A/N: I'm thinking of making a tumblr page for all things related to this story. I already have some pics of Emi and Takeshi that I'd like to share...I don't know. Let me know if I should, either by PM or review.

Important info at the end of chapter!

Chapter 6: Building and Mending Relationships

"Fuuto! What the hell are you doing?!"

Emi lifted her head suddenly from the papers on her desk. She quickly stood from the chair and made her way to the door. She opened it slightly but saw no one outside. Instead she noticed Ema's door was wide open.

"Y-You've got it all wrong! We were just watching a movie together!"

That was Ema, she noted. Curious to see what the commotion was about, Emi left the quiet sanctuary of her room and tip-toed across the hallway into her little sister's room.

She raised an eyebrow at the scene. Fuuto was leaning close to Ema, completely disregarding her personal space. Yusuke was there too, his face was contorted in anger and jealousy, looking close to murdering his brother. Emi turned her attention to the young pop star, "Fuuto, what are you doing here?"

Ema held up her hands toward her sister, "Sis, you have it all wrong. Fuuto and I were just watching a movie together."

Yusuke didn't seem satisfied with the answer and moved forward and grabbed Fuuto in a headlock, "You little...!"

The younger brother struggled in the red-head's grip, "Hey, let go! You're gonna mess up my hair!" He then turned to Emi, "Help me, big sis!"

Emi crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, a small side of her still a bit mad about what Fuuto had said about Takeshi the other day. A small smirk formed on her lip, "Oh, it's not 'idiot older sister' this time?"

His eyebrow twitched. He wasn't one to apologize, his arrogance and pride wouldn't allow him to, so his only response was a small 'tsk'.

Emi allowed her smirk to widen on her lips as she looked at Yusuke, "Don't hurt him too much."

Yusuke smirked sadistically as he dragged Fuuto from Ema's room. Fuuto went along and waved to Ema, calling out to her cheekily, "Okay, then, see you later. Let's have some fun together some other time!"

Once they were gone from the room, Emi turned her attention to Ema, who had stooped down to pick up a paper. A contemplative look adorned the younger sister's face as she mumbled, "Career counseling, huh?"

That peaked Emi's interest, "Your career counseling appointment is coming up?"

Ema nodded. The older Hinata sister smiled and made her way to Ema's bed and sat down, "Have you thought about where you want to go?"

The younger sister shook her head, "Not that much. But one place has always been on my mind."

"Oh? Where would that be?"

"Meiji."

Emi blinked in surprise, "I didn't know you were interested in going there."

Her younger sister smiled, "It was always at the back of my mind, I just never really thought about it until now. I'd...really like to go where you go sis. Maybe I'm just being simple and biased but..."

Emi shook her head, "No, you're not. But I think you should try and find out all you can about Meiji and see if it really is right for you. Take in all your options, Ema. Don't be in such a rush to decide so quickly."

Ema stared down at the paper and nodded reluctantly, "Okay."

The older sister smiled warmly at her and brought her hand up to her head, ruffling her hair a bit as she stood up, "Don't fret too much. Take your time."

Ema nodded once again nodded, this time with more certainty, "You're right."

Emi grinned, "Alright, well, I need to get back to my essay." She turned and headed toward the door. Just as she placed her hand on the knob, Emi turned back toward her sister, "And don't let yourself get cornered by Fuuto. You're older than him, you can tell him off if you don't like what he's doing."

Ema looked down, slightly dejected, but she nodded. Her sister was right, she needed to act like an older sister now, and some things that Fuuto did weren't to her liking. She looked back up to Emi, "You're right. I'm sorry."

Emi just shook her head, waving off her apology, "As long as you're more careful from now on." She looked down at the floor in contemplation, thinking of Yusuke's timely interruption and added as an afterthought, "Perhaps you should go thank Yusuke-kun. He did come in the nick of time."

Ema smiled at the thought of Yusuke, "Yeah, that's a good idea."

As Emi turned away and headed out the door, she smirked. Yusuke so totally owed her one.

Emi stretched as she turned the corner of the Sunrise Residence. She had just gotten off the train, slightly tired from her day in class. She hadn't slept much last night due to her night job (a quaint restaurant, this time around). As Emi entered the back garden, she was greeted by the lovely sight of the red tulips that grew in front of the building.

She smiled brightly. Whoever the gardener was, she'd have to praise them on their fantastic work with the flower bed.

She stood there for a good few minutes, taking in the smell and the view, when she heard footsteps moving toward her. She turned her gaze away from the tulips as her eyes caught sight of Iori. He was dressed casually, black pants and a dark blue shirt peeked out from his half zipped dark gray jacket. She waved at him and greeted him as he got closer, "Good afternoon, Iori-kun."

He smiled gently at her, "Good afternoon, Emi-san."

She laughed, "There's no need to be so formal Iori-kun. We're gonna be living together for quite sometime so..."

He looked a bit surprised but he nodded, "Emi-chan, then?"

She grinned, "That's a lot better. I feel really old when people call me Emi-san. Or even worse, Hinata-san." She gave a slight shudder at the title. Iori chuckled at her reaction, "I'll keep that in mind."

Emi smiled at him. She hadn't had much of a chance to talk with Iori since coming here. The two had only exchanged brief 'good mornings' with little time to sit down and have a nice chat. Now that she thought about it, the most lengthy conversation they had had was the day she had made the bento's. She inwardly chided herself, she needed to spend more time with the brothers, she was living with them after all.

"I never thanked you for making me that bento. It was delicious. I enjoyed everything you put in it."

She blinked and allowed his comment to sink in. She felt heat rise up in her cheeks at his compliment. It took almost all her willpower to keep herself from grinning like an idiot at his remark. She settled for a smile, "It was no trouble at all. I was thinking of making more this week. Do you have any requests?"

"Well, if it's not any trouble, I'd like some tempura."

She mock saluted him, "Understood!"

He chuckled again. Iori was quite surprised that he was so easily able to talk to her. He felt so completely genuine with her. In school, everyone knew him as "The Prince", and while he did smile and laugh with his classmates, he didn't really mean it most of the times.

He liked how relaxed and open Emi was. Perhaps it was because of her more mature personality and how she didn't know him as Iori the Prince, but just as Iori.

He was pulled away from his musings when he saw how she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes as she did so, and sighed contentedly. Once she opened her eyes again, and looked down at the flower bed, "These flowers are so gorgeous aren't they?"

He blinked in surprise. He didn't think anyone noticed his hard work anymore, "You really think so?"

She looked slightly offended at his statement, "Of course I think so! I mean, just look at it. The flowers look so happy and beautiful. It's almost as if they're glowing. Whoever the gardener is deserves a raise or something."

Iori felt his heart lighten as he heard her compliment and he decided he should tell her that she was talking about him, "Well that would be somewhat difficult, seeing as I don't get paid to tend the flowers."

With the smile still plastered on her face, Emi blinked once. Twice. A third time, as Iori's statement sank in.

It was like a time bomb was ticking down as her eyes slowly widened and her jaw dropped slightly, "You're the gardener?"

Iori felt like his face would crack as he tried to keep himself from smiling too widely. He nodded at her question and he could almost hear the ticking of the bomb reach zero as her eyes widened almost to the size of saucers her mouth hanging open.

Her expression was too much to handle as his resolve left him and he began to laugh. He quickly clutched his stomach and tried to stifle his laughter. Emi stared at him in slight wonder, her ears appreciating the sound of his laugther, before laughing as well.

Once they had calmed down a bit Emi smiled brightly at Iori, "I really did mean what I said Iori-kun. Your flower bed is really amazing."

Her comment touched him deeply. His brothers really didn't see the need to compliment him on his chore, but to be honest he didn't really care. But it was nice to know that his efforts to keep the small garden well tended and healthy did not go unnoticed. He smiled warmly at her, "Thank you. It's nice to know that my hard work has been appreciated."

The two shared another smile and looked down at the flowers. A comfortable silence fell between them and was only broken when a small chime sounded from Emi's phone that she had tucked in her front pocket.

She reached for it and saw on the screen that she had received a text from Ukyo.

I'm going out to buy some groceries right now. What should we have today?

Emi smiled at the text and responded quickly.

Yakiniku seems like a good idea.

Emi looked up at Iori, "I hope you don't mind today's meal being yakiniku?"

Iori shook his head, "Not at all. I look forward to it."

Ukyo's reply came: Great idea. Can you start on the yakiniku sauce?

She sent a quick reply to Ukyo: No problem.

Putting her phone back into her pocket, she stepped toward the building, "Alright, well, I need to get started on the sauce. I'll see you at dinner?"

"Of course. I just came out to tend to the flowers."

"Alright then, I'll see you later." She walked toward the entrance and turned to wave to him as she entered the building.

As she turned to head toward the shoe lockers she was surprised to see Kaname leaning against the wall, out of Iori's sight. There was a small smile gracing his lips, his eyes cast down on the floor.

"Kaname-san?" She voiced softly.

The blond monk looked up, the small smile replaced by a more sly, sultry smirk, "Oh, Emi-chan, I didn't see you there."

Emi raised an eyebrow at his statement, "Of course you didn't," her reply laced with sarcasm.

Kaname placed a hand over his exposed chest, a mock hurt expression on his face, "Are you saying you don't believe me?"

She crossed her arms, eyebrow still raised and a small smirk on her lips, "Not even for a second."

Kaname sighed dramatically, "It seems I will never be able to fool you, my dear little sister."

Emi dropped her own superior act and smiled at Kaname's antics, "I have to agree with you there Kaname-san."

"Please, Emi-chan. Call me Onii-chan." He let the last word fall huskily from his lips. Emi was inclined to blush at the way he said it but she didn't want to give him that satisfaction. She opted to turn away and take off her shoes.

The monk smiled warmly. He really enjoyed his playful banter with Emi. She was so different from all the women who frequented him. It was refreshing for him to be able to have a conversation with someone without them fawning over him.

The two remained silent as Emi changed her shoes. Once she was done she looked up at Kaname who had been watching her silently. She clasped her hands behind her back, "So, will you tell me why you were hiding away from Iori and I?"

Kaname rubbed his chin in thought. He didn't really know how to say what he wanted to without giving too much information away. Well, a bit of truth wouldn't hurt. He turned his gaze on her, "It's just...It's been a long time since I've heard Iori laugh like that."

Emi blinked in surprise, "I see. Did something happen to him?"

Kaname tilted his head a bit, his eyes turned toward the ceiling, "He's just having a bit of a hard time as of late. Nothing too serious. He doesn't have that many people who are too close to him, see. So, hearing him laughing again, with you...it seems he's very receptive to you."

Emi nodded, a swell of affection for Iori shooting through her. Then she tilted her head, her eyes questioning, "What about you Kaname-san? Is Iori-kun not receptive of you?"

Kaname's smile was somewhat sad at the question. He shrugged, "Well, I wouldn't know about that. I do try to help him out once in a while, but it seems that he's in a bit of a rebellious stage with me."

She smiled sadly. She couldn't begin to imagine what it would be like being brushed off by Ema for anything. That girl always told her how she felt and in turn, Emi would usually go to Ema for a heart to heart.

Emi walked up to Kaname and took his hand in hers. His hazel eyes widened in surprise. She gave him a small squeeze, "I'm sure that one day, Iori-kun will thank you for worrying and looking out for him. He is truly blessed to have a brother like you Kaname-san."

Emi took note of the different expression's Kaname's face went through; disbelief, gratitude, and something else that she couldn't put a name to.

As Emi was about to let go of his hand, he stopped her from breaking the contact by gripping her hand lightly. His eyes softened as he looked down at her warmly, "Thank you Emi-chan."

Emi could almost feel the gratitude coming from Kaname. This time, Emi didn't bother trying to hide her blush. She would hardly be able to contain herself if all the brothers turned out to be this sweet and thoughtful, a small part of her grudgingly hoping that Fuuto turned out to be nice beneath his all-glorious bratty attitude.

Just as Emi was about to give in and hug Kaname, her phone chimed again. She snapped out of her inner turmoil and checked her phone, her hand reluctantly leaving Kaname's warm grip as she looked at her device, glaring at the device once she saw that her reminder ringtone had set off, mockingly blinking in bright colors that her assignment was due by midnight tonight.

She looked back up at Kaname who was looking down at her, a small smirk falling into place, "Is it your boyfriend?"

She felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment, her eyes narrowed into a glare, "No, it was just a reminder for my school assignment today."

The monk held up his hands in defense, "Hey, no need to be shy about it. It's perfectly normal for young couples such as yourselves to send lovey-dovey messages and sweet nothings to each other."

Emi covered her ears as she ran toward the elevator, positive that her face was completely flushed, "I don't wanna hear anymore, I'm leaving, goodbye!"

She could hear his laughter as the doors were closing. Once she was alone she sighed heavily. She just had to have a teasing smooth-talker for a brother didn't she. But even so, she smiled to herself, at least her life wasn't boring and in reality, Kaname wasn't that bad. Sure, he flirted with her here and there, but she could tell that it was all in good fun. She knew he was a good person at heart. She knew that if a time ever came where she would need to rely on him, he would be ready and waiting.

Emi got off on the fourth floor and quickly entered her room. She dumped her school bag on her bed and changed out of her clothes and into dark blue denim shorts and a plain white shirt with a gray sweater decorated with black stars. Once she was done she headed out the door to make her way to the fifth floor.

Once there, Emi decided to walk down the stairs of the lounge to see if anyone else was in the house at the moment. As she reached the last step she noticed someone laying down on the red couch.

To her slight disappointment, she noticed that it was Fuuto. He wasn't facing her, so hopefully he wouldn't be able to hear her if she quietly tip-toed out of the lounge. As she took her first step, Fuuto turned his head toward her, "Oh. It's you."

She turned to glare at him, "That should be my line." Fuuto smirked at her, "Are you still mad about what I said? It's the truth, you know."

Emi cast her eyes downward, turning away from Fuuto so that her hair was covering her face, "How could you say something like that? How could you possibly know what Takeshi is like?"

An exasperated sigh escaped his lips. He lifted himself up and sat back against the sofa, "I already told you. I'm training to become an actor. I know whether other people are playing a character or not. And I have a really strong gut feeling about him."

She turned up at him sharply, "There has to be more that just a gut feeling."

He stared at her for a few seconds before answering, "His eyes."

She arched an eyebrow, "His eyes?"

The young idol nodded, "His smiles don't reach his eyes. Take a look at them when he laughs or smiles. You'll see what I'm talking about."

He stood and made to walk past her when she caught his arm. He looked down at her in question. She hesitantly looked up at him, hurt and fear flashing through her eyes, "Why are you doing this? Warning me about Takeshi. Is it because you hate me? Did I do something to you?"

His eyes strayed away from hers for a moment before staring into hers again, "The first day we met, you remember right?"

Emi nodded and gazed back at him in confusion, silently asking him to continue, "I was expecting you to react the way Ema-nee-san did. But instead, you threw me down and scolded me. Every women that I've met had never done that to me. I knew at that moment that you weren't like other girls. You didn't care about who I was. You demanded respect, and that's something I like in a woman. So...seeing you being played by a guy like that...someone like you doesn't deserve that."

By the end of his explanation, a light blush was coloring Fuuto's cheeks. Emi stared at him in slight wonder. An awkward silence fell on the two of them. Fuuto had never in his life been so honest with any of his family members, so he was shocked at how open and how bare he left himself with Emi at that moment. Emi in turn, had never seen such raw emotion displayed on Fuuto's face before. His eyes were completely sincere, that obnoxious smirk that was always on his face was gone, and even more surprising was the rosy tint that lay on his cheek.

Emi slid her hand down from her spot on his sleeve to his hand. She held him gently, her eyes softening, gazing into his brown orbs, "I don't appreciate the way you went about warning me, that day. You could've at least acted civilly and then taken me aside to tell me."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "You honestly think I would do something like that?"

Emi laughed, "Yeah, that was stupid of me to say." She shook her head, "I...I don't want to believe you about Takeshi, but I believe in your concern for me. So I'll be careful from now on."

Fuuto could only nod. He may not have expressed as such, but he had been worried that he had pushed Emi too far that day. He really did value her, no matter how little he showed it. She was the only woman he had known that could talk back to him and not back down. He was even a little proud to call her his sister.

Emi bit her lower lip nervously and slowly raised up her other hand to lightly place it on Fuuto's cheek, the same one she had slapped. The warmth of her hand felt so good against his skin that Fuuto subconsciously leaned into her touch. She knitted her eyebrows, her eyes filled with sorrow, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hit you. No matter how angry I was, I shouldn't have done that. I'm so sorry, Fuuto-kun."

Fuuto stared at her, touched by the sincerity in her voice. He felt his chest tighten when he saw the regret of her actions fill her eyes. He could see that she was hurting over what she had done to him. Fuuto lifted his free hand to her face and covered her eyes, "Don't look at me like. I can't stand it when you look like that, it doesn't suit you, nee-san."

Emi took her hand away from his cheek to try and pry his own from her eyes, "But-"

She was then pulled into his embrace. Emi stared ahead, shocked at Fuuto's display of affection. His left arm was wrapped around her waist while his other held her head gently, pressing her further into his hug. Fuuto buried his head into the crook of her neck and whispered, "It didn't leave a mark. You were lucky, or else I'd have to punish you."

In any other situation, Emi would have been inclined to deck him over the head for the comment, but she could tell that he was joking, which was his way of trying to diffuse his embarrassment, since he wasn't used to being so open with anyone.

Emi smiled and wrapped her own arms around her younger brother and buried her head into his shoulder, "If you misbehave around a stranger like that again, I'll kick you next time."

She felt his chuckle rumble throughout his body, "Nee-san, I had no idea you were an S."

She giggled and poked his side, causing him to jolt away from her, "Well, you're not complaining so you must be an M."

He grinned and placed his hands in his pockets, "Hmm, maybe I am~" He turned and headed up the stairs, "See ya, O~nee~san."

Emi smiled at his exit. She was glad that the air was cleared between them. She didn't like being angry at anyone. The feeling of hatred and wrath always made her feel icky. She shook her head, at least it was all done and over now. She took one last look at the lounge and was about to leave, when she spotted an envelope on the table.

Walking over to the parchment, she noticed a logo on the front. It was the hospital that Masaomi worked at. Emi reached into her pocket for her phone, immediately calling the first Asahina son.

After the second ring he picked up, "Hello?"

"Masaomi-san? It's Emi."

"Oh, Emi-chan, is something wrong?"

"Well, no not really, but I just noticed that there's an envelope here on the table with the hospital's logo on it. I wanted to know if it was your's."

"Ah! Yes it is, I was in such a hurry to get to work, I must have overlooked it."

"If you want, I can deliver it to you in a little while. I just need to prepare something for dinner, first."

"Well, if it's not too much trouble then..."

She giggled, "Okay, I'll probably be there within thirty or forty minutes."

"I'll be waiting in the lobby then. Thank you so much Emi-chan! I'm sorry for the trouble."

Emi walked into the kitchen, envelope in hand, "No problem. I'll see you then."

"Okay, bye."

She heard a click from the other line. Emi smiled down at her phone before placing it and Masaomi's package at the far side of the counter so that it was far enough away from any foods or liquids. She quickly set to work on the yakiniku sauce.

Once Emi had finished preparing the sauce she sent a quick text to Ukyo to let him know where she was going. Taking the envelope in hand she exited the mansion.

She walked a few streets away from the building to arrive at the train station. She boarded, thankful that it wasn't rush hour at the moment. The ride took four minutes at best and soon she was out of the station with the hospital in sight.

Emi took out her phone and dialed Masaomi. He answered quickly, "Emi-chan?"

"Hey Masaomi-san. I'm right outside."

"Ah, could you bring it up, I'm going to attend to a patient at the moment, just go to the receptionist and she'll tell you where to go."

"Alright, I'll be up in a bit."

Tucking away her phone she entered the building and walked over to a young woman who looked to be around her mid twenties. When the woman saw Emi approach, she offered a smile which Emi returned. "How can I help you," the woman asked.

"I need directions to Asahina-sensei. I'm here to deliver an envelope."

The woman nodded, "Of course. Go up to the third floor, the elevators are just around that corner, and once you exit turn left, he'll be in room 113."

Emi bowed her head, "Thank you for your help." The receptionist bowed in return and Emi turned to head toward the elevator.

She exited on the third floor and turned to the left. She immediately saw the numbers of the room and walked over to the edge of the door. She peeked inside and brought up her hand to cover a wide smile.

Masaomi was bending down so that he was at eye level with a young boy. He was petting his head, a warm smile in place, "You were so brave Mamoru-kun!"

Mamoru puffed his chest out, "I remembered what you told me last time Asahina-sensei!"

Masaomi's smile widened, "And I'm very glad you did. I'm proud of you. And if you continue like this then I'm sure you'll be able to get through your treatment in no time!"

The little boy nodded his head enthusiastically. The doctor then searched in his pocket and pulled out a piece of chocolate. Mamoru took the piece eagerly. Masaomi then stood at his full height and looked over to the nurse that was by his side, "Saki-san will take you back to your mother. And I'll see you next week, okay?"

Mamoru nodded once again and pushed himself off of the bed to take the outstretched hand of nurse Saki.

Emi stepped aside for them to exit the room. Once they were gone, Emi poked her head out from around the corner and called out to Masaomi who was looking through his phone.

"Masaomi-san!"

He whipped his head up in surprise, "Emi-chan! I was getting a bit worried that you lost your way."

Emi shook her head and handed him the envelope, "I just saw you with that boy, so I didn't want to intrude. And I couldn't help but think that you're really good with kids."

She saw Masaomi's face heat up at her comment as his eyes quickly dropped down to the parchment in his hand. She giggled, "There's no need to be embarrassed about it. I think it's very endearing."

He rubbed the back of his head, "D-Do you really think so?"

"Of course! If I had had a doctor like you when I was younger then I would have loved to come to the hospital a lot more. Your patients are very fortunate to have you looking after them."

He smiled down at her, his cheeks darkening, "W-Well, since we're family now, I can treat you if you feel too uncomfortable in the hospital. If...that's alright with you."

She grinned at his offer, "I'll be in your care, should the time come."

Masaomi's face lit up at her response. He brought up the envelope in his hand, "Thank you once again, for going through the trouble of delivering this."

Emi waved off the comment, "It was no trouble at all. Besides, seeing you hard at work was refreshing."

The doctor's face darkened a few shades as he chuckled nervously, "I-I see."

A low beep sounded from Masaomi's pocket. He looked at his device, "Well, my shift is over for today. Shall we head back together?"

Emi nodded, "We might as well."

He walked over to the door, "Just give me a few moments to put away these documents."

She nodded once again.

Masaomi was gone for a few minutes before arriving at the door, his white coat and envelope back in his office. "Let's go," he said with a small smile. The two set out to head back home.

A/N: I'm back dearies! I'm sorry that this is later than I thought it'd be. It was a difficult chapter since I didn't really have any template or outline for it. So, this is a chapter that shows Emi's relationship with some of the more neglected brothers and of course, I wanted Emi to apologize to Fuuto for slapping him, no matter how much of prick he is, he doesn't deserve to be slapped!

So? Thoughts on this chapter? Emi's talk with Iori, Kaname, Fuuto, and Masaomi? I hope they were all somewhat in character. Also, I'm trying to build the relationship between Yusuke and Ema, because they are my OTP, but then again I want to give focus on Emi's relationship with the brothers, ARGH, WRITING IS HARD!

Oh, and IMPORTANT NEWS! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THE TOP THAT'S FINE BUT THIS IS IMPORTANT!

So, many of you know that I said in chapter 5 that I would make this story have a multi-ending. I got a few different comments about this decision, one of which made me think about what I was planning to do. I found that making the story have multi-endings is more difficult than I thought, so I've decided that this story will not have a multi-ending. HOWEVER! I have decided to make multi-stories. I would like to thank AnimeAngel for this wonderful idea. And hopefully many of you know by now, that I have kinda already started on this decision, with the Ukyo Route story that is on my profile, go check it out, for some Emi x Ukyo romance ;D

Chapter 7 will have to do with Ema's high school culture festival. Who should Emi bring as a date? Takeshi? One of the brothers? Let me know?! Oh and Hikaru makes his debut next chapter, yay!

Leave a review, sweeties!

-W.W.