A/N: 01's here again & here's the new chap which I might review/rewrite later on but its fine like this for now. Also, HAPPY VERY BELATED HALLOWEEN!

Anyway that's all i have to say rn ig nothing much else really. (Also, ty for the reviews and being with me, yall. Ur all the best. Here's an update!)

Disclaimer: I dont own YGO Arc V

"Before you go
Was there something I could've said to make it all stop hurting?
It kills me when your mind can make you feel so worthless so…
Before you go."

-Before You Go by Lewis Capaldi

A Few Days Later

It was very early, just a little ways past 4:30.

Ruri awoke from the sound of her phone's ringtone; when she saw who it was from, she immediately got up and went to the nearest bathroom to answer it.

"Ru—I mean, Nightingale, is that you?" the person from the other end asked.

"Yes, mother. It's me."

"Anything new that happened?"

"No, so far…"

"Hm." Ruri could feel the person nod. "Okay, then. Just making sure. Knowing you and how much you love them, you might keep things from me."

Ruri sighed. She's right, and it happens more than not, making things riskier. "I'll tell you if there's something new."

"Alright, then. You can go sleep now or whatever you're doing. And remember, all of you's lives are on the line, so don't tell me something too late, or else."

"Yes, mother," Ruri replied hastily.

They both ended the call.

Himika put her phone down. "She better not be hiding anything from me." She sighed. The call with er… her daughter, reminded her of some things.

Things that happened in the past; things she'd rather forget or wished hadn't happened.

She never truly despised them, and neither did she want to kill Leo—that was an accident.

Sure, their marriage was arranged, but it was secretly by Leo himself.

Though yes, on her part, she was supposed to spy on them. Did Leo know that? He did. She never did the spy part though.

And after everything, the higher-ups covered it up saying she was a traitor, although at the time she'd rather be not. It hurt her a bit as they knew this already but let it pass because of Leo, but truth to be told, she was.

But their love was true…

It happened fast. They just met each other and for some reason, after a few weeks, they thought of the commitment.

Although she wasn't supposed to be with him, and he not with her because of their origins, they still made the relationship and their first few months together, if she were honest, was fun.

But after some time Leo said he wanted to make a kid, emphasizing the "make" part. She was fine with it as well, actually, as she wanted kids herself.

But Leo wanted to actually "make" a kid, and he did so through the process mentioned in the past chapters.

He begged her to do it, claiming it was made of their own genes and DNA and that it was only a "little" bit modified.

She didn't like that idea and suggested they do it the normal way (and hey they actually do that but not for the intention of having a kid. Y'know what I mean), but nevertheless, she agreed.

Did he marry her just for this, though?

She found out Yusho—one of Leo's friends who usually helped him with his other project, RSV—'s wife, Yoko, also got asked to do the same and agreed.

And since they were both chosen to do this and were the first, they met more than they thought and became good friends.

When she and Yoko had their first kids, Zarc from Yoko and Ray from her respectively, they were overjoyed to meet them.

Himika took care of Ray the best she could, but Leo saw Ray mostly as an experiment.

He did, however, take care of her like a father would while hiding his intentions.

And a few years later, they had Shun, and a few more after that, Reiji. And she liked how Ray loved them both so much. Leo didn't pay much attention to them as much as he did with Ray, though.

Even after that happened.

She wasn't present at the time it happened and only saw it on the news as she was visiting someone, but she couldn't describe how worried she actually was and how she hoped her babies were still alive and well.

When she figured out Ray was "lost", she felt like losing herself. After all, Ray was still her firstborn.

But she saw how Leo moved on quickly—suggesting to make more after Ray died. At least, she could feel it: that he also longed for Ray to come back.

Sure, she was mostly just a successful experiment, but she was also his daughter.

When she heard of Leo's new plan, she was hesitant 'till Leo said it was a different way. Still, she didn't agree as she hasn't recovered from Ray's death yet.

But he proceeded anyway.

What broke her heart most though was when she figured out that Leo also wanted to replicate Zarc. She then thought that her old best friend Yoko had something to do with it (after the incident with Zarc, she hated her and Yusho and didn't want to be anywhere near them), so from there she went after her.

When they met, they yelled at each other and exchanged slaps now and then, but nothing came out of it. Yoko explained that she wanted her own kid back as much as she does and promised that she wouldn't make the mistake she did with Zarc.

She knew nothing would come from the fight, so they both just stormed off, the argument leaving unresolved.

When the girls were each "born", she couldn't look at any of them. True, they had Ray's face, but they weren't Ray.

But being their mother, she had to play that role. She also noticed that Leo changed a bit, spending time with the four—and Reiji and Shun occasionally—more than he ever did with Ray or before.

She knew that one day in the future, these four would meet with the ones from Zarc, but she loved them too much to let that again , so she devised a plan: to get them to team up with her to, supposedly, kill the boys.

This greatly contradicts Leo's plan, which was for the girls to form a bond with the boys and watch over them with the help of Duel Spirits and some… powers.

But she didn't trust them to do it alone, so that one time 12 years ago, that happened. She asked them nicely at first but they really wouldn't go with her and had to take "drastic" measures. She also accidentally killed Leo, which saddened her so much, but it's not like she could do anything about it after it happened. Worse of all, people only knew her to be a traitor.

Maybe that all happened because she didn't explain it to the girls well, making them think that what she asked of them was bad, not knowing that it was actually for the good.

Proof was when a few years back, she found a way to contact Ruri and while it was hard to convince her at first, she gave it a thought and agreed (mostly cause she once again threatened to kill her siblings if she didn't).

She had another spy, Allen—Ruri knew him as well—who was in charge of spying within the company, while Ruri was for the girls' and her brothers.

Himika hid from everyone else especially after that day a few years ago, another encounter with Yoko. It was said she died of, what was that? Lung cancer? Nah. She knew that woman and is probably still out there somewhere, searching for her. And she herself was looking for her. Maybe one day they'll encounter each other again.

Oh how pleasant that would be.

And that's how she ended up where she is today, hiding in wherever she is, relying on her spies for information—

Information mostly on where Yoko Sakaki could be, and of course, where the boys were and where they are and what they are currently doing.

She also had no other choice but to hope for the girls to mature, grow, and master their powers—especially Serena who for some reason was affected by the incidents most, and for Ruri to not lie.

Then hopefully everything else would go by smoothly.

Back with Ruri…

She was walking back to her and Yuzu's room but stopped to check on Rin and Serena.

She opened the door as slowly and quietly as she could, and to her surprise, both were sleeping on their separate beds peacefully—not just Rin, but Serena too.

Rin was neatly cuddled on her bed, blanket covering everything but her head. Serena on the other hand was sprawled on her bed, blanket only covering some part of her. It wasn't surprising that misty also happened to be sleeping beside her—also sprawled with one paw over her eye.

Ruri gave a deep sigh before walking over to Serena and fixing her position. 'There. Better.'

"That's supposed to be my thing, you know. Go back with Yuzu," a voice behind her said sarcastically with a yawn, making Ruri yawn as well.

Ruri turned and smiled to the owner of the voice. "Good morning, Rin. You're up early, even under normal circumstances."

"Mornin' as well. Yeah, but I'm just gonna go pee…" Rin muttered, stretching her arms.

They both walked out of the room with Rin heading to the bathroom—muttering a "see you later"—and Ruri to her and Yuzu's room.

'Sigh, I'm doing this for all of us and for our own good. I'll protect you all and our brothers, don't worry,' Ruri thought, going back to sleep.

Later on, she woke up again to cook their breakfast.

"Hmm, smells nice," Yuzu commented tiredly as she had just woken up and plopping herself on the couch.

"Oh please, it's just ramen." Ruri said, placing some eggs onto the noodles.

"Yeah, but you cook our food best!"

They heard more steps going down the stairs. "Mornin'!" Rin smiled. "Need help?"

"Yeah, thanks. Please do the other two bowls."

More footsteps thundered down the stairs but suddenly stopped. "Misty, stop purring on me!" They heard someone exclaim.

"Morning, Serena," Yuzu greeted.

"Yeah, morning." Serena went straight to the bathroom with a towel and took a bath.

After some time, with the other girls about to eat, she finally got out again and rushed to the door. "Bye!"

"Not on my watch!" Rin stopped her before she could even touch the handle.

"What?"

"Breakfast. Also, what's with the rush? It's Saturday."

'My 'job' is during Saturdays,' Serena thought. 'And I'm almost late and still hafta get my bag from Dennis and walk there, but can't get them suspicious…' "I need to do something, but fine. I'll have some breakfast."

As Serena followed Rin back, she felt her phone vibrate from her pocket.

She picked it up and expected (and wanted it to be if she admitted) that stupid asshole—Yuri—because he was the only one she gave her number to recently, all her sisters were with her, and it's not like she talks to her older brothersall that much .

But instead got greeted with texts from an unknown number. The messages though told her who it was.

Person: cmon i already apologized for what Ive done

Person: pls forgive me. I got out of jail, let's relive those fun times again, yeah?

Robin.

'Thought I blocked you…'

Serena: I said im done with u. fuck off

Person: pleeeaase

Serena just blocked him once again, stuffed the phone into one of her pockets, and joined her sisters on the table.

A call from Yuzu's phone interrupted their meal. "Hm? Reiji?" she said. Knowing it's fine to answer calls on the table as long as it's family, Yuzu answered it. "Hey, big bro. What's up?"

"I'm sorry I forgot to tell you girls, but there's a Christmas Ball this 23rd—"

Before Reiji could finish, he was interrupted by a groan. "Really…?"

Everyone looked at Serena. "What?" she asked as if she did nothing wrong. Feeling guilty for once, she rolled her eyes and told Reiji to continue.

"Anyway, there's a ball on December 23, and it's a formal ball so I recommend you dress your best. And that includes you, Serena," Reiji pointed her out directly.

"I guess."

"23rd!? Why'd you only tell us now!?" Ruri exclaimed. She liked going to balls and dances, and she would try to get a new dress every time that would happen.

"Relax, it's still in about two weeks—" Rin's sentence was broken off by more of Ruri's chattering.

"But Rin, there's four of us!"

"Ruri, calm down," Rin continued to scold.

"Typical Ruri," Yuzu sighed, watching the two eldest sisters argue.

"Yeah, anno—" Serena started, taking a mouthful of the soup.

"Don't say something that'll piss her off—I don't need to tell you the consequences of that."

Reiji continued, "Also I may or may not have set up someone for you, Serena—"

"...whAT!?"

"—So once again, look your best, and smile: It won't kill you. That's all. Goodbye now," Reiji ended the call.

Yuzu put her phone down and exclaimed, "A ball! I can't wa~it!"

"Yeah, but it's a formal ball, Yuzu. Meaning we need dresses!" Ruri reminded.

"Then we can go out later or something; it's Saturday, after all," Rin suggested.

"That stupid fucking grey-headed—"

"Language, Serena."

"I know, but like, again!? And you all don't seem to care that he did that!"

Rin rolled her eyes. "It's just some sort of blind date, it shouldn't be that bad. And Reiji told me you're the one driving them away."

"Honestly I find those kinds if dates quite romantic!" Ruri said happily. "Like, it makes you wonder: who is he, who might the guy be? What is he like?"

"You find that cool—I don't. Sigh, nevermind…"

Serena just shut up, sat on the table, and watched them, grumbling and insulting Reiji in every way she could (in her mind) and continued to eat her ramen. She felt her phone vibrate again. 'Who is it this time…?'

She took it out and saw she got a message from Gallagher.

New. She knew that he knew she doesn't use her phone all that frequently, but reading the message told her the reason for the text.

Gal: (A/N: i didn't want to have to write "Gallagher" everytime so yall get this) Hello, Serena. I know you dont use ur phone much but

Gal: I have some good news—

Serena's reading was interrupted by Ruri asking her a question: "We all agreed, wanna come?"

"With what?" She put her chopsticks down.

"Do you wanna come with us? We're gonna buy new dresses, maybe get some groceries and/or shop after as well," Ruri explained.

The word "dress" made a memory Serena didn't wanna remember flow into her brain. "Nah, I'm good. Plus, I have some work to do."

"Okay, then." Ruri went back to talking to the other three.

Serena continued reading the message:

Gal: I have some good news: Robin has A/N: escaped lol come back, meaning u have a partner again! Now isnt that neat?

Serena: did u lose ur mind or smtg!?

Serena: u know i dont wanna be with him!

Gal: I didnt expect u to respond honestly. and i didnt forget i know but didnt u say it was quite boring alone?

Serena: yeah, but whatev im not coming today

Gal: What!? What about the money and all that?

Serena scoffed.

Serena: It's just one day

Serena: bye

Serena: PS dont send anyone to me or uk what happens

Gal: I know. Wont waste anyone with you anyway

She put her phone down and glanced at her sisters. "Good news: I'm coming with y'all four." 'Just have to avoid the dresses.'

"That's great!"

"What's with the sudden decision change?"

—Were Ruri and Rin's alternate responses to Serena's statement while Yuzu collected the other two's plates and placed them on the sink.

"Ehm, I just wanted to spend more time with y'all," Serena reasoned.

"Okay, then."

Ruri stepped up. "Well, what're we waiting for? Everybody finish eating and line up for the bathroom, I'll do the dishes."

"…imma give Misty some leftovers. Also I already took my bath," Serena mentioned to which Ruri nodded.

The former then went to said cat and gave her some leftovers on a small, plastic plate. "Im gonna leave with my sisters, so you behave, okay? You may head out and do your thing, but don't abandon me."

Misty nodded and gave a small mew before eating. Serena patted her little head and smiled in response.

And with that, they finished up, took their baths, and got dressed.

And because her parka is in the laundry at the moment, Serena once again changed her outfit: black jacket with a white T-shirt underneath with a KC Cup logo on it and jeans while her beanie remained.

[Add pic]

"Damn, it's really cold, huh," Yuzu commented as they got out of their apartment.

"It's December, what did ya expect?"

Ruri locked their door then they left.

"Shouldn't we go to the tailor or something?" Rin asked as they walked down the road.

"Nah, we'll check out dresses from shops first. We'll go to the tailor when we can't find anything that suits us," Ruri answered.

"Okay."

The four entered the mall with Ruri leading them straight to the front of a dress shop.

Serena, still not wanting to go anywhere near dresses, stopped them. "WaIT!"

"What now?" Rin asked coldly.

"Can we get some milk tea first?" Serena only ever liked one specific flavor and isn't really into it, so this surprised the other three.

"We can get that later. Plus, we just ate," Yuzu protested. "And the earlier we choose our dresses the better."

'Yeah. Normal women unlike myself can spend hours just wondering what to put on and what make-up to use,' Serena thought boredly. "Please…" she begged anyway.

"Later."

"Pls."

"…fine." Ruri finally gave in. Of the girls, she's the easiest to convince. She walked to a milk tea shop nearby.

'Whew…' Serena thought, giving a sigh of relief.

They each ordered their own thing and finally went out.

"Now can we go back?"

"Uh—" Serena started.

And before she could even give a proper answer, Yuzu gripped her jacket's sleeve and dragged her away.

"Yuzu, what—!?"

"No."

"But—"

"You'll just continue making excuses, nee-chan. So I have to; have fun with us for once, please…!"

Serena wanted and was about to retort, but one look at her little sister's blue, begging eyes made her turn away and keep her mouth shut. "Fine."

"Yeah! Thanks!"

"Only for today, though."

Yuzu nodded eagerly and trusted Serena enough to let her go before walking away. "C'mon now, everyone!"

Rin sighed, taking a sip of her milk tea before both she and Serena went on to follow Yuzu.

Ruri too was about to do the same, but she saw Yuto pass by from the side of her eye.

She stiffened. She could feel her heart pounding loudly from her chest.

"Girls, will you excuse me a bit?" she asked, rubbing the back of her head.

Rin gave an annoyed sigh. "You too?"

"Yeah, sorry."

"It's fine, go ahead."

"I might take a while, so take your time. And you both," she pointed at Yuzu and Serena, "listen to Rin!"

"Will do," both said in sync.

Ruri then ran off to follow Yuto.

The three other girls then went on to go and find a dress that suits them.

It didn't take long for Rin to find one that she liked with details I'll describe when the chapter of the dance'll come. She'll just pick it up later though cause it'll be a hassle carrying the thing around.

(Thank discord frens for helping find a dress)

Yuzu spent almost a whole hour trying to finding one but never found it, so she and Rin thought of designing one with Ruri when they got home.

Then they both decided to find one for Serena for now.

"Yeah… Uh," Serena muttered as Yuzu showed her another one.

"Oh come on, this is the fifth one already…"

"Please, took you an hour to decide on giving up."

Rin, from the side, just observed the two argue.

She knew a thing or two on why Serena didn't want to get a dress, and that she was just stalling on purpose.

There was a thing that happened in their past that made Serena loathe dresses.

Something about her getting a new one and wearing it this one time for some training on their manners, but a bully saw her and beat her up for it.

The reason was because of how boyish Serena was, and when this one time she acted more feminine came, it was unusual and awkward for most—even if the school was actually based on fighting practice, hence most girls were already usually boyish.

Adding the fact that Serena looked pretty cute and not-herself in a dress, that she attracted more attention than she wanted.

So this group of girls—yes, a group of girls, not guys for once—went to her when she was alone. At first, all they did was mock and make fun of her, saying things like she "looked more weaker" or "less stronger" when she was in a dress.

She retorted to them as well, but they countered that she was the best fighter in the girls' group, so she looked more ridiculous than they did.

Other than a fight, that day they sneaked into her and Serena's room and ripped her dress to pieces in front of her while the others held them back.

It didn't really traumatize her, but from that day on, Serena developed a preference for not wearing nor liking dresses.

Only thing is, as per usual, Ruri and Yuzu had no idea about this incident—and if their room wasn't raided, Rin prolly not would've known either.

She herself didn't want to force Serena into one, but it was needed at the moment. Plus, it's been a while since Serena has ever worn a dress or attended a formal gathering.

"You know what? I remember that I actually have to buy something from the hardware store—"

"Spray paint," Rin interrupted, knowing well there wasn't any other reason she'd want to go there other than for an excuse.

"—so I'll be back in a while," Serena continued at last.

"Hey!" Yuzu called as Serena darted away.

Rin put her hand on Yuzu's shoulder. "It's fine; I trust she won't run away this time. Let's just try and find you a dress again for now."

"Alright, then…" Yuzu just gave in.

With Serena

"If only she knew why…" Serena muttered.

After she bought some spray paint, she was about to turn to a corner when she heard some sobbing. She stopped and tried to hide.

'He hated me…' the person thought. 'I never meant it to be that way… It was for both of us and our families, yet… Why? It's all my fault; I'm sorry, Yuto…'

The person then revealed themselves: Ruri.

When she saw Serena, Ruri immediately walked backwards, calmed herself, and wiped her tears away before going back.

"Oh, hi, Serena," she murmured, a fake smile forming on her face.

"Ruri…" Serena's eyes widened. She blinked to make sure what she saw was right. Ruri wasn't harmed or anything, but she was obviously crying before she saw her. It didn't even surprise Serena that Ruri put on a smile—she has always been an eccedentesiast. "What happened…?"

"What do you—Oh. Nothing, was just, uhh, thinking about something which made me that sad, that's all."

Serena became wary. "Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, what about you? What're you doing here?" Ruri quickly countered, not missing a beat.

This surprised the other girl, but she dismissed it.

Thinking it's better to just shut up about it, she just answered Ruri's question. "Eh, didn't… want to try any dresses on. Makes me kind of uncomfortable, and it's not really my… thing." She sat down on a bench and put the stuff she bought beside her.

Ruri sighed. She regained herself and brushed off the things that happened before Serena came, and sat beside her. "So that's why you've been making excuses all morning? Because you didn't want to wear a dress?"

"Pretty much."

"Why, though? Yuzu and I never understood why you avoid such things," Ruri said to her questioningly. "Did something happen?"

"You both don't know this, but…" Serena hesitated at first but continued, "there was a little incident involving them, as you guessed. I got bullied just 'cause I got more attention than usual and also 'cause it was 'unusual' for some people." She looked down.

Then went on, "But… Fuck cares if it's unusual for a few; it's just a dress!"

Ruri put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Well that's their problem, not yours, so don't dwell on it."

"I don't and am usually fine, but I still prefer not being trapped in one."

"Alright then, question: are you afraid of dresses?"Ruri asked out of the blue.

"What? No!"

"Well, I can tell you are, even just a bit." Ruri then stood up. "So, face your fears, Serena!"

Serena sighed. "I-I'm not afraid of it, as I said."

"Look," Ruri sat down but not reaching the floor to match Serena's level and took her hands. "We know you're the bravest and strongest of the four of us—"

Serena looked away to not meet Ruri's determined-to-convince-her gaze.

"—But we're all afraid of something. And we all know the trauma you went through. At the moment you might not be coping well," Ruri stifled a small chuckle, "but you still got through that. So seriously, what's one dress gonna do?"

Serena took Ruri's words the best she could. Her sister was right: she got through all those tough times and made it out… eh, pretty fine, and it won't kill her to try a different outfit on. So, maybe she'll give it a try.

"Y'know what? You're right." She took her hands away from Ruri's own and stood up, posture confident and face filled with determination, replacing her usually bored and weary façade. "What's one dress gonna do?"

Ruri smiled and stood up as well. "C'mon, then."

"Hey, Ruri, can we talk for a while?" She heard a voice ask from her head. The voice was familiar and she recognized whose it was, so Ruri nodded.

"Serena, go first. I'll follow after."

"'Kay, then!" Serena answered happily with no suspicions whatsoever, picked her bag of spray paint up, and walked away.

"…" Ruri happily watched her. When she finally seemed to disappear, Ruri turned back and asked, "Alright, what?"

"I saw what happened earlier, you know?" Sapphire Swallow said in her sweet, feminine voice while metaphysically manifesting in front of Ruri.

Her eyes widened. "What!?"

The bird-girl sighed. "I'm your monster, and we can appear and be present anytime we want—which includes being in your head or beside you… invisibly."

"Still! It was a private convo, you know!"

"I know, but that's not why I wanted to talk to you."

Ruri shut up.

Saph was there:

When she and Yuto had their conversation.

"Why?" Saph asked. "You know you're supposed to be with him, though not forcibly, so why'd you tell him all that…" she added grimly.

Ruri didn't say anything.

Saph continued, "And what about your sisters? When you said that 'You weren't supposed to be with him,' did that include them?"

"I DIDN'T WANT them—Yuto and my sisters—TO GET HURT, OKAY?!" Ruri snapped. She looked down. "What I meant is… I have been in contact with my mom, which I think you know?"

"Yeah, I was there earlier. As well."

"Knew it…" Ruri sighed. "So yeah. She had told me some of the things that happened a pretty long time ago. I believed her and thought her cause was just, so I decided to help her. I never knew it'd be Yuto and his brothers. Also, she bribed me anyway, saying she might harm my siblings, sisters in particular, if i won't."

"I guess that's understandable," Saph murmured, looking down. "But now you know that it's better to continue your bond with him—so why leave? And can't you ask your older brothers for help or protection?"

"To be honest, I'm conflicting with my own head right now," Ruri admitted. "I'm not sure if I should follow Reiji or my mo—her."

"I already knew a time like this would come, but I didn't think it'd hurt this much. How was I supposed to anticipate that?" she continued sadly.

'I don't really know how to help you right now, other than to help you with your powers,' Saph thought. "Nor did I think you'd form an allegiance with your mom… I have to tell Sonata—"

"No! Please, don't," Ruri begged. "I still want to help you all; I'm only an informant, plus I don't always tell the truth. It's risky, but it's okay."

Sapphire Swallow looked at her with clear uncertainty.

"Please…"

"Fine, guess I won't. But as I asked, what about your sisters?"

Ruri remembered her own little plan. "Well… I thought that, since I'm not sure which side to take, as long as I don't bond with Yuto, Reiji's plan wouldn't come to completion… Maybe. But by that though, it also kind of benefits my mom. Only…"

"What?"

"It won't be good a bit because it'll be sad for me…" Ruri trailed off. "To see each of my sisters' love bloom for their boys while I avoid mine. It will hurt… A lot."

Saph looked down. Indeed it would hurt Ruri a lot, but deep down inside she felt like what Ruri was doing could be complete nonsense and not beneficial for anyone.

"And can you just… not tell other people this?" Ruri pleaded.

"Won't. I don't think I want to, anyway."

"Thanks…" Ruri then remembered why she was in the mall in the first place. "I have to catch up with the others, so let's go now."

"Yeah. I'll have to go back though. Also I have a feeling that we might really need to catch up on letting you learn your powers soon," Saph mentioned. "Before it's too late."

"Looking forward to that day, then."

Meanwhile

A young man with very spiky hair was walking down an alley.

He was doing so slowly, and his legs ached like an earthquake had gone through it, and his head longing for sleep or a quick nap.

Why was he so tired, when he had just woken up a few hours ago? And he was sure he got enough sleep.

He then remembered something.

"We can't be together," these painful words rang through his ear, "We're just friends!"

The young man, Yuto, now remembered why.

The thing that happened earlier replayed itself once again in his head.

Flashback

He was walking back from a restaurant, newly bought and fresh-cooked food in hand.

These were for his brothers—bought by him specifically from the mall as a surprise and so that they have something other than home-cooked food or cup noodles for once.

The whole time though, he was actually thinking about Ruri.

Simply put, he liked her; maybe even above that.

He wanted to tell her, but… how and when should he?

But The Sanctuary in the Sky might have given him a little chance today because he saw Ruri.

And she didn't not notice him or just stood still, either. She was approaching him. She had a little uncertain, sad, and worried look on her face, but he didn't think much of it.

Not sure of what to do—whether to go to his brothers or talk to her—he managed to stutter, "H-Hi!"

"Hey." Ruri smiled.

"I like your coat," Yuto complimented nervously.

Ruri looked at him confusedly. She then looked at herself. "Oh! Thanks. It's new."

"So um… what brings you here?"

She frowned. "I'm here to talk to you, actually. Can you follow me somewhere?"

"Uhm, sure…"

And with that, she walked away. "Follow me."

Yuto was confused. Why would she need a different place to talk?

'…wait! I have the chance to tell her how I really feel now; maybe that's what she might even be aiming for!' And with those thoughts, Yuto giddily followed her.

Ruri finally stopped at a corner she considered secure and started talking.

"Yuto, I—"

"Ruri, I have to tell you—" Yuto accidentally interrupted her, putting the food down. "Uhm, you can go first."

"No, it's fine. You go first," Ruri insisted.

"No, you~"

"You~"

"You~"

Ruri snapped out of this little short flirting thing; now wasn't the time for it. She sighed. This made Yuto a little disappointed, though he himself didn't really notice it.

Ruri looked down, doing her best to hide the sadness on her face. "Look, Yuto…"

"Yeah?" She liked how Yuto still looked happy. She looked at his sweet, sweet face. She then felt dejected, knowing she would end up making it all go away.

"We can't…" she stammered, "we can't… meet each other anymore."

"What?" Yuto's heart sank at her words but hid the feeling. He gave a nervous laugh and combed his hair with his fingers anxiously. "Why?" He put his hand down.

He wanted to finally confess his love for her. They had been chatting and occasionally seeing each other at Ruri's workplace for the past few weeks, and he thought that he liked her.

And now she says they can't see each other anymore?

"I… Can't tell you why," she finally says, looking away.

Yuto's face filled with worry as he looked at her again. "Look, Ruri, did something happen? Your sisters? In your work? You know you can tell me—"

"Nothing exactly bad happened, okay?" She felt her eyes water. She also wanted to tell him the truth but couldn't.

She quickly thought of an excuse. "I mean… Think about it: we still have our siblings to support, not to mention we're the eldest ones!" It might not be that true on Ruri's side as she has her older brothers, but at least she was when it came to her sisters. It was also a good thing that she never mentioned her brothers to him before.

"But it's not like…" Yuto hesitated a bit, "anything's… serious."

"…" This kind of shut Ruri up. He was right—it's not like anything was that serious between them. They were just… Friends.

"Guess you're right," Ruri thought. "But still. We just… Aren't supposed to meet anymore, okay?"

"I really don't understand, y'know."

"Yuto… Please."

"Ruri, we're not serious yet!" he yelled, taking Ruri aback. It was… weird to see a normally quiet guy mad. "You agreed with me—that we're not too deep in a relationship yet—"

"What do you mean we're not, 'deep in a relationship yet'!? We're just friends!"

"We're just friends!" The words rang in his head like a broken tape, making Yuto freeze. Never has a sentence so short and so simple ever hurt him like this before. He felt as if the world had turned down or had given up on him. Like it was crushed and all his feelings taken for granted.

Like no one cared anymore. All his love for her, shattered into a million tiny pieces and thrown away like glass. "If so then you're right—let's just not meet anymore…" he trailed off, not wanting to continue this anymore.

"Why are you making such a big fuss about it, anyway!?" Ruri barked. "Tell me, Yuto! If we are as close as friends should be, then don't lie to me; tell me why!"

He glared at her—his steel-gray eyes gleaming with all the love and fury he felt for her and her alone. Yet still Ruri couldn't tell what made him say and do all this. How could she still not know?

"Because…" he once again paused and hesitated. Could he really tell her, now?

"Because what, Yuto!?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, RURI!" he snapped then panted, the last thread keeping his patience together snapping.

Ruri gasped, speechless. 'No… I knew it… Felt it, yet I didn't believe that feeling…'

"Since the day our date ended," he sighed, letting himself calm down, "I felt it. I wanted to get to know you more, your interests and likes; to see you everyday whether good or bad, to listen to you talk to me about anything or your problems and to help you get through it all…" he confessed.

Ruri felt something in her heart. She wanted to say the same or something of the like as well, but she was not allowed to.

"But nevermind it," he finished. "With what you said, it seems like it doesn't or won't matter anymore. Anyway, I have to take the food to my brothers. Better not keep them hungry," he chuckled sarcastically then frowned.

"Yuto…" was the only word that escaped Ruri's lips, the other words lodged in her throat, as she silently regretted everything she said. Her heart sank and she felt her eyes water.

In the side, an invisible eavesdropper listened. She herself didn't know what to say to them. She decided to leave them alone for now and shut up. Her birdhead-shaped cap casted a shadow on her face as she looked down in disappointment.

Yuto then continued, "Maybe we really aren't supposed to be with each other. Plus, what's the point? I hate you now…" oh how much of a lie that was. He did in some way at this moment as his anger clouded his love for her.

And Ruri, she just… stood there, bewildered; surprise written all over her face.

With a dejected heart, Yuto picked his and his brothers' food up. "I've gotta go now. Bye."

He slowly turned and walked away.

He also heard Ruri stifle a small sob and mutter a "bye, then" before she herself walked away.

There was something weird with that meeting, though. He felt and sensed as if there was another presence there, but he didn't see anyone or anything else so he just ignored it and walked away.

Flashback End(?)

It wasn't a proper parting, but they parted nonetheless, the pain too much for either to handle.

He wasn't sure what happened to Ruri after that, not feeling the need to care. At that moment all he wanted was to get as far away from her as possible as it felt as if she were the source of the pain in his heart.

And frankly, she was.

Even more, he had to confess in the middle of an argument.

He held back tears when he finally went home.

His brothers, excluding Yuri, rushed to him right away and thanked him for the food.

Yuto smiled and nodded to them.

The other two might be too naive to know, but Yuto's sadness did not go unnoticed by our beloved cabbage-head, Yuri.

Nothing ever passes him.

He muttered a thanks to Yuto and watched him tread tiredly to his room.

There, Yuto questioned himself.

Did he do something wrong?

If he did, what?

Was he too creepy or something of the like, maybe?

He then remembered what Ruri said, and she was right: they had to provide for their siblings.

Yuto was also too depressed to remember that his brothers weren't babies who needed constant watch anymore. All he does remember is that he has to protect and help them—especially Yuya who hasn't finished college yet.

One more thing, did he go too far earlier…?

No. Ruri started it. If it weren't for the things she said, that argument never would've happened.

Outside, Yuri was glancing at Yuto's door.

It was quite unusual that he, Yuto, their older brother that's rarely affected by anything, padded to his room the way he did.

Yuri wanted to know what happened but thought it be better to leave him to his thoughts for now.

He though will do anything to figure it out. He may be a heartless fuck most of the time, but not to his siblings (Yuya specifically, but he ain't the topic right now).

Plus, he gets curious when people around him behave differently or the way they do, especially if it intrigues him that much. Also he loves learning secrets one won't tell any other.

He'll help Yuto get better, and he already has an idea of what to do.

A/N: Spoilers, the next chap is gonna be based more on the Yu's! Cant wait to start it (yeah i havent written anything on it BUT the outline ToT)! Cause im sure weve had enough of these girls.

Abt that, imo the girls need to be focused on more, and there aren't much good stories/fanart about them. Most fan arts I saw of em together are either nsfw or have that idea. I rarely see them hanging out with each other casually (in fanarts esp) as much as the Yu's :(

Tho i understand, they werent that focused on much in the anime and in the manga... most werent present with Yuzu being yk what (know i havent read it all yet, only a few chaps in and i like the idea of it but i rlly wished Yuzu wasnt that (i heard the yuzu's role thing from other ppl)).

After the next chap hopefully i can write the dance part (which'll be divided into 2 chaps), and i might do a review/rewrite thing again after chap 20, & I plan to continue doing so every 10 chaps but fear not i will do my best to avoid forcing yall to reread anything. It's mostly just to fix grammatical errors ive made.

This is all for now, cya!
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