As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

Hiro only came out of Yuina's bedroom at the witching hour. He reluctantly dragged his feet away from his sister's room, worrying about her condition right now. 

The moment his sister opened the door for him hours earlier, Hiro was thoroughly shocked.

He didn't understand why did his sister look so sad.

No, saying sad was just an understatement. It was worse than that.

The look in her eyes was heartbreaking, it appeared so hollow as if she was facing the end of her world.

Like on the day both of her parents died.

"What the hell happened?"

Cursing under his breath, Hiro scratched his already messy hair a few times. His face hardened at the thought he didn't know what his sister was suffering from.

When he hugged his crying sister earlier, Hiro could feel how bad her body was trembling. Both of her hands grasped his shirt as she couldn't contain her feelings. The front side of his shirt was wet due to her tears.

Even after asking so many times, Sister Yuina won't tell him anything, even after her cries ceased. 

"Ah! I forgot!"

Hiro peeked inside the room. He breathed out in relief seeing that his sister was still sleeping under the blanket. Hiro quietly closed the door before he went downstairs.

Taking out his phone, Hiro wanted to call his brother-in-law before his finger paused mid-air as his eyes caught sight of something.

"Aren't those..."

On the coffee table, Hiro saw something he hadn't seen before in this duplex.

A pile of books was sitting on the shiny surface. Hiro came closer, reading the title of the topmost one. Surprised, he scattered the book on the table.

All of them were related to motherhood and parenting.

"Are those two preparing to have a child now?"

Hiro didn't find it weird because Sister Yuina and Brother Ryuu had been married for years. Although there had yet to be a child between them, it was plausible considering Brother Ryuu's hectic schedule.

"Or, Sister's just reading them?"

Shaking his head, Hiro rearranged the books back before he focused on the direr matter.

He had just gotten asleep when his brother-in-law's call dragged him away from the bed. Brother Ryuu spoke incoherent words, saying something about Sister Yuina. He sounded so urgent, it took Hiro some time to calm him down.

"Brother! Speak human, won't you? I can't understand any single word you said," Hiro was frustrated because his brother-in-law's words didn't make sense to him.

"Yuina, your sister... She's crying! She rejected my calls. Go and see her! Right now!"

"What?"

Hiro just grabbed a long coat to cover his pajamas before he rushed out of his rented room. He urgently flagged a cab and immediately came here.

He really didn't expect to see his sister crying as to what Brother Ryuu warned him.

"Sister didn't say anything... What should I tell Brother?"

Heaving a sigh, Hiro had no choice but to call his brother-in-law. Brother Ryuu had told him countless times to call him back.

That man must have been waiting in anxiety.

Hiro sighed again. He tapped on the button and placed the phone next to his right ear.

"How's Yuina? What happened to her? Where's she? Why did you just call now?"

Ryuu's frantic voice was booming, making Hiro inevitably squinted his eyes. The latter didn't expect to be bombarded by questions once the call was connected.

"Brother Ryuu, calm down... Sister has just fallen asleep. She... didn't stop crying until just now."

Hiro rubbed his face hard. He was confused about what the hell happened tonight. He also didn't know what to explain to his brother-in-law.

"...why? Why did she cry? Did she tell you anything?"

Ryuu lowered his voice as if he was afraid Yuina would wake up because of it. He didn't assume that Hiro was far away from his wife.

"Sister didn't tell me anything, she just cried nonstop but... Brother, I don't think this is a simple case of crying. You should know that Sister is not the type to cry at anyone without reason. Moreso when she... tends to hide her feelings."

Hiro still remembered how his sister was during the few shorts years they lived together before. Sister Yuina just endured all the mistreatment she suffered from his parents. 

Even if Hiro wanted to confront his parents for what they did to her, Sister Yuina would pull him back and warn him to not do anything.

The young and ignorant him assumed it was because his sister was a strong girl. He admired her persistency.

But, one night, he found that Sister Yuina wasn't as strong as she appeared on the outside. She just hid it so deep, only crying under her blanket when most people were already sleeping.

Hiro didn't want to admit it but, his senses were telling him that his sister was really suffering this time although the cause was still unknown.

"Brother, the last time I saw Sister like this... When that night happened. I don't feel good about it. What happened to her?"

Hiro grumbled as he was angry at himself.

Because he was too busy with his work right now, he rarely came to visit his sister who was all alone here. Both of them just exchanged a few texts and calls.

The last time Hiro had properly accompanied Yuina was more than two months ago when both of them had gone on a trip to the resort together.

As Hiro was blaming himself for not caring about his sister more, Ryuu stood frozen inside the hotel room thousands of miles away.

His eyes were red, leaving only a faint color of whites inside. His hand was gripping the phone tightly as he too, was infuriated with himself. 

Ryuu admitted that he was so happy when his dear wife called him first. After going through another busy day of his schedule, he wanted to end it by talking to her but...

Yuina was acting too strangely during their phone calls. 

She asked questions that she had never asked.

"Would you immediately return home or are you going somewhere else first?"

"...postpone it... Can't you?"

"You really can't come home right away? Why? Why can't you? ...aren't I important? Aren't I? Are you lying to me?" 

It was something that had never happened before.

From the little things he tried to gather, Yuina was like pouring out all grievances she concealed from the world. 

Was it really all that?

As to what Hiro said earlier, Ryuu himself had never heard Yuina cried like that again.

The last time she did was...

Before that man got thrown behind the bars.

Ryuu clenched his teeth, the uneasiness that began once he heard her cries had long engulfed his heart. The menace seeped deep into his mind, bursting forth countless unfavorable guesses. 

Why?

Just why did she cry like that?

What happened during the time he was away?

Ryuu ran a hand through his hair. His nails scratching his scalp, leaving red marks concealed by the dark locks. 

"Hiro, stay with your sister tonight, can you?"

Exhaustion lined his voice as Ryuu sullenly spoke to the phone. 

Right now, he could only depend on his younger brother-in-law.

"Don't worry, Brother. I'll look after Sister."

Hiro tried to reassure Ryuu by lightening his tone but it did nothing to avail his feelings,

"I'm supposed to return this Sunday. I'll try to bring forward my schedule. Quickly inform me if there's anything."

In three days, he would finally return home in three days.

But, could everything wait for him?

"Yes! I'll do so. Brother, don't be anxious, okay?" Even now, Hiro still aimed to ease Ryuu's worries, "I've been working from home this week so, I can stay with Sister. It's just... I'm not sure if Sister would allow me or not."

"It's okay, just try it first. No matter what, immediately contact me. I'll contact you back as soon as possible."

Ryuu could only put hope on him.

"Okay. Ah, go to rest now. I know you've been staying awake because of Sister. You need a decent rest too."

Ryuu let out a long and heavy sigh. He felt so stuffy inside yet there was no way to vent it out.

"Hiro, look after her. Please..."

When he breathed out the last word, Ryuu shut his eyes. His jaw was tensed, the grip on his phone became tighter.

"I will. I'll hang up now. Good night, Brother."

"...thank you."

Tutt.

Ryuu kept looking at the screen even after it blackened. 

Right now, he was unable to shake off all these ominous feelings from scaring him.

No matter how much Hiro tried to appease him by saying everything would be fine, Ryuu couldn't stay still.

He had to see her with his own eyes.

But, how?

If possible, he wanted to straightaway go home but, he also knew it was irresponsible to do so. He still had some schedule left until Sunday. The production crews had to make big changes if he really did that.

"Three more days... Just give me three more days..."

Ryuu threw the phone across the vast bed. His eyes were dull as his mind inadvertently recalled how heartwrenching her cries were. 

"You really can't come home right away? Why? Why can't you? ...aren't I important? Aren't I? Are you lying to me?" 

Once again, her cries haunted him.

One by one, the words were enunciated in his mind.

"... aren't I important? Are you lying to me?"

Ryuu stiffened, his eyes trembled in realization.

It was as if his soul left his body, his legs weakened, Ryuu slumped listlessly on the bed.

Ah...

Ryuu smiled in bitterness.

Here he was, busily thinking of the people who were involved in his schedule while his own wife was suffering...

From anything that was unknown to him.