Sorry for the shortness of the chapters... anyways, here's Chapter 6!
Chapter 6
Ayami felt a bit uncomfortable as she and the male Crusader began to trod down the hilly plains of Geffen, riding on a Grand Peco Peco.
It wasn't that she was shy about sharing a riding with a total stranger who had helped her get out of being embarrassed further by everyone earlier but rather, her wet clothes and the cold front that surrounded the plains made her shiver.
Metis must have sensed her shiver for he asked in his ever-gentle tone, "Are you still alright, Ayami-san?"
She suddenly turned red in embarrassment. "I-I'm fine..." she replied, trying hard not to let her teeth chatter as the cold air hit her in the face.
The Crusader looked unconvinced though. "Alright then, if you say so..."
After that, the two remained quiet throughout the riding trip until halfway through the plains, two falcons flew towards them, a letter on each of their leg.
"Letters? How come?" she asked, getting the letters off of thier legs. In reward, she handed them each a dead rat from her cape and they resumed their flight.
The Alchemist took a closer look at the letter she retrieved first which bore the insignia of the Archer's Guild in Payon, where her younger sister, Momo, studied to become an full-fledged Huntress.
It occurred to her on why she had received such a letter for it was already the month of Odin, the third month of the year. Schools were already closing, ready for summer vacation and this was the year her peachy cakes was going to be a Hunter.
'Don't tell me she didn't graduate!' she thought as she ripped open the envelop and began to read the contents. After reading it carefully for three times, her mood suddenly became sour and she began to rip the letter into pieces.
'How dare she drop out of school, knowing that its the only thing mom and dad gave us?!'
Ever since their parents' death last year, the oldest Orihara sibling had been playing the role of a mother and father to her siblings though the second one, already a respectable Knight throughout Rune-Midgard, didn't need much of a guidance. The youngest one, only fifteen, tends to be rebellious and Ayami swore on their parents' grave that she would raise her sister into a respectable Hunter, not a rebel.
But now, she knew it was a hopeless case for her sister... Sighing, she tore open the other envelope that was written by Vincent.
'Why would he write? He only does that when there's an emergency.' the raven-haired twenty year old began to read the letter. It turns out that they have a family problem and...
The last sentence almost made her faint.
"What's wrong?" Metis Nereid asked, interrupting her from her reading.
Deadly pale, she replied in a shaky voice. "I-I-I have to go back home to Prontera... W-we suddenly had a family problem."
"Do you mind if you tell me what happened?" Metis knew the problem wasn't so shallow. Ayami was already shaking madly, trying hard to stop her tears.
"M-my younger brother wrote me a letter, telling me to go back home because... my younger sister... s-s-she got pregnant."
Metis just stared at her in shock, not saying anything.
"W-what puzzles me is on how she got pregnant! There are no men in her life and we've forbidden her to have any boyfriends when she got to the Archer's Academy! She's only fifteen!" Ayami exclaimed, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.
The emerald-haired Crusader couldn't say anything to comfort her. An idea suddenly hit him and he hoped it would somehow make her feel better...
"Ayami-san, do tell me where your house is in Prontera. I'll take you there..." he offered.
The Orihara Manor hadn't changed at all, in Ayami's opinion. The oak tree that stood alone in the hilly yet scenic garden still looked like the one in her and her siblings' childhood. The house didn't change too though it had looked like it was repainted.
'But now, I doubt we'll be having a happy reunion.' she thought as she and the Crusader stood just in front of the mansion. Taking a deep breath, Ayami entered the house. Inside, a maid greeted her.
"Welcome back, Ayami-sama." she greeted politely.
"Where is Vincent and Momo?" she asked though she was answered in an instant.
A dishelved-looking Momo appeared on the stairways. "'Nee-san...?"
The twenty year old looked up to see her once hyperactive sister looking so much like a total wreck. Her once long scarlet hair became an untidy one, each strand tangled with each other. The sparkles in her eyes were gone and were replaced by a hollow, red and puffy eyes instead. Momo's body also became frail looking and she was thinner now, the last time Ayami saw her. The older Orihara sister took note of the swelling in her abdomen, which was visible through her tight Huntress outfit.
"Momo...?" she called out, unsure.
In her haste to greet her sister, the younger Orihara ran down the stairs, almost falling down in the process, if Metis hadn't caught her.
"Onee-san!!!!!!!!" she called out to her sister as the fifteen year old gave her a tight hug, bursting into tears one more.
'Momo... what happened to you...? You're not the same anymore... Why is this happening to us...?' the Alchemist thought as she hugged back her younger sister in comfort. She knew Momo needed all the support she can get.
Comments and constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated.