Azusa

"What's wrong, Ema-chan?" Azusa asked as he came home to find Ema sitting at the table, one hand pushed into her hair as she stared at her laptop in frustration.

"Oh, Azusa-kun, welcome home," Ema said, giving him a distracted smile. "I'm just…trying to figure out something for work."

"Is it anything I can help with?" Azusa asked, coming to stand by Ema.

Ema sighed and shook her head, bringing up a video for Azusa to watch. "Look at this," she said as she hit play. The video showed a popstar lashing out at a fan, throwing his poster and marker on the ground and yelling at him. Mizu had debuted last year and she was already well known as a diva. "This video has gone viral and Star City is working to do damage control for Mizu-san. My manager asked me to brainstorm some idea of how to spin this, but the only explanations or excuses I can come up with are lies. I like a lot of the work that Star City does, but I don't feel right about doing something like this. Excuses shouldn't be made for Mizu-san. She did something wrong and she should apologize. Fuuto-kun would never treat a fan like that, regardless of how he really felt."

"Then maybe that's what you need to tell your manager," Azusa suggested, taking the seat next to Ema.

"What?" Ema asked in surprise. She was pretty sure that her manager hadn't had an apology by Mizu in mind when he asked Ema to brainstorm ideas of how to help fix this mess. "I don't know if that's what Star City wants to hear."

"Could you live with any other decision?" Azusa asked her seriously. "I don't think that you could work for a company that excused the bad behavior of a star, or made up lies to cover it up. It's just not who you are, Ema. Just talk about how highly the fans will think of a popstar willing to admit that she did something wrong. A lot of people have a bad image of Mizu-san because of how she acts. If she were to deliver a public apology, some people might change their opinion of her and she might even gain new fans."

"You're right," Ema said, perking up and looking determined. "I think that's a good idea. And if Star City doesn't like the idea and wants to lie instead, then maybe they're not a company I want to work for after all. Thanks, Azusa-kun."

Azusa's heart skipped a beat at the smile that Ema gave him. She had helped him so many times, he was grateful that he was finally able to help her in a small way. He wished that she'd open up to him like this more. She usually kept her troubles all to herself. "I'm happy to help," he assured her. "I want you to always come to me with your troubles." He tried not to hope that Ema opening up to him was a sign that her feelings for him might be changing.

~.~

Ema was excited to tell Azusa how his suggestion had gone over at Star City a week later, but those thoughts flew out of Ema's head when Azusa walked into the living room with a pained look on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Are you okay, Azusa-kun?" Ema asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Azusa said, giving Ema a tight smile.

"Are you sure?" Ema asked. "You don't look like you feel very well."

"It's just a headache and stiff neck," Azusa argued, shaking his head. "I must have slept funny last night. I'm sure I'll be fine after taking some Advil."

"Okay," Ema said, still looking concerned. "But take it easy today, okay? You don't want to make your neck worse."

"Sure," Azusa agreed, giving Ema a more genuine smile this time. "In a couple hours I'll probably have forgotten all about my headache."

~.~

Two days later, Azusa looked flushed when he walked into the kitchen in the morning.

"Azusa-kun," Ema said in concern, "I thought you said you just had a headache, but it looks like you're sick. Maybe you should stay home from work today."

"It's fine," Azusa brushed off, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of orange juice. "I think I'm just coming down with the flu. It's not a big deal."

Ema frowned and stepped up to Azusa, putting her hand on his forehead. Azusa blushed and moved back a step, surprised at the touch. "You feel pretty warm to me, Azusa-kun. I think you have a fever."

"I feel fine," Azusa said, gently removing Ema's hand from his forehead. "Besides, a lot of people are relying on me at work. If I don't go in, it holds up shooting for the entire anime. I can't afford to take time off work."

"You won't get better if you don't rest," Ema argued, crossing her arms and looking at Azusa in stern concern. "You don't want to get worse. Then you'll have to take even more time off work. It's better to rest early and get better faster than to wait for the point when you're forced to stay home because you're too sick to go anywhere."

"It's just the flu, Ema-chan. I can go to work a little sick." Azusa held up his orange juice to show Ema. "Look, I'm taking vitamin C and I promise that I'll go to bed early tonight, okay? I can still take care of myself while fulfilling my responsibilities at work."

"Okay," Ema agreed reluctantly, willing to let the issue go for now since Azusa seemed like he wouldn't budge. She'd have to keep an eye on him and see if he got any worse.

~.~

The next couple days, Ema noted that Azusa seemed to be doing better, but when Ema stepped outside of her room Monday morning and saw Azusa, he looked even worse. "Azusa-kun, I think that you—" Ema cut herself off with a gasp as Azusa stumbled. Ema ran forward and grabbed Azusa's arm, wrapping it around her shoulders. Ema struggled under Azusa's weight, but managed to keep him from falling.

"Azusa-kun?" Ema asked in concern as he leaned most of his weight against her. She gently lowered them to the floor before cupping Azusa's face, staring into his eyes. "I think you need to see a doctor." His eyes weren't focusing and his face felt really hot. "Your fever's gotten worse."

"I'm only red because you're touching me," Azusa argued, then his eyes widened in surprise and he knocked Ema's hands away. "I mean—" Azusa shook his head, holding one hand to his forehead. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I'm not thinking very clearly. I just got dizzy, that's all."

At this point, Ema thought that her face probably looked as flushed as Azusa's. "It—it's okay," Ema stuttered, "but I really think that you should see a doctor, Azusa-kun. Or at least talk to Masaomi-kun. You've been sick for a week now and even after resting over the weekend you're still not better."

"It's just a lingering flu," Azusa argued as he stood up. "I appreciate your concern, but it's really not anything to worry about. I don't have time to be sick so long as I'm still capable of going to work."

"Work isn't more important than your health," Ema argued, standing up and moving to block Azusa. "If you're not going to stay home, you should at least go see the doctor after work. Then you're not inconveniencing anyone."

"Doctors can't help with the flu, Ema. Tsubaki-kun and I are working on a job together later today. I'll ask him to pick up some medicine for me, okay? You worry too much." He placed a gentle hand on Ema's head and smiled at her before walking away.

~.~

That night, the twins were lingering in the living room talking about the anime they were working on together while Ema did the dishes. Ema kept throwing concerned glances at Azusa, wondering how he'd done during the day.

Ema was scrubbing a particularly stubborn stain on a plate (Ema and Ukyo both felt that dishwashers never got dishes that clean, so they had to be scrubbed first) when Ema heard Tsubaki cry, "Azusa!"

Ema jerked her head up and dropped the plate. It clattered to the bottom of the sink as Ema saw Azusa slump to the floor. "Azusa!" Ema screamed, running around the counter. Tsubaki was kneeling next to Azusa, shaking him. "Masaomi!" Ema cried. "Masaomi-kun!"

Masaomi came running from down the hall. "What is it?" He asked before his eyes fell on Azusa. "Ema, call an ambulance," he ordered.

Ema nodded and ran for her cell phone on the kitchen table. Beside Azusa, Tsubaki sat looking horrified as Masaomi checked Azusa's pulse. "This is my fault," Tsubaki whispered as he stared at his twin. "I just accepted Azusa's word that he was okay. I should have made him take better care of himself."

"It's not your fault, Tsubaki," Masaomi said. "Azusa is going to be fine."

"You don't know that!" Tsubaki cried. "Azusa has been sick for days and we don't know what's wrong. Azusa wouldn't collapse like this from just the flue! And he won't wake up. Why won't he wake up, Masaomi?"

Masaomi stared at Tsubaki helplessly. "I don't know, Tsubaki, but we'll get him to the hospital soon."

"It's not just your fault," Ema said tearfully, standing behind Tsubaki and putting a hand on his shoulder. "I should have pushed harder to make Azusa-kun go to the doctor. I knew he wasn't okay, but I let him tell me that everything was fine." Tsubaki reached back and clung to Ema's hand, his eyes still on Azusa.

~.~

Ema clutched her hands tightly together as she rested her elbows on her knees, staring at the floor of the hospital waiting room. Kaname sat beside Ema, having been the one who drove her down. Masaomi rode down with Azusa in the ambulance. Tsubaki had been too shocked and upset to come with Ema and Kaname.

"Maybe we should go home," Kaname suggested, rubbing Ema's back.

"But we don't know if Azusa-kun is okay yet," Ema argued, turning worried eyes to Kaname.

"I know," Kaname sighed. "But we don't know when they're going to find out and it's late, Ema. There's nothing we can do for Azusa right now and it won't help him for you to be exhausted."

"Let's just a wait a few more minutes," Ema begged.

"Okay," Kaname agreed, sitting back in his chair.

Soon, a doctor came out. "Are you two with Asahina?" He asked.

"Yes," Ema said jumping to her feet.

Kaname stood beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "How is Azusa doing?" He asked.

The doctor sighed and the concerned look on his face was enough to bring Ema to tears. She moved closer to Kaname, clutching at him as she dreaded what the doctor might say.

"Your brother has meningitis," the doctor declared. "If it's caught early, it's easy enough to cure, but it seems like Azusa-san may have had it for a while. We'll do the best we can, but there's no guarantee."

"Are you saying Azusa might die?" Ema choked out.

Kaname's eyes widened and he pulled Ema closer to him, wrapping his other arm around her.

"It is a possibility," the doctor admitted. "We're doing everything we can and we'll keep you posted. Right now, it could go either way."

Ema turned and buried her face in Kaname's chest, sobbing. How was she supposed to tell Tsubaki or Natsume this? What would it be like to lose your triplet? Especially for Tsubaki. Azusa was his other half and he'd probably never stop blaming himself if Azusa died. Neither would Ema for that matter.

Ema texted Natsume as Kaname drove them home. She figured he wouldn't get the text until the next morning since it was almost midnight, but to her surprise, he texted back a few minutes later asking how Ema was doing.

Ema stared at the text blindly. How was she doing? She was terrified of what it would do to the family to lose one of their brothers. She was terrified of losing Azusa, but what all did that fear entail? With Azusa's room being next to Ema's, he was often the first or last person Ema saw everyday. Ema couldn't imagine their quiet good mornings and their gentle good nights never happening again.

The quiet conversations that Ema and Azusa had the few times the two of them were alone meant a lot to Ema. Azusa was always fun and relaxing to talk to. He had a quality about him that the rest of their brothers didn't have. He was attentive and Ema always felt like she had his complete attention when they talked. Ema…wanted Azusa in her life. She wanted him in her life in a bigger way than he had been. She wanted to spend more time with just the two of them and learn more about him. He was always so reserved, catering to Tsubaki's desires rather than acting on his own. Why hadn't Ema made more of an effort to get to know just him?

~.~

Ema slowly sat in the chair next to Azusa's hospital bed. He was still unconscious two days later and had an IV hooked up to him. The doctors said they expected Azusa to make it, but they still couldn't tell for sure.

Tears sprang to Ema's eyes at the sight of Azusa looking so helpless. It was like he couldn't even do anything to fight to get better. The doctor's claimed Azusa's body was fighting the meningitis, but how could that be when he was so deeply unconscious? It was heartbreaking for Ema to see him like this.

Ema had been thinking the past two days that she hadn't given as much thought to Azusa's confession to her as some of her other stepbrothers because he hadn't been as pushy and hadn't troubled her like the others had. Azusa had been more respectful and just told Ema his feelings once. She wished that she had paid more attention to Azusa's feelings. Also unlike the others, Azusa had told Ema why he was in love with her. Ema remembered him saying that he fell for Ema because she was always supporting him, and that he wanted to support Ema in the same way. None of the others had said that.

Azusa hadn't just thrown his feelings at Ema, he explained them and where they came from. He told Ema the kind of relationship he wanted with her.

"Please wake up," Ema whispered, taking Azusa's hand in her own. If felt unnaturally cold. "Please," Ema begged, resting her forehead on the hand that she held. "I need to talk to you and tell you how I feel. You can't leave me, Azusa-kun."

~.~

The third day Azusa was in the hospital, Ema was at work when she received a text from Kaname that Azusa had woken up. Ema explained to her manager that she had a family emergency and had to leave before she ran for the train station.

Ema was out of breath when she arrived at the hospital. She stood outside Azusa's room for a moment, catching her breath, then slowly went inside, afraid that she'd find out that Kaname had been wrong and Azusa was still unconscious. Instead she found Azusa sitting up in bed, alert with his glasses on.

"Azusa-kun!" Ema cried, elated. Without really being aware of what she was doing, Ema ran to Azusa, grabbing him and kissing him on the lips.

Azusa froze, his eyes widening in shock. Had he woken up in an alternate universe where Ema was his girlfriend? Ema's next actions answered his question as she pulled back with a red face and stuttered, "S—sorry. I—I wasn't thinking. I was so happy to see you and I was afraid you'd die and—" Azusa could barely keep track of what Ema was saying as the word why ran through his head. Why had Ema kissed him? Why was she apologizing for it? Why, why, why?

"Calm down, Ema," Azusa finally said, gripping Ema's shoulders when it became apparent she wasn't going to stop babbling. "I—it's okay. I'm not upset." Why in the world would he be upset about the woman he loved kissing him? But why had she done it? Was it just relief at seeing him alive? Would she have kissed any of her stepbrothers in the same situation?

"Are you okay?" Ema asked, clutching Azusa's hands on her shoulders. "Kaname just told me that you woke up, he didn't say anything else."

Azusa didn't want to talk about that. He wanted to talk about Ema kissing him. How was he supposed to focus on anything else? "I'm fine," he told her. "The doctor said that the danger has passed, though I still have to stay in the hospital for a few days."

"Thank goodness," Ema said, closing her eyes and holding a hand to her heart as she sat on the edge of Azusa's bed. "I was so afraid I'd lose you."

Azusa's heart jumped at the word 'I'. Ema hadn't said that we'd lose you, she'd said I. As in, maybe Azusa was precious to her as more than just a brother.

"Azusa, I…" Ema started and then paused. Azusa stared at her hopefully, praying that Ema was going to say what he thought she might say. And she called him Azusa. Just Azusa. He wasn't sure if she'd ever done that before. "I love you," Ema whispered, staring into Azusa's eyes. "I want you by my side. Like you said before, I want us to support each other."

Azusa stared at Ema in amazement. He really hoped this wasn't a hallucination/fantasy caused by the drugs he was on. He figured it couldn't be when a noise at the door drew his attention. Tsubaki stood there, looking both concerned and sad. Any fantasy of Azusa's with Ema wouldn't include his twin.

"I heard that you woke up," Tsubaki said. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay. And apologize for not making you go to the doctor."

"It's not your fault," Azusa said. "Or Ema's fault. Though next time, I promise I'll listen to you guys."

"If you don't, we'll tie you up and drag you here against your will, right Ema?" Tsubaki asked.

Ema nodded firmly and then there was awkward silence. "Well, I guess congratulations are in order for you two," Tsubaki said. "I can't deny that I'm sad, but I'm happy for you, bro. And for Ema. I hope that the two of you are amazingly happy together."

Azusa blinked, thinking again that maybe this was a fantasy. His thoughts were interrupted when Ema looked down with a blush and said, "Oh well, Azusa-kun hasn't actually said that he wants to be with me too. Maybe his feelings have changed."

"Not a chance," Azusa and Tsubaki said at the same time. The twins smiled at each other and Tsubaki said, "I'll leave the two of you to it. You and I can catch up later, Azusa." He waved and then was gone.

Ema stared down at her hands, feeling shy suddenly, though she'd been desperately waiting/hoping for Azusa to wake up.

"Ema," Azusa said gently. Ema turned and Azusa cupped Ema's cheek, pulling her closer to him. Ema closed her eyes as they kissed again. Azusa curled an arm around Ema's waist, pulling her even closer.

Suddenly, Ema pulled back with a gasp. Azusa looked at her in concern, wondering what he'd done wrong. "We shouldn't kiss while you're in the hospital," Ema said. "You're still recovering. We should wait until you get better and can come home."

"But kissing you gives me energy," Azusa argued, grabbing Ema's hand and slowly pulling her closer. "I need you to help me speed up my recovery. Would you really deny me that?"

Ema smiled and shook her head, giving into Azusa demands and letting him pull her back into his arms.

A/N: Masaomi's chapter is next.