Yukine came out of the bedroom, sighing heavily as he approached Masaomi in the kitchen.
"So?" Masaomi asked, still focused on the dishes he was cleaning in the sink.
"Nothing. She's still refusing to get out of bed," the boy replied, ruffling his blonde locks.
"You're kidding me," Masaomi groaned, setting down the dirty bowl and soapy sponge he was holding. "That's three days in a row!"
"M-maybe having Yato gone for two weeks is getting to her?" Yukine pointed out.
Masaomi let out a loud sigh, shaking the water off his hands and in to the sink. "Let me handle it. Will you finish the dishes?"
Yukine turned pink. "O-oh, yeah. Sure."
The man nodded and left to go check on his sister. He knocked on the door before slowly pushing it open.
"Hiyori?" He called.
Hiyori hid her legs under the blanket, the rest of her unable to be seen.
"Hiyori, c'mon! It's almost lunchtime," her brother said, rolling his eyes as he came toward the bedside.
"I don't care. I'm tired," she replied from under the blanket, her voice muffled.
Masaomi's patience was wearing thin. "Well, you should care because your appointment is today."
There was a moment of silence, followed by a white light under the blanket. "It's not for another two or three hours. Let me sleep, Onii-chan!" The girl whined.
"Alright, that's enough!" Masaomi cried, angrily. He ripped off the blanket, revealing his groggy, annoyed sister.
Hiyori quickly sat up and tried to reach for it. "Onii-chan! Stop it! Give it back!"
He continued to hold the blanket out of her reach. "No, Hiyori - listen to me!"
"Why should I?"
"Because!" Masaomi spat out. "It's not healthy. Get out of bed and take care of your baby."
Hiyori suddenly froze in shock. The hand she had been reaching out to grab back her blanket withdrew and came to rest on her stomach. Her face ceased of any anger, and her eyes shook with sorrow as she looked down at her growing belly. She seemed upset at first, but she knew her brother was right.
"How do you think Yato-san would feel if he knew you were doing this to yourself?"
Tears filled her pink eyes, and her voice shook. "H-he would've…- gone with me last week for my check-up. H-he would've made me breakfast in bed, he would've told me…-" Hiyori held her knees to her chest, burying her head within them, "he would've told me it was gonna be okay…"
Masaomi felt struck with sharp guilt. His eyes narrowed down with pity as he looked down at his younger sister, holding herself. Masaomi approached her, sat down on the bed beside her, and carefully draped the blanket over her shoulders.
"Hiyori…" he began softly, reaching his arms around her, "I may not be Yato, but I am here for you just the same. You should have some faith. If he came around once, he can come around again, right?" He pointed out, and Hiyori started to dry her eyes.
"Although, there is... always a chance something happens that causes Yato to…-" he chose his words carefully, speaking slowly, "keep his distance…"
There was a long pause, as Hiyori seemed to absorb that information.
"Are you trying to tell me to expect him not to come back?" Hiyori asked, fury rising in her tone. "What if he actually does return?"
Masaomi panicked, pulling away from her. "N-no! Hiyori - I'm preparing you for both."
The anger and confusion suddenly faded from her face, and she sighed to herself. "G-gomen…" she mumbled, turning away to hide her pink cheeks.
Masaomi smirked a bit, then shook his head. "Don't apologize. You have every right to miss him, Hiyori."
The brunette cracked a soft smile at him in return. Her brother finally stood up and drew the curtains. Hiyori squinted her eyes, adjusting to the intrusive sunlight.
"Now go take a bath, relax, and I'll have a big brunch ready for you soon. Alright?" Her brother told her.
"Mm..." Hiyori responded with a small grin.
. . . .
Once she had finally eaten and gotten dressed after her bath, Hiyori continued to brush out her hair until she was sure it was as soft as it could be.
She didn't know what made her think of it, but Hiyori started to practice her breathing. She settled on the carpeted floor, placing her back up against the edge of the bed.
Her breaths started out rough and irregular. However, after a few minutes, her breathing became much more gentle and consistent. She felt her mind clear itself, and her tension was a little less unbearable.
Breathe in slowly, breathe out slowly. In, out, pause, in, out, pause, in-
A sudden, shrill noise rang in the silence, and Hiyori realized it was an alarm she had set on her phone to remind her an hour before her appointment. She switched the alarm off, sighing loudly to herself.
As Hiyori stood to grab her things, something caught her eye on the shelf in the corner of the room. She curiously came closer to pick it up.
She reached for it, realizing it had been a picture book for young children. She smiled to herself and set down her bag beside the chair where she continued to sit down. The brunette ran her fingertips across the front cover, inspecting it. She giggled to herself.
"Daddy got this one for you," Hiyori said to her stomach, affectionately stroking it. "He said he knew you'd like it."
Hiyori checked her phone once more and thought for a second. Deciding she had a few minutes to spare before she needed to leave, Hiyori opened the book, and softly began to read to her baby.
