"Finished!"

Momiji cried happily, setting down the empty basket that once contained clean
laundry.

"Great! We can head down town now!"

Tohru clapped her hands together happily as Momiji and Sora danced around her
happily.

Sohma House:

The door of Hatori's study slid open, and the doctor looked up to see who had come
to his domain. He could hear Ayame buzzing around somewhere out back, obviously
making small talk with one of the Sohma servants.

"Haa-san! Good morning! You won't believe how hot its gotten!"

Shigure continued to babble as Hatori eyed his friend tiredly.

"-Ah, and did I mention to you that I have half siblings?"

Hatori shook his head to clear his thoughts and looked back up at the dog
jyuunishi in confusion.

"You have what?"

Shigure scurried into the room and plopped down next to Hatori's desk chair,
pointing to another shorter man in doorway. Hatori eyed the new comer in slight
awe. The young man seemed to be a copy of a young Shigure, with the exception of
his eye color, their color a cold blue instead of warm brown.

"This is my younger half brother, Helas Yuikiro. He and his sister, who you may
get the pleasure as to meet later on, have been sent to stay the summer with me."

Shigure said lazily, as if it was becoming the most obvious thing in the world.

"And I was wondering, Haa-san, if you could give the both of us the full story."

Sora and Momiji danced around as Tohru took their pooled money to pay for some
ice cream in the park. They were singing some nonsensical song that talked about
the sizes of coconuts at a festival.

"Here you go, Strawberry for Momiji and Blueberry for Sora."

She said with a smile, handing them both their cones while making sure her own
vanilla icecream cone did not drop from her grasp. They went to sit on a bench
in the middle of the park under a large tree.

"So Sora, your father sent you and Yuikiro to stay with Shigure, right? Is there
any reason?"

Sora paused in her enthusiastic consumption of her icecream cone, her face falling
into a neutral expression.

"Mama has gotten very sick, Papa thinks it be better if we went far away while
Mama's in hospital."

Her expression turned to normal and she turned and smiled at the two silent forms
beside her.

"But Sora doesn't worry! Mama's strongest in the world! Mama's great!"

Momiji nodded and started a new conversation with the ashen haired girl, while
Tohru sat silently, thinking and mechanically finishing her frozen treat.

"Do mine ears decieve me? Or is it my dear Shii-chan come to visit?"

The three occupants of the room looked up to see the silver haired snake jyuunishi
pose theatrically in the doorway to the porch. Hatori slapped his forehead. It
had begun.

"Aaya! My dear, Aaya!"

"Shigure! Je' Taime!"

They drifted nearer and nearer, as if about to hug, but their finger tips met and
they pulled back, smiling at each other and giving the thumbs up.

"ALRIGHT!"

Yuikiro raised and eyebrow, rubbing the back of his neck. Just what was alright?

Ayame looked up from his energetic chatter with his best friend, eyeing the blue
eyed teen.

"My dear Shii-chan, you haven't cheated on me and had off spring have you?"

"My lovely Aaya, allow me to introduce you to my little half brother, Helas
Yuikiro."

"Shii-chan! You've been keeping secrets from me! How could you! After all we've
shared!"

"Je 'Taime, don't be that way! It was a surprise to me as well! Please do not
think I have wronged you so!"

"Are they always like this?"

"Been that way since we were kids, unfortunately."

"Mm."

TBC

Sorry sorry! It took so long yet there was nothing but nonsense n.n;; I'll get
down to what Shigure asked Hatori to explain next chapter, though this chapter
has its title o.O