Chapter 3 : A new life

Chapter Summary : Finding himself reincarnated as the child of his favorite Idol, Gorou learns to adjust to his new life. He discovers he is not the only one who was destined to be reincarnated. And, he still hates his new name.

Author's Notes : Guess who discovered AI. This is the first chapter I used AI to improve my prose and readability of the chapter. I think that made it 10x more engaging than what I originally wrote. I hope that doesn't make me a fake writer.

I'm still trying to improve my writing and storytelling. Hopefully this will help me improve. I'm still battling white room syndrome and lack of details and bad dialogue at times.

Finally, I have settled on the theme and ending for this 'book' and so, I'll be renaming it to OnK: Family

'This is pretty boring…'

A five-month-old baby boy sat in his cradle next to his twin sister. Babies are supposed to just sleep all day, and while he did sleep a lot as his body demanded it. His waking hours were the most boring time he had ever known.

The door creaked open, and Ai stepped into the room, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a hand towel. It had taken her three months to fully recover from childbirth and returning to her practice routine had proven more challenging than she'd anticipated. Today was no exception. A year away from her routine had left her skills rusty and she pushed herself hard every single day.

Ai fetched a water bottle from the kitchen and collapsed onto the couch with a deep, relaxing sigh. "Haahh~~ I had forgotten how hard these practice sessions were."

She drank some water and barely got a minute of rest before Ruby began to cry. The baby boy watched his sister with a hint of irritation. 'Of course she's crying again. That's what babies do.'

"Ah– Ruby! What's wrong?" Ai walked to the cradle and picked her up.

She hugged Ruby close, gently patting her back until her crying was replaced by a happy, wide smile. The boy observed with a touch of jealousy. 'Come to think of it, she always cries when Ai comes back. I guess, babies do have an instinct for that.'

"I see you're up too, Aquamarine" Ai said, holding Ruby with one hand and smoothing Aqua's hair with the other.

'I'm going to change my name the first chance I get!' Aqua thought, visibly disappointed. 'You could have picked a better name!'

"What's wrong, Aqua?" Ai picked him up while still holding Ruby. "You want hugs too?"

Holding both her children she settled back onto the couch. Ai looked down at her two adorable children, her exhaustion melting away. "You both are so cute" she cooed, nuzzling her son, who responded with a small contented sigh.

Ruby's face crumpled, and she began to cry again. Aqua's eyes gleamed with amusement. 'Someone's jealous' he smirked at his sister.

Ai kissed Ruby's forehead. "I didn't forget about you Ruby!"

Ruby's cries seemed to be a constant plea for attention, a natural part of babyhood, but it often felt like she was competing for their mother's affection.

It must have been Aqua's Imagination. Babies naturally crave their parents' love, especially their mothers'.

Ruby's cries subsided, her tiny arms reaching up for another hug. Ai gently placed Aquamarine beside her on the couch and lifted Ruby high above her head, swaying her from side to side. "Ahh~ Ruby! you're flying!"

"Where will she land?!" Ruby lifted her arms as if she were a baby superhero, giggling with a happy smile. Aqua watched with her with jealousy.

Ai slowly brought Ruby down, nestling her into a warm embrace. "Right on Mama!" she exclaimed, her laughter filling the room.

Aqua pulled himself up tugging Ai's shirt with his tiny fingers, his eyes wide with longing. 'I want to fly too!' That looked so much fun.

A knock on the door interrupted their moment. "Ai! Break's over! Get back to practice!" President Saitou's voice boomed from the hallway.

She kissed each of them on the forehead before gently placing them back in the cradle. "Be good, now. Mama will be back soon."

"Ai!" Saitou knocked again.

"Coming!" Ai called, hurrying to answer the door. She glanced back at her children, "They're awake. Can you look after them?"

Saitou peered into the room as Aqua and Ruby's innocent faces watched them intently, through the gaps in the cradle. "I'll send Miyako over shortly. Let's go."

Ai nodded and stepped into the hallway, ready to face the grueling practice once more.

- x -

A baby's senses take a few months to develop properly. As a former doctor, Aqua knew that much, but experiencing the process firsthand was something else entirely.

'I think it's been six months since I was born.' Aqua mused.

He sat in front of a full-length mirror in the corner of the room "Aaa– Eee– Aaa– Guu– Waa–" He babbled, the sounds awkwardly tumbling from his mouth as he practiced how to speak.

Ai had rushed for her Idol practice leaving him alone in the baby proofed room. He never caused any troubles and seemed intelligent for his age, so no one worried about leaving him unsupervised every now and then for a while.

'I thought I'd be able to do more by now,' he sighed internally. 'I know how to speak and walk, but this body still needs time to catch up.'

"AaaGuuWaa… AAAGUU… AaGuWa…"He tried to form his own name, but some syllables came out garbled.

'You could have given me a simpler name' he sighed mentally. 'Well, practice makes perfect.'

"AaaGuu.. AaaCuu.. AaGuuWaa.." He kept at it for a while, determined to get his name right. "AaKuu… AaKuWa!" His face brightened as the sounds finally began to resemble his name. 'Nailed it!'

"AaKuWa…RuBee" He whispered, glancing at his sister's cradle where Ruby slept soundly. 'Her name's a lot better than mine. Why didn't anyone stop her from naming me Aquamarine!'

He rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. 'I would have stopped her from naming her son Aquamarine.' A sigh escaped his tiny lips.

.

'Does anyone miss me now that I am dead?'

He turned to get up on all his limbs and crawled aimlessly around the room. His thoughts wandered with him.

'Probably not. Maybe the Nurse does? Maybe my patients? They all probably got a new doctor assigned to them.'

'Do they wonder where I went?'

Before he could dwell on it further, the door creaked open and Saitou walked in. "There you are." He said, placing his laptop on the couch and picking up Aqua, who gazed at him with his large blue eyes. "It's amazing you can crawl around so effortlessly this early. Growing up strong, huh? Just like your mother." Saitou smiled, then set him back down and looked around. "Now where's your sister?"

He checked the cradle and found Ruby sleeping peacefully. "Well, that's one less baby to keep an eye on." He muttered, settling on the couch with his laptop.

'Right, we are staying at the agency's building. I really thought an Idol as popular as Ai would have her own place.' Aqua thought, sitting in the middle of the room where Saitou left him. Saitou tapped away on his laptop, completely absorbed in his work.

He got back to his crawling, his tiny hands and knees pressing against the soft carpet. 'I don't get much alone time, but I suppose babies shouldn't be left unattended.'

'Ai has been working really hard, I bet she is more amazing now than ever before. I really want to see her perform again.' He glanced at the diligently working President. 'I wish I could just ask him when her return debut is.'

He crawled back to the mirror, it was still hard for him to believe that this baby in the mirror was his own reflection.

'This... is... me. A six-month-old baby. And I am Ai's son!...' He marveled at the thought, pressing his small hand against the cool surface of the mirror.

'This still feels like a dream. How did this even happen? What's the working principle behind this?' His thoughts swirled with questions as he stared into his own eyes. He had blonde hair, shining blue eyes just like his mother's, a small nose, fluffy cheeks, soft baby lips, and a small cute face.

'Ai's children sure are adorable' he thought, his gaze shifting to where Ruby slept.

'Will I eventually forget who I was in my previous life?... If that were the case, shouldn't that have happened already?'

He toppled sideways on the soft carpet, his limbs splaying as he lay there. Saitou glanced over, ensuring Aqua was okay, then returned to his work.

'I am Ai's son' he pondered once more, letting that fact sink in. 'Six months and this still feels...surreal…'

He didn't really have a family in his previous life. He lived alone. No love interests. He had a good career and a few friends at the hospital. But that was about it. 'Do I really miss that life?' Thinking about the isolation he felt.

He rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up to a sitting position. 'Reincarnation…'

He lived a harsh childhood in his previous life. His father was never around. His mother passed away after giving birth to him and his grandmother took care of him until she passed away 10 years ago. This was his chance for a new beginning, to live a happy life he never could.

'You know what, it doesn't matter who I was in my previous life.' His reflection stared back at him, a tiny smile forming on his lips 'This is my life now! And I will enjoy a normal childhood.'

He straightened up, his expression resolute as he gazed into the mirror.

'I am the son of Hoshino Ai! And my name is Hoshino Aquamarine!'

His face turned sour the moment he finished that sentence in his head.

'I will not forgive you Ai for giving me this ridiculous name.' He thought in exasperation. 'I want her to change my name even if it's too late now.'

- x -

The door creaked open and Saitou's wife stepped in carrying 2 cans of soda. She handed one to him, who was on the couch working with focus, and took a seat beside him.

"Miyako, are they done with their practice?" Saitou asked, stretching his arms above his head to shake off the day's fatigue.

"Yeah." Miyako replied, cracking her drink open and taking a sip. "Ai has really caught back up with the rest of the group faster than I expected. It's hard to believe she was out of the game for a whole year."

"Becoming a mother didn't really change her body much. Haahh~~ Lucky girl." She added as she sipped her drink.

Saitou chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Luck? Ai's got nothing to do with luck. She is on a strict diet and exercise routine. You've seen how hard she pushes herself." He opened his can of soda, the fizz filling the quiet room. "Those doctors from Miyazaki really helped her a lot– thank god we are still in touch with them. Not like we could just go to any other doctor."

"Yeah, yeah…" Miyako's voice trailed off, her expression growing a bit serious "Speaking of them, did they find the Doctor who disappeared?"

"Waaa–" Aqua, who had been playing on the floor, perked up at the mention of the missing doctor.

Saitou and Ai were at the hospital for about 6 weeks after she gave birth, but Gorou sensei was never found. "No, He never returned to the hospital. His phone was unreachable. His house was empty… He just vanished."

Aqua crawled up to Miyako's side and grabbed her leg with his little hands, tugging onto her pants as he tried to stand.

Miyako looked down and smiled warmly at the sight of Aqua. She held him up in her arms and her serious expression turned playful "There's the little devil." She teased, gently tapping his nose.

Aqua held her finger with both his little hands, his mind however, was elsewhere. 'They haven't found my body yet? I died down some lonely cliff, I don't think anyone will discover it anytime soon.'

Miyako glanced back at Saitou "What do you think happened to him?" She asked, referring to the missing doctor.

"Who knows?" Saitou rubbed his temples. "Ai was really upset when he never showed up. She really wanted him to meet her children."

Miyako held Aqua a little closer as she played with him. "It's strange, isn't it? For someone to just disappear like that."

Aqua remained silent and stared at her with his big baby blue eyes.

- x -

Saitou sat on the couch, leaning forward, staring at his laptop, focused on his work. His mind wholly absorbed in planning Ai's grand return to her Idol career. Miyako sat beside him, holding Aqua as she watched TV.

The door creaked slightly and Ai stepped into the room, the faint scent of shampoo following her. After hours of rehearsals and a long shower, exhaustion should have weighed her down, but her eyes still sparkled with an almost unnatural energy.

"Ahh- look at you two, getting along so well!" she beamed, her voice soft but warm as she bent down to Aqua's level. "Were you a good baby while Mama was away?"

Saitou glanced up at her, shutting the lid of his laptop "Yep, didn't cry for mama even once." He stood up to drag a whiteboard into the center of the room.

"My babies are just as strong as their mama!" Ai cooed as she reached out to pick Aqua from Miyako's arms. "Isn't that right?" She held her son, her touch gentle and full of love. She then made her way to the cradle and carefully scooped up a sleeping Ruby. With both children cradled in her arms, Ai settled herself on the couch beside Miyako, her smile softening as she finally allowed herself to relax.

"Ahh~, I'm so tired" she snuggled with her children, though Ruby, now stirred from her slumber, let out a tiny whimper that quickly turned into a full cry.

"I'm here, I'm here.." Ai rocked her gently "What's wrong Aqua? Are you hungry?"

Miyako chuckled softly beside her in amusement.

Saitou, now standing by the whiteboard, glanced back at the scene after just finishing jotting down a few key points, accompanied by a rough graph. "That one's Ruby" He corrected, a hint of exasperation in his tone. "Are you sure you are their mother?"

Ai smiled sheepishly as she comforted Ruby. "I can't help it, I'm just bad at remembering names and faces. And they're twins, they look so much alike."

She glanced up at Saitou with a playful smile. "But I can easily remember people with talent, Mr. Sato"

Saitou's expression hardened just a bit, "My name is Saitou you shitty Idol"

"Ahem-!" He cleared his throat, turning to the whiteboard and tapped on it to get everyone's attention. "Let's discuss your return." he pointed to the graph, "The latest polls show B-Komachi's popularity is down by 30%. Climbing back up is going to be tough."

The atmosphere shifted to a bit serious, and he continued. "We'll be announcing your comeback soon to build up the hype. We're planning a live performance next month. You think you can handle it?"

It will be like her debut once again, starting off with a live show might be too much to handle. But Ai didn't hesitate a bit. "Of course I can do it!"

Saitou nodded, acknowledging her determination. "You have been working hard, now it's time to show everyone that the star idol Ai is back!" He said, matching her confidence.

Ai's gaze drifted to her children, her voice softening as she spoke to them. "Mama's going to perform next month. You both will cheer for Mama from the front seats right.?"

Her children gazed up at her with their big and excited eyes.

"Absolutely Not!" Saitou's voice boomed through the room. "They can never be seen with you. While you are at work, my wife will look after your kids."

Miyako, who had been quietly listening, turned to her husband, with shock and horror in her eyes. "Wait, Why me?!"

"Can't I bring them along?" Ai questioned. "They could stay backstage."

"No you cannot! Drill this into your head!" he was furious that she even asked that. "You're an Idol who has 2 kids at 16. If you are seen with them and word gets out, Your career is over!"

He took a deep breath and lowered his but spoke firmly. "And it won't just affect you– my reputation as your manager and our company's future are on the line too. So, no family outings, no shopping trips, absolutely take no risks that could expose them. To the world, You're a perfect 16 year old Idol"

"That sounds like such a pain." Ai pouted, looking down at her baby in her arms "That's so annoying right, Aqua?" she said in her bubbly voice.

"That one's Ruby" Saitou corrected her again with little irritation in his voice.

Ai smiled at Ruby and playfully tickled her cheeks, making her giggle.

"If there's any emergency, we will take care of it." Saitou added, pointing to himself.

Miyako, still processing the sudden responsibility thrust upon her "Hold up! Why do I have to take care of the kids? I thought I was needed out there with you!" She complained.

"There's no one else who we can ask for help here." He reasoned.

She knew that but still didn't like the idea of babysitting, finally sighed in defeat. "Guess I have no choice."

"Thank you Miyako for taking care of me" Ai said in a playful baby-like voice, lifting Ruby in front of her face and pretending Ruby said it.

Miyako shook her head "Seriously, how do you have so much energy after such a long day?"

- x -

Aqua woke early, the dim morning light barely creeping through the curtains. Ai and Ruby slept peacefully beside him on the futon, their breathing soft and rhythmic. He glanced at the peacefully sleeping Ai, 'Sometimes she amazes me how hard she can work. She must be really tired from yesterday.'

She had been pushing herself to meet everyone's expectations, and her return to the Idol world was announced yesterday.

She deserved her rest.

Ruby lay between them, her chest rising and falling with quick, shallow breaths. Aqua's gaze lingered on his sister. Something about her breathing seemed off. His small hand reached out, hesitating before finally pressing against Ruby's forehead.

She was burning up.

"Ruby…?" he whispered, more to himself than to her. She remained still, her face flushed with fever.

He panicked. "AI!" he called out and immediately put his hand up on his mouth. 'No Talking! What do I do?'

He couldn't wake Ai up and tell her Ruby is sick. He couldn't shake her up and point at Ruby. That would have been weird still.

'I guess I have no choice' He took a deep breath and cried as loudly as he could. His cry was sharp and sudden, and startled both of them awake. Ruby, disturbed by the noise and her own discomfort, began to cry as well.

"Mmmm~ babies~ what's wrong?" Ai mumbled, groggily sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

Aqua immediately fell silent, his gaze fixed on Ruby, who continued to cry in distress.

Ai's sleep-fogged brain slowly registered the situation. She reached for Ruby to comfort her, and immediately felt her burning skin. "Ruby, are you sick?" she murmured, her voice tinged with worry. Without wasting another second, she scooped Ruby into her arms and hurried out of the room. "What do I do? What do I do?"

She rushed to Saitou and Miyako's room, and banged on the door with urgency. "Help! Ruby's sick!"

She wanted to rush her to the doctor herself, but she knew she cannot be seen alone with a baby, not at a sensitive time like this. She banged on the door harder until it opened. "President Saitou!"

The door creaked open, revealing a bleary-eyed Saitou. "Ai? What's going on? It's not even dawn…"

"Ruby's sick!" she clutched her daughter close. He touched Ruby's forehead to confirm, his expression turning serious. "Miyako, we've got a situation," he called over his shoulder, waking his wife.

Ai rocked Ruby gently, whispering soothing words as she waited anxiously. In less than fifteen minutes, Saitou and Miyako were out of their room, ready to leave.

"Alright, let's go." Saitou said, and Miyako gently took Ruby from Ai's arms.

"I'm coming too," Ai insisted, already moving to follow them.

"I hate to say it Ai, but you'll have to stay back." Saitou placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"She's my daughter… I should be with her," Ai reasoned. She understood the risks, "It should be fine, right? With all of us going together?"

"We can't take that risk" He patted her on the shoulder "Trust us. Ruby will be fine" His voice was firm but compassionate. "Don't worry, we will keep you updated." Saitou said to comfort her. "Why don't you get ready for the day?"

She knew they were right, but it didn't make it any easier. She nodded weakly.

"Alright then" Saitou turned and opened the door, "Let's go Miyako." Ai watched as they left, the door closing softly behind them.

.

Returning to her room, she found Aqua sitting on the futon, he crawled towards her as soon as he saw her. She picked her son up and hugged him.

"Are you worried about your sister too, Aqua?" she whispered, burying her face in his soft hair.

He couldn't say yes even if he wanted to.

"Don't you worry, your sister will be okay. She just has a little fever, that's all… nothing to worry about…" she murmured, more to herself than to Aqua.

It was normal for babies to get sick every once in a while, it's usually never a big deal.

"Am I a bad mother?.." she whispered, her voice barely audible. Aqua's tiny arms wrapped around her neck, holding her as tightly as he could, as if trying to tell her what she couldn't hear.

'Of course not…'

She couldn't be with Ruby when she needed her the most. He could imagine how painful that must be.

- x -

Aqua stared at his reflection in the mirror, trying to form words with his small mouth. "I think I've got the hang of speaking now" He said in his baby voice.

Ai was visibly stressed the whole time and yet she had to go to her rehearsals like nothing happened. With no one to look after him, she had left him in the safe cradle, but boredom had driven him to crawl out. Ruby and Miyako were still at the hospital, and the room was quiet– too quiet.

Aqua attempted to stand, his tiny legs wobbling beneath him. "Ahh–! I guess my legs are not strong enough yet" he collapsed back onto the floor, the soft carpet cushioned his fall. He crawled around the room with nothing else to do.

"This is sooo boring!" he groaned, flopping onto his back in the middle of the room, staring at the ceiling. "I hope my sister's okay…"

"Babies are supposed to sleep all day, but I can't sleep at all." He turned his gaze to the door "Miyako and Ruby should be back any time now"

The minutes ticked by slowly, and his thoughts drifted to his previous life. "I miss my old life. Being a baby is so boring."

As he reminisced, an image of the man who killed him flashed in his head. "Who was that guy who killed me anyways? Some stalker of Ai? Some crazy fan? Did he live in Miyazaki? Did he see her at the hospital?"

He tried to piece together the fragments of his unclear memories. "He was a young guy… maybe a college kid. I don't think he intended to kill me… It was probably an accident."

"Did he know about Ai's pregnancy? If he'd seen her… he should have known." But nothing had made the news. No headlines, no whispers. "I wonder…"

A soft creak interrupted his thoughts, and Aqua turned his head towards the door. Miyako entered, holding a sleeping Ruby in her arms. Miyako looked tired but relieved as she closed the door behind her.

"Ha-? what are you doing in the middle of the room?" she asked, spotting Aqua on the floor. She glanced around, realizing no one else was in the room. "She left you unsupervised?" she sighed, shaking her head as she placed the sleeping Ruby in the cradle.

Aqua crawled to her, his tiny hands reaching for her leg.

"Hmm?" She looked down "You worried about your sister?" and bent down to pick him up. She held him closer to Ruby, letting him see her peaceful sleeping face. "It's just a cold. Doctor gave her the medicine and she will be okay in no time." She admired how Aqua keenly observed his sleeping sister. She smiled softly "Alright Aqua. How about we let her rest?"

She carried him to the couch and sat down, placing him beside her. Pulling out her phone, she called Saitou. "Hey,... Yeah we are back… She is recovering, just a cold. Nothing to worry about… Yeah… yeah, let her know everything's fine. Poor girl's probably stressed out of her mind, that must be affecting her rehearsals…huh? Really?... okay… Sure… See you when you get back"

As Miyako spoke, Aqua watched her diligently. Ai was still busy, Of course she was. He never realized how much work went into a single performance. As a fan in previous life, he always thought she was just naturally talented, and that she could do anything.

The room felt less empty with Miyako there, but Aqua couldn't shake the lingering sense of boredom. As Miyako ended the call, she reached for the remote and turned on the TV.

He shifted to get comfortable with his back against the couch, as he watched the TV. 'Well, it's better than nothing.'

- x -

"Why do I get stuck with the kids!" Miyako yelled, hurling a couch pillow at Saitou when he entered the room, her frustration bubbling over.

He was taken by surprise but managed to catch it. It took a moment for him to register what just happened. "I thought you loved kids." he playfully tossed it back to her.

Miyako caught it mid-air, her glare sharpening. "You even left me alone at the hospital!" she shot back, her voice tinged with both anger and exhaustion.

"I was needed elsewhere. I wouldn't have left you if it wasn't important." He tried to reason, but Miyako wasn't having it.

She threw the pillow at him again, this time with more force. "Come on, Miyako!" Saitou pleaded as he caught the pillow. "I promise, next time, I'll take you with me" he said, gently tossing the pillow back at her.

Aqua clung to the edge of his cradle, watching the couple's quarrel, his tiny fingers gripping the wooden bars.

"You've been saying that for a Month!" She yelled, holding the pillow, contemplating whether to hit him again.

Saitou raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay. Okay! How about we go somewhere out for dinner tonight?" He offered, trying to calm her down.

She looked at him quietly for a moment, before she could answer the door opened and Ai walked in, looking as tired as she felt. Miyako placed the pillow back on the couch.

"Hey Ai, You wanna join us for dinner tonight?" Saitou asked as his eyes followed Ai, Miyako shot him a look that could cut steel.

Ai shook her head, a tired smile on her face as she approached the cradle. "No, I'd like to stay with my kids." she brushed her hand over Aqua's head, Ruby was still asleep. "You're such a good boy, Aqua, looking after your sister."

Miyako's earlier frustration melted as she watched Ai with the children. "Ruby's doing much better now," she said with a small smile. "The fever's gone. She just needs rest."

Ai turned to Miyako, her expression sincere. "Thank you for taking care of her, Miyako"

"You sure you don't want to join us for dinner?" Miyako offered. "I can take Aqua with me, if anyone asks, he is my son. Ruby will be asleep for a while too."

Aqua's eyes lit up 'FINALLY! I get to be somewhere other than this boring room!'

But, Ai shook her head again "I'd love to, but I'm too tired. All I want right now is a good shower" she admitted, rubbing her aching shoulders.

Miyako nodded understandingly. "Alright. If you need anything, just call."

'NOOOOOO!' Aqua screamed internally as his excitement and hopes were destroyed. He flopped back down on the cradle and laid down opposite to his sleeping sister.

Miyako and Saitou soon left the room, and Ai disappeared into the shower, leaving Aqua alone once again.

He sighed, staring at the ceiling. Six months into this new life, and these walls were all he really knew. He glanced over at Ruby, who began to stir. Slowly, she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Aqua sat up too and looked at his sister. "You look better now, Ruby"

Ruby stared back at him and blinked.

"You know, Ai was really worried about you in the morning." Aqua continued. "You had a really high fever, even worried me for a second. I'm glad you're feeling better." He sighed "Not like you can understand me anyways… I might as well say goo goo gaa gaa." he looked down, feeling a bit lonely.

"That baby just talked!" Ruby exclaimed, pointing a tiny finger at him.

Aqua froze, his eyes widening in shock. "YOU CAN TALK?!" he shouted in disbelief, pointing back at her.

"You're scary!" she scooted back, scared by his outburst.

Aqua blinked, trying to process what was happening. "You're a talking baby too" he deadpanned, his mind racing. "Why can you talk?!"

"Me? Why can you talk?!" Ruby shot back, her voice rising.

"I practiced!" Aqua retorted, still reeling from the surprise.

Ruby stared at him skeptically. "That doesn't make any sense." she said flatly.

Aqua sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "I thought at least you were the normal one in this family."

"I AM NORMAL!" Ruby shouted, puffing up her cheeks in defiance. "You take that back!"

"Normal babies don't talk." he replied.

"So why can you?!" Ruby demanded.

"I… I don't know! I was reincarnated as this baby…" Aqua admitted, his voice dropping to a whisper as the realization of their shared experience began to sink in. That seemed the only possible answer. "Do you share the same fate as me?"

Ruby stared at her brother for a long moment before nodding.

The room fell into an awkward silence as the two babies stared at each other.

"This is awkward." Aqua finally said, trying to break the tension between them. "I'm a little glad though, I will get someone to talk to." He extended his hand toward Ruby, a small, hesitant smile forming on his lips. "I am Aqua"

Ruby looked at his hand, then back at him. Slowly, she scooted closer and shook his hand with her tiny one. "I know, dear brother Aquamarine~" she teased with a grin on her face, and she burst into laughter.

'AI–!' Aqua's face turned bright red, a mix of embarrassment and irritation washing over him. His embarrassed face only made her laugh harder.

Author's Notes : As much as I want to, I will not waste time editing chapter 1 and 2. I think they are fine as is, even though they are much less refined.

I will no longer post chapter half finished and make corrections later, All readers deserve to read the final polished version of the story.

And Finally, Next chapter will be up around the end of this month. I will take this time not only to write the next chapter and let it sit before proper final editing, but I will properly plot this 'book' so as an author I properly know where the story is heading, and so when the final chapter comes, everything feels connected.

After that I will try and stick to weekly updates. But no promises yet.

Finally. Thank you all for reading. Your time and support gives me the strength to keep writing.

Upcoming - Chapter 4 : Brother and Sister