Chapter Twenty-Five

The Race Begins

3rd POV

The white haired girl ended up spending the rest of the day in the peaceful arms of slumber, wrapped in a cocoon of warmed sheets, with the lightest, and smallest, smile on her face as she slept soundly. It turned out, after another check up from the gray haired doctor, that Sicily had moved around too much. She was overexerting her body, and it needed to rest; simple as that. Though Masaomi did mention to be mindful of it, for it could have dire consequences if it went on too long, and urged the girl to tell then when she was starting to feel pain. Ibuprofen didn't help much for such extensive wounds.

And so she rest in bed, regaining all the sleep she lost when she had lived with her aunt. Though the bed there was comfortable, easy to fall asleep in, and lacked the putrid odor that ran throughout her home, Sicily had some nights where she got little to no sleep at all; much like an insomniac. And it was all because of the terror Amaya had quickly scarred into her mental state, causing the girl to stay up some nights in fear that the older woman may actually kill her while she remained vulnerable in her unconscious state.

And whilst she relaxed, she remained completely unaware of the second presence in her room, sitting next to her blanket covered form. That person being none other than a certain rd haired teenager named Yusuke. He didn't go farther than just sitting, and the occasionally caressing of her hair, even though it ended with a deep blush being painted on his cheeks; however, he couldn't find it in himself to leave her alone, a protective urge overwhelming him.

This was the moment he knew he fell hard.

Sighing, Yusuke ran his palm furiously through his ruby colored haired, gripping the tips tightly. This is all my fault, he growled to himself, anger for not stepping in earlier when he had suspected some kind of abuse behind closed doors. As his nose twitched with fury overtaking him, he reached toward her snowy tresses lying against the pillow sheets, and started to caress them again, his hand acting much gentler than the intense gleam his crimson orbs held.

I promise I will always protect you.

3rd POV Time Skip

It was already dinner time by the time Yusuke finally left her alone to sleep, the table set, the food out, everything prepared; even the divine waft of the food started to flow throughout the dwelling.

Though Subaru was feeling a bit starved and was happy for some grub (working feverishly during out the entire day, not even noticing he had yet to take a break), he couldn't help but feeling a bit dejected, knowing he hadn't seen Sicily at all for the rest of the day. She had given him an immense amount of determination after their talk, but once she had left, she might as well have vanished into thin air for he didn't see her again throughout the whole day.

Truthfully, the basketball player wasn't sure why he was feeling this way, especially since he knew little to none about her, but he then realized it was because he felt something after their little talk. She, this random white haired beauty who showed up at their doorstep, had managed him get him to tell her what's been bugging him, when usually, he dealt with it by himself like he had always done. All it took was her inviting nature, her kind blue orbs gazing at him, her sweet (even though it was forced) smile, and her smooth, velvety voice that could relax even the most stressed people. That was all it took for Subaru to spill everything he's been feeling recently, shutting himself up when he realized it was nearly too late.

He found he actually really liked her; there was something about her, (maybe her kindness, her willingness to easily forgive and forget, especially after this morning's incident, or maybe it was her understanding personality) but he felt himself start to drift towards her.

Glancing around, he still found the empty space where the white haired girl should be, causing the tiniest of frowns to make its way onto his lips.

"Where is Sicily," he asked in his neutral tone, right before he could stop himself, though, he received no weird looks like he would've suspected. Apparently, is seemed others, who possibly have met her as well, were also wondering about her absence.

"She's resting," Yusuke answered seriously, crossing his arms over his chest. "She had been hurting earlier, so Masaomi put her to rest; he said she was overworking herself," he continued, his ruby red eyes drifting over to the window absent mindedly, oblivious to the slightly shocked looks he received from his brothers. Though it was no secret he cared for the teenage girl, it still surprised them every so often, realizing their so-called "Yankee" brother cared deeply for person outside his family, better yet, a girl he met at school.

"She was in pain?" Louis asked, his eyebrows furrowing with concern. "Why didn't she tell us earlier?"

"She seemed fine when I talked her," Azusa commented, frowning along with the majority of his brothers. "Do you know when she started hurting?"

"She said it was off and on the whole time," the red head stated in more of a growl that anything, his jaw clenching uncontrollably. Before, when it had been just him and her in that room while he watched over her much like a guardian angel, he had managed to cool his heated thoughts down, only focusing Sicily and nothing more (which he found wasn't really a hard task). But now, being brought back to what had happened earlier, his anger was starting to flare up again, causing his nose to twitch.

He was passed the point of self blame by now. Now, all he wanted to do was to find the person who did this to her, and beat them into oblivion. They had caused this, and they would pay. Though Yusuke knew he wasn't usually like this, he also knew the white haired never deserved what had been given to her; she never deserved this, she's kind, smart, and caring, and for that, Yusuke adored her, especially since she never judged a book by its cover.

"Why didn't sister tell us," a familiar voice piqued up, belonging to none other than a certain pastel pink haired boy. His usually happy-go-lucky eyes, held nothing but a dark depression, worried for the girl he claimed thought of as his sister.

"I'm sure she had her own reasons," Ukyo answered softly, patting the boy on the head as he sent a soft smile his way, replacing the earlier saddened frown that had taken place on his lips. "Don't worry too much Wataru, I'm sure she's fine, even Yusuke and Masaomi said so. Besides you heard what they said, all she has to do is watch more carefully next time; try not to over work her body."

"How about this Wataru? After dinner, if she's awake, we'll go visit her, and you can see for yourself if she's doing okay. Just remember to be gentle, alright," Tsubaki offered, attempting to cheer up the youngest of the Asahina's, however, another reason hid behind his words. Though he did care deeply for his brothers, he also wasn't just doing this for the boy; he, selfishly, was also doing this for himself. He felt a bit envious, knowing that a couple other brothers had gotten to spend more time with her than him (her enigma-like aura intriguing him) . It was his chance to see her without Azusa and Yusuke standing by, watching them like a hawk.

"Alright! I promise to be careful around her Tsubaki," Wataru cheered, his once gloomy orbs suddenly lightening up to their usual happy brilliance, an ear splitting smile making its way onto the features of his face.

"Good." The white haired man patted the boys head, giving him his usual grin, pointedly ignoring the suspicious look he received from his dark haired twin, who arms were crossed stiffly across his chest.

What are you planning on doing Tsubaki? Azusa thought to himself, monitoring his brother steadily.

3rd POV

By the time the white haired girl woke, her eyelids jutting open to reveal her crisp blue eyes, she realized that a lot of time had passed. The light that once gleamed through the small peek holes on the blinds, was no longer there, only exposing the darkness from outside, and the eerie lighting provided by the moon. And even as Sicily would admit she was feeling gallons more refreshed and awake than before, she couldn't help but feel the guilt rising up inside. She wondered if the family thought of her as rude, for not visiting with them throughout the day, instead just sleeping her burdening pain off, but somewhere deep inside of her told her that they was nothing to feel guilty for. Besides, her relaxed form made no room for anymore stress at the moment.

Raising her fair skinned arms, her near flawless skin glowing in the moonlight, she stretched them high above her head, much like a feline, and felt instantly better as the muscles pulled. From both the nap and stretching, she couldn't help but realize she felt a bit more youthful; more refreshed than she had been feeling recently. Like she was an actual teenager, whose hands were still baby skin soft, untouched by the powerful force of hard labor; like she still had a long life ahead, which in reality she did, but at some moments, she felt too old for her body.

A knock at the door quickly shattered her train of thought, causing her focus to shift over to the door. Forcing back on her mask of feigned emotions, she cleared her parched throat and said, "come in."

And almost instantly as the door opened, a small and familiar looking figure bounded towards her, stopping abruptly by her bed side. "SICILY!" Watatru cheered happily and contently, gazing at the graceful features of her face. "Are you alright, I heard you weren't feeling too well earlier," he asked, his once huge smile he gained from seeing her, was now curving downwards.

"Oh, Wataru. I'm fine, don't worry." She stated, giving him a soft smile, her heart aching for the pink haired boy in front of her; she disliked the worried expression he wore. "I just needed to rest is all, now I'm as good as new." Glancing up, she found Tsubaki right next to Wataru, staring down at her with an emotion she wasn't sure about, but didn't think too much of it. Though, she watched as his violet eyes, almost in lightening quick speed, feigned a happy look as he crouched down next to the boy and ruffled his silky pink locks.

"See Wataru, what did we tell you? She's all fine," he said with a grin, his eyes casually dancing over to her own blue ones, watching her with a steady look that clearly gave off a different meaning than the actual words spouting from his mouth.

"You were right. They said you would be fine with some rest, but I was worried about you sister!" Wataru stated.

"Like I said, lil' brother, don't worry. See, I'm all fine," She answered back, knowing full well that he would instantly get happy being called brother, and just like she expected, he did.

"Yay!" He embraced her, nuzzling her torso like he had done before, grinning into her shirt. The boy being completely oblivious to the way Sicily flinched in pain, however she quickly covered it up, enduring it as she hugged the boy back, her comforting and assuring arms snaking around his back, holding him almost as passionately.

"Okay Wataru, I think she's had enough for now. How about you play a video game with Subaru or Yusuke? They might already be playing, you might have to hurry," Tsubaki offered, inwardly confused why he felt a sudden surge of protectiveness hit him, loathing the way Wataru had both hugged the girl freely, and how he had caused her more pain. He found it strange that he couldn't decide which one he loathed morst.

All it took was that tiny spark, and Wataru raced out of there, yelling his goodbye over his shoulder, clear excitement at a chance to play with his brothers. This ultimately left Sicily alone with Tsubaki, who dropped the forced happy look from his face; his clear unhappiness exposed on the handsome features of his face, watching her intensely while she stared back, completely perplexed.

"How are you really feeling Sicily?" he asked, the seriousness his voice held shocking the girl for only a split second before she regained control of her emotions.

"U-um, like I told Wataru, I'm feeling fine, really…" She trailed off, realizing the man could see right through her lies that slipped through her pearly white teeths, causing a deep sigh to escape from her lungs. "It's just whenever I'm touched around the rib area, it hurts again, but… it fades away so nothing major," Sicily continued, a dust of a blush forming on her cheeks as she glanced away sheepishly, completely unaware of how Tsubaki stiffened, staring at her with wide eyes. What is this?

"But like I said with Wataru, you don't have to worry; none of you do. I'll heal up just fine, however… I do appreciate the concern," She said softly, her honey-like voice sounding like music to the white haired mans ears, watching her contently as she glanced down at her lap, a sad gleam in her eyes as she glanced up, the forced smile curling at the corners of her lips, though it appeared dreary more than anything. "I really do."

"S-sure, ahem," he quickly cleared his throat, fruitlessly attempting to calm down his racing heart. "It's no problem really, you can always come to me whenever you aren't feeling good, I could take great care of you," Tsubaki flirted, a cheesy smirk making its way onto his face as he finally gained composure, the smirk widening as saw as Sicily simply shook her head lightly, the smile still present on her face.

Wha-… What just happened, his thoughts questioned frantically, as he left her alone once more, his heart pounding dramatically within his chest.

To be continued…

A/N: Longer than normal, I know, but I'm so proud that I managed to get to 2,000! :D So recently updates may be slow because I'm just so packed right now, and even though I say to myself that I will write another chapter when I get home, I just get to tired and just head straight to bed. Sorry ahead of time if there are any late updates.

To Guest: Yes we will, don't worry, there will be plenty of moments for every one of the brothers:3 and thank you very much!

To anshika: I am a girl though I guess that wouldn't come as a big surprise. Though we are all individuals, I have yet to meet any author on fanfiction who's a boy, only one that just read stories, didn't write any. But with this category being a harem, anime, and technical incest since once you are legally bonded you're considered family, its kind of hard to find guys or any type of person in general that likes this kind of stuff. I know that I'm actually the only person at my school that likes this kind of stuff sooo... Anyways I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!

To Anime hotty lover.18: I already messaged you about it lol, Fuuto will be the same, Sicily will just react differently because she's different than Ema.