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hey Lᵒᵛᵉ, did you know?

the equatorial regions on earth
experience little season variation.
they have about the same daylight
& darkness through the entire year.

they experience two alternating
seasons. one of them being
the Rainy Season.

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Back when she was a preschooler, the most vivid memory Fuyuko had of her mom was of her crying. She was just four—almost five back then, when she was told her father was not a good man, and that they were better off without the jerk.

Preschool Fuyuko never got what her mom meant back then, but as she became older, she began to understand their situation little by little.

Turned out, Fuyuko was a mistake. Her biological father was someone who completely led her mom on, showing her fake love and using her body as he wanted. Yet the moment he got the news of her pregnancy, his real colors showed. The man forced her to get the child aborted, without giving her mom a single real reason why she couldn't give birth.

Her mother, Nanami was completely opposed to his decision though, and within one of their arguments, a huge bomb was dropped. That Nanami's supposed boyfriend, had been already married and had a family of his own.

Nanami's world shattered, yet despite everything, she refused to turn to abortion. "This child should not be punished for my mistakes." She had stated, before she decided to become a single mother.

Despite the father of her child leaving them permanently, despite getting thrown out of her household for choosing to raise an illegitimate child, and despite having to work all by herself trying to afford for the two of them, Nanami never gave up.

Her path was not a smooth one, and she faced many difficulties along the way. Through all, by the time Fuyuko had turned three, she had a proper paying job and a place they could live in.

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Atsushi was barely two when his mother found out about the affairs her husband had. It was a simple drunken mistake, but he spilled everything within a single night. His mother became aware of Nanami through his rambles.

Not that she could do anything about it though. His husband never did listen to her anyways, and while the news completely broke her heart, she had no choice but to keep on living with him as he was the main income of the family.

That didn't mean she couldn't make contact with Nanami though. Yes, Atsushi's mother, had ended up visiting Nanami after her heart break.

The purpose of her visit was to apologize, but she couldn't help but burst out crying the moment her eyes landed on the three-year-old girl. She was also a mother of four, and Atsushi was only two. She felt for Nanami and the hardships she had to face.

Funny enough, both mothers ended up hitting it off very quickly. It was mostly because of their distaste to the same person, but that didn't matter does it. What really mattered was the fact that both of them bonded over trash talking about their children's father.

Both had been living in Tokyo back then, in completely different areas, but Tokyo still. So, they never had too much difficulty meeting up on a regular basis and kept in touch for four long years.

Until, Ms. Murasakibara was admitted due to a car accident which left her with fatal injuries.

Nanami remembered the last conversation she had with her as if it was just yesterday. Shedding tears as she held the hand of her best friend who just laid there, body weak and unmoving.

"Nanami, I know this maybe too much to ask... but can you do me a favor and look after Atsushi for me?" Ms. Murasakibara rasped out; voice barely heard. "My older three son's will be fine... they're all grown up already... but he's still only six..."

Nanami's kind heart could never refuse such a request, and she would have done it without being even told to. She was her closest friend after all. So close, that it broke her to say goodbye to her, just days after her last request.

Mr. Murasakibara himself couldn't refuse his wife's last wishes, he did nothing but to silently trust Atsushi's wellbeing to Nanami. Leaving him with three grown sons to take care of.

Atsushi was just six back then, and Fuyuko was seven. Both were in elementary school when they were officially introduced to each other.

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"Hey, hey~ Sushi-chin~" A seven-year-old Fuyuko called over to the taller child who was about to leave home. "Where you heading to?"

It wasn't that she didn't know, she was pretty sure he was headed off to play basketball with neighbors of his age. The fact that they lived near the shrubs gave them such opportunities unlike the kids living in the more central areas.

Atsushi spared her a single glance, one that looked bored of her entire existence. "Not your business. And stop calling me that stupid name." He drawled out, eyes narrowing down at her before walking outside.

Fuyuko was left to hum to herself, staring at his retreating back. Not that it dejected her though, she was determined to make him her friend after all. So, with narrowed eyes of childlike determination, she stared at the boy who was almost out of the gate before sucking in a huge breath. "I'll make you like me more! Sushi-chin!"

She only received a look of pure annoyance. Again, not that it could deter her.

From back inside, Nanami had heard the entire exchange, which left her brows furrowing with worry. It had been weeks since the young boy moved in, yet they had yet to break down his shell, so her worry was justified she'd say.

Fuyuko had been optimistic about it, unlike Atsushi who was hard to read with that laid-back personality of him. The boy acted way mature for his age, and Nanami could only guess it was because of his mother's recent death. There was no way a child could get over something like that so soon after all, so both her and Fuyuko had been understanding.

The little girl in particular, was more excited to have someone around her age to live with. She had grown up with nannies and little to no contact with other people after all, so it was only natural she'd be looking forward to have someone to hang out with.

He's stubborn right now, but I'll make you like me Sushi-chin! Count on it!

She was determined, and she wasn't stopping until things turn out her way. Her tenacious spirit would never let her live it down.

And so, her journey to soften the heart of the tall six-year-old started.

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"Oi! Sushi-chin! Let's eat lunch together!"

"Don't wanna."

•—•

"Sushi-chin! Can we share an umbrella?
I forgot to bring mine."

"That's your fault, deal with it yourself."

•—•

"Oh, hey Sushi-chin!
Can I play basketball with you guys today?"

"Huh? No way, girls can never play as well as boys."
Cue, laughter of the boys he plays basketball with.

•—•

"Sushi-chin! Want to watch anime with me?"

"What's that?"

Fuyuko instantly perked up!
"It's animated cartoon basically!
Except wayyyy better than normal cartoon!"

"Hm, sounds boring."

"Wa— Hey—"

•—•

"Hey Sushi-chin, are you asleep already?"

She received no response, which had her softly
sighing before moving to close the door.

Atsushi peaked out of his blanket,
just barely managing to see the lavender heads
dejected face before the door closed completely.
Leaving him to shift to a comfortable position,
and ended up staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"Tch, she should just give up already."

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Days continues to pass, and before long, two months have come to pass. Two months of failure on Fuyuko's part that is.

Even still, she had no thoughts of giving up. Not one bit. Two months were nothing in her book, they had their entire lives before them after all.

Yes, two months were nothing indeed. It certainly wasn't enough for Atsushi to forget his mom. His last memory of her was her lying lifelessly on a hospital bed, and it haunted his dreams.

It was one of those nights, where he woke up with a start and was unable to fall back asleep. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen only to come face to face with Fuyuko, who stared back at him with wide eyes filled with shock.

In her hands was a bowl of fruit salad, and the light from the fridge from behind her, illuminated her silhouette. One can already guess what she had been up to, awake late at night.

Atsushi blankly stared as Fuyuko swallowed the contents in her mouth, before parting her lips in an attempt to end the awkward silence. "Uh, you want some?"

The boy internally debated, and in the end nodded. "Sure." It wasn't like he was going to fall back asleep soon either ways, so he might as well.

The silence continued to stretch however, and none of them attempted to break the awkward air. They only sat side by side at the dining table, silently eating from the same bowl with separate spoons of their own.

From the middle, the contents of the bowl continued to shrink and shrink, until there was only a few at the bottom. Only then, did Fuyuko decided to break the silence, albeit hesitantly.

"Sushi-chin... do you hate me?" It was a simple question, yet she never bothered to look at his direction. Only staring down at the bowl with furrowed brows of negativity.

Atsushi on the other hand stared at her side profile, silently observing the expressions on her face which was seen as clear as day. He eventually moved to stare at the bowl as well to mentally question himself.

Do I hate her? I do, don't I?

He wasn't sure, he was still a child after all. His brain did not have the capability to understand everything he's been experiencing, nor did he know how to voice it out loud. So, he ended up blurting out something he himself wasn't sure of. "I do."

Fuyuko's head lowered. "I see, so you want me to stop chasing after you?"

Atsushi nodded. "Your annoying."

Again, he was not at all able to prove the truth in his own words, but they were still said out loud and there was no going back.

After that, Fuyuko too started minding her own business. There was no usual greeting, no casual attempts to start random conversations, and no invitations for random things.

All of a sudden, his life had become more boring. As if he was within a canvas of a grey scaled home, squeezed of any and every color ever to exist within it before.

Fuyuko's absence in his life was what it took for him to figure out, that she was the one who had kept him grounded in reality after his mom's death. That she was the one annoying him enough to take his minds off his loss, and to keep him away from the loneliness he had been experiencing since.

There's a saying that goes 'You'll first have to lose something to realize the actual worth of it.' and that was exactly what Atsushi was experiencing. He realized it too late, and now there was no going back for him.

Or so he thought.

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"Pst— there goes Murasakibara, he looks creepy, doesn't he?"

"You mean his height? Yeah he's a bit creepy."

"That too, but he is weird y'know, he always has that bored look. Who knows what goes on in that huge head of his."

"Then why do you play basketball with him?"

"Because it's better to have him on our side, duh."

"SHH, he's right there you idiot."

Atsushi was very well aware of what's been said behind his back, not that he minded much—that's what everyone thought. In reality, while he didn't admit it out loud, he was affected when such words came from people he regularly hung out with.

After that, he had come to realize, that he was completely alone at school, all by himself. Especially not now, now that Fuyuko was keeping her distance. Those were his though and no one else's.

Days later, he was greeted with the sight of Fuyuko brawling with a 'friend' he plays basketball with—inside their school premises at that, which would explain the kids cheering them on all round them. Along all, he stood as a mere spectator, unable to take his eyes off his half-blood sister overpowering a boy.

"YOU FREAK! HE HATES YOU SO WHY'RE YOU SO WORKED UP!" His male 'friend' shouted, struggling against the girl straddling him and trying to get her hands off his hair, grunting when her hold only tightened in response.

"I DON'T CARE YOU JERK!" Fuyuko shouted, making sure she wasn't thrown off his body with the way he was trashing around. "SUSHI-CHIN'S NOT CREEPY! YOU'RE THE CREEPY ONE FOR TALKING BEHIND HIS BACK!"

At once he knew, that the argument and the fight was about him. After all, unlike him who couldn't be bothered to confront them, Fuyuko was someone who won't hesitate to throw hands, and she did, for him.

Before long, teachers have arrived at the scene, and both children were brought to the principles to summon their parents. Nanami had ended up scolding Fuyuko back at home, but Fuyuko was persistent, saying her actions were justified.

"They were trash talking about Sushi-chin, they had it coming." Were her exact words.

The very same night—close to midnight, Atsushi had gone down stairs only to stumble upon Fuyuko yet again. He instantly felt a sense of Deja vu at the sight of a frozen Fuyuko, with an apple hanging from her mouth. The only stark difference being the many band aids and patches scattered all over her visible skin, including her face.

Fuyuko balanced the bowl of apple with one hand, other one reaching to take the apple she had previously bitten into. "Uh, wanna have one?"

This time, Atsushi didn't hesitate to accept, because he had got the perfect opportunity to question her actions that day. That's what led them to sit at the dining table, side by side, the bowl of apples on the table between them.

Deja vu indeed.

"So? What's with you?" Fuyuko casually asked, as if her getting into a fight was like a breath of fresh air to her. "You're normally silent, but that's because you're bored isn't it?" She turned to make eye contact with him. "Right now, you're silent because there's things going on in your head, aren't I right?"

That was also when Atsushi knew, that this step sister of his, knew him way better than he had originally thought. Which was surprising considering the limited kind of interactions they've had.

"Why did you fight him today?" Atsushi asked, not breaking eyes contact with the girl who merely raised a bro at him.

"What? You want me to stay silent and pretend he wasn't saying bad things about you?" Fuyuko asked, staring at him as if he'd grown two heads.

Atsushi's brows furrowed, not really getting the girls view. "What's it to you?" He grumbles out.

The pale lavender haired girl tilted her head at him, before scoffing out a breath. "You're an idiot you know that right?"

".... Ha?" Atsushi can't help but let out. Wanting to shrink at the judging look she was sending his way.

"Listen here, Dumb-Sushi-chin." Atsushi's eyes blew wide at her stern tone. "Just because you went and declared that you hate me, doesn't mean I have to hate you back you know?" She didn't break her narrow-disappointed stare. "And just because I stopped talking to you doesn't mean I'm not thinking of a way to make you talk to me. You're still my dumb half-brother no matter how much you hate me dumbass."

"... what?"

Fuyuko closed her eyes to return her face back front. Bringing her hands to fold them over her chest as she shook her head like a disappointed parent—imitating what Nanami would often do. "Honestly, how dumb can you be?"

"Stop calling me dumb already!"

"No way~"

Silence soon engulfed their surroundings, with Atsushi being left to think things through. Fuyuko on the other hand, messily ate her apple, continuing to send him side stares as she did so.

"So? You're not gonna say anything? Is this what I get for pouring my heart out to you?" She asked in a dead tone, getting impatient of waiting.

"Does people tell you how annoying you are?" Atsushi voiced with twitching brows. "Let me think about this ok?"

"Huh? What's taking you so long?" Fuyuko pouted. "Also, you're the only person who ever called me annoying. Be glad I let you live after calling me something like that." She huffed out a breath.

"Live?" It was Atsushi's turn to raise a single brow. "As if a twig like you can do anything."

"Oh, shut up you giant!" Fuyuko exclaimed right back. "What did your dad even feed to you huh?"

"He's your dad too."

"Huh no way. That deadbeat wanted me dead before I was even born. Who in their right mind would want to call someone like that 'dad'?"

Atsushi was temporary stunned to silence because of the vocabulary a seven-year-old like her had. "Who taught you that?" He wondered out loud, which had Fuyuko grinning almost instantly.

"Your mom!" She answered enthusiastically. "She was fun to be around...." She trailed off, her eyes moving over to the bowl of apples.

All of a sudden, the air turned gloomy, both children relishing the fact that Ms. Murasakibara was not there with them anymore.

Atsushi's eyes moved over to the girl, watching her frown for a good moment before looking away with a grunt. "You said you've been thinking of a way to make me talk to you?" Fuyuko instantly turned to the taller child, blinking at the sudden change of topic.

"Yeah, every day." She answered, narrowing her eyes at him. "What? Are you planning to make my life a bit easier?"

Atsushi sent her a dead gaze. "You don't want me to make your life easier? I can do that too." He shot back.

Which had her eyes going wide at his sudden change in mind. "Huh? Well that was a sudden plot twist." She blinked twice, still sending him a wide stare of disbelief. "Am I dreaming right now? Please tell me I am, because you're being weirdly generous right now. Very. Weirdly."

Atsushi's brow twitched. "And you're being very annoying right now." He scoffed. "I'm shocked no one ever told that to your face."

"Hey! That's a rude thing to say to a lady!"

"The only lady in this house is your mom."

Fuyuko scowled, a single away from attacking her half-blood brother. "So? How're you trying to make things easier for me?" She asked, leaning back in her chair to fold her arms over her chest.

"Simple." Atsushi drawled out, leaning forward to take a single apple into his hand. "Pastries."

Fuyuko's head slowly moved to stare at the giant, watching him turn the apple around to check if it was good. "... pastries?" She repeated, dumbfounded.

"Yeah. I want you to bake pastries for me." he spared her a single glance. "Pastries good enough to satisfy me." He turned back to bite into the apple, leaving Fuyuko to do a double take.

"WAIT WHAT?!"

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Hello~ This is one of the bonus chapters I've
planned to write. But this one turned out to be
over 6000 words so I'll be changing this one
into two chapters okay!