I actually really love Fuuto. He's so awful, but I like writing his interactions with Ame!

School Days

When I woke up, there was a hand in my hair, and my mouth was incredibly dry. There were also someone talking above me, and I was also lying on top of someone, which should honestly not have been as comfortable as it was. I have napped on top of Ema, and maybe it's because we're nearly the same height and build (with the addition of bigger breasts) but it wasn't much fun.

How long had I been asleep anyway? Naps have a strange way of messing up time for me, I think it's been an hour but it's actually been three days. First of all, who was I sleeping on anyway? I cast my foggy mind back a bit, and remembered a swath of purple and gold fabric and amused eyes. Oh right, Kaname, so that was his hand in my hair.

Next, who was talking? If I had only been asleep for the hour I hoped, then no one should really be home by now. I hummed and tried to tune into whatever was being spoken about. "...getting along quite well," the person said.

"She fell asleep on me," Kaname replied casually. "As her older brother, I couldn't push her off."

There was an amused huff of laughter, and then footsteps moving away. "I should leave, otherwise I'll be late for my shift at the hospital." Oh, that was Masaomi. What was he doing home? I thought he'd left already. "I wonder if there are any more bentos left."

Oh, I forgot to make one for him! I immediately felt bad, and resolved to make a really good one for him tomorrow. I'd have to ask all of them, or Ukyo for food preferences. Masaomi laughed at something Kaname said that I missed, and then I heard him leave. A few moments later, the door opened and shut.

I sighed, and felt myself begin to fully leave that peaceful limbo between sleep and total awareness. Kaname began to curl a strand around his finger. "Has Sleeping Beauty awoken?"

"What time is it?" I croaked, letting my eyes flicker open. The sun was still high in the sky thankfully, so at least I knew I hadn't slept the entire day away.

"Just past 12," Kaname replied. I lifted myself up and blinked down at him. He had stretched out along the couch, shifting his body so that my head would rest comfortably on his chest, and the rest of my body was cradled in his lap. "Did you sleep well, little sister?"

His question caught me in the middle of a yawn, so I nodded. "Yeah," I blinked lazily and resisted the urge to just flop back down. Class, I had class in like – I consulted my mental schedule – two hours, and I hadn't even typed in the plan and assessment for my project. "I should..." another yawn, and then I rolled off Kaname, and the couch.

By roll, I mean literally, I hit the ground with a thump that did wonders to wake me up. "Are you alright?" Kaname watched me with an expression of amusement and worry. I stood and waved off his concern with a grin.

"I'm fine, I just realised I have some things to do before I head off the school," I stretched, and then realised that his sash was still around my shoulders. "Thanks for being my pillow," I snickered as I handed it back to him.

"Of course," he smirked as he took it back.

I walked back to my room, slowly regaining proper motor control of my legs. I quickly booted up my laptop and began to type in the framework of my project idea and also check my social media platforms. By the time I was done an hour had passed. I considered my outfit. My shirt smelled like Kaname.

I quickly changed into a teal blue babydoll dress and black leggings. I grabbed a pair of white pumps with one hand, while the other snatched my bag from my bed. "Bye!" I called out to Kaname, and anyone else who might be home. Honestly I needed to learn their schedules.

Class passed by quickly, and we were allowed to leave early if we already had a viable idea and plan. In a stroke of total genius, I'd forgotten my wallet in my room, so I couldn't swing by the cafe like I usually did. However, on my way back I caught sight of a small florist shop. There was an array of flowers standing outside, basking in the sunlight and cool spring air.

Effectively distracted by the colourful flowers, I skipped over to study the plethora, and spotted the back of a man in a very familiar uniform bent over. "Iori-kun?"

He turned, eyes wide in surprise, and then they returned to their normal state. "Ame-chan. What are you doing here?"

"My classes just ended," I replied as I joined him. "Do you come here often? There are so many flowers!" I gazed at a pot that contained a mass of greenery and small white flowers. "They're so pretty!"

Iori tilted his head to the side as though examining me, and then he turned back to the plant. "That's white heather. The flower means protection according to Victorian flower language." My lips parted in understanding, and I nodded. Emboldened by my apparent interest, he pointed to another bunch of flowers, this time yellow. "Those are evening primroses."

We stood there for a while, studying the flowers at the window. I learned a lot of flower names in the short time, before he suddenly seemed to come back to himself. He cocked his head at me and stared at me unblinkingly. "Are you hungry?"

Not the question I expected, but I was. "I am," I placed a hand on my stomach wonderingly. "Should we head home?"

He shook his head, had he blinked yet? "The cafe you like...we could go there."

"Oh, but I don't have any money-!" But he had already turned and started walking, so I quickly jogged to his side, smiling happily. I liked Iori. He didn't seem to be dangerous, nor was he worryingly flirty. To be honest, I hadn't thought much of him when we arrived, and I hadn't seen much of him anyway, but he seemed to be nice. And he liked flowers. That was already a huge plus in my book.

At the cafe, I ordered my usual bubble tea, and he ordered a coffee and a strawberry muffin, which he silently pushed towards me. When I tried to push it back – because as much as I loved strawberries, wasn't he hungry? – he simply stared at me until I accepted it and took a bite.

"This is so good!" I spoke when I'd swallowed the bite, and then I took another one. Then I took a sip of my tea. Then I took another bite. When I looked up, Iori was staring at me over the rim of his coffee cup. Rather than look away like most people caught staring, he simply blinked slowly, until I felt awkward enough to look away. I cast about for a conversation topic. "I didn't know you liked flowers."

"I take care of the garden at home," he replied. He continued to watch me, until my phone rang, the original version of Sweet Devil blaring out. I jumped in surprise and quickly looked down at the screen. Ema.

"I have to take this," I got up and walked over to a corner of the cafe. "Ema? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine Ame, it's just that our school is having a parent-teacher conference tomorrow. "

I frowned. "Dad's overseas. He won't be back until next month." Dad was almost always either overseas, or busy. As much as I loved him, it would be nice if he could be home more often. I kept these thought to myself, and switched the phone to my other ear. "Do you want me to come like last time?"

"Yes, but Yuusuke-kun told me I could put down Masaomi-nii's name for my guardian. It would be great if you could both be there. It's at 5."

Masaomi was almost 30, so it made sense for him to be her guardian. "My classes will be done by then, so sure! I want to talk to your principal about something anyway. See you at home!" I waited for her to end the call, and then saved a reminder in my phone just in case.

"Sorry, Ema wanted me to-" When I got back to the table, Iori was gone. Beside my tea and cupcake, however, was a small bunch of white camellias with the stems neatly tied together with a pink ribbon. Huh, maybe he had an errand to run. I sat down and sipped at my not-as-hot-as-it-had-been tea, and I smiled around the straw.

oOo

Tsubaki and Azusa were in the main room when I got back, and so were Wataru and Louis. I wondered whether Iori was home as well. I hadn't thanked him for the flower.

"Welcome home, little sister!" They greeted, and Tsubaki engulfed me in a hug once I was close enough. "Oh?" He caught sight of the flowers I had held away so they wouldn't be squished by the hug. "Where did you get those? From a boy?"

I rolled my eyes, catching the way his grin shifted into something sharper. "Iori-kun gave it to me," I replied, cradling them carefully and inspecting the petals for bruising. Wataru pouted, glaring at the flowers with childish jealousy.

Tsubaki cocked his head to the side, and even Azusa looked curious. "Iori? Where did you see him?"

"At the florist on my way home," I replied. "I guess I normally miss him because I usually eat at the cafe near the university before I actually start heading home, but I forgot my wallet today."

Azusa frowned worriedly. "Aren't you hungry then? It's nearly 5."

"No, it's okay," I shook my head with a happy smile, watching Tsubaki carefully. "Because we went to the cafe after the shop and he bought me some food."

His eyes grew harder and his smile more brittle. I looked away to focus on Wataru when he puffed out his cheeks and narrowed his eyes. "Big sister, I didn't know you liked flowers!" He whined, and then he perked up and grinned. "I'm gonna make big sister the prettiest flowers at school!" The child declared. "Hey, hey what's your favourite colour?"

"Light blue," I smiled. Teal to be more specific, but Wataru nodded seriously. I patted him on the head, and then glanced up at Tsubaki.

He draped back on me, and I squeaked in surprise. "No fair~!" He whined, leaning a little of his weight on me. "Iori's in the lead now. Little sister, we should go out some time!"

"Alright, that's enough," Azusa sighed, prying his twin away from me. "The flower is pretty, but you should put it in some water if you don't want it to start wilting immediately."

"Okay!" The camellias were placed on the windowsill in my room in a small jar of water in my room, and stepped back to admire them. "Camellias, huh?" I hummed to myself as I pulled out my phone to search for the meaning of the flower. Juli left his spot on my bed, and climbed onto the sill to study the flowers suspiciously.

Camellia – Adorable

I blinked down at the screen, and then giggled quietly as I slipped the phone back into my pocket. "I don't trust any of them," Juli sniffed, and then sneezed when he inhaled too much of the flowers' scent. "Though, out of the wolves, I suppose Iori he might be fine."

"I appreciate your opinion," I smiled. Then I heard the front door open and shut, and then Yuusuke announced, "We're home!"

"Welcome back!" I skipped back into the room and threw my arms around Ema's shoulders, and then just rested there. I did this often, so she barely reacted.

"Is Masaomi-nii home?" Ema asked curiously. Azusa shook his head.

"No, he had to stay late at the hospital. Ukyo-nii isn't home either," he blinked at her curiously. "Is there something you need?"

Her shoulders twisted as she fumbled with her bag, and she finally retrieved a form from her bag. "There's a parent-teacher conference and I need my guardian's signature, but dad won't be back in time."

They all nodded in understanding, and then Louis tilted his head. "When...your dad...wasn't around...what did...you do?"

"Oh, Ame usually came instead when she could. When she turned 18 she was allowed to act as a sort of guardian," Ema inclined her head towards me, and I shrugged and studied the paper over her shoulder.

Once I was done staring at the paper, I told Ema to go change. "Ukyo-nii isn't home yet, so I'm going to start on dinner. You can help me if you feel up to it."