BELOVED BY THE TWINS

SPECIAL CHAPTER #4

"BELOVED BY THE TWINS"

by: Dark Flame Master

This special chapter happens after the twins go to their parent house in Chapter 16.

After Juri left the hospital, Shin, Ruka, and Luca were sitting quietly in the lobby. The atmosphere felt a bit lighter now that Juri was gone but the twins still seemed a little tense. Ruka leaned back in his chair, looking curious.

"So, that was Juri? The one you mentioned when I called you earlier?" Ruka asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Y..yeah, that's her," Shin replied, looking a bit flustered. He nervously scratched the back of his head. "She's really short, right?"

Ruka nodded. "Yeah, she is. I didn’t expect her to be so small."

Shin chuckled. "Yeah, she's tiny. But don’t let her size fool you."

Ruka turned to Shin, his curiosity piqued. "So, why did you decide to be friends with her? I thought you said you didn’t want to get close to her."

Shin sighed. "I did say that... but she’s just... different. She’s amazing, honestly."

Ruka gave him a skeptical look. "Amazing? How exactly?"

Shin’s face lit up as he remembered what had happened earlier at lunch. "Earlier today, she actually stood up for me. She got angry for me, and... she didn’t judge me. It’s hard to explain but she’s strong. Way stronger than she looks."

"She protected you?" Ruka asked, sounding both surprised and impressed.

"Yeah," Shin nodded. "Even though she looks small and fragile, she’s actually really tough... Unlike me."

Luca glanced at Shin, noticing the sadness in his voice. "You’re strong in your own way, Shin. Don’t sell yourself short."

Shin smiled a little, appreciating Luca’s words. But before he could respond, Ruka’s voice interrupted them.

"Okay, but could you tell her not to call you like that in public? Or you know.... hug you in front of people?" Ruka grumbled, crossing his arms.

Shin let out a small laugh. "Are you jealous, Ruka?"

Ruka didn’t hesitate. "So what if I am?"

Shin wasn’t expecting such a direct answer. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink and he quickly looked away embarrassed. He glanced up at the clock and noticed the time.

"I... I think you two should head home now. Your parents are probably waiting for you. I should get going too," Shin said, his voice a bit shaky as he stood up. He waved awkwardly before hurrying out of the hospital lobby.

The twins didn’t even have time to respond because Shin was already gone. They looked at each other for a moment then shrugged. After cleaning up the space where they had been sitting they left the hospital and headed to their parents’ house.

The drive wasn’t long but both Ruka and Luca were silent. They are each lost in their thoughts. Their parents’ house was much bigger than their own house, almost like a mansion. It had been a while since they visited and the large intimidating structure loomed over them as they pulled into the driveway.

As soon as they stepped inside, a small figure came running toward them.

"Welcome home!" a young girl’s voice said. She wrapped her arms around Luca’s legs, smiling up at him.

"What? You’re still awake?" Ruka asked, raising an eyebrow. "It’s way past your bedtime, Mika."

Luca carried her up into his arms. "It’s not good for our little princess to be awake this late," he said, smiling gently as he carried her.

Mika giggled and grinned mischievously. "I pretended to be asleep," she whispered to Luca, as if sharing a secret.

"You’re a bad girl staying up so late," Luca teased, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.

Mika is their four year old sister but she wasn’t really their biological sister. One day, their parents had found her abandoned on the side of the road. Feeling a deep sense of responsibility they had adopted her and she quickly became the center of attention in the household.

Just as the twins were settling in their mother appeared from another room, her expression dark and serious.

"Put her down, Luca," their mother said, her voice firm. "She needs to go to bed."

Luca obediently set Mika back on the floor. The little girl pouted but didn’t argue. Luca bent down to her level and spoke softly. "Go to your room now, okay? I’ll play with you tomorrow, I promise."

Mika’s eyes brightened at the promise. "Really?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement.

"Really," Luca nodded, smiling at her.

Satisfied, Mika skipped off to her room leaving the three of them alone in the large, cold living room. As soon as Mika was gone, their mother’s expression changed.

"So, why exactly do you want us to come here today?" Ruka asked sarcastically, crossing his arms.

Their mother’s eyes narrowed slightly. "I heard you’ve picked up a little... pet," she said, her tone sharp.

"We’re not keeping a ‘pet.’ Shin is important to us," Luca said, his voice steady.

Their mother didn’t seem convinced. She crossed her arms and gave them a cold stare. "Aren't you two ashamed of yourselves? Do you really think it’s a good idea to drag someone else into your lives given how complicated things already are?"

"Why do you even care?" Ruka said rolling his eyes. "It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong."

"We’re about to graduate. What more do you want from us?" Luca added, his voice quieter but no less firm. "Besides, you have Mika now. Isn’t that enough for you?"

Their mother’s lips tightened into a thin line. "Do you two really think that being in a relationship like yours isn’t a big deal?"

"So, that’s what this is about," Ruka said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You can’t stand that we’re together."

"Isn’t it better if you stop calling us here for nonsense like this?" Luca added, his patience clearly wearing thin.

Their mother’s expression hardened. "You think I want to see you? If it weren’t for Mika, I wouldn’t even bother keeping in touch with either of you."

Ruka’s eyes flashed with anger. "Trust me. We don’t want to see you either."

"YOU—" their mother said angrily.

Their mother was about to respond but Ruka cut her off, his voice colder than usual. "You don’t even know who we are, do you? You just keep calling us 'you'. Do you even know who I am?" Ruka said while rolling his eyes. "The only person who ever cared about us was the maid. She raised us. You and Dad were too busy with work to even notice us."

For a moment, their mother was silent. She couldn’t deny the truth in Ruka’s words. She had always prioritized her career and their father had been the same. Their absence had left a deep scar on the twins.

Luca sighed and stood up pulling Ruka with him. "We’re going to our room. Let’s just leave it at that," he said, his voice tired.

But before they could leave Ruka turned back to their mother, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Oh, and don’t get too close to our room. You might hear us doing... something."

Their mother’s face twisted in anger. "Don’t you dare do that in this house!" she snapped, her voice rising with anger.

Ruka smirked. "Oh, we’re definitely doing it," he said and to prove his point he grabbed Luca and kissed him right in front of their mother.

Their mother was left speechless, her face red with both anger and guilt. Deep down, she knew that the way the twins had turned out was partly her fault. She had neglected them for so long and now she didn’t know how to fix them. As much as she wanted to apologize her pride wouldn’t let her.

After the twins left for their room, their mother made her way to Mika’s room. She peeked inside and saw Mika sitting on her bed still wide awake.

"Aren’t you going to sleep?" her mother asked softly, trying to keep her voice calm despite the anger she still felt.

Mika looked up at her with big eyes. "But... I want to play with my brothers. Should I go to their room?" she asked innocently.

Her mother’s heart softened at the sight of her little girl. "No, don’t bother them. They’re tired. They need to sleep," she said gently.

Mika nodded, still a little disappointed. "Okay..." she mumbled, curling up under her blankets.

Her mother sat beside her for a moment, brushing Mika’s hair back gently. As she watched her daughter drift off to sleep, she couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt that had settled deep in her chest. The twins had grown up without her and now it felt like it was too late to change anything.