Hello guys, would you believe me if I said that I recently watched some BroCon meme edits on YouTube and was struck with the realisation that I wanted to properly finish this story? I was originally going to go through every single chapter and edit them to be more cohesive. It's still on the to-do list but it will be slow going, at least until the summer.

Familiar Ties

"Tired?"

The voice came from behind her. Ame turned to see an older man making his way over from the lights and noise. He was dressed in dark blue robes. In one hand he held a red paper fan trimmed with gold which he used to fan his face, sending thick blond locks fluttering away from his forehead and drawing attention to kindly brown eyes.

The festival carried on behind them, glowing red and gold from the lanterns and the fairy-lights that lit up every stall. In the distance someone was performing on the brightly coloured concert-stage. Ame couldn't hear the performance from where she was, but judging from the cheers and screams their act was being well received.

The night air was warm and balmy, and Ame was grateful that Ema had packed a kimono for her to wear. Her sister had been so pleased to be given an opportunity to provide for her, and Ame still hadn't quite weaned herself off the instinctual need to please Ema. So instead of turning up to the night-time revelry in her jeans and jacket, she had donned the grass-green attire that matched Ema's pale blue.

A particularly brave insect tried to land on one of the printed yellow flowers and Ame swatted it away before replying to the voice that had spoken to her. "A little bit. I'm just waiting for my sister." It took a few seconds for Ame to place why he seemed so familiar. "Are you one of Kaname's co-workers?"

He nodded with a practised flick of his long dark hair. "Yep, you can call me Ryusei. You must be the mysterious second sister," he stopped in front of her and inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Kaname talks about the two of you a lot. If I recall, on the day of your arrival he was so distracted the manager had to send him to the storage room to calm down in case he accidentally called a guest by the wrong name."

The image of Kaname, who acted so smooth and suave, being banished to cool his heels amidst boxes of paper towels and tinned fruit almost sent Ame into stitches. She bit her bottom lip to keep back the worst of the snorts and covered her mouth with the fluttering sleeves of her kimono.

"He's a good brother," she snickered after the fit passed. "He respects Ema and I, and he's kind. Is that part of being a monk?"

The benign grin on Ryusei's face took on a more self-depreciating air and he shrugged. "I know this isn't exactly the most religious lifestyle. Doubtless the Buddha might prefer a more ascetic priesthood. However, I believe we do some good. It can be incredibly cathartic to simply talk over your problems with good people over good meal."

Ame arched an eyebrow. "So it's like therapy but if your therapist was a hot guy with food?"

Ryusei snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "Exactly! So, tell me, what's eating you up inside pretty lady? Tell big brother all about it and maybe I will have some advice for you."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you want to hear me whine?" She asked dubiously. "I can't pay you."

"Consider it a family-and-friend's discount," Ryusei drawled with a shrug. "Come on, spill it. You've got me curious now."

Well, if you insist… "You're not allowed to take that back," Ame intoned seriously, and before he could ask what she meant by that, she opened her mouth and just let the whole sordid tale spill out – barring most of Kaname's part in it of course. At some point Ryusei's jaw had dropped open and by the end of the story he'd dropped his fan.

He quickly bent down to pick it up and dust off the paper leaves. "Huh...when your sister said the family was going through a rough patch, I can't say I foresaw any of this." A hand disappeared into the sleeve of his robe and reappeared with a box of cigarettes and a lighter shaped like a deck of cards. He shook one out and offered it to her.

Ame hadn't smoked since high school. Even then she hadn't much liked the taste or feeling, but there was something calming about the rhythmic inhale-exhale of smoke. The tip flared orange and she pursed her lips around a plume of smoke. The burn in the back of her throat was bittersweet and familiar. "Ema's gonna kill me if she smells this. I thought you guys were monks?"

Ryusei parted his mouth around a set of perfect smoke rings. "It's just on occasion. Quite a few of our guests are smokers. Don't smoke though, it's bad for you," he quickly added, looking concerned over the idea that he'd somehow corrupted his co-worker's baby sister. Ame wondered if she needed to remind him that she was an adult as well.

The night wind sent the smoke drifting away to dissipate above their heads. Ame rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, it's not a habit. Besides, I have excellent self-control."

"Isn't your excellent self-control and repression of emotion one of the key issues you told me about?" He pointed out. "Maybe you'd benefit from not being so tightly wound and in-control all the time."

"...okay while that makes sense and sounds like very good advice, I also don't wanna hear that while I am actively holding a cigarette."

"Fair enough."

The grass was soft where they stood. Ame readjusted her weight and felt the wooden soles of her geta sink further into the ground. The cigarette burned out quickly between her lips and fingers. She let the last of the orange embers flicker and die before turning to drop the stub into a nearby trash can.

Ryusei puffed out another grey sphere and smiled at her. "For what it's worth," he hummed as she glanced over at him curiously, "I think you're coping pretty well." Ame let out a disbelieving snort. He shook his head insistently. "No, really! Your situation was complicated from the start. As far as dodgy family systems go, you're making it work pretty well. Just remember to look out for yourself as well, alright?"

Ame could only respond with a surprised nod before Ema's lantern-cast silhouette appeared from behind a stall, closely followed by Wataru who had ditched the cups of shaved ice in favour of freshly made takoyaki. "Ame! There you are! We thought you'd gone back to see the concert!" Her smile began to dim when she sniffed the air. "Wait, were you-"

"It's my fault," Ryusei interrupted smoothly, revealing his half-burned stick. "Your sister was just keeping an old man company and I suppose I was so excited to meet Kaname's siblings that I simply lost track of time."

"Oh!" Ema blinked at Ryusei, recognition filling her face before she turned to Ame with a pleased smile. "The fireworks are about to go off! We should find a good spot to sit!"

"Then I'll let you get back to the festival," Ryusei bowed, a tad more dramatically than he had before, and then gifted the two girls with a devastatingly charming smile. "Goodnight ladies."

oOo

The summer home they were staying in was more like an actual house than an occasional residence. The facat that it remained empty and unused for months just seemed like a massive waste of land and living resources, Ame thought.

The kitchen was in working order at any rate, though that night they ate plates of leftovers and take-out paired with beer and juice. Ame did not like beer. In her opinion it tasted like water filtered through bread and didn't even get you drunk quickly. Quietly she nursed her cup of juice and watched Kaname get excited about the success of the festival, while ignoring the way others seemed to avoid treading on eggshells around her.

"I'm just glad everyone seemed to enjoy themselves," Ukyo said, handing out plates of roasted, salted nuts to complement the drinks.

"Things are always lively when all of us end up under one roof," Hikaru said in a sing-song sotto voce, drawing Ema's attention. "Have you gotten used to this atmosphere yet?"

She put a finger to her bottom lip and lifted her gaze upwards in thought. "I'd like to think so," Ema answered. "But it would be nice if we could be much more like family."

If they had still been outdoors, Ame would have expected for the air to be filled with the sounds of chirping crickets who'd just heard their cue for an awkward moment and were prepared to highlight it. Instead, she took a long, extended sip of juice through her straw and stared down at the carpet. Wow those square patterns were fascinating, wow…

Eventually Masaomi shook himself out of whatever minefield-riddled trance Ema's words had knocked them into and gave the two girls a kind smile. "Of course. You're our little sisters. You're already part of the family, in whatever capacity you want."

In whatever capacity, huh…

Ame curled her legs beneath her on the couch and watched her family bicker and chatter amongst themselves. It had been a long time coming, full of ups and downs, but she didn't regret a single thing. Oh if she had a chance to go back to the start and do it all over again, there were many moments she would choose differently, many things she would say, but she wouldn't give up her family for the world. They were all flawed, awful, sweet, talented, and kind people, and she loved them with all her heart.

An arm reached over her shoulder to deftly scoop the empty cup from her loose fingers. "Let me get that for you, big sis," Fuuto winked down at her. "Wow, you're not having any alcohol tonight? That's surprisingly pure of you."

Scoffing, Ame reached up and gently pinched his ear. "I don't want to hear that from someone who's too young to drink at all."

"Ow, so mean!" Fuuto whined, nearly pitching over the back of the couch as if his next goal was to fall right into her lap. In the next moment, he righted himself with an impish grin. "Sit tight, okay?"

Things weren't perfect. Maybe they never would be. She could blame the brothers for a lot of things, but she couldn't fault the men for having feelings. It wasn't like they had asked for this any more than she and Ema had. Nevertheless, that didn't mean they couldn't be a family. That didn't mean they wouldn't find happiness in the future.

And if, in the future, that happiness lay a little closer to home…Ame would figure it out. And this time, she wouldn't be on her own.

So, here's something about me: I like romance. In the real world, this topic would be far more complex, but since this is fiction and you all knew what you were getting into with the incest harem anime, what I'm saying is this: Is anyone interested in reading fluffy/smutty oneshots featuring Ame? We will not be touching Wataru for…obvious reasons, and Fuuto only if he's aged up. I can do AUs as well if people just want the characters without the actual sibling baggage.

Happy April guys! I hope you're all keeping safe and healthy! Take care!