I Am A Peasant In Your Princess Arms (Yuli's version)

-CHAPTER 7-




Yuuki’s PoV

Ichiru trashed forwards with Rose without looking back. Fortunately Peeko and Syrin were fast as well, but Ichiru was almost riding insanely wild. As if he could not reach his home fast enough. I shot onii-sama a worried and he caught my eyes and nodded towards my silver-haired friend.

Just keep on following him… He’s worried about his mother, it’s understandable.

I raised my chin averting my gaze before me again. My eyebrows wrinkled.

When we arrived the small farm Ichiru had already dismounted his horse. We quickly climbed down as well and followed him into the house as soon as we tied our horses to a nearby wooden fence.

The dark car from Dr. Freiberg was already parked near the stables. I trembled slightly when staring at the open door of Ichiru’s house.

“Let’s go inside, Yuuki.” Onii-sama’s hand glided through my hair and motioned me to walk ahead of him.

Reaching the inside of the house I almost wished I had stayed outside. The atmosphere was grave and somber. And seeing the twins hug and Zero crying into his shoulder did not make this any better. Ichiru’s face paled and he wrapped his arms around him, trying to comfort him in some way.

My face whitened when fearfully looking to their mother. If I had thought the state of her had been horrible before, now it was beyond anything I could imagine… She was not tossing in the bed anymore as before, now she was silent, staring at the ceiling as if life would be taken from her any moment. One arm hung limply from the bed, if she had not blinked I would have thought she were… gone.

This brought tears to my eyes. Even Kaname seemed to be in a state of shock. He stood quietly and said not one word. But his dark eyes that usually hid his emotions mirrored grief. I bit my lip trying to fight the urge back, but they slipped from my eyes, one after the other. I cried silently. The hand onii-sama stroked my head with and the other arm that drew me to his chest comforted me and eased some of the urge to wail loudly.

“Is there anything you can do for her, Doctor?” Ichiru asked in a broken voice, still holding onto his brother.

The doctors looked at us long and silently. Then, breaking the uncomfortable silence he nodded. “First of all she needs to be removed out of this house and needs to be placed somewhere warm where she can be watched every minute of the day.”

I so wished to help I really did… But did not know if Mother would allow it, recalling her reaction when she had seen Ichiru earlier…

“There will be no problem to that.” Onii-sama said in a clear voice.

I turned my head to the side and upwards, surprise written in my eyes. He smiled at me and tenderly stroke my wet cheek. “Do not worry; I am sure Mother will not protest.”

Would he make sure of it…? I believed he would.

“Thank you, onii-sama…”

I gasped softly when Ichiru jumped forward and hugged me. Of course Onii-sama stepped before he could collide into him. My silver-haired friend looked at Kaname thankfully, perhaps too embarrassed to embrace him as well. It was a… manly thing. A small smile slipped to my lips.

“Thank you, Kuran-san,” he said, his voice very soft. He walked over to his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder, making his twin smile half-heartedly. Then their looks turned to Kaname and the doctor.

Ichiru’s question reached me. “How are we going to get our mother to your house, Yuuki-chan?”

“Uhm…”

Onii-sama took the privilege to answer that. I was thankful because my thoughts were mush right now…

“Under these circumstances I would suggest ordering a carriage, but I think it will take too long for it to arrive.” He looked at the doctor. “Dr. Freiberg, you might have enough room in the back of your car to transport her to our mansion?”

He scratched the three-day beard at his chin in thought. “Hmm… That should be no problem, considering how large the seat in the back is…” He gave Ichiru and Zero’s mother a measuring look. “Someone would need to sit in the back with her, of course.”

The twins shared a look before Zero nodded and Ichiru stepped forward to answer.

“Zero will sit at the back with Mother. I’ll stay behind to let my horse rest for a bit and will follow as soon as my mare is ready to travel again. I mean someone has to stay behind to take care of the farm.”

Again, I smiled proudly at Ichiru. I knew that he was lazy from time to time, but for a few months now he had really worked hard. He had just matured a little more by taking these responsibilities. I could tell that his brother was extremely proud of him as well.

With Kaname-onii-sama’s help Zero and Dr. Freiberg carried the twins’ mother carefully to the car, which the doctor prepared. He suggested that Zero should get in first so his mother could rest her head on his lap securely.

Meanwhile I turned to Ichiru, who was watching everything quietly. I wanted to help him…

“Ichiru,…” I reached for his hand and clasped my fingers around it. “Is there anything I can do for you?” My eyes bore into his. “I could help you at the farm… or I could take you with me to my home.”

His lips tugged upwards. With a squeeze of his hand he nodded.

“I still need to feed the sheep, cows and Lilly and Rose. It’s way past in the afternoon already and because of Mother being this sick, neither me nor Zero had any time to feed them yet.” He grinned slightly. “Do you think you are up for the job, Yuuki-chan?” Waiting for me to reply he ruffled my hair.

“Of course! You don’t even need to ask!” I gently took his hand from my head and ran my thumb over his knuckles. His farmer hands were rough against my soft ones. They had experienced hard work since he was young. But I adored his hands nevertheless. His beautiful long fingers… I pressed a light kiss on one of his fingertips and brought his hand to my warm and flushed cheek.

“You know I’d do anything to help you, Ichiru.”

We stood there, none of us saying a single word. We just continued looking at each other, enjoying the moment.

The moment lasted until Socks, his white and black dog whined loudly, demanding to be fed. I let go of his hand a little disappointed for the interruption.

“I know, girl, you’ll get your dinner right now.”

I smiled when the dog barked and wagged its tail, running towards the kitchen always turning her head and stopping to see if Ichiru really was following her. I giggled.

“Let’s get to work then, Yuuki-chan.”

“Alright. But I need to talk with my brother before we start.”

He nodded and looked behind me, what made me looked puzzled. He then turned on his heel and headed towards the kitchen. I turned around myself and winced when I saw onii-sama standing in the entrance of the door, looking not all too amused…

“Yuuki…” He strode towards me with a soft scowl and a serious look on his features. He brushed my cheek slightly where I had held Ichiru’s fingers just a moment ago. “Be careful.”

I blinked at him. And looked into his deep brown eyes. I knew onii-sama was very protective of me. But he should know that my friend would never be able to harm me. I forced a smile.

“Do not worry, Onii-sama! Ichiru would never harm me.” I grinned to chase away his doubts. “If you want you can stay here and help as well?”

He stood still all of a sudden a raised a delicate eyebrow. I chuckled at the face he made. He let his long fingers glide through my hair before saying:

“I will be back at the mansion. Try not to be too… careless, Yuuki…”

“Of course not, Onii-sama!” I stood on my toes and planted a loud smacking his on his cheek. “Thank you, Onii-sama!” Letting go of him and turning around, I ran into the kitchen to ask if he needed any assistance.

Reaching the kitchen I saw that he had already fed his dog. She gobbled down her food as if she was afraid she would not get any tomorrow…

“Ahh, Yuuki-chan, done talking with your big brother then?” he asked teasingly and washed his hands over the kitchen’s sink.

I nodded my head and stepped in the kitchen. It was small, but cozy. There was everything you needed to cook… At least I think it did. I saw garlic and onions in a basket on the counter and kitchen utensils hanging from the wall over the oven. I was surprised to see an oven like this one, it was very similar to the one in our kitchen… There was no pot in a fireplace like I had imagined there to be. Instead, a small door of cast iron was nestled under the oven. I knew you had to get a fire going to heat the oven. To say it clearly and short— I was fascinated. I let my eyes continue through the kitchen. There was a wooden table in the corner of the kitchen with a bench on the side of the corner itself and two chairs on its opposites. A basket filled with fruit was placed on the table, standing next to a soup filled bowl.

Their kitchen was… cute.

“There is nothing more to be done in here. Come, follow me.”

I attempted to follow him when I caught him staring at my feet. Subconsciously I let my gaze wander down and blushed when noticing my feet were still bare. I curled my toes and turned back to look at him.

“Yuuki-chan, better borrow my Mom’s shoes before going out. What do you think? That’s a better idea, right?”

He walked out of the kitchen leaving me here, only to come back shortly later with his mother’s shoes.

“Ahh, thank you…”

He was still holding the pair in his hands. I was not sure if I should ask him to give them to me or if he wanted to slip them on…? I blushed furiously at the second thought.

However he just walked closer to me and shoved the shoes into my hands.

“Here you go, just slip them on and you’re done.”

A bit flustered I did as I was told and knelt down slipping into them. They were dark brown leather boots that reached the middle of my lower leg. I tied the shoestring tightly and did the same with the other. They were stained with mud, but what should I say…? They were working boots after all. Once I finished tying them I stood up straight and figured the shoes were a little bit too small. Yet I nodded to myself. These would be just fine.

Ichiru walked ahead of me and opened the front door. Socks followed him, barking and leaped outside. An amused look adorned his face and confused I tilted my head somewhat to the side. I wondered what he was thinking about…?

“Yuuki-chan, follow me to the sheep barn. That is a job just for you, I believe. They are calm and sweet and won’t fight over their food like Rose and Lilly do, if you won’t separate them before giving them their food.” He laughed after saying this.

Sheep!

I nodded happily. I was so excited! Never before had I done something like this… Like working on a farm! And I do not remember ever touching a sheep. I marveled Ichiru’s life here and how he worked and handled it. Other than me, who did almost nothing. I was not able to do it by myself. Everyone took care of me… It was as if I was being treated like a baby…

So I was just eager to assist Ichiru.

We walked over to the sheep barn that was only a few meters from their house. Ichiru opened the door to the barn and I curiously stuck my head in. I counted one, two, three… ten sheep! They blinked at us sleepily, obviously just awakened.

Beside me, my silver-haired friend grabbed the handle of a small wagon that was filled with food...? I suppose for the sheep. I bent my head over it and sniffed. Grains and… other things. I had to get used to the smell, of course.

“It’s simple, Yuuki-chan. Just fill all the small food buckets at the corner of the boxes completely with grains and you’ll be done.”

He smiled at me. “Do you think you will be able to do that while i feed the horses and cows?”

I could hear the subdued motor of Dr. Freiberg’s car far away. Good. At least they were on their way to her house now. Turning my attention back to Ichiru I smiled.

“Sure,” I stated and took ahold of the wagon’s handle that he offered me. I was thankful that I was wearing my knee-length dress and a pair of panty hoses underneath to keep me warm. My dress would not be caught in the hay that was lying around the barn that way. I pulled the wagon to the farthest corner, deciding to start in the back and work myself up to the front. As soon as I stopped there I waved Ichiru, signalizing that I would be just fine. At least I hoped so… It was not as if I could do anything wrong when feeding sheep, right?

He nodded with a chuckle and walked out, taking care of the cows and horses. Grabbing the small shovel in the wagon I dug it into the grains and raised the filled shovel out of it. I eeped quietly when noticing it was much more heavy than I had thought. Taking a deep breath I grabbed the lower part of the shovel’s handle with my other hand and heaved. It shook a bit in my trembling hands, but I managed to carry it over to the food bucket and dumping it in. There! Cheering myself on, I repeated this task a few times until all buckets were filled.

By the time I was done I felt the sweat drip from my forehead and felt my hair stick to the back of my neck. Sure, there was no difficulty in filling the buckets… At the beginning, yes, but soon after I had gotten used to it, it seemed to be no problem. But shoving the sheep away while doing this was challenging to say the least. These calm and gentle creatures were so greedy!
I wiped at the sweat with the back of my hand and undid the ribbon that was tied around my neck to make a simple high ponytail. Instantly cool air made contact with my perspired neck, cooling it off. Goosebumps trailed down my neck and arms. I almost sighed. But it was very, very refreshing…

So… Now I was finished with this. I brought the almost empty wagon back to its original place and double-checked the sheep. Yes, I had fed all of them… They were bending their heads over the buckets and gulping it down. Oh my… I laughed and closed the doors to the barns, locking it. They would be able to eat in peace now.

When I turned around Ichiru was already standing there. He held back a laugh and stepped towards me.

“Yuuki-chan, all ready, then?”

Oh gosh! I looked at him unbelieving. Had I taken that long to feed the sheep that he had long fed the horses and the cows?

“Ah, uhm… yes.” I pushed up my sleeves to distracting myself. That intense look on his face before... I tried to think nothing of it.

Was that it now…?

“Is there more to do…? Or should we head to my house…?” I was not sure what to say, considering his mother and grew silent. I just hoped everything would be okay.

He just shook his head.

“That was the most important part. I’d like to go see Mother now. Come, let’s go.”

Knowing he would come as soon as he saddled Rose I walked over to Peeko and stroked his muzzle. He breathed warmly on my hand, happy to see me.

I heaved myself onto his saddle and clicked my tongue. Peeko slowly walked to the end of the road, where we patiently waited for Ichiru and Rose to come.

When he came into view and joined us my Frisian gave Rose a greeting of his own. He raised his head and neighed. Ichiru gave his head a not, telling me that he was ready.

We were set to go.

I looked to the way before us.

A way of troubles and dark thoughts would lead us to the place we dreaded to be, yet longed to arrive. A place that was filled with difficulties and sadness…

Would hope await us?





-END OF CHAPTER 7-

-CHAPTER 8-



Yuuki’s PoV

The way to my home was slow and silent.

From time to time I let my gaze wander to my surrounds, only to find myself staring worriedly at my silver-haired friend who was riding next to me with his shoulder and head hanging down. He gave the impression as if he was carrying the weight of the world and as if he just was not able to do so, because his body trembled underneath the heavy weight. I wanted to touch his cheek in a comforting manner, but when he saw my hand advance towards him he pulled his head back. And so I let my hand fall in my lap again, worried. And wishing I could do something for him…

Out of the corner of my eye I saw that he was gripping the reins tighter, but I chose not to say anything about it.

When we finally reached the city, it had already turned dark. I was glad Ichiru was with me, because I always grew a little nervous as soon as night fell. Although it did not take us long until we arrived my house, I was thankful either way.

“I am sorry, Yuuki-chan for being this silent the whole way, but I just can’t seem to stop thinking about my Mom.” I was surprised that he was talking all of a sudden and turned my head to him. He forced a smile. Poor Ichiru…

“It is alright, Ichiru… I know what’s on your mind.” I gave him a comforting smile and dismounted my horse like him.

We lead the horses to the field and brought the saddles into a shed next to the fields, where we kept our horse utensils.

Then we walked into the house, being greeted by my family and Ichiru who now had a somewhat calmer look on his face than before. I supposed that his mother was feeling a bit better know. I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness.

It did not take long before Ichiru and Zero disappeared into their mother’s room. I wanted to follow but stopped when Mother gave me an understanding look. I stopped in my tracks and looked down the hall and saw the twins disappear into one of the guest rooms. I understood that they wanted to be alone with their mother now.

“Yuuki.”

I turned to Onii-sama’s calm and soft voice. But when I saw his eyes… I instantly shuddered. A gasp escaped my lips. They were filled with so much sadness… Immediately tears sprung to my eyes. And then I knew… I knew it before he said anything. I knew it was about their mother.

“Couldn’t Dr. Freiberg…?” The end of the sentence stuck in my throat and suddenly I was unable to speak the words to complete it.

Kaname just shook his head. Something I had been afraid of.

…He had not been able to help. The one man that I had put all my hope into… Not only me, but Ichiru and Zero as well. They had trusted him to save their mother. I felt like crumbling down to my knees when I heard my heart break. I did not want them to feel such pain. No one should lose their mother at this age! No. Not ever.

No… No!

My shoulders began trembling without me doing anything against it. I just… could not help it. Why must this happen to them? I looked at my dearest mother with quaking lips and tried to imagine what it would be like… if she were not there.

…No soft smile and laughter throughout the days.

…No scolding when you did something wrong.

…No comforting arms that would embrace you.

…No touch of tenderness and words of love only a mother could say and give…

“Ah…” I was crying freely now, unable to hold my emotions back. How could I act like this when I had not even met their mother…? But I cared about Ichiru. And somewhat about his brother, Zero… Ah… I was so empathetic and sensitive when it came to my friends and the people I cared about… A loud sob caught my throat and choked it out. I was shocked at how tearful it sounded and brought my shaking hands to my mouth to stifle my cries.

Mother’s arms held me tightly to her chest. “Oh, Yuuki…” Her tearful voice reached out to me. I dug my wet face into her loving arms and weeped. My heart was grieving for them. Smelling the sweet perfume that only smelled of her did not lessen my grief. Mother… My mother.

I was so blessed to have my mother by my side. So blessed…

I only… I only wished I had been able to help them… And somehow… Somehow I wished that I could save their mother.

…But I couldn’t.

“Be strong, Yuuki. Be strong…” Mother whispered softly into my ear.

She was right… Wasn’t she? I had to be strong. For them.

Now I could just be… there for them when they mourned.

I pushed myself out from Mother’s arms and she smiled proudly at my when I stiffened my shoulders.

“My beautiful girl…” She wiped the tears from my cheeks and smiled shakily. “You cannot imagine how proud I am of you.”

All of this had not left her unharmed either… I saw the small tears in the corners of her eyes and almost had the urge to cry out again. Mother should not cry. I pressed my lips together, forcing the new wave of sadness down. Now I could not say anything. I feared to weep once I opened my mouth.

“Why don’t you fetch Ichiru-kun and Zero-kun and bring them to the dining room? I suppose they will want to eat something.” The gentle smile on her lips lifted the heavy haze on my spirits. She was cheery and made the best of the situation. As she always did. She was like… the sunrays on a cloudy and stormy day. I was touched.

I threw myself into her arms again and hugged her tightly. “Thank you, Mama…”

Feeling slightly better than before I sighed and released myself from her. Smiling I stated:

“I will bring Ichiru and Zero to the dining room, alright?”

Mother nodded and I turned around, hoping that the twins would not be too difficult to bear at the moment…

But when I was standing before the door to their sick mother I could do nothing but stare. There they were… sitting on the floor by the bed of their mother, crying with sadness and sorrow. Their mother gently stroke each of their heads before pulling them to her chest.

“My boys…” she said softly in a broken voice. “My dear, dear boys…”

It tore at my heart. Again. And again. And again.

Soon their mother’s hand stopped stroking them and I assume that she had fallen asleep. The boys covered her up and Ichiru was the first to turn around. I wanted to duck and run but I was too late.

“Yuuki-chan,” he said in a broken trembling voice and motioned me to come to him. “Please don’t cry, Yuuki-chan, I want to see you smile. Smile for us… Show me that gorgeous smile you have.” He himself gave me a broken smile to cheer me on.

And so I did. At first my lips tilted quivering and I pressed my lips together to stop them from vibrating. Then, giving myself a push I forced a smile from the very depths of my heart. I wanted them to feel better… At least in the moment.

A bark from the end of the hall reminded me why I had come here in the first place.

“Uhm… You should let your mother rest in peace— Uhm. Sleep for a while now… Why don’t we eat a bit…?” I stammered and had the urge to smack myself for saying stupid things. But contained my smile and looked from twin to twin, awaiting their answer. “Eh… You mustn’t eat of course… If that is what you want. I can let Akane bring you something later…?” The words tumbled out of my mouth nervously.

Ichiru opened his mouth to answer my question but Zero-kun raced him to it.

“That’s very kind of you, Yuuki-sama. We will join your family for dinner, but only for a little while. We want to stay at our mother’s side for as long as she needs us.” He looked my way. Even Ichiru nodded and I smiled that they had accepted my invitation.

They got up and followed me as I lead them to the dining room. The food had already been set on the table and my family was already awaiting us. Mother winked at me and Father nodded, before I offered the twins to sit down.

“Ichiru-kun, Zero-kun! Sit down, please. Wherever you like, of course.”

Ichiru sat down beside my mother and Zero was still standing until I tapped the seat next to mine. I motioned him to sit down and only after that I took my own place.

Filet of beef with vegetables and egg-sized potatoes was served. The appetizer was a clear vegetable soup.

I saw how helpless the twins looked at their silverware when Mother, Father and Sensei started on their soup. How would they know if they did not grow up in these kind of surroundings? First Class and Nobles ate with several different forks, knives and spoons… (Although I must comment that I did not look that much like a Noble now.)

Father started a grown-up conversation with Mother and Sensei and gave me a hinted smile. I understood.

Unnoticed by the others I brushed Zero-kun’s leg to get his attention. When he looked at me I slightly leaned to the side.

“You always eat from outside to the inside…” I mumbled under my breath. “If you have problems, just watch me.”

I knew why Father was conversing… Of course we could have told Zero-kun and Ichiru out loud how to eat and where to start, but they had dignity as well… It would be wrong to embarrass them like this because we all knew they could not know. Zero-kun looked at me surprised and I winked and straightened my posture again. I took the serviette that was neatly folded from my plate and opened it, only to spread it out on my lap so it would not be spoiled. I made sure the boys were watching me and tried not to make any hasty movements that seemed natural to me, but strange to them.

Dinner had been more relaxing than I had expected. I thought it would give Ichiru and Zero-kun more problems, but they learned fast and I was glad for that. After dining we, the children, were told to bathe (they had already been let in for us) and each of us went our own way to separate bathrooms. Akane showed the twins’ their respective rooms that were connected to washrooms.

I quickly bathed myself and scrubbed myself clean before attending to my hair. When I had finished cleaning myself and stepped out of the tub I was surprised at how dirty the water was. I wrinkled my nose. At least I was clean now.

Quickly drying my hair and slipping into my long nightgown, I braided my hair to the side and covered myself up with my robe before stepping out into the halls again. I wondered if the boys were done yet…? Hesitating, I pondered if I should pay their mother a visit, but decided against it. She should rest…

And so I turned around heading to my room with a heavy heart. As soon as I opened the door I saw Parfait sitting near the end of my bed. I walked over to him slowly and knelt down by the bedside. For what seemed a long moment I just stared into his dark eyes. He looked at me curiously. Pressing my lips together I finally leaned forwards and enclosed him in my arms. His soft fur brushed against my cheek as I wet it with the tears my heart cried. I just... could not get over this feeling I felt. After... she died... There was nothing I was able to do now, but help the twins through it afterward.

And I would... definitely.

I awoke with a pang in my heart. My neck was stiff from sleeping with half of my body leaning over the bed. Disorientated I sat up straight and winced when I tried moving my painful neck. I had fallen asleep when holding Parfait last night...

But this feeling...

I grasped at my chest. That painful feeling...

Swallowing I slowly arose to my feet. The rays of daylight slipping through the small gap of my curtain stroke my arm. It was already morning...

Gasping I remembered that Ichiru and Zero-kun were here. ...Along with their sick mother.

Trembling I made my way to my door and pushed down the handle.

Loud sobs carried on through the halls and not far from my door I saw Mother and Father standing before one of our guest rooms. Both of them were still dressed in their nightgowns. Mother had her hands clasped over her mouth and Father was standing behind her, gripping her shoulders with a sober look on his face. Even the maids and Cross-sensei were there... Kaname-onii-sama stood further away looking to the floor on the side. The rest were silently staring with sad eyes.

...But they were not the ones crying...

I felt my heart rip apart when I realized who was. No... She must have... passed away throughout the night or sometime in the morning...

Gasping chokingly I walked towards the guest room, trying not to stumble over my heavy steps. I cried. I could not... help it. Nor was I able to hold them back. They just came and flowed. More... and more... and more. They gathered at my chin and dripped down one by one, moistening the front of my nightgown. ...But that did not matter right now.

When I passed my parents and was about to look into the room, someone took a hold of my arm, forcing me back and not letting me enter. I turned my head to see who was holding me back.

"...Kaname." I did not have the strength to fight back, yet I wanted so badly to go to my friends and... comfort them somehow...

His dark eyes bored into mine. I should not go... I should... leave them? No! They could not do this on their own!

"Let... go...!" I sobbed. The twins' mournful cries reached me and even more tears sprung to my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. "Please..." I couldn't take this!

My arm limply fell to my side when Kaname released me. He took a step back and let me do as I pleased. Casting a last look at my parents I stepped into the room. And stopped. Hesitating.

They were crying helplessly over the live-less body of their mother. Her skin already pale and her mouth slightly open with a soft smile on her lips she looked... so peaceful.

I rushed to them and threw my arms around each of them pulling them towards me. At first they would not let themselves be pulled, but then they gave in due to their sobs and lack of strength and leaned against me. Then and there I held them close as if I was clinging to their bare life, letting the deep sobs overcome me that welled up from within.

It felt like forever when the three of us sat there, crying... Finally Father and Cross-sensei walked into the room and told us to go into the hobby room while they would take care of... the twins' mother. Reluctantly we obeyed and by taking the boys' hands I took them with me to the hobby room. I did not know what to say when we sat down in front of the fireplace. They would not even look at me. From time to time their eyes would meet, but they would ignore me completely.

"Why did Mother have to die, why?" Ichiru cried.

I swallowed. What was I supposed to say...?

"I... I'm so sorry..." I choked out.

Ichiru moved closer to me and shook his head. "It's not your fault, Yuuki-chan. Please don't apologize for something you could not prevent from happening," he said in a grave voice. I had the urge to take him into my arms...

From the corner of my eye I saw Zero-kun nod his head. "Ichiru is right. We are grateful for the help you gave our mother. You did all you could to help her, but it just wasn't enough. Now we have to try to overcome and mvpe on, no matter how hard it might get. We really have no other choice."

I only nodded. I could not... do anything else. For a while silence grew between us. Then, all of a sudden Ichiru get to his feet and dashed out of the room leaving his twin and me alone. I wanted to go after him, but was held back by Zero-kun. I looked at him with teary eyes.

But then I understood... As much as he wanted to run after his brother himself he knew it was best to leave him be for now. He... needed to get along with this new situation by himself.

He smiled at me warmly and as soon as he did, I felt a soft thump on the left side of my chest. He pulled me next to him and we sat down again.

"Don't worry, Yuuki-sama, he'll be alright. He is just taking it harder then all of us. He and Mother never got along very well, but that didn't mean he did not love her. He just loved to tease her and Mother did not mind his teasing. She knew that if things went wrong I was always there to make him stop it." Taking a deep breath he ran a hand through his hair.

"I just really would like to go home soon. Is there a chance that I'll be able to talk to your father about Mother's funeral, Yuuki-sama?"

I just... stared at him bluntly. I was amazed to say the least. His mother had just passed away and he was already trying to make the best of it. He was only fifteen years old and already he was this mature. So much different than Ichiru, who was so emotional and carefree in his actions. But maybe Zero-kun just had a different way to cope with this situation. He might just lock everything inside himself...?

But maybe he just did not know how to react now? My sight blurred as my eyes welled up with new tears. He should not try to work this out by himself. He was trying to be so strong... so different from his twin.

I swallowed down my tears and clenched my teeth as I did so. Slightly shaking I laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I will talk to my father, Zero-kun. I am sure we will able to arrange something, don't worry, alright?" With that I stood up and forced a smile upon my face. "Is there anything else you need?"

His eyes gentled after I voiced my question and he smiled. "Tea would be nice, thank you."

My heart skipped a beat. "Of course."

Just when I replied the door opened and Ichiru joined us again. I was happy he came back and my eyes lit up. I sighed silently when he took me into his arms.

“Yuuki-chan,” he said softly.

He dug his face into my hair and I could have sworn that he was inhaling its scent deeply. It made a tingling feeling swell up in my stomach up to my chest. And somehow I felt so comfortable in his arms right now, even though he was the one that should be comforted and be hugged, not me.

“I am sorry for leaving you both, I just needed some time alone, but now all I really want is to have you with me. You and Brother is all I really need.”

I couldn’t help the grin that rose to my lips and the soft blush that warmed my cheeks. I closed my eyes and enjoyed his arms holding me close to his chest. How could he be sad at what he had just lost and be so gentle and heart-warming at the same time? Ichiru made me feel… special. And if me being with him gave him comfort then I was willing to stay by his side.

"I'll always be there for you, Ichiru," I whispered. "Always."