer though, promise! I've got the wedding chapter planned out and I'm very excited for it :)

Anyway, on to the chapter! I know it's short, but it's a lead-up to more exciting events and I'm hoping it'll keep you placated a little :P Thanks so much for reading!

I sit on the sofa for a while longer, gazing out the window at the garden and replaying my conversations with Iori in my mind. I think of his face and his subtle but quick-changing expressions. There's such an intellect behind that mask. That much is obvious, but I'm not sure I've made much progress in figuring him out. I wish I'd had more time to talk to him. I feel an unaccustomed pang of loneliness at his sudden departure.

When I wander back up to my bedroom, I'm surprised to find a note taped to my door. It reads;

"Ema,
If you see this in time and it isn't too much of a bother, would you mind helping me with the laundry? I'll be on the roof.

Ukyo"

That's right... I haven't really been assigned chores in the house yet. I should really ask Ukyo about that. Has he been waiting long?

I hurry up to the roof, hoping I haven't missed him. Sure enough, I can make out his tall frame from the other side of a clothesline. His back is to me. The sun playing off his shoulders highlights the natural contours of his figure through his light t-shirt and reminds me of the picture in his room. He looked so carefree with his arms around his brothers. I want to bring that same smile to his face. A mischievous thought hits me and I wonder what Ukyo looks like when he's startled.

Smiling to myself, I sneak along behind the row of air-drying sheets until I'm directly behind him. To my surprise, I find myself suddenly wrapped in a half-dried duvet cover and pinned helpless by a pair of strong arms. I try to struggle but it's no use.

"I swear to God, Tsubaki, if you come up here one more time looking for Ema I'll throw you off the roof myself." Ukyo's voice is muffled by the layers of cloth, but it's obvious that he doesn't know I'm the one he's captured.

"Um... Ukyo?" I try to say, but there's cloth wrapped around my face and I can't speak properly.

"Okay, yes, I admit it. She's beautiful and maybe she does look a little like Reiko... but that's where the similarities stop. Quit trying to goad me into saying anything more." With a soft plop, I find that I've been tossed into the pile of damp laundry, which skids a few inches backwards and tips sideways under my weight. I throw a hand out of the basket and catch myself, my mind swimming. Reiko? Who is Reiko? And what has Tsubaki been saying to Ukyo?

I struggle with the large swath of fabric for a few moments before managing to free myself and I'm both worried and amused to see Uyko's face blanch with shock. He hurries to the basket and kneels beside me, extending a hand to help me out of the tangle of laundry.

"Ema, are you alright? Did I hurt you? I thought you were Tsubaki... I should have realized you were too light." His grey eyes look so concerned that I feel myself blush, regretting the decision to try to scare him in the first place.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry though. I thought it might be funny to sneak up on you. I didn't realize that probably happens a lot with so many brothers around." I stare down at the rumpled basket of laundry guiltily. What was I thinking? A light shiver of surprise runs down my back as Ukyo brushes a stray strand of hair off my forehead. His face is so close to mine that I can see his thickset blonde eyelashes catching the sun.

"Promise me you're alright?" His voice is soft and there's a pleading note that catches me off guard.

"I - I'm fine, don't worry. I was just thinking about the picture of you and your brothers at the beach and I thought maybe I could get you to smile like that if I jumped out at you... Not my best idea." I admit in embarrassment. To my surprise, Ukyo's worried expression turns into one of amusement and he throws his head back with a laugh.

"You don't have to scare me to make me smile, Ema," he tells me, and the laundry basket tips in the opposite direction as he pulls me against him in a hug, still chuckling. A soft laugh escapes my lips as well and I hug Ukyo around the waist, both grateful and still a little embarrassed.

"Why is it that every time I see you two together you have your arms around our little sister, Ukyo-nii?" Ukyo's back stiffens under my fingers and over the top of his shoulder I see a tall man with long, auburn hair striding toward us with an amused smile on his face. He seems... familiar, but I can't place him. And then I realize.

"Hi - Hikaru?" I venture. He tilts his head at me in acknowledgement.

"Well done. You'd be surprised how few people recognize me." It's no wonder, I think, staring up at this strange new male-Hikaru. Dressed in a tailored jacket and slacks, hair pulled back in a ponytail and his face bare of any trace of makeup, I can only make out a passing resemblance to the woman I met before. His eyes turn back to his brother.

"... well? Are you planning to release the poor girl any time soon?" I feel Ukyo's arms around me loosen and he helps me to my feet with a sharp look at Hikaru.

"Save the imagination for your novels, brother. She's family. What did you need?" An impish grin spreads itself across the redhead's face.

"Actually, I need to borrow Ema." He turns his attention to me. "There's a package waiting for you downstairs. Will you come see it?" My curiosity is piqued, but I remember the note Ukyo taped to my door. I don't want to leave him to do all the laundry himself. I look over at him and he nods his head as if encouraging me to go, but...

"I promised Ukyo that I'd help him with the laundry. Would it be alright if I came down after that?" I ask Hikaru. Am I imagining the glint of amusement in his eyes as he registers my response? He tilts his head at me.

"Of course, Ema. I'll leave the box in the living room for you. See you in a bit!"

With a wave at the two of us he saunters back across the roof to the elevator doors, long hair whipping in the breeze. I watch him go with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. What was all that about?

When I turn back around to help hang up the contents of the upset basket, Ukyo is regarding me with a strangely tender expression that makes me blush.

"I came up here to help you," I remind him, hoping he doesn't notice the pink tinge on my cheeks. "I'm not one to break a promise."

"I believe you," he tells me softly, his hand closing briefly on mine and giving it a gentle squeeze as he hands me a clothespin. "Thank you."