Chapter 4 : Brother and Sister

Chapter Summary : Learning his sister shared the same fate of reincarnation, Aqua and Ruby learn to get along and know more about each other.

"I didn't choose my name!" Aqua sat in front of his sister, trying to get his sister to stop laughing with his cheeks glowing red with embarrassment. It didn't help much, she still rolled in the cradle laughing, unable to contain herself.

When her laughter finally subsided to giggles, she sat up and opened her eyes, looking at Aqua's flushed face "Sorry… sorry…" she managed to say between her giggling breaths.

She clasped her small hands to her cheeks, tilting her head with mock innocence. "You won't stay mad at your dear sister, right brother A-ku-a-" she teased in her playful voice.

Aqua glared at her and deadpanned "I think I hate you already-"

"What– okay, okay. I'm really sorry~" she sang. He wasn't having it. She scooted closer to him with a grin, and introduced herself "I'm Ruby, your sister!" her voice was filled with excitement.

"Yeah, I know, Ruby" He didn't share the same excitement as her.

Undeterred, Ruby poked his shoulder repeatedly. "Come on, A-ku-a-!" she chirped, clearly enjoying messing with her brother.

He grabbed her annoying little hand to stop her, "Stop teasing me about my name!"

"But you have such a cute and unique name, you should be proud of it. Hoshino Aquamarine!" Ruby declared, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"You don't have to tease me just because you have a better name." Aqua turned away, not wanting to engage any further. "Leave me alone."

"Hmm~? Don't be like that" Ruby crawled closer to him and got on his back, wrapping her small arms around him, playfully rocking him back and forth. "Bro–ther! Bro–ther!" she chanted as she rocked him.

Aqua tried to ignore her, but her persistence wore on him. He was about to push her away when the door opened, and Ai stepped into the room, her lush hair still a little damp from the shower.

Ruby immediately let go of Aqua and clumsily stood up, holding the side of the cradle for support as she smiled, looking up at her mother with wide, innocent eyes.

"You're up Ruby?" Ai's face lit up as she crossed the room to her daughter.

Ai picked Ruby up with a smile and held her in her arms. She gently placed her hand on Ruby's forehead, checking for any lingering fever. Relieved to find her daughter completely recovered, Ai kissed her forehead, eliciting a giggle from Ruby.

Ruby held both her arms up, silently asking for a hug. Her mother was more than happy to comply, "Did you miss me Ruby?" Ruby snuggled into her mother's embrace, her tiny arms wrapping around Ai's neck, her affectionate grip saying more than words could.

Aqua, watched them from the cradle with longing eyes. He perked up and held himself up on the side of the cradle, looking at both of them, silently pleading for attention.

Ai noticed him and smiled warmly, she reached out to pat his head equally as lovingly. "You took good care of your sister Aqua. You're such a good boy." she praised, her soft voice full of affection.

Ai gently scooped him up and carried them both to the bedroom. Putting them both down on the soft carpet, she set up the futon beside them. They both crawled on it as soon as she was done.

"You both must be hungry" Ai thought aloud, looking at her babies getting comfortable on the futon.

Hearing those words, Aqua quickly scrambled around. Ai giggled watching his jittery movement and immediately knew he was looking for his bottle.

Ai had been advised that babies need their mother's milk for 6-8 months to grow up healthy. But Aqua always pulled away and ran to his bottle ever since he started crawling. Everyone found it a little strange but the doctors helped her find alternatives to keep him nourished. Ruby, on the other hand, was much easier to handle.

"I'll go get your bottle Aqua." She said as she left the room to fetch the baby bottle from the other room, stopping by the kitchen to prepare the milk and baby formula. Her soft humming filled the quiet kitchen as she worked.

Meanwhile back in the bedroom, both babies kept their voices low, not wanting to be caught.

"Hey, since you're also a reincarnated grown up" Aqua began, drawing Ruby's attention, "Isn't it weird that you let her breastfeed you?"

Ruby tilted her head with a curious expression."huh? But I'm a baby. It's only natural for me, isn't it? I always thought it was odd that you always refused, but now it makes sense" She replied, playfully rocking back and forth.

"If it makes sense, shouldn't you also refrain from that?" Aqua pressed.

"No, why should I?" She looked puzzled. "And don't babies need it? I think you're making a mistake. Ten years from now. You'll be shorter than me" she teased, amused by the idea.

Aqua scooted closer to her, trying to gauge their current height difference, leaning into her a little. "No way I'll be shorter than you…" he muttered, confirming they were indeed the same height.

He stared at his sister for a moment, realizing there was no guarantee she might not have been a girl in her previous life. Should this life be affected by who one was in their previous life? He was a guy in both, but that could have been just a coincidence. The thought that Ruby might be a reincarnated guy… breastfeeding on Ai…

Words were not enough to describe the level of uneasiness and disgust that thought made him feel. "Were you at least a girl in your previous life?" He asked cautiously to confirm.

"I was." Ruby replied with a sincere smile.

Aqua eased up a little – just a little, since the thought of a grown woman doing the same was almost equally as discomforting. "Well, I think you should still refrain from doing that." he insisted firmly.

"huh?" Ruby's playful demeanor faded, replaced by a hint of frustration. "Why? and who are you to tell me to stay away from my Mama?!"

Aqua hesitated at her outburst, unsure of how to respond. Ruby crossed her arms in defiance, clearly upset.

Before Aqua could say anything else, Ai re-entered the room, humming a soft tune. She sat on the futon across her kids and gently picked Aqua up. Placing him on her lap, she gave him his baby bottle, and he immediately began drinking.

He closed his eyes in contentment as the taste of sweet milk filled his mouth. He didn't realize it earlier on account of a crazy evening, but he was really hungry.

Ruby crawled up onto the other side of Ai's leg, looking up expectantly. Ai smiled, setting Aqua beside her with a supportive pillow before picking up Ruby.

"I know you're hungry too~" Ai cooed, and proceeded to do her motherly duties.

Aqua opened one eye and shot her a disappointing look, which she met with a sly smile.

Even after knowing she was a girl in her previous life, the way Ruby went on about it, still made him uncomfortable. Perhaps she was doing it on purpose to tick him off now.

He shook his head and looked away, trying his best not to think about it, this wasn't the first time anyway. Up until today he saw nothing wrong with it.

Soon they were both finished.

Ai placed Ruby between herself and Aqua on the futon. She pulled a warm blanket over all three of them and tucked her kids in carefully.

Lying on her side, Ai propped herself up on her arm and gently patted Ruby, trying to lull her to sleep. Minutes passed, and Ruby's eyes slowly fluttered shut.

Aqua had his eyes closed and the sweet humming of Ai put him to sleep as well.

Ai laid down close beside them in a protective cuddle, with her hand across Ruby and on Aqua. Within moments of closing her eyes, sleep claimed her as well.

- x -

Aqua was stirred awake by the sound of Ruby's voice, sharp and insistent, like she was yelling at someone. As he slowly opened his eyes and adjusted to the dark room, he saw Ai, sleeping across him completely unbothered. Ruby was not in the room. Her voice was coming from outside the room, muffled by the wall.

'Where is she?' He rubbed his eye, as the dark room became a little clearer. Following Ruby's high-pitched voice pointed him towards the living room. 'What is that idiot doing now?'

He carefully got out, making sure not to stir Ai even a little and followed his sister's voice, it grew louder and clearer the closer he got.

"... the best idol in the world! You're nothing but a hater! You don't understand her Talent and Beauty! Have you seen the quality of her performances?! I bet you're just an ugly lady! Go look in a mirror you bitch! You will burn in hell for saying all that crap!"

Even though the walls muffled her voice, it felt louder than it was in the dead silence of the night. A mild sense of panic set in, 'She'll wake Ai up!'

He opened the sliding door just enough to peer inside and called her out "Ruby!" Firmly, in a loud whisper.

She froze up on hearing her name. She was sitting by the table in the middle of the dark room, the glow from the smartphone illuminated her small horrified face. She slowly looked up to see who called her. At the sight of her brother, she sighed and relaxed "It's just you. Mama didn't wake up, did she?"

"No… But she might as well have." He entered the room and clumsily pulled the door closed behind him with his little hands, and crawled closer to his sister. "What are you doing up being so loud in the middle of the night?" he questioned as he settled across her, his eyes still tired, catching a glimpse of what was on the phone screen. It looked like Twitter.

"Nothing…" She trailed off, embarrassed, pulling the phone closer to her.

"Ruby–?" He had enough information to piece together what she might have been up to. Before she could explain herself, he gestured to the phone in her hand "Pretty harsh language you were using there"

She was on social media, and by the looks of it, engaged in flame wars against haters of B-komachi and Ai.

"They started it first!" Ruby snapped, her voice defensive and rising again with each sentence "They were saying horrible things about Mama. They were spreading lies about her and called her lazy and an unworthy Idol!"

"Whoa Whoa– calm down Ruby… You're being loud again" Aqua said. Realizing, she immediately clamped her mouth shut with her little hand and quietly apologized in a whisper. "Sorry.."

"Let me see" He reached for the phone and took it from her loose grip. She hesitated momentarily as he scrolled through what she was arguing about "Hmm… Just random back and forth with haters." She had looked up hate-posts on B-komachi and went on a war with everyone there.

"See! It's these idiots who are saying mean things about Mama!" Ruby pointed, hoping her brother would take her side.

"You know you're not going to win against them. Nothing you say will change their minds." Aqua scrolled some more of what his sister was up to.

"But… I can't just let them badmouth Mama!" Ruby huffed up, crossing her arms. "These people deserve to be punished! They will rot in hell!"

He looked up from the phone, and tried to calm her down "Easy there Ruby, you don't need to get so worked up about what random haters say about her. Just because they say some mean things doesn't make it true. Right?"

"I know, but still, they can't say bad things about Mama and just get away with it!" She was upset, evident by her voice.

"That's how people on the internet are, they say mean things to each other all the time because they know they're safe behind screens" He imagined she should already be aware of all this, he continued regardless "That's what you were doing too, right? Would you still lash out like that if some big guy said those things in front of you?"

"If someone said anything bad about Mama in front of me, I will kill them" she said it straight with an ominous smile on her face.

That was not the answer he was expecting, her baby voice made it sound even scarier and the sight of her staring into his soul with an evil smile made him realize how scary talking babies actually are. The dark room added to the horror vibe of the sight.

"You sound like a crazy fan of hers…" he said trying to keep a straight face.

The phone turned off and the room suddenly turning pitch black spooked him a little. "AAh-!" and he hastily turned it back on and pointed it at Ruby, lighting her up. Ruby giggled, turning the room less scary and he composed himself, placing the phone between them, lighting both of them up like a campfire in the middle.

"Come on Ruby. Be reasonable. You're just wasting your time here, you know"

Ruby's face dropped, she knew he was right. "But… why.. who would hate mama? She's really amazing, you know."

"I know" He acknowledged with a smile, and glanced at the phone's lock screen asking for a password. "Wait, is this one of Ai's phones?" He looked up at her. "You know the password?"

"Yeah, I've seen her enter it a few times, so I know." she admitted.

"What is it?" Aqua asked, picking up the phone.

Too embarrassed and not wanting him to read any more of her flame wars, she refused. "I won't tell you! and give it back!" She scrambled forward to snatch the phone back.

He pulled his hand back, not letting her grab the phone. "HEYY!" He pushed his sister away with one hand, who was trying to climb onto him to snatch it. "Give me that!" Ruby kept trying to reach for it as she climbed on him, and he dropped the phone behind him.

Ruby quickly grabbed the phone and hugged it tightly, scooting away from her brother and staring at him with eyes that wont let him have it.

Aqua sighed "Fine"

With a phone so close, the thought of calling the Hospital did cross his mind. On second thought, what would he even say when someone picked up? Given it was the middle of the night, he figured it was probably not the right time to call either.

He looked at his sister with authoritative and protective eyes. "Don't waste your time arguing with random strangers on the internet…" He said and yawned right after, "... and don't be so loud. Come back to bed. Ai will be worried if she wakes up and finds you missing." He said, turning back to the bedroom.

She was alone in the room once again, and she stared at the phone in her hands for a long moment.

"But, I'm not sleepy–" she whispered to herself, and went back to social media. She scrolled through the many hate posts she had left mean comments on. It did get tiring saying the same things to the seemingly endless similar nonsensical posts hating and criticizing B-komachi and Ai.

She closed the app and found herself staring at the homescreen. Specifically at the bottom left, the calling app icon. She tapped on it, hesitatingly.

Ever since she had got access to this phone, she had wondered if she should call her previous parents. Slowly, one digit at a time, she typed in her previous house contact number "... 5… 3… 1…"

She couldn't bring herself to call and her finger just hovered over the call button. She stared at the screen, breathing slowly and deeply.

What would she say to them? Would she tell them she was reincarnated? Would she tell them she loved them? Would she tell them she missed them?

She just wanted to talk to them, and finally let her finger fall.

After a few beeps, the phone rang.

And rang.

And rang.

"The number you are trying to reach is not answering." The automated voice on the phone stated.

"It's the middle of the night anyways…" she whispered to herself with a faint smile. "I shouldn't disturb them…"

She opened the call history to erase any signs of her activity. And her eyes fell on a familiar name in the logs of call history : Ebihara Hospital.

The Hospital where she was reborn as Ruby Hoshino; The same Hospital where she had died as Sarina Tendouji. Her memories of the doctors and nurses taking care of her, memories of laughing and crying with Gorou Sensei, watching B-komachi together, him telling her she was family as it all went to black, were as fresh as if it all happened yesterday.

It has to be the same Ebihara Hospital. Without skipping a beat, she called in to confirm.

As the phone rang, her gloominess turned to excitement. 'How would Gorou sensei react when I tell him I was reincarnated? My biggest dream came true! I'm the child of the greatest Idol ever! I can't wait to see his reaction~' She smiled to herself, thinking of the million possible ways it could go.

"Ebihara Hospital. How may I help you?"

"Is this the one in Miyazaki?"

"Yes. Ebihara Hospital in Miyazaki Prefecture."

"I know it's very late, but is Gorou Sensei in the Hospital?"

"uhh... I'm sorry, Who?"

"Gorou sensei, He took care of me when I was sick... Does he not work there anymore? He may have switched hospitals? Can you please check?" she pleaded, wondering if that's a possibility, fully aware of her missing 4 years.

"Gorou, Gorou… You mean Doctor. Gorou Amamiya." the receptionist on the phone wondered. "He has been missing for several months now. I'm very sorry to inform you"

"What… Sensei's missing? How? Did you check his home? where would he go?" Ruby's voice sank.

"The police have been unable to find him, his home is abandoned and no one has any clue where he went."

'Maybe he moved somewhere else? Like Tokyo? Where he can attend more of Mama's Concerts? Did he run away? Where could he have gone?' Her mind raced to find the most probable answer.

"Okay.." Ruby's soft whisper was filled with disappointment and worry.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this. Is there anything else I can help you with?" the receptionist on the phone asked.

"huh... no, thank you" Ruby cut the call, and went about deleting any and all evidence of her using the phone.

'Sensei, Where are you? I hope you are okay...'

- x -

It's almost noon and Ruby was still asleep in the cradle, naturally, who knows how long she was up doing whatever she was up to last night. Aqua was playing in the living room, pushing a softball across the floor and crawling to it. In the monotony of his new life, this simple activity brought a strange sense of entertainment to him.

Ai had left for her rehearsals earlier but not before preparing the milk bottles for both her children and feeding Aqua his breakfast, leaving Ruby to sleep a little longer. She looked so peaceful and adorable sleeping, she couldn't bring herself to disturb her.

As usual Miyako was in charge of watching over the twins. With nothing pressing to do, she lounged on the couch, half-watching a soap opera on the TV. The room was rather quiet, except for the low hum of melodramatic voices of the soap-opera that filled the room.

"Why do I always get stuck with the kids?" she sighed to herself.

Ruby's loud cries suddenly pierced the quiet room. Miyako turned her attention to the cradle, where Ruby held herself up, crying to get her attention.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Miyako sluggishly made her way to Ruby. She picked the baby up with care, she gently rocked the baby to calm her down. "I was wondering when you'd wake up"

Ruby's cries softened as she settled into Miyako's arms. But then, a faint smell reached Miyako's nose, and she reflexively held Ruby at an arm's length "Haahh– Alright, let's get this over with…" She maintained the distance between her and Ruby as she walked to the bedroom to fetch the necessities.

Shortly after, Miyako returned holding a fresh, happy Ruby, and Aqua followed them crawling on the floor.

"I'll get your bottle… you must be hungry" Miyako said, already sounding tired. She placed Ruby on the couch and headed for the kitchen. Ruby's eyes followed her as she left, "Bottle?" she whispered.

"Yeah. you missed breakfast time, so Ai prepared you a bottle before she left." Aqua told her.

Ruby face fell "... but… I want Mama!"

Aqua continued "You're about 7 months old, it's time you switched to a bottle anyways."

Ruby looked like she was about to cry. Before she could throw a tantrum, Aqua deadpanned "Don't be a baby, Ruby."

"But I am a Baby!" she shot back in protest.

Aqua opened his mouth to respond, but hearing Miyako return, he chose not to speak. She sat on the couch and gently placed Ruby on her lap, positioning the bottle at Ruby's mouth.

"Alright, open wide Ruby. Say Aaaa—" Miyako cooed, trying to feed Ruby with a tender, almost maternal care.

Ruby refused to and turned her head away, scrunching up her face in distaste. Miyako sighed, her patience wearing thin. "Come on, Ruby, you haven't had anything all day."

Ruby refusal only grew stronger. Soon enough, tears welled up in her eyes and she threw her hands in a tantrum.

"Are you not hungry?" Miyako wondered, placing the bottle on the table and rocking her gently.

"...ma….ma….." Ruby whimpered.

"You want your mama?" Miyako asked softly, stroking Ruby's hair in an attempt to calm her. "She is busy at work, Ruby. She'll be back soon"

Ruby knew it and also knew there wasn't much she could do, not like her crying would summon her mother. Her crying tapered off and eventually stopped, though a pout lingered on her face. Despite her initial reluctance, Ruby reached out and clung to Miyako's hand with her tiny fingers. Miyako's warm smile and gentle touch were more comforting than she imagined they would be.

Miyako couldn't help but smile at the sight. For all her complaints, moments like these tugged at her heart. After cherishing the sweet moment, she placed Ruby on the floor beside Aqua, giving her a gentle pat on the back. "Go play with your brother, okay?"

She slumped back onto the couch, yawning, her eyes drifting back to the TV. Babysitting always proved much more mentally draining than she had anticipated.

After a while, Miyako had dozed off, lazily watching the melodramatic soap operas, leaving Aqua and Ruby to their own devices.

The twins played quietly, rolling the soft ball between them on the floor, away from their babysitter, careful not to disturb her. Or worse, scare her thinking they are possessed, should she catch them talking.

"I'm starving… When will Mama be back?" Ruby's stomach was starting to ache from hunger.

"Not anytime soon" Aqua answered, though he imagined she already knew that. "You should have just taken the bottle. A growing baby like you needs proper nourishment."

"But I want Mama…" Ruby's face dropped and a gentle growl emanated from her belly, just loud enough for her brother to hear. She instinctively held her stomach. Letting the softball pass her by when her brother passed it to her.

"Why do you have to be such a crybaby?" Aqua complained.

Ruby gave into her hunger, her eyes drifting to the bottle on the table. "Fine. I'll take the bottle"

The twins crawled to the table "Miyako is still napping. you wanna wake her up?" Aqua asked.

"No I can get it myself, the table isn't that high" Ruby said as she grabbed the edge of the table and picked herself up. She stretched an arm towards the bottle, but it was still an arm's length away. "… almost…"

Aqua perked himself up beside her and he watched. "Having trouble?" He asked in amusement watching her struggle. "Get on my back, you should reach it then" He offered, getting down beside the table.

Ruby hesitated, but with a firm grip on the table, she climbed onto Aqua's back, wobbling slightly as she balanced herself. She pulled herself up and her body from the waist up was lying on the table.

Aqua limbs were stumbling under him "Ruby–! Hurry–!" He found her heavier than he expected.

With one final stretch, she grasped the bottle "Got it!", and jerked it back towards herself. The sudden shift in weight caused Aqua to lose his balance, and Ruby tumbled onto the soft carpet, the bottle clutched to her chest.

Aqua picked himself up and quickly turned to his sister "You okay?"

Ruby lay on her back, hugging the bottle. "I'm okay."

"Sorry, I thought I could hold you up for longer" Aqua apologized, helping her sit up.

"It's fine. We got it!" she said in a triumphant voice, a bit too loudly.

Miyako stirred in her sleep, mumbling something unintelligible. The twins froze, and turned their heads to watch her closely to make sure their little commotion didn't wake her up.

"Let's.. not disturb her anymore." Aqua whispered and Ruby nodded, they crawled back to the corner of the room, away from napping Miyako.

Settling down, Ruby finally lifted the bottle to her mouth and began to drink.

"See, not as bad huh?" Aqua remarked watching how blissfully she drank her milk.

"Mmm?" she paused to wipe her lips with her arm. "It's okay, but it lacks Mama's love"

Interpreting what that may have meant, Aqua's face soured "That doesn't sound right, coming from you. You're not actually a baby, you know?"

She lifted both her arms, holding the nearly empty bottle in one hand. "What else do I look like to you?"

Aqua rolled his eyes "You know what I meant…"

"mmm~" she finished her bottle and put it to the side. "I think I understand"

She pulled herself closer and stared at her brother with a curious smile. "So~ who were you in your previous life?"

"Me?…" He wondered for a moment, his mind flashing back to old memories. He wouldn't call his last life a very significant one, and he doubted any of that mattered in this life anyway. "Just.. a normal person… it doesn't matter. I don't want to think about my previous life."

Ruby's excitement dimmed slightly as Aqua added. "I just want to enjoy this one."

She felt they had more in common than she initially thought "I get it… I didn't go out or do much in my previous life either. It's like I've got this second chance at living a good life, to fulfill all my dreams."

He noticed a shadow of sadness pass over her face, her voice sounded like she regretted her past life. 'Huh? Was she a shut-in or something?'

"Are you okay Ruby?" He asked, a little concerned.

Ruby looked up, her expression quickly shifting back to a cheerful one. "Of course! I'm the daughter of my favorite Idol. I couldn't have asked for a better life!"

'Of course, she was an Otaku in her previous life.' Aqua thought, not entirely surprised given the events of last night. He paused momentarily as the words Favorite Idol rang again in his ears. "Wait– Ai was your favorite Idol too?"

That part was a surprising coincidence, that both of Ai's children were reincarnations of her fans.

Her eyes lit up. "Is she your favorite too?!", they definitely have much more in common than she thought.

He nodded in confirmation "mm… I've watched her ever since she became an Idol"

"Waa– Me Too!" Ruby's excitement knew no bounds, nor did the volume of her voice. "Ai is the best!"

"Shhh~! Not so loud!" he whispered and turned his head back to confirm Miyako didn't wake up.

"Hehe~ sorry." Ruby whispered back, giggling.

He turned back to Ruby, who was brimming with excitement. 'Ai really deserved a couple of normal healthy children and a happy loving family. And she got a couple of suspicious ones like us.' he sighed mentally.

Ruby tilted her head, still smiling at him with pure excitement. "Brother! What's your favorite song?"

Authors Notes : Took a rather long break. I learned something about myself, I really need tight deadlines to work efficiently - or to get any work done honestly. Hopefully I can stay on track from now on. Ideally I want to get a chapter finished every 7-10 days. But holy s- I procrastinate so much. God help me.

I have some sense of where the story could go from here, but we are in no rush to get to the end. After all, every chapter is equally important.

Hope you all enjoyed reading this.

Up Next - Chapter 5 : Return of the Star