Mei

It was just another ordinary saturday morning. I woke up at 09:00, took a quick shower, hope that mom prepared breakfast before she left, and made a cup of coffee to help get the day going. Thankfully, my mother-in-law did make breakfast. Unlike Yuzu, I'm not very good at cooking. Speaking of which, I should wake up Yuzu. It's nearly 10:00.

The blonde is still sound asleep, curled up under the blankets. I stand at the side of the bed, watching her sleep. This is one of the rare moments my sister is quiet.

I sit on the bed next to her. "Yuzu. Wake up" I gently shake her.

The blonde lets out an aggitated groan "Nooo!"

"There's breakfast" I use her second favorite thing in the world to lure her: food.

"I'm not hungry" She says, burying her face in the pillow.

Not hungry? Yuzu is always hungry. It's rare for to ever skip out on a meal. She must be very tired, although I do believe she went to bed when I did last night.

"I'll bring it to you if you promise to get up" I offer. There's no way she'll say no to breakfast in bed.

"No" Yuzu mumbles through her pillow.

What?! How can this be? She must be exhausted. I've got one more card to play.

"I don't want to eat alone" I mumble.

Yuzu is silent for a few seconds before she slowly sits up. I knew the guilt trip would work. I hold back a grin from my small victory. Waking up Yuzu is a battle every morning but today was a little tougher.

Normally, I wouldn't condone to eating in ones bedroom, but today I can make an exception. I return with two plates of food. Yuzu's sitting in bed with the same dull, emotionless expression as when I left. A little food should get her going.

I sit on the bed next to her and dig into the warm fluffy pancakes. After a few bites, I notice Yuzu isn't eating. My sister uses her fork to draw lines in her pancakes.

"You shouldn't play with your food" I interrupt her drawing.

"Sorry" Yuzu sighs "I'm just not hungry."

I use the back of my hand to feel her forehead. She doesn't feel abnormally hot.

"I'm not sick" The blonde brushes away my hand "I just want to go back to sleep."

"Alright" I give in as she lays back down.

"Thank you" She whispers.

This isn't the Yuzu i've grown accustomed to. She's never been so unresponsive to me before. Normally, Yuzu would break out in a smile whenever I talk to her, let alone bring her breakfast in bed. Maybe she's mad at me? I think over the last 24 hours. What could I have done to upset her? Last night, We fell asleep cuddling after a rather long makeout session. Then she wakes up like this. It couldn't be anything to do with me.

I go to the landline in the living room and dial a number. It rings a few times before someone answers.

"Yuzu?" A voice greets on the other end.

"Mom. It's Mei."

"Mei? Is everything alright?" She asks, voice full of concern. I hate to bother her while she's working, but something definitely feels wrong with my sister.

"It's Yuzu. She's acting weird and won't get out of bed" I inform her.

There's a short pause on her end "Oh. That's right…"

"What is it?" I press for info.

"Today's the anniversary of her father's death" Mom tells me.

My heart drops from the sudden darkness of the situation. It all makes sense now.

"Do I need to come home?" Mom's voice interrupts my thoughts.

"No. It's okay. I'll take care of Yuzu" I reassure her. If I can't help that cute blonde right now, I have no right calling myself her sister or her lover.

"Thank you Mei" She sighs with relief "Call me if there's anything you two need."

"Yes mother. Have a nice day at work" I hang up the phone.

I glance back towards our bedroom. How am I supposed to 'Take care of Yuzu'? I guess I'll figure it out. We'll start with just talking about it.

"Yuzu?" I sit back on the bed, next to her.

She lets out an annoyed sigh "What?"

"I talked to mom" I tell her "I know why you're upset."

"I told you I'm not upset!" The blonde says stubbornly.

"Today's the anniversary of your fathers death" I tell her.

She lifts her head from her pillow and looks at me with tears in her eyes "Why did you have to go and say it out loud?"

Yeah, that probably wasn't the most considerate thing of me. She was being stubborn though. All I can do now is pull her into a hug.

"I know what you're going through" I empathize "We've both lost a parent."

"I don't know how you stay so strong" Yuzu cries into my shoulder.

"I'm not. I just pretended everything was okay" I tell her "But now that I'm with you, I feel like everything will be okay."

"You really mean that?" Yuzu sniffles.

"Of course" I reply.

"Mei, my heart!" She sobs "That was so sweet!"

"Shut up" I sigh. That's enough emotion for a week. I completed my task though. I've earned my place beside Yuzu for now. It felt good being the reason for her happiness, and I'd like to do it more often. "You want to go visit your dad?"

The blonde wipes the tears from her emerald eyes and flashes one of her trademark smiles that I love so much. "Yeah. I'd like that."

Sorry for the long wait. Updates should be coming out more frequently now.