Toya & Tira- 23 Years Old

Fuyumi- 22 Years Old

Natsuo- 19 Years Old

Shoto- 15 Years Old

Fuyumi left the staff meeting and made her way to the nursery starting to worry. The meeting had run over a little late. She didn't like leaving Tira alone for too long it always made her nervous. Growing up, her older sister had been absent, and it felt like she'd been taken away from her a lot. Even now as an adult she sometimes worried her older sister would be spirited away from her again and lost to her forever. Tira wasn't in the nursery. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she raced down the stairs praying, she'd find her in the courtyard. Tira loved to sit and look at the flowers.

"Please be there." Fuyumi prayed quietly as she bolted outside. She scanned the empty courtyard and felt tears beginning to well in her eyes before she spotted a flash of white and grey.

Tira was sound asleep on one of the stone benches. She appeared to be resting peacefully, something Fuyumi hadn't seen in a long time. Fuyumi slowly approached the bench and smiled down at her older sister as she realized there was a pleasant smile on her lips. Perhaps she was finally having good dreams.

Careful not to wake her, Fuyumi dropped onto one of the other benches and relaxed. They were free to go home, classes didn't start for the younger kids for another week, only the daycare was open and Tira was more of a volunteer than anything. Fuyumi didn't have any more meetings to attend to. Deciding it best to let Tira keep sleeping, Fuyumi pulled a book out of her bag and settled into her bench to read.

After about an hour, she heard Tira shift on her bench. Fuyumi looked over the top of her book. Her heart fell as she watched Tira sit up with a hopeful smile on her lips and a bright look in her eyes but after a moment her eyes dulled and her smile fell as she looked around taking in her surroundings. Did she expect to be somewhere else? Fuyumi felt her heart clench in her chest, how often did Tira wake up hoping to see Toya only to have her heart crushed all over again?

"Sorry for not waking you, it looked like you were having a good dream." Fuyumi apologized.

Tira jumped at the sudden sound before looking to her younger sister. She nodded as if to say it was alright and slowly got to her feet.

Fuyumi tucked the book she'd been reading away into her bag and stretched to her feet. She slowly approached her older sister, "I'm going to check for bruises."

Tira froze up feeling like a helpless child as Fuyumi scanned her arms and legs for any new bruises that could be potential breaks. Fuyumi finished checking her arms and legs and stood up to look at Tira's neck. She frowned as she spotted something white and fluffy like icing or whipped cream clinging to the side of her neck. She brushed it away with her finger and held it up to examine it.

"Whipped cream?" She looked at Tira's face to find an endearing blush clinging to her pale cheeks. Fuyumi smiled, "Tira? Are you blushing?"

Tira shook her head causing her long ponytail to swish. She ended up smacking herself in the face with it and Fuyumi held back a laugh as more whipped cream came with it.

"Where on earth did you get covered in whipped cream?" Fuyumi asked with a lighthearted smile as she pulled a handkerchief out of her bag and mopped up her older sister's blushing face.

Tira averted her gaze and shuffled her feet looking guilty and uncomfortable. She didn't like the stream of questions.

Realizing she was starting to get nervous, Fuyumi stopped her teasing, "sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I won't ask you about it anymore."

Tira bowed her head feeling guilty for making Fuyumi feel bad, but she couldn't give away Toya's secret.

Still trying to make amends, Fuyumi looked to her sister with a renewed smile, "I'm feeling a bit hungry since we skipped lunch for that meeting, is it okay with you if we stop for some lunch on the way home?"

Tira nodded.

Fuyumi linked her arm with her older sister's and notified the driver to pick them up at the front of the building. The car was waiting for them as they reached the front of the school. The driver greeted them with a warm smile and opened the door for them.

On the car ride, Fuyumi pondered the state she'd found Tira in. Perhaps she'd met someone and they got pastries from the bakery across the street. That didn't seem right. Tira hadn't spoken to someone who wasn't family since she was seven. And she hadn't spoken to anyone in the family, as far as she knew, since she was eighteen. Though it wasn't like anyone really kept her in the loop. She glanced back at Tira to see how she was feeling only to see her staring blankly out the window as if she was longing to go back to where they'd come from. Fuyumi suddenly felt like a villain, pulling Tira away from something she wanted.

The car came to a stop outside of a nice modern café that specialized in bowls, wraps and salads. Tira allowed Fuyumi to steer her inside. They stopped here from time to time when she'd go to work with Fuyumi. The staff was always nice. As the sisters stepped inside, they were greeted with a warm welcome from the staff.

"Do you want something new today?" Fuyumi asked her older sister.

Tira shook her head and went to sit at their usual table. She slumped into the booth and looked over at Fuyumi who waited patiently in line to order their lunch. Fuyumi looked grown up, sometimes Tira wondered if people saw them together in public if everyone thought Fuyumi was the older sister. She had a mature motherly air about her. Fuyumi kept her red streaked white hair at shoulder length, and wore a pair of red rimmed glasses over her turquoise eyes. She typically dressed business casual making her look even more mature. Tira on the other hand usually wore dresses, mainly because that was all anyone bought for her and because it was easier for her family to check her body for any injuries she could get unawares. It always made her look more childish and her petite figure didn't really help her out. Perhaps that was why everyone treated her like a child.

Fuyumi got their lunch and returned to their table. It looked like Tira was deep in thought and frowning about something. She looked frustrated. Fuyumi tried to think about what could be upsetting her as she set their tray of food on the table and placed Tira's bowl in front of her. Just as she was about to open the silverware for her, she froze as she realized it was possible Tira was getting annoyed with having everything done for her. She set the unopened silverware down on the table before taking her seat.

Tira looked up curiously realizing her sister had stopped doting on her. "Sorry, I'm super famished, I don't think I can wait." Fuyumi smiled, "would you mind getting us our drinks?" She indicated the empty cups sitting on the tray.

A small ghost of a smile tugged at Tira's lips. She nodded and went to get their drinks. It wasn't much but it made her feel a little useful. When she returned to the table with drinks in hand Fuyumi noticed she seemed to be in better spirits and smiled to herself.

"I guess I can go a little overboard sometimes..." She piped up quietly as Tira took her seat. "Sorry for hovering so much, Tira."

Tira frowned, she hadn't meant to make her sister feel guilty. "...it's okay..."

Fuyumi nearly gasped as she heard Tira's soft sweet voice. Tears welled in her eyes and a bright smile lit up her face. "Thank you." She wiped at her eyes so thankful her sister had spoken to her.

Tira smiled and extended a napkin to her younger sister as she was about to turn into a crying mess. Fuyumi laughed and accepted it to wipe away her tears. They ate their lunch in a contented silence both feeling as if they had grown a little bit closer with their small exchange.