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5.
It's Yusuke that finds the tapes, behind the decade-old VHS player and its equally bedraggled speakers. The edges of the label are yellowed and nicked; Yusuke rubs at the paper, and it sticks to his thumb.
"Daaaad," says Yusuke, fiddling with a tape labeled '9', "can I watch these, or is this your collection of porn?"
"What?" Sasuke squeaks out, halfway through his snack. Strands of soba fall from his chopsticks and onto his bowl of soup. Tama, the cat, meows piteously when nothing falls to the floor.
Ryosuke pokes his head into the living room. "What are you up to this time?"
"I didn't know these things still existed," says Yusuke, bopping the tape against the side of his head.
"Oh, hey," says Ryosuke. He crosses the room and plops down on the rug beside Yusuke. "I forgot we still had these."
He runs a finger over the cover of a tape labeled '1'. The dirt clings to his hand, when he pulls back to inspect it. Yusuke upends the other tapes from their cases and fans them out on the floor. "You're so old, dad," says Yusuke, smartly, as he unearths a video camera. "Ancient."
"You're a mouthy brat, aren't you?" Ryosuke says. "Who taught you to talk like that?"
"You did," says Yusuke. He sticks out his tongue, and even as a college freshman, he looks every bit like the four year old that never followed anyone's orders. "And anyway, this video cam probably doesn't work anymore."
"Not if Sasuke gets his hands on it," says Ryosuke, and he and Yusuke turn to the younger boy with matching expressions of mistrust.
"I'm not that bad," Sasuke protests. His cheeks color, as he looks at his hands.
"Tell that to the toaster," says Ryosuke.
"And the microwave!" Yusuke pitches in.
"The poor glue gun," says Ryosuke, "back when you were both doing your art projects."
"My cellphone," says Yusuke. "You still owe me, by the way."
"Mom!" Sasuke yells. His hands flutter in the air, frustrated. "Dad and nii-chan are ganging up on me again!"
Haru laughs, from the kitchen. "Come help me dry the dishes, then."
"Go on, o wrecker of all things electronic and modern," says Yusuke, waving him away. Sasuke flushes, but he swallows the last of his soup and stands to take his bowl to the sink. Tama follows him, head held high and confident that treats await her in the kitchen.
Haru feeds Tama some leftover fish and pats Sasuke's cheek as he passes her, fond and indulgent. "Nii-chan's being a jerk," says Sasuke, hotly. He turns on the tap and rinses his bowl and metal chopsticks under the water. "And dad's not helping at all."
"Well," says Haru, "I'm making sugar cookies in a bit. You can always read here, while I whip up a batch."
"Mother," says Sasuke, "I'm not twelve."
"I know, darling," says Haru. She touches his brow, briefly, and his eyes, like hers, flutter close. "But you'll always be my baby, won't you?"
The corners of Sasuke's lips twitch, like he can't decide if he wants to match Haru's smile. While Ryosuke and Yusuke grin like the world will tip over and crack if their teeth don't show, Sasuke clamps down his mouth like it would kill him if it opened. Sometimes, Haru worries.
"Okay," says Sasuke, instead. "I'll go get my books."
4.
It's nearly seven when Yusuke cracks an eye open to see his father crouched on his bed, armed with a bucket of water and Sasuke's old recorder flute. Propped up against the computer table, the video camera is recording what is sure to be the stupidest prank a parent could come up with.
"No," Yusuke groans out. "I'm not changing my sheets again. I'm awake, you stupid old man."
Ryosuke blows into the flute, making a pathetic B2 with his clumsy fingers. Sasuke's musical abilities are largely genetic, unfortunately. "Wake up," says Ryosuke. "You've got an early day tomorrow, right?"
"Dad," says Yusuke into his pillow, "what part of tomorrow did you not understand?"
"The part where both of you are spending the last of your summer break in bed," says Ryosuke. He pokes the end of the flute to Yusuke's cheek, and hits a D. "Now hold onto this while I wake your brother."
"Why can't you be normal," says Yusuke, as Ryosuke abandons the flute in favor of climbing up to the top bunk and throwing water onto his youngest son and their pet cat.
"I love you too, brat," says Ryosuke, cheerfully, and ducks out of the room when Tama yowls and Sasuke rises out of bed, spluttering through the water in his nose.
3.
"The first thing we have to do," says Yusuke, gravely, "is to kill off the aliens."
Armed with a plastic sword and a limited edition model of Gundam Deathscythe, Yusuke thinks he looks formidable – heroic, even. Badass, totally. Never mind that he is eleven and playing with robots may or may not be uncool for his age group.
"Aliens don't exist," says Sasuke, sullenly. He pokes at Yusuke's weapon with clear disdain. He's reached that age, where he doesn't listen to his awesome big brother anymore. Yusuke's more than a little sore about that. "I'd rather read."
"Both of you are stupid," says Rumi, not looking up from her handheld game.
"Says the kid who can't get past the gym leader," says Yusuke. He holds out his palm, magnanimously. "Give it to the expert."
"No way," says Rumi, holding it close to her chest. "Last time you guys touched this game, you didn't sleep for days."
"That was just him," says Sasuke, blushing, even when, really, he's the worst offender.
"Haha," says Rumi. "I'm not letting this go until mom comes back."
Rumi's mom is in the kitchen with Yusuke and Sasuke's mom. When Yusuke passed by the hall on his way to the bathroom earlier, Rumi's mom was crying into her bowl of congee. Rumi's mom is unlucky with men, or so the grownups say, and that's the only reason she even cries anymore. Yusuke doesn't know what that means, yet, but Rumi's mom always looks so sad, even when he thinks she looks really pretty.
"That'll take forever," says Yusuke. He starts to prod Rumi's backside with his sword. "And you've only got a few potions left, so gimme!"
"Stop distracting me," says Rumi. She kicks at Yusuke. "Argh, lemme save my game before – oops."
"What do you mean oops," says Yusuke. "Oops is bad. Oops is always bad. What did you do?"
Rumi makes this really embarrassed face, the kind she picked up from Yusuke even as a kid, all pouty and large-eyed as she lies through her teeth. "Remember that save file that Sasuke may or may not have overwritten last week?"
"What," says Yusuke, with increasing horror. Sasuke makes threatening noises behind his back.
"Well, problem solved?" Rumi squeaks out.
The living room barely recovers. Everyone is banned from video games from a month.
2.
"Dad," says Yusuke, imperiously, "I want a cat."
Ryosuke looks up from where he's still trying to figure out how to fold the paper into a crane, if only because his kid is already done and Yusuke's origami kitten looks like a masterpiece beside his own. He looks at Haru.
"Haru," says Ryosuke, "can't you take over?"
"I've always wanted a pet cat," says Haru, thoughtfully.
"Cats smell," says Ryosuke, "and they leave dead things around the house and get in your way."
"That sounds like Sasuke," says Yusuke, sniggering. "Sensei says Sasuke always smells like fruit. And he leaves all his stuff around our room, and he follows me around all of the time."
"Your brother is a cat," says Ryosuke, "but don't tell him I said that."
"It's okay," says Yusuke, "Sasuke doesn't mind."
"There," says Ryosuke, "why on earth would you want a cat when you already have one at home?"
Yusuke, undeterred, pitches the idea to Sasuke. Sasuke is a quiet child with few wants, but he is sometimes very impressionable and relentless, prone to staring at Ryosuke for long periods of time. Yusuke really needs to learn not to fight dirty.
A few hours later, Ryosuke is helplessly holding Yusuke and Sasuke's small hands as they wander around a pet store and pick out a blue-eyed ball of fluff. Sasuke's awe-struck expression as the kitten nips at his teeth and cuddles against his palm is one that Ryosuke wants to keep in his heart, forever.
Yusuke, though – the brat's gonna be hell on his nerves, when he grows up. Ryosuke cringes.
"Cool," says Yusuke, when the cat barfs into the living room rug for the first time. "Can I get a dog, dad?"
1.
In the waiting room, Akane hides her face in her hands. She stays like that, sleepless and jittery with copious amounts of coffee, until Ryosuke emerges from the door with a nurse.
"You can come in," says Ryosuke. His voice cracks, as she takes his hand and squeezes. "Haru wants to see you now."
Haru's hair is still hidden under the cap and her face is still red with exertion, but in her arms are two tiny babies, one fast asleep and the other suckling at her breast.
"Akane-chan," says Haru. She smiles, until her eyes close with the force of it. "Say hi to your nephews."
Akane holds out her hands as Ryosuke carefully moves the sleeping baby into Akane's arms. He opens his eyes, barely, and squints up at her. "This is Yusuke," says Ryosuke, touching the baby's brow, "and that one is Sasuke."
"Hello," says Akane, "I'm so happy to finally meet you two."
Yusuke whimpers, and moves to hide his face against her arm. She holds him tightly, like she's afraid to let him go.
"They're beautiful," says Akane, hushed, humbled. She's – crying, she thinks.
"They're ours," says Haru, as Ryosuke cradles the back of Akane's hand with his palm, to cup behind Yusuke's head, gently. "They're all ours."
0.
In the Fujisakis' living room, while watching his mother's smiling face, his father's boisterous, full-bodied laughter, Tsubaki tries to imagine all of this, when he shuts his eyes.
This, and only this.