Time Tells All

"Shuichi, Sayuri, hope you are doing well." A nurse asked when she noticed them approaching her patient's door. She was of average height, unlike Sayuri, with brown hair that fell just past her shoulders, and calm blue eyes. She was their mother's nurse, Rei.

"Yes we are." Shuichi replied with a kind smile that fell quickly at his sister's question.

"How is our mother?"

"She's about the same I'm afraid; no better and, thankfully, no worse than she was yesterday. She might still be awake, I just gave her some medicine in hopes of it helping her relax." Rei explained. She watched as Sayuri left her brother's side and walk into the room, wasting no time in reaching her mother's side. Both could hear the weak voice of the woman inside greeting her daughter. Shuichi went to enter the room as well, but Rei stopped him closing the door and asking him to step away from it.

"Shuichi, I hate saying this. I've known your mother for years, you're all family to me, but Shiori may not last much longer. I'm afraid we don't have a cure for her illness. It's only a matter of time before-"

"I understand." He interrupted, not wanting to hear the words out loud. "It's best that you waited until Sayuri went into the room, she doesn't need to hear this right now. Is there anything else you need to tell me?" He asked fighting to keep the sadness from his voice and features.

"No that was it. I just thought that information would sound better coming from me rather than anyone else." Rei said not doing well at keeping her emotions hidden as a tear fell from her eyes. Shuichi placed a comforting hand on her shoulder like he did to Sayuri earlier that day. No words were exchanged in the short moment, but Rei eventually broke it. "Go to your mother and sister, they need you. I need to get back to work anyway. I'm sorry Shuichi, I wish things were different." She said wiping her tears away and giving him a sad smile. The red headed siblings weren't the only ones hurting from Shiori's sickness and Shuichi could see that in Rei's eyes clearly.

"So do I." He said before leaving the woman's side to go join his mother and sister. As he entered the room, closing the door behind him, he noticed his little sister standing by their mother's bed holding her hand. Their mother, Shiori, was sound asleep; the medicine taking affect and allowing her to rest.

"She tried waiting for you to come in, but she just couldn't stay awake. I told her you'd understand that whatever you and Rei were talking about must be of some importance." Sayuri said quietly as to not wake her mother. She looked up from her mother's peaceful face to look at her brother's sad one as he stood beside her.

"I'm here now mother." He whispered just barely loud enough that if Sayuri wasn't looking at him, she would have missed it.

Letting out a soft sigh he placed his hand on top of his mother's and sister's and sat down in the chair place by the bedside, watching his mother sleep while trying to get Rei's words from his mind. A single tear began to slip down his cheek and it broke Sayuri's heart. All this time he had been so strong, not only for her, but their mother as well. She could only imagine all the emotions he kept locked up inside just to put up the facade for them.

Carefully, Sayuri slid her hand free and took a step closer to her elder brother. He turned to look at her when she did this and saw the concern glitter in her eyes. Raising her hand to his face, she wiped the tear away like he had done for her so many times since their mother became this ill. The two siblings shared a look, holding a conversation without words that could only mean something to them, before the youngest Minamino wrapped her arms around her brother's neck, hugging him tightly.

They sat with their mother for about an hour or so when Sayuri broke the deafening silence with a small whisper. "I have homework to do." She said from where she sat by her sibling. She leaned her head on his shoulder and looked to him sad eyes.

"I managed to get most of mine done before leaving school." Shuichi stated making his sister frown.

"Of course you did, there's a reason you're the top student." Her statement made him laugh a bit as he looked down at her.

"You make that sound like a bad thing." He teased.

"No, not really. I'm proud of you and all, and you being the top gives me a great tutor, it's just hard to live in that shadow sometimes." Sayuri confessed looking away to stare at a wall. "Everyone compares me to you; 'Shuichi passed this class easily', 'your brother is an exceptional student, you should work harder at getting good grades'." She said altering her voice as she quoted what some of the teachers have told her. "I do try, I'm just not a genius. I'm an ordinary student, who struggles with math and science."

"Don't forget Literature." Shuichi joked trying to lighten the mood, knowing Literature was one of the classes she did well at.

"I'm being serious here Shuichi." She scolded her older brother, siting up straight in the chair she was sitting in to look him in the eyes. He smiled softly at her in return and brushed a few stands of hair from her face so she could clearly see him.

"I know. Look you don't have to be as smart as me. Just don't listen to what they say, you are fine the way you are."

"Who would know better than my big brother huh?" She asked with a small smile.

"Right, and you know I'm always here to answer questions if you don't understand something. I cannot let my baby sister fail and be ridiculed." He replied, returning her smile.

"Speaking of which, can you help me with my math, I didnt get all the notes today. I sort of spaced out." She asked sheepishly.

"Yes, but you have to pay attention in class better than you are." Shuichi said getting on to his younger sister. Ever since their father passed, he sort of filled that spot for her the best he could. He helped his mother keep her in line and tried to keep her out of trouble. He knew that he could never fill the spot their father left though, but he did what he could and Sayuri appreciated the fact that her brother would go to such lengths to keep her safe and well educated even with her lack of focus. She really couldn't have asked for a better brother.

What should have taken only a few minutes or so for math, took almost half an hour to get done to where Sayuri managed to understand it fairly well. She spent a few more hours with her other class homework and studying whereas Shuichi only took a little over one to finish the rest of his assignments, but he stayed seated on the floor with his sister occasionally helping her understand something she had questions on.

"Thanks for helping Shuichi." She stated as she placed her schoolbooks back in her bag.

"Anytime."

Sayuri let out a large yawn, streaching her arms and legs out in front of her, when there was a light knock at the door and Rei walked in. A sad smile on her face.

"Sorry you two, but visiting hours are up. I'm going to ask you to leave now since you both can't stay here at once. Besides Shuichi I know you won't let your sister stay alone at all during this and I think she needs some sleep anyways with that yawn she let out."

"I am sort of tired." The young girl confessed getting to her feet and walking to her mom. "Goodnight mother see you tomorrow." She said placing a kiss to her mother's cheek and walking back to pick up her bag. Shuichi did the same.

"I'll walk you guys out since my shift is over." Rei offered and walked with the two red heads out of the hospital. They parted ways once outside of the building, after final hugs and goodbyes, each heading to their homes. Shuichi stopped just outside their home and turned to Sayuri who held a concered, questioning look. He smiled softly to reduce her worries and took his bag from his shoulder.

"Take this for me and go on in. I'm going to walk around for a bit. I will be home shortly okay?" He said.

"Okay." She replied and he could hear the uncertainty in her voice as she took his bag.

The entire walk home she felt uneasy like they were being watched while walking down the empty road, but brushed it off as it being the fact it was late and her tired mind was playing tricks on her. Now her brother was going off in the middle of the night, on a school night of all days, and it did not sit well with her.

"Don't worry Sayuri." He assured as he pulled her into a hug. "I'll be back soon. I promise, there's nothing to worry about." Sayuri settled for a nod knowing her voice would still hold signs of worry if she spoke. He was satisfied with this response as he let her go and watched as she retreated towards the door and open the door. Once he knew she was safely inside, he began to walk casually to the end of the street.

Sayuri looked out side watching her brother's figure descend into the night, his uniform and hair the only reasons she could barely tell she was still seeing him before he turned the corner. She quickly dropped the bags she was carrying on the floor and exited her house as quietly as possible and hurried down the street. When she got to the corner she saw her brother walk into the woods near the park that was by their home and he walked with a purpose rather than taking a leisurely stroll to clear his head.

Figuring she gave him a good enough head start, she took off after him soon entering the menacing trees that she loved during the day. She wondered aimlessly through the forest, unable to find where her elder brother went. After several trees passed her and no glimpse of red hair that matched her own, she was about to give up. That was until she heard voices drift from further up ahead of her. One of the voices she knew belonged to Shuichi, but she did not recognize the other.

She wasn't far from where the voices were and she managed to find a tree that was not necessarily close to them, but enough to where she could see and hear them clearly. Her brother was not alone and she had never seen these men before.

One was brutish; he was tall and muscular, there was no doubt in her mind that if she pissed him off he could easily crush her, the other man was the exact opposite. He was short, not much taller than herself, she couldn't tell much about his looks with the black attire he wore, but his eyes, facial expression, was intimidating even from her distance. She realized that this must have been the reason she felt they were being watched on their way home, but what could they possibly want from her brother.

These guys were not like what she had ever faced before and she was terrified; not really for herself, but for Shuichi. She hoped he would survive this night, she couldn't bare to lose him too.