XXXVI

Burdens

Kyou was feeling so excited, enough that she was struggling in order to keep her excitement in check but she had managed somehow so far. "Oh I just can't wait, it's so hard to think of what I should bring with me, though. This is harder than I thought, say Ryou you have any idea what else I should bring?" She asked as she pushed herself away from her bag for a moment and turned to her sister to ask for some advice.

"Onee-chan, I did tell you that it'd be better if you made a list otherwise you would lose oversight. You need to hurry as we're supposed to leave in an hour, you still aren't finished with packing yet, are you?"

Kyou just waved her hand and dismissed it, she didn't need a piece of paper to keep track of what she already had, she just needed to know what else she was going to need to bring with her. She already had several sets of clothes as well as her pajamas and other items for her personal hygiene. Really when she thought about it that was all she would need anyway.

"I've got the important stuff I'll have you know," she said before turning her attention back to her own bag, her mind pondering on what else she would need. It just made her so excited when she thought about getting to stay at the inn for not just a weekend but also a full week, that meant no less than seven days with her sisters. Perhaps she would even be lucky and they could stay for the next weekend as well? A whole nine days.

"I'm all done then!" She cheered, her face beaming, and closed it before taking a final jump on her own bed, she was going to miss it, and honestly ever since getting a real bed, she didn't like using a futon. "I'm so going to miss you my dear bed, please hold tight until I get back okay? I promise you that I'll make it totally up to you when I get back!" she giggled.

To Ryou, it looked odd. "…Onee-chan, you shouldn't say that…" Though she also much more preferred a real bed over a futon but they couldn't bring their beds along for their stay.

"I can say to my bed whatever I like to say to my bed. It's my bed you know." So what if it sounded a little weird, she liked her bed a lot, nor did she mind letting others know.

"Ah, it's nice to spend some time with them. It has been a while ago since we had the chance to get to spend more than a couple of days with our sisters. I hope that we can go shopping with them, we never had a chance to do that during the week itself."

Ryou took a moment to look at her older sister as she nodded her head in agreement, she too wouldn't mind going out shopping but she also reminded Kyou that they were expected to help in the household as well. It wasn't like they were going to get to be lazy, besides that they still had to take care of their homework. "…O-Onee-chan, did you heard what I said…?"

Humming to herself Kyou had heard her just fine but she didn't pay it much attention as she just wanted to think of all the fun and good things she was going to enjoy while staying over at the inn. It felt more like a vacation to her and she wanted to keep holding on to that view, the boring stuff could be done again when they were back in the house.

The first thing she hoped to do once they had sorted their packings was to go and lay down in the back of the garden while enjoying the sun, not really something she could do here.

"Say Ryou, why is it that oto-san hasn't come and greeted us? Where is he?"

Hearing the question the younger sister stopped with packing her stuff, she was finished with it anyway. "… I don't know, oka-san told me that he needed to leave for something important early, but he would come visit us once he got back, he wanted to come and say farewell to us. I guess we'll see him right before we leave or otherwise it might be at the inn."

Rolling over on her bed Kyou kept wondering what could be so important for their father to just leave the house without saying a goodbye to them, maybe it had something to do with his work? She had noticed that her parents were getting a little nervous about something though the exact details of it remained a mystery to her.
"Ah well, he had better or I'm going to be mad at him when we get back home, oto-san can be such an idiot, just like when he made oka-san sad when he left with that stupid ossan."

Ryou nodded her head gently in agreement, sharing the same feeling as her sister about that stunt that their father had pulled, if he had done the same thing again this time then she was going to be mad at him as well or at least she would do her best at being mad though she wasn't that good at it. "… Still, I don't think you should speak out against oto-san like that, he does mean well. What I'm trying to say is that oto-san never means to hurt us, he just wants to help. You know just as well that because we're different that he sometimes need to do something that he doesn't want to do."

Kyou just waved her off, yeah he had his reasons and they were very likely good ones at it but that didn't mean that she had to like them. She shot up from the bed as she heard the voice of their mother coming from down the stairs, if she heard it right then she was talking to him.

"Yes dear, I understand. I'll give them your regards, just make sure you get back soon and greet them. Kyou was really disappointed that you weren't here to say goodbye to her, you know how she feels about it. Alright then, I will see you soon. Take care, dear."

Her attention caught by the phone call she was anxious to hear what she had to say about their father, jumping from the bed she nearly lost her footing, narrowly avoiding slamming her head into the floor, she rushed out of their room and down the stairs. Dropping to her knees as she skidded to a halt in front of a surprised Mako. "Was that oto-san? Why is that idiot not here like he's supposed to? He promised us to see us off!"

Mako nodded with a smile as she kneeled down next to her, rubbing her head as she told her. "I know you do dear but something really important came up. Don't worry, I won't let him get any rest until he has come to see the two of you. Now, I'll bring you both there, so are the two of you fully packed?" she asked them both, seeing as Ryou had followed her sister, hoping that they had kept in mind that they would be staying for a good week so they needed to bring plenty of clothes and underwear for their little stay.

Still, if they had forgotten about something then it wasn't going to be an issue to have it brought over, it was not like they were going to the other side of the planet.

Getting up with her hands behind her back Ryou nodded her head. "I have everything ready oka-san, if onee-chan is ready then we can leave. I'll go and say goodbye to Sei-kun." She left the room leaving Mako and Kyou alone for the moment. Not much of a surprise that she wanted to spend some time with their little brother before they were going to leave, Mako reminded herself that it was Ryou who took care of him during the day, it must feel odd for her being away from him for a while.

"So, are you also packed and ready to go dear? Is there something that you need or want to get from the store before we leave?" She asked her older daughter, blinking away a little tear that was starting to form in the corner of her eye. It seemed that already she was going to miss the girls, strange how with something this simple she was becoming a little sad.

Kyou gazed at her, confused by her reaction. "Oka-san, are you crying? Why? Please stop, I don't like to see you cry." Dropping back to her knees she wrapped her arms around the neck of Mako, burying her face in order to avoid Mako from seeing the tears that were welling up within her as well. "Oka-san… please… stop… stop crying…?" she sobbed, repressing her quivering voice as she tried her best to not make it sound like she was sobbing.

The next thing she knew was Mako's arm wrapped tightly around her, her head leaning towards her, gently whispering some comforting words in her ear. "I know how you're feeling dear, I'm going to miss you too. Please be careful and come back safely along with your sister, please look after your sister for me."

Pushing herself back a little Mako held Kyou's face in the palms of her hands, a warm smile apparent on her face as she looked in the eyes of her daughter. "You're so beautiful Kyou, tears really don't belong to a cute girl such as you. Here, let me wipe those off," she mentioned as she gently wiped away the tears with a handkerchief. "Now that looks much better, now go on and let's get your stuff downstairs, you can say your goodbyes to Sei in the car."

Hearing those words made Kyou feel better about herself, the anxiety that had been building earlier seemed to have dissipated. "Oka-san…" she blushed, her cheeks taking on a few hues of pink. "Thank you, I love you oka-san." She hugged Mako tightly, locking her in a warm embrace.

"I love you too dear, all of you. I don't ever want to be separated from any of you." She heard her mother say to her, how it made her heart beat frantically in her chest. She really had come to like hearing it when one of her parents told her that they loved her, it was such a wonderful feeling, to be loved by others, she didn't want to lose it ever again.

She might never get to know who her biological parents were, that didn't matter to her, what mattered were the kind people who had taken her and her sister in, treating them like they were their own children. These people were her real parents, nothing would ever change that.

"I'll go downstairs and get the car ready, I'll also take those bags with me that are ready. Can you bring the rest along with your sister and Sei? Thank you, dear." One last hug and Mako pushed herself back to her feet before she left the room. Kyou could only smile as she got up herself, brushing away a lock of her pink hair.

"So Saeko-san? How's it going with your search for a club to join? Had any luck with it?"

Mayu asked as they walked along the road towards their school, even though it was a Saturday they still had classes to attend though luckily it were only a few so she expected both of them to be home relatively today.

Although she really wanted to talk about what had happened last night she had decided not press any further, perhaps it would be better if Saeko were to have some time on her own to think it through and reflect on what she had said to Nana. For now, Mayu would be content to talk about other matters but she did hope that before this day was over that Nana and Saeko were going to have a talk, likely it was going to be easier for the two of them if they did not feel pressed by any of the others to do so. The talk was going to come, she was sure of it when the time would be right.

"Not really Mayu-chan, I don't know what kind of club we could join. It's so hard to make a choice and not one club that we have visited looked nice to me, maybe it's better for Yuzu-chan and Azusa-chan to go on without me, I'm just letting them down," Saeko answered as she hung her head low, honestly, she was starting to feel that the only reason that her friends hadn't found a club to join yet was because of her and her inability to make a choice. If it hadn't been for her than likely the two of them would have already found a club much like Hinami had.

"That's not fair, not to your friends or to yourself Saeko-san. You should stop blaming yourself as it isn't your fault at all, and I believe that your friends don't see it like that, they all like you, right?" Mayu had to correct her sister there, it wasn't her fault and the young Diclonius knew that just as well even if she thought it was her fault.

"Not all first years manage to find a club that suits them that quick, you shouldn't feel worried about that, just make sure take your time and look for the right one. Your friends likely feel the same about it, just be honest with them." Words of encouragement that Mayu felt like she had repeated them a dozen times before but that was alright with her, Saeko was just one of those people that always needed an extra boost in the back to get going.

"Isuzu-san! Isuzu-san over here!" A voice called out towards them both though neither of them knew who it actually was that this person was calling out to, that was until they turned around and a smile appeared on Saeko's face as she saw Hinami running towards her.

"Oh it's nice to already meet you here, honestly I didn't expect to see you until much further. Well, come on tell me, who is this your walking with? Don't tell me it's true, that the fabled honor student is your real sister? Oh, that is so awesome!" Hinami started to glow as she gazed at Mayu, seeming mystified at coming face to face with such a prodigious student.

"Wow, it really is you! I have heard so many things about you!"

Mayu took a step back without even knowing, taken aback by the sudden interest she had sparked with this girl. "Hey there, I'm Isuzu Mayu. Pleased to meet you," she bowed.

Hinami just stood there, frozen in place. "Oh, it is so nice to meet you Isuzu-senpai! Oh wait, where are my manners, sorry about that. I am so really pleased to meet you as well, I'm Saten Hinami," she mentioned before making what had to be a very deep bow.

Mayu wondered if she were even able to get up from that one. And then she recognized the girl, the same girl that had been present at the accident and the very same girl that had been asking her to help her meet Saeko in order to say something to her.

"Wow, just wow. Isuzu-san it's so cool that you really are the sister of Isuzu-senpai, wow, I never thought I was going to get a chance to meet you in person. You really are as kind as some of the rumors say!" Hinami remarked, throwing out one word after another at an alarmingly fast pace to the point that neither Mayu nor Saeko could follow her any longer.

"Saten-san, you're friends with Saeko-san right? If so then thank you for accepting her friendship, making friends is something that she has had trouble with," Mayu mentioned as she offered her thanks to the dark haired girl while making sure that her comment wouldn't get taken wrongly by Saeko.

"Oh, uh. Isuzu-senpai, I'm feeling a little flattered but to be honest it was your sister who actually asked me to become her friend. I just accepted and besides she's actually a lot more

pleasant than what I heard from the rumors going on around her, she's really enjoyable to be around, she's kind and sincere if a little shy but that makes her so cute. Your sister is a lot of fun to have around, Isuzu-senpai."

Mayu raised an eyebrow at hearing that. "What rumors have you heard exactly about my sister? Do you know which students have been spreading such false talk? Please, Saten-san, I would like to know this." And saying that Saten grew quiet all of a sudden. For now, Mayu decided to let it drop as they had to get to school first but once it was over she wanted to have a talk.

Staring at the ceiling Nana found herself wondering what time it was, she was still feeling terrible, especially after last night, she and Saeko hadn't spoken with each other and this morning she had actually been painfully avoiding her, preferring to stay alone for now.

"Hmmmm… Mayu… please come back soon…" she whispered as her thoughts began to drift again, thinking about others things as well, chiefly on how she was going to deal with Saori when she would wake up again. It was of some comfort that the twins were coming over to stay for a week, she could certainly do with their help.

It would help to take off some of the burdens she carried in doing the household, it was fine on the weekends but during the week it became quite the chore being on her own and having to look after Saori as well.

"It should make things a little easier for me but what will I do when they leave again, I don't like to stay alone in the house anymore, I want to go out and have fun," she told herself, her eyes still staring at the ceiling overhead. Yuka and Kouta had also left, until either of them were to get back it was just her who had to look after the house.

"Just me, huh?" It was going to fall on her to welcome the twins and to help them get settled, hopefully during that time nothing was going to happen.

Rolling over to her side she decided that enough was enough, pushing herself to her knees she got up from the futon. It was about time that she got to do something, lying there any longer was also starting to become a bore to her.

"Nothing seems to be fun anymore in this house, it feels more like a prison to me. I would like to go out shopping and having fun like last time." Things had grown a little tense but in general, before that little incident, it had been rather fun in getting to spend some time together in the city and living like girls of their age should. Well not really their real age but that wasn't important.

"I wonder when they're going to show up? What time was it exactly that Yuka-san agreed with them on? I know that she told me this morning but I kind of forgot." Going down the stairs she barely had time to think about her question when there was a loud knock coming from the door. Pulled from her thoughts she froze in the middle of the hallway as she heard the familiar voices of the twins and Mako, they were here already.

Looking at herself Nana came to the realization that she was still wearing basically a plain shirt and some shorts, hardly the kind of clothes that she could open the door in, her hair still a mess.

What was she going to do? She couldn't possibly open the door dressed like this, oh she wasn't going to hear the end of it if Kyou were to see her like this. Maybe if she kept still she could perhaps fool them, nobody was here and that might allow her to get back to her room and put some clothes or at least some pants on.

"Hello, is anybody home? It's us, I hope we're not disturbing you? Did we arrive too early even though it is actually a bit after the time you told us to come?" The unmistaken voice of Ryou could be heard, Nana started to get into a panic. She needed to come up with something and really fast as there came another knock on the door, and judging by the sound of it, it was likely Kyou who by now was very likely to get rather impatient.

"Nana, I know you're in there, we were told that you'd be home when we'd arrive. Now open the door, this stuff is heavy you know and oka-san already left. You know that we can sense you, right? I know that you're standing really close to me so open this door now!"

Transfixed to the floor Nana couldn't move, how could she have forgotten that? The twins were Diclonius like her, and as such, they sense each other's presence.

Oh well, there was nothing left that she could do, the twins knew she was here, thank God Mako wasn't with them, otherwise, Nana might just find herself on the receiving side of a stern lecture from her. Taking a deep breath, letting her shoulders drop she approached the front door and opened it.

Kyou lunged forward to grab her, her arms wrapped tightly around Nana and showed that she had no intention of letting go. "See there you are! Did you miss us?! Of course, you did, right! You won't believe how badly we've been looking forward to this when they told us."

Caught off guard and feeling embarrassed Nana couldn't even return a greeting to her or Ryou for that matter, she was petrified where she stood.

"…O-Onee-chan, I think you should let go of her. I don't think that Nana-onee-san likes it. She looks kind of scared to me, Nana-onee-san I hope we didn't catch you at an unfortunate time? You did know that we were coming right?"

Still, in a state of shock, Nana couldn't say a word in return or even move a muscle, she was praying that neither of them was going to notice her shoddy appearance. If she could convince them to take a seat in the living room and just have a few minutes to herself she could get herself sorted. Finally managing to recover from her initial shock she slowly started to form some words. "I-I'm s-sorry… you kinda both caught me off guard, I hadn't been expecting you this early. Silly me," she laughed or at least did her best to make it come across as laughing. "If you want you can take a seat in the living room while I'll go and make you something to drink. Or perhaps you want a breakfast or something?" Her body eased down a little as she felt Kyou's grip loosening, letting out a shiver as she had to sigh Nana still found her current situation rather unpleasant.

"… Are you sure of that Nana-onee-san? Don't you want us to help you with that? Or would you perhaps prefer if we would bring our stuff to our room first? We could do that while you go and make the tea if that's alright with you?" Ryou offered and it was a suggestion that Nana was only too keen to accept, yes that was going to buy her, even more, time.

Quickly nodding her head she told the two girls where their room was, she held her breath while they walked past her, letting out a sigh of relief when they both disappeared from her sight allowing her to make a quick dash towards her own room. Wasting no time she stormed inside, yanked open the drawers and grabbed the nearest pieces of clothing that she could lay her hands on. She had only a few moments before she needed to get back to the kitchen, the day had barely started and already she was in a panic, this promised to be some day.

It was already well into the afternoon by the time Saeko's last class came to an end, luckily it had been only a few classes but with that also came again a search for a club that they could join. She let out a sigh as Yuzuka and Azusa caught up with her, asking her if she was alright.

"Saekorin, are you alright? You look a little pale to me? You've also been a little distant today as if you're somewhere else with your thoughts. Is there something on your mind?"

Azusa chimed in as well. "If there is something troubling you, then don't hesitate to tell us, Isuzu-san. We want to help you where we can, that is what friends do after all. Now, do you want to talk about it?"

The pink haired girl wasn't so sure if she wanted to tell her friends what was really troubling her, she dreaded to think that they were going to agree with her in that it was her fault that they hadn't been able to find a club that they could join. What if she had been right about it all along?

But then she had to think back about the words that Mayu had told her, that it was not her fault at all and that her friends would not see it that way either.

Blinking away a tear she closed her eyes and bowed down to her friends. "I'm sorry, I'm really so sorry to you. It is my fault that you haven't been able to join a club, the reason that you are still looking for one is because of me." There she said it, she blurted the words just to get them out of her mouth.

Yuzuka and Azusa were both taken aback by the sudden statement, even to the point that the brunette just dropped her schoolbag on the floor, he mouth wide in surprise and confusion.

"S-Saekorin?! W-What are you saying?! Don't say something like that! Whoever told you something that crazy!" Yuzuka cried out followed quickly by taking the trembling girl in a tight embrace in order to comfort her. "No need to cry Saekorin, it's not your fault. You shouldn't listen to such stupid nonsense! You're not to blame for us still not being in a club! As if I could care about it?! I don't want to be in a club if that means losing you! You're more important to me!"

They both stared at her. "Yuzuka-san is right, you shouldn't think that way. If we're not yet in a club then it's simply because we choose to, your friendship means a lot more to us than being in a club."

Hearing it Saeko could do little other than cry. "I'm sorry… I can't…" she sobbed, throwing out what was on her mind. Her head cast down in an equal mix of shame and fear. "I don't want to join a club because I'm scared about it…"

Once more Yuzuka and Azusa showed their understanding and their true feelings. "Got it. Sorry for making you worry." They both said in unison as each of them took one of her hands, holding it gently.

"We'll pick the same thing you do Saekorin, even if that means no club for us."

Saeko's head shot up. "No! You two should pick a club, it is what you both want…"

Yuzuka leaned forward, their foreheads nearly touching. "It's fine, we want to be together with you. I'm the type of girl that gets into whatever the guy she likes is into, so don't worry about me," she smiled as she said it, her eyes glowing.

Azusa gave her opinion as well though she did also offer a quick glance towards Yuzuka telling that her remark which had been well meant had also been rather inappropriate. "Besides if we went to pick a club without you, you might start thinking about things you don't want to think of or that we no longer want to be your friends, right? I don't want to make my friend feel bad," she told her. "Now if it really makes you worry so much then why don't we pass on looking for a club this year and do it next year instead, that should give us plenty of time to look for one that we all like and can join together."

"Hey look, it's that crybaby again from before along with her friends. They look so dorky together don't you think?" A malevolent voice drifted towards them and even without looking the three of them already knew to whom it belonged, it came as no surprise that when they looked in the direction they saw a very familiar looking trio of girls staring back at them and the looks in their eyes said enough about their intent. It wasn't good either as they knew that these girls came looking for trouble, as usual, picking on others because they themselves felt so miserable.

"Yeah, it's just fitting for little misfits like you to utterly fail at finding a club, you should just go and join the going home early club like so many other losers!" They laughed in a vile manner, obviously, they were out to make themselves feel any better. More condescending remarks were hurled towards Saeko, Yuzuka, and Azusa with the latter to getting in between them and Saeko. They knew just as well that their friends were the likely target for them.

"Oh look at this, the crybaby is hiding behind the other misfits! Oh, can you actually believe that?! Oh yes, we can, it's so appropriate for her to hide like a coward! Oh my, I think I can see her crying! Honestly, a girl at that age crying, pfft that is just pathetic don't you think?!"

They laughed and giggled as one insult after another left their mouths, to Saeko it was heart wrecking to hear them say those words. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't. What had she even done wrong to these girls to deserve being treated like this? Why were they picking on her?

Yuzuka was the first to rebuke. "Don't be so selfish! Leave Saekorin alone! She's done nothing wrong to you! You're the worst kind of people for picking on others!" She yelled in utter frustration, the look on her face betraying her own feelings. "That's not fair! We're going to report you to sensei! We're not letting you get away with this!"

Even though both of them were showing that they were not intimidated by these girls it also became clear that they were not making an impression as even the threat of informing one of their teachers seemed to have little to no impact on these girls.

"Oh, is that so?! You honestly think that they are going to believe that when we tell them otherwise and I doubt your little crybaby over there actually has the courage to tell it!" One of the girls pointed towards Saeko. "Even now she is just too scared to do little else but cry! What is she going to do next, wet herself?! Crying for her mommy to show up?!" In a cruel tone, they all laughed at her. "You're just the biggest crybaby in the entire school?! I heard from somebody that she even wet herself on her first day here! Can you believe that?!"

Azusa raised her voice but kept her composure. "Please give up on Isuzu-san."

The expression on the faces of the three girls was one born out of mockery and contempt. "As if?! We can do whatever we want and you first years should stay out of it!"

"Man, your voices really are annoying, it's just grating my nerves. Why don't you just do us all a favor and keep your mouths shut! Honestly, that such a high pitched voice can be so damn annoying, and then the three of you picking on just one first year. You're more pathetic than she'll ever be, damn you three sure have an attitude problem, sheesh."

The voice caught the attention of everybody in the hallway, everybody turned to face the person who had just said that out loud. In the corner, leaning against the railing of the stairs, his uniform worn rather loosely sat a boy. At first glance one might get the impression that it had actually been somebody else who had just said those words, his face devoid of any emotions of movements that may have betrayed that it had actually been him. Other than what he had just said he remained motionless.

Coming to a halt a front door Yuka was glad that she back at home, honestly she couldn't have imagined that sitting down while listening to a lecture for two hours straight could have been this exhausting but she felt grateful that it was over now.

Now she could take off her shoes, get changed into something a bit more comfortable, kick back and relax. Well at least until it was going to be time for her to make dinner but today she was actually looking forward to it as she knew that she was going to be able to count on getting some really good help at that. "It feels so good to be home again," she remarked as she stretched her arms and opened the door, barely inside she was already greeted by a delicious scent that seemed to originate from the kitchen. "Oh, that does smell good."

"Nana-chan, I'm home. Are the twins alright? I'll be in my room to get changed." Taking off her shoes she continued on, stopping first at her own room to drop her belongings and to get dressed. After that, she was going to see what the girls were doing as she hadn't heard a reply yet to her earlier question.

Opening the door she was confronted by Ryou. "Good afternoon Yuka-san, I'm glad to see you come back home. I thought I would come and see if I could help you with something but you seemed busy so I waited until you were ready. That is alright, right?"

Yuka couldn't help but giggle in response, as usual, Ryou was being so overly kind and polite towards others. "It is dear but you didn't have to, I can handle myself. So if I may ask how has it been for you girls so far? What have you girls done in the house since you arrived?" She asked as she patted the younger girl on the head. "Your sister must be already busy in the kitchen am I right? It smells good. So what exactly is she making for us?"

"… Ah yes, onee-chan thought it would be nice for when you all came back to have some soup ready so she and Nana-onee-san kept themselves busy in the kitchen. I've been doing some work on the assignments oka-san left us with for school next year."

"Oh, is that so?" Yuka was surprised to hear that Kyou had decided on making soup for the others, that was very kind of her and she made a mental note to thank her for it, Ryou working on her assignments wasn't really much of a surprise though it still raised an eyebrow with her.

Next Ryou started to tell her what else they had been doing when they had come here, it seemed that they had managed to keep themselves entertained and busy without them just fine. It was rather reassuring to hear as Yuka had her concerns about them being here alone.

But she began to notice that the more Ryou told her the more nervous she seemed to become as if this Diclonius wanted to ask her something that she wasn't entirely sure off if it was going to sit well with her. She wondered what it could be?

"Ryou-chan, dear, is there something you want to ask me? It's alright, just ask," she told her as Yuka noticed that by now Ryou started to move from left to right, her hands slightly shaking. Was she actually scared about it, what kind of question could prompt her to be?

"… Ehm well Yuka-san…? Would it be alright if we could go into the city…? Onee-chan and I were really hoping that we could go shopping…? I-I promise we'll behave…" Her face turned bright red, her head cast down trying to avoid the woman's return look, Ryou shivered a little when she noticed that Yuka was gazing at her.

Yuka hadn't really thought about it, and certainly, she hadn't planned on allowing the twins to go out for shopping that very weekend but then it was also a good opportunity to find out just how well either of them could handle being outside, after all, Kyou had shown that already when she had left with Nozomi.

"I'll discuss it with Kouta tonight and let you girls know. What do you say to that?" Yuka proposed to her, she was likely to go with them anyway but reasoned that it was not going to hurt to let them know that it could be called off if they misbehaved. Hopefully, it was also going to give them some time to think about what the consequences were going to be if they did anything bad while being outside, not that they were going to do any of that on purpose.

Ryou at least seemed to warm up to the proposal as she nodded her head. "… I'll go then and tell onee-chan about this." Giving a quick hug to Yuka to thank her she turned around and went back to the kitchen, she was definitely going to tell the news to her sister which made Yuka smile once more. They were wonderful kids to have and Yuka felt a feeling of envy come over her, it felt odd but she really hoped for her to have a daughter like them. Thinking about it, she looked down and pressed the palms of her hands against her belly.

'A child? I wouldn't mind having a child with Kouta, I'd like that a lot…' She started to rub it, gently caressing her skin. Wondering what it was going to be like to have a child of her own, really until then she had never spent much thought on it as she was still young but even so the desire was there. 'I want to carry Kouta's child. Would it be so wrong of me to desire to have his child? I've never thought about this before, what's it going to be like, to be pregnant and to carry a baby. To give birth to one.' Dozens of thoughts and images suddenly flooded her mind, Yuka was surprised by the sheer impact of it. Maybe it was still too early for her to think about it?

As intriguing as the thought had been of having a child with Kouta was, Yuka pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, she was going to need some time to process it all. Maybe she even needed to discuss this first with her mother or perhaps Mako?

A call came from the kitchen. "Yuka-san, the soup is ready, you can have some if you want."

Pulled from her thoughts Yuka closed the door to her room and answered the call, some soup was going to do her good anyway and perhaps a talk with the girls would help ease her mind. She sure was going to need as the back of her mind remained in turmoil. 'A child…'

"Don't you dare to lay a finger… on my friends!" Hinami stormed forward swinging around the broom that she holding in a vicious sweep, bringing it up in a sharp arc which brought it hovering dangerously close to the faces of the three girls. "What do you even think you're doing to my friends?!" She demanded as she looked the three girls in the face.

She was mad with anger as she had caught the last parts that these girls had been saying to her friends, to her it was simply unforgivable. "I won't forgive for what you all did!"

Now the boy reacted, apparently prompted by Hinami's reaction. "You heard her? What exactly is it that the three of you were hoping to achieve with that attitude, picking a fight with a first year." Getting up from where he had been sitting he walked towards the trio, his hands resting in his pockets. "You girls seem to be the kind of type that likes to cause trouble to others, do yourselves a favor and just get lost. That way you at least to leave with some of your dignity or what's left of it still intact." He gestured for them to get out as fast as they could. Now cornered and facing no less than four people opposing them the trio seemed to take the advice and although the resentment was apparent on their faces they left though they left a few more hate remarks. "You just watch crybaby, we aren't finished with you yet! Or you for that matter Saten, we know where you live!"

He watched them leave, nodding to Saeko and the others that they were gone and then without even saying a word he simply left them. Going back the way he had likely come he vanished from their sight. They didn't even get the chance to thank him for his help.

With the broom dropping from her hands Hinami ran towards her friends, tears ran her face.

Dropping to her knees, her hands clutching her head Saeko kept crying, wanting to block out those ugly words. She couldn't, she just couldn't, they kept going round inside her head.

"Are you alright!?" Hinami rushed forward, taking a jump, wrapped her arms around Saeko as she kept asking her if she was alright. "If they did anything bad to you I swear I'm going to make them pay! I won't let them get away with this! Not today! Not anymore!"

"Saten-san, are we glad to see you," Azusa mentioned as she turned around, they had been really fortunate that she had appeared when she had. "I'm sorry if we got you into any trouble with those girls."

"Don't be," said girl rebuked. "You don't need to say sorry to me, they're the ones that were hurting my friends, I won't forgive them for that. Did they hurt any of you as well?"

Yuzuka shook her head. "No, it seems that they went for Saekorin though I don't know why they're constantly picking on her. I'm glad you showed up when you did," she sighed, feeling depressed about the sorry state that she was seeing her friend in. "It's not fair that they're picking on her! She doesn't deserve that!"

Helping Saeko to get back on her feet they all agreed that it was best to get the pinkette home as quickly as possible though none of them actually knew where she lived. Hinami lived closest but even she did know the exact details where they needed to go, their only option at the moment was to hope that they could find their friend's older sister and ask her.

"So do any of you know where exactly her sister is? I think she's in a club but I don't know which club it is. Do any of you know which one?" Yuzuka mentioned, she felt sure that she had heard Saeko say it once before when they had just met but she couldn't remember it no matter how hard she tried. "Should we ask Saekorin?"

"We don't have to," Azusa stepped in. "Isuzu-senpai's a member of the art club, we can find her there. Saten-san, would you be so kind to help me carry Isuzu-san there?"

She didn't need to ask, Hinami already had wrapped one of Saeko's arms around her shoulder, supporting her. "Sure, let's get her there, once we're done I'm going after those girls!"

Azusa grabbed her by the arm. "Saten-san, I can understand how you must feel but I don't think that Isuzu-san wants you to get yourself into trouble with the school."

"Azurin is right, you getting into trouble with any of the teachers or the school isn't what Saekorin would want, she'd hate to see you getting expelled or something because of that. Please don't, for her."

"Everybody I'm home!" Kouta announced as he closed the door behind him, he wondered who would be already back though it was likely that he was one of the last. It didn't matter to him anyway, he was glad that he was back home and had a day to get some rest and allow his mind some ease.

But he also felt a little anxious as he knew that Kyou was going to be here for at least a week, it made him nervous thinking about whether she was going to put him in an awkward situation again like she did last time.

"Well I'm going to find out soon enough, let's get this stuff in my room and then I can have a look and see how everybody is doing," he told himself, his body easing as he just had to accept what was going to happen, just her playful way of showing her feelings.

"Kouta, welcome back! There is some soup for you in the kitchen if you want!" He heard Yuka say in response, so she was home already. Not much of a surprise there and thinking about it some soup did sound nice while they would be waiting for dinner later.

"Just give me a moment to put my stuff in my room first, then I'll join you." A quick shout and off he went, his room was pretty close by so it didn't him all that long nor did he need to spend much time to get his stuff sorted, it felt good like as if the weekend could start for real now.

"Let's go and get some soup, I do wonder what it was that must've made Yuka decide to make some already. It's not like her to do so." He shrugged his shoulders as the thought surfaced, it did sound odd but he wasn't going to complain about it. Afterward, he was likely going to take a bath. "I like the sound of that, it sounds good, and I can use some rest as well."

Closing the door he went to the kitchen though it only took him a few steps when he noticed the rather delicious scent coming from the kitchen. He scratched his head, was this soup?

"It sure smells nice," he remarked as he set foot in the kitchen, briefly he wondered what kind of soup could possess such a powerful flavor but as he got closer he didn't care about that anymore. Taking a quick sip of it, he was really taken by surprise.

"Wow, this tastes really good," he remarked as he allowed the flavors to fill his mouth, "I can't imagine how long Yuka must have been busy to make this. Sure doesn't taste like anything you could get at a store, this seems more like what you could get at a fancy restaurant. I'm really impressed by it."

A sultry voice came from behind him. "I'm glad to hear you say that onii-chan, it was a lot of work to make it but I'm really glad to hear that you like it." There was no mistake, it was the undeniable voice of Kyou and she was standing right behind him. Letting out a sigh he turned around and smiled at her. "So you made this, that's really impressive Kyou-chan," he complimented her as he gently patted the young Diclonius on the head. "I knew that you were good at cooking but honestly I never thought you were this good. How did you manage this?"

Kyou returned the smile as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Saw some on TV and decided to try it myself, I've been refining it for over a month now. I tried some new ingredients today, but I wasn't sure if they would help achieve the result I was after."

Kouta was left speechless with the casual way Kyou told him about it as it was something so simple, well he certainly wasn't that good in the kitchen let alone at making something to eat. Even a simple porridge was already hard and here was little Kyou who could make something so wonderful and then talk about like it was the simplest thing to do in the world.

He took another spoon of it. "It really tastes great Kyou-chan, honestly I don't think that I've had a better soup than this since I got back to Kamakura. I'm really impressed that you're able to make this. Why don't we go and join the others in the room?" Making sure to bring a cup with him he and Kyou left the kitchen and went towards the main living room where it seemed those that had already come home had gathered, they all greeted him as he walked into the room and sat down. It seemed that only Mayu and Saeko were not back yet, well it was still relative early in the afternoon so he did expect them to show up soon.

"Welcome home Kouta-san," Ryou greeted him as she nodded her head, while he sat down, before resuming with homework she had brought with her along, with Yuka next to her to provide her with extra help or guidance for any of the trickier assignments. Looking further Nana seemed to just be watching some TV with only mild interest and finally, as he looked right next to him he saw Kyou sitting there and staring back at him. If the twinkle in her eyes was any indication then he'd bet that she was planning something alright.

He decided to beat her to it and just have a normal conversation with her, with any luck it could help to move the girl's mind away from whatever it was that she was concocting.

"So Kyou-chan, did you and your sister have a good time while you were on your own here? Sorry that neither Yuka nor I could be home any sooner to come greet you, girls," he said, now he was just going to have to see what she was going to say next.

"We're fine, wished you would have been here," she smiled without even saying another word shortly before she got back up and left the room. Just as she was about to walk around the corner she gave a quick wink to him and then quickly disappeared.

"So I guess it should be nearby, right? Saekorin, are you feeling better already?" Yuzuka kept asking her as the group continued on walking, drawing ever closer towards the inn that the young Diclonius had come to regard as her home. After having made their way towards the art club room and having their talk with Mayu the girls had made a decision and had offered to walk Saeko home to make sure that those girls weren't going to have another chance to pick on her.

"I must say that I'm kind of surprised that Isuzu-senpai actually allowed us to go without her, I do wonder what her family is going to say when they see us showing up with Isuzu-san?" Azusa mentioned, signaling to the others for making their occasional stop to make sure that Saeko wasn't going to fall behind, even though she was already doing better than before, it was obvious to them that what those older girls had said to her still affected the girl.

For Hinami the hardest part had been staying with her friends, she rather wanted to go back and find those girls responsible for this, but if she were to do so she was the one going to end up being in trouble and none of them wanted that to happen.

"Please stay calm Saten-san, Monday we'll all go to sensei and talk to him about this. This simply has to stop though it's a shame that we don't know their names. That reminds me, Saten-san do you perhaps know who that boy was? I think he's a second year."

Hinami shook her head in response. "I don't know his name but I've heard about him from senpai, apparently he often gets in trouble with the other teachers. But they can't do much against him because he gets good grades as well though he apparently also skips most classes."

They all looked at her, sounded more like the kind of person they should stay away from.

Though apparently, Yuzuka had a different idea on it. "I think it sounds rather dreamy don't you think? To have such a rebel in school as your boyfriend, doesn't that sound so cool to you?" Her eyes closed she luckily remained blissfully unaware of the faces that her friends were making as they disapproved of what she had just said.

"Yuzuka-san, I don't think that's going to help Isuzu-san, besides I doubt that your parents would approve of you dating such a person. Or am I mistaken there?"

Hearing that comment Yuzuka kept quiet, her face taken on a few hues of red out of shame. Well, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to find a kinder person to date.

"Kayano, do you really think so? Personally, I'd much rather have a kinder gentler person. I don't think that I'd date somebody who always kept getting themselves into trouble and gets into fights with others. I don't want that," Hinami remarked, explaining what kind of guy she was looking for and what she preferred in one.

They all gave some consideration to that, yeah it did sound better to have a boyfriend who was there for you when you needed him. Dating hadn't really been something they had given much consideration to but they were at the age that dating was pretty much the norm for girls of their age. Plenty of their fellow students already were in relationships with each other, boyfriends or girlfriends, even though their school was more or less opposed to it. Many of their older teachers still adhered to the belief that a relationship in school was counterproductive to one's academic achievements, though fortunately, the younger teachers seemed more acceptable to it.

As Saeko quietly walked past them, still remaining awfully silent they wondered if she had ever dated anybody, Yuzuka was the first one to jump the gun and asked her the question much to the surprise, not to mention embarrassment, of everybody else.

"So Saekorin? Have you ever dated anybody? Has there been a guy that you really liked?"

Hearing that question and the meaning behind it Saeko froze on the spot.

Hinami reacted quickly before Saeko could even say a word. "Hey, don't you think that's a little rude to ask her, Kayano?!"

Silently Saeko voiced her discomfort for that question, in her thoughts she was aware that she had never dated anybody in her life though she wished that she had, a date with her master sounded so wonderful but it was a date that she was never going to experience.

Her body began to tremble as the thought surfaced again that her master was dead, even though she had come to acknowledge that fact it remained rather painful for her. She did not want that. She had really liked him, she still liked him a lot to this day though she hadn't found the courage to ever tell him when she still had the chance. Had she told him would he have stayed with her? It was a question that plagued her ever since.

Behind her, Yuzuka and Hinami were starting to get involved in a heated debate about dates and boyfriends of their own, but it was lost on her, she didn't want to hear another word about it. Perhaps it was going to better for her to walk on her own from here on. She really was grateful for her friends having gone through all the trouble and effort but right now she didn't feel like being with them for the moment. Why did she have to ask that question?

Azusa was the first to notice it. "Isuzu-san, are you alright? Is there something wrong?"

"I-I want to thank you for coming with me but I can manage from here on. Thank you for having gone through all the effort in getting me home, take care of yourselves."

Azusa understood what her friend wanted to say. "Of course, take care of yourself as well Isuzu-san and we'll see you again Monday at school. Goodbye." Nodding her head the black haired girl gestured towards Yuzuka and Hinami that their journey would end here.

"Saekorin, take care! Shame that we can't see you home! Maybe next time?!" Yuzuka kept waving as they went the other way, both her and Azusa had a long walk back ahead of them.

"Isuzu, don't let what those girls said to get to you. You're better than them," Hinami gave her a few last words of comfort before she too left, leaving Saeko there on her own.

Turning around she was aware that she still had some ground left to cover but right now she really wants to be alone, it would allow her to think about what the others had said.

Pulling over his car at the side of the road, driving onto the parking lot, Dai felt unsure on whether or not he wanted to go inside, by the time that he had gotten back from his long drive the girls were already at the inn. It was likely for the best as he couldn't provide them with a good explanation as to why he had to leave, Kyou was going to hold it against him for certain.

Well, he had managed to catch a few hours of sleep which he badly needed, now that that was over and he had some time to reorganize his thoughts he wondered what it was that he was going to hear. How long had Mako been busy in there?

She must have had her hands full, well he did kind of expect that though he was going to get all of the finer details once he got inside and had a long talk with Mako. There had been no other choice, they needed to get him medical help and quick at it as well.

He wasn't really keen on it but they also needed to discuss the future care that was going to be needed. "You sure made a mess of it this time, I told you didn't I."

Oh, the mess they were left with, Mako had been mad with rage when he had told her over the phone what he needed her to do, she was going to scold his sorry ass once the time was right.

Getting out of the car he closed it and crossed the street quickly, heading towards the hospital that a certain pain in the ass had been taken to, he knew it was risky but the type of injuries that Bando had sustained simply couldn't be treated by Mako alone or by the clinic she worked at.

There was, fortunately, less risk involved than had it been one of the girls, he pretty much doubted that people were still on the lookout for Bando, even so, he kept having a feeling of anxiety with coming here. "I really hope they have some good news for me, hopefully, you can leave the hospital quickly." Yeah the shorter he remained here the better.

Inside the main entrance his eyes already trailed towards the dispenser, given that Mako had already been here for a while she was likely thirsty but then Dai had a distaste for the type of coffee one would get from a vending machine so he had actually had been clever enough to make a can full of freshly made coffee at home and brought it with him. Likewise, he had also brought some stuff that they could eat as he knew that the food here was often terrible to put it in the nicest way possible.

Getting into the elevator he leaned against the wall panel and waited for it to slowly climb towards the floor he needed to be, briefly, he wondered how the girls were doing but he was also glad that they were at the inn right now having fun. It made him smile.

A ping signaled that he had reached the right floor, exiting it he turned left and he went towards the end of the hallway. Already he could see Mako sitting there on a bench outside the room, well that certainly helped him to find the right room. Approaching her he held out one of the two cups he had brought with him, as she noticed him she got up from it and made her way towards him.

"Hey dear. How are you holding out?" He asked before giving her a kiss on the cheek, with that they walked back to the bench and sat down. "I've got you something, I figured you'd prefer this over what they have at the hospital."

"I'm fine, a little tired from all of the waiting but other than that I am alright. How are you?" Mako answered his question though her face betrayed her fatigue, she was going to need some rest as well.

Dai told her that but his own situation was more or less the same as theirs. He had gotten some sleep but he still felt rather worn down. "Much like you I'd say, so have any of the doctors said anything with regards to his condition? He was a complete mess when I found him."

She shook her head. "They just brought him back from surgery, they haven't told me everything yet but the short version of it is that he has been very lucky to be alive. His recovery is going to take a month of two but if he does as they tell him they expect him to make a full recovery." She mentioned a few other minor details but none of them were of any particular interest to Dai, he just wanted to know who had done this to Bando.

"I wish that he had listened to me when he came, I'm still berating myself for having been dumb enough to let him go on his own," he sighed, "So is it alright for me to go in?"

Author's note: well folks, latest chapter for you to read and enjoy. Sorry that it took a little longer to get this one posted but as I already explained in the previous chapter there's been a matter that has been keeping me and the family busy.

Originally my father's surgery was planned to be on the 2nd of May, then it was changed to the 25th of April due to another patient possibly falling out, after that it got change back to the 2nd of May again and last week it got changed to the 9th of May. Yeah, we weren't exactly thrilled with all of the shuffling they were doing.

But this is going to be it, this one won't be canceled or postponed unless something serious were to happen. We've been prepping everything for the past week to get things ready for when he get's his discharge as his recovery is going to take a while longer than what he had initially thought due to how the surgery needs to be performed and the amount of tissue that they are going to remove.

We have mixed feelings about it as there is with every medical procedure always a risk involved, the risk here being that my father could bleed to death, though the risk is pretty minimal so the doctors involved in the procedure are confident that it's going to turn out alright. So fingers crossed and we'll just see what's the outcome is going to be this Tuesday.

Obviously given that I'll be spending most of the coming week at the hospital and the week after that tending to my father after I get back from work I won't have that much time to edit the next chapter so please keep that in mind as it might get posted a little later.

Well have a good weekend, or depending on when you read this, a good week. I'll be looking forward to seeing you all again in the next chapter.