Twisted Two

Play By Ear

Yukio, ever since that accident, has only been hanging on day by day, awaiting the awake of his sister.

"Yukio, you need to start eating." the bidders, okay, mostly Ota and Baba, have been trying to coax him out of his room. He's been neglecting his health, no longer eating and only crying himself to sleep. Even Soryu and Ota, who were on both sides of his suite, could sometimes hear his cries.

"Leave me the fuck alone! I don't need your shit!"

"Yukio, seriously, she wouldn't want you to-" "How the fuck would you know?!" Yumiko's twin suddenly opens the door with a bang, a knife in hand. He had pointed it at both. "How would you fucking know what she would want...?"

The boy falls to his knees, knife still in hand. Making sure he doesn't get cut, he buries his face in his hands, breaking down into sobs. They weren't surprised, they could tell that Yumiko was his weak point, and having her in the hospital doesn't really help.

"Yukio... You need to-"

"Just leave. I really don't need this right now." Yukio crawls back into their dark, unlit room. Baba and Ota, despite being near the entrance only, could smell the strong sense of booze inside. 

He ignores their coaxing and closes the door behind him. But by a small shadow from underneath the door, Baba and Ota could tell he was leaning against the door to sit up. But sobs and sputters could be heard from the other side.

"Y-"

"No, let's leave it alone for now, Ota. We'll talk over it to Boss."

~*****~

"Come on, don't you want to see her, Yukio?" Miraculously, they had managed to drag Yukio out of his suite and to Yumiko's hospital. "I don't need to-"

"She's awake, doc! She's awake!" a nurse passed by them as they walked inside. "What?"

"Yumiko Akiyama is awake!"

The bidders perk up, and Yukio's downcast head and gaze snaps up. "Did they just..."

"Get to her room!" 

The group runs to Yumiko's room, where her doctor and a nurse already were ready to call them in. "Yukio! We were just about to-"

"We came here to visit. I need to see my sister."

"Here she is, Yumiko... Your brother's here."  Yumiko was resting with her eyes closed, which fluttered open and dilated at the sight of her brother.

"Yumiko...!" Of course, she was wrapped up in his arms soon, tears twinkling in both the twins' eyes. "Oh god... you're alive..." he begins stroking her hair, sobbing softly.

"So? You make it sound like you want me dead." she teases, but the tears streaming down her face showed how happy she was to see her brother, and to be alive. 

"I hate to interrupt but... We're going to need to put Yumiko in a wheelchair for a month, seeing as the bus crash had broken a few ribs..."

"What?! NO! I have a job to-"

"No, we'll do it." "YUKI! I HAVE A-"

"No, Yumi. You're going to do-" "I need to do my job, Yukio, I can't-"

"No, Yumi! I can't handle you getting hurt again! Not again!" he shouts back.

"....." Yumiko hangs her head and waits patiently as her brother makes the preparations.

~*****~

"Thanks for doing this, Oh." Yukio pats the mobster's shoulder as he hauls his bags up. "Yumiko, be careful."

"Are you sure I can't come with you?" 

"No! It's just 3 weeks and you are not getting hurt. Don't make me hand father your resignation letter."

"...Fine. But Soryu'll be watching over me?" "Yes, at least at this rate, you'll be sort of close to your job. And I can trust him to protect you the most."

"Alright, then... Thanks, I guess, Oh." she shrugs and rises from her wheelchair, with the help of Soryu, to hug her brother. "I'll see you later. Greet our cousin for me, will ya?"

"You don't even know her name, do you?" "Yeah, I do!" "What is it?" "...Some name that exists in the world. Boom, mind blown!"

Yukio laughs and ruffles her hair, pecking her forehead. "But yeah, I'll greet her for you. I'm surprised you still want to be nice even though she stole everything from you as a kid."

"Please don't remind me of that, she literally embarrassed me in high school." "Oh yeah! It was that time when-" Yumiko slaps her hands over her brother's mouth. "Nothing! You didn't hear anything, Oh."

"Sure." he smirks and nods, gesturing to her wheelchair. "Here you go, sit down before you break anything else."

"Thanks for the concern." she rolls her eyes and giggles, sitting down with the help of Soryu. "I'll see you guys later." And he leaves.

"So... what're we doing, Oh?" "Free time. I don't really care."

"Alright then... How about we go to a library or something? I haven't gone to one in a while. That fine with you?"

"Whatever."

~*****~

"Hey Soryu, wanna read together?" Yumiko holds up a detective novel and the mobster pats the seat next to him on the couch, signaling she can sit. She opens the book, but her sleeves, longer than her arms, covered her hands, making her unable to flip through pages.

"Umm, a little help, please?" she smiles sheepishly, tugging her white skirt down to cover her legs. 

"Pft," Soryu tries to hold in a laugh, "You are lucky you're injured."

"Sure sure... You don't need to say that, I know you like helping around." she laughs, her red orbs scanning down the page.

The two continued reading in silence and soon, night fell, the librarian lighting the fireplace in front of the couch they sat on. They kept reading, but soon, like last time, Yumiko fell asleep with no knowledge from Soryu.

"Wow, we finished that quickly. Akiyama, we need to get back- What..."

She was snoring softly on his lap, a warmth and weight he hadn't noticed earlier. "Again...? Tch, you are one troublesome woman." he sighs, pickng her up in his arms.

Carefully placing her in her wheelchair, he nodded thanks to the librarian on the way out and to the limo. Placing her in the car with wheelchair in the back, Soryu drove them both to the hotel, where he put her to bed, tucking her in.

Problem was, it was in his suite. Why? Because Yumiko didn't have her key card on her and Yukio didn't give him anything when he left.

The mafia prince stared at her quietly once again. Once more, comparing her to all the glamorous vixens around the lounge. His feelings and mind were in a turmoil. But only ever happens when she was around.

"You really know how to play me by ear, Yumi..."