"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?"
The haunting melody woke Akira from a tumultuous sleep in the middle of the night.
"Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..."
Moonshadows cast along the cold marble floors danced at Akira's feet as she walked in a trance to the source of the sound. Unwittingly, her mouth silently formed the words of the song, before she was humming the tune softly as she glided through the hallways.
"Remember me, to the one who lives..."
Her hands found the brass doorknob that led to one of the balconies.
"K—Kanato?" She whispered.
Perched on the balcony's railing, he turned so smile at her. "Oh, you heard my song." Akira nodded. She didn't feel so scared of him now.
"Come, sit with me."
He patted the spot next to him. Akira padded over and he helped her to swing her legs over the wrought iron rail. They sat together quietly as the chilly night wind whipped their faces and the moon shone down on them.
"It's a lovely night, isn't it?" Kanato asked the chirping crickets.
"Mmhm." Akira nodded. She and her brothers might not her the best relationship, but they were tolerable on rare occasions, like this one. It wasn't like that in their early years, though. Akira had vague memories of spending days playing with her siblings as a child, while their mothers were still alive. Back then, they were like any normal child.
Nap-time with Shu, falling asleep anywhere and everywhere, language classes with Reiji, catching bats with Laito and Ayato, listening to Kanato sing for his mother. She used to call him 'songbird'...
Akira shook away the clinging childhood memories and swung her bare feet, several metres above ground. She peeped at her brother from the corner of her eye. He wasn't having one of his temper tantrums from hell, but she knew how quickly his mood would fluctuate. Still, she wanted to make her request.
"Hey, Kanato..."
He turned to look at her, face open. It reminded her of how he looked . "Yes?"
"Will you...please sing that song again?" She asked quietly. Akira's ears begged to listen to the soothing tune that felt so familiar. She would have sung it to herself, if not for the fact that the melody and its lyrics would slip her mind as soon as it wasn't hummed aloud, no matter how hard she tried to grasp onto the fleeting memory.
"Okay." Akira looked up at him, hope flashing in her eyes. "Really?"
Kanato grinned in delight. "Yeah, I will! If you give me a kiss..."
"Oh, you two are here!" Yui's squeaky voice piped up. She was standing behind them looking lost, in a lace slip that left little to the imagination. The two fixed her with slightly annoyed looks, to which Yui remained oblivious to.
"Why are you sitting up there? It's dangerous!" Yui clasped Akira's arm, her hands freezing through the puffed cotton sleeves of her nightdress. "Come down, or you might fall." Akira frowned, wanting to protest. Yui had no right to be ordering her to do this or that. Kanato rounded on Yui first. "What gives you the right to dictate her actions?"
Yui's eyes widened, and her hands fell from Akira's arm. "I'm just worried—"
"I don't need you to worry. Mind your own business," Kanato spat, growing furious. "Akira is my sister, you hear? Mine. I'll protect her as my property, and use her as I like."
Yui stepped away, intimidated at the violent side of her brothers. Akira shook her head internally. Oh, Yui. Kanato's flares were the mellowest of all her brothers' outbursts. Still, Yui wouldn't take no for an answer. "Leave us, Yui. Go back to your room." Akira told the older girl. She couldn't help the slightly condescending tone that slipped into her voice.
