As Ichimatsu woke up feeling someone right beside him, someone with a soft, curvaceous shape as opposed to another body similar to his, a sense of relief came over him being face to face with his sleeping angel of a girlfriend. The scent from her was practically intoxicating, and he leaned in just a bit closer to her face to let it consume him. If only, if only, his eldest brother was not sleeping directly behind him, sprawled about like the man-child he was and taking up more than half the bed. It was a tight fit, but it brought him closer to her, their bodies practically touching. She was resting on the pillow that he had his arm under, and it felt like he was cradling her, keeping her safe from his eldest brother. She was his, and only his; her untouched, virgin body was proof enough, saving herself for all these years, just for him. It was like a sappy romance, but it was happening for real and for him of all people. How fortunate he was that he had someone like her waiting for him after all this time.
Girls were so beautiful asleep, so silent, pure, and angelic. He could stay like this for the rest of his life, just inches from her face. Her lips looked glossier than normal. They were so pink, so moist, reminding him of something else pink and moist. He wondered if he rubbed his fingers on it, it would feel like the real thing below. Would she feel good from it? Would she moan? It made him feel hotter, thinking about the noises she would make if he touched her. Better yet, the sight of her aroused face would probably make him release on the spot. It had been nearly a whole week since he relieved himself, longer than he had ever gone before in the entirety of his life ever since he discovered it. Nearly anything could set him off: a gentle touch or a slight bump. Even just staring at her was making him sweat. He was so close to her, that he could hear her breathe, and even that was just too erotic for him. It was starting to become physically painful to hold back at this point, and he should have seen it coming the night before.
Last night when he crawled into bed with Yukibo, his eldest brother took the opposite side of her, obviously to spite him.
Osomatsu giggled, rubbing the bottom of his nose, "There was an AV just like this. A girl sleeps between two men, and, you know, adult stuff happens for all three of them, at once." Ichimatsu was as embarrassed as he was seething. "Ichimacchan, since I'm the oldest, I'll face her front first, okay?" he brought up.
Hell no, she saved her front for him, and he was going to take her from the front first and forever. The fourth brother had to sit between the two, even if it meant being harassed by his eldest brother. He was not going to make the same mistake over and over again. However, when he crawled over her to get to the center of the bed, he found himself top of her, and he froze. She was beneath him, waiting patiently for him to move over, but he could not. Ichimatsu, along with the other sextuplets, were only wearing their underwear as a result of the poker game. As much as it was meant to humiliate the brothers - and secretly reward them with Yukibo's participation - none of them thought about the latent issues that would have given rise to their partially nude and sexually frustrated fourth brother being on top of his practically nude and sexually attractive girlfriend. To Ichimatsu, this was what it would look like, if he were to take her: her laying under him, him above her, and his arms on each side of her. He just had to remove the last bits of clothes and get it in. She was starting to feel a bit awkward with him hovering over her for so long, just staring down and fantasizing about her. Quickly, her face turned red, staring up to him with a nervous look. Her eyebrows were a bit furrowed, and she was sucking her lips in a just a bit. It was adorable, absolutely erotic. He was not the least bit subtle with his reaction; everyone around him could hear his breathing get heavier and see his face getting redder. He had to stay perfectly still, or else he would lose control. Then again, the longer he stayed above her, staring down, the more likely he was going to forget his brothers were in the room with him.
"ICHIMACCHAN!" the eldest called out loudly and sweetly, throwing his arms around his little brother and pulling him towards the center of the bed, "Your big brother is so lonely! Snuggle up with me, okay?" He hugged his younger brother tighter, despite him squirming and flailing around.
"GET OFF ME, YOU WEIRDO," the fourth brother screamed, shoving his eldest brother off of him. Perhaps, it was for the best. For sure, Ichimatsu would have lost to his urges right then and there.
Luckily, the dumbass eldest brother was sleeping rather noisily behind him. He could do anything he wanted to her, so long as he was quiet, and Osomatsu would be none the wiser. Her hands were clasped together, just below her face. He gently took hold of it, prying his hand in between her hands, entwining his fingers into hers, and squeezing it tightly in his clutches. He could stare and admire his girlfriend just inches from his face, his body, and his morning wood. No, his wood was definitely touching her, just barely poking her plump thighs, begging to poke places elsewhere. "Tonight, little buddy," he said, grinning to himself at knowing his brothers were out of money thanks to the poker game last night, and they had no choice but to leave. Finally, Ichimatsu could be alone with his girlfriend.
She shuffled a bit as she woke up, pulling a bit away from him to stretch her back and her legs while laying down. She fluttered her eyes opened, rubbing them of sand before meeting her gaze with him. His breath was heavy at this point once he greeted her in a whisper, "Well now, good morning."
"Good morning," she smiled, staring at her hand in his, "Looks like Liarmatsu took up most of the bed."
"I don't mind at all," he grinned, letting go of her hand and wrapping his free arm around her body to pull her into him closer and tighter, "If we stay quiet, he won't wake up."
She chuckled nervously, and spoke out rather loudly, "What are you talking about?"
He hushed her and then chuckled almost sinisterly. "What else would a man and woman do so close to one another like this in bed?" he answered, biting his bottom lip, "Don't act too cute. It's too erotic, and I won't be able to hold back."
"Ichimatsu," she replied, her voice shaking a bit.
He buried his face into her neck, taking in that sweet scent of hers as his arms held her tighter. Her soft breasts that were shielded by a thin layer of satin from her pajamas were being pressed up against his bare chest. They were so full and pillow-y, and her full thighs and ass matched the softness of her breasts. He could lose it at any moment. Her face was completely red, and he could tell she was struggling to endure being touched by him from her quivering and struggling to keep quiet. Such a virgin, it was too erotic. She was becoming more resistant, pulling away from him which forced him to just pull her in even closer. The fact that she was fighting back a bit made it even hotter for him. The struggle made it all the more sweeter when he conquered her and had his way with her. The more he pushed, the more she resisted. "Stop," she whispered, holding him at his shoulders. That prude nature of hers was just too much for him, such a virgin. He could just eat her up.
Suddenly, he felt his eldest brother toss and roll over to him, throwing his arm and leg over his younger brother's body. Ichimatsu's immediate reaction was to stiffen and lurch his back to avoid his backside touching his eldest brother's frontside. He released his grip on Yukibo, and she slid out of bed, hurrying over to the bathroom. Damn it, he wanted to mess around with her for just a bit more before she went in, at least a morning kiss. Osomatsu was always getting in his way with his stupid antics. There was a bit of strength to the grip of it, like there was intent, like Osomatsu was purposefully holding him down.
"LET GO OF ME!" Ichimatsu yelled, elbowing the face of his eldest brother. The sudden noise woke up the rest of the groggy brothers in the hotel room.
"OW! What the hell, you piece of shit! I was sleeping!" the eldest yelled out.
Ichimatsu stood up on the bed. "You freak, you think by acting like that you could stop her from loving me?" the fourth brother snapped.
The eldest shrugged, as he sat up, "She was pretty quick to hurry to the bathroom, don't you think? I'm pretty sure I wasn't the reason. I was still sleeping after all."
"YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE! If you were still sleeping, how the hell did you know she took off to the bathroom?" the younger brother argued.
The older brother sneered, "We're here, she's not, and the shower is on. It's called thinking."
The fourth brother gritted his teeth so hard, he started talking through them, "Don't mock me. You all told me from the very beginning that you were all here to stop me from graduating." His anger then turned smug, "But I still have one more day."
"Do you even know what today is?" the eldest asked.
The fourth brother grinned widely, "Today is the day all of you bastards go home, and more importantly, it's the day I graduate from being a virgin." He was laughing, almost maniacally, "You know, if it turns out as amazing as I know it will be, I may be able to share some details once I'm home."
His brothers glared in disgust and jealousy as Ichimatsu cheered and celebrated that his brothers were finally leaving. He was so thrilled by it that he was dancing on the bed and mockingly sang about how happy he was that his brothers were leaving and that there was nothing getting in the way of him graduating anymore.
He spouted,
" Getting laid tonight,
Can't cockblock me anymore,
I'm a real man, now. "
Seriously, a haiku? And the same time, Ichimatsu's dancing was eerily similar to the macarena, but with more pelvic thrusts, trying to rub it in his brother's face about how great his first time would be.
The eldest sighed loudly like he was over-acting, "You're right. You've bested us, Ichimatsu. I got sooo cocky with the poker game last night. Had I not done that, we would have still had all our money and finished the vacation with you guys."
Ichimatsu laughed, "Yeah, you dumbass. You forgot that my girlfriend is a genius, and she saw right through you. But hey, you got bits of her clothes off, so I guess I can thank you for that, big brother."
The eldest sighed again, still over-acting, "Looks like we don't have enough money to take the train back." Ichimatsu froze.
"Oh no," the fourth brother sneered, "You can't play that card on me. I'll personally give you money for the train. You're all going home today, and I'm finally going to be alone with her."
"Ah, man," the eldest shrugged, still over-acting, "Looks like some of Yukibo's genius rubbed off on you. You saw right through me."
"Why are you still talking like that? I know you still have some trick up your sleeve," the younger brother snarled, "Oh, I know. You're planning on buying tickets to come to Aoshima with us instead of going back to Tokyo. I got you, now. Even though you all don't have any money, you still think Yukibo will continue to pay for all of you. No way. I won't let any of you touch anymore of her money. I'll be there to make sure you buy a one-way ticket straight to Tokyo."
"Sheesh, Ichimatsu, why are you so paranoid?" Choromatsu yawned.
Karamatsu got up, "This is a day to celebrate! There's plenty of time to go back to Tokyo afterwards."
Ichimatsu commanded, "All of you, get dressed right now. We're going to go get your tickets!"
"Now?" Todomatsu asked.
"But don't you kno-" Jyushimatsu tried to bring up, but he got a look from his eldest brother, telepathically telling him to keep quiet.
"YES, NOW!" the fourth brother demanded.
The sextuplets were rushed to get ready and were forced out of the hotel room with their luggage by the fourth brother. Ichimatsu had them pack so quickly that they were not even able to close their luggage by the time they exited the hotel. Even Yukibo was still showering by the time they left.
Like a power-drunk sergeant, Ichimatsu had his brothers follow behind him in a single file line, yelling and getting in their faces whenever they tried stepping out of it. Just to get him to shut up, his brothers unwillingly followed his commands. Obedience always gave him such a rush; he just relished being in complete control. And through that, he started getting more arrogant.
"All I can imagine is the things I'm going to do to her the moment all of you are out of my way. It's all I can think about: all of her pink parts, her smell, her juices, and the faces she'll make when I mess her up," their fourth brother salivated, "I don't even want to go Aoshima anymore. I just want to stay in the hotel with her and make a real woman out her." None of his other brothers were guilt-free of this kind of talk, but they knew Yukibo, and hearing such disgusting dribble from her own boyfriend was just all in bad taste. It made the rest of them look just as disgusting as he was.
The eldest piped up, "Hey, Ichimatsu, just cool it. You're making an ass of yourself."
"WHO SAID YOU CAN TALK?" Ichimatsu snapped at him, quieting his eldest brother and forcing the other four to wince, "All of you are better off just shutting the hell up! Telling me to 'cool it'? That's some shit you brought. IS IT THE FACT THAT I'M FINALLY GOING TO BE A MAN THAT ALL OF SUDDEN YOU WANT ME TO SPARE THE DETAILS OF HOW I'M GOING TO HAVE SEX WITH HER? HELL NO! WASN'T IT PART OF OUR 'AGREEMENT'? RIGHT? BIG BROTHER OSOMATSU? You're lucky I'm gracious enough to tell you how I'm going to make her beg for me." His eldest brother grimaced, and the public was beginning to stare at the sextuplets thanks to their depraved fourth brother. Holy Hell, they somehow made an even bigger monster out of him during this trip, a monster like nothing they had witnessed before. None of them, not even Osomatsu, ever thought he could turn into something so vile. "FOR ONE WHOLE WEEK, IN FULL DIRECT CONTACT WITH HER, I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET OFF," Ichimatsu roared, but then in a calmer yet darker tone, he added, "Then again, that just means I have a week's worth of love to put in her." Disgusting. "Big brother Ichimatsu, you can skip all that, really. I don't think I want to-" Todomatsu spoke up politely, but his fourth brother shut him up again.
Ichimatsu screamed out, seeming so oblivious of those around him, but perhaps, he was just that far gone. "You're all going to listen to every detail of it, because that's all you're going to get! I don't even know how I've managed to last this long being near a body like hers. She's so plump and succulent, just from the way her tight clothes makes the dips on her body. I just want to submerge in her and claim every part of her. I'm going to have the real thing! I'm going to graduate first! I'm going to be a full-fledged man! I'm going to have real sex with her, and it's going to be hot, wet, and messy!"
Choromatsu blurted out, "For crying out loud, Ichimatsu, have some god damn respect for her!"
"ALL SIX OF US ARE WAY PAST THAT!" the fourth brother shouted, putting his ashamed third brother in place, "She knows we're all perverts, and best of all, she doesn't mind that her boyfriend is a major pervert. I can be as dirty as I want with her, and I know she wants that from me. After all, it'll be her first time, too. She'll need me to guide her, and, man, do I have knowledge in that. She wants me to touch her, kiss her, wave my cock in front of her. Under all that prude behavior is a woman begging for a pervert like me to show her how to have sex. She'll love it, and she'll develop a taste for it. I can do whatever I want to her, and she'll want it."
Jyushimatsu cried out, "Big brother Ichimatsu, you don't mean any of that right? You don't really think that of her, right?"
"You all were there when she saw my erection. She was complete unfazed, and I bet she would've welcomed it if none of you were there. She's been so irresistible lately, the way she fights back a bit every time I move a little closer. Isn't it cute? How she acts so scared of me but is begging for me at the same time? She's such a tease. I love that about her," he said as he darkly giggled to himself at the thought of it, "She even said it herself that she was ready for me, but I was so focused on getting rid of you assholes that I nearly botched this trip. Not anymore! I'm finally getting rid of you five, and I'll be heading back to the hotel and claiming my prize."
"You're disgusting, Ichimatsu!" Karamatsu spat out.
Ichimatsu sneered, "Huh? Think you can be cocky and look down on me just because you got to spend a few hours alone with my girlfriend?"
"We shouldn't leave her alone with you!" the second brother argued, "You're not thinking straight!"
"I WONDER WHO'S TO BLAME FOR THAT? COULD IT BE MY OWN BROTHERS, TRYING TO MAKE ME LOOK LIKE MONSTER IN FRONT OF YUKIBO? GOOD JOB, GUYS! YOU MADE A MONSTER OUT OF ME, AND THAT'S WHAT SHE GOING TO SEE!" Ichimatsu yelled loudly, making an even worst spectacle out of himself and his brothers, "You guys are forgetting that she doesn't care that I'm a monster, because she loves me regardless."
Karamatsu wanted to snap back at him, but he was held back by his eldest brother. Osomatsu had that look in his eyes: he was livid, absolutely disgusted with Ichimatsu, but they would get him later. This whole talk revealed the truth that the eldest sextuplet had been trying to tell them all this time, that Ichimatsu had never changed. He was only spoiled rotten by her.
The fourth sextuplet bought first train ticket back to Tokyo for his brothers and shoved it into each of their hands. Luckily for him, the first train would arrive within the hour, and he could finally be rid of them.
He had a nasty grin on his face, "This is the first time that I've been happy since you assholes crashed our trip. But I know I'll get happy again once I'm inside her." His brothers could not even look at him; they were so ashamed of him. Ichimatsu fished for his phone in his coat pocket, "I better tell her the good news. I bet the moment I'm back in the hotel room, she'll be sprawled and waiting for m-" He stopped himself, as he felt his phone vibrating in hand. Yukibo was calling him, and he grinned from ear to ear. "Looks like we're even connected spiritually even though our bodies aren't, yet," he laughed, and answered the phone, "Ah, Yukibo, I took care of it all! My brothers will be completely out of the way, and it can finally just be the two of u- Huh? I-I left my phone on vibrate. I didn't feel it on the way here." Ichimatsu held the phone at a distance from his ear. His brothers could hear her yelling at the other end, despite the background noise of the station being rather loud. However, watching Ichimatsu shrivel up as she berated him brought them great joy. He replied to her, whimpering, "I-I didn't mean to make us miss the ferry. I-i-i-it just completely slipped my mind. I w-wanted to make sure my brothers were gone. I'm sorry, Y-Yukibo. No, really, I am. P-please, please, don't be mad at me anymore. I'll make it up to you, I promise! We can do other things today. Just you wait, I'll surprise you!" He winced as she hung up on him, and the look on his brothers' smug faces like they had the last laugh made his blood boil. As much as he wanted to lash out at them once more, he had already given them too much of his focus. He needed to return to the person who deserved it more.
"I'm not wasting anymore time here. My woman needs me," the fourth brother spat and hurried out of the station. The five brothers waited till he was out of sight before mobilizing out of the station as well.
Ichimatsu made it back to the hotel and meekly opened the door to their room. "Yukibo? I'm back," he squeaked out and saw her sitting on edge of the bed away from him. He could tell her arms were crossed, and she would not greet him or even look at him on his return. Meekly, he took a seat beside her, and she still would not look at him. "Please don't be mad at me. It's the last time they'll ever come between us ever again. We can finally have our time now," he spoke up, but she was still not saying anything to him, "We don't need to go to Aoshima. My brothers took up so much of this trip. Isn't it nice that it's finally just us two, now?" He leaned in to embrace her, but she stood up to dodge his approach.
She turned to face him standing. "I wanted to go to Aoshima," she said bluntly.
He stood up with her. "There are plenty of other times we can go to Aoshima. We can go during another trip," he tried to barter, "Well, we could even try to extend this trip. Hell, why not another week? Just to make up for the fact that my brothers ruined this week for us."
"I have to get back to school, Ichimatsu!" she snapped at him.
He argued, "But you're a genius! So what if you miss a week? You're already months ahead of the class! Even if it causes a stir within the administrative board, you're paying so much money they wouldn't dare reprimand you for missing class. You can practically buy your medical license!"
"How can you say that to me? You think I don't work hard for my education?" she yelled out.
He backtracked, "Of course, I know you're working hard. I didn't mean it like that really. I'm saying that it'll be easy- n-no, not like that. Damn it, I'm talking too much. I'm just stumbling on my words because I don't want you to be mad at me anymore! I need you, Yukibo. I just wanted to be alone with you. This was our trip!"
She looked away from him, taking a deep breath. "I need some time to myself. I'll be downstairs for a bit," she told him, trying to make her way towards the door, but he stopped her by putting his hand on her arm.
"W-wait, wait! Don't leave. Let's work this out, Yukibo. I'm here now, and it's just us two from here on out. Let's not be separated again," he pleaded with her, "I messed up. I'm just saying whatever comes to me and not really putting much thought into it. It's because I just want to be here with you. I don't want to keep using my brothers as an excuse, but I finally have you here alone. This is all I've wanted. Just the two of us. Please stay with me."
She took another deep breath, tucking her hair over her ear before facing him, "Okay, what are we going to do today then?"
A relieved smile crept onto his face, "Let's just stay here in this room and make up for the lost time we had." The hand he had on her snaked behind her as his other hand followed. "We can start by just holding each other," he urged her, but she was being a bit resistant. She backed from him, but he continued his pursuit until he had her against the wall. "You're so cute, Yukibo," he grinned, "You know me so well."
Her voice was shaking, as she held up her arms against him to hold him back, "I-Ichimatsu."
"You know that I like a bit of push back," he whispered as he pinned her against the wall.
"I'm not ready," she said as she tensed up once he pushed his body against hers. She even jerked her face away to avoid kissing him.
He only chuckled darkly, "Are you scared? Such a virgin. Don't worry, I'll take care of you. It'll barely hurt, I promise. Just trust me and let me take care of it." He kissed her cheek and grabbed at the bottom of her sweater to pull it up.
Immediately, she grabbed his hand, tucking her face down, "Please."
"You're so cute. I can't hold back anymore, Yukibo," he breathed heavily, "I want you."
There was polite knocking on their door, and as irritating as it was, Ichimatsu tried to ignore it, hoping that whoever was on the other side would get lost. The polite knocking quickly became abrupt banging which put him on edge. If it's another fucking muscle man… He released Yukibo and marched towards the door, ready to scream at whoever was trying ruin his moment with her. When he opened the door, the door swung even further open by the force on the other side, and the people just shoved him aside as they barged in carrying gifts, balloons, and a chocolate cake.
"HAPPII BAASUDEE, IVIE!" his five brothers cheered, leaving Ichimatsu on the ground completely drained of color. He had no idea. It felt like time slowed down as each of his brothers congratulated her on her 24th birthday. She was so happy that she was reduced to tears.
"I thought you all forgot," she whimpered as she rubbed her eyes, as if what happened just moments ago never happened.
"How could we?" the eldest grinned, rubbing the bottom of his nose, "You've been wonderful to all of us."
"You have a gentle heart," Karamatsu smirked.
"The most understanding and responsible," Choromatsu beamed.
"Super funny and honest!" Jyushimatsu cheered.
"And always willing to help out!" Todomatsu smiled.
"I mean, we're just NEETs, but we're not monsters who wouldn't know your birthday. Right, Ichimacchan?" the eldest peered over with a menacing leer to his fourth brother.
Quaking, the fourth brother laughed, "You'd think I forget my own girlfriend's birthday? What do you take me for?"
"Well, it's her birthday and also another anniversary as well," the eldest brought up. Ichimatsu still had no clue, "Want a hint, Ichimacchan?"
The fourth brother was acting on pure instinct at this point. The hole he had dug himself in was so deep he could barely see the light above him. If Yukibo found out he never learned her birthday or whatever the other anniversary was, he would never lose his virginity to her. Hell, she would just up and leave him. How could he have let himself get to this point?
All he could do was shift the topic, "You should be on your way to Tokyo by now! Did you come back to ruin my last day with her?"
"We exchanged the tickets for a later time. We didn't want to miss her birthday! You only turn twenty-four once," the eldest grinned, and rubbed the top of her head, "I hate your youth, you brat."
"Eat it, old man," she giggled, causing the rest of his brothers to laugh.
Ichimatsu stared at the laughing group, full of shock and hatred. His brothers were laughing like they had the last laugh again, mocking him and relishing in his failures. But, he could still salvage this. He just had to think quickly.
"Did you bring forks and plates?" she asked, looking through the bag that the cake was carried in.
"Ah, we forgot!" Jyushimatsu shrugged.
She smiled, "No worries! I'll go downstairs and ask for some from room service. Be right back." She hurried out, and Ichimatsu was quick to turn towards blind rage once she left.
"YOU ALL FUCKED ME!" he yelled.
All five had a smug look on their face as they mimicked his dance from earlier this morning. They had even prepared their own haiku:
" Ha, not getting laid,
You cockblocked yourself, dumbass,
You're still a virgin. "
His was blood was magma at this point. She would be gone for a bit, and this was her boyfriend's only chance to salvage something of this situation. Attacking his brothers was pointless no matter how much he wanted to ring each of their necks. He had to focus on his girlfriend, and appeasing her was the only way for him to finally be one with her in bed. Only one thing came to mind: he needed a gift, and as much as he thought about offering his body as one to her, he knew it would be an awkward gift. Since his brothers were so adamant about sabotaging him, he could do the same.
"Quick," he snarled at them, "One of you, give me your gift."
"Huh? What?" Choromatsu nearly laughed, clasping his gift tightly.
"It's your own damn fault you didn't know today was her birthday!" Todomatsu spat, hiding his behind his back.
"You don't even realize that today was also the day we first met her as kids!" Karamatsu scolded, tucking his under his arm. The fourth brother grimaced; all those years ago, when he found her at that playground all alone, it was her birthday as well? Today was such a critical day, and he had no idea. How could he fix this? How could he make this right? How could he guarantee that she would lay with him tonight?
"You're not weaseling your way out of this one," the eldest said in a serious tone.
His brothers were firm on not letting go of their birthday gift to her. All Ichimatsu had was his partner, Jyushimatsu. He demanded, "Jyushimatsu, I need you to hand your gift over to me."
"B-but, Big brother Ichimatsu," the younger brother frowned, "I bought this for her."
"I'm her boyfriend! I need to give her something, or she'll be angry with me! Hurry, Jyushimatsu! Give it to me!" he ordered.
"Hey, Jyushimatsu. Go ahead and give it to him," Osomatsu said, patting his back.
"But," the fifth brother pouted but was assured by his eldest brother. He gave the round gift to Ichimatsu, and finally the fourth brother felt relieved. He had a gift, and he could still salvage this.
Yukibo was quick to return and brought plates and forks for everyone. They brought her five candles to put on the cake, each of a different color: red, blue, green, yellow, and pink. Once the candles were lit, they sang her a birthday song, she blew out the candles, and they celebrated and congratulated her once again. As Jyushimatsu tried slicing the cake into seven equal pieces, Karamatsu was the first to hand her his gift. It was a small CD-shaped gift, wrapped in sparkling blue wrapping paper. When she opened it, she was more surprised by the CD's content than the fact that the gift was a CD. It was an assortment of classic J-rock hits. She was thrilled and could not wait to play it at home!
"It made me think of you, Ivie," Karamatsu said as he brushed his hair, "I hope you think of me whenever you listen to it."
She grinned from ear to ear, "It's wonderful, Kara. Thank you!" She held out her arms, looking like she wanted a hug. Karamatsu indulged her, although it felt more like he was indulging himself. It was so warm, and it felt so right, so much so that he felt robbed when she pulled away.
"Here's my gift!" Todomatsu cheered. His pink present was in a small flat box, and when she opened it, she was surprised to see an assortment of chocolate sweets: white chocolate, dark chocolate, nutty centers, and even berry fillings.
"I love these! How did you know?" she grinned.
"Lucky guess," he winked.
"Thanks, Todomatsu," she smiled, and ready herself to hug him as well. He had hugged girls before, but hugging Yukibo felt a bit different. This was what it must have felt like to hug someone you felt a connection towards. It was nice.
"Yukibo, t-this is my gift. I hope you'll like it," Choromatsu gulped. His gift did not seem much under all that green wrappings, plus it was book-shaped. After opening it, she stared at the cover for the first volume of My Sad Friend. On the cover were two girls, drawn like any other big-eyed bishoujo girls, one embracing the other. "It's a great story. I think you'll enjoy it a lot!" he vouched. She read the synopsis on the back and went quiet for a bit. The third brother was worried that maybe she was not into light novels.
She looked up to him, tucking her hair behind her ear with a sweet smile, "I think I'll really enjoy this book. I really like sad stories." Choromatsu felt like he could breathe again. "Just curious, Choromatsu. Do you know what happens at the end of this? I don't mind spoilers, really," she asked him.
"I, uh, haven't read the last volume yet," he answered, "But I heard that the ending was bittersweet."
She smiled, and hugged him, "I can't wait to find out. Thank you." He felt warmth, but it was different, different from shaking hands with an idol. It felt real, like she genuinely appreciated him, that she saw worth in him. He wished he could hold her forever, but by the time he could wrap his arms around her, she had already pulled away. It was for the best.
"Here, Ivie," the eldest presented his red gift. His gift was a simple beige plush bear with a red bowtie and holding a red heart. The plush heart had a zipper behind it.
"What's in here?" she asked as she dug around.
He paused and shrugged, "Eh, nothing."
She paused and scoffed, as she zipped it back up, "I half expected a condom or something."
He whined, "Damn! That would've been hilarious!"
"Thanks," she smiled, and the two hugged each other. It was rather intense; both her and the eldest were squeezing tightly. All of her previous hugs had been brief, but this one seemed longer. Even when they finally let go of each other, his hands were still on her arms, before he finally pulled them back and stuffed them into his hoodie pockets. Perhaps, they were just that close as friends.
"Y-Yukibo, here's my gift," Ichimatsu said as he held up a round yellow gift. Jyushimatsu grimaced as she took his present from his fourth brother. She opened it and was confused by its content. Inside was just a regular baseball. Ichimatsu's felt his stomach churn at the sight. No wonder the eldest was telling Jyushimatsu to give up his gift. He fell right into the trap. "Y-you like baseball, right?" he tried to salvage.
"Did you steal Jyushimatsu's gift?" she asked him bluntly.
"W-w-what are you-" he stammered but got cut out by his younger brother.
"Yeah. That was my present for you, Yukibo. Big brother Ichimatsu didn't even know it was your birthday today," the fifth brother revealed, causing his older brother to lose all color in his face.
Ichimatsu was sweating profusely and stammering uncontrollably, "O-O-OF C-COURSE I DID! I-I'm your b-b-boyfriend a-after a-all!" He was ruined. She saw right through his lie and walked away from him and towards the fifth brother. "Y-Yukibo! Wait," he pleaded, but he was practically dead to her at this point. But, he did not want to give up. Not yet.
The fifth brother was relieved that Yukibo was able to catch his brother's lie. She really was smart; she knew him so well already. "I wanted to be close friends with you like Big brother Osomatsu and Big brother Karamatsu were, so I got you a ball so that we can play baseball together soon!" he explained, scratching the back of his head.
"Yukibo, hear me out, please!" Ichimatsu pleaded with her, but she ignored him.
"Aww," she smiled, "Jyush." There was something so endearing to hear her shorten their name with a strong American accent. He tried mimicking her but could not help adding the extra vowel at the end. She hugged him, patting his back, "We'll play baseball real soon."
"I'm sorry, please don't shut me out," the boyfriend continued to plead, but it fell on deaf ears. It was as if he was no longer in the room. It was just his brothers and Yukibo.
Jyushimatsu beamed, lifting her up in a strong hug, "I can't wait!" He set her back down gently, and she was smiling as widely as he was.
"Yukibo!" Ichimatsu yelled and reached out for her, but she smacked his arm away.
She glared intensely at him, "I'm in no mood to deal with you. You can't even imagine how upset I am right now."
"That's why we need to talk this out now," he demanded.
"It's my birthday, and I'm going to celebrate it with the people who want to celebrate it with me," she spat.
He raised his voice, "I DO want to celebrate it with you! But, it should just be US! None of them should be here! I wanted us to be happy!"
"You keep saying 'us', but all you only mean 'you'. You don't care about what I feel," she argued.
She was wrong. She was everything to him. Of course, he cared about her feelings; he loved her to death. Why was she taking it so negatively? All he wanted was to give her his body, and make her feel good! Everything he had been trying to do was all for her, to show her how much he loved her, how much he wanted to be with her. If only she could just see that his brothers had completely sabotaged him. THEY crashed their trip. THEY made a monster out of him. THEY lusted after her. THEY threw him out of the loop about her birthday. How was he supposed to fight, five against one? He begged God that she would take his side just once more, even if it was for the last time. "OF COURSE, I DO!" he yelled, "I KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU FEEL! YOU'RE JUST TAKING OUT ON ME BECAUSE OF MY BROTHERS!"
The five brothers stared wide-eyed at the volatile scene, wondering when it would be a good time to stop them. Perhaps, it was about time she told him what was on her mind before they could pull them apart. Yukibo glared intensely at Ichimatsu, "You disgust me." The fourth sextuplet felt something snap the moment she said that. "I can't be here anymore," she scoffed, and rushed past him towards the door.
He messed up by spewing horrible things he never wanted to say. She was getting further and further from him, and if he did not do something, he would lose her. God damn it, he will not lose her again. In a blur, he beat her to the door, holding it closed to prevent it her leaving.
"I won't let you leave," he told her. All five of his brothers got on edge, knowing this was turning dangerous.
"Hey, Ichimatsu, calm down. Let her leave," Karamatsu told him.
"NO, I WON'T!" he yelled, holding the door firmly shut.
"You can't force her to stay here, Big brother Ichimatsu!" Todomatsu shouted.
"We'll stay here forever if we have to," he said through his teeth.
"Don't do this. You're making it worse the longer you hold out," Choromatsu tried to reason.
"I won't let her leave until we fix this!" he cried out, "Until she loves me again!"
"Big brother Ichimatsu, she's not leaving leaving. She needs a bit of time for herself. She'll be back, right, Yukibo?" Jyushimatsu acted out, looking over at her.
Ichimatsu stared up at her, nearly at the brink of tears, hoping she would agree with Jyushimatsu. She had a sharp and cold look in her eyes, and it pierced him like icicles were impaling him. If they were not so erotic, he would have been terrified of her.
"Get out of my way," she commanded in a fierce tone.
He would not budge. His heart was a mess; pain, guilt, panic, anger, hatred, and lust. With his mind practically melting and his heart completely out of line, he could not figure out what to do anymore, except whatever came first. All he wanted was to keep her here, but she continued to defy him. She moved closer to the door, trying to shove past him, and out of pure selfish instinct, he grabbed her by the upper arms. He was under so much stress that he squeezed it painfully tight, causing her to yelp out.
"ICHIMATSU!" his brothers yelled out in absolutely shock. His arms would not let go of her. He just could not think straight; he just wanted her to stay.
Before he could even realize what he had done, he felt something yank him by the collar of his shirt. He turned to look and saw his brutally pissed off eldest brother with a murderous face and a fist to follow. Osomatsu clocked Ichimatsu so hard in the face that the fourth brother lost his vision for a few seconds after letting the girl go.
"Oso," he heard her exclaim and watched her blurrish figure jump into his eldest brother's figure. When his vision came back in one of his eyes, she was in his arms, and he was holding her like he was her protector, and Ichimatsu was some monster he had defeated.
The fourth brother slowly got up, and the eldest shoved her into the bathroom and blockaded the door with his body. "I didn't mean it," Ichimatsu pleaded, holding his hurt face, "I just want to tell her I didn't mean it."
"You're not getting in here," the eldest warned.
"Let me talk to her," he pleaded once more, getting closer to his eldest brother. The rest of his brothers dogpiled him, immobilizing him. His head was spinning way too much for him to fight back. "Let me make this right," he pleaded to his eldest brother again.
"This trip is over," the eldest brother announced, "We're all going home. That includes you, Ichimatsu."
"Please," Ichimatsu began to cry, "I messed up. Let me fix this."
"You. Have done. Enough," the older brother made clear, "We. Are going. Home."
"YUKIBO!" Ichimatsu sobbed loudly, "YUKIBO! LET ME FIX THIS, PLEASE!" His brothers tried covering his mouth, but he kept fighting, jerking his head away. "PLEASE, LOVE ME AGAIN! I'LL DO BETTER!" It was so gut-wrenchingly pathetic to see their fourth brother in this state, sobbing like a little boy. "YUKIBO, PLEASE!" he cried out, "I'M SORRY!"
Osomatsu felt the door open a bit behind him. She was peeking out, which shocked him. "No, Ivie, don't come out until we're gone," he warned her, "We're all going to get Ichimatsu out of here."
"No, let me take it from here, now," she said to him, "It's better if it comes from me and only me."
"Are you crazy? Look at him! I wouldn't trust him alone with you even if you paid me," the eldest argued.
"Do you trust me at least?" she asked him.
He gulped and then scoffed, "Yeah, I do." He stepped aside, letting her get out.
"Big brother Osomatsu, are you nuts, letting her out while he's still here?" Todomatsu yelled.
"If he does anything to you, I'm the first to know. Promise?" Osomatsu said as he held out his pinky.
She stared at his hand, and then hooked her pinky around his, "Promise."
"Let him go," the eldest told the rest of his brothers.
"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" Karamatsu snapped.
"Big brother Ichimatsu isn't his normal self right now!" Jyushimatsu pleaded.
"Let him go. We're going home," the eldest commanded, and his brothers reluctantly released their fourth brother, "Ichimatsu, if you want to do the right thing with Ivie, you will come home with us right now."
"No," he shook his head, "I-I need to make this right." He groggily got up, his left eye getting more discolored as time passed. Even with a hurt eye, Yukibo looked so beautiful, alluring, and tantalizing. Focus, damn it. She gave him this chance, this one shot to make it all right, because she loved him, and she wanted him. Look how easily she convinced his brothers to leave them all alone. There was still a chance. He could still have her.
His brothers left the room one by one, the eldest being the last to leave. He lingered at the door for a bit, absolutely hesitant to leave her alone with his brother. "You promised me, okay, Ivie?" he reminded her.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," she assured him in English. None of his brothers knew what she said, but the eldest brother must have been familiar with it somehow, since he just smiled and left.
Once the door closed behind him, Ichimatsu made a move, trying to get closer to her, "Yukibo."
"Don't," she commanded holdings her hands out, "Don't come any closer to me. Stay right where you are."
He froze still, and tears were still streaming down his cheek uncontrollably, his feelings mixed with sadness, rejection, and awe. His vision was still hazy, but his sights on Yukibo was as clear as day. In fact, all he could see was her, somewhat glowing within the blurred hotel room. How does she still look like a Goddess even when she was so livid with him? He had never wanted her more than he did right then an there. She was someone who saw him as a disgusting monster, yet she provided him with the privilege of being in her presence. How blessed he was.
"You're perfect," he told her, "You're everything I could ever want. You mean everything to me."
"You told me that before," she deflected. His Goddess was not pleased. What else could she want? He already devoted himself to her. What more could he do?
"I'm unburnable trash," he blabbed, "But, I need you. I'll die if you don't love me back."
"I already heard all that, too," she deflected again, "If that's all you have to say, then I'm going home." God damn it, what did she want? Did she not know what a stupid man he was?
"Just tell me what you want me to say," he pleaded with her, "I'll do anything. Just tell me! Stop running circles around me, and just tell me!" Of course, she would not accept that response. She broke her gaze from him and moved towards her luggage. "Yukibo!" he shouted, "Yukibo, just tell me! Please!" She gathered her things and zipped up her luggage. "Please! Yukibo!" he cried out, "Help me please!" She finally stopped and faced him, a bit surprised. That was it. He needed help in more ways than one. His eldest brother was right; he had not changed one bit since the beginning. To this day, he was still the monster he hated himself over. He needed help; he needed Yukibo's help. "I need help, Yukibo," he pleaded with her, "I don't know what I'm doing or what I'm feeling anymore. Help me, please." He fell hard to his knees, facing the hard floor, feeling so vulnerable to finally admit it. All he could do was cry and whimper, his heart feeling like a million tiny pieces. And then, scooped up all once by two angelic hands, he felt Yukibo's warmth wrap around his body as she held him in a tender embrace.
"I'll help you," she promised him.
He clasped at her body holding it tightly against his. It was like a high, numbing the pain of facing his fragility through her understanding. Of course, because she loved him. She had loved him for eighteen years. How stupid was he to constantly forget and challenge it? Did he want to lose her kindness and love? Did he want to lose her warmth? Did he want to lose how amazing her body felt in his arms? Did he want to lose how delicious her kisses were? No. Of course not.
Ichimatsu smashed his lips against hers. He felt her pull back a bit, but he pulled her in closer. She was already in his clutches; there was no way she could get away. As he pinned her on the ground, his lips still on her, he could feel her legs scramble trying to get free. So cute, watching her struggle and resist him. This was definitely going to help him get off. Once he released her from the kiss, she slapped him hard across the face. It stung, bad, but it was hot. Her defiance was absolutely erotic. He could not get enough of it.
"Hit me again," he told her, breathing heavily.
"STOP IT!" she screamed in her English, which forced him to jump back from her. He thought she was teasing him, but she was flat out rejecting him. How could she? She said she would help him.
"Why won't you have sex with me?" he asked her, "Do you think I'm that disgusting?"
"I told you I'm not ready," she said, pulling her body away from him.
"You've been cold to me all during this trip, and it wasn't even all my fault!" he argued.
"You were insufferable!" she spat, "We couldn't even go five minutes without you getting upset with one of your brothers!"
He pressed, "Do you really love me? Do you, Yukibo?"
"I-" she stopped herself.
"If you love me, then you'll have sex with me. Prove that you love me," he demanded from her as he approached her.
"NO!" she yelled, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"You think I'm disgusting. Just admit it! You won't have sex with me, because you fucking hate me," he accused.
She opened up her luggage, grabbed something inside, and threw it at his face. There were a few feminine hygiene products that fell beneath him. "I'm on my period," she spat.
"Well your mouth isn't bleeding, is it?" he snapped, leaving her absolutely speechless, "I saved your life! I'm your hero! You owe me this! I want to have sex!"
Appalled, hurt, and fed-up, she stood up, grabbed her luggage, and headed towards the door. Without looking at him, she said, "Clearly, I'm no different from a fleshlight to you. I'm going home," and left him in the room alone. He was inconsolably belligerent; his goddess had abandoned him. He just needed some damn release, and she just left him here. How could she say she loved him when she would not even put out for him? She saved herself for him after all these years. What was the point of holding out longer? Women. They never make any sense! He stared intensely at his luggage. He may had been alone, but technically, there was another female in the room.
Finally. His mind felt clearer, his emotions put in line again, rational thought returning. When he looked down, he realized he broke their expensive onahooru, Totoko. He gripped the shaft of it so tightly it deformed the shape of it, and the fleshy rubber was shredded to the point where the texture was completely destroyed. The whole thing was unusable. Damn it. He really was too rough. Had he had his way with Yukibo, she would have been in intense pain. Oh fuck, Yukibo! Finally having his sanity back, he saw in hindsight what a monster he was to her. Frantically, he searched for his phone, maybe he could still catch her and work this out, but he stopped himself. His brothers were right. He had done enough damage. She needed time alone, time away from him and his toxicity. He needed to get away from her so she could heal. No way was this him giving up. This was just him giving her the space she needed, so he could come back and try again. He loved her, and he would do anything for her.
It took him hours to get back home. In fact, he did not make it back to Tokyo until the next morning. He immediately wanted to go see Yukibo first, but something in the back of his mind told him to hold out longer, to give her more time. Besides, he needed to make amends with his brothers. They were right, and he was wrong. He had not changed, and they clearly showed that they cared more about her than he did. He needed to apologize and ask for their help apologizing to her.
"I-I'm home," he spoke up meekly, as he came back home. No one was downstairs to greet him, but he could hear a bit of clamoring upstairs in his room. His brothers were home at least.
He opened the door to his room, and his brothers went dead silent as they saw him. No one knew what to say, except for the eldest sextuplet. "Did she dump your stupid ass yet?" he asked.
Ichimatsu wanted to be truthful, "We're taking a break. I need to give her space, but I still love her. I want her back as soon as possible."
The eldest scoffed, about to say something, but his second brother beat him to it, "You have some fucking balls to say that you love her when you don't know a god damn thing about her."
The fourth brother was suddenly intimidated for the very first time by Karamatsu. He had never seen this side of him before. "I-I know some things," he argued.
"What's her real name?" the eldest asked.
"I-Ivie," he answered meekly.
"Well, good. You have good enough memory to remember the shorthand version of her real name," the eldest mockingly congratulated, "What's her real name?"
Ichimatsu stood their dumbfounded. How could he had spent all those months with Yukibo – Ivie – and not know her real name?
"Ivory," the second brother scoffed. That was the first time he heard that as a name.
"What's her favorite color?" Osomatsu asked.
He had seen her apartment. There were several purple objects, and he had seen her wear purple plenty of times. "It's purple," he answered.
"Wrong," the eldest spat.
"White," Karamatsu corrected again. He realized she had several purple things because those were his gifts to her, or that whenever she picked up something purple, it was her gift to him. Whenever it was just her, she always picked white. How did I miss that?
The eldest then asked, "Next question, what's her favorite animal?"
He wanted to say that it was a trick question, that she loved all animals, but he feared being wrong again. They had already made their point; he did not know enough about her. In fact, he knew practically nothing, and so he was an awful boyfriend. He got it already! Stop with the questioning! He just wanted their help fixing all of this and getting her back! "Cats, no wait, lions," he answered, still believing her spirit animal was a lioness.
"I asked for her favorite animal, not yours!" the eldest yelled, "It's pandas, you stupid sack of shit!" Shit, he had seen her go nuts at that panda souvenir shop in Yokohama. How could he have been so blind?
"Where in America is she from?" the eldest asked, unleashing the Yukibo lightning round on his younger brother.
"I-I don't know," the fourth brother shook his head.
"California," Osomatsu answered, "What music does she like?"
"I don't know…" he sighed, pleading with his eldest brother to just let it go.
"Metal," the oldest brother answered, "What are her hobbies?"
"I don't know!" he cried out again. ENOUGH ALREADY!
"THREE MONTHS, ICHIMATSU! In those three months, you must've seen her do something frequently!" the eldest berated, "I always see her doing one of three things, cooking, reading, or watching something. The best is when she's… no, never mind."
"What? Tell me! So, I can know!" he pleaded.
The eldest thought about it, but yet again, Karamatsu beat him to it, "She loves music! She can sing! It's one of the best things about her!"
Before Ichimatsu could make a response, his eldest brother added, "I bet you've never even seen her dance either!"
Even Karamatsu was taken aback, "She dances?"
A sudden grin crept onto the eldest's face as he shifted his attention to his second brother, "God! It's the best! I could watch her all day!"
The mood shifted as his two eldest brothers talked to each other over his girlfriend like schoolboys with crushes. They had completely thrown him out of the loop and were so engrossed in talking about his girlfriend that they almost forgot he was standing in front of them. Ichimatsu took the moment to catch his bearings and think. It was true that he never heard her sing nor watched her dance. He had seen her cook, read, and watch movies – even though he never equated it to her hobbies – but this was something completely unexpected. Maybe he heard music in her apartment a few times he came over, but she was never singing or dancing. When did they hear her sing or see her dance? God, hearing them talk about her like this, knowing so much about her when he knew nothing made him feel like he was the scum of the earth.
"You made your point," Ichimatsu spoke out, swallowing every bit of his pride. His two eldest brothers remembered that they were scolding their sack of shit fourth brother and focused their glare at him. With that he pleaded, "What can I do to fix this? Help me, you guys, please."
"You want to fix this? Then let her go," Osomatsu advised.
He felt his heart drop, "Anything but that!"
"God, you're selfish," Choromatsu spat.
Todomatsu scoffed, "Still hasn't learned anything."
Jyushimatsu could not even look at his own partner.
Ichimatsu went on his knees and bowed to where his head touched the floor, pleading to them, "Help me. Help me get Yukibo back. Tell me what I could to do. Give me direction. Please. Please!"
"What could you even offer her except for straight poison?" the eldest sextuplet berated, "She was so vibrant, AND YOU FUCKING RIPPED THAT OUT OF HER! EVERY GOD DAMN DAY SHE SPENT WITH YOU, I HAD TO WATCH HER LOSE PIECES OF HERSELF JUST TO HAVE YOU PRETEND YOU WERE CHANGING! YOU DIDN'T CHANGE A GOD DAMN BIT! YOU'RE CHANGING HER INTO YOU! YOU RUINED HER! YOU SACK OF SHIT!"
"Osomatsu," Karamatsu called out to calm him down.
"LET HER GO! IF YOU LOVE HER SO FUCKING MUCH, LET HER GO ALREADY!" the eldest screamed at him.
The younger brothers had never seen their eldest brother scold any one of them at this degree. Osomatsu used to always find ways to tell him to get her back, to fight for her. This was not one of them. He was always such a sneaky bastard all the previous times, but this one time, he had nothing but contempt for him. Why? Did he screw up so badly to where his eldest gave up on him too? Or, had he always been against him from day one? Had always been after her since day one? "Are you telling me to let her go so that you could snatch her from under me?" Ichimatsu asked, "Admit it, already, so I can have some peace of mind."
Osomatsu paused, looking like he caught himself in something. "Who the fuck cares about that?" the eldest berated him more, "In order for me to steal her from you, you have to have had her first. She was never yours to begin with."
"I'm her boyfriend," Ichimatsu said while gritting his teeth.
"Was," the eldest correct.
That was just a huge lie from the biggest liar of all the sextuplets. She had not broken up with him, otherwise, she would have said so already! They were on a break! That was the truth!
"She's a brand-new start at life. She came from another country to give one us assholes a brand-new life. And it had to be you, Ichimatsu," the eldest spat, "Any one of us would've done much better than you with her, but she picked you, because you so happened to be the first one there to find her all those years ago. You had everything, and you squandered it. I couldn't be happier knowing my friend is finally free from you, you pathetic, worthless piece of shit. Do yourself, us, and her a favor: drop it and move on. I'm warning you, Ichimatsu."
Ichimatsu seethed in silence. How dare his eldest brother tell that to him, like he never deserved her or earned her love? Before all of this, when things were good, she truly loved him. That love was real, and there was absolutely no way he could ever go on without it from her. He could earn her love again, but he needed to make changes, actual real changes. The most common solution came to him; he needed a job. With that job came discipline, and with discipline came inner peace. If he could control himself better, he could change himself. He could finally stop being a child throwing a tantrum and become an adult. He was almost thirty years old, and he needed to start acting like one.
Swallowing the last bits of his pride, Ichimatsu promised, "I'll be better. I'll do anything to prove it. Forgive me, Big brother Osomatsu."
His eldest brother sneered, "Yeah, right." Unable to stand being in the same room as his awful fourth brother, the eldest brother coldly sped past him and left the house without mentioning where he was going. His brothers only assumed to blow off some steam at a panchiko parlor or the horse tracks.
"Have you even told her that you loved her? Verbally at the very least?" Karamatsu asked him.
"Ye-" but Ichimatsu stopped himself, realizing that all this time, he had never told her directly that he loved her. He only said to her that he needed her and that he wanted her. What a monster he was.
"Just give it up," the second brother spat at him, and then also took off past him, "I can't back you on this anymore at her expense. She deserves better."
No. No, he would not let it end like this. She never said she gave up on him or that she was leaving him. There was still a chance. They just needed a break. His brothers had every right to be reluctant to help him. He would have to prove to his brothers that he was committed to the change and thus committed to Yukibo. Perhaps a week or two would be enough of a start, and then he could try to crawl his way back into her life again, in small increments. At the very least, she would understand that he was trying, and at the very least, it was all an act of love.