"Aya?" Somebody knocked on the door of a certain blue-haired girl's room who was still in a deep sleep, covered in her thick blankets. A soft groan escaped her lips as she groggily pulled off the covers from her head.
"What is it?" Was her sleepy response to the person who dared disturbed her from her peaceful slumber. The person from the other side of the door just chuckled quietly upon hearing her voice. It was obvious that she had just woken up.
"I'm coming in, alright?" No answer, instead Ayako just covered herself with her blankets once more. She had slept late due to the party that her family threw for her sake. She was thankful, no doubt about that. But the least they could do for her today, is to let her sleep in even for a few more minutes.
"Aya, wake up~" Tsubaki called out as he closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of his sister's bed. He shook her awake without any hesitation. Ayako just rolled over to the other side to escape his clutches.
"Go away, Tsuba-nii!" She blindly slapped away his hand that was trying to shake her awake. To no avail, he just continued what he was doing. It was starting to get on her nerves now.
"Aya, you know I love you right?" Her heart immediately skipped a beat at the way he sounded. But she knew what was coming now so she suddenly sat up.
She saw how a smug grin formed on his lips, pissing her off all the more. She hated how he knew her weaknesses. Well, all of her brothers do but they do not dare use it against her except for a few among them, namely Tsubaki and Fuuto... most of the times.
"I'm up, I'm up!" The girl finally surrendered, holding her hands up in the air. Her eyes were still barely opened and Tsubaki took her hands in his and tugged on it gently, helping the girl sit up on her bed.
"No, you're not. Shall I help you get ready?" As if a switch went off, her eyes went wide open. Her blue orbs glinted dangerously as she glared at her annoying older brother. Now, it seemed to her as if Tsubaki is the one who is still half-asleep.
"No, you won't." She coldly responded, making Tsubaki pout. She got to admit that it was quite cute but right now when she's lacking sleep and he's trying to rile her up, Ayako doesn't know what to feel about it actually.
"KYO-NII! PLEASE GET THIS STUPID OLDER TWIN OUT OF MY ROOM PLEASE!"
There was no hesitation in her voice when she yelled out for help. Tsubaki flinched at the volume of his sister's voice, startling him completely. He had let go of her hands due to surprise. His eyes went wide and he immediately panicked upon realizing that Ayako just called one of the most protective siblings out of them.
This time, it was now her turn to grin smugly at him, "Please rest in peace, Tsubaki-niisan~ I still love you though." Her tone was sickly sweet as she said those words to Tsubaki who was now turning white as a bedsheet.
As if on cue, Ukyo came barging inside her room. His appearance was still slightly disheveled, as if he rushed to get out of his room and into Ayako's. He had bags under his eyes and his eyes were glaring seriously at Tsubaki's cowering form.
"What is the meaning of this, Tsubaki?" He spoke in a dangerously low voice. There was an intimidating aura currently being emitted by Ukyo. Out of all the siblings, he is the foremost person who should NOT be bothered when sleeping.
"Out with you, Tsubaki." His tone was cold and piercing as he stared down the light-haired male who stood frozen on his spot, at the foot of Ayako's bed. When he did not budge, Ukyo approached him, making the fifth eldest to cower more.
The bluenette girl, on the other hand, was humming softly as she took her necessities to prepare for the day. She smiled widely at Tsubaki, waving her hand and bidding goodbye as she stood in front of her bathroom. Before she completely disappeared inside, the girl had blew a kiss his way.
After that, he was finally dragged outside by a fuming Ukyo who was already more than prepared to lecture him for what he has done. Tsubaki is bound to get an earful from their second oldest brother and it surely won't be a fun one but rather, a long one.
"Ah, what a great day~" Ayako sang as she entered the dining area where all of her siblings were already sitting down. Her eyes roamed around to see which spot was still free for her to sit on.
"Seems like you're more cheerful than usual, Aya. What happened?" Kaname asked, curious as to what caused their little sister to be chirpier.
"Well," she trailed off as her eyes drifted to Tsubaki who was silently pouting and sulking on his seat with Azusa on his left side and Ukyo on his right. A chuckle escape her lips as she settled down between Yusuke and Iori.
"Nothing much."
Her siblings looked at her with prying eyes but they did not question her any further. If she didn't want to share it with them right now, there's nothing they could do but respect her wishes. Still, they were curious as to why she seemed to be in a good mood.
A chorus of 'Itadakimasu' echoed in the dining area and the Asahina family finally began eating their share of breakfast, prepared by yours truly, Ukyo. Tsubaki was poking on his food using a food, but Azusa and Ukyo scolded him lightly, which made him mope some more.
"By the way, Kyo-nii," the bespectacled lawyer looked up at Ayako as he silently chewed on his food. His eyes glinted with curiosity as he patiently waited for the girl to continue her sentence.
"Thanks for earlier." The girl sheepishly smiled at him before continuing to eat. Heads turned to look at them back and forth, wondering what on earth happened between them. This made them all the more suspicious and interested.
"No need to thank me, Aya. You obviously called for me. Plus, my room is only beside yours." The male quipped, earning more curious gazes from their siblings. They don't have an ounce of an idea as to what the two were talking about, with the exemption of Tsubaki, of course.
"Ah, was it because of Tsuba-nii? I think I heard you screaming earlier for Kyo-nii, Aya." Yusuke looked worriedly at Ayako who just barely smiled at him in response. Tsubaki slid down a bit on his seat, feeling the burning stares he was currently getting from his brothers. He would have to punish Yusuke later for opening his loose mouth.
"He didn't do something, if that's what you guys are wondering about." Ayako waved her hand, chuckling good-naturedly. Ema looked at her with mild concern, while the others were immediately relieved at her reassurance.
"He was trying to wake me up and I wanted to sleep in since we all stayed up late last night. It pissed me off so I tried to get Kyo-nii to get him out of my room. Luckily, Kyo-nii was still sleeping. As for the rest, I think you guys already have an idea as to what happened."
A knowing and innocent smile bloomed on the younger girl's lips as she happily ate the rest of her breakfast. They all looked incredulously at her then at Ukyo who silently and gently wiped his lips with the table napkin after he finished eating.
So that's why Ukyo/Kyo-nii seemed to be more uptight than usual. Really, when it comes to Aya, he's more than willing to sacrifice his precious sleep.
All of them thought simultaneously. An inaudible sigh of relief escaped their lips. Of course, it's not like they thought that it was a bad thing. They were just happy that they all care about Ayako the same way just like before.
Ukyo losing precious sleep because of Ayako was a constant happening in the Asahina household, in the past. He was mostly the one who took care of the said girl – if not Masaomi – when she was a toddler and it seems like it didn't change at all yet either.
"Masa-nii?" Ayako called as she knocked thrice on the door of their eldest brother. A soft 'come in' as a response, was what she heard before she intruded inside his room. It was slightly messy but still tolerable compared to Tsubaki's or Yusuke whose rooms seemed like a hurricane passed by. In short, their rooms are like garbage dumps.
"Is there something wrong, Ayako-chan?" The blue-haired girl just shook her head, smiling at Masaomi who was currently reading a book about medicine on his bed. He was sitting, with his legs stretched and his back leaned on the headboard.
She had always admired how he always persevere and continue study diligently despite being busy with his work at the hospital most of the times. His habits are still the same, as far as she had observed for the past few days. Masaomi worried far too much, among all of them. He cared far too much for his siblings' well-beings. And he's the one who had probably sacrificed far too much for their sake.
"May I ask you for a favor?" Her voice sounded smaller when she had asked him that question but Masaomi did not seem to mind as he motioned her to come closer to him. Ayako sat down on the edge of his bed, looking down at the carpeted floor of his room while she fiddled her fingers shyly.
"A favor, was it?" He asked her once more, making her nod as a reply. Masaomi had finally stopped reading and set his book aside on his bedside table. Ayako seemed to be a bit fidgety than usual. It probably has something to do with a touchy topic, is what he figured.
"Look at me, Ayako." His tone of voice was kind but flinty. The girl followed what he said, and looked him in the eyes. Her blue orbs met his gentle, brown ones. The corners of his lips tugged upwards, forming into a smile. She was surprised when a hand patted her head, almost delicately, making her chuckle softly in the end.
"Yes, I was wondering if we could all visit papa..."
A sad smile took over her lips. Her eyes reflected sadness and a wave of nostalgia came over her as memories of her with her adopted father resurfaced in her mind. She was deep in thoughts when she was pulled back by Masaomi to reality. Ayako was already in his comforting embrace, being silently rocked side to side to prevent her from crying.
Well, he must've seen earlier how her eyes were almost tearing up at the thought. She felt so sorry because she hadn't been able to there for their father for the past few years. She hasn't given the chance to visit him and she felt guilty for not even trying to do so.
She buried her face in Masaomi's chest, gripping onto his shirt as she quietly cried. The older male, on the other hand, was trying his best to make her stop. He was rhythmically patting soothing her back. The action was making her drowsy.
"Hush now. Everything is all right."
Silence surrounded the both of them. Neither of the two spoke nor made a sound. A few more minutes passed, Masaomi felt her grip on his shirt slackened and he checked on her to see if she was still crying. What surprised him was that Ayako was already asleep.
There were still streaks of tears on her cheeks and her lips were slightly apart. She was snoring lightly even if her eyebrows were scrunched up. It seemed like she was having trouble in her sleep. A chuckle escaped Masaomi's lips as he gazed at his endearing sister. He carried her in his arms and set her on his bed, making sure she was comfortable and safely tucked in.
Just like how he always did when she was little. He'll be the one tucking her in bed. Of course, after reading her a bedtime story. They all loved their little sister the most, because she's their only precious princess among all the princes.
He stroked her head gently, after kissing her on the forehead and before leaving his room completely. He shut the door behind him quietly. Masaomi searched for the rest of his brothers since he wanted all of them to know their princess's wish: to visit their father's grave.
Author's Note:
Hey guys! TheWhimsicalNoirette is back. :)
I know it has been so long since I updated this story but I took my time to think up a good scenario to insert this. Also, I wanted to let you guys know what the brothers all did for her in the past. I think it's endearing to see Ayako interact with them, right?
Well, you'll really end guessing as to who she'll be paired up with although I will try my very best in foreshadowing. ;) *insert sucky evil laugh*
Anyway highway (pffft!), thank you for continuing to support and giving this story lots of love despite the turtle-slow updates. I appreciate it greatly.
Thank you very much! :)
Happy New Year to everyone, by the way. :))
