Arrows on the Bowstring PV Sia R.

Sia could not imagine a reality where her parents weren’t together. The thought of parents splitting up did not make any sense to her young mind. Married couples just didn’t leave each other. Because marriage meant love, and love was forever.

Later in life, she’d understand the unfortunate reality of some marriages, and she’d feel very lucky to have parents that did indeed love each other with all of themselves. But at only seven years old, the idea of a divorce was as outrageous as could be. So when the news of a known couple separating reached the Roses, Sia was puzzled. And then she heard just who this couple was, and she became terribly saddened.

The mere idea of her beloved parents leaving each other was enough to make a knot form in her chest. To think that it was a reality for a dear friend of hers. Sia was terribly saddened and worried for Hayato.

So naturally, she begged her parents to visit Ichiyagi Mansion to check on him. It took a while, with their adult lives busy with things Sia honestly didn’t care about, plus their insistence on giving the family some space to themselves. It was a good thing that Sia was twice as insistent, and that the Roses were, in fact, quite concerned too.

That was how the Roses found themselves outside of England once again. As they entered the residence, Rowan held a bouquet of red roses, and Dahlia kept a firm grip on her daughter’s hand, as if she thought Sia would poof away if she let her go (and maybe she did; she was still a Muggle, after all).

Her mother and father greeted Hayato’s mother, while Sia was busy looking around in search of her friend. Dahlia gave her hand a tug, and Sia smiled politely at their host, but quickly went back to searching. Her eyes did land on a boy, who lost her interest when she realized he wasn’t who she was looking for. She didn’t have time to make new friends. She had to find Hayato.

Sia managed to slip away while the adults were talking. She got to the garden, inhaling fresh spring air, and heard a sound like something cutting through the air. Her head instinctively turned toward the sound.

“Haya…?” She called out, but she received no response.

Humming, she glanced down. An excited smile formed on her face when she noticed the wooden shoes. She knew there was a name for them, but she couldn’t be bothered to remember it. All she knew was that those shoes were likely Hayato’s.

She slipped off her pink ballet flats, more than happy to get rid of them as they were starting to dig into her heels, and carefully set them down next to Hayato’s shoes. Barefoot, Sia stepped inside. She paused when she saw Hayato, his back to her, aiming with a bow and arrow.

He seemed so focused, so intent. So easy to catch off guard.

Now, Sia could be good. She could be patient. She could go outside with her hands held together and watch clouds until Hayato was finished. She could also be smart, and acknowledge that surprising someone while they were ready to shoot an arrow wouldn’t be the best idea. But where would be the fun in that?

A giggle escaped her. She took a step closer to Hayato, and then another, and another. Until she could put her hands over his eyes.

“Guess who!”

Sta : 5 ♡ Eva : 7 ♡ Str : 3 ♡ Wis : 7 ♡ Arc : 6 ♡ Acc : 7