Fae smiles as she approaches Emma's room. Seeing her sister after a day filled with paperwork will be refreshing. She knocks on the door, hearing Ema's footsteps on the other side. Ema greets her with a hesitant smile, and Fae's arms drop. She frowns.
"What's up?"
"Oh, nothing really." Ema mutters, letting Fae in.
"No, what's bothering you?"
"Well, earlier I saw Tsubaki..." Ema drifts off. Fae's eyes widen, her body tensing. She waits, not wanting to jump to conclusions. If she asked Ema if Tsubaki had given her a surprise hug, Ema would ask questions. "I just... Earlier, when I got home from school, I got mail from Natsume. For the game demo. I thanked Tsubaki for it, but he said something so half-heartedly..." Ema rubs her arm, looking at the floor. "Then he left, and Azusa came running after him, but he was already gone."
"Right." Fae nods her head, her eyes looking off. "Well, Azusa and Tsubaki are twins, they both know what's up." Fae hums at herself before looking at Ema. "You said Natsume sent over the game? Panzer of the Dead?" Fae asks. Ema turns to her bed, holding it up. Fae laughs. "I guess you got his old room and post box." Fae muses before rubbing her head. "I'll go get snacks from my room, and you can set up the game." Fae quickly runs to her room with a smile, happy she's spending more time with her little sister. She takes off her clothes and gets changed into more casual clothes. Since winter had rolled around, Fae found herself wearing a loose jumper and leggings. Nothing better than wearing cosy clothes in the cold. She hops over to her shelf, pulling down a box and rushing back to Ema's room. She drops the box on the floor and sits down on the pillows that Ema had put on the floor. Ema had already changed into her pyjamas with a game controller in hand, waiting patiently for Fae. With Juli in Fae's lap, Ema loads up the game to hear the intro startup, with Tsubaki and Azusa's voice coming from the speakers. Fae places her elbows on her knees, her hands holding up her face as she watches the game load and deducts the game and how to play.

"So, this game is about switching from tank to tank, to survive a battlefield crawling with zombies." Fae says as she opens up a crisp packet. Juli begins squeaking, and Fae brushes down his hair and chuckles. They listen silently as Tsubaki and Azusa's characters speak. Juli starts hissing at the TV.

"Shush, I'm trying to listen." Fae scolds Juli as she moves him back into her lap. Their character spoke about a wound and Fae became very engrossed in the game. She never realised how good they are at voice acting. "Wow." She breathes.

"I didn't really know, but... I can't believe I'm feeling so moved by a zombie game..." Ema says, her eyes not moving from the screen.

"Tsubaki and Azusa are both amazing voice actors." Fae comments, grinning as she starts chewing on some jerky. Juli makes a content noise, Fae giggling at the respondent. "Even Juli is impressed." Fae teases as the squirrel jumps to reply. As the day starts to become dark, Ema soon finds herself struggling as she replays a level continuously.

"Lemme have a go." Fae ushers as she takes the remote. Ema watches her. Fae got further than herself but still couldn't make it past.

"Even you can't defeat the game, Fifi. How are we going to get past?" Ema asks as she stares hopelessly at the screen.

"Shush." Fae squints at the screen as she presses the buttons furiously. They hear the clock strikes 6, meaning dinner is almost ready. Fae huffs as she lays her head back on Ema's bed.

"Let's go help Ukyo. Tomorrows Saturday, so perhaps you can finish it then." Fae says as she helps her sister up.

"Okay."

||| Time Skip |||

Fae walks down to Ema's room at six in the morning in her yellow vest and sleep-shorts. She raises her hand to knock, only to stop when hearing noises. Noises from the television. Noises of shooting and grenades and bombs and zombies. Fae rolls her eyes as she pushes on the door, it still not locked from the night before. Fae shakes her head with an amused smirk as she places herself next to Ema, crossing her legs.

"Still playing?" Fae asks, scaring Ema.

"Y-yes!" Ema pulls her eyes away for a second before focusing back on the television. "It's tough to get past." Ema sheepishly admits. Fae hums as she puts her cheek in her hand. "I get wiped out in the desert zone no matter how many times I try!" Ema complains. Fae smiles reassuringly as she pats Ema's shoulder.

"Go get your breakfast. I'll sort it out for you." Fae grins as she pushes Ema out her room. Fae looks down to the envelope that still lays on Ema's desk with Natsume's card next to it.
She gets an idea on how to help Ema.

||| Time Skip |||

Fae wears her long brown coat and fluffy brown boots to keep her shielded from the elements. She walks past shops, peering in through a window now and then. Halloween had just been, and shops were already put out their Christmas stock. She approaches a restaurant, stepping inside and undoing her zip. She settles at a table, sighing as she drops the weight of her coat. Her head snaps over to the door as she sees Natsume enter in his own coat and scarf, shuffling them off to put over his arm.

"You got here awfully early. Did you wait long?" Natsume asks.

"No." Fae smiles up at him, rising from the chair to greet him. Natsume seats himself opposite, resting his coat on the back of the chair. Fae can hear the conversation of the ladies behind her, and she couldn't help but cringe. She hopes Natsume couldn't hear it too.

"Are you alright?" Natsume asks, noticing her discomfort.

"No, I'm fine." Fae tilts her head, her French braid swinging behind her head.

"You haven't ordered anything yet? What do you want to get?" Natsume asks.

"That's nice of you, Natsume, but I asked you to meet up, so I'll pay." Fae explains with a smile. Natsume chuckles under his breath.

"If you'd planned to make me pay from the start, I wouldn't have stood for it, but it's fine. I'll treat you." Natsume counters. Fae laughs, covering her mouth.

"It seems I've finally met a sibling as stubborn as me." She drops her hand, reaching for the menu. "We'll split the bill." Fae smiles. Natsume seems to loosen up slightly.

"How have things been going at home?" Natsume asks.

"Oh yeah, it's been seven months, so I've gotten pretty used to things." Fae answers. "Things have been fine. No notable disturbances that I can think of."

"I see. I'm glad to hear that." They order drinks, and Natsume brings up the reason for this meeting.

"So, where are you getting stuck?" He asks.

"The desert zone. We've defeated the mobs, but we didn't gain any levels, and we can't defeat the boss no matter what we do."

"You've put an awful lot of hours into it. But unless you level up in the previous zone, you won't be able to beat the desert zone." Natsume informs.

"Yeah, Ema has spent a long time replaying that, but it makes sense." Fae nods as she takes out her phone, writing in her notes. Natsume raises his brow, watching her tap away at her keyboard.

"If you two can't beat it, I'm afraid we'll have to make a change to the desert zone." Natsume notes.

"So, we're the benchmark?" Fae asks as she looks over to Natsume.

"There aren't as many people who'll pour as much energy into games as you two do. Making video games is still a business, so we need to be able to count on a certain number of players." Natsume tells her. Fae smiles at his seriousness.

"This is all for Emmy, so I'm not doing much. But you do whatever you can for family, right?" She asks rhetorically. Just then Natsume's phone starts ringing.

"Azusa?" Natsume mutters.

"Azoo?" Fae tilts her head. Natsume answers the phone.

"Hello?" Natusme raises a brow, giving Fae a sidewards glance as she watches him intensely. "Yeah, it's me." He scrunches up his brow. "Huh? Tsubaki? No, I don't know." Fae tilts her head. "Had he called? No, not recently." Natsume nods. "Got it. If he calls--" The phone is cut off. "What the heck was that about?" Natsume mutters, scowling at his phone.

"What's wrong?" Fae asks. She got the jist of it from hearing Natsume, and what Email said the other day. But it would be rude if she made it known she was eavesdropping.

"Tsubaki apparently didn't come home yesterday, and Azusa seems worried." Natsume looks at Fae and notices the subtle change in expression. "Wait, do you know anything?"

"I was told that Tsubaki went out early yesterday evening, and Azoo went after him... Do you think it was about, you know, the voice acting part?" Fae asks as she bites her bottom lip.

"You know about that?" Natsume asks in surprise.

"Not really, but I can guess." Fae frowns before looking Natusme in the eye. "Can you tell me, Natsume?"

"Well, the truth is, I heard something at work." He rubs the nape of his neck. "It was about the anime show."

"Just as I suspected." Fae mutters as she looks down at the table.

"As you know, I work for a game company, and we use voice actors for our games, so we hear about these kinds of things through those channels. It hadn't been officially announced yet, so I won't name the title, but a certain anime is the reason Tsubaki got into voice acting, and a new series got a green light for that anime."

"The two of them did say they were auditioning for that show. Did Tsubaki not get the part he wanted?" Fae asks. Natsume is surprised at how quickly she catches on.

"Yeah, Tsubaki's been saying he wants to play the lead. He's popular right now, so the producer seemed enthusiastic about it too... But when the cast got announced, the lead had gone to another voice actor."

"That's such a shame. Do you know why?" Fae questions.

"A lot of it is about how his voice balance with the other actors." Fae looks downcast by the news. Tsubaki really wanted that part. She remembers how happy he was when they went to that restaurant. "And that's not the end of the story." Fae's head snaps up,
Not the end? Tsubaki must be having an awful day then.
"The voice actor that was chosen to play the lead instead of Tsubaki was Azusa." Fae widens her eyes in surprise.

"Didn't he audition for another role?" Fae asks, placing her hands down on the table.

"It's not unusual to get a different role than the role you auditioned for." Natsume says.

"That must be terrible." Fae looks down at the table, a frown tugging at her lips. "That's probably why Tsubaki has been avoiding Azusa."

"I won't say I'm entirely empathetic, but I question the idea of agonising over this sort of thing." He sighs. Fae raises an eyebrow. "He's been chosen, so it's his job as a professional to live up to those expectations. But well," he looks away, "just leave them alone. There's nothing big brotherly about guys in their 20s having their little sister worrying about them." Natsume concludes. Fae nods in understanding.

"I feel bad about having you walk me back." Fae says, pulling her coat tighter around herself as they walk down the streets.

"Just until we're close to the station. Don't let it bother you. It's dark already, after all." Fae laughs slightly.

"I can look after myself you know, I'm not as little as everyone things." She smiles. Natsume looks over at her, knowingly.

"As a big brother, I could hardly abandon my little sister."

"The little sister that is three years younger than you." Fae grins, expecting Natsume to be surprised, which he isn't. It is silent for a while as they look around at the Christmas lights. "I guess the city is in Christmas mode already."

"Yeah. Do you have plans?" Natsume asks, peering down at her. She thinks for a moment.

"No, not really."

"Whoa, whoa, I don't want to hear such lonely words from such a pretty lady." Natsume tells her. She giggles under her breath, her cheeks tinting pink from the compliment.

"Then, what about you, Natsume?" She grins.

"Come on, Christmas is when toy makers rake in their biggest profits. There's no way I can take time off at a busy time like that." Natsume said as they stopped. Fae laughs slightly.

"So what you mean is that you don't have any plans either. Such lonely words from such a handsome man." She laughs.

"Touché." Natsume chuckles. Natsume stares down at her, her brown eyes staring up at him innocently, her features seemingly younger with the French braid in her hair. "Do you always wear your hair up like that?" Natsume asks. Fae looks surprised by the question, so she holds her braid, running her fingers over it.

"I guess I do." She says, distantly.

"I see. Then... " Natsume takes off his cream scarf and places it around her neck. The warmth from the scarf feels nice on her cold neck. She hugs her shoulders to her neck, humming softly in contempt. "It's a little early to call it a Christmas present, but I can't do anything for you on the day of, so this is in lieu of that." He reaches down and brushes her hair back and out of the scarf. "For my poor little sister with no plans. From your poor big brother with no plans." He smiled softly. "Merry Christmas." Fae stares up at him. She can smell his cologne drifting off the scarf. He smells like parchment paper and fountain ink, and a small musky scent. His purple eyes seem stuck in a trance in her brown ones.

"Natsume." She says, tilting her head as he returns to reality.

"Later." He pats her head. "Can't afford to be catching any colds in this busy time." He says as he turns and walks away. Fae shakes her head as she breaths out through her nose, holding the scarf to her nose, warming it up.
She arrives at home, holding the scarf in each hand, playing with the ends. As she walks towards the front of the house in the dark, she spots Azusa sitting on the small roundabout outside the complex, waiting patiently for someone.

"Hi, Azoo." She greets as she walks up to him.

"Oh, welcome back." Azusa greets as he stands up, his eyes drift over to the front door.

"What are you doing out here?" Fae asks as she stops in front of him.

"Just felt like it. I couldn't relax in my room." Azusa stretches his arms out. Fae stands next to him and looks up at the building.

"If you catch a cold, it will affect your work." Fae mentions. It has more meanings than one.

"I don't have any work that would have a problem with that." Azusa closes his eyes.

"Really? You're not taking the part?" She asks, frowning. Azusa looks at her in surprise.

"You heard from Natsume, didn't you?" He questions in disbelief.

"Yes, but at least someone told me." She rolls her eyes, crossing her arms.

"No, it doesn't matter anymore. I'm planning to turn down that role anyway." Azusa informs her, scowling ever so slightly.

"What?" She asks as she scrunches up her brow.

"You heard, didn't you? I can't do it." It was silent for a moment, but Fae cocks her hip and stares up at him, a severe air floating around to replace the silent one.

"You're fine with that? Even if it's for Tsubaki's sake?" She asks, searching his eyes as he refuses to look at her. "Turning down a role in deference to someone else is..." Fae didn't know how to finish as she notices the look Azusa is sending her.

"Keep mouthing off, and I'm going to get angry. That role belongs to Tsubaki." Azusa tells her sternly.

"But it's you who has been chosen, so it's your job as a professional to live up to those expectations, Azusa." She scowls. "You must understand the significance of being chosen." Her face softens. "Besides, I like your voice, Azoo."

"That's enough!" She flinches back at the volume of his voice. "No matter what anyone says, that's the one role I can't do. I absolutely can't do it. So I'm turning it down. I won't do it. Besides, once I turn it down, the role will--"

"But you don't know that." Fae retorts firmly.

"What?" Azusa asks in surprise.

"Even if you turn it down, whose to say Tsubaki is the one who gets it? What if you turn it down and it's not Tsubaki?" Azusa goes to speak, but Fae sends him a stern look. "If you turn it down, then the word Asahina will never appear in the rolling credits." She crosses her arms before she inclines her head, shaking it in disbelief. "And what if Tsubaki doesn't want you to turn it down? He probably will be happy to know that if it wasn't him who got it, it was you - someone who earn it. Someone who wasn't just given it from tailcoat riding or something. Where does it leave you if your don't get it? Where does it leave Tsubaki?"

"That's-!"

"I wouldn't be happy." A voice says. Azusa and Fae turn to see Tsubaki standing in front of the complex.

"Tsubaki!" Fae gawks in surprise.

"Aw, man. And here I spent the whole night awake, thinking about how to talk you into it." He rubs the nap of his neck. "I was going to come out at the end and set you straight. My moment in the spotlight." He sighs. "But it's kind of like you took it away from me." Tsubaki grins down at Fae as she stares at him. Tsubaki looks back up to Azusa and steps towards him. "Azusa, do it for me."

"What?" Tsubaki begins approaching him.

"I don't want it to be anybody else. I'm your number one fan in the whole wide world, so I want to hear it." He stops in front of Azusa. Azusa's eyes widen, darting over Tsubaki's face for some sort of negative emotions. But all he can find is a blissful smile, ignorant of his inner turmoil. His expression softens. "Will you let me hear that role in your voice, Azusa?"

"Tsubaki. " Azusa is at a loss for words. "Alright." He agrees reluctantly.

"Thanks, Azusa." Tsubaki hugs his twin.

"I'll put on my best performance." Azusa tells him, patting his back.

"Damn straight. I wouldn't let you get away with a half-ass performance." Tsubaki pulls away, grinning. "Then let's pinky-swear." They cross pinkies, and Fae can't help the giddy smile gracing her lips. "Come on, go call your manager right away and get it settled. Okay?"

"Okay." Azusa agrees as he walks into the building, Fae watching him as she smiles happily.

"Hey." Tsubaki says, catching Fae's attention. "Come keep me company for my consolation party." In silence, they walk to the edge of the compound that was surrounded by a lake. Fae felt calm as she looks out at the lake with Tsubaki standing with her, him a few feet in front.

"Are you disappointed?" Fae asks as she admires the stars.

"Well, to be honest, am I disappointed? Sure." He shrugs. "I was the one who first wanted to become a voice actor, and I was supposed to have dragged Azusa into it, but somewhere along the way, he'd surpassed me." He looks down at the lake. "It's always been like that. Azusa comes out on top, no matter what we did. Even though we're supposed to have been born from the same egg... Seriously speaking, Azusa's the better actor. I can see it too. That's why they were right to decide the way they did. It's because I know that... That I feel disappointed." Tsubaki spoke his heart out, opening up to Fae. A gentle smile is on her lips as she listened to his voice, so full of emotion.

"Tsubaki." She is at a loss for word herself.

"That reminds me..." He trails off, and Fae replies with a hum of recognition. "There's something I want to ask you." Fae looks into his eyes; they are filled with sadness that just made her smile all the more gentler, wanting to see his normal happy eyes.

"Sure, anything." She speaks softly.

"Earlier, you told Azusa that like his voice, remember?" He turns around to face her properly. "Then what about me?" Tsubaki asks. Fae giggles. She didn't expect any less from Tsubaki and his childish behaviour, though it feels different this time. He looks serious.

"I like your voice too. I don't know much about acting ability or anything, but I don't think it's about who's better than who. I want you to stay true to you, Tsubaki." Fae tells him as he stiffens for a moment. "Because I'm sure there's sure to be roles that only you can play." She gives Tsubaki a closed eye smile but blushes when she sees him continuing to stare. "Oh, I'm er, I'm sorry. Talking big like-" then she quickly turns her head. Cold chapped lips are pressed to her cheek, lingering for a few seconds longer than necessary. Her eyes widen, staring dead ahead. She feels the butterflies in her stomach, scrapping against her insides as the lips remove themselves. Tsubaki had attempted to kiss her, but she moved just in time. He raises his hands, placing them on her shoulders and pushing them towards her neck, nestling themselves under the warmth of her neck. She shys away from his touch, cold fingers running in a small line up and down her collarbone. The heat of his breath fans out over her face, her cheeks flushing further. He is so close; she can't even look away from the intensity of his gaze.

"Sorry. But you know, for a depressed boy to get back on his feet, the thing he needs most is a kiss from a beautiful girl." Tsubaki stares at Fae's lips, licking his own. Fae couldn't help but breath rigidly as her stomach does backflips as he slowly leans in, her not making any motion to stop him. His lips lay gently against hers as she freezes in place, eyes wide in comparison to Tsubaki's closed ones. He moves one arm to go around her middle, pulling her core closer to his. She lets out a whine, the heat reaching the tip of her ears. Fae feels so weak right now, her body shivering. He leans forward, placing his chin on her shoulder. To say that was unexpected would have been an understatement.

"By the way, it's been bothering me for a while now, but... " Tsubaki wonders. She hums in reply, not trusting herself to not stutter. Her strong dominant personality could easily be broken down by mear contact. But to have Tsubaki kiss her so suddenly when he is so filled with emotion, it frightened and awed her at how crazy and surreal it felt. "Isn't this scarf men's wear?" Tsubaki breaths on her ear. It makes her jump. She didn't expect the question. "Not only that, but the design is pretty in line with my taste too. It kind of ticks me off. Especially if it was your work mate that gave it to you." Tsubaki tells her as he hovers over her, his arms still securely around her waist. She laughs nervously as she places her hands on his chest, pushing him back slightly. She couldn't think straight with him so close.

"Who knew you could get so jealous, eh?" She laughs as she shyly looks up at him. Tsubaki sends her a smirk that looks so attractive under the moonlight.

"Who knew you look so breath-taking when you blush?" He retorts. She purses her lips and scowls, looking over to the lake.

"You should get inside, don't want to get a cold." She nervously looks up at him, gulping at the look he is giving her.

"Aren't you coming with me?" He asks as he tilts his head.

"Nah, I want to stay out here for longer." She moves away from Tsubaki as she hugs herself and walks towards the edge of the lake. Tsubaki watches her for a moment, her siloette in front of the lake.

"See ya later." He gets no response, so he leaves. She moves her hand over her stomach, rubbing it in confusion.

Damn you stomach, playing up like that. Control yourself.

She scolds as she reaches into her shoulder bag. She smiles happily when she removes her camera.

Ah, how much I love this thing.

She lifts it up to her eye, lining it up as she takes a shot of the lake, reflecting the moon and stars. She feels at peace, forgetting about what occurred. She lowers it as she smiles sadly before putting it back away in her bag. She takes a deep breath, stepping forward and picks up a couple of stones. She swings her arm back, flicking her wrist forwards and watches as it skips across the water twice. She hears someone approach as she skims another stone.

"Hello, darling." She hears a voice sing.

"Hi, Hikaru." She smiles over her shoulder to him. "Wanna join me?" She offers, holding out a stone.

"What are you doing?" He questions. Hikaru is wearing his standard cross-dressing attire. Tall black boots and red wine dress matching his long ginger hair.

"Really? You've never skipped stones before?" She laughs in disbelief. She needs someone to take her mind off what happened, and some girl time is just what she ordered.

Well, a boy dressed as a girl is as far as she could get tonight.

"No, never." Hikaru chuckles as he watches her skip the stones.

"Come here." She motions him over and passes him the stone she was holding and gets herself another one. "Hold it like this." She shows then watches Hikaru attempting to do so. She laughs and steps towards him. She curls her fingers around his, full concentrated on making him hold the stone properly, not noticing the grin he holds. "Now, throw it like this." She instructs as she flicks her wrist. The stone skips three times before sinking. Hikaru copy's, but it fails on the first go.

"No, you numbskull." She laughs as he purses his lips. "Excuse me for a second." She stands behind him and makes him hold it correctly, pulling his arm back and following through with the throw. They watch as it skips twice before dropping.

"I did it!" Hikaru smiles.

"You go girl!" She laughs as Hikaru chuckles. That's when it reminds her he was a man. He has such a manly chuckle that it was attractive.

"Oh god, Hika. I'm sorry, I forgot you were a boy." She laughs more for her silly mistake. She wondered if this is what it feels to have older siblings. Hikaru, Masaomi, Natsume and Louis made the best older brothers she could ask for Ema. But then her eyes fall as she watches another stone sink. She is going to cause trouble for Emmy if she gets any more brothers after her.
She cannot ruin Ema's chance of a real family.
She throws a stone harshly, letting out her frustration as it skims quickly on the water. She clutches her hand to her necklace.

I wouldn't harm Ema's chance of a real family.