Life As We Know It

by Dark Waffle

He says she's too optimistic for her own good. She says he's too dreary for her liking. When new girl Kurata Sana steps into the life of the mysterious Hayama Akito, she realizes life is not all fairy tales and rainbows and he realizes there is more to life then behind the door of his home.

37. Chapter 37: Sure Thing Falling

A/N: This is probably one of my favorite chapters yet. I had a lot of fun writing this. But, it was also very difficult. I had to take multiple breaks in between because it was getting to stressful trying to create something to perfection. I also think this was a much anticipated chapter as I set it up a long time ago. But, I really hope you all enjoy because I enjoyed it so much :)

Chapter 37: Sure Thing Falling

"Have you told her where we're going yet?" Kurata Sana asked as she practically screamed in his kitchen even after he asked her to keep her voice down. Rolling his eyes, Akito slapped himself internally, knowing he knew better.

"She doesn't even know you're here so keep your damn voice down!" He whispered harshly.

Kurata pouted, folding her arms. Akito shook his head and started brewing a batch of coffee.

They were going to the aquarium today. Ayame just didn't know it yet. Kurata set it up perfectly where she told his younger sister they would go grab lunch later today so Ayame wouldn't make any plans. And Kurata would show up early and surprise her with a day at her most favorite place.

"Aren't you going to ask me if I want any?!" Kurata screeched as she looked at him with her hands on her hips. He sighed roughly, feeling a headache coming on.

"You don't need this." Hayama stated firmly while he poured himself a cup.

"Don't be greedy, Haya-jerk."

God, he hated that nickname.

Even more so than Lone Wolf.

She walked over to this side and without asking, grabbed herself a mug from his shelves and set it right next to his.

Kurata gave him this expected look, like she was waiting for him to do something. Her eyes went back and forth between him and the coffee pot. He sighed loudly.

"Well?"

"No."

She reached towards the coffee pot, across his body, bumping into him multiple times.

"Don't be so stingy! Share!"

"And I said no." Kurata returned his glare as he pierced down at her. Her energy was already endless; he had no desire to see what a caffeinated Kurata Sana looked like.

The former actress crossed her hands in front of her, pouting ridiculously as she huffed away in obvious irritation.

"You are seriously such a fun sucker." Sticking her tongue at him, Akito scoffed.

"I'm not here to be your entertainment." Kurata tried again to grab the coffee pot from his hands but Akito, who easily stood tall against her, lifted it above her head.

Puffing her cheeks in anger, she pouted and frowned at him. He had to swallow the chuckle and resist the smirk looking at her. He found the look on her face as humorous as he did adorable.

Wait.

Akito's mind came to a screeching halt as those words danced around his in head. Kurata was not adorable. Her pouting face was annoying and gave him headaches. Nothing about this girl was close to adorable.

His jaw steeled, sudden irritation encompassing his body. Kurata was too close to him, her smell engulfing his nostrils, her presence irritating him. Just recently, his emotions were all over the place. And his thoughts were trailing to places they hadn't before. And it was happening more often, especially around her.

But there she was looking up at him with her big doe eyes that constantly danced with a burning yet mischievous fire that completely ensnared him. And he felt his throat clamp and his mouth cotton dry and - what the hell was going on with him?

"Sana-chan?"

Thank God.

Akito had never been so thankful for his little sisters and their intrusions.

Kurata forgot about him and their coffee as she peeked around him and smiled slyly at Ayame's sleepy form. She stepped around him and pattered her way to her. Akito put the coffee pot down, taking a shuddering breath.

What the actual fuck was wrong with him?

"What are you doing here so early? I thought we weren't meeting till after lunch?" He could hear his sister ask as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Well… I may be sort of lied?"

"What do you mean?"

Akito felt Kurata nudge him, hard, and he swallowed the nerves and put his perfectly stoic face back together. As intrusive as siblings were, they could be perceptive. He already had Tsuyoshi teasing him about his sudden closeness with Kurata. He didn't need his sister on board too.

"Well, are you going to help me out here?"

The oldest blond turned around to find Kurata staring at him with a questioning look and Ayame staring at the two of them like they were caught making out in the kitchen.

The back of his neck burned with his analogy.

"Kurata planned a trip to the aquarium." He muttered so quickly and avoided his younger sister's gaze to avoid any type of dejection or indignation.

The room was quiet for a moment. He dared a look at his sister. Her eyes were in disbelief, wide eyed and mouth hanging open. It was like all the air was sucked out of the room; the tension so think one could slice it like a hot knife with butter.

Her eyes read so transparent, a mix of grief and surprise swirling together. He wondered for a moment if Ayame ever truly grieved their mother. After the initial shock of her passing, Akito jumped straight into physical therapy. And when physical therapy was completed, that's when the nightmares started, and the voices constantly whispered in his ear. He never gave himself the moment to grieve the loss of his mother.

He wondered if Ayame didn't either.

Would taking her back to the place that once filled her with so much joy bring her too much misery? Was he being cruel? Was he spitting on her face?

It was then that a broken sob brought him back, hands covering her mouth, eyes screwed shut as tears cascaded down her cheeks.

His jaw steeled again, a hard swallow of the frog in his throat. His eyes were sharp on her, watching every tear, feeling the prick in the depths of his heart.

I did this. It's my fault.

"Ayame-chan?" His eyes flickered to Kurata, who walked slowly to her, reaching for her shoulder.

"I- I'm – I'm sor- sorry." She struggled through her broken sobs, a sharp intake of his breath. "I- I don't know wha -what came over me."

His sister was furiously rubbing at her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears that wouldn't leave her. Kurata looked to him with worry but he didn't know what to say or do to make her tears stop.

Should we still go?

Kurata asked with pursed lips as she removed her hand from his sister's hand. He took a deep breath and ignored her silent question as his instincts took him forward. Closing the gap between himself and his sister, Akito reached for the top of her head, pulling her in.

Ayame squealed in surprise as he shoved her into his chest, his hand still resting over the top of her head.

"I know." He muttered, feeling his sister's anguish through her cries.

She circled her hands around his frame and squeezed tightly, burying herself deep in his chest.

It was the first form of physical contact he and his sister had in sister had in years. He almost laughed out loud. He really was an awful brother, wasn't he? He didn't even spare his sister a hug at their mother's funeral.

Bringing her closer, Akito buried her deeper, asking for forgiveness and begging for a chance to move forward.

.

Sana smiled sadly as she watched the shared embrace between brother and sister. She hadn't meant for Ayame to be overwhelmed with grief. Their trip to the aquarium was meant to be nostalgic and fun, but Sana realized what Hayama had warned her against.

Ayame's sadness.

It felt private, this moment between the siblings.

She could probably sneak away, give them their privacy.

But watching Hayama Akito embrace his sister, a look of relief and guilt crossed on his face, it pulled her in. Seeing his vulnerability and the raw emotion painted on him made Sana realize just how much Hayama felt.

People thought him void, thought him cold and heartless. She remembered Hisae and Mami telling her when she first moved that he was not important, to avoid him, to ignore him. She knew Hisae and Mami meant well, but the thought crushed her.

Because even when Sana saw him from afar, even when they were at each other's throats, Sana saw the distance in his eyes. He shielded himself from those who loved him, pulled away all because he felt like he had no right to be happy.

And that crushed her.

Because behind the cold exterior and stoic mask, Hayama Akito was kind. And supportive, and loyal. All the things Tsuyoshi said he was. And so much more.

It wasn't an obvious kindness. But it was subtle in the way he ruffled her head, or pinched her cheeks, or pulled out his headphones to listen to her talk. It was the way he lent Gomi his homework or gave Ayame his jacket when she forget hers. It was the way he helped Aya with their classwork or talk to Fuka even though they weren't speaking to each other. It was the way he picked Tsuyoshi first on his team in PE even though their glass eyed friend wasn't athletically inclined.

It was him hugging his sister fiercely and so apologetically it almost made her cry.

Sana was glad to know him, to be friends with him.

Ayame pulled away first and took a deep breathe, rubbing at her sleepy eyes. The young blonde turned towards her, her eyes glassy and full of pain and… joy? But Sana didn't have much time to think on it as she was enveloped in a strong hug. She looked up at Hayama, but he just shrugged.

"Thank you." The blonde whispered and Sana smiled as she hugged her favorite sibling back.

Eventually she pulled away and took a deep breathe.

"Okay! No more crying!" Sana jumped as Ayame's character did a complete 360. The younger girl was smiling and put her hands at her hips. "I'm going to run upstairs and get ready! I shouldn't be long!"

And up the stairs she went, leaving them in a cloud of dust.

"Wow. I wonder if that's what people meant when they say I'm always leaving with a cloud of dust behind me." Sana rubbed the back of her head with an awkward laugh.

"A lot more obnoxious if you ask me." Hayama replied and Sana felt irritation prick at her.

"Good thing no one asked you." Sticking her tongue out at him, he scoffed and went back to the counter where his coffee was sitting.

There was silence for a moment, something unusual for her. Silence made her extremely uncomfortable and left too much space for her thoughts to travel. And her thoughts found the voices of her past, which filled the empty sounds around her.

And the voices weren't always happy and joyous. They were sad and somber, miserable and agonizing. And when she started down that road, it was damn near impossible to get her out of it. Her skeletons were so loud, rattling and shaking against the closet door. The boney fingers propped the door open against her hold and she could hear different voices from the empty jaw, screaming, yelling, accus –.

"Here." Something cold was pressed against her cheek and Sana looked up, so abruptly shaken out of her thoughts.

Hayama was holding an iced coffee can, his face lazy and bored.

"What happened to no coffee?" Sana teased as she grabbed the can from his hands, and he sighed.

"You were going to pester me either way."

With a snarky smile, she opened the coffee can and sipped happily, humming a random song while she sat at one of their bar stools. He took a spot across the table and Sana took that as an invitation to speak and so she did.

They were in the middle of a conversation about a mongoose versus a cobra when Ayame came back down stairs.

"Seriously? So, who wins?"

"The Mongoose of course!" She exclaimed loudly as the three teens stepped out of the house, Hayama locking the door behind him.

"Yeah, okay. A mongoose winning against a Cobra? You're on one, Kurata." Hayama countered but Sana wasn't having any of his mockery.

"You think just because it's a reptile with poison that it wins?" She asked, clearly exasperated.

But when she turned to argue the point, both Hayama siblings were looking at her with pointed looks, though Akito's said "are you an idiot?" versus Ayame's "oh Sana-chan." Either way, she was offended both ways.

"I'm not even going to answer that stupid question." Hayama pulled in front of her and Ayame, clearly annoyed by her morning pestering.

"I think a Mongoose would do great against maybe a bunny?" Ayame chimed in, arms behind her back. She was wearing a simple, ice blue long sleeve shirt and some black jeans with tears at the knees. Her blonde hair fell with natural wavy, curls down her shoulders. She was a very pretty girl.

Sana rolled her eyes. "Ugh, are you kidding me? Yeah, it would definitely win against a bunny!"

"A Cobra would eat both the Mongoose and bunny." Hayama added and Sana shot glares into his back. He was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with two buttons at the top and tan jeans. A simple look but it highlighted his blonde hair and radiated those golden-brown eyes of his.

It was sort of unfair how attractive the Hayama siblings were, Sana thought to herself as she looked down at her blue jeans matched with her a white long-sleeved shirt and her hair half up and down.

"Such a glutton a cobra is." Sana replied and Hayama rolled his eyes.

"The point is that a mongoose doesn't stand a chance." He replied and Ayame giggled.

"Whatever!" And that was the finale of that conversation, but that didn't stop her from jumping to a different topic.

And that was pretty much how every conversation went until they arrived at the aquarium almost an hour later.

They had pulled out of the station and walked a little under a mile towards their place of destination. In their walk, Sana noticed a subtle change in Ayame from this morning. There was a slow in her step, her breathing becoming uneven and her eyes had grown dull. Her pretty face that was lit up this morning was casted in shadows as the building came into view.

Looking over at Hayama, he seemed to notice her change in demeanor as well as he hardened his jaw.

And this brought Sana back the question of whether or not they should have continued this journey. Ayame wasn't the only one affected. Hayama had built memories here with their mother. It bothered her to think she didn't once think about Hayama's own feelings.

How incredibly selfish.

"It looks just like it did the last time we were here." Ayame spoke, her face frighteningly stoic just like her brothers.

Hayama dug his hands deeper in his pockets. The youngest blonde was planted to the floor, her hands curled tightly around the small purse that hung next to her body. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

.

She heard her mother's laughter, see her grabbing both hers and her brother's hands as she dragged them into the aquarium. Ayame saw her mother ruffling her brothers head and hugging her close to her body.

Ayame opened her eyes and took another deep breath. She wrung her hands and kept the insufferable amount of grief at bay in her body.

It was ridiculous for her to act like this, especially when both Sana and her brother had gone out of their way to do something so kind for her. She already had a meltdown this morning. Silly of her to continue her tantrum now. Besides, it was just an aquarium.

"We can still turn around." Her brother's voice floated into her ears and she turned, finding both him and Sana standing behind her. Sana stared at her with a mix of worry and guilt while her brother stared her down with an unreadable look.

Geeze, way to go Ayame. You've got them all nervous now.

She smiled forcefully, shaking her head.

How else was she going to get past this if she continued to let the ghosts of her past weigh her down?

"No, we shouldn't. I need to do this." It sort of surprised her how confident those words sounded when she said them. And she could tell it surprised her brother and Sana as well by the admonished look on their faces.

But her statement was followed by a smile from Sana and a shrug of the shoulders by her brother.

So, she led them towards a place that once brought her so much joy. Her brother had bought their tickets, to the aggravation of Sana who tried to insist buying her own. But her brother being the "gentleman", did something nice for her.

"You can just pay me back by buying me sushi." He said and Sana frowned.

"Are you serious? You didn't buy my ticket out of the goodness of your heart! You just bought it so I could buy you sushi!"

He didn't reply, but the smirk on his lips was enough of an answer. Ayame giggled as she watched Sana grow flustered and attempted to smack her brother over the head with that hammer of hers.

"Your brother is a sniveling and manipulating little jerk!" Sana stated, clearly irritated as she kept shooting daggers at him. The older girl found a spot next to her, and the blonde couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"I think he just enjoys teasing you, Sana-chan." She replied with a giggle as they got in line while Akito went to the bathroom. Sana's face turned red.

Huh. That's new?

"I'd rather he didn't!" Over the top and dramatic as usual, she stomped her foot and looked away, face red. Ayame had never seen that type of reaction from her before. It was… intriguing.

"Didn't what?" Akito came from behind, hands in his pockets, with his bored face on.

Sana nearly jumped out of her skin and moved as far away as she could. He rose a brow and she glared.

"You're so damn weird, Kurata." He rolled his eyes and Sana "hmpf'd," crossing her arms in front of her.

Ayame looked between her brother and Sana and felt like there was weird tension she couldn't explain. It puzzled her, because it definitely hadn't been there before.

"Oi, the tickets." Her brother pulled her out of her thoughts as he tapped her shoulder.

"Oh! Here!" She grabbed them from her purse and gave both Akito and Sana their respective tickets. Sana had said something to her brother, and he responded with another roll of the eyes. He then proceeded to flick her forehead and that made Sana's cheeks red again.

Ayame tilted her head, trying to figure out what was going on in front of her.

The thoughts of her mother and the aquarium were mostly gone by the time they reached the front of the line all due to this intriguing banter between her brother and Sana.

But as the receptionist took her ticket and bowed, telling her to enjoy her time, that aching familiar knot resurfaced into her chest as the memories scorched her. She was 9 years old, running through the aquarium entrance, yelling at her mother to catch her. She was running to the huge pool of water that greeted all guest with a variety of the world's most exotic fish and sea animals.

And her mother was right behind her, yelling after her to be careful and to not run off.

"Ayame honey! Slow down!" Hayama Koharu shouted into the crowd as she sprinted into the crowd, a grin splitting her face in half.

Ayame could see her favorite seat turtle swimming towards the glass of the pool of water that greeted them. She landed right at the glass and waved at her favorite animal.

"Hi, Mr. Turtle!"

"It's not like he can hear you, you know." She turned with puffy cheeks as her dumb older brother took a spot next to her and so causally stated.

What did her big brother know anyway! He didn't know that Mr. Turtle couldn't hear her!

"You don't know that!" She stuck her tongue out at him, crossing her hands.

He scoffed, digging his hands in his pockets. "I do too."

"No, you don't! He waved hi to me, see!" She pointed towards the animal as the fin curved along the makeshift current.

"Don't be stupid. Its swimming with the current of the tank." He stated so matter of flatly that Ayame wanted to punch him. Stupid brothers are know it all's!

"Nah uh!"

"Yes."

"Nah uh!"

"Okay, why don't you both just cut it out right now before I turn us around and take ya both home!" Ayame flinched as their mother showed up right behind them. They both looked at their mother, who seemed annoyed.

"No! Mommy! Please, no!" Ayame begged and she could see the twitch in her mother's eye.

"Then stop your fightin', got it!? And don't run off on me, you dang kids!"

Ayame giggled as the memory finished, her mother grabbing both her and her brother by their ears and dragging them to the bathroom. She was on her best behavior the rest of the trip, not wanting their mom to take them home. Her brother was too.

"What're you laughing at?" Akito's voice was now a tone or two deeper as his raspy little voice was replaced from her memory. She turned to her brother, who was staring at her with calculating eyes.

"I'm just remembering one of the times mom brought us, and I thought Mr. Turtle was waving at me. You told me he wasn't, and I was so mad." Akito looked back up at the glass pool of fish, said sea turtle coming into view. Ayame's smiled, her mouth opening as the familiar face came into view. Just like she did when she was 9 year's old, she put her hands on the glass and couldn't help but laugh.

The sea turtle's fin curved and moved with the current, just like it did all those years ago.

"I think he's saying welcome back." Akito commented, and Ayame looked up to him, smiling brightly.

"Hello, Mr. Turtle!"

And Ayame knew she was receiving odd looks, especially for a 14-year-old girl, but she honestly couldn't help it. That deep, aching feeling in her chest seemed to lift as joy filled her.

"Okay! I got a map of the place!" Sana walked up from behind, clearly not reading the room. She was looking down at the map with concentrated eyes.

"We don't need that." Akito said, but Sana flickered a pointed look at him.

"I'm aware that you don't need it. But I for one, have never been here before, therefore, I, need it." She went back down to her map, muttering something about the sting ray pool and seeing the penguins and seals.

"We have all day, so we can definitely make the best of it! We will see it all!" Ayame looped her arm through Sana's and pulled her. She caught the young, former actress off guard as Sana nearly fell. But both girls laughed as they headed into the first exhibit of the morning.

.

Their first stop was short lived as Kurata grew bored with the jellyfish tanks and glow in the dark animals. He wouldn't exactly have chosen this exhibit to be his first stop, but Kurata insisted they go look at the jellyfish.

"That was kind of boring!" She complained and Ayame laughed.

"There's much cooler parts, I promise." His sister followed and Kurata seemed hesitant at first, but then smiled and nodded her head.

"I'm trusting you, Ayame-chan!" And with her signature grin and thumbs up, he was left to follow behind the two girls. They jumped over to rivers of the world exhibit.

"HOLY MOLY, these things are HUGE." Kurata's mouth dropped as fish the size of her were swimming through the tank.

"I used to think they were so big when I was a kid. And they still seem so big now that I'm older!" Ayame added.

"I wonder if they are any good on sushi." He flinched when he said that, meaning for that to stay in his head.

"Sheesh! Don't you ever think of anything but your stomach!" Kurata patronized him, rolling her eyes. "Such a glutton, I swear."

"I don't think you'd want to eat them, nii-chan. The waters these days aren't too clean. You'd probably get some type of disease." And of course, his sister adding logic to Kurata's dramatic statement.

"Not only that, but what a waste to such an animal!" The hazel eyed girl added and Hayama raised a brow.

"I don't think anyone would be missing that thing." He gestured to the ginormous fish with his thumb. "Besides, that thing is hideous."

Kurata's mouth dropped. "You are so mean! These things have feelings, ya know!?"

"It ends up becoming someone's dinner at the end of the day. Whether it's ours or a bigger animal, that's just the circle of life. Or have you not seen Lion King?" He jabbed at her and Kurata went red again from infuriation. It was so easy to push her buttons.

He enjoyed seeing her flustered.

"I hope you fall into a river and that fish eats you." Was the best come back she could do as she folded her arms. He scoffed and strolled right past her.

"Oh, I'm so offended." He mocked. Akito knew he was due for another swift swing of Kurata's hammer but with intervention of his sister, he avoided it for now.

"Okay, that's enough of the two of you for now!" Ayame stood in between them, glaring at him.

He was slightly offended, not feeling like he was deserving of her glare.

But that wasn't dwelled on as they continued on to their next exhibit. Kurata already forgot about him and his mocking tone as he grabbed his sister arm and dragged into the "Waters of the Western World's" area.

Akito almost smiled as he watched the smile grow bigger and bigger on his sister's face. Her eyes were filled with delight and amazement as they stared at the tank filled with variant of fish from the western side of the globe. She pointed at different types of the fish, Kurata seeming just as engaged.

After her breakdown this morning, Akito was slightly nervous for their actual arrival at the aquarium. He knew it was one thing talking about going, but it was another being there. The closer they got, the more anxious his sister grew.

But her ability to overcome her anxiety impressed him.

Ayame turned to them with a smile and held her head high as they walked through the doors of her place of comfort.

And he knew that her courage was encouraged by the girl standing directly to her left side. The confidence and air she spoke with reminded him of Kurata Sana.

It was kind of amazing that type of influence Kurata had on people.

Because it wasn't just his sister. It was everyone around him, including himself.

Since their mother died, he didn't think he could ever come back from that dark and lonely hole he buried himself into. He didn't think anyone cared that he was so far in his own misery. He thought he was damaged for good. He thought there was nothing good left for him, thought everyone hated him.

But Kurata barged into his life and changed everything.

Despite the chance of her being dragged into his endless misery, she reached her hand into the depths of that void and pulled him up. She didn't offer to fix his problems, nor offer solutions. She gave him a chance to breathe. She offered a safe place for him to feel and to understand. She offered him a friend.

He didn't realize how much he needed that in his life.

And now here he was on a Saturday morning, hanging out with his once estranged sister and his friend, enjoying himself more than he would like to admit.

"Oh! Sana-chan! Come over here! There's an albino alligator!" His sister shouted, waving the auburn-haired girl over.

Kurata's eyes went wide with wonder as she yelped in excitement. She ran over to Ayame as they looked over the reptile with excitement.

While Ayame was enthralled in wonder of a white alligator, Kurata turned around and her eyes found him across the room.

I think she's happy.

Her eyes crinkled with excitement as her smile grew. It was so odd, he thought to himself. He didn't get how they were able to communicate by their eyes, to understand one another on a level like this.

He had never connected with anyone like he had with her.

Seems so.

Akito said back with a shift in his eyes.

Get over here before you get left behind.

He could see the mischief in her smile and practically hear the snarky tone in her voice. He smirked, looking down towards the ground as he walked over towards the duo of girls.

"Look, nii-chan! Now, that I think would eat the cobra." His sister pointed out and he snorted as their conversation from earlier this morning circled back around.

"Most definitely, Ayame-chan!" Kurata crossed her arms, a stern nod of her head betting he wouldn't have the retort to that.

"Nah. Cobra's move faster than alligators. One bite and that alligator is finished."

"Is that how that works?" Ayame asked, her question genuine and sincere. In all honesty, he had no idea. But he already said it and she seemed to believe him so he wouldn't back down now.

Kurata frowned. "You just gotta be right about everything, don't you?"

"That's what happens when you're smart." She clearly was not a fan of his comment as she pouted, glared and then huffed.

That hammer smack his sister helped him avoid earlier landed on his head as she stomped away to the stairs, which led to the next exhibit.

"I feel like you are going to give her a stress ulcer one day." Ayame chimed as they followed behind her.

"She takes me too serious." His sister giggled, and he looked down at her from the corner of his eye. The giggle in her voice was not something he appreciated.

"You two have grown really close lately, huh?"

Dammit.

He looked away from his sister, bit the inside of his cheek, and stuffed his hands deep into his pockets. He swallowed the frog in his throat as he felt his sister's eyes on him.

"Now you sound like Tsuyoshi." He said, but almost hit himself over the head. It was bad enough both Tsuyoshi and his sister had said something. Now he gave them an excuse to talk about his newfound relationship/friendship with Kurata.

"I think it's nice." She said, knowing that more was coming. Why did this short walk feel like it was taking forever? He could see Kurata clear as day, her own self indulged into the map. He was irritated. Why couldn't she see that he needed her interruption more than ever?

"She brings out a side of you I've never seen before." She continued and he took a sharp breath. "And it seems like you like hanging out with her too."

"She's tolerable." He replied, but Ayame's twinkle in the eye seemed to say something else.

Sisters. What the hell.

"I think you guys are closer than you like to let on." She continued. "I heard about you what did for her. Confronting Chisaki and everything."

He stopped walking and gritted his teeth. His heart was hammering against his chest and he felt short of breath. At the moment, he didn't think anything of it. He knew Kurata was capable. He knew she was able to hold her own ground against people like Chisaki.

But something in him just prompted him to move. Maybe it was the vulnerability in her eyes or how small she looked against Chisaki. But, Hayama knew in that moment, he needed to be there.

Lost in the chaos of everything, he forgot that people were in fact watching. And teenagers being teenagers would mean people would talk.

They may not have spoken around him, but they talked.

"It was nothing, really." He muttered, burning holes into Kurata and hating her for not looking up from the stupid map and realizing they were taking too long.

"You know, I think Hiro-kun gets jealous of seeing the two of you so close." She said so casually. His throat went dry. "Hiro-kun is in love with her."

His jaw steeled, teeth gritting together again. He took another sharp, deep intake. He clenched his hands inside his pockets and felt an ugly knot form in his chest, an irritation that tasted so bitter in his mouth.

"I know." He strained himself to say out loud, very aware of Akimoto Hiro's feelings for Kurata.

"You seem mad."

Looking over at his sister with annoyance, he went wide eyed as he found her staring at him a sly grin on her face.

He glared immediately, not liking the look she was giving him.

"I'm not mad. I don't care that he likes her, and I don't care what Kurata does. Now, wipe that stupid look off your face." Her barked, his chest rising with anger. He walked away from her, his chest bubbling with frustration.

Stupid sisters and their stupid curiosity.

.

Ayame watched as her brother practically stomped away and went over to Sana, ripping the map out of her hand and barking something at her. Sana didn't seem amused with his sudden change in attitude and hostility as she yelled something back at him. Akito looked back at her and frowned.

If looks could kill…

The blonde thought to herself as she watched her brother trudge up the stairs with Sana right on his trail.

She really couldn't help the stupid grin on her face as she watched the two together. All morning long, Ayame was trying to figure out what exactly had changed between the two people in front of her. And the more they interacted, the closer Ayame knew she was getting. She just could not point her finger to it.

Until this very moment.

The blonde couldn't stop smiling as she caught up to her brother and Sana. Her brother had become awfully quiet, and of course Sana noticed. If this had been 6 months ago, it wouldn't have been so uncommon. Actually, they wouldn't even be here 6 months ago. But now, at this stage, it was rare to see her brother not interacting with others.

She didn't know where Sana stood in regards for her brother, but Ayame for certain could tell where her brother stood for Sana.

Even if he didn't realize it yet.

"Did you eat a cricket or something? Why do you look so pale?" Sana continued pestering her brother, and he buzzed her off, knowing very well that she was watching them now.

Ayame sighed, feeling bad for Sana, who was very concerned for his sudden change in attitude. It was her fault and now she had to clean up her mess.

"Eh, Sana-chan! Don't worry about him. He's just crabby because he hasn't eaten lunch yet! You know how much of a fatty he is."

Sana narrowed her eyes at Akito, and shook her head, scoffing at him. "Geeze. You are such a cry baby, Hayama. Alright! Let's go get you lunch and then we go to the sting ray pool!"

"You're annoying, you know that?" He barked, and Ayame rolled her eyes.

"I think the words you're looking for are you're welcome."

Her brother didn't respond as he 'tch'd' at her and walked away. Ayame forgot how frustrating older brothers could be. She rubbed at her face, hoping that her brother would calm down after he got some food in him.

They did end up finding some lunch at the cafeteria area in the aquarium. After buying a few slices of pizza (courtesy of Sana), her and Sana were huddled around the map, trying to figure out what the rest of their afternoon looked like.

After deciding on Sana's pick of the sting ray pool, her pick of the whale shark exhibit, and her brothers pick of the shark tank, they set off on their adventure with their belly's full.

They walked to the second floor, Sana running into the sting ray pool like a child chasing after a butterfly. Ayame giggled watching her get so excited over the massive pool of sting rays. Her hands grabbed onto the side of the wall and eyes glistened with awe as she looked deep into the pool.

Turning to her brother, she found him staring at Sana. Though, Ayame wasn't quite good at deciphering the look in his eyes. So, she couldn't tell what he was thinking looking at her. But by the relaxed stare, she assumed it was something more than just boredom.

But Akito had to have felt someone staring at him because his right eye turned towards her and he narrowed it.

"Whatever you are thinking, stop it."

His voice was firm, short, and to the point. He didn't need to follow the glare with a statement, the look in his eyes spoke enough. But she knew he was driving the point home.

Even more suspicious.

Ayame turned away, whistling under her breath, pacing away from him. She could feel the heat behind her, knowing her brothers glare was watching as she made her way towards Sana. Ignoring his vexation, the youngest blonde took a step next to the former actress.

"He's still being a broody wolf, isn't he?" Sana asked as she rolled her sleeves above her elbows and stuck her hand into the pool of water.

The youngest Hayama laughed, feeling bad for Sana. The auburn-haired girl was just trying to be nice and have them all enjoy a day together. But here she was, stirring the pot with her brother and getting him moody.

"I'm afraid that's my fault. I may have said something to trigger him." Rolling up her own sleeve, Ayame put her hand into the water, feeling the slimy texture of the sting ray swimming under her touch.

With a face written in bafflement, Sana raised a brow.

"It's nothing, really." Not wanting Sana to ask too many questions, she started. "It's honestly kind of refreshing, fighting with him."

"Before, it was just these tense, silent moments between us. We'd have so much to say, but it always fell short to the overwhelming tension between us. If we ever spoke, it was so short. We never had fun, sibling banter. We never hated each other just because we could."

There was a baby sting ray, slowly swimming towards her hand. Ayame reach further down to stroke the top of its body. It pulled away almost immediately, frightened by her intrusion in his space.

"But now, we eat dinner together, and watch tv together. He helps me with my homework. And he makes the effort to ask me about school and how it's going." The blonde smiled as she thought about the progression of her and her brother's relationship. "He isn't perfect. And I don't expect him to be."

"But he's my brother and I love him."

"I've always wondered what it was like to have a sibling." Sana said, smiling as she pulled her hand out of the sting ray pool for a minute.

"I know you and Hayama aren't the typical siblings, but it does make me a little jealous seeing the two of you now. Makes me wish I had a little sister or something."

There was this melancholy in her smile. Ayame had never seen anything like it on Sana's face. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes as she looked back towards the pool. The blonde realized, in all the months she knew Sana, she never really asked her about her home life or anything.

She had been so wrapped up in her own problems and her own familial issues, she never bothered to even get to know Sana's own personal story.

"Well! It doesn't matter anyway!" Ayame jumped, Sana nodding her head fiercely. "You're as close to a sister as I can get, and I'll take it! And Hayama has no say in it, either!"

Sana grabbed her soaked hands and firmly shook them, catching the blonde by surprise. Ayame laughed, loving the idea of the auburn-haired girl adopting her as a sister.

"What mess are you two making over here?"

"Oh, look who finally decided to join us! You done being moody?" Sana released her hands and turned towards her brother. Their hands were still soaked, and she could see the girl trying to resist the urge to put her hands on her hips.

Akito rolled his eyes.

"Put your hands back in the water. You're making a mess, idiot."

And that comment set Sana right into a furry of insults and slurs, and a tantrum that caused her to hit her hand against the rugged rock wall and somehow cut her hand.

She could see the exacerbation on her brother's face, his eyes screaming he was so done with her and her antics. Ayame offered to go find someone to ask for a band aid or first aid kit. Sana cried for her to hurry, not wanting to be left with the "Haya-jerk," as she like to call her brother.

But as Ayame walked away, she disappeared behind one of the columns and watched from afar as her brother washed Sana's hand, rinsing the blood from her cut and setting her on the bench. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but Sana seemed annoyed as he took a seat next to her.

The blonde's eyes went wide as she watched him pull a large band aid from his pocket.

She couldn't hear what he was saying, but she saw the red in Sana's cheeks as embarrassment crossed her cheeks. Akito peeled the plastic away and grabbed her hand still, placing the giant band aid on her.

Sana's cheeks turned a darker shade and turned away, saying something to her brother. She could see the smirk on his face as he finally released her hand. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, muttering something that clearly upset Sana as she faced him, sticking her tongue out.

Ayame's eyes went wider as her brother's lips tugged upwards, the barest, tiniest, hint of a smile stretching on his lips.

Oh my God.

.

Sana rubbed at the palm of her hand, hating the boy sitting beside her.

"Saved it for a rainy day."

Was what he said when he sat her down after she cut her hand on the rugged rock wall.

"You're clumsy. It's only obvious to bring one when you're around."

She didn't know if he was teasing her or what, but Sana felt her heart get fluttery in her chest as the smirk rested on his lips and his hands felt warm on hers.

Not really understanding this feeling, she opted to stand up and get away from him. Besides, where was Ayame? Didn't she leave to go get a first aid kit?

"Where's Ayame-chan anyway?" She huffed, clearly agitated.

"Dunno." Hayama replied and she turned to him, pouting with her arms crossed.

"You're no help." She barked and Hayama looked up at her in annoyance.

"I don't have a tracking device on her, Kurata. Maybe use your phone and call her?"

She didn't appreciate the sarcasm nor snark in his voice and statement.

"Hey! Sorry! Thanks for waiting!" Ayame walked over, a small box in her hand. Sana sighed in complete relief.

The younger Hayama's brow raised as she saw the band aid on her hand.

"Wait, where did you get that from?" She asked, pointing her finger at the palm of her hand.

Sana rubbed at her hand. "Looks like your brother had one in his pocket after all." She muttered, not looking at either of them.

"Huh. Interesting that you had one on ya!" Ayame said, in a very cheerful and bubbly voice.

"Yeah, must have forgotten to take it out of my pocket." Hayama replied, standing up from the bench.

"Alright! So, what's next? The Whale Shark exhibit?" Sana changed subjects, not really wanting to dwell on this anymore. Ayame smiled, nodding.

She led them down the hall, passing by a few other exhibits that weren't as grand but still cool to see. They had to drag Hayama away when they passed by the famous octopus, Sana slightly surprised by his interest in the eight-legged creature.

"Since when were you so interested in octopus?" She poked, snickering.

"Dunno. They're just cool. They have three brains, you know."

She did in fact know that. "Duh. Common knowledge, Hayama."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Wouldn't hurt to borrow one from them."

And that's when Ayame snorted loudly, and Sana felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand as heat engulfed her chest and her eyes narrowed at the blonde boy in front of her. She nearly growled, so offended by the statement that came out of his mouth.

"You scoundrel! Come here!" And Sana chased him after her hammer, he easily dodging all her swings and Ayame laughing loudly in the background.

People were staring at them strangely, and Sana knew that they probably thought she was crazy. But somewhere between chasing Hayama and cursing at him, she found herself laughing as she failed to land a single swing.

6 months ago, this would have been impossible.

To be here with him, banter with him, laugh with him. Sana felt so happy at his progress, at their friendship. It almost made up for the rude comment he made earlier.

Almost.

"Don't think I'll forget that comment, Hayama."

He smirked but didn't say anything.

Pft, jerk.

"Hey! This way guys!" Ayame called out with excitement.

Her jubilance was contagious as even Sana found herself getting enthused with the exhibit. Unlike the rest of the aquarium, the Whale Shark exhibit was inside a separate part of the area. Though, it made sense to her since whale sharks were the biggest fish in the ocean aside actual whales.

"Let's go!" Sana turned to the oldest Hayama and grabbed his arm, pulling him along as Ayame already walked into the other room.

When they entered, it was dark, the only thing visible was the glowing, fluorescent blue light of the massive water tank in front of them.

Sana's jaw hit the floor as she stared at the giant glass that separated her and everyone else around from a massive wall of water.

"Oh my god." Ayame muttered quietly as the sea creature lurked by the tank, Sana's eyes leaving her head.

It was huge.

Sana's jaw was wide open as the spotted shark swam slowly in front of the crowd, its massive mouth open, clearly eating something that was just poured into the tank.

She had never seen something so big in her life!

The feeling of seeing such a humongous creature, even in captivity, made her feel so small.

Not realizing she was still holding onto Hayama's arm, she squeezed him tightly. For what reason? She had no idea. But there was a shrinking feeling in her chest that made her feel so insignificant. Call it awe, call it wonder.

But suddenly, all the problems in her life, in the world, they didn't matter.

"This is the quietest I think I've ever heard you." Hayama said lowly, trying to keep with the atmosphere of the room. Ayame was entirely captivated by the animal in front of them. Her eyes brown eyes twinkled with the fluorescent blue light of the ocean water.

"It's just so crazy!" She whispered loudly, still staring at the whale shark. "I've never seen anything like this in my life. To think, there are actual creatures like this in our oceans!"

She tore her eyes away from the creature, knowing it wasn't moving fast enough out of the glass viewing area. Sana looked up at Hayama, who's own eyes were fixated on the whale shark.

"Yeah." He replied initially. "And this is probably just a baby one too because no way man can build something for a grown one."

The former actress's mouth dropped, not even thinking about that. Her grip on his arm tightened and she looked back at the creature, still in view.

"That's insane!" She tried to whisper, obviously not working. She leaned into him after noticing the dirty looks from the people around them. She glared back but looked up at him. "I can't even imagine what a full-grown whale shark looks like!"

Hayama stilled against her and Sana was perplexed by the sudden change in his body language.

"Yeah, crazy." His voice sounded hoarse and broken too.

What the heck was up with him now?

"You know Hayama, for a guy, you have a lot of PMS moments."

He didn't take kindly to that statement as he ripped himself away from her hold. She could see him swallowing hard, Sana not understanding why he was acting so weird again.

"Shut up." He barked.

Not really wanting to continue fighting with him in front of such a majestic creature, Sana left the broody male to himself and found a spot next to Ayame. The younger Hayama was so entranced by the animal, that Sana's presence wasn't enough to pull her from her daze.

"Ayame-chan." Grabbing her shoulder, the youngest blonde looked back at Sana and apologized.

"Sorry. It's just, when this exhibit first opened, I couldn't believe the size of the animal. I remember my mom put me on her shoulders so I could get a better look." She explained, looking back at the whale shark. "I don't think it's the same animal, no way. The one from when I was a kid would have grown way to big."

"But, even now, the size of her just makes me realize how small we truly are."

"You don't ever realize it until you see things like this." Sana added, thinking of the few outdoors trips she's had. Most of them were with her classes at school. The only other time she really got to see the beauty of Earth was on her trip to the mountains when filming Mansion on Water.

Sana was blown away by the beauty of the ranges then too.

"I've heard the States have pretty awesome aquariums too. Apparently, Georgia has the biggest aquarium in the western part of the world." Ayame added.

"What's Georgia?" Sana asked. "One of the States?"

The blonde giggled. "Yes. I believe it's on the eastern part of the U.S.?"

"You'd be right."

Both girls looked back and found Hayama walking up them, looking bored as usual, but his eyes were still trained on the whale shark.

Sana shrugged her shoulders. "I only know LA and New York. And that's because I almost went to New York for a short while on an acting gig!"

Both Hayama siblings looked at her with surprise. Sana grinned, remembering that crazy time in her life. It was after Mansion on Water premiered and she was at the height of her short-lived career. When Rei got the call about them wanting her to star in an American comedy, featuring a young girl who had just moved from Japan to the states, he nearly died from a heart attack.

Sana seriously considered it. She knew that it meant leaving behind her life and moving her whole family to the states. But Sana also knew this meant she was taking the plunge into the acting world and she wasn't sure she was ready for that.

"So, you didn't go?" Ayame asked.

Shaking her head, Sana smiled.

"No. Wasn't ready for that serious of a move I guess."

What she wasn't going to tell them was that it would separate Rei and Asako for an unknown amount of time, and that they broke up because of Rei's commitment to her and not the famous actress.

But going to New York could have maybe saved Rei's life and that was something that ate at her every day.

"Let's go to the shark tank now."

Hayama said randomly, pulling her away from her thoughts. Ayame looked at him in disgruntlement.

"Can you be anymore rude?" She called out to him as she followed behind him.

The siblings got into a small argument and Sana laughed, watching their interactions with one another. She really should interfere and get them to stop, but it was so entertaining watching them.

Sana was entirely caught up in her own laughter and enjoyment that she didn't notice Hayama looking back at her. He sighed in relief.

Both Ayame and Hayama quelled their arguing and arrived at the shark tank.

"Apparently there are like 10 different species of sharks in here!" Ayame said in fascination. Similar to that of the whale shark exhibit, the shark tank was built like a tunnel, sharks swimming above and around them.

There were a few screens, providing information of the sharks, of conservation efforts around the world to prevent overfishing and the execution of sharks for food.

She and Ayame were scrolling through, finding each creature on the screen in the tank surrounding them.

Hayama was standing a few feet away, his eyes jumping between all the sharks swimming around them. He looked entirely enthralled, eyes slated in slight wonder.

"I think it would be fun to go in a shark cage, what do you think, Sana-chan?" The youngest of the Hayama siblings asked. She put a finger to her chin and thought for a minute.

"Absolutely!" She gave her a thumbs up and a toothy grin. "As long as they aren't mean."

"You ever watch Shark Week?" Ayame asked, but Sana wasn't really sure what that was.

Her dumbfounded look must have answered the question because the blonde smiled.

"It's this week on American television dedicated to educating people about sharks!" She explained, her eyes trailing back to said creatures all around them. "I only know about it because there was an American girl in my class back in middle school. She gave me a list of things I should look up and shark week was one of them."

"So, they teach you about sharks?" Didn't sound to entertaining, Sana thought to herself. Then again, she wasn't one for educational videos or documentaries.

Ayame nodded happily. "All week long, they taught about different types of sharks in the ocean, where they live, their migrating pattern, food sources, and even about extinct animals like the Megalodon!"

Sana got the chills thinking about the Megalodon. She knew about the biggest shark that once swam the oceans. The great white shark was basically it's successor. And they almost looked alike too.

"You sound entirely fascinated by all this, Ayame-chan." The young actress laughed as they continued scrolling through the computer.

"Marine life has always fascinated me. I think it would be the coolest thing to be a marine biologist and to work towards conservation efforts to taking better care of our oceans and sea life."

Tilting her head, Sana realized she never inquired about Ayame's dreams and hopes for the future. Even though she was only 14, turning 15, it seemed like the blonde had a clear-cut idea of what she wanted to pursue post high school.

"Sounds pretty cool to me!" Sana encouraged, giving her a thumbs up. "Maybe you can take me scuba diving one day! I'd never been!"

"You got it, Sana-chan." Both girls laughed as they continued their conversation about sharks and the future and what living a marine biologist life would entail.

"You guys done or what? We still have a little part of the aquarium left." Hayama came up from behind and interrupted what was a very fun conversation. Sana stuck her tongue out at him, and he just rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, nii-chan. We got distracted!"

"Don't apologize to him, Ayame-chan. He can be patient and wait." She glowered and he returned the gesture. He scoffed and turned away.

"Jerk." Sana huffed, crossing her arms in front of him.

"Annoying." Hayama replied as he walked away from her.

"Say it to my face!" She shouted at him, stomping her foot like a child and her arms stilled at her side and fisted. Hayama Akito really knew how to work her nerves!

He stopped walking, arms tucked in pockets. He turned his head back towards her and said "Moron."

She all but exploded right there and then. Sana felt her face heating from the rush of blood. Her face was now red with anger and like a bull, huffed through her nose as she prepared to charge at the blonde twat in front of her.

"Come back here, you baka!" She shouted as she chased him again, annoyed by his callous remarks and snide comments.

Ayame was chasing after them, trying to get them to calm down, but all Sana wanted was blood. Hayama had pissed her off for the last time that day!

It took two employees of the aquarium to pull the three teens aside and give them a warning about public behavior and reiterate the rules, like no running or chasing, for Sana to stand down.

Sana never managed to get a swing on Hayama, and he was lucky too because she would have left him concussed.

Now she was walking next to Ayame as they walked down the long corridor a tropical fish and beautifully colored reef. It was the last stop before they left.

"Oh. I forgot! I need to stop by the gift shop! Do you guys mind waiting here? Well, I guess my question is, will you two behave if I leave you alone for more than 10 seconds." It felt like more of a scolding then a question. Sana looked to Hayama, who scoffed.

"I can ignore him just fine!" The auburn-haired girl answered, crossing her arms and turning away with her nose in the air.

"Whatever." Was his reply.

Ayame mumbled something under her breath and walked away, leaving her and the jerk alone together. Irritated, she stalked off and left Hayama to himself as her eyes were captivated by the brightly colored fish that were swimming in the bright blue water. They were swimming in large groups, up around the beautiful, vibrant coral reef.

She smiled sadly, thinking how much Rei would have loved to visit a place like this.

They never had time to do anything fun or exciting. They had family outings at times; her mother, Shimura, Rei, and herself. They would go to dinner sometimes or go out to the gardens.

But the more famous she became, the more difficult it became to find uninterrupted, quality time with her family.

Sana took it all with strides, making fun of paparazzi and always make silly faces at them whenever they tried shooting photos. But it was still difficult navigating that type of life and it was one of the reasons she never fully committed to being an actress, despite being great at it.

The life that came with fame was not something she enjoyed and hated the idea of living under a microscope constantly. Because of the promise she made her mother, she devoted herself to a world that held no secrets.

Somewhere along the way though, Sana found herself enjoying acting more than she had thought she would. She was having fun. She didn't care about the things people said about her, and with Rei's help, carved her own image into the acting industry. She was criticized for things she didn't do, things she said, and things that she had called out. Despite being twelve years old, Kurata Sana knew what she wanted from acting.

There was a lot of murkiness in the acting world, and Rei was cleaning up a lot of her messes. She really didn't pay the man enough for all that he endured because of her; including losing the love of his life.

Sana closed her eyes, Rei's face clear as day.

He sacrificed everything for her. And all that it costed him was his life.

Sana felt her heart tug deep in her chest. Grief consumed her at the most arbitrary moments. It rattled her to the core, leaving her filled with so much sorrow. The hazel eyed girl would catch herself swallowing in her own sadness at times. She had to remind herself to swallow it and bury it away; to put a smile on and not let her grief show itself.

Because sometimes, sometimes, it was just too much to bear.

"Don't do that."

Going wide eyed, she looked immediately to her right, seeing Hayama standing next to her, a frown on his lips. He wasn't looking at her. But he was scowling directly at the tank of water in front of them.

"Don't hide what you're feeling just because you feel like you need too." He peeled his golden-brown eyes away from the fish and water and looked down to her.

Her mouth went dry as she parted it slightly. Her heart quickened as eyes bore right into her.

This happens every single time.

His eyes captivated her, reeled her in like a line. They were so raw and open and honest. Sana couldn't tear herself away.

"I said it once, and I'll say it again." He said lowly. "You're a good actor."

There was a frog in her throat.

"You mask everything you feel for the sake of sparing everyone else. You runaway behind this mask you create and hide. You hide what you're feeling because you don't want to burden people with your problems, with what you're feeling." He spoke softly, gently. "You feel like if you help everyone else, that your own nasty feelings will go away, that you won't have to feel them."

Sana gritted her teeth, her heart racing now.

"I know because I do it too. I act like I don't have them, so I don't have to face them, either." He admitted, catching her completely off guard.

"But you." Hayama said with more emphasis. "You take the entire world on your shoulders and bury yourself in everyone's problems but your own."

That was a sucker punch to the gut, Sana thought to herself.

"Fuka, Tsuyoshi, Akimoto, Ayame, me. Whatever you can latch onto, you want to fix us because you don't want to face the demons you're running away from."

How? How did Hayama continue to just see right through her? How did he see all her insecurities, all her faults, all her worries and fears and just lay them all out for her?

It terrified her.

Because she never met someone who could dissemble her so easily.

Taking a deep breath, she tore her eyes away from him. Sana licked her lips, suddenly wanting water. Her mouth felt so dry. She looked up to the tank again, the fish swimming in circles in front of her. The auburn-haired girl felt Hayama's gaze burning right into her.

"Sometimes… sometimes I feel like the fish in this aquarium." She started, keeping her voice neutral. "Like I'm trapped in this small space and have nowhere to go. I swim hundreds of circles, over and over. And even though the faces change every day, I go… nowhere."

"I'm trapped."

That was the first time she ever admitted that out loud to herself, Sana realized as her eyes went wide. They glossed over and she swallowed the large knot in her throat.

"After Rei died, my entire world shattered. Everything that I knew and loved, it all fell apart at my feet. I was falling and no one was there to grab me." That empty feeling in her chest was ripped open as she forced herself to finally feel her pain. "Rei, who comforted me, who supported me, who loved me, was gone. And I had no one."

Was it supposed to hurt this much? She reached for her chest and felt the pricks of water at her eyes. Was grief supposed to be this consuming? Was it supposed to feel like her chest was being ripped apart?

It was so painful, but the words didn't stop.

"it was the loneliest I had ever been. Even after my mother abandoned me. Fuka was gone, Rei died, my acting career fell apart, it was all… gone." Sana whispered, still staring at the tank. "Gone like my real mother. Everyone I cared about was leaving me, abandoning me. I wasn't good enough for anyone to stay."

Was she ever good enough? Had she finally become good enough?

Or was she just waiting for the people she loved to leave her again? Like Fuka did. How long until Ayame or Hayama were tired of her? Or Tsuyoshi, Aya, Mami, Hisae?

"That's why it was so easy to run. Runaway because that's all I've ever seen anyone do." Her voice felt raw, her body cold. Where did these feelings come from? These thoughts? Sana didn't know how to feel the complexity of her own emotions.

"I'm a coward." She spoke dejectedly. "I can never do anything right. My real mother abandoned me. I only ever cause trouble for mama. Fuka hates me. Rei's dead. You tolerate me. All I do is cause problems for everyone else. That's why everyone leaves. Because something is wrong with me."

Sana flinched immediately as a hand landed on her shoulder, turned her body, and she felt a flick in the middle of her forehead.

"Stop it." Hayama's stern voice spoke above her. He was staring at her with… anger?

"Take that back." He commanded, Sana raising her brow.

"Take what back?"

"What you just said. About something being wrong with you." He removed his hand from her shoulder but crossed his arms in front of his body and was still staring at her with a frown.

Puzzled and a bit frustrated, Sana folded her arms.

"I don't understand."

The blond narrowed his eyes then sighed with frustration. His head shook slightly.

"How dense are you? You really don't see it, do you?"

Sana wanted to be upset with him and his comment, but she could see that he was trying to get a point across that she was clearly not picking up on.

"What are you talking about?"

Her heart almost stopped as his eyes changed so effortlessly. There was a softness to his eyes, a warm golden brown that created a tight knot in her throat. His eyes were always so stoic and cold, void of emotion. But in this moment, they were filled with this earnest and gentleness she had never seen in them before.

"Sana."

It was foreign, hearing her name come from him. And her heart was in her throat as he grabbed both her hands. He ripped his stare away and looked down at their now entwined hands. She felt the warmness in her cheeks as she bit on her bottom lip. Hayama wasn't one to initiate physical contact so this was entirely shocking to her.

"You don't see what you are, do you?" He asked in a harsh whisper. With her hands in his, he open them for her palms to be facing up.

"You are what bind us all together." He closed her hands, his resting over hers. "Fuka, Tsuyoshi, Aya, Ayame, Akimoto, you, and me. Because of you, we've all become… connected."

Her eyes went wide as she looked back up at him. She could see the struggle on his face, the effort to find the right words. He seem tongue-tied, trying to find the right thing to say.

Sana couldn't help but smile as she watched him close his eyes, appearing as he settled on his next words.

"There's nothing wrong with you. Nothing that warrants abandonment anyway."

She snorted, loudly. Laughter followed as she couldn't help back react to the insult he threw into what was a serious and tense moment.

It was a horrible joke, and one that would make other head's turns. But, between them, Sana found comfort. She found solace. She found relief. She found friendship.

A friendship she'd never had before.

When things were tough, or difficult, Hayama had been there. It wasn't conventional nor obvious. Akito wasn't either things. He had his own way, his own plan. But he was there and that was all that mattered.

She looked up at him and smiled warmly.

"If you need a shoulder to cry on, then you can come to me."

He said those words to her not very long ago. And Sana really hadn't had the time to process them. But he was serious when he had said them. And here in this moment, she could see that.

She was happy; so incredibly happy that Hayama offered those words to her. And for the first time in a really long time, she felt like she had a place to go when she did feel like crying.

Sana felt like the gloominess in her heart had cleared away.

"Thank you, Akito."

.

He went wide eyed at her soft, warm smile. She was glowing in front of him in the middle of a dark lit room. The back of his neck was burning, and his reply was stuck in his chest. Removing his hands from hers, he looked away as he grabbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah." Akito strangled out as he focused on a red and yellow fish that seemed to be the most interesting in the planet right now. "Sure."

"Alright! I got it!"

Thank God for little sisters.

The older blond thought to himself as he heard Kurata ask to look at the souvenir in the bag. It took a few seconds for Akito to get the thumping in his chest to settle. Taking a few deep breathes, he mustered the courage to look down at the two girls.

"I got us matching key chains!" Akito raised his brow as Ayame showcased the key chains in her palms.

"For you, Sana-chan, I got you the dolphin!" His sister put the key chain in the palm of Kurata's hands.

"This is so cute, Ayame-chan! Thank you!" She said with excitement, jumping in spot. There were stars in her eyes and the biggest grin he had seen yet.

She must be feeling better.

"For you, nii-chan, I bought you an octopus since you said they were cool!" He grabbed the key chain from her hands and held it up in the dim light. He grabbed his own keys and hooked it on his key ring. It was very considerate of her.

"Thanks." Ayame's eyes grew bigger and her own smile grew as big as Kurata's. He could see the heat in her cheeks and bit her lip like she was keeping in a scream.

"What did you buy yourself, Ayame-chan?" Kurata asked, looking in the gift bag.

"A whale shark!" The key chain was dangling from her finger, but she seemed thrilled, nonetheless.

"Look at us with our matching key chains! I love it!"

It was then that Kurata decided to do Kurata things and grabbed both his sister and him by the necks and pull them down for a hug.

"The three musketeers! Together through thick and thin!"

Ayame was laughing, her smile pure and full of life. It was the happiest he had seen in his sister in years. He pulled away, immediately overwhelmed by the closeness of Kurata's face. He felt his own face get hot and his heart hammer in his chest.

But as both his sister and Kurata teased him for being emotionally disconnected and not wanting to be involved in a hug, he felt something tickle in his chest.

There was a warmness that enveloped him. A quiet contentment spread through his body. The voices that plagued him dissipated to nothing as his nightmares reduced to almost nothing. His body relaxed, realizing that he could in fact, be happy.

"Picture time!" Kurata shouted as she took her phone out of her pocket and grabbed his arm and Ayame came close.

"I don't do pictures." He argued but Kurata shook her head.

"I don't care. You don't have to smile. You just gotta be in it!"

And that was all she let him argue as she clicked through a few photos. He didn't smile in any of them but there were a few silly one's courtesy of Kurata.

By the end of the day, Akito was pretty much worn out. They had grabbed a quick bite to eat and then proceeded to take Kurata home. She insisted she could get home alone but his sister was highly against it.

"Sana-chan! You don't know what types of predators are out there! Let us take you home!"

And that was pretty much the end of the conversation because his sister's big brown doe eyes were very convincing.

But he would be lying if he didn't say he was exhausted.

Kurata's house was coming up in front of them, and he internally sighed. They didn't live too far from her and he relished in the fact they didn't have school in the morning.

"Alright Hayama's! Looks like here is my house! Thanks for such a great time!" She stopped at the front gate, grinning like a fool.

Ayame took them all by surprise though when she crushed Kurata in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, Sana-chan." Her voice was muffled as she dug her head into her shoulder.

The former actress hugged her back fiercely with an earnest smile.

"I hope you had a great time, Ayame-chan. And created some great memories." Her voice was soft, so unlike her. It caught him off guard.

His sister nodded, pulling back and wiping at her eyes.

"I will cherish this day forever."

His younger sister turned her head towards him and smiled.

Not sure what to make of all this sappiness, he looked away and coughed.

"Alright you two! Time to get home! We will see each other Monday! And hopefully by then, the softball teams will be announced! Which, we already know you made the team."

The girls gave each other one more hug and Ayame slipped away. She turned away and looked at her phone.

Staring at one another, Akito nodded his head as his goodbye.

"See ya later, Akito." She said in the most genuine and comforting voice he had ever heard from her. It caught him off guard… again. And he turned away, not knowing how to react to her sudden change in tone.

She used my name.

"Yeah." And he heard her chuckle behind him. His face heated up and he slapped himself, wondering what the hell was wrong with him?

As both he and his sister walked down the pathway, he heard snickering from his left. He sighed inwardly, curious as to what exactly had his sister so giddy this late in the evening.

"What?" He asked with strain.

She looked up at him with a devious smile and immediately, Akito regretted his question as his heart dropped into his stomach.

"Oh nothing." She sang as she put her hands behind her back and skipped ahead of him.

He glowered.

But Akito choose to not push the subject because he had an inclination about the crafty smile on her face and what it meant. And that wasn't something he wanted to confront.

Not that he really knew what he was confronting. Because there was nothing to face… right?

"I can't wait till it hits you." Ayame teased in another sing song voice as she looked back and winked at him. Her smile was entirely too clever and there was a happy tinkle in her eyes.

Akito did not like what he was hearing or seeing.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." He barked and she shrugged her shoulders.

"Not yet. Or maybe you do but you just don't want to admit it to yourself yet."

He stopped dead in his tracks and went wide eyed.

What was she talking about? Admit what? Was there was something he was missing? Something obvious he wasn't seeing? Akito ran a hand in his hair as Ayame's statement puzzled him.

Sighing roughly, he stuffed his hands angrily in his pockets, annoyed with little sisters and their intrusions.

She didn't say anything else and just continued to laugh, which irritated him to no end. When they arrived home, the blonde was glad to be able to hide in his own room, away from prying eyes. Changing into his sleeping attire, he laid out on the bed, closing his eyes.

Kurata's eyes were so far away. She looked like she was reliving her worst nightmare. It irked him, seeing her eyes so sad and distant. And somewhere, she must have realized she was showing too much because her face was changing that to her normal, happy look.

And it bothered him.

Just like that day with Chisaki, Akito lunged.

He called her out on her crap, tired of seeing her trying to please everyone but herself. It was frustrating, thinking she had to stay happy for the sake of everyone else. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake it out of her.

There was a loud shaking noise from the floor. Akito sat up from his bed and arched a brow. The floor was rumbling, and he walked over to the dirty pile of clothes where his jeans had been. He shook on contact with them.

The Burutcha was vibrating.

Dropping his article of clothing, the blond found his phone on the nightstand.

There was a single message.

From: Kurata

Thank you.

Whatever thoughts of confliction he had, they disappeared. He sunk into bed, staring at the message.

To: Kurata

Don't worry about it.

From: Kurata

We've really become a pair, haven't we?

He snorted, smirking as he typed away on the keyboard.

To: Kurata

I'll say.

From: Kurata

I'm glad I took a chance on us. Your friendship has become very important to me.

If someone would have told him six months ago that his life would have purpose again, meaning, he wouldn't believe a word they said. Six months ago, he was on the cusp of losing himself completely, ready to walk out of a world that didn't need him.

But Kurata came and changed his life.

And he was so grateful.

To: Kurata

Yeah.

Not one being best with words, he mulled on his lame reply. Hayama had an arm over his forehead, his heart racing.

Why did he feel like this? It was just Kurata.

From: Kurata

It doesn't hurt to say something like "I'm glad we're friends!" or something!

He laughed.

To: Kurata

Now you're asking too much.

From: Kurata

Am not! I'm gushing my heart and soul to you. The least you could do is return the gesture!

To: Kurata

Your expectations for me are too high.

From: Kurata

You suck as a friend.

To: Kurata

Weren't you just saying that I was important to you?

From: Kurata

I TAKE IT BACK.

Akito couldn't help the laughter from his lips as Kurata went on a barrage of messages that focused on insulting him. She gave him no time to defend as she sent one after another.

His lips twitched upward.

To: Kurata

Okay, okay. Relax, will you?

Alright. You're a good friend.

Now, quit your whining.

From: Kurata

Didn't feel sincere enough.

BUT.

I'll take it!

Anyway, I'm really pooped from today! Talk to ya later, Hayama! Good night

He didn't reply, setting his phone aside as he looked up to the fan on the ceiling wall. His lips tugged higher and there was the smallest hint of a smile on his face as Kurata's image popped into mind.

Immediately recognizing his mistake, the blond went wide eyed as he sat up in bed in a panic.

"I can't wait till it hits you."

He stared at the ground hard as the torrent of emotions and feelings he had been experiencing the last few weeks finally made sense to him. Akito put his face in his hands, closing his eyes, and suddenly feeling overwhelmed by these emotions that were so new to him.

Laying back on the bed, he laid his arms at his side and started back up at the spinning fan.

Taking a deep breathe, he chuckled darkly, covering his eyes with his forearm.

"Damn it."

A/N: ... okay, who saw that coming? I was literally getting myself so amped up while i was writing this. I was just thinking, "okay, here we go, here we go. Here comes the reveal. Here comes realization. HERE IT COMES." And boom. Notice how the words were never said... just insinuated. We will dive more into that as the school festival comes into play. Poor little Hayama Akito. He's never dealt with feelings like this before so it's going to be so much fun watching his character develop from here on out. He will start to resemble more of what his character is in the Kodocha series.

Ayame is so smart too. She picked up on it, so quickly. Gotta love little sisters. And poor Sana. Dense as ever. BUT, we that just means so much more to set up in the future. Like I said way above, this was fun and difficult to write. This chapter was a whopping 34 pages. I was going to stop around 20 but I just couldn't stop writing. And then it felt wrong to split it. So here we are lol

I hope you guys enjoyed it! As always, comments, reviews, etc. are always welcomed! Until next time!

- Dark Waffle