Sorry about the wait! I don't own BroCon.

Seasons have fascinated many cultures for many centuries. What brings the change in the year to life? Is it because a goddess, blinded with naivete, ate the six seeds of a pomegranate? Is it because Mother Nature, out of loneliness, created Summer and Winter, then Fall and Spring? Or perhaps it is the way many know it today, with the Earth going about its own wicked way as it spins and spins and spins.

Beautiful, lush trees mark the seasons, trading their dresses for plumes of green or blankets of white, or perhaps simply baring themselves naked altogether. If only mankind could be so undisguised.

The seasons changed, as did the young Hinata girl. She marked the year with her own self and with the mighty tree standing proudly outside her window; in the summertime, she sat by the open glass in a tank top and shorts and watched the tree's leaves grow full as she waved her brothers as they passed below her leaving and entering the home. In the winter, she pressed a mug of hot chocolate into her hands and hummed contentedly when the snow fell onto the tree's barren branches.

But no matter when it was, she always had one constant; her cell phone was always in her hand or at her ear as she chatted fondly with Kaito. His voice warmed her on cold winter nights and cooled her on hot summer afternoons. The pair grew closer and closer, much to the suspicion of Yusuke; however, he never pushed it, not when Ema began to walk home with Kaito, or when she began partnering up with him for projects.

The rest of the brothers were high on their guards, cautiously observing Ema and her changes in demeanor. But the girl was cautious, never leaving her phone out and keeping her expression neutral when Kaito would have otherwise brought smiles to her face. And she felt herself slowly but surely, falling for him, and for the first time, she liked it. And she knew he did, too.

It was a dance of theirs, and one that Ema took pains in doing. But she couldn't stop herself; he was smart, funny, and kind. But above all, he wasn't her brother.

For so long, she'd dreamed of a family. When she had gotten one, they had fallen for her. It took its toll on her, and as she soon found out with Kaito, it wasn't a toll that she had to pay alone; her friend wasn't yet aware of her situation at home, but seemed to understand not to rush her. He hadn't even been to her house or spent time with her family, and she made sure it stayed that way.

And as Kaito became more and more understanding, Ema became more and more enamored. It seemed to her and to Juli, who had taken a liking to the respectful demeanor of the Hashira boy, that they could say the same for him.

It was on a chilly winter morning that they sat together in a small cafe in amicable silence, Kaito having bought hot chocolate, soup, and dessert for each of them. Ema watched, sipping her cocoa as she sat in an armchair while Kaito lazily sketched her in a drawing pad. Juli curled up by Kaito's arm, dozing comfortably in the warmth of the fireplace.

"I'm still impressed with your drawing, Kaito." Ema looked from his talented hand to his face with a kind smile. He smiled sleepily, causing her to giggle. He closed the book, waking up Juli.

"Ah, sorry, Juli," he said, petting the squirrel's ear. Juli squeaked a response to which Ema translated as his forgiveness.

Despite not being able to understand Juli, Kaito grinned at him and began sipping his soup.

"Ema, I've been thinking..."

She looked up, dismay clear in her eyes. He quickly rushed to cover for himself.

"It's nothing bad, don't worry. But I've been thinking- and you don't have to answer this, by the way -why exactly is it that you never want me to come over?"

There it was. It was a miracle that he hadn't asked sooner, and she had spent so much time practicing her answer in the mirror that she should have been ready to respond. But she wasn't, and her breath caught. Kaito, who was thoughtfully staring into the fire, didn't notice her reaction.

"I mean, you come over all the time. You've met my parents and my sister Kimiko, but I'm curious as to why I haven't met your brothers. Not even Yusuke, who's in our class... is something wrong?"

He stared in concern. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I was just curious."

"No, no. It's not your fault. It's just... things are... complicated. With my brothers, I mean. I'm not entirely sure how to put it..."

"That's okay," he began. "You-"

"No. You're my... friend," she said, looking at him wistfully and for a moment wishing they were more. "You're my friend, and you probably deserve to know."

"Is this a story we're going to need more cocoa for?" he asked mischievously, and the tension lifted from her shoulders and she laughed.

"Yes, it probably is."

"Alright," he called the waiter over and drew his card, to which Ema stopped him.

"You paid for lunch, dessert, and drinks. I can pay for another serving of cocoa."

He and the waiter locked eyes and stifled a laugh. "Actually, Hashira-san frequents this cafe so much he has a membership here. He has free refills on cocoa." The waiter said, a twinkle in his eye. "He came here often when he was a child, before he moved away."

"Ah, thanks, Shiro. I'm sure she doesn't think I'm a ridiculous cocoa maniac at this point," Kaito said with a grin, handing his and Ema's mugs to Shiro, who winked and walked away laughing. Ema herself giggled, shaking her head.

"You forgot to mention that you lived here as a child."

"I did? Oh, sorry, I did. We moved away when I was twelve. We came back for my father's job."

"Really? I never saw you in primary school."

"Ah, I was homeschooled when I was younger." She opened her mouth to continue the small talk when Shiro returned with their cocoa, to which Kaito responded with thanks and a tip. When he left, Kaito turned back to Ema and brought his mug to his lips. "You were going to tell me something, if you want to."

She laughed shyly, Juli scampering up to her.

"You don't have to, Chii. Kaito is an understanding boy. He can wait."

"No, Juli," she replied, scooping the squirrel close to her heart. "I'm ready."

She turned to Kaito, who looked at her quizzically. She took a deep breath.

"I didn't always live with my brothers. They're my stepbrothers. Thirteen of them. My adoptive father remarried to their mother, and because they traveled so much and I wanted to give them space as newlyweds, I decided to take some time away. That meant living with my brothers. I was really excited to have a family; I'd grown up alone because my papa was a travelling photographer, and I'd always wanted siblings. I'm sure you can imagine what it was like to find out that I was about to get thirteen of them.

I moved in, and for about one or two months, everything was normal. They were just like regular siblings. But then a few months after the wedding, there was a conflict."

She looked into her swirling cup of cocoa and took a deep sip, looking up to meet Kaito's eyes for the first time since she began speaking. "Before I go on, I need to bring up how we're not actually related, not even by marriage. I'm their adopted step-sister, so we can hardly be considered family... and because of that, it would be okay for us to..."

"For you to...? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that." Kaito's voice was solemn and soft, and hesitantly, almost reverently, he placed his hand over Ema's, and she squeezed it softly.

"Okay for us to date."

Understanding seemed to hit Kaito like a bolt of lightning, and his eyes widened. Ema continued quickly, trying to yank her hand free from Kaito's, but his grip had tightened, his face turning a sickly pale with the implications of what she had just said.

"A little while after the wedding, my brother Tsubaki..." she hesitated. "...confessed to me. And things just seemed to spiral downhill from there. It was Azusa and Natsume next, and then then most of them did it in some indirect way." Juli squeaked something to her. "Yes, and most of them don't think I know. But I do. I'm always hesitant to talk about it because it's a bit taboo, and it always upsets me because I wanted siblings so badly, but I never managed to get that."

"And you..."

"And that's why I never bring you over. They'll jump to conclusions, or they'll scare you or scare me."

Kaito's gaze dropped from hers, and he stared into the fire intently, his grip loosening lightly as his thumb traced soothing circles on the back of Ema's hand.

"And Yusuke...?"

"That's why he never talks to you. He's already jealous. I don't want to complicate things... Kaito, if this means you don't have feelings for me anymore-"

She cut off quickly, slapping her hand over her mouth as Juli squeaked his protest. Kaito's knee slammed against the table in shock, spilling cocoa all over the table. His face turned a bright red as he looked down and pressed his scarf to his cheek.

"What?" He squawked, flustered as he cleaned the spilled cocoa in panic. "I don't- I wouldn't even think of-"

He looked up between his sputtering to see both Ema and Juli staring at him expectantly before he sighed in defeat. "How did you know?"

Juli squeaked to Ema, and she smiled kindly. "It was a little bit obvious."

He coughed nervously. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make things more complicated for you. I didn't think you knew, and if I knew about your family situation-"

"Then you wouldn't have been able to control anything. It's okay, I understand."

"I really hope this doesn't make things awkward between us. I'll give you all the time you need to sort out everything with your brothers, and even after that, if you don't return the feelings, I won't be expecting anything of you."

"Chii," Juli looked to her. "Maybe you should tell him..."

She looked at him, then back to Kaito. Then she looked at the table and gulped, steeling herself. "When did I ever say I don't?" she whispered quietly.

Kaito jerked again, spilling cocoa on the table once more. She laughed softly.

"What?" He asked in disbelief, hope shining in his eyes. More confidently this time, she smiled.

"When did I ever say I don't?"

An ear-to-ear grin broke out on his face and she giggled behind her hand, a blush staining her cheeks. Kaito coughed awkwardly, still smiling, albeit more controlled.

"That's-! Ah, I'm sorry, I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to do in this situation."

She laughed. "No, neither am I."

They sat in silence for a moment, each absorbing their new information happily. Then they caught each other's eyes again and burst out laughing once more.

"Ema, as great as this is," Kaito began, leaning back in his armchair and looking out the window at the falling snow, "What I said earlier still stands."

"What you said earlier?" Ema tilted her head.

"About waiting. Giving you any time you need to work things out with your brothers."

She smiled softly and carefully placed her hand in his, almost embarrassed. She gauged his reaction, pleased when he tightened his grip. "I appreciate that... and I'm sorry, but we can't be together yet."

He nodded solemnly. "I thought you'd say something like that."

"It doesn't mean I don't want to. I just... I don't know if I can go behind their backs like that. And even if I did, I don't know if I'd be able to do it without their suspicion. So I'd need time to tell them. You... you won't say anything about this to Yusuke, at school?"

He looked at her, startled. "Of course not. I don't even talk to Yusuke." He smiled, and her heart fluttered in glee.

They sat together like that, and Juli curled up next to where their hands intertwined. They watched the snow falling quietly until the cafe was illuminated by the streetlights, children playing outside and lovers strolling on the sidewalks. Ema let her eyes drift from the white blanket outside to the warm scene inside, where her hand was tangled in his, Juli slept happily beside them, and Kaito's eyes were closed in carefree serenity. Bliss welled up from inside her, and she closed her eyes with the rest of them, basking in the warmth of those who cared about her.

She'd gotten what every girl deserved.

To love and be loved.

Sorry about the late update! I definitely don't plan on abandoning this story. I just had serious writer's block, and wrote only about a paragraph a day. I hope you guys don't find the development to be moving too quickly; I didn't want to drag on for too long, and I'd pretty much lain out what I needed in the plot in the first couple chapters.

As per usual, please review! Updates should be a bit quicker.