Thank you for the kind reviews! Here is Chapter 7.

It wasn't until later that night that Kaito returned to his friends, hoisting two tubs of ice cream with five containers of toppings slung round his arm. Most of them were still asleep, having begun to snore under the protection of the large group. Some had awoken, tranquil yet attentive under the lullaby that was Katsu's voice whispering the constellations to Mitsuo. The rest were dancing on nimble legs as though in a drunken stupor. But everyone's ears pricked when the boy called out into the circle:

"I brought ice cream!"

Kaito settled the tubs onto a nearby picnic table and laid out the toppings while Ema stood beside him, tucking her hands into the ends of her sleeve with a kind half-smile.

"You brought toppings, too."

"I did," he laughed. "I didn't know you liked toffee sprinkles." He cocked his head curiously at her.

Confused, Ema looked up at him, eyes doe-like. "Huh?"

Now it was Kaito's turn to look confused, lips parting in question. "Toffee sprinkles."

"What about them?"

"I always thought your favorite topping was strawberry."

Ema's brow furrowed, her lips pointed down. "My favorite topping is strawberry."

"But... you texted me and told me it was toffee sprinkles."

Ema shook her head vigorously. "I fell back asleep after you left. Wait... now that I think about it, where is my phone?"

Kaito sighed. "Mitsuo!"

"Mmpf?" the boy in question scampered to them like a friendly puppy, a spoon of ice cream in his mouth. "You called?"

"Give it."

Confused, Mitsuo gestured to his ice cream.

"Not that, stupid, Ema's phone."

Mitsuo's lower lip jutted out in thought before he shook his head. "I don't have it. I'm serious! I don't. I don't even have pockets, and I was asleep this past hour."

With that, he shrugged, offered them a bite of his ice cream, and returned to where the group gathered, leaving behind a very confused Kaito and Ema. The girl dug a hand through the pockets of her sundress, while the boy checked the grass near the blanket, but the phone was nowhere to be found.

"Hm." Kaito frowned. "Who was it who texted me, then?"

Ema retraced her steps. She'd woken up that morning, helped Ukyo with the breakfast, then dropped in with Masaomi to let him know she'd be at the park the rest of the day. Then he'd told her that Yusuke and Fuuto might be sick, to which she'd run downstairs to check on them... then she'd promised them lunch and had left to make soup... and she'd lain down her phone in the process...

Her eyes widened in realization and panic, causing Kaito to step in front of her and bend down to her eye level. "Are you alright?"

But she absentmindedly waved her hand, still trapped in thought. After she'd finished hot ginger soup for her brothers, her friend Tamotsu had knocked at the door to pick her up in his giant car where the rest of her friends were waiting, and in her excitement, she'd quickly run to her room to pick up her purse. But she knew she slipped her phone into the pocket.

She quickly scooped up her purse and rummaged through it, groaning as a small, heavy box caught her grip.

It was the pink handheld gaming console that Natsume had bought her for her birthday.

"You found it?" Kaito asked from behind her. Instead she blew a strip of hair away from her face.

"No... I accidentally packed my game instead of my phone."

Kaito snickered, and she threw him a half-hearted reprimanding look. "What are you going to do now? Now that you left it with your brothers, I mean."

Her breath caught in her throat. "Oh, no."

"Huh?"

"It's with my brothers. I don't have a password on it... can I see your phone, Kaito?"

He hurriedly handed her his own model, and she pressed her thumb to the home button. It unlocked for her, and she made haste to her contact in it, scrolling through the conversation that Kaito had thought he was having with her.

She numbly sat in the grass, and he knelt beside her, shaking her shoulder gently. "Are you alright?"

"This wasn't me... this is Tsubaki's texting style."

When Ema's phone had buzzed at the table, the silence turned thick and awkward as each brother waited for another to make a move. At last, Tsubaki had stood, swiping the phone and turning his back to his brothers as he read the front screen: New message from Kaito. One hand stuffed itself into his pocket, and the other flipped the phone open and quickly scrolled through the messages with a scowl.

"You shouldn't be doing that," Natsume warned, but it was half-hearted and left unheeded by his triplet.

Hikaru leaned forward curiously, a smirk in his eyes but not on his lips. "Well...?" he purred, every inch the seducer he dressed to be.

Tsubaki sat back down, violet eyes narrowed in annoyance. "It's Hashira Kaito."

"And he said...?"

"'Getting ice cream, was offered toppings. Which ones do you want? Love you, 'K.'"

"Love you?" Fuuto scoffed, his voice nasal from his illness yet still filled with the same scorn it always had when talking about the young man and his sister. "Respond with, 'never talk to me again.'"

"No," Masaomi shot him a look. "Tsubaki, put down that phone."

"Hold on a minute," Tsubaki said, fingers dancing across the keyboard. At last with a triumphant smirk, he smacked the phone into Masaomi's waiting hand. "There. I told him she liked toffee sprinkles."

Azusa sighed. "You know she hates toffee. You're so immature."

The phone buzzed again, and Masaomi's gaze dropped to the front screen. "It's him again."

"He just doesn't know when to quit, does he?" Kaname shook his head. "What did he say now?"

Masaomi slipped the phone into his pocket, lips pursed; as much as he wanted to look at the new message, it felt wrong to invade their sister's privacy more than they already had. "It's none of our business. We'll give it back to her later."

Beside him, Wataru pouted. "Is Oneechan going to leave us?"

Masaomi shook his head fiercely at his littlest brother. "No, Ema-chan's just..."

"Spending time with other people," Ukyo offered weakly, and Masaomi nodded.

"Yes, that's right. Spending time with other people."

Wataru's brow furrowed, frown deepening, and he made a moaning noise as he rested his chin on the table. "But if she spends time with that boy, then won't she stop spending time with us? Are you just going to let her stop spending time with us? I don't want her to stop! We never see her anymore because she's out every weekend... what if something happens to her when she's gone...?"

It had never occurred to the brothers till then just how often their sister was out recently. But only the week before, Natsume had invited her to his company's video game convention; she had declined, saying that she was going to the mall with her friends. And the week before that, Ukyo had asked for her input on the dates of the family vacation, and she had told him that she was busy for the better part of June for a beach trip.

Yet they never realized just how big of a role her new friends played in her life, or that one of those friends may have felt something more for her.

Suddenly, Wataru's fears felt far more founded.

Sighing in defeat, Masaomi tossed the phone to a surprised Tsubaki. "Read it aloud."

"He said, 'didn't know you liked toffee.'"

Yusuke snorted. "Yeesh, the kid really doesn't know her at all, does he? Of course she hates toffee."

It was hushed after that, the only sound being Tsubaki tapping out his response of 'of course i do, heheh~". The phone didn't buzz again after that, so Tsubaki tossed it back to Masaomi, who stared blankly out the window.

"Now what?" Kaname asked, voice heavy and tired.

But there was no answer.

"We need to go."

The epiphany had effectively struck the fear of God (or rather, thirteen overprotective brothers) into Kaito. He'd sprung to his feet and helped up Ema, who was just as eager to get to her phone as Kaito was. He quickly began packing up blankets and baskets, hoisting them into Tamotsu's car while Ema rounded up their friends.

"It's time to leave," she said in a rush. "Those of us who rode with Tamotsu, Kaito's packing up and then you can go. Mitsuo, can you please get everyone who rode with you and get them home?

The two boys who'd carpooled the group in their two cars exchanged confused glances.

"Everything alright?" Tamotsu asked while Ema busily helped Kaito pack up their dinner.

"No," Ema confessed. "There's a problem at home. Do you mind dropping me off first?"

He nodded vigorously, and the group split, half of them climbing into Mitsuo's car and the rest loading into the other. Ema found herself back in the front seat of Tamotsu's four-wheeler, subject to her friend's concerned, chocolate-brown gaze as he began the forty-five minute drive to the Asahina household.

As they sped down the highway, Ema felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned and found herself staring into the large, matching green eyes of Rei and Ryota, their messy curls of brown hair mixing together like a painting. Rei's hands rested atop the remote control plane in her lap, and Ryota had leaned over his twin to get his friend's attention. Ema blinked at the same time they did.

"Are you okay?" Ryota whispered, his normally-brassy voice soft and concerned.

"Why'd we have to leave so suddenly?" Rei added as she extracted a screwdriver from her belt and adjusted the wing of her toy.

Ema sighed and studied the pair, moving her gaze to the back of the car where half of her friends were huddled, whispering amongst themselves. The only light was the quick flashes as they passed the overhead streetlights, glaring harshly through the car windows in rhythm. They made even her dearest friends look like murderers from a horror movie, eyes wide and glinting every time she could see well enough to make out their dark, eerie forms. It was a terrifying contrast to the peaceful scene from earlier, and it sent shivers spider-walking up her spine.

She wondered how she looked to them, how badly the lamps reflected off the tears that pooled like a mirror.

At last, she placed her hand atop Rei's, forcing a smile onto her face. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

She sensed, not saw, Tamotsu's jaw tightening, his fists clenching over the steering wheel in silent disapproval. With a frown, she turned to him.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing you need to worry about, at least."

Somewhere behind them, Kiyomi rolled her eyes with a muttered, "Jerk." Ema ignored it, silently wishing that Kaito wasn't in Mitsuo's car, but in hers.

"If you're going to be angry with me..."

"Not angry, Ema. Only tired." Tired of secrets, tired of worrying.

His fists unclenched and one hand removed itself from the steering wheel, dropping to his side and making stirring motions. The movement only proved his words; Ema knew that in Tamotsu's mind, he had retreated to the kitchen to bake a cake or cook a gourmet dish. The last thing he wanted was to be with them in that car, having that conversation. So he escaped.

The others in the car noticed the nervous tick the same moment Ema did and fell silent, not wanting to anger the driver. But Ema swallowed and brought her knees up to her chest. Eyeing her friend sadly, she sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault."

There wasn't a soul in that car who knew the story of Ema's brothers except Kiyomi and Ema herself. The two friends exchanged a glance. Everyone else in the car had leaned back, fatigued, as Kiyomi and Ema conversed silently with their gazes. Yet somehow, the cerulean in Kiyomi's eyes was so dull, so lonely.

Suddenly, the passing streetlights didn't make her friends look so horrific. Only sad.

Ema hadn't realized that there had been anything missing in their dynamic until that moment. It was only Kaito and Kiyomi who knew why she was so secretive about her brothers. The sudden revelation hurt her; what could the rest of her friends possibly have felt? She trusted them all with her life, and yet she couldn't even end their concern by telling them of her brothers. She'd unknowingly divided her own group into two pieces: the piece that knew, and the piece that didn't. And they'd all accepted it, not allowing their hurt to get in the way of anything.

As if she knew what Ema was thinking, Kiyomi nodded and handed Ema her own phone, Kaito's number already set for a text. Ema took it with thick resolve, texting two simple words to him.

Kaito's phone beeped and lit up, signaling a text as they passed Tamotsu's car. He could see Ema's face illuminated by the soft glow of her phone as she hunched in the passenger's seat, a sad look in her eyes and a slight curl to her lips.

"What is it?" Mitsuo asked, curious, but Kaito's eyes had already widened in shock as he read the text to himself over and over again. Though the text was simple, the meaning was clear.

Tell them.

Tamotsu's car was hushed save for Ema's whispers. She clutched Kiyomi's hand tightly, her voice choked with a story rarely spoken.

She told them everything.

She could see Mitsuo's car in the lane next to them; it was easy to tell that Kaito had done as she had asked. Through the window, Mitsuo clutched the steering wheel in agony, and she could make out Kaito's form as his lips broke the story of her brothers to their friends. In her own car, everyone sat in rapture, eyes glazed. But she knew they were listening.

It was reminiscent of the way she told Kaito. She'd only brought up how it would have been okay for her to date her brothers, and they'd put together the pieces. Shocked, they'd sat, stunned, before they each quietly asked her their questions, which she answered the best she could. She wiped her tears.

Ryota, saying nothing, tucked Ema away into the crook of his neck, an anguished embrace which did mountains in comforting the girl. She clutched his shirt and sobbed softly. Her tears darkened the burgundy of his metal-scented flannel.

"I don't know what to do," she hushed. "I don't know what to do."

When the headlights of Tamotsu's giant truck lit up the driveway of the residence, Masaomi was already waiting in the threshold. His gaze was somber as Ema scampered, hair disheveled and shirt untucked, to retrieve her phone. Wordlessly, he had offered it to her, letting his hand linger in hers when she took it. He had trudged to his study, silent, while Ema wandered into the dark living area, the only source of light the reflection of the television in her brothers' uninterested eyes. When the eyes turned to her almost accusitorially, she retreated to her room, flipping open her phone and reading Tsubaki's texts to Kaito on repeat while she sank to the bed.

Juli's head tilted curiously as he read the texts over her shoulder, fur standing on end.

"Wha—?! That brother texted Hashira, pretending to be you?"

Ema murmured her affirmation, and Juli nearly scampered out to claw Tsubaki's eyes from his face. But a smack on the window made both of them pause, and Ema hummed a small sound of confusion while Juli sat up. Then both of them sprang to their feet in alarm, rushing to the window quickly.

Kaito dangled there, a strained, lopsided grin plastered on his face. And when Ema leaned over the balcony, she could witness Mitsuo and Kiyomi, along with most of her other friends, straining to get a ladder right-side-up.

"Kaito!"

"Shh! Help me up, help me up, help me up!"

Ema hoisted him over the edge of the balcony and onto the hardwood floor, muttering a soft "oompf" when their foreheads bounced off one another. He hovered on all fours over her for a moment, catching his breath, before letting out a muffled, closed-mouth scream of terror.

"Alright," he muttered. "I almost died."

"Kaito," Ema whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"Sh, Em. I almost died. Let me recuperate."

She stood, shivering, before running back inside to wrap one of her blankets around his quaking form. Ema leaned over to see the source of the commotion, and with a clang and a grace akin to a tortoise, Mitsuo slid onto the balcony face-first, Kiyomi, Katsu, and Ryota appearing directly after him. Ema jumped back, startled, and Juli squeaked indignation as the heap of Ema's friends only grew when they popped from the top of the ladder like a well-oiled machine.

"Kaito," Mitsuo prodded. "Kaito, are you mad at me?"

"No," Kaito drawled, his voice oozing sarcasm.

"What's going on here?" Ema inquired, and Kaito pecked a kiss on her cheek before slipping into her room and flinging himself onto her bed like a flying squirrel.

"This was supposed to be a supply mission," Kaito answered, his voice muffled by her pillow. "And Mitsuo was holding the ladder. But then he accidentally let go and I hardly caught myself on the balcony."

"The fall wouldn't have killed you," Mitsuo mumbled. Rei was the last to climb over the edge of the balcony, and she pulled the ladder with her to collapse it. Ema's eyes adjusted, and she could see that plastic bags dangled from many of her friends' arms. They packed into her room and piled their offerings on top of Kaito, who moaned lazily atop the bed.

Meanwhile, Ema stood on her tiptoes and peeked out her bedroom window into the living room window, noting that the television was off and that her friends, obscured by the darkness, were successful in sneaking in without disturbing her brothers.

"A supply mission?" she whispered, and quickly they started unpacking.

"We felt bad about cornering you into telling us about your brothers," Tamotsu whispered. "So we brought you gifts. It was Kaito's idea. Anyway, here are the leftovers from tonight. I also made you a couple pies."

"I got you a box of chocolates," Katsu whispered.

"Here's the remote plane we were working on," Rei and Ryota offered together.

"And I got you a voodoo doll," Mitsuo said, his voice too loud, and Katsu elbowed him in the side. Mitsuo frowned. "Anyway, you can make it anybody. If one of your brothers bothers you then you can turn it into him. And if we bother you, you can turn it into us. We won't be mad."

Ema giggled, her mood lifting. "What, like this?" She playfully tugged at the doll's leg, and Mitsuo faked a pained cry.

"Shh!" Kiyomi hissed, but her voice brimmed with fond laughter.

"Imouto-chan? Is that you?"

Everyone clamped their hands over their mouths, eyes wide and holding back mirth. Ema slowly unclasped her palm from her lips, making her voice as natural as she could. "Yes, it's me, Kaname-san."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I just fell."

There was a pause of disbelief on the other side of the door, and Ema snuck to the peephole to see if he had gone. But before she could, Ryota's voice whispered, "Which one is Kaname?"

The responding shush was louder than the actual question itself. Snickers turned to giggles as Ema looked through the peephole, waving her hand at them to keep their voices down.

"I mean it, Kaname-san. I fell. Go to bed now."

"You don't want me coming in there with you?" His voice was flirty, but more strained than she remembered it. Still, she struggled not to giggle at the sight of Kaito mouthing Kaname's words back to her, exaggerated and mocking.

"I'm sure!" She grit out. "Good night."

"...good night, Imouto-chan."

The laughter broke free once they were sure that Kaname was out of earshot, and Ema smiled into her hand.

"I appreciate this. Really, I do. I'm lucky to have friends like you."

"It's nothing," Kiyomi said kindly. "We're here for you to help you get through this."

"And none of us blame you for what's happening with your brothers. Nor do we judge you for it." Katsu shoved his glasses back into place, laying a hand on Ema's shoulder. "We're glad you told us. We only get to help you better."

Ema sniffled, holding her gifts in her lap. "Thank you."

Rei smiled down at her. "We already said that it's nothing." Glancing at the clock on the wall, she grimaced. "It's getting late. Will you be alright if we leave?"

Ema nodded, and Rei beamed and squeezed her arms around her friends head in a quick hug. "We'll talk to you at school on Monday."

With that, she lowered the ladder to the ground and slid to the bottom, holding it for the rest of her friends who bade their goodbyes to Ema. At last, it was only Kaito left. The sudden quiet made her shuffle her feet.

"You'll really be alright?" Kaito asked with a smile. He peeled the blanket off himself and wrapped it around Ema's shoulders.

"I will." Ema paused. "Did you really bring them here?"

Kaito's smile seemed to illuminate the rest of the room with the moonlight as he nodded minutely. Ema's lips parted.

To her, it was a different kind of kiss. It wasn't her first, but she hoped it wouldn't be her last. It was surprisingly easy (absently she wondered if that was why her brothers kissed her so much); all she needed to do was to lean in and brush her mouth against his. He could feel her form beneath the blanket, quivering like butterfly wings, and his eyes widened for a moment. The fluttering sensation of their lips against the other's was heartbreakingly gentle, laced with innocence and coated with curiosity. And as soon as it happened, it was over, like a breeze rustling hair or a smile warming a heart.

They stood for a moment, the open window cooling the air around them as they blinked at one another, Kaito's gaze tilted down to meet hers.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. Heat rose to her face at her boldness, and she clutched the blanket more tightly around herself as she studied him from beneath long lashes.

He shook his head, dazed. "Don't be."

He studied her with his eyes glowing tenderly. He bent, kissing her once more with a soft kindness Ema couldn't be sure anyone else possessed. And he pulled away, waves of dark hair tickling the bridge of his nose. He chuckled and positioned himself at the ladder, smiling that crooked smile that Ema had ingrained so well in her own memory. She returned in kind, making her way to him and letting a lock of his hair slip between her fingers as she tucked it out of his face. He rested his chin and forearms on the balcony, eyes closing as he sighed.

"I should go. Or else Mitsuo will drop the ladder again."

"I understand," she said with a soft laugh. "Will you come find me on Monday?"

"I'll come find you on Monday," he responded emphatically, and began his descent.

Ema never wanted the night to end.

4,000+ words, let's give it up for 4,000+ words!

Anyways, don't think that what's going on in the story so far is set in stone. Friendly reminder that the poll is still up, and whoever gets first will get the main ending, and whoever gets second will get the alternate ending (which will be posted in a separate story).

After this, I'm going to get to work on the second part to Halcyon Pursuit, because who can't get enough of Ema expanding her horizons. ;)

As always, please review!

(Also, just a heads-up that "plz update soon" comments do the exact opposite, and make me lose motivation and want to update even more slowly. I'm a writer, not a genie.)