Chapter 7: Priorities
"We're starting eighth grade next week," Ema said peevishly as she faced off with Yusuke in the living room. "We've been siblings for three years now. Are you honestly telling me that you still won't take the train with me to school?"
Yusuke gripped one arm awkwardly as he stared at the floor. What was he supposed to tell Ema? That he didn't want people to talk about them living together as unrelated siblings? Ema was too innocent to understand what would happen at school if everyone knew they were stepsiblings, but he knew exactly what kind of rumors that would spark. He shrugged. "Well, what do you need to walk to school with me for? We see each other all the time at home, don't we?"
"So you're sick of me?" Ema asked, torn between anger and hurt. "Is that why you only pretend to be my friend at home where our brothers can see but ignore me at school? Or am I only good enough to hang out with when you don't have better friends around?"
"No!" Yusuke exclaimed, his gaze shooting up to Ema's. Why couldn't she just understand? "I—you're one of my best friends. I'd pick hanging out with you over my school friends any day." He stopped as he felt his face flush red and he wondered if he'd said too much.
Ema's hurt look turned to confusion. "Then why don't you…" Ema trailed off as her gaze moved beyond Yusuke. He turned to see what had caught her attention and was surprised to see Azusa with a soft smile on his face walking into the kitchen as though in a trance.
Ema and Yusuke shared a surprised glance before they followed Azusa into the kitchen. "Azu-nii?" Ema asked hesitantly. "How was work today?"
"What?" Azusa asked, looking up as though surprised to see Ema and Yusuke there, then the soft smile returned to his face. "It was good. The new anime I'm working on is doing surprisingly well. The director is really excited."
Ema and Yusuke exchanged another glance. Even though Tsubaki and Azusa had only recently entered the voice acting world, they'd both been doing extremely well. Azusa was already working on his third and fourth anime right now, but he'd never had an expression like this on his face because of work before. In fact, Ema had never seen an expression like this on Azusa's face period.
"Did something particularly good happen today?" Ema asked, fishing for answers to the cause behind Azusa's smile.
"Oh, well." Azusa blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I guess I got to have lunch with my girlfriend."
"Girlfriend?!" Ema and Yusuke shouted in surprise.
"How long have you been dating for?" Ema asked.
"Only for a little bit," Azusa said, taking out his phone and scrolling through it, then he turned it around and showed a picture to Ema. "This is her, Kya Mimiko. She's an artist for one of the animes I'm working on right now."
"She's so cute!" Ema exclaimed. "Has Tsubaki met her yet?"
Azusa shook his head, looking a little nervous. "No, not yet. We've set something up for next weekend though."
"That's wonderful, Azusa! I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks, Ema," Azusa said, still looking lost in the clouds.
No wonder he wore a smile Ema had never seen before. To her knowledge, this was Azusa's first girlfriend since high school. Azusa grabbed a sandwich from the fridge before giving his two siblings a nod and leaving. Ema turned to say something to Yusuke about Azusa's new girlfriend when she remembered what they'd been talking about before Azusa walked in. "Hey! Weren't we fighting?"
Yusuke groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. Why couldn't Azusa have stayed and talked to them longer about his new girlfriend? It might have distracted Ema enough for her to have forgotten about their argument for at least a little while.
~.~
The next Saturday night, Ema was sitting on her bed playing the latest video game Natsume had given her (it wasn't even on the market yet!), when she heard arguing outside her door.
"She's just using you!" She heard Tsubaki yell. "She's knows how popular you're becoming and she wants to use that to her own advantage in her career."
"That's ridiculous," Azusa snapped. "Kya-chan is a nice girl and we became friends before she knew who I was."
"Are you sure of that?" Tsubaki demanded. "Or maybe when she heard that Azusa Asahina was working on the same anime as her, she went looking for you."
Ema stared at her door in shock, having never heard Tsubaki and Azusa raise their voices at each other before. Ema was oblivious as the ghouls on the TV screen caught up to her character and devoured him.
"You're just jealous because for once in our lives someone noticed me instead of you. You are so obsessed with being the center of attention that you can't stand it if anyone likes someone else better than they like you."
Ema's eyes widened and her heart ached at the twins' harsh words to each other. Silence reigned on the other side of her door for a while. Finally, Tsubaki said, "The person's happiness who matters most to me in this world is Azusa's. I would never do anything to get in your way if I believed the woman you were dating felt the same way about you as you do about her."
There was the soft sound of walking and then a door shutting. A sound rang out as though Azusa had punched a wall and Ema jumped, then the door next to her room slammed shut.
Ema sat in bed, the controller dangling loosely from her hands as she debated whether or not she should try talking to one of the twins, and if so which one. Eventually she decided that since she wasn't even supposed to have heard that conversation, she shouldn't say anything for now. Sighing sadly, Ema went back to her game, but when she got killed three times in ten minutes, she decided she didn't have the energy to play anymore and went to bed.
~.~
Ema pursed her lips as she looked at the text message from Ukyo letting her know that he wouldn't be able to pick her up. Even though high school was still two years away, Ema was checking out different high schools in the area, trying to decide which one she wanted to get into. Yusuke hadn't started looking yet, but Ukyo and, surprisingly, Kaname, had been encouraging Ema to make the decision now so that she knew what kind of grades she needed to get in junior high in order to get into the high school of her choice later.
She had not put Bright Centrair on the list of high schools to check out, despite Iori telling her that she should. He'd assured her that he'd help her study for high school exams and that she could hang out with him and his girlfriend Fuyuka if she got in. Ema, however, knew her limits and she was not smart enough to get into Bright Centrair. At least, not without giving up her gaming in favor of studying instead, which she would never do.
Ema started listing off her older brothers and their schedules in her head to figure out who she could call for a ride home. Masaomi would still be at the hospital and the twins were both in the recording studio late today. Then Ema remembered that Kaname got off from the shrine early today. She flipped through her contacts until she found his name, then hit call.
~.~
Kaname's eyebrow quirked in irritation when his phone rang. "Sorry," he apologized with a smile to the beautiful woman sitting across the table from him. He took his phone out of his pocket, intending to silence it until he saw who the caller was. It wasn't very often that he got a call from his little sister.
"Hello?"
"Hi Kana-nii, Ukyo was supposed to pick me up from checking out high schools today, but something came up at his work. Could you come pick me up?"
Kaname paused as he looked across the table at his date again. She had her arms crossed and gave Kaname a pouting look over him paying attention to his phone instead of her. It was a shame to cancel a date with such a beautiful woman halfway through, but Kaname only had one number one woman in his life. All the rest fell into the number two category.
"Yeah. I'll be there as soon as I can. Text me the address, okay?"
"Okay! Thank you, Kaname!" Kaname smiled as he hung up, charmed, as he always was, at Ema's excitement and gratitude over small favors.
"Sorry, Ayame-chan," Kaname apologized again. "My little sister is stranded and needs me to go pick her up."
Ayame pouted again, pushing her lips out. "Can't you just stay until we're done? I've been looking forward to having you all to myself, Kaname-kun."
"No," Kaname said, shaking his head. He knew that if he'd told Ema he was on a date she would have either found another brother to bring her home or waited until Kaname was done, but he liked Ema relying on him. And if he told her no now, she might not ask him again. That's what his brothers would do, deciding that Kaname was too girl crazy to bother taking care of family first.
Kaname put on his jacket and went to stand when Ayame reached a hand and grasped Kaname's wrist. "Is a little girl really more important to you than I am?"
Kaname stood and stared down at Ayame. "You know," he said, gently removing her hand from his wrist, "you're not near as cute as I first thought you were." Ayame gaped in outrage as Kaname turned and strolled away.
~.~
Ema leaned against the brick wall around the high school as she waited for Kaname, scrolling through the website of the gaming company Natsume worked for. They had announced the release of upcoming games that Ema wanted to talk about with him.
When she heard loud laughter she looked up to see a group of woman who looked to be in their twenties walking her way. Ema's eyes widened when she recognized one of them. It was Kya Mimiko, Azusa's girlfriend. Things were still tense at home because of Tsubaki and Azusa arguing over Azusa dating Mimiko. Tsubaki stood by his statement that Mimiko was just using Azusa and Azusa wouldn't forgive Tsubaki for saying something like that about his girlfriend.
As the group came closer, Ema wondered if she should introduce herself to Mimiko or if that would be awkward. She was still debating whether she should when Mimiko's phone rang. She pulled it out and rolled her eyes. "Him again. Why can't he just let me be for a while?"
"Ah, don't talk like that Kya-chan," one of her friends said. "I wish I had a boyfriend as cute and attentive as yours."
Ema's heart seized when she heard those words and realized who Mimiko was talking about. How could Mimiko talk so disparagingly of Azusa? He was one of the nicest people Ema had ever met.
"Whatever," Mimiko brushed off, putting her phone back in her purse. "I like wild types. Azusa is too tame for me. He's just a useful boyfriend because my life is really hard right now and he does a lot for me. Also, he's becoming a really popular voice actor and he already has a lot of connections. Being his girlfriend is just smart thinking."
One of her friends laughed. "You're such a predator, Kya-chan, but poor Asahina-san seems to really like you." The group laughed again as they continued on and Ema clenched her fist in rage. Tsubaki had been right about Mimiko, but what was Ema supposed to do about it? Would Azusa believe her if he hadn't believed his own twin brother? Or would he just get mad at Ema and stop talking to her too?
Kaname arrived a few minutes later and Ema slowly climbed into his car, barely acknowledging him. Kaname threw her concerned glances as he drove, watching as she sat quietly and stared at her hands.
"Ema?" He prompted gently. "Is something wrong?"
Ema startled and looked over at Kaname before going back to staring at her hands. "I heard something that I wasn't supposed to hear, but it's something that someone else should know. And that someone else might not be happy about me interfering. Should I keep what I heard to myself?"
They drove in silence as Kaname thought about his answer. "I think that if what you heard would hurt that person you think should know, then you shouldn't keep it to yourself. Even if it might make that person upset with you, I think they'd probably rather know than not. I know that I wouldn't want a friend or sibling to keep something like that from me."
Ema looked sad, but resolute as she nodded her head. "Okay. Thanks, Kaname."
~.~
That night after dinner, Ema stood nervously outside Azusa's room. Finally, she got up enough courage to knock on his door. When he answered, he looked down at her in surprise. "Yes, Ema?"
"Um, could I talk to you?" She clutched her shirt in her hands, an old nervous habit that she hadn't done in years.
"Sure," Azusa said, moving back to allow Ema to enter his room. "What did you want to talk about?"
Ema went over and stood by the edge of Azusa's bed as he sat down, her heart thumping rapidly. She felt almost sick with the fear that Azusa wouldn't believe her. "I…overheard something today that I need to tell you."
"Okay," Azusa said slowly when Ema didn't continue. "What did you hear?"
"Well, I was standing outside Riku High School and a group of young women walked by. One of them looked just like the picture you showed me of Kya Mimiko, and I heard her friends call her that. She—" Ema stopped herself before she repeated what Mimiko had said when Azusa called her. Ema couldn't say those cruel words to Azusa. "They talked about Mimiko-san's boyfriend and Mimiko-san said that she was only dating him because of everything he did for her and because of the connections he had. Then one of her friends called the boyfriend Asahina-san." Ema's voice got quieter and quieter as she finished talking.
Azusa sat on his bed looking at Ema in disbelief before the look changed to anger and he jumped to his feet. "Did Tsubaki tell you to say this?"
Ema backed up, curling her arms against her chest and shaking her head. "No, it happened earlier today! Kaname picked me up afterwards and I was really upset. I told him that I heard something I wasn't meant to, but that I knew someone who should know it and I asked him if I should tell that person. You can ask Kaname about it if you don't believe me! Tsubaki hasn't said anything to me about Mimiko-san."
Azusa said nothing.
"Azusa-san," Ema said hesitantly, referring to him more formally than she had in over a year, "has Mimiko-san ever called you or texted you for anything other than to complain about something or to ask you to do something for her?"
Azusa seemed to think for a minute and then looked shocked as he slowly sat back down. "But, that's what people do in relationships. They rely on each other and listen to each other's troubles."
"Yes," Ema said gently. "But they also ask about the other person, and do things for the other person. Relationships are supposed to be about give and take." She paused. "Does that happen with you and Mimiko-san?"
Suddenly, Azusa dropped his head into hands. "I'm such an idiot."
"No!" Ema protested, moving to sit beside Azusa and hesitantly putting a hand on his shoulder. "You're not an idiot."
"Yes I am," he said bitterly. "Tsubaki told me weeks ago that Kya was just using me and I refused to listen to him. If I'd bothered to think about any of the things you just said, I would have realized that he was right. I guess I was so excited to think that someone actually noticed me instead of Tsubaki that I didn't want to think about those things." He laughed self-deprecatingly. "That fact alone should have been my first clue that Mimiko wasn't being honest about her feelings. Who would ever notice me over Tsubaki?"
"That's not true!" Ema argued, pulling on Azusa's shoulder until he looked at her. "Any girl worthwhile would be lucky beyond belief to get a boyfriend like you. Yes, Tsubaki is vivacious and fun, but you're considerate and attentive."
"And boring," Azusa added, looking entirely unconvinced.
Ema growled in frustration. "Do you know what one of Mimiko-san's friends said about you? She said that Mimiko-san should appreciate you more because she'd love to have a boyfriend as cute and caring as you. Azusa, some girls might like to date Tsubaki because he's exciting, or notice him first because he's loud, but a lot of girls will like you because you listen and remember things that others tell you. I know that it makes me feel like you really care when you remember the things that I tell you."
Azusa finally looked like he was starting to believe some of what Ema was saying, but then he looked miserable and dropped his face into his hands. "What am I supposed to say to Tsubaki?"
"Just say you're sorry," Ema said. She stood up and held her hands out to Azusa. "Do it right now so you don't worry about it all night long. I'll take you to him."
Azusa gave Ema his hand and let her pull him up and out of his room. She still held his hand as she knocked on Tsubaki's door. He answered a moment later and looked at the two in wary surprise. "Yeah? What's up?"
"Azusa and I were just talking," Ema announced, "and we came to some conclusions about some things, and now Azusa needs to talk to you about it." Ema gave Azusa's hand a squeeze before letting go and pushing him into Tsubaki's room. Tsubaki stumbled back in surprise to let Azusa in and then Ema grabbed Tsubaki's doorknob and shut the door.
She gave the door a fond smile before walking to her room, feeling much better about everything. Azusa and Tsubaki and been best friends for years and Ema was sure they'd be able to work everything out. By morning, everything would be back to normal.
