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"A parent teacher conference?" Enri inquired as she removed the keys from her motorcycle, the charms connected to the keychain jingling as they clanked together with the other keys connected to the chain. The scarlet-haired physicist had just returned from an exhausting day at work.

Ema nodded as her side-ponytail bobbed up and down with the movement of her head. "Dad won't be home till the month of the wedding and I was wondering if you could fill in his place. It's alright if you can't, Masaomi-nii or Ukyo-nii to go if you're too busy."

In all honesty, Ema hoped her sister could attend the meeting since her father rarely did due to work and Enri was usually busy studying or was also occupied by her time demanding job.

Ema looked up at her sister anxiously, hope dancing in her eyes as Enri let out a tired sigh. "Oh all right, since it's you I'll see what I can do. Just incase, however, make sure to call Masaomi or Ukyo, perhaps even Kaname if I can't go, alright?"

With a giddy squeal of joy Ema enveloped her sister with her arms, thanking her over and over again before taking the elevator upstairs to begin cooking dinner. As Enri dismounted her midnight-black motorcycle and entered the apartment building, she removed the envelopes that filled her tiny mailbox cubby, taking them with her as she rode the elevator to the fifth floor, entering her room once she was there.

The red-head's eyes swiftly read through the words on the outside of each envelope before her hands abruptly stopped flipping through the pieces of paper as she found a letter from her father and a letter from her previous high school, which she ignored for the most part as she began to tear envelope encasing her father's letter.

It read,

Dear My Beloved Daughter,

This is your father writing to you from overseas in America! The jungles here are absolutely exquisite and are a sight to behold. I was wondering how you and Ema were doing and how you two are getting along with your new brothers.

I know this was a very sudden and unexpected change in your usual life style but I hope you can forgive me since it's been such a long time since I've felt this much love for a woman since your mother passed. Please don't be mad at me or Miwa for re-marrying each other. I love her dearly and I'm sure you will too once you get to meet her, she's a splendid woman.

I truly wish you the best in adjusting, though I know you two will have no problems, you're both so independent that it hurts sometimes when you don't need your dad to look after you anymore.

I talked with Miwa earlier on the phone and she asked me to ask you if it would be alright to send you a dress to wear to the wedding. She's always wanted to dress a girl since she has only ever given birth to boys.

Sent With Love,

Your Father

Enri refolded the letter into thirds placing it on her wooden desk as she frowned bitterly. " 'Don't hold it against me,' he says. How could he even love someone after losing mother? The woman he swore to love eternally until the day they both died? Is it because she's gone now? Because she can't love you physically anymore? Is it not enough for him?" Enri seethed as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, her heart clenching in pain as hatred filled her soul.

On one shoulder an angel sat, on the other a devil. "He's finally happy now, Enri! We should be happy for him if she brings him joy." The angel said, a bittersweet smile on her face. "Tsk, happy for him?" The devil shouted, a dark aura emitting from her. "He swore to love mom forever so why does he get to love another woman just because she's gone? Mom would've cherished him in this situation!"

As the two sides clashed, Enri couldn't handle the thoughts rushing through her head. Covering her eyes with her hands as she wept, the 27 year-old attempted to keep her pitiful wails in, not risking the chance of anyone hearing her. The woman missed her mother dearly, after all, she was a mommy's girl. She could remember crying and crying every night, day after day when Ah-reum passed, not leaving her room to eat and only ever getting out of bed when she needed to use the bathroom.

After what seemed like hours, which in reality was actually just a few minutes, Enri wiped the slightly-dried streaks of tears from her face, getting up from her bed and exiting her room, making her way to the bathroom.

Once inside the red-head locked the door, looking at her distraught self in the mirror and cringing at what she saw. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying, her hair was a mess, and she looked so tired it was as if she hadn't slept at all.

In attempts to wash away the evidence of her sadness, Enri splashed cool water on her face, hoping to soothe her irritated eyes. After, she left the bathroom and rode the elevator down to the dining room for dinner so no one would become worried about her disappearance.

Upon entering the room, Enri made her way to her regular spot at the dining table between Kaname and Masaomi, building a fabricated facade of happiness to keep their suspicious eyes away before she began to eat her dinner silently, smiling into the comforting food that was slowly mending her tattered heart.

"Enri-san?" A deep voice asked, a spoonful of worry laced into her name. "Are you alright? You look like you were crying." Ukyo said as everyone's eyes fixed on the scarlet-haired woman.

With as natural of a smile as she could muster, Enri looked at Ukyo with dull eyes, nodding at him as her smile tightened. "I'm perfectly fine, Ukyo-san, I just watched a sad video on UsTube, that's all." she informed him reassuringly, turning back to her food as she continued to eat.

Once she was finished, Enri said her thanks before getting up and making her way towards the elevator. She would've continue onwards until a small hand grasped her shirt, tugging her backwards.

Spinning around to find her perpetrator, Enri's heart melted as she saw Wataru with a pout on his rotund face, his beautiful, big round eyes staring up at her with worry.

"Onee-san, can I come with you to your room so we can play?" The little boy asked, his adorable face enough to make the woman cave into his request.

"Of course you can, Wataru." She said, outstretching her hand to him for him to hold. The boy took it gladly, happily following his new sister to her apartment room.

Once inside, Enri let out a tired sigh as she turned on the TV to a kids channel to keep Wataru entertained as she cleaned up her pile of mail, handling the letter from her father sourly

"Onee-san?" Wataru asked, his eyes prying away from the TV to look at his sullen sibling. "Why are you so sad?"

Enri paused her cleaning, her eyes widening at how perceptive the little boy was. "W-Wataru, I'm not sad. Onee-san isn't--," her voice cracked and the red-haired woman had to use a hand to cover her mouth before she could let out noises she wouldn't be able to stop once they came out.

"Nee-san?!" Wataru shouted, his arms encasing the teary-eyed woman in a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry Wataru, my father and your mother's remarriage is just too much for me to handle. I can't help but feel hatred towards them for doing this." Enri explained, a frown permanent on her face.

"What? You don't like Okaa-san? How come?" The salmon-haired boy asked, his feelings hurt. "Wataru, don't you ever miss your real father? Don't you ever wonder why your mom is marrying another man if she already loved your father?!" Enri shouted, clenching her jaw together as her eyes closed tight.

The new information just confused Wataru since he was too young to understand what it meant. "Onee-san, I don't understand." He said, frowning as tears began to prick in his eyes.

When Enri looked at the boy, so confused and sad by what she was telling him, her heart broke a fraction more as she enveloped the little boy in a hug. "Of course you don't Wataru. Onee-san's sorry for pushing her problems onto you, you've done absolutely nothing wrong. As long as you're with Onee-san, I'll be happy." She said, hugging to boy closer to herself and laying down on her bed, humming a lullaby to calm the salmon-haired boy down.

"Just stay with me, okay?"