A/N: Another installment as I work on ever other thing I'm working on. I hope you all enjoy!

I don't own Kodocha or any of its contents.

Chapter 7: Prisoner

Kurata Misako was a woman of few words. She expressed herself through the words in her books. During her prime, she resembled the personality of her daughter very closely.

Rambunctious, outgoing, energetic.

The older she grew, the more life became a reality rather than an illusion of dreams. She had hit hard times and endured traumatic experiences that would have left others wallowing in self-pity. She had hardened into the woman she was now, but still innerved herself when it came to her daughter.

Her daughter was an anomaly herself.

Sana had a gift. Often referred to wearing your heart on your sleeve, Sana had more kindness and sincerity in her than anyone possessed in their entire life. She reached out to those who were not looking for help and pulled them back from the darkness. Her heart cried for those who didn't cry for themselves. And though she was hurt in the past, she continued moving forward.

Yes, that was certainly her daughter.

At the kitchen table, Misako eyed Sana as she danced her way through the kitchen, a bright smile stretched on those lips of hers. She was skating around the kitchen floor with a sense of accomplishment embedding her.

Odd, the old woman thought to herself. Sana was normally not this happy. Not that her daughter was ever normal. The young Kurata was unusual in her own sorts of way. She broke away from the norms and failed to fall under society's typical views.

That also may have been because her mother was the self-proclaimed queen of abnormality. Sana was not raised in a normal household after all.

"Daughter, if you continue skating across the floor as you have, you are going to fall and hurt yourself." Misako warned and out of the corner of her eye, she could see the jubilant smile that shrugged her warning away.

"Oh that's nonsense. I won't fa- ahhhh!"

And as predicated, the young girl fell hard onto the kitchen floor as if a carpet was pulled from under her feet. She could hear Sana groaning as a pout settled on her face and she rubbed the now impending soreness of her back.

"You were saying?" A smirk graced Misako's lips as Sana begrudgingly stood up and took a seat next to her mother. She was grumbling under her breath, a pout settling on her face.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Misako had half a mind to roll her eyes, but as quickly as Sana had fallen, that was how quickly her facial expressions changed.

The pout was replaced with a satisfied smile and she was humming a tune that had Misako raising a brow. Her daughter was obviously in a better mood than she had been in the last couple days.

"How was school today?" Sana grinned up at her.

"Well, it started off somewhat annoying." Her face fell into one of confusion. Misako Kurata knew that expression all too well. "But, then it got significantly better after my second to last class."

Misako raised a brow. "And why is that?"

"Remember that project for my English class that I told you about? The bibliography about someone in our class? And how Hayama was my partner?"

The older woman nodded, vaguely remembering the conversation. Her daughter had walked into their home with a worrisome disposition. Immediately, the older Kurata could tell that there was something unsettling that was bothering her child. After a few minutes of her daughter sulking around, Sana had shared the exchange between her and the Hayama boy.

What a boy their age could be hiding at such a young age? She couldn't fathom, but the possibilities were endless in this case.

But Misako could tell where this conversation was headed by the smile and jubilant demeanor exhibited by her daughter.

"He… agreed to the project, I'm assuming." There was a hard nod and Sana laid back in her seat.

"Can you believe it? He actually agreed!"

From what she's heard from her daughter, the boy was difficult to garner too. He was a stone wall who locked his emotions and feelings away tightly… from what she has been told by her daughter. Misako would have to meet the boy to finalize a final opinion of him, but she felt like she got the basics from her rambunctious daughter.

"I think you should wait to celebrate until you see how much he is willing to cooperate." The smile that exuded on her daughter's face fell immediately and the furrow in her brows signaled her newfound distress.

"Right…" She muttered in slight disappoint. Mother hen needed to make an appearance, the older brunette thought.

"But, you've always had a gift at bringing the best out of a person." Misako started, giving her daughter a warm smile. "For example, look at what you did for the young Matsui. The two of you couldn't bear to be around one other for more than a few minutes without being involved in a yelling match. It was only a matter of time before you helped Fuka solve her internal struggles and the two of you became joined at the hip."

"Hayama might be a harder wall to climb, but there is bound to be a crack that you could burst through. It might be more rewarding in the end as well." She offered and the pout on her daughter's lips disappeared as a smile took its place.

"Thanks Mama." Sana thanked her as she stood up and gave her a quick, chaste kiss to the cheek and ran upstairs.

"I have some planning to do so I'll see you later!" In a matter of seconds, the girl was gone and Misako was left to her own thoughts.

-O-

The cold air bit at her skin and Hayama Ayame cursed to herself as she rubbed her arms. In her haste to get to school that morning, she had forgotten to grab the coat that was draped on her chair. Sometimes her stupidity had gotten to the best of her and it left her with the worst of consequences.

It was a lesson that she had learned too well and a bitter reminder of the scars on her back.

Speaking of the scars on her back…

The changing of the season and rapid change in weather patterns were beginning to cause aches in her body. The aches in her bones and muscles made her feel as if she was older than she really was. A fifteen year old girl shouldn't be suffering with the aches she endured during the past two winters.

She figured after two years that the pain would lessen, and every year after the accident, her recovery would push forward. Not that it hadn't. For lack of better terms, everything was progressively moving forward in terms of recovery.

But once the Tokyo winters struck, it felt like her seemingly successful recovery took a major step back. The aches and pain in her body were enough to disable her and prevent her from making any type of movement. It was days like those that she cursed her brother's lack of support. It was such an arduous task to venture through on her own.

Her thoughts were broken as a sudden chill swept through the area and Ayame was left shivering where she stood.

How could she be so stupid!? She could feel the building ache in her bones as she bit on her lip. Dammit, and on her way to school as well.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she rubbed her arms vigorously in hopes to conjure enough warmth to last her the walk to school. Because once she found herself in the walls of the school, she would be fine.

Hopefully.

She made her way hastily to the school grounds and sighed in relief when the gates became visible.

Her back was seemingly fine, except for that awful pull at her back muscle that created this nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Curse those phantom pains. She really hated those damn things.

"Yo, kiddo!"

The youngest Hayama turned to see her surrogate big brother coming up behind her. Akimoto Hiro came up from behind her and enveloped her in a hug that left her sighing in relief. Unconsciously, she snuggled into his warm body and smile appeared on her lips.

"Geeze Ayame, your body is as cold as ice. Did you forget your coat at home?" Hiro looked over her with concern as he hugged her tighter.

"I thought I was going to be late to school so I ran out, not realizing I let my coat hanging on the chair." God, she felt even stupider saying it out loud.

"This can't be good for your back." There was that overprotective tone of his that sent him into big brother mode. For what felt like the millionth time, she sighed again. She pulled away and threw him a reassuring smile.

Yeah, her back was hurting, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle.

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt at all." She lied through her teeth and Hiro looked at her with narrowed eyes. He wasn't buying the lie.

"You're lying." Ayame's face fell as her assumption became real.

"I'll be fine. You don't need to go all big brother on me." A smirk appeared and he shook his head at her. His normally charismatic demeanor remained concerned as he began to pull his school bag off his shoulder.

"You need to take care of yourself more often. You're going to end up back in the hospital."

Ignoring his warning, she watched as the green eyed boy shrugged his coat off his shoulders. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? Here, take this." He threw his coat over her shoulders and the cold that was making its way through her body disappeared immediately. Instead, she was welcomed into a blanket of absolute warmth. Ayame might as well died at that moment from pure bliss.

But then her mind had her reeling back to reality and realize that Hiro was now going to suffer because of her stupid mistakes.

"Wait, wait, wait. No. I can't take this!" She tried shoving the coat off her shoulders, but the green eyed teenager refused. He shook his head and placed his hands firmly at her shoulders.

"Yes, you can. And you will." That 'big brother' tone he adopted so well came out and suddenly, she felt very small under his gaze. "The last thing we need is a trip to the hospital."

Sighing in defeat, Ayame let herself be mothered by the boy in front of her. At this point in the argument, there wasn't much she could do to counter. Hiro was very persuasive on his own. One stern look was all it took for her to submit to her surrogate older brother.

"… fine."

The triumphant smile that spread on his lips made her roll her eyes. Geeze, what a child he was sometimes.

"Good. Now make your way to class like all little girls do." He tossed his head back with laughter as he teased her, and she almost hissed at him. What a pain he was, she thought.

But he was a good pain.

Hiro Akimoto made for a good surrogate brother. He looked out for her, listened to her, cared for her. It was more than what her actual brother did for her. He was like a ghost with that way he disappeared so often. Akito hardly made any sorts of eye contact with her, nevertheless exchange any types of conversations.

It was a disheartening thought. She hated those resurfaced feelings and emotions that came with thoughts of her older brother. Two and half years and things were only progressing for the worst. Gah, she hated that inner turmoil that coiled its way up. She could feel those tears threatening to spill.

Stop it, Ayame! Screwing her eyes shut, the blonde shook her head and bit down on her lip, hoping to ride away those dark thoughts.

"Uh, you alright kid?" She could hear asking. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, she shifted her gaze upwards towards the older boy and smiled.

"Just great."

Maybe he knew that she was just bluffing and that she was actually hurting on the inside, but Hiro made no urge to push it. Instead, he offered her a kind smile and ruffled her hair.

"Alright then. Go to class." He commanded and she retaliated with a half-smile.

"Yes, mother." Hiro grinned candidly.

They exchanged their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Suppressing the unwanted memories that haunted her, Ayame put on a smile and made her merry way into the halls, intently looking out for a head full of silver colored hair.

-O-

"Is… everything alright, Sana?" Said girl was broken from her trance and looked up to see Sasaki Tsuyoshi staring at her in concern.

"Yeah. Everything is fine." She answered absentmindedly.

"Are you sure?" Tsuyoshi probed and Sana sighed, realizing he wasn't going to let up. She turned towards him and smiled softly.

"Yes, Tsuyoshi. Everything is fine." The auburn haired girl hoped it would be enough, but it didn't seem like it would as Tsuyoshi pouted.

"You and Fuka have been very… strange these past couple days. Fuka has been… more irritable lately and you just seem to be avoiding hanging out with us these last couple days." He had certainly been making his observations, Sana thought to herself as she sighed once again.

Tsuyoshi was her friend, so she could tell him. It wasn't like Fuka probably wasn't telling the whole word anyway.

"I guess I could tell you." She sighed in defeat. "Fuka thinks that I have this huge secret about why I came here and thinks I'm hiding it from her."

The brown haired boy blinked, almost as if he was confused. "… Is that it?"

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled feebly at him. "Yeah, pretty much." Shrinking in her seat and mulling to herself, she began to play with her hands, something she had always done since she was a child.

"Fuka likes to make a big deal out of things that aren't even relevant sometimes. And if she doesn't get the answer she wants or isn't satisfied, she gets upset. And once she is upset, she brings everyone down with her." Absentmindedly, she opened herself up to Tsuyoshi, exposing a flaw to the seemingly perfect friendship between her and Fuka.

He remained quiet for a few seconds, contemplating the information that the auburn haired girl just shared with him. Sana was staring idly at the desk, trying to figure out how to fix this mess.

"Fuka doesn't believe you?" Tsuyoshi inquired and Sana shook her head.

"Have you ever given her a reason to not believe you?" Her mind stopping at the question he posed, Sana sought through her mind, racing through every memory of her and her best friend.

"Not really. I've always been straight forward with her. While with others I might comfort them with a small lie until they could handle the truth, I was always honest with her. That was how we based our friendship. There was no bull, no beating around the bush. If there was a question asked, we answered it. Unless there was a reason we didn't want to talk about a certain issue or just didn't want to face the issue at hand, there was never a reason to lie."

Tsuyoshi 'hmmed' at her explanation. After a moment of silence, he turned to her with a small smile on his face and Sana arched a brow.

"You came to Tokyo for your mother's work, correct?" Sana nodded, not entirely sure where the boy was going with this.

"If there was another reason, I would have told her. Or, I would have asked her to give me time to explain if I didn't want to talk about it for some reason."

"Then I wouldn't worry too much, Sana." He began as he offered her another kind smile. "We both know how stubborn Fuka could get. If you didn't lie to her, then your conscious is clear. There's nothing you should feel bad about. Fuka will get over it soon enough and you, more than anyone, should know that."

Mulling to herself, Sana sighed. "I know that. I just… ugh."

Tsuyoshi began to laugh. "It'll be fine, Sana. You'll see that it'll work out in the end."

As much as she wanted to disagree, Sana knew she couldn't. After all, if things worked out with Mr. Broody over there, things would work out with Fuka. Fuka was her best friend. There was quite a bit of history with her whereas with Hayama there was none.

"I guess you're right, Tsuyoshi." She grinned, thanking him for his help. "I mean, if I could get Hayama to agree on a project with me, then I know for sure that Fuka will stop pestering me."

The brown haired boy looked at her in confusion, not knowing what exactly Sana was going on about.

"What project?" He asked and it was then Sana remembered Tsuyoshi wasn't in her English class and had no idea what she was talking about.

"Oh, I guess you don't know, huh? Our teacher assigned Hayama and I as partners to write this biography about each other. He was reluctant at first, but he eventually caved in and agreed to meet me half way on this project."

To Sana, it wasn't a big deal. But to Tsuyoshi, this threw him completely off. Hayama Akito agreed to this type of project?

"Did you blackmail him to do it?" Sana narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her.

"No?" she replied and Tsuyoshi's jaw fell.

What… the… heck?

Once Sana gave it a second thought, she could see why Tsuyoshi was reacting so.

The ever broody, conservative Hayama Akito collaborating on a project that essentially equivocated to him sharing about his personal life? Someone call the paramedics because he might be under heavy hallucination!

"How did you get him to agree?" he asked and Sana shrugged.

"He just sorta… agreed, I guess?" Putting a finger to her chin, Sana recalled the conversation. Not quite something she wanted to admit, she begged more than what was needed. But, it got the job done because now she and Hayama were working on this project together.

"I compromised with him. I gave him the option to just meet me half way. All I asked was for a half way point. I didn't ask for the finish line."

Tsuyoshi was no longer slack jawed, but his eyes showed surprise. It was that initial shock that Hayama Akito actually agreed to engage in a project that required some sort of a relationship. The brown haired boy could not remember the last time that he had seen the blond engage in any sorts of attempt at connecting with someone.

But that thought made him smile.

"Why are you smiling at me like that?" Tsuyoshi couldn't help the slight chuckle that escaped his lips.

Maybe this was it? This was the push they needed to break through that stone wall that Hayama had so perfectly assembled together. Maybe this was the opportunity to help him finally reconnect with his estranged sister and forgive himself for his past?

"Oh nothing." he chuckled again and Sana eyed him suspiciously. "It's just, this could be the chance we have all been waiting for."

Sana shook her head, immediately understanding why Tsuyoshi's disposition brightened so suddenly.

"Oh, Tsuyoshi." she sighed and smiled at him sadly. "If there's anything I don't want you to do, it's to get your hopes up. I don't expect to even see the finish line with us. It will be difficult to even see the first check point. Please, don't think that this might be a chance to finally cracking him."

She could see that silly smile fall off his face and she immediately regretted the words that left her lips. She was normally an optimistic person. In normal circumstances, she would be for discovering the truth behind Hayama's broody attitude and stoic disposition. But at this moment, she could not find that sense of optimism.

While she was interested in the past of the Hayama siblings and was eager to know why there was such distance between the siblings, there was something telling her to be patient. Her 11 year old self would have blown the top off already, sticking her nose where it didn't belong almost immediately.

But 16 year old Sana knew better.

She had to find the right moment.

Something was telling her that this wasn't it.

"Besides, that job is left to either you or Fuka. Hayama and I nothing more than strangers at this point. If there is going to be a crack at that broody best friend of yours, it's gotta come from one of the two people that care most about him." Sana smiled and gave the brunet a thumbs up.

Despite feeling disheartened at first, Tsuyoshi couldn't help but feel optimistic. Although Sana's words said differently, the brunet couldn't help but feel like there was something more to come out of this project.

"I'm guessing you're still persistent on Fuka liking Hayama?"

The toothy grin on Sana's face as all the confirmation he needed.

"I suppose you can say something like that."

Both teenagers laughed as they opened up their notebooks, Sana immediately groaning. When was the world going to learn that math was just foreign to her and there was no way in hell she was going to understand this? Tsuyoshi pulled a seat over to her and began helping her, teaching her step by step.

Sana inwardly thanked the stars above that she had such sweet friends to help her understand the impossible.

-O-

As the day continued, Fuka continued to ignore Sana, leaving everyone puzzled. She merely brushed it off, stating that it was a lover's quarrel that would soon blow over. It was enough to have their friends stop asking questions, but it was still troublesome.

School ended quickly and without much trouble. Sana was humming a tune to herself as she changed out her shoes when a hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Hey, Sana-chan!"

Jumping slightly at the entrance of the youngest Hayama, Sana breathed easily when two, bright eyes found hers.

"Way to make an entrance." Ayame laughed as she hugged the one size to big jacket around herself. Sana arched a brow, watching as the young blonde was drowning in the coat.

"Wanna walk home together?" Sana nodded and the two girls left the building together. Over the course of the past month, the two young girls had become close friends. Sana enjoyed her company, finding her humorous and charming. Ayame reminded her a lot of herself in some ways.

"Did you forget your coat at home today?" The blonde turned her gaze towards the coat that encompassed her body. She chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, this is Hiro's." She clutched it tighter around her bodice. "I forgot my jacket at home like the dummy I am and he caught me without one. So he gave it to me."

Sana smiled. "Hiro really cares for you, doesn't he?"

Ayame blushed as they continued onward. "He's been there for me since before the accident. He looks out for me and makes sure that I don't have to go back to the hospital for anything. After the accident, he became so involved in my life and even though he barged himself in, it was nice to have someone to rely on."

The auburn haired teen quirked an eyebrow at the mention of an accident. This was the first time she had heard anything about an accident. And having to go to the hospital nonetheless.

"An… accident?" She asked, and Ayame stilled.

"Uh.. yeah. Guess you haven't heard, huh?" There was now a sad smile in place of the blush that was on her cheeks only moments ago.

Shaking her head, Sana noticed the sudden stillness from Ayame and her change of tone. Ayame's demeanor changed instantly and Sana felt guilty for bringing up something so personal.

"Oni-chan and I were involved in an accident almost three years ago. It was pretty bad. We were both out of school for a few months." Sana's eyes went wide as the image of a mangled Ayame and Akito was embedded in her mind. She couldn't image what type of accident those two could have come across. She wondered if this was the reason for the oldest Hayama's apathetic attitude.

"My injuries have gotten better over the last few years." the blonde said, "But, when it's cold like this, my old injuries begin to ache."

Sana nodded, trying to conjure a response. What do you say to that type of statement without warranting any type of curious question? The auburn haired teenager honestly didn't know.

"Is that why Hiro is very protective of you?" She asked and Ayame answered with a nod.

There was a stillness and Sana was struggling whether to push more for the conversation. She could tell it was hard for the young blonde to say just this. Should she push her luck and ask for more? Sana realized this might be the information she would need for her project with Hayama Akito.

"Yeah, pretty much. Except, Hiro-kun had always been a good friend of mine since we were younger."

"Guess he really is a prince in that aspect, huh?" Both girls laughed as the image of Akimoto Hiro dressed in royal garments. It was a silly image to say the least.

"I can tell girls around school get upset with the relationship we have, but that's just because a lot of the girls get jealous that they aren't close to Hiro-kun." Sana huffed, rolling her eyes.

"The female population can be so trivial sometimes. I could feel all the girls at school staring at whenever I'm with him." Ayame giggled, noticing that detail as well.

Girls always tried to cling to her surrogate brother however they could. While Hiro wasn't one to seek for attention, he still indulged all those girls by being too nice to them. She often reprimanded him for it, telling him that it was his fault that they continued flocking him like birds.

"I have other, bigger issues that I have to deal with other than petty females getting jealous over a boy they don't even know." The young Hayama raised a brow, wondering what Sana could be talking about.

Sana began to think about the conversation she had with her mother this morning about Hayama. Sure, having him agree was one thing, but actually having him participate was going to be another endeavor on its own.

"What is it, Sana?" she sighed as the idea of having a sit down conversation with Hayama seemed almost impossible.

"In my English class, we were assigned to a partner for the entire term and instructed to write a bibliography on one another. The project is worth almost our entire grade and its due at the end of the first term." Ayame eyed her with those confused brown eyes of hers.

"So what's the problem? That doesn't seem so hard." She asked, her voice dipped in innocence.

The older teen sighed again and her eyes dropped in an almost characteristic way. If she was a child, this would have been an overdramatic explosion about what her situation had ended like. But, she was a teenager now, two years away from adulthood.

At least that's what she told herself.

"It's not that it's hard, per say." a frown formed on her lips. "It's just that my partner isn't exactly the most welcoming and open person I know."

Ayame raised a brow. "Who's your partner?"

"You're brother." The blonde's eyes went wide and her mouth opened slightly, then shut again, like she wanted to say something. But, she looked so shocked that she didn't even muster a reply. Ayame must had been pitying her, knowing her brother was going to be the reason for her failure. But, little did the little Hayama know, there was some hope for this project.

"I know, right? That was my initial reaction too! I thought for sure that I was doomed. Even the rest of the class was saying things about how they felt sorry for me because they knew I would fail the class with him as my partner."

"But he surprised me."

Ayame knit her brows together, perplexed by Sana's statement.

"Surprised you?" She questioned.

Sana nodded and shifted her gaze towards her. "Yeah, he surprised me. I offered him a deal." She held up both her pointer fingers and said "We meet half way. I offer half and he offers half. That way I don't delve too deep in his business and we can both get a decent grade in the class."

The blonde's eyes went so wide that Sana thought her eyes would leave her head. The young auburn could tell that Ayame had put the pieces together.

"Are you saying that he-"

"Agreed to the project?" Sana finished the question for her and the youngest Hayama absentmindedly nodded.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

If jaws could drop any lower, Sana would think it was broken. Ayame's shock had completely taken over as she froze in her step and stopped walking all together. Sana stopped immediately when she realized that the blonde wasn't at her side anymore.

Ayame was completely still, not blinking an eye. Her eyes scrunched up as she tried to process the words Sana just said.

Her brother?

Agree to a project where they had to tell things about one another?

What the hell?

"Wait, you mean to tell me that my brother agreed to do a project that involved the two of you getting to know one another?" She clarified, wanting to make sure that she was understanding Sana completely.

The auburn haired teen nodded. "Right?"

"How… odd. For as long as I could remember, my brother wasn't particularly of fan of getting know others." And he wasn't. Ever since they were kids, Akito wasn't a fan of crowds, of being around other people. He always kept to himself and only really opened himself up to a few people.

"I conjured that." And Sana wasn't a fool either. She may had played the card sometimes, but the new girl in town wasn't an idiot. She could be perceptive when she wanted to be. But unlike Fuka, she wasn't one to act on her curiosity. At least, not from what Ayame could tell.

Because even if she didn't speak to her brother, she knew that Fuka's constant pestering annoyed her older brother.

"But… for my brother to do that… that's really something."

Sana shrugged her shoulders and replied with "I don't know why, but I just know I won't fail this class."

Ayame was bewildered.

Her estranged older brother who wouldn't even make conversation with a rock, offered so willingly to do a project with one of the most outgoing girl's she had ever met to get to know one another?

It didn't make any sense.

He refused to speak to her, to even look at her. But here he was, so willingly ready to participate in this project with a girl he barely knew. He was so willingly ready to open up to someone he was practically strangers with.

But he wouldn't even talk to his her?

When there was so damn much to talk about?

"How deep are you two getting?" She asked, trying to keep her growing frustration at bay. She didn't want to take out her anger on Sana. She had nothing to do with the fucked up relationship that she and her brother had. It wasn't her fault that Akito was being a jerk.

"Not too deep I imagine. It's like I was explaining to Tsuyoshi. We agreed on half way. And your brother emphasized the half way point." Sana rolled her eyes and crossed her arms out in front of her.

Well, typical Akito fashion to only do things at a half way point. He wasn't really good at seeing things through. But, he was really good at running away. That was a specialty of his.

Especially her father.

Ayame supposed she was the same. It must had run in the Hayama family name.

"Ayame? Are you okay? You look upset."

Sana was standing right in front of her, concern filling her bright, hazel eyes. She realized that the anger she tried so hard to control was slipping as Sana pointed out her demeanor. Ayame mentally cursed herself for allowing herself to show so much emotion.

But it was so damn hard when she had a brother as frustrating as hers.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I'm fine!" She smiled, hoping that it would persuade Sana into thinking otherwise.

What the youngest Hayama didn't know was that Sana could see right through her fake smile. The auburn haired teen had given enough of those in her life to convince others that sometimes she convinced herself.

Sana could see the fragile barrier that she kept around her eyes that looked like it would crumble right then and there. This young, fourteen year old girl was doing all she could to stand together as she held herself up with glue and tape. She didn't need to know her past to see what the young girl was feeling, was going through.

She was experienced enough to understand, to empathize with her.

Ayame gulped as Sana narrowed her eyes. "You sure?"

She nodded in response. This seem to work as Sana pulled away, still eyeing her suspiciously. Then, the hazel eyed teen shrugged her shoulders.

"Alright. Well, when you're ready to talk, let me know. I'm here for ya!" Ayame felt a warmth encompass her as Sana gave her a sincere and genuine smile that almost made her cry.

She knew that Sana figured out there something wrong with her, that something triggered her anger. But, she refused to act on it. Sana slipped away from a topic that she realized made Ayame uncomfortable.

And Ayame appreciated Sana's kindness wholeheartedly.

Yes, Hiro had stepped in and filled in the older brother role and it was a kind gesture. But, she had never had an older sister. Sana was proving to be a good, surrogate older sister, even if she hadn't realized it yet.

Sana was rambunctious and boisterous. She had a smile that could brighten any room and she was so open and welcoming to those around her. Though she was practically jumping off walls and awful at math, she didn't care. She lived life like she loved every single second of it.

Ayame envied that. She envied that type of living. She envied that feel of freedom. She wished that she could be as free spirited at her.

But she couldn't.

She couldn't because she was a prisoner.

She was a prisoner of her this cage she created to protect herself.

And she wasn't sure she had the key to unlock it anymore.

A/N: I can sit here and say I'm sorry for not updating and give you plenty of excused as to why I haven't updated, but I'm going to spare you all of it. The chapters are coming. They are just taking forever to be written. Thanks for waiting patiently everyone!

Reviews are always appreciated. I always like to know what you guys think!

Until next time!
-Dark Waffle