Chapter 23

Every day, a little more

Naoki turned off the TV after zapping for a good time. He had left his room to Yuuki, entertained with his little friend, invited by Kotoko, meddling in the matter after she saw his brother's interest on the girl, when she went to his school on behalf of his mother.

Kotoko initially wanted to meet Konomi, but ended up finding a Naomi, whom he wanted to escape just seeing the gaze of admiration that she gave him when he came home; he knew his presence would not help his brother.

He rubbed his temples. If his mother and Kotoko weren't so nosy.

"Does college have you stressed?" He jumped and looked to his right; Kotoko was behind the sofa, resting her head on her folded arms.

He denied; on the contrary, he felt comfortable in college and his field of study, although there was a person taking too much interest in his performance in class, and it wasn't a sensei.

Moreover, the pace of life he had adopted was sufficiently calm, with Kotoko immersed in her own studios and his mother giving a slight break for being in college.

"That's good! I think it would be different for another medical student, but you even can watch the TV calm," she remarked, smiling.

"Don't meddle too in Yuuki's life," he said more like an order than a suggestion.

"But Naomi-chan…"

"Has little interest in Yuuki."

"Are you serious?" Kotoko pouted and sighed. "There's still Konomi-chan."

He rolled his eyes. It wouldn't serve to stop her; although, from the little complaints from Yuuki in those weeks, the girl had a lot of his attention, as he described the two days they had cleaned together. He said it unnerved him the silent silly whose lamb eyes followed him all the time.

Of course he wouldn't share that information.

"What do you want?" he asked when she didn't go after a while. He started to solve a Sudoku booklet on the table.

While writing a one with the pen, he noticed sidelong that she walked around the couch, hugging what looked like a book to her chest. She sat beside him in a cushion.

"Naoki-kun?"

"What?" He spluttered, completing five emptier subgrid.

"Look." She showed him the object on her lap, what he saw was a long notebook. It had his and Kotoko's names inside a red heart on a white background with small pink hearts. "I already have our album."

He stared at her face, internally incredulous, but then sighed… she was able to do something like that. And she had said, in summer, she would. He thought it was something momentary when he didn't see it later.

Kotoko placed the album in his lap without asking permission; he gave up because she would be pestering for it. He closed his sudoku book after sighing.

She opened the cover and it showed a photograph of Kotoko in high school uniform, with two side ponytails in her head and a jovial look on her face. She was smiling. On one side of the image, on white background, said it was her first day of school… beside a "Naoki-kun speech" with a small heart. He narrowed his eyes to see a small picture of him; his mother must have taken on his first day.

Kotoko moved to the next page and under a protective plastic, he found the letter she gave him last year, with various drawings all around; watching her cartoons, he thought the anime club fit her but she'd not stand out a lot.

In the pages that follow, he saw different photographs: one of the first board her name appeared, one where they fell asleep, the day they began training tennis; later, he was surprised to find two halves of movie tickets, well preserved with plastic, still showing the date of their first date in the cinema. Also, there was a copy of the ice cream's receipt on her birthday, followed by a photograph of her dressed as a cheerleader and him with his medal tennis tournament… drawings of a bowling alley along with more photographs, of lower quality (phone-like and not well focused), like the kiss when he was jealous for Ikezawa (his mother got away with it), until the day of their graduation.

He rolled his eyes, without her noticing it, thinking that she put more dedication to it than to school.

She reached the end and his eyes fell on the last page, in which two photographs concluded the album, the doll and the bracelet she wore every day, surrounded by red petals of withered rose and a button in the center.

She really was a romantic; it made him irritated to think in such stuff. But if it kept her busy and happy, he'd not say anything… especially since she did not expect him to help.

What bothered him was that it didn't give him enough privacy.

"My mother saw it?" he asked. Kotoko denied. "All right. Don't show it."

"You like it?"

"If I say no, are you going to undo it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. She opened her eyes, bringing a hand to her chin. "Leave it like that."

Kotoko applauded enthusiastically and closed the album, taking it to her chest to hold it. He reopened his book, resuming his Sudoku.

"Thanks, Naoki-kun." Suddenly, she pressed her lips on his cheek and walked away with the face pink. Then she left the room.

He denied, shaking his head. Our album. How pathetic.

Women. He said in his mind, filling the last empty subgrid in his game. Only his mother and Kotoko could think such nonsense, as the album of his childhood that his mother kept hidden, but he knew she reviewed from time to time, giving it too much importance. How ridiculous.

"Kotoko-chan, Yuuki, come!" His mother's voice cut through his thoughts and he looked over his shoulder, watching her under the doorjamb.

"Yuuki is with a classmate."

"No, she just left about ten minutes ago," said his mother.

Naoki sighed, wondering what would she want now; it was not time for dinner yet.

Yuuki and Kotoko came running, the first forward with a rosy face.

"What is it, oba-sama?"

"I have great news. Sit, I'll be back."

His brother and girlfriend followed the instruction, both with scowling faces of intrigue; he also was curious what she might want as she showed such emotion.

He shivered when he saw her return with an elongated roll similar to the one she was discussing with his father and his father-in-law, talking about an expansion of the house.

He frowned when his mother winked at him, and wondered if she was challenging him or if she had an ace up her sleeve, to the point of insisting on going against his wishes, although, in fact, she often did.

"Don't be angry, onii-chan," she said, with a smile, sitting beside him, unrolling the paper on the coffee table. "The parents and I were talking, today we have a year living together, and we think now that onii-chan is a medical student and Yuuki is growing, they cannot continue sharing a dorm. Each will need their space."

Naoki thought that this was a credible and worthy of consideration point, because he did not have enough place for his books or clothes in his room.

"So we'll do an expansion of the house," added his mother, signaling the blueprint. "A third floor."

Kotoko and his brother let out a gasp.

"What do you think?" Asked his mother. "Wouldn't you like to have more space, another bathroom, a room for games and exercise?"

Yuuki nodded profusely, but Kotoko bit her lower lip.

"What is it, Kotoko-chan?"

"Dad…"

"Oh! Aihara papa knows; we have been talking." Naoki didn't like the laughter that she released after saying it, but his girlfriend finally smiled, leaning to the blueprint, along with Yuuki.

His mother looked at him. "Onii-chan. And you, what do you think?"

He thought about the album that Kotoko had just show him.

That wasn't it.

He nodded. "If you already have decided."

"Yes!" Cried his mother and proceeded to explain her plans to the children.

At least, he thought, she was not talking about nursery at the time.

It would be unpleasant to have the noise of the builders on the roof.

[...]

"This food is great! Matsumoto, you're perfect!"

Naoki rolled his eyes at the praises of Sudou, wondering of his presence in that weekend camp with his tennis team. He agreed only because the coach started doing his show in the cafeteria and other campus locations, so that he could face him prior to the championship before the end of the summer holidays, because he did not go to the club more than once a month.

He laughed remembering that Sudou offered Kotoko the opportunity to go, because she witnessed his acceptance, saying they needed a cook, and so the team didn't lose their time preparing the meal. Now Sudou wouldn't be saying wonders of the dinner—which corresponded to a group led by Matsumoto, who made a good work—, but snarling against the stupid idea to take her with them, even when it seemed to him that Sudou suggested it to cut his time with Matsumoto in the camp, which had been constant (not because of him).

He wondered if the girl was like Ikezawa (intelligent, of course, not like the idiot), putting her interest in someone outside her boundaries. Sadly, only Matsumoto had a suitor more than willing to get her attention.

Taking advantage of all concentrated in admiring the culinary skills of her fellow club, he went out of the dining room at the training center that the university had to use clubs. He wanted to get some of the strange fresh air of that late May night and the courtyard was perfect for it.

He let his mind wander to thoughts of what was happening at home; it would be more interesting than the tranquility of his current place. He admitted that if his girlfriend had been there, most entertaining events would have occurred; it'd have been funny to witness her mistakes. At home, his father could be reading… his mother watching a replay of her videos, Shigeo-san concentrating on a dish, Yuuki drawing, and Kotoko wanting to hit herself studying for her exams. She would suffer if she had the same evaluation he had, constant.

He gave a slight laugh, imagining her dismay.

"Something interesting?" He sighed when he heard Matsumoto, who sat with him on the bench where he was, watching the moon.

In those two days at the camp she had appeared when he was alone; he should have guessed that she would be there too. Naive of his part.

"Nothing," he said dryly, paying attention to the space between the two, wondering if, in her intelligence, she did not realize that he didn't encourage closeness between the two; for him, she was an acquaintance.

"There's something I want to tell you, Irie-san." He pressed his mouth into a line. "I… since…I saw you… last year…"

He seemed to listen to Sudou calling for her in the distance, but she did not realize, stammering annoyingly.

"You called my attention… and I wanted to study hard… to enter Todai… but you decided to go to a college… connected to my school… I wanted to tell you… I like you… and I want to know… if you could give me a chance…"

"Why?" he asked, folding his arms, facing her. He disliked that people didn't respect certain limits.

"Do I like you?" she asked.

He denied. "Why do you want a chance if you know I have a girlfriend?"

"What?" Matsumoto seemed truly puzzled, making him question if she had not listen to Kotoko's words when she said it aloud to the club. "Then, it is true what Aihara-san said?"

He nodded and sighed, feeling a little consideration to her, as she did not think his relationship with Kotoko was true.

"…I thought… I thought it was an invention of Aihara-san. I'm sorry, I'm sorry; I did not know."

"Why?" he asked, ignoring her apologies, frowning.

"What?"

"You thought it was an invention," he clarified, wrinkling his mouth.

"Eh…" he looked away from Matsumoto's red face, "…because you don't look like it, like boyfriend and girlfriend… I gotta go." She got up and moved away; he heard the cry of Sudou for finding her.

He frowned, repeating in his mind the words of Matsumoto; they didn't look like boyfriend and girlfriend. Did she not see him in her company? How many people though the same? Did they really expect he walked holding hands with her or doing unpleasant public displays of intimacy?

Would it give ideas to men?

He snorted in disgust. That was a problem because under no circumstances he would behave differently. However, she only paid attention to him, so he did not have to worry.

Another snort sounded beside him and at his left he found Sudou with arms crossed.

"She is very elusive," muttered the other, "but I won't give up," completed. Naoki rolled his eyes; he imagined Sudou would not, because he was the same kind of insistent person he perfectly knew.

Sudou continued to complain a few moments, until he ran out of them and started talking about the virtues of Matsumoto, which made him laugh, thinking the other was very deep with her. How foolish.

"Yesterday you asked someone for a summer job," said his coach after some in silence.

He nodded, he intended to use the money for his career and not ask his father for it, less with the house reforms.

"My family has a villa on the outskirts of the city, and this summer we are looking for someone to help us, because the usual employee had a broken leg climbing a mountain. We offer lodging and food, without deduction in the pay." Naoki looked at Sudou, which continued after a pause: "It's a job until the end of August; you will have to serve visitors to the area, help to maintain the place…"

[…]

"See you, Kotorin!"

Naoki heard the front door close after the farewells of what looked like her club members. Halfway up the stairs, he saw Kotoko embrace to her breast what looked like magazines; her face was scarlet and she muttered to herself, he understood just how embarrassing it was something.

He smirked, watching the back of what he recognized as a manga. "What have you got there?" he asked, with apparent innocence.

Kotoko jumped and the mangas spread on the floor. "Naoki-kun!" she cried, putting her hand over her heart, before looking at her disaster with her eyes wide.

He finished the stairs as she knelt to pick up the mangas, desperately. It caught his attention the image of the front cover and he bent to take one when she did not see, holding the others.

When she was raising her face, he kept the manga in the back pocket of his pants, hiding it with his shirt.

She hugged the mangas as if trying to hide them. "Yo… you were saying?" she asked him, failing to feign discretion.

He smirked. "What is that?" He pointed with his finger.

"Eh… this… Ah! They… are… women's magazines! Yes, that. They say things about women and girls' things that you don't like," she lied red-faced, going up the stairs.

He turned, shrugging his shoulders, wondering what had made her club that she did not want to show to others, by the number of volumes that she clearly wanted to conceal in her room.

He followed her, amused when she tried to walk without stumbling, looking over her shoulder. "Where are you going? I'll go down in short."

"My room, where else?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Heh, heh, yes, how stupid," Kotoko said, scratching her head, and losing a step.

He reached out to hold her elbow and she nodded, opening her eyes when she saw the mangas were exposed. He feigned ignorance when she released herself, walking faster, with him behind.

He reached his own room and put the manga in his drawer, to go out again and go directly to the dining room downstairs. Moments later, Kotoko made her appearance, one hand on her chest and looking accelerated.

"Kotoko-chan, who was at the door?" asked his mother going out of the kitchen to put the dinner dishes on the table. His father closed his business magazine and nodded.

"Eh… my fellow club members, who passed through here… and wanted to say hello."

"Educated men, are those who act like your fans?"

"Yes, oba-sama, how…" His mother disappeared back into the kitchen, followed by Kotoko. "I'll help, oba-sama!"

Naoki frowned, looking at the place where the two disappeared. Yuuki, also sat, laughed, shaking his head.

"Mom went to college," he whispered, making him snort because he had suspect it. "She wanted pictures of the baka on campus."

He rolled his eyes and nodded, picturing that. Too ridiculous and intrusive.

His mother and Kotoko came back with the dishes and they were soon enjoying dinner.

"How is the rice, Yuuki?" asked his mother at the middle of eating, carefully watching his brother.

Naoki looked at his own rice and blinked, thinking that it tasted a little different. No. Kotoko had managed to do it without flaws? It had to be a joke, it was edible and, above all, good.

"Good," Yuuki said, with his attention on his food.

"Do you want more?" Offered his mother; his otōto shrugged and extended his plate.

He looked at Kotoko, who smiled like the Cheshire Cat.

He swallowed incredulously.

"You know, Yuuki?" Whispered his girlfriend then.

"What?"

"Guess who prepared the rice…" Kotoko started raising her eyebrows up and down. His father coughed and his mother applauded noiselessly, with a proud expression on her face.

Naoki hid a smile behind his glass, as his brother raised his eyes and opened his eyes wide when he noticed the face of his girlfriend.

"Take that!" Kotoko exclaimed pointing her finger at Yuuki, who had his small open eyes to the utmost. "You said you my food was good! I won! Now you pay!"

Yuuki began to mutter under his breath about dumb luck on New Year and the injustice of the silly winning.

He remembered the unfinished bet those two made on New Year, when they played cards, and they even their scores without possibilities to untie. They had bet that Yuuki would call Kotoko "onee-san" and not "baka"; his brother said he would when Kotoko made a good dish.

"I'm waiting," she pronounced with a mischievous smile.

"Kotokonee-san, I liked your dish," muttered his brother, crossing his arms.

"Yes, otōto!" Cried his girlfriend, going back to eat her food with an expression of happiness.

He looked the wrinkled nose of Yuuki, who smiled slightly eating more rice, without anyone seeing else it. Naoki wondered if he did it on purpose, knowing that, when Kotoko really tried something, she made it.

When they were almost finished, Naoki speak: "I'll have a job this summer."

The four looked at him in amazement.

"Of what, onii-chan?" his mother asked.

"Do you need something, Nao?" asked his father.

He denied relaxing him.

"In a villa, I'll spend my summer in a productive activity," he explain in the best way.

His father nodded. "You could do some work on Pandai," he offered after a few moments.

"No thanks, I need perspective and my father's work won't do."

"It's okay."

"Where is it?" his mother demanded. "For emergencies," she added, seeing him frowning. He suspected that her intentions were not legitimate; he almost imagined her appearing there.

"Outside."

His mother put a pout. "I will not go, I promise." She did the same voice she used when exposing a sincere fact. "It worries me."

He wondered if he was very hard judging her while watching her. He imagined that she would do best to find out and go there with the family.

He sighed and told her.

[...]

Naoki put down the sack of earth he was carrying to the greenhouse, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and passed it through his forehead to dry his sweat. Every time the thermal sensation in Japan during the summer got worse, and this time, the physical activity, it was terrible.

He already had three weeks there and with the passage of time, the heat of the season made its presence, to the point he thanked the night showers, after arduous physical labor. However, he abhorred the morning sweat.

At that moment, Hayato, the German Shepherd of his boss, barked, indicating that someone came to Villa Romance. He turned to go to the entrance, stopping short while the gasp of Kotoko announced the identity of the visitor.

He turned to the main house of the village and found his brother laughing at Kotoko as she hid behind him while Hayato, of brave name, stood still.

He looked around for his family, but there were just them, apparently. Sure, that way his mother fulfilled her promise of not showing up. Nevertheless, sending the two children was low blow.

"What are you doing here?" He asked approaching them, stroking Hayato's head when he was at its side.

"What's its name?" Asked his brother—he said it—and approached the animal.

"Today we will make you company, we wanted to see," confessed Kotoko, glancing at the dog. "And the work at home was beginning; oba-sama told us to come. We'll leave early tomorrow."

He sighed and nodded.

"Welco…" Sudou cut. "Aihara!" He approached them, accompanied by Tsunayoshi, his dog of an indeterminate breed with black and white spots. "It's great! This way Matsumoto will pay attention to me!"

Naoki raised an eyebrow at the tennis coach.

"Matsumoto-san is coming?" Kotoko asked, frowning.

"Yes, I invited her today; she lives in a nearby residence."

"And how did you convinced her, Sudou-san?"

To this Sudou blushed. "Will ya help me to keep her away of Irie?"

Kotoko nodded.

"You have not told me how…" Hayato barked again and, at the sound of a car engine, everyone turned to meet a convertible red Toyota, with two black-haired and a dog on board, arriving at the resort.

"She's here!" Sudou cried, rushing to open the driver's door to Matsumoto. "Welcome, Yuuko-san! You brought a pet! And who is this pretty lady?"

Naoki saw Matsumoto get out of the convertible moving her wavy hair with exaggeration.

"She really shows off," Kotoko muttered to his side, pulling off her hat.

Yuuki, leaving Hayato, laughed.

"Irie-san!" Greeted Matsumoto from afar with a smile that faded as she looked at his girlfriend. "Sudou, aren't they done?" She protested with too much volume.

"Maybe I did not understand well… but they have just arrived…," said the tennis player and Kotoko snorted.

"Hello." The other girl got out of the car and walked up to them. She smiled at him. "Irie-san?" He nodded, frowning. "Now I see why, Yuuko. Matsumoto Ayako, her younger sister," she introduced herself, tucking her short hair in a similar way of the eldest.

"Aihara Kotoko," spoke his girlfriend, stepping forward. "His girlfriend."

"Interesting," slowly mouthed the black-haired in front of them.

"And he's Naoki-kun's brother, Yuuki." Gestured Kotoko, placing him ahead, too, as if he were a shield.

"Do you have bags?" Naoki asked politely.

Ayako refused. "We are taking Claris for a stroll," she explained, pointing to the elegant dog getting out of the car from command of his sister, barking at Sudou.

"What breed is it?" Yuuki asked, admiring the gray fur dog.

"An Afghan Hound, purebred."

"Great!"

"Where can we leave our bags?" Kotoko then interjected, raising her shoulders to signal it.

"Follow me," he indicated, turning; he would go to continue his work later.

Yuuki and Kotoko walked beside him. "I want to be inside," said Ayako, joining them.

Behind them, Sudou complaints to Yuuko's dog were heard.

[…]

At noon, with the sun at the top, Naoki sighed, settling the logs he was taking to the house. A couple wanted them, at night, for a romantic campfire to the "light" of the moon. It seemed unconscious to want to do such an act, when at night the temperature didn't drop enough and even had hot air.

Romantic couples and their occurrences.

He heard a small snort, which led him to frown wondering what it was. He looked around and, a few steps to his right, he saw a familiar figure leaning on a tree. He approached her silently, with the intent to startle her.

"Naoki-kun," she sighed. He paused, thinking that she had seen him, but she shook her head and he noticed her eyes were closed. She was asleep.

That dumb, just she slept in the forest, with the sun up and the animals wandering, instead of inside the villa.

He cut the distance to her and saw beside her was a net to catch butterflies; he imagined she was doing the favorite activity of the few children who visited the place, and got tired, without catching any. Or, he thought, not doing it with the fear of hurting them.

Naoki knelt to wake her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Kotoko," he called softly, without her batting an eye.

Her lips parted and pronounced his name.

Unwittingly he smiled; even in her dreams, she had him in mind. He was pleased to see that he was not the only one, though she gave no indication of being in the same kind of dreams he had had.

Kotoko sighed and he put his hand in her cheek, watching her carefully. She looked so calm sleeping, so peaceful, without having something that could disturb her. No one would believe that, awake, she was like a whirlwind and always her eyes shone energetically; nor would someone know the determination and persistence that she put to things, to the extent of doing what seemed impossible, or engage in a task so hard and long, as the album, rice, or other things he had seen at that time.

He tilted his face to Kotoko and pressed his lips on hers. He had a singular girlfriend.

"Kotoko," he called again, moving her more strongly.

She stirred and blinked repeatedly, disoriented.

"Naoki-kun?"

"Lunch is close," he announced, standing up.

"Hey?" She got up, anyway, holding him when she stumbled.

He started walking and she followed him after a few moments, until they reach the house, where Sudou was with others in the front yard.

"I was looking for you!" He exclaimed moving his hands. "Put that next to the entrance, Irie."

He shrugged and did as he said, turning to the others; Kotoko rubbed her eyes, blinking to Sudou, who encouraged her to come.

"After lunch, we will make an activity to liven up better," Sudou said. "It will be a couple orientation. In order to ensure safety in the forest, each pair will take a dog with them." Kotoko panted, looking at Hayato, lying on the grass. He rolled his eyes. "You will find ten stamps on the forest path, which you should mark in your notebooks. Each couple will take a different route."

Naoki sighed; this was not part of his job, just an attempt to Sudou wandering alone in the woods with Matsumoto.

"Now, the couples will choose through a draw," continued Sudou, taking out a paper; Naoki saw it with narrowed eyes, the names of Ayako, Yuuko and Kotoko were at the top of the blade. "Let's see! Ai…"

"Rock-paper-scissors will be better," he cut him to have a chance with his brother.

Sudou narrowed his eyes and sighed, looking with disappointment at Kotoko, who blinked; it was obvious that his girlfriend was asleep, because she made no gesture.

They then proceeded to play RPS, which was favorable to his coach, because he ended with Yuuko; his partner was the younger Matsumoto, leaving his brother and Kotoko together. He would have preferred to be with Yuuki, but luck was that way.

It was when Sudou gave indication to lunch, after distributing pets, that Kotoko was properly awake and started complaining about Yuuki as her partner.

"Not Hayato!" she cried then holding her hand near Sudou's face, who gulped and nodded, changing it for the tiny dog, an arrangement that seemed better to his girlfriend. The only one that worked.

[…]

"We've been very quiet all the way, Irie-san," pronounced Ayako when they were about to conclude their search for stamps in the forest. "And the idea is to liven up."

Naoki gave her a brief glance, without answering, thinking that by then Yuuki and Kotoko had already returned, having entered the forest before. They were practically two children in the forest and could be lost, particularly in the company of Sudou's ignorant dog.

He found the last stamp, number seven, which Ayako pressed in her notebook, turning.

"Irie-san, how serious is your relationship with Aihara-san?" She wanted to find out, approaching him.

He frowned in the direction of the young black-haired, who shrugged.

"I understand. There is no hope… for now." He frowned more, thinking he'd hate to have another Matsumoto behind him. "If you get tired of Aihara-san, next year I'll enter Tonan to study Law."

She just said nonsense. "I'm not interested."

The girl sighed. "All right, I tried. At least, Yuuko won't get you. I will tell her."

He, without giving a reply, shortened the road to reach the villa quickly. There Sudou looked in the middle of an argument, as he pointed to Claris.

He was concerned to see that there was no sign of Yuuki and Kotoko, so he hurried to the mustache guy.

"Kotoko and my brother have returned?" Sudou shook his head, frowning too, looking at his watch.

"It'll be dark in less than an hour."

Naoki swore to himself.

"Hayato, come with me," he ordered, turning around. They had a lot of time ahead.

He walked down the path they took, bothering at the middle of it for not taking some of the things Yuuki or Kotoko so the dog could smell them; but if he returned, he would lose time.

"Yuuki! Kotoko!" he shouted, hoping to hear an answer.

At least Yuuki, more aware, was less likely to be lost; however, he remembered he was nine, while his partner had an awful sense of direction.

He closed a hand in a fist when the color of the sky grew purple, fading slowly orange, as a clear sign of sundown. His gaze was met with a warning sign of bears; on the floor he saw the white hat of Kotoko.

"Hell," he muttered, picking it up and squeezing, wondering if they would have met one of the animals.

Stupid Sudou and his big plans, he thought with gritted teeth. And silly of him for not changing partners, trusting that nothing would happen. Also he cursed the lack of coverage in the telephone.

He shook his head, to remain in the calm that characterized him. He just hoped that those two were okay.

"Yuuki! Kotoko!"

Hayato barked and Tsunayoshi went out of some bushes, running in terror towards the villa. His heart throbbed when he listen to cries of Yuuki and Kotoko, which made him order the dog accompanying him. It ran through the bushes, while he followed him with a still accelerated heartbeat.

He saw Hayato pushing a smaller dog, of wild appearance, that ran away, finishing his threatening to his girlfriend and brother, kneeling in the grass hugging each other, with a wooden stick split in two before them.

He breathed out in relief, seeing them. He slowed his pace, rubbing his face with his free hand.

"We're saved!" Kotoko cried while Yuuki hugged Hayato.

"Are you fine?" he asked, causing both to stand quickly, pouncing on him and surrounding him with their arms.

"Onii-chan."

"Naoki-kun."

He sighed and turned away before ruffling Yuuki's hair.

"It'll darken soon," he murmured, looking at the state of both; none seemed to have wounds and they had not answered his question negatively. They were just shaking, probably from fear. At least, the next day they would go, without further mishaps.

He looked at Kotoko and put the hat on her head.

He called the dog. "Let's go," he said, recovering the normal rhythm of his heartbeat when things returned to normal.

He would not have forgiven himself if something had happened to them.

NA: Happy New Year!

Is the first time I have a deadline and fail to meet it. I said I was going to finish this before the year ended, and here we are. Now I won't say a date, but I'll finish this as soon as I can, so after it I can re-read. I've finished all my INK fics, so don't be afraid :D.

Thanks for reading!

Hugs, Karo.