Kaito sat on his bed, feeling very, incredibly sorry for himself. They'd been forced to postpone the concert for an entire month due to his stupid injury. He'd told the others repeatedly that he felt fine, but they had pretty much detained him to the confines of his room. He wasn't allowed to do any strenuous activities whatsoever — which seemed to include just about everything that required him to get out of bed — and they'd check up on him frequently to make sure he was behaving. To begin with, Kaito had been touched that they were all so concerned about his well-being, but admittedly, their coddling was getting to be a little annoying. Also, he was absolutely bored to death.

There was a knock on his door and he looked up.

"Come in!" he said with smile. He didn't need to know who it was, he was just happy to finally have someone (literally anyone) to talk to. The door opened and Rin stuck her head through the gap.

"Hallo!" she chimed, in that typical Rin-chan fashion. "I brought you something to cheer you up."

She came in carrying a flowerpot with a small sunflower in it and placed it carefully upon his windowsill. Grinning widely, she turned around with a flourish, awaiting his reaction. Kaito regarded the flower with vague recognition. He seemed to remember something about it, something he'd said to Rin a long time ago… But it was probably a coincidence.

"Thank you, Rin-chan", he said. "That's really nice of you. But… why a sunflower?"

She looked at him, titling her head. "No reason. They're just pretty, aren't they?"

"I guess they are…"

She came to sit at the foot of his bed and he pulled legs back to make room for her. He knew what she was going to ask before she even opened her mouth. He'd gotten some variation of the same question every single day since he took his spectacular fall.

"So… how's your memory? Do you still not remember anything?"

"Still nothing, unfortunately", he answered, though that wasn't entirely true.

The day of the accident was still obscured by a constant static in his head. As much as he'd tried, he failed to conceive of the events that had occurred. Even after the others had retold everything to him in detail, he struggled to find the mental images that matched up with the story, and the ones he did stumble upon were too hazy and distorted to really make sense of. However, there was one thing he did remember with relentless, crystal clarity, and that was… her.

He remembered her fingers curling around her hand. He remembered the way she'd looked at him, with such tenderness in her eyes. He remembered how the light had bounced off her blonde hair, creating the illusion of a halo around her head. He remembered thinking she was beautiful.

"You look like an angel."

Kaito couldn't believe he'd said something that embarrassing to Rin. Granted, he had his concussion to blame it on, but he'd really prefer it if she thought he'd forgotten about that.

It had been… weird between them lately. He kept thinking that something was different about her, but he could't seem to put his finger on what it was. As a result, he found himself staring intensely at her whenever he had the chance. Her appearance hadn't changed a whole lot over the years, not as far as he could see at least. To be fair, she had grown a little taller and her face was a bit less round, but she essentially looked the same as she had when they first met. So what was it that attracted his gaze to her all the time?

"How are you holding up otherwise then?" Rin asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. Kaito sighed deeply.

"I'm doing just fine. Honestly, I wish you guys would stop fussing over me already."

"I think you'll have to endure it for a bit longer", she said with a giggle, before her face suddenly turned somber. "You know, what happened was… pretty terrifying, for all of us."

"Ah… y-yeah", Kaito answered guiltily. "Of course it was. I'm sorry, I didn't mean sound so insensitive.… Mei-chan told me you were very calm during the whole thing, though. I'm surprised you kept it together so well. It's... really admirable."

Rin stared into space, unblinking, frowning she contemplated what he'd just said. She turned back to him, her face scrunching up, and he could see the tears that had emerged in her eyes. Oh God, what had he done now?

"Are you kidding me?!" she exclaimed shrilly, her voice reaching falsetto. "I was scared to death, you dumbass! You were bleeding from your head! You could've died! You stupid, stupid idiot!"

Positively, fuming with rage, she got onto her feet and stomped over to where he sat . She stood there for a few seconds, staring him down to the point where he had to audibly swallow, bracing for whatever she would do next.

Safe to say, the last thing he was expecting was for her to throw herself at him, wrap her slender her arms around his neck and bury her face in his shoulder. He heard her deep inhale, felt the shudder of her ribcage and the warmth of her body she pressed against him, stirring up a whirlwind at the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what to do so he just sat there, letting it happen, letting her turn his world on its head. His heart was doing that thing again. It was thumping so loudly he worried she might hear it and get the wrong idea.

Wait… get the wrong idea about what?

She pulled back again, wiping her eyes with her sleeve, all the while his hands still hovered in the air where she'd been just a moment ago. But he hadn't touched her. He hadn't hugged her back. If he had, he feared he'd never been able to let go of her.

"You better be more careful from now on, or I'll make you regret it", she growled at him, her fingers fleeting across the side of his face, before she spun around and left him there, teetering on the brink of hopeless infatuation.

—

Kaito woke with a sore back and a stiff neck after the few hours of fitful sleep on Akaito's couch. The couch wasn't quite long enough for him to stretch out, so he'd been forced to lie half-curled up at an awkward angle, which his body was now punishing him for.

"I'm getting old", he muttered, but immediately reminded himself that he was still in his twenties. He yawned and looked at the time on his phone, realizing that he'd slept for much longer than he'd thought. It was almost noon and he had two missed call from Miku. He called her back right away.

"Good morning", she greeted him. "How's everything going over there?"

"It's alright", he replied. "Akaito started to feel better last night, though I haven't really had the chance to talk to him yet. I think he's still asleep. How's Rin-chan doing?"

"She seems… better, I think. She actually came down and ate a proper breakfast earlier. She's almost acting like her usual self again. She's been asking where you are, by the way… What should I tell her?"

"Tell her the truth, I guess."

There was a brief pause before Miku spoke again. "If you think that's the right thing to do…"

"I do", Kaito said. "I don't want to hide anything from her anymore."

"Okay", she sighed. "But I hope you understand that you'll be taking responsibility for how she reacts. If she gets mad at me, it's your fault. I'll throw you under the bus without hesitating."

He laughed softly. "That's fine. I owe you one anyway for helping me out."

"And how are you doing?" Miku asked, sounding more gentle now. "I mean, considering what you told me yesterday…"

"I appreciate you worrying about me", Kaito replied, "but it's fine, really. I've got other things to worry about right now. I'll have myself pity party later."

"Alright, if you say so. Just… know that I'm here if you want to talk."

"Thank you, Miku. I'll keep that in mind."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Kaito realized he was starving went to the kitchen in the search for something to eat. He opened the fridge and found himself facing an entire shelf stacked with bottles of orange juice. Rin had left her mark, apparently. The selection of foodstuff was otherwise scare, but he managed to find a few vegetables and some eggs at least. He thought for sure that Akaito would have some rice lying around too, but no, no he didn't.

Who doesn't have a bag of rice in their house? he wondered, shaking his head. His brother was really an oddball.

"What are you doing?" Akaito asked, startling Kaito so badly he hit his head against the inside of the cupboard he'd been looking through.

"Looking for rice", he muttered as he rubbed the top of his head. Akaito shrugged.

"Don't have any."

"Yeah. I figured."

Kaito straightened up and they stood looking at each other, the silence falling like a thick blanket upon them. Akaito's face was still pallid and he appeared quite frail and fatigued, something that seemed to make his demeanor a bit more docile. Kaito saw no trace trace of that bitterness that usually permeated his brother's features. It seemed like a good start. Maybe they could actually talk to each other for once?

"Are you hungry?" Kaito asked, since that was the first thing he could think of.

"Maybe… a little bit", Akaito admitted reluctantly.

They had to do with what they had, so Kaito chopped up the vegetables, stirred them into the eggs and made two omelettes which he served up with some toast on the side. He took two bottles of orange juice from the fridge as well, figuring that Rin probably wouldn't mind. He put one of the bottles on the table in front of his brother and Akaito proceeded to stare at it as if it were poison.

"I can't drink that", he said. "It's not mine."

"You've got nothing else in your fridge", Kaito responded, arching an eyebrow. "Not even milk."

"What's wrong with water?"

"Stop being a baby. Drink the juice. You look like you could use the vitamins."

Akaito scowled but seemed to tired to argue. He drank the juice, swallowing it down with a most begrudging look on his face. Neither of them said much while they ate, but it wasn't an completely disagreeable silence this time around.

Before he moved, Kaito had assumed they'd still be able to have meals together like this once in a while. But once he'd realized just how unreasonable his brother was, that delusional idea had quickly gone down the drain.

During the handful of times they'd met up over the years, Akaito had gone out of his way to be nothing but snarky and unsociable, especially towards the people Kaito considered his extended family. This was partly why he was so surprised that Akaito had taken to Rin. After that first abrasive interaction, the two of them had hardly exchanged a word in Kaito's presence, always glaring at each other when they happened to be in the same room. Kaito had reckoned they simply had too similar temperaments to ever get along.

"How… is she doing?" Akaito asked, as if he'd been reading Kaito's mind. Kaito gave him a measured look, unsure of how much he should say in regards to Rin's current state of mind.

"Well, she's not great, as you might expect", he responded. "Miku told me she was doing better this morning, but Akaito… you really hurt her."

Akaito kept his gaze set on the empty bottle before him, his eyebrows furrowed. Kaito waited for him to say something in his defense, but Akaito chose to remain mute while he finished up the last of his food. The apparent indifference of his behavior was really getting on Kaito's nerves.

"I don't get the way you think", he said irately. "What was the point of those texts? What did you think you were going to achieve?"

"I don't know", Akaito muttered, then looked up. "It was the only way I could get your attention."

This, for some reason, made Kaito angrier still. "Why didn't you just… talk to me? You know, like a normal person would?"

"As if I didn't try that!" Akaito snapped. "But you never had time for me! You were always too busy! There was always something more important! Even when I needed you the most, you just— Never mind, it doesn't matter anymore…"

He crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away, sulking. Kaito rubbed the bridge of his nose. They were getting nowhere. Who would've guessed?

"Can you please just try to explain to me what happened?" he asked as gently as he could. "I really want to try to understand."

"How could you ever understand?" Akaito exclaimed as he got out of his seat, pacing back and forth while he continued to speak in a grating, emaciated voice. "You are so completely different from me. You have an amazing career. You have people who care about you and love you unconditionally. You're not even 30 and you already have a life that you can be proud of! But me? I've done nothing of importance in my life! I've got nothing to show for! I'm just a pathetic, useless, unlovable loser! I have no-one! I have nothing! I am… nothing!"

Upon his last words, he turned around, extending his arms in a gesture of total helplessness, and Kaito's eyes widened with shock as he saw his little brother for how he really was — tearing at the seams, falling apart, barely holding himself together.

He got out of his chair then, went up to to Akaito and put his arms around him without a second thought, hugging him tightly even as Akaito flailed and fought to push him away.

"You're not nothing, Akaito", Kaito said firmly. "No matter what, you'll always be my brother. I'm sorry I didn't realize what you were going through. I'm sorry I haven't been paying more attention. I'll try harder from now on, I promise. I'll be here for you as much as I can. So don't say you're nothing ever again. I want you in my life! You are important to me! Do you understand that?"

Akaito nodded, giving in as he broke down, heaving with quiet sobs while his tears fell heavily onto Kaito's shoulder. At long last, Kaito thought that persistent, agonizing animosity between the two of them was beginning to wane. He realized that, much like his predicament with Rin, this was something that had weighed down on his heart for a considerable amount of time. With everything going on in his life, everything always being so hectic and moving so quickly, he hadn't been able to notice that a vital piece of him had gone missing. But he knew it now, now that he'd found it again.

His brother had returned home.

—

They settled down on the couch once Akaito had calmed down, each with a mug of tea on the table before them. Akaito hugged the mug in his hands, his eyes red-rimmed and puffy, his voice husky from both crying and talking nonstop for the past half an hour. They had just sorted through everything that had happened between them over the past years, trying their best to clear up any misunderstandings.

Kaito had been extremely upset to hear about Akaito's first romantic relationship, how unhealthy and deteriorating it had been for his brother (though Akaito refused to tell him what the girl name of the was). The whole narrative had felt like pulling teeth and Kaito had even teared up himself when Akaito — with hands shaking so violently he'd had to sit on them to make them stop — had painfully explained how it all came to an end. Together they had also figured out that the horrible break up happened on the same day that Kaito had sustained his concussion, and that's why he couldn't remember Akaito calling him.

A lot of things were starting to make a lot of sense at this point. It didn't excuse the way Akaito had behaved recently, but it was certainly a solid explanation to all of their strife. Kaito was forced to fend off the thoughts of "if only" that careened through his head, knowing full well they wouldn't do him or Akaito any good whatsoever. Besides, there was one more subject they had yet to address.

"Did you really tell her you love her?" Kaito asked. Akaito looked straight at him. His answer came without a shade of hesitation.

"I did."

"And is it true?"

"Yes."

Kaito sighed. His feelings on the matter were obviously conflicted. On one hand, there was almost nothing he rather wanted than for both Akaito and Rin, the two people he cared about the most, to be happy. On the other hand, Rin was his first love and Akaito, his brother, had stolen her away from him. He was still angry over that and more than a little hurt. Not only by Akaito's actions, but Rin's too. After all, he'd finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date, and the very next day, she'd gone over to Akaito's house and they had… slept with each other. Kaito grimaced. He didn't want to think about that.

"I didn't mean to tell her", Akaito was saying. "Is just sort of… happened."

"Look", Kaito said, "I know how this must sound coming from me, but don't you think it's a little early to say that sort of thing? You just started seeing each other this summer, right? It's only been a few months."

Akaito seemed to find the question amusing and gave a wry grin. "I think it's a little early for you to start giving me relationship advice. Or too late, maybe? Anyhow, it's not like I can take it back now and… I think I know my own feelings well enough. I love her."

Kaito looked at him for another while, saying nothing. He recognized that obstinate look in Akaito's eyes all too well. He knew his brother's mind was made up and there was no way for him to change it. Then again, why would he try? It wasn't like he had any claim on Rin's affection anymore. He'd already missed his chance.

"Okay", was all he could bring himself to say.

"Do you think she'll still have me?" Akaito asked, a flicker of doubt in his gaze. Kaito turned his face away from him, considering the possibility. Rin was resilient. It wasn't unlikely that she'd bounce back, good as new, as if nothing had ever happened. But would she be able to forgive Akaito for the grief he'd caused her? Kaito couldn't say for certain so…

"I don't know", he responded. Akaito nodded, disappointed but accepting, and they fell quiet. They were all talked out.

The silence was abruptly broken as Akaito's phone started ringing and they both jumped at the sound. Akaito reached to pick it up from the table and looked incredulously at the screen.

"It's Rin", he said. "What do I do?"

"How about you answer the call?" Kaito suggested, but Akaito shook his head frantically.

"No fucking way! I can't do that! Here, you take it!"

He tried to hand the phone over to Kaito, but Kaito pushed it right back to him.

"Don't be silly", he said. "You'll need to talk to her eventually. Just answer the call."

Akaito stared at the phone with a lost, frightened expression, every muscle in his body tensing up. Then, slowly, he lifted the phone to his ear and touched a finger to the screen.

"Hello?" he said. "H-Hi… Yeah, it's fine… Really? Where? S-Sure… I mean, if… if that's what you want. I'll see you soon then."

He tapped the screen again and lowered the phone.

"So?" Kaito wondered. "What did she say?"

"She wants to meet up", Akaito said, blinking vacantly. "She wants to see me."

As if the realization just dawned on him, he shot out of his seat and rushed out the room. Kaito followed him out to the hallway and found him scrambling to put his shoes and his jacket on, his face flushed, his scarlet eyes bright and eager. He was almost out the door when he seemed to remind himself of Kaito's presence and turned to him.

"I need to go", he said, slightly out of breath. "Thank you, Kaito. You are the best brother I could ever have asked for and I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you. You never did anything to deserve that. But I can't give give up on her, not even for you. I hope you can forgive me."

He wrapped a red muffler around his neck and flashed a smile that somehow managed to be both triumphant and apologetic at once, before he ran out of the house in a flurry. Kaito was left standing alone in the hallway, oblivious of what to do with himself as his mind kept drawing blanks. But it wasn't long before his own phone started to ring and he pulled it out of his pocket, not the least surprised to see Miku's name on the screen.

"I'm sorry, Kaito", she said. "I tried to talk her out of it, but you know how she is when she gets an idea in her head. There was nothing I could do to stop her."

He tried to say something, but he couldn't seem to find his voice.

"Kaito?"

He tried, again, to speak, but the only sound that escaped from his lips was a stifled whimper. Miku gave an indulgent sigh.

"This is exactly why I told you not to push yourself. Hey… are you still at your brother's house? I'll come pick you up and we can go to Baskin-Robbins, my treat. How does that sound?"

"Y-Yeah", Kaito answered and smiled, even through the bittersweet tears. "I'd like that very much."

—

"I want to see you."

Those were the words that carried him as he ran down the street, feet soaring over the ground, the longing echoing through him along with the sound of his rapid pulse. It was a properly cold, overcast day. The bleak sunlight couldn't do much to brighten up the world that raced past him. But the dreary weather didn't become him one bit. The inside of his chest was still bursting with light and warmth.

I want to see her.

He arrived at his destination and came to a stop, taking a moment to gather himself before he hurriedly ventured down the paved path. The last time he was here, it had been the crest of summer and he'd sought an escape from the relentless heat, grateful for the shade the lush trees provided. Now, the ground was covered with a carpet of leaves from those same trees. His sneakers trod upon them as he proceeded deeper into the park, his eyes diligently scanning his surroundings with only one target in mind.

Rin!

And there she was. A stray girl, sitting by herself on a bench by the pond. He slowed down, approaching more cautiously, but the rustle of the leaves instantly gave him away. Rin's head turned to him and stood up, but she didn't come to meet him. She stayed in place, waiting for him to come to her instead. The wind swept through her hair and she reached up to brush it away from her face, holding him in her steady gaze.

"Hi", she said as Akaito came up to her. She was wearing her ribbon today and was all bundled up against the cold in a a fashionable burgundy coat, looking too fucking cute, as always. But he thought she seemed quite different from the frail girl he'd found on faithful that day, over five months ago. So much had happened since then. So much had changed.

"Hey", he responded. "Did you wait long?"

"No, I just got here."

"Ah, okay. That's… good to hear."

She gestured at the bench and they sat down beside to one another, looking towards the pond. They stayed silent for a bit as they watched dead leaves drift over the surface of the water and listened to the whisper of the wind. Somewhere from further away came the playful voices of children, shouting and laughing. But there was no-one else in their vicinity. It was just him and her.

Akaito glanced over at Rin. She sat with her back straight, hands on her lap, adjusting her skirt over her knees. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but he couldn't figure out where to begin. Any words he could think of seemed too thin and too flimsy to sufficiently convey how he felt. Still, he pulled himself together, cleared his throat and took a breath to— Rin held up her hand.

"Can I speak first?" she asked. "There are some things I'd like to say, if that's alright."

Akaito nodded. "Sure. Go ahead."

She kept her gaze set on the pond as she started to talk, sounding surprisingly composed, as if she'd rehearsed what say on beforehand. But he could sense the strain of emotions in her voice even so. It trembled as she spoke.

"I've been a coward", she told him. "I've been wanting for things to change in my life for a long time, but I never had the guts to do anything about it. That day when you found me, here in this park, I was so completely frustrated with myself. I thought I would never be able to grow, that I would remain the same old me forever. But since you came along… everything has been different."

She looked at him, measuring his reaction, but he didn't have time to say anything before she continued on.

"I don't know why, but it was easier with you. I felt like I could be more like the person I wanted to be. I didn't have to worry about 'tainting my image' or being judged by you. Even though I didn't really know you, I had this feeling that you could accept me in a way that nobody else could. You… might've been the first man to actually see me as a woman."

"I think you're giving me too much credit", Akaito said timidly. She laughed a little at that and a faint blush rose to her face.

"Maybe so, but that's how I felt. Besides, you were there for me when I didn't have anyone else to turn to. I don't think you understand how much I appreciated you, just for that. Even when you were teasing me and getting on my case, you always made me feel so at ease. I didn't get why… not at first. After all, I've spent so many years pining for Kaito that I didn't think there was space left for anyone else in my heart. But before I knew it, I realized I had fallen I love with you. And then you kissed me and told me you loved me, and I… I couldn't have been happier."

Rin's hand crept over the bench and he jolted as her fingertips brushed over his knuckles. It seemed like some form of invitation and Akaito thought, surely, this was where he should speak up, take control of the conversation and pour out the contents of his heart to her. But then she pinned him with an unexpected glare and he stiffened, jerking back while he stared dumbly at her. Such a pretty face with eyes like steel, sharp and unrelenting, cutting through him. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she bared her teeth.

"But of course, you went and ruined it all", she snarled, her skin flaring red, more tears spilling from her lashes, dripping steadily onto her collar. "You betrayed my trust, you hurt and humiliated me. When I saw those things you'd written about me, I thought for a moment that everything between us had been a lie, that you never really loved me and that it was all just some cruel game to you. I cried my eyes out over you! I hated myself for being so stupid and thinking you could ever have feelings for me! I've never been so mortified in my entire life!"

"Rin—" he tried to interrupt her, but she held up her hand again and he quietened. She drew a couple of deep, shaky inhales, reeling back the resentment as she leveled herself once more. Her gaze flitted across his face, uncertain yet hopeful.

"Please, just let me finish", she said, her voice, as well as her expression, becoming infinitely softer. "I don't really understand the reason for why you did what you did, but… I want to understand. I want to know you, better than anyone else. So, what I'm saying is that… I don't want to let you go… b-because, even after everything… I still love you."

In the next second, Akaito had wrapped her in his embrace. Rin yelped as he scoped her up, holding her so close she was virtually on top of him, and he could feel her sigh of relief as she snuggled into his chest, right by his heart, right where she belonged. He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed her in, overwhelmed by the dizzying, fluttering, never-ending affection that thrived within him. Rin, Rin, Rin. His beautiful, lovely little Rin. He realized he was crying again. It didn't matter.

"I love you too, Rin", he whispered hoarsely, plunging his hand into her hair while he planted soft kisses onto the crown of her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything. I love you so fucking much. I'll do better from now on. I'll never hurt you like that ever again."

"Do you promise?" she asked quietly. He pulled away, just enough so that he could see her face and look into her eyes.

"I promise."

She extended her pinky finger towards him and he smiled, hooking his own onto hers as he gave it a gentle shake. The corners her mouth curled and she gave a tiniest, most adorable smile in return.

"Then… I guess you're stuck with me", she said. "I love you, Akaito."

There was nothing left for him to say, and so he kissed her.