There are some lines that are written in German, but I put the English translations right after in ().
"Emiko, what's wrong?" Sora and Sakura started panicking.
"Don't panic: it isn't going to help her. Emiko, I'm going to lift you into my arms, ok? We're going to take you home." Ryo instructed before warning Emiko.
"Kaito." Emiko moaned, sounding like she was in pain as it started raining.
"He's still playing basketball." Mamoru informed Emiko as Ryo carried her away.
"Due to the rain, Sports Day is being postponed for another day! Forecast says a massive storm is heading this way—and it's not slowing down! Please head out in an orderly fashion and get home safely!" A voice over a loudspeaker announced.
"Emiko!" Kaito was heard running over with Haku, Amaya, Taiki, Makoto, and Minako.
"What happened?" Minako questioned, becoming defensive.
"She collapsed." Ryo calmly answered, walking with Emiko in his arms.
"Where are you taking her?!" Minako demanded.
"Back to the house." Mamoru answered.
"Back to the house?" Minako questioned.
"Do you care if they come with?" Kaito asked Mamoru.
"No, that's fine; they're your friends." Mamoru replied with a smile.
"What's going on, Kaito?" Makoto and Minako questioned.
"Come on: Emiko and I are living with Mamoru, Haku, and Amaya. And Emiko is related them through her mother." Kaito instructed before quickly telling his three best friends, shocking them. Well, Makoto and Minako were shocked; Taiki didn't seem surprised at all.
Fifteen Minutes Later:
"How is she?" Kaito questioned, bursting through the door with Makoto, Minako, and Taiki.
"Uh-uh. Go change out of those wet clothes first. You're Emiko's older brother and you worry about her. But she worries about you and your friends as well. I haven't got to know her, but I can tell she loves you more than anyone. And if you all became sick, she'd be besides herself." Ryo instructed, sitting with Mamoru.
"Minako, do you need something to wear?" Amaya offered Minako an outfit, watching her.
"Thank you." Minako replied, following Amaya.
At the same time, Makoto and Taiki followed Kaito to his room.
With Amaya & Minako:
"So, they've been here about a week?" Minako questioned, changing into one of Amaya's outfits.
"It's been two weeks and a day." Amaya calmly answered.
"Why the hell wouldn't he tell us about that? I understand Emiko; she's shy and doesn't talk about this for fear of burdening us. But Kaito of all people." Minako questioned.
"He didn't want to burden you either. Or maybe he didn't know how to tell you. And as much as he loves and respects you, Makoto, and Taiki, Emiko is more important; she's his little sister. He's been focusing on taking care of her. He's also been working on easing up a little now that they have Mamoru, Haku, and me to help her as well. She is our family too. And even though Kaito isn't biologically related to any of us, we still consider him as family. Yes, a lot of that has to do with Emiko, but we do like and respect him. I understand you, Makoto, and Taiki have known them a lot longer than any of us—and that you know them better than us. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out he cares a great deal about Emiko and all of you. He mentions you three a lot. Kaito and Emiko once mentioned that while you and your families would have taken them in in a heartbeat, they couldn't burden you or your families with that. She didn't seem to know what or why, but he mentioned that you and Makoto live with your father and that there were personal issues that Kaito didn't want Emiko around. And Taiki lives with his parents and seven brothers and sisters. It took a little bit of convincing and persuading to get them to agree to stay here. Here, Emiko is able to keep her cats and she and Kaito can stay together instead of being separated by Social Services. They're both safe, no longer living with people who want to hurt them, or in a shack." Amaya sincerely explained, watching Minako.
"I suppose that does sound like them. But it still bothers me that he felt he couldn't tell Makoto, me, or Taiki any of this." Minako replied.
"You're a tough cookie; I'm sure you'll make him pay somehow." Amaya insisted with a smile.
"You got that right." Minako smacked a fist into her hand.
"So, you have a doctor in your family?" Minako inquired after a minute.
"Yep. Ryo. He's a little rough around the edges, but he's a good guy; he cares about the family more than anyone." Amaya answered.
"So—do you know about Emiko?" Minako questioned, watching Amaya.
"You mean her being psychic?" Amaya calmly replied.
"Yeah." Minako answered, annoyed.
"We're not going to use her or put her on display or anything like that. We're certainly not going to tell other people. And we're most certainly not going to let others hurt her if they should find out somehow." Amaya firmly insisted, hearing the annoyance and distrust in Minako's tone.
"Thank you for letting me borrow an outfit; I'll get it back to you when I see you at school." Minako spoke, not liking Amaya's tone.
"Not a problem." Amaya calmly replied.
"Makoto, it's time to go: Aunt Mai is down the street at that gas station, waiting for us." Minako informed her brother after locating him, Kaito, and Taiki.
"Minako, relax." Makoto told his sister.
"Don't tell me to relax. And you! How could you not come to us when you needed help?!" Minako snapped before rushing downstairs.
"Don't worry about her; she'll come around." Makoto told Kaito.
"I know. I'll walk you to the gas station." Kaito sighed, grabbing some umbrellas.
"I'll get you your clothes to you at school." Taiki insisted, heading downstairs.
"You're leaving too? Do you hate me too?" Kaito questioned, watching Taiki.
"We don't hate you." Makoto and Taiki replied, stunned.
"I was kidding; I know you don't hate me." Kaito replied, scratching his head.
"My parents want me home with them: they're waiting at the gas station as well. And I know you would've told us eventually." Taiki explained before insisting, holding his umbrella.
"Yeah. We know you must've had your reasons. Again, Minako will get over this. Her love for you is too strong not to." Makoto added with a smile, teasing Kaito and Minako.
"You bastard! Why did you have to go and say it like that?!" Minako demanded, hitting her brother.
"Now, you got her even more pissed off. Come on. Let's go." Kaito sighed before instructing.
"Where are you going?" Mamoru questioned, watching the group.
"They have rides home waiting for them at the gas station. I'm going to drop them off and be back as soon as I can." Kaito answered before heading out.
"Do they all know about us?" Ryo questioned Mamoru.
"No. Only Kaito knows. Kaito and Emiko have been good with not telling anyone our secret." Mamoru answered.
"Well, that's good. The less who know about us, the better. We don't need any more outsiders knowing. I won't say anything because the boy is Emiko's brother, but it's already bad enough that he knows." Ryo insisted, drinking his tea.
"He's not like Kaneki. He's not going to say or do anything; he cares about Emiko and her wellbeing too much. I trust him." Mamoru calmly replied.
"Was denken Sie, ist passiert?" (What do you think happened?) Sora asked Sakura in German.
"Ich weiß nicht. Ich hoffe nur, dass es Emiko gut geht." (I don't know. I just hope Emiko is ok.) Sakura replied in German.
"Emiko will be just fine. Quit speaking in German now, please." Ryo informed Sora and Sakura before ordering.
"Aww! Du bist nicht witzig! Sorry." Sora and Sakura whined in German before quickly apologizing.
"How do you know she'll be ok?" Sakura questioned, watching Ryo.
"What happened to her?" Sora inquired, concerned.
"She had some kind of a vision. It was big, traumatizing and became too much for her to handle. And I know this because the history books mentioned that Emiyo suffered the same issues before she was able to control her abilities. While it may seem like Emiko can control her abilities; it's clear to see that she can't—not all of them. Someone will have to work with her on being able to control them." Ryo explained.
"How can we help her when none of us have any abilities like her?" Mamoru questioned, bringing up a valid point.
"Ryo has an ability. We were told it took him awhile before he could control it." Sora spoke up.
"Then it's settled: Doc here will teach Sweet Emiko how to control her abilities." Mamoru insisted, volunteering Ryo for the job.
"Yay!" Sora and Sakura cheerfully cheered.
"Now, just wait a second." "Kaito!" Ryo started speaking when the front door slammed open, and Emiko ran downstairs.
"Emiko? What is it? What's wrong?" Kaito questioned, concerned.
"KAITO!" Emiko screamed and cried, clinging to Kaito.
"Emiko, I'm right here; I'm fine. I was just dropping Makoto and Minako, and Taiki off at the gas station down the road. What is going on?" Kaito told Emiko while rubbing her back.
"Emiko, as much as I love you, I have to go upstairs and change, so I don't get sick. I don't know what you saw, but whatever it was, I'm fine. Go sit down and get to know the others. I promise I'll be careful. Ok?" Kaito ordered Emiko after promising her.
"Hi, Emiko." Sora and Sakura cheerfully greeted Emiko when she walked over.
"Hi. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble." Emiko greeted before apologizing to everyone, bowing.
"You're no trouble at all." Ryo and Mamoru insisted.
"Yeah, you're not any trouble." Sora and Sakura agreed as Amaya and Haku walked downstairs.
"What's going on? I heard screaming—from the attic." Haku questioned, walking over.
"I was going to come down sooner, but I heard Kaito, so I waited." Amaya spoke up.
"We don't know." Mamoru, Sora, and Sakura answered.
"Emiko had some kind of vision or something that apparently wasn't pleasant—and about her brother." Ryo explained as they waited.
"Ah. Gotcha." Amaya and Haku replied, going to sit down.
"Emiko, would you like something to drink?" Mamoru questioned, watching Emiko, concerned.
"No. You stay seated. I'll get you whatever you want. Take it easy." Mamoru instructed, watching Emiko struggle to stand.
"*Sigh…* Orange juice, please." Emiko answered, frustrated. She felt like a burden—and she hated every second of it.
"Do any of you want something as well?" Mamoru asked Ryo, Sora, Sakura, Amaya, and Haku.
"Tea, please." Ryo requested.
"No, thank you; we still have our drinks from earlier." Sora and Sakura replied, holding up their backpacks.
"I'm good. If I want something, I know where to go." Haku replied as calmly as he could.
"I'll take some tea, please." Amaya requested, watching Mamoru in shock. He never offered to get anyone anything. Or if he did, he only ever offered Emiko anything.
"Kaito?" Mamoru questioned when he saw Kaito walk over.
"Yeah?" Kaito asked, confused.
"Do you want something to drink?" Mamoru inquired.
"Oh. No, thank you. I think I got plenty of water walking the others to the gas station and on the way back here." Kaito politely declined Mamoru's offer.
"Hello, Emiko's older brother!" Sora and Sakura excitedly greeted Kaito.
"Hello." Kaito replied, stunned. He hadn't met overly hyper people in several years.
"You know about the curse, don't you?" Sora and Sakura curiously inquired.
"I know of it, yes. I know certain members of your family transform into the thirteen animals of the Zodiac, and that Emiko is a part of it as well. From what I understand, she's your family's psychic. But that's all I know." Kaito answered, unsure where this was going.
"Do you want to know more?" Sora questioned with a glint in his eyes.
"As much as I'd like to say yes, no; I'm good not knowing more than I already know. Honestly, knowing that people turn into animals is a little freaky to me, but that's your life and how you're forced to live. Also, it's none of my business. All I need to know is that my sister is safe." Kaito answered.
"Wow. Was für ein guter Bruder." (Wow. What a good brother.) Sora and Sakura marveled in German, speaking out loud.
"Danke." Kaito calmly responded in German, getting the attention of Sora, Sakura, Ryo, Amaya, and Haku.
"Sprichst du wirklich Deutsch? Mein Name ist Sora Sohma. Wie geht es dir heute?" (Do you really speak German? My name is Sora Sohma. How are you doing today?) Sora eagerly questioned in German.
"Wie gut sprichst du Deutsch? Mein Name ist Sakura Sohma. Sind Sie glücklich, hier zu sein und Teil unserer Familie zu sein?" (How well do you speak German? My name is Sakura Sohma. Are you happy to be here and be part of our family?) Sakura questioned in German next, just as eager.
"My name is Kaito Saito. Yes, I know and speak German very well. i can also read in German. I lived in Germany for a year as an exchange student two years ago. I'm fine-a little waterlogged I guess. As for being part of your family... If I'm part of your family, it's only because Emiko is part of your family by blood. I will say, Mamoru, Haku, and Amaya have been very nice and generous to me as well as Emiko when they don't have to be. But now, I do believe we should be done speaking in German because we're getting a bunch of strange looks from the others. I'm guessing like Emiko; they don't speak German. Or not this much at least." Kaito answered Sora and Sakura in German, getting looks from everyone except Emiko.
"I didn't know you spoke German." Mamoru and Amaya spoke, stunned.
"Thank you." Emiko, Amaya, and Ryo thanked Mamoru when he brought them their drinks.
"You're welcome." Mamoru replied with a smile
"Yeah. I speak a few different languages. I took German classes online for three years—until a few months ago. Two years ago, I was able to do the exchange program for a year. Well, nine months, but still. Emiko and I are half Japanese and half Italian, so we both speak Italian as well. I also know English, French, and Chinese." Kaito answered, sitting next to Emiko.
"Whose side do you get which from?" Ryo questioned, interested.
"Both sides for both of us. Our dad was Japanese and Italian. I don't know my birth mother because she didn't want me, but I was told by several people that she was Japanese and Italian. And I know our mother (Emiko's birth mother/my stepmother) was Japanese and Italian. She's the one who personally taught us Italian, and the one who got me into those online classes to learn German and the other languages." Kaito answered.
"What about Emiko? Why didn't she get to do online classes?" Sora questioned, confused.
"Because I'm stupid. Ow! It's true! Ow! Stop that!" Emiko cried, holding her head after Kaito smacked her over it.
"You're not stupid. Jesus. If you're going to insist on calling yourself stupid, I'm going to whack you over the head. You're not stupid; you're just a little slower than others. To answer your question: Emiko struggled learning French, so she decided she'd stick with what she knew. Growing up, we heard Mom and Dad speak in Japanese and Italian every day, so we learned the two languages side by side." Kaito answered Sora after scolding Emiko.
"Can you tell us what your vision was?" Sakura asked Emiko.
"I can't remember." Emiko shook her head as she softly answered Sakura, head down.
"Let her be. You do not wish to push her away, do you?" Ryo firmly told Sora and Sakura when it looked as if they were going to say something.
"I have something that will help. I'll be right back. But before I go… Emiko, this is from Makoto and Minako's aunt and uncle. They wanted to thank you for watching their house several months ago when their normal people couldn't. They're sorry it took this long. I don't know what it is, but they said you're not to try to return it; they insist you have whatever it is. I'll be right back." Kaito thought of something they could do. However, before he headed upstairs, he gave Emiko a gift.
Dearest Keomi,
Thank you so ever much for watching our home and pets
for three weeks last December through January for us.
It really did mean a lot: we greatly appreciate it.
Our house sitters really missed out that time.
I know you don't expect anything in return.
But please know, this is how we do things; we pay people
for their services—especially when asked at last minute.
And you did such a great job—better than our housekeepers even.
Anyway, knowing you for as long as we have,
this gift isn't just payment for watching our home;
it's also a Christmas and New Years gift as well.
It would mean a great deal to us if you accepted this bracelet.
We had specially crafted and made just for you.
It's a tennis bracelet made of a
sterling silver band with real topaz.
And it only cost 126,106 yen ($850).
So, it wasn't too expensive.
P.S.:
We apologize for this being written on index cards;
we had originally written it on our vintage paper lined with lace.
But this weather came on so fast and the paper was destroyed.
These index cards were all we had except some post-it cards and old mail.
Always appreciated,
Aunt Haruna & Uncle Matoki Aoyama
"Well, that was awfully generous of them." Mamoru spoke, stunned.
"Yes and no. Makoto and Minako's family on their father's side—the Aoyama side—are rich. Makoto and Minako don't really care about it, but other family members are a different story. And for some reason, they didn't like our parents, so they're always trying to one-up them—even now apparently. But I'll give them some kind of credit; they never trash talked about our parents in front of Emiko. But I think they like and respect her. And before I forget: we won't be seeing Makoto and Minako for at least a month: their aunt and uncle are taking them to Rome. But here: this should pass the time." Kaito spoke, not realizing what Haruna and Matoki had gotten Emiko. He continued to explain things before setting a board game on the table.
"Aggravation?" Sora and Sakura questioned, looking at the game.
"It's a two to six-person game: no less than two, no more than six. But I will say, it's more fun with three or more players. The goal is to get your marbles from start to home first. You have to move your four marbles around the board based on what the die lands on. However, the only way you can get your marbles out of your starting base is to first roll a 1 or a 6. Before the game starts, each player rolls the die, and the one with the highest number goes first and then you go left from there. As I already said, you need to roll a 1 or a 6 to move to the start spot. If you roll a 6, you get to roll again. When moving your marbles, you move them clockwise (right) around the board. Whatever number you roll is how many spaces you're allowed to move one marble. It does not matter how many marbles you have out, but beware: if someone lands on a spot that's already taken by another player, the player that was there has to go back to their base and start all over with that marble. So, say I'm in a spot and Emiko moves her marble and it lands where I am. I would have to go back to my start. When moving your pieces, you can jump over another opponent's piece or knock them out, but you are not able to do that with your pieces. If you can't move your pieces the exact amount given by the die, you either have to move a different piece (if possible) or forfeit your turn. But that's basically it: the rest of the rules are in the rulebook." Kaito explained how to play Aggravation.
"Cool. Let's play!" Sora and Sakura excitedly yelled.
"But it's only six players. Two people would be left out." Amaya pointed out.
"That's fine. You kids go ahead and play. Ryo and I will watch you." Mamoru insisted with a smile.
"Go ahead." Ryo agreed with Marmou.
"I can play one round, but then I should probably start dinner. Actually, I should probably start dinner now before the storm gets any worse. We may just end up eating early tonight." Kaito insisted just before he sat down.
"Ok." The others replied.
"Emiko, what's wrong?" Kaito questioned, squatting next to her.
"Huh?" Emiko questioned, confused.
"*Sigh…* Did you take you morning meds?" Kaito interrogated Emiko, watching her closely.
"Yes." Emiko answered.
"All four of them?" Kaito interrogated Emiko.
"I couldn't find one of them." Emiko answered.
"Which one?" Kaito questioned, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't know what it's called." Emiko softly answered.
"Color? Shape?" Kaito continued to interrogate Emiko.
"The purple triangle." Emiko answered in a small voice.
"The purple triangle. Purple triangle. Damnit, Emiko! That's the most important one!" Kaito snapped at Emiko when he realized which pill she was talking about.
"I know. I'm sorry." Emiko shamefully apologized, looking down.
"*Deep sigh…* I'm sorry. But Emiko, you know better. If your medications aren't on your shelf, they're usually in the kitchen. I love you, but you can't keep doing this." Kaito apologized when he realized he yelled at Emiko. But then he sighed before going to the stairs.
"Where is he going?" Sora questioned, confused.
"My room. He's going to get my pills and put them either in his room or somewhere. He doesn't trust me." Emiko answered, looking at her hands.
"I'm sure that's not true." Sakura insisted with a smile, watching Emiko.
"Yeah, your brother loves you very much." Sora agreed with Sakura.
"What does that have to do with trust?" Emiko dully questioned.
"Ok, that's enough." Mamoru spoke up, shocking Amaya and Haku.
"Yes, it is. Now, I'm only going to ask this once and I want the truth. What did you do with all your pills?" Kaito demanded an answer from Emiko, holding several empty pill bottles.
"I didn't do anything to them." Emiko answered, looking up.
"Then where are they?" Kaito questioned.
"What do you mean?" Emiko questioned Kaito in return.
"Where are your pills? They're not in here." Kaito told Emiko, placing the bottles in front of her.
"Where did you find these?" Emiko questioned, looking at the bottles.
"Right where they were sitting on your shelf." Kaito answered, trying not to snap again.
Emiko didn't reply; she sighed in frustration, getting up. She went upstairs without saying anything.
"Just how many medications is Emiko on?" Ryo questioned, looking at the bottles on the table.
"Five in the morning, three in the afternoon, six at night, and four at bed. And I just realized that she most likely didn't take her afternoon pills either." Kaito answered with a frustrated sigh.
"Why so many?" Ryo questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know. I know Dr. Yoh placed her on most of them and Dr. Gaia placed her on three or four. I know there are a few she's supposed to take multiple times a day or a few of the same type of pills. In the morning, she takes four different pills, but one of them, she has to take two. Three single pills in the afternoon. She has four different pills in the evening, but one of them she has to take three. And then there's three different pills at bed, and I know the one she takes to help her sleep, she has to take two of." Kaito answered, thinking a little.
"Do you think I could take one of each pill to have them tested and studied? There's no way a girl her age and size should be taking that many pills." Ryo requested.
"Be my guest. Do you want Dr. Yoh or Dr. Gaia's contact information?" Kaito agreed before inquiring.
"No, thank you; I already have them. These two, right?" Ryo replied before showing Kaito pictures of two people: a man and a woman.
The man was older and tall, with short dark gray hair and pale blue eyes.
The woman was younger and tall, with shoulder-length blonde hair and brown eyes.
"Yeah, that's them." Kaito replied, looking at the pictures.
"You don't know their histories, do you?" Ryo questioned, watching Kaito as Emiko walked over.
"Those bottles are old. I keep the current ones in my drawer." Emiko informed Kaito, setting her half-filled bottles of pills on the table.
"No wonder you forget to take them half the time. If you can't see them, you don't think of them. And no, I don't know either of their history. Why? What's going on?" Kaito scolded Emiko before questioning Ryo.
"Dr. Yoh used to work at the Sohma family hospital, dealing with family members on the outside: we don't get along due to differences in practices—and him having some kind of issue with our family in general. He was let go for berating and arguing with patients. I am unsure how he treated Emiko, but by her reactions, I'm guessing not well—when you're not around. He's an ass—is the nicest thing I can say about him right now. And there's a good possibility that he knows Emiko is part of the Sohma family. No, he doesn't know anything about the curse, but he does know that certain members are important. And he knows the family has been searching for the descendant of Emiyo Sohma. And if he's seen pictures, which I'm sure he has, he would most likely have figured out that Emiko is her direct descendant because she looks almost identical to Emiyo." Ryo calmly started explaining.
"Emiyo Sohma. She was the one who was abducted by her boyfriend, right?" Kaito inquired, watching Ryo.
"Yes, this is correct. You haven't read the history books, have you?" Ryo questioned, narrowing his eyes.
"No. It's not my history. If Emiko or anyone here would ask me to, I may read their history books or whatever. But otherwise, unless I have permission, I'm not going to read something I'm not allowed to. Now, what about Dr. Gaia?" Kaito answered before asking.
"Dr. Gaia is a fraud. How long have you two been seeing Dr. Gaia?" Ryo questioned, watching them.
"I only met her once when I took Emiko to one of her meetings. But she's been going to see Dr. Gaia for nearly two years now. Dad wanted her to open up to someone about the plan accident." Kaito answered.
"Two years? You two are lucky. Gaia is a skillfully trained hypnotist, and she uses her hypnotism as a means to get whatever she wants from people. What I mean is she hypnotizes people into giving her their important information: bank information, social security information, credit card information, and anything else of value. She drains you of everything you have—mainly money. If she's still calling Emiko to see her, it means she's not getting any kind of information from her." Ryo explained, watching Kaito and Emiko.
"Hmm…" Mamoru hummed.
"What is it, Mamoru?" Ryo questioned, annoyed.
"Just thinking about a previous conversation we had. Emiko, I know this may be a sensitive subject for you, but could you please show Ryo your wrist?" Mamoru replied before requesting.
"I already saw the physic mark on her wrist." Ryo informed Mamoru.
"Not that wrist. Emiko, please." Mamoru responded before speaking to Emiko.
"I cut myself." Emiko softly spoke, lifting and turning her wrist over to show Ryo.
"Kaito described it as she hacked her wrist up to point of needing surgery to keep her wrist attached to her arm." Mamoru explained as Ryo examined Emiko's wrist.
"I can see that, Mamoru. There's no need to embarrass her any more than she probably already is. If press my thumbs down on your wrist like so, does it hurt?" Ryo firmly told Mamoru before asking Emiko, pressing his thumbs in the center of her wrist.
"A little." Emiko honestly answered.
"Ok… I didn't know you then—and it's too late now. But had I known you then, I could've used my ability to heal your wound enough that you would have only needed stitches. You'd also have more feeling in your wrist. And then after you were stitched up, you'd be getting a lecture from everyone in the main family for this. However, that would only happen if you intended to do this. I don't know what Mrs. Namagoro wanted with you, but…" "What did you just say?" Kaito demanded, interrupting Ryo.
"Excuse me?" Ryo questioned, shocked.
"That name." Kaito replied, standing still.
"Mrs. Namagoro? She's Emiko's therapist." Ryo responded, watching Kaito.
"No. Her therapist is Dr. Gaia." Kaito retorted.
"Yes. Mrs. Gaia Namagoro, also known as Dr. Gaia Namagoro. Why? What am I missing here?" Ryo responded before questioning, confused.
"Kaito… Kaito, please." Emiko pleaded with Kaito, but he couldn't hear her.
"I'll be back." Kaito informed everyone before taking off out the backdoor.
"Kaito!" Emiko cried, trying to get up.
"Emiko, no. Let him be. If you go out there, you'll end up sick. And that's if you don't blow away first." Mamoru insisted, stopping Emiko from rushing outside.
"But…" Emiko started speaking before collapsing to her knees.
"Now, where are you going?" Ryo and Mamoru questioned Haku.
"I'm going to make dinner. I need something to do right now—unless you want me to destroy something." Haku answered, stomping to the kitchen.
"What's going on?" Sora and Sakura questioned, confused.
"What am I missing here?" Ryo demanded, becoming frustrated.
"I'm guessing Kaito, Emiko, and their dad thought Gaia was Emiko's therapist's last name, not her first. I'm betting had they known her last name was Namagoro, they would have never taken Emiko to see her." Mamoru answered, sighing in frustration.
"When she was twelve, Emiko was attacked in the guys' locker room by Tomiche Namagoro, who was seventeen at the time." Amaya answered, sitting next to Emiko.
"I heard about that. I knew it was him, but the girl's name wasn't released. Tomiche is Gaia's only son." Ryo replied, shocked.
"Enough about all that. Emiko, come back here and play Aggravation. Ryo and I will take Kaito and Haku's places for the game." Mamoru insisted, watching Emiko.
"Ok." It took a few minutes, but Emiko finally returned to the table.
"Atta girl. You go ahead and pick a color first." Mamoru insisted with a smile.
In the end:
Emiko picked blue.
Amaya went with white.
Sakura chose pink.
Sora chose red.
Ryo picked yellow.
Mamoru was left with green.
Five Minutes Later:
"What happened to your parents?" Sora cautiously asked Emiko.
"They died." Emiko softly answered, waiting for her turn.
"Oh. We're so sorry." Sora and Sakura sincerely apologized. They knew Kaito and Emiko's father was killed by the same man who killed their parents, but they didn't know their mother was dead as well.
"Thank you, but it's not your fault." Emiko replied, shaking the die in her hand.
"Do you have other family?" Sakura cautiously questioned.
"Dad's side of the family doesn't like me and disowned me. I'm not sure about Kaito. I heard one of Dad's cousins—or maybe it was one of his uncles. I don't remember who, but I remember hearing someone saying that Dad was a traitor or something; they would rather he have multiple children with random one-night stands instead of having me with Mom. It was the day of her funeral—memorial. We couldn't have a funeral for her. I don't understand why they said any of that, but they don't like me. So, up until a few weeks, I only had Kaito. We used to live with our grandparents—Dad's parents, but that wasn't very good; they weren't very nice. I recently found out that Mom had family." Emiko answered, rubbing tears away.
"And we love you." Amaya insisted with a smile.
"Thank you." Emiko softly replied, rubbing more tears away.
"Yeah! We love you too!" Sora and Sakura happily declared, tackling Emiko in a hug.
"Well, there goes the game." Ryo sighed, watching marbles flying everywhere after Emiko's foot hit the board when the twins knocked her to the ground.
"Yep." Mamoru replied with a smile.
"Sorry." Emiko apologized from under Sora and Sakura.
"No need to apologize. Sora, Sakura, get off her, start searching for the marbles, and pick them up." Ryo instructed, pulling Sora away from Emiko. At the same time, Mamoru got Sakura off Emiko.
"Thank you." Emiko thanked Ryo and Mamoru, seeing stars.
"At least her foot stopped twitching." Haku noted when he came out to see what was going on.
"What did I miss?" Kaito questioned, walking in, confused.
"Nothing much. We were just talking about family and how much we care about Emiko—now that she knows about us, and we know about her. Your name didn't come up, but we do care about you as well." Mamoru cheerfully answered, opening his arms.
"I'm drenched from head to toe. Unless you want to be a drenched dog and smell like so, I'd stay back." Kaito warned Mamoru when he looked like he was going to hug him.
"You never know. It might be an improvement to how he smells on a normal day-to-day basis." Haku threw shade at Mamoru.
"That's just mean." Mamoru pretended to be hurt.
"I'll be back down in a little bit." Kaito informed everyone, heading upstairs to his room to change out of his drenched clothing—again.
"I'm not sure that's how it's supposed to work." Emiko muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Mamoru questioned, interesting.
"Hmm?" Emiko hummed, confused.
"You're not sure how what's supposed to work?" Mamoru questioned, making Emiko blush.
"Having a candle-lit dinner." Emiko mumbled, looking down, confusing everyone.
"Who's having a candle-lit dinner?" Mamoru questioned with a mischievous smile.
"Umm…" "Mamoru, leave her alone." Ryo instructed, interrupting Emiko.
Watching Emiko get all flustered how she was, Ryo couldn't help but feel bad. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't help but think how cute she looked.
"If you don't mind, how did your parents die?" Sora cautiously questioned as Kaito came back down.
Just then, a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky. Not long after that, loud booming thunder was heard around them.
The lights flickered:
Once.
Twice.
Three times before the power went out completely.
"Is dinner ready, Haku?" Mamoru questioned with a cheeky smile.
"Fuck you! At least it's gas. I just need a lantern and fifteen minutes." Haku yelled before grumbling, looking for the kitchen lantern under the sink.
After a few minutes, the living room was lit up with a few small lanterns and plenty of candles.
"I'm sorry, what was your question before?" Emiko softly asked Sora. She didn't like storms; they didn't scare her, but she didn't like the booming thunder.
"Can you tell us how your parents passed away?" Sakura questioned this time.
"Oh. Mom died in a freak plane accident and Dad was murdered. Please don't apologize; it's not your fault—none of it." Emiko answered before insisting.
"Our parents were murdered a year, five months, three weeks, and four days ago." Sora dully spoke.
"I'm sorry." Emiko apologized.
"Like you told us, it's not your fault. And it's not ok, but we're moving on—or working on it." Sora and Sakura replied with small smiles.
"We live with our grandparents now. But they're nice to us." Sora nervously spoke.
"But even though you didn't have good grandparents, you're in a safe place now, right?" Sakura added, watching Emiko.
"Yeah. Mamoru, Amaya, and Haku have been so kind to us. They're the first people since Mom and Dad to be nice to us." Emiko answered, tears running down her cheeks again.
"And us and Ryo?" Sora and Sakura inquired, watching Emiko with big eyes.
"Yes, you've all been very nice as well—and that's despite wanting answers." Emiko answered with a smile and tears.
"Excuse me?" Ryo questioned, watching Emiko.
"You want answers about that man. The man who murdered my dad also murdered their parents. It was Kaito's idea, but Mamoru told you I was home that day when Dad was murdered; you know I saw it." Emiko informed them that she knew their plan.
"Sometimes I hate you being psychic." Kaito grumbled.
"It has nothing to do with being psychic. I heard you talking. And then I heard Mamoru on the phone." Emiko explained, causing Kaito to nearly fall over.
"Knowing all that, I wasn't sure how I felt meeting you, knowing it was a setup. But—I'm glad I did meet you all." Emiko sincerely continued.
"Not around flames." Ryo strictly told Sakura and Sora when it looked like they were going to tackle Emiko again.
"Food's ready." Haku informed everyone, bringing food out.
"I guess this is what Emiko meant by having a candle-lit dinner." Amaya noted as Kaito and Haku passed around the food.
"It would seem that way." Ryo replied with a deep sigh.
A Few Hours Later:
Around 9:30 PM:
The worst of the storm was over for the night. It was now only lightly raining.
The power came back about half an hour ago.
Mamoru and Ryo were outside on the back deck, smoking and talking.
Emiko, Sakura, Sora, and Amaya were all asleep on futons in the living area.
Haku was in the attic, looking out the window.
Kaito was lying in his bed, having phone sex with some girl he met online.
"That Emiko sure is stubborn." Mamoru spoke, taking a drag of his cigarette.
"She's not stubborn; she's guarded. And learning about Gaia is only going to cause even more trust issues with Emiko." Ryo retorted, flicking his cigarette into a puddle and watching it fizzle.
"Yes, just as prophecy stated." Mamoru insisted.
"You and that prophecy." Ryo sighed, lighting another cigarette.
"But it's all true, is it not? And so far, everything that was said would happen, has happened, has it not?" Mamoru questioned, looking into the distance.
"I'm not saying that none of it's true. I'm saying you're obsessed with it." Ryo clarified what he meant.
"Someone has to be. Might as well be me." Mamoru replied with a smile.
"At least you're not using those children like Shigure used Tohru." Ryo sighed.
"I would never. Well, I shouldn't say that. I suppose if there was a chance that the curse could end again, I may do whatever it takes to get that outcome. However, that's not happening anytime soon, now, is it?" Mamoru replied with a smile before asking, annoyed.
"No, it's not. It happens once in a blue moon when all the Zodiac spirits are alive at the same time. Akito, Kyo, Yuki, Shigure, Hatori, and the rest of them were the first generation where all the Zodiac members were all together. Emiyo's was the second generation to have all Zodiac members at once. And now our generation—just as prophecy predicted. I am well aware that our generation will be the final cursed members because now that Emiko is here, we've become immortal. That's the gist of things, right?" Ryou responded, taking a drag.
"Basically, yeah. Just think, if Emiyo's boyfriend or whatever he was to her, never abducted her, they may have started the immortality thing. And we may not have been cursed with the Zodiac spirits because they were already possessing someone else. I don't know what it is about the psychic in the family. But only when they're with the rest of the Zodiac members, will the family have immortality. And I suppose it's not all bad: once Emiko settles down and settles in, we'll be able to hug out parents, siblings, whoever our significant others are, children, grandchildren—and so on, and so forth." Mamoru answered with a distant smile.
"Yeah, I suppose that'll be nice—except for the process of finding who we're supposed to be with. All the memories that have to be erased because we transform when whoever we're dating." Ryo retorted.
"I don't know what you're complaining about. Your significant other is sleeping in the house—right in the living room." Mamoru argued.
"I doubt she has any interest in me." Ryo replied, flicking his cigarette into the puddle next to his first one.
"Oh, come off it, Ryo. You know damn well that you and Emiko will end up together. Everything is coming true. The family got the member cursed with the Psychic Zodiac—whose name just so happens to be Emiko. I'd say that's pretty damn close to being named Emiyo without being named Emiyo, don't you think?" Mamoru kept Ryo from going inside.
"And the fact that Emiko has been through a crap ton of shit that she shouldn't have had to deal with. She lost her mother in a horrific and traumatic accident that nobody could have done anything to stop. Her father was murdered—and she unfortunately had to witness it. She was damn near raped. She was hypnotized and self-harmed herself to the point of nearly losing her hand, but it was saved just in the nick of time. She and her older brother ended up living in that shack—that no longer stands and are now here—back in this house that has been standing for damn near three hundred years. Everything has come true. And you know damn well that everything is going to keep coming true. I know it. Akira knows it. You know it. Stop denying it!" Mamoru snapped at Ryo, making him look him in the eyes the entire time.
"Yes, I know all that, Mamoru! Damnit! I know all that! In saying all that, you know what the next steps are. And then the steps after that? Do you know what that's all going to entail, do you? Do you know what all that is going to do to her?! Emiko doesn't deserve this life!" Ryo yelled back at Mamoru.
"Yes, I know all that. It's a shame, but it has to be done. Pawns need to be played and sacrifices need to be made. And you're right: Emiko doesn't deserve this life, but it's the life that was thrust upon her. I don't want to see her hurt in any way, shape, or form. But what are we supposed to do? What do you suggest we do, Ryo?" Mamoru retorted, watching Ryo, who backed off.
"I know there's nothing that can be done." Ryo muttered.
"Think of it this way: you've been having dreams, right? You said they started a week before Emiko arrived in our lives. You said she and you were happy. Granted, then you could only see a shadow of the prediction. Now, you can see all of her features. And knowing she'll be subservient to you. Well, I suppose that would suck, but at the same time, you don't like woman who are dominating. Me on the other hand—eventually I will have a woman is both dominant and submissive." Mamoru explained, looking into the distance again.
"I don't know how you can be ok with all this." Ryo replied, lighting another cigarette.
"It keeps us safe and takes care of our enemies—such as Kaneki. Emiko will be safe with family who love her. The entire family will be together, yet not have to live with Akira, and we'll get to hug our loved ones. The only parts I'm not ok with are the hurt Emiko had to endure and the suffering that has yet to come for her." Marmou answered.
"I suppose… Yeah, I can do without Kaneki. I worry he'll severely hurt Emiko because of who she is to us. You know how that man feels about our family." Ryo replied, leaning against the edge.
"Yeah, I know how you feel. But I've already warned him that if he harms Emiko or Kaito in any way, there'd be hell to pay." Mamoru replied.
"As long as she's safe." Ryo sighed, a little uneasy.
"It truly is a shame because they're both good kids." Mamoru sighed, turning to head inside with Ryo following him…