Chapter 10

Sephiroth sighed heavily as he leaned back on the couch. He was home after a tense day at the shop, finally taking in a deep breath to relax. The flames from the fireplace crackled and flickered, the heat radiating into him as he absently watch the sparks float onto the glowing wood. He had half expected Riku to forgo coming into the shop, but he hadn't expected Namine to be distant as well. She wouldn't say it, but he knew she didn't like the situation. Still though, he swallowed his curiosity about Riku and what Namine's true thoughts were and went about his work.

At the end of the day however, just before bed and without anything to busy himself with, the curiosity and uncertainty returned in full force. He wasn't sure what Riku saw in that creature, why he cared and what had happened to end up having it trapped inside their father's lighthouse. Part of him didn't want to know, his brother had always been the one to get caught up in mischief. He grew attached to things and people far too easily. There wasn't an ounce of discernment in him, and he had seen firsthand how often Riku was burned for it.

Riku had taken the disappearance of their parents the hardest. While Sephiroth had lost the most from their disappearance since his life had been just about to take off, Riku lost the most emotionally. It was a shame, really, but Sephiroth could have seen it coming from a mile away.

The rattle of the front door brought him out of his thoughts as he glanced over his shoulder from his spot on the couch, fully expecting Namine to enter the house. He blinked in a rare surprise when the door opened and Riku walked in after her. Despite the surprise, Sephiroth didn't spare a reaction. Instead, he kept his lips pressed thin, his eyes drifting over his siblings before he looked back to the flames.

"Welcome back," he greeted nonchalantly.

Riku let out a breath, sliding his bag to the floor along with his shoes and walking past him towards his room. "I'm not staying. I'm just grabbing a few things."

"By all means." Sephiroth waved behind him. "Let me know if you need any help."

"I've got it, thanks," Riku replied sarcastically.

As he disappeared into his room, Namine came up to the side of the couch, catching Sephiroth's attention as he glanced up at her for a moment, before looking back to the flames. "Is something on your mind?" He asked.

"Are you really alright with Riku staying at the lighthouse?" She asked, her palms pressed together in front of her.

"He's nearly an adult." He pointed out. "He should be allowed to make his own decisions… and allowed to deal with the consequences of them."

Namine hummed, her hands running up her arms. "It doesn't bother you?"

"Should it?" He asked, glancing up at her.

She averted her eyes from his, focusing on the fireplace. "I suppose not. The two of you just seem like strangers to each other." Sephiroth's eyes drifted away as she continued. "Do you remember when we were kids? When Riku found that frog with the missing leg?"

A smirk tipped the corner of Sephiroth's lips, "Yes. He was in tears begging Mother to let him keep it."

"She said no over and over again," Namine recalled with a soft laugh.

"He was devastated," Sephiroth nodded, his fingertips tracing the stitching in the fabric.

"And when he came to us about it," Namine walked forward, sitting on the other side of the couch, "Do you remember what you did?"

Sephiroth let out a breath, "Of course. I fail to see why you feel the need to bring it up."

"You told Riku you'd take care of everything." She continued when he didn't. "You made a little pen in the garden at the shop and convinced Mom to let Riku keep the frog." She giggled, "We still have those types of frogs in the garden, don't we?"

Sephiroth hummed, "Why are you telling me this?"

"I just… don't understand why you've made yourself so distant from him." She sighed, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "You used to always be there for him, ready to stand up for him no matter what. But now… It's like you aren't even brothers."

"I hardly see how it concerns you." He noted.

"It concerns me as part of this family." Namine looked over to him, the slightest bite in her voice as she stood. "The two of you are the only family I have left. It would be nice to see at least one of you making an effort." She turned away, letting out a breath. "I… apologize for my tone. I didn't sleep well last night."

A chuckle rumbled in Sephiroth's chest as he shook his head. "It's alright. I'd much rather hear how you truly feel about things."

Namine hummed, "I'll work on that… Just as long as you work on being a brother again."

Sephiroth didn't reply as Namine left, following Riku into his room to help him pack. With a heavy breath, he leaned back in his seat on the couch, bringing his hand to his face. Being the caretaker to his siblings wasn't the way he expected to spend his young adult life. Moving his hand away, he stared at the flickering flames of the fire, hearing Namine having a similar chat with Riku, with less success as Riku refused to listen. If anyone was going to have to change to effect the relationship positively, Sephiroth supposed it would have to be him.

Sitting up in his seat, he glanced towards the door, seeing Riku's bag along the ground. It was a bag Riku had with his daily when he'd come to the shop after being gone all morning. Maybe there was something inside of it that could help explain things. Sephiroth darted his gaze away at the thought. The last thing he should be doing is snooping through his brother's things when things were already tense. All it would take is one look from Riku and things would be worse off than they were before.

He did have suspicions of what could be inside of it. Particularly something that would allow Riku to teach the creature how to speak English. There was only one other person that Sephiroth knew that could possibly know anything about the creatures. A person that he hadn't seen in years since she left to travel the world. Sephiroth looked to the bag again, letting out a breath. If anyone would be able to help him learn more about the situation, it would be her.

He supposed he had a place to go to tomorrow.