What We've Missed Without You

chapter 6

*sorry for mistakes*

Momoi carefully brushed any dust particles off of her burgundy blouse, fixing the golden buttons fastening the article of clothing together, and neatly tying the thin black ribbon around her neck to a pristine condition. The pale blonde-to-white haired girl smoothed out her knee-length black skirt that draped over her stockings of the same color, her burgundy loafers shined perfectly despite how many times Momoi has worn the things. Once satisfied with her appearance in the bathroom mirror, she turned her head to call for her little sister:

"Airi! Are you almost done?"

"Hai, Onee-chan! Can you help Airi with her bows?" The small girl skipped over to the twelve-year-old, her curly pale-blonde hair tied into two neat braids that barely passed her shoulders. Momoi knelled down and took the black ribbons out of Airi's hands, tying them to the ends of her hair until they were to her satisfaction. "Did you bring everything with you?"

"Mm-hm! It's all in Airi's backpack! Airi has her coloring book, her crayons, her scrapbook, the things to finish decorating it, animal crackers, and Bonnie!" The seven-year-old gestured to the 'Rilu Rilu Fairilu' themed backpack strapped to her back, then proceeded to turn towards Momoi and picked up the white skirt of her dress. "Ne, does Airi look fancy, Onee-chan~?"

"Yes, you look very fancy and pretty." The eldest Komori monotonously replied, nevertheless the response made Airi jump in place cutely. She was wearing a long-sleeved white and black sailor-themed cotton dress that reached just below her knees, tiny black anchor patters circled around the skirt of Airi's dress, just above the black lining. Her black socks were folded at the ankle so that it could barely touch the top heel of her pearl-white shoes that were only reserved for the few times the Komoris went to church. Momoi got up from her kneeling position and went into the other room, gathering a small assortment of items she felt were necessary for the 'meeting' with Karlheinz or Sakamaki Tougo or...Any other alias he went by. Once the blonde-to-white haired girl was ready, she turned towards Airi who right behind her. "Are you ready to go?"

"Uh-huh! Airi can't wait to ride the fancy car with Onee-chan~!" The seven-year-old chirped as she held onto the twelve-year-old's cold hand. Momoi would of laugh if she could work it up, this is where one of Airi's main concerns lie. She then led the small girl out of the bedroom they shared with their other siblings and mother, passing the living room where Adam was invested in his newest novel and occasionally nursing a cup of strawberry lemonade. Without making a sound, the two girls quietly strode their way over towards the front door that lead to a cascading set of aging wooden stairs that creaked with each step. However, before Momoi could even think about reaching for the doorknob, her brother's voice entered her ears.

"And where do you two think you're going?" Adam inquired, not even bothering to look up as for his ash-colored orbs were more interested on the words on the next page. Momoi gently squeezed Airi's hand, signalling her to allow her to talk in her place before clearing her voice. "I'm going to the park downtown, Airi wants to see the ducks."

"Is that so? Did you tell Mother?"

"I told her after dinner yesterday, she allowed us." Momoi's voice slowly harden within each passing second. Between the two siblings, their clashing auras made the temperature drop in the room as only the comforting sound of Adam turning to the next page of his book sliced through the silence. Finally, the dark haired boy spoke up. "Very well, make sure you don't stay too late. Mother would be very worried about you two, especially since we're attending church tomorrow."