Akari is following them with her eyes, the end of her pen pressed against her lips. Zexal knows Akari only wears this look when she's caught hold of a good scoop, or when she's preparing to pry for information. The fact this is directed at them unnerves them, but she's Yuma's sister, so there's nothing they can do about it besides wait for her to start asking questions.

They sit on the couch in front of the family's small television, watching a rerun of ESP Robin playing on the screen. It's one of their favorite episodes, the one where Robin conquers his fears and befriends a race of frightening bug-like creatures who wish for peace. It reminds them of their own life, of how terrifying the Barians were first before they realized the rock beings were just another form of the friends they've made.

Akari sits down next to them during the next commercial, flipping through her notebook while attempting to appear as though she isn't staring at them. Zexal is half tempted to outright ask what she wants, but the Astral in them keeps them patient, and so they wait for her to make the first move. Dealing with people is like playing Duel Monsters; first, you must allow them to show their style before you strike.

Akari breaks the silence first. "I don't remember you owning clothes like that."

It's unexpected, and Zexal glances down to look at what they're wearing, dark jeans and a light pink t-shirt with tiny baby blue flowers on it. "Rio took me shopping last week." They're taller than Yuma is and built differently, so they don't fit well into his clothes. Rio says she was taking pity on them, but Zexal gets the feeling that she wanted an excuse to go shopping with someone.

Akari makes a face at that. "Zexal, you shouldn't take other people's money. I can afford to buy you new clothes too, you know." Akari chastises, but Zexal just shrugs. They know that money is tight in the Tsukumo family, and they didn't want to be a bother. Also, Rio was offering, and she knew more about human apparel than Zexal did. It seemed like a good deal from their point of view.

Their sister is still watching them, waiting for their response. "I'll ask you next time I need clothes?" They ask, and Akari smiles at that.

"Good, good. I've always wanted to go clothing shopping with my little sibling. Yuma never wanted… Wants to wear anything than his school uniform or his flame pants and vest." Akari explains, and Zexal nods politely. "So what kind of clothes do you like?" She adjusts the notebook in her hands, pen prepared to jot down information.

The commercial ends and Zexal's attention is dragged to the screen as one of their favorite scenes of the show plays out. "Or, I suppose we can continue later," Akari says, smiling.


Big thanks to bus for requesting both of these; it was super fun to write them. Thanks for reading and please remember to leave a comment.