The soft click of a door opening filled the space.
Aira glanced sideways to see Akio step out of his room, hair slightly mussed, posture still heavy with sleep. He paused in the doorway, just for a moment, like he was bracing himself. Like he wanted to say something and didn’t know how to start.
Before he could, Aira looked back at the television.
“You should eat,” she said quietly. “Before the food gets cold.”
She felt him hesitate. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she watched him cross the room and sit down on the couch behind her, carefully keeping his distance. He reached forward and picked up the bowl she’d set aside for him earlier. Aira kept her gaze fixed on the screen, though she was acutely aware of every small movement. The silence between them felt heavy, loaded with things neither of them had said yet.
The television droned on, filling the space where words refused to go. The quiet stretched for what felt like an eternity—until finally, Akio spoke, almost tentatively.
“Aira… I’m sorry.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her voice low and tight, eyes still on the TV.
“I passed out before I could,” he replied. “I didn’t mean to miss the meeting.”
“I wasn’t talking about that,” she said, voice sharp.
There was a pause behind her. She could almost hear him thinking, recalculating, before carefully speaking again.
“I didn’t mean to postpone the other times either.”
Her chest tightened instantly. Even now, he thought this was about the meeting. About disappointing her. About fixing her feelings first. Aira whipped around, frustration blazing openly across her face.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were bleeding?” she demanded. “I saw the tissues. You could’ve said something.”
He blinked at her, clearly caught off guard. “I didn’t want you to worry.”
“Why not?” Aira shot back. “I don’t need you to shelter me. I can handle things, I can help. Do you seriously think I’m that useless?”
Akio’s expression faltered, just slightly. “No… it just wasn’t anything serious.”
She stared at him, disbelief blooming into something sharp and angry in her chest. “What if it was? What if something terrible actually happened to you? Would you tell me then? Or would I just find out when it’s already too late?”
He shifted in his seat, shoulders drawing in on themselves. “Of course not, I just didn’t think you needed to know.”
Aira crossed her arms, more to hold herself together than to look defensive. She turned fully to face him, pushing herself up onto her knees.
“Why?” she asked, her voice lower now, edged with hurt. “Do you not want help? Do you think I wouldn’t care?”
Her hands clenched in her sleeves.
“I’m your sister. Of course I would care. It’s not fair that you just get to decide something like that on your own. You always act like you’re fine. Like you can handle everything. But that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone.”
Akio went quiet, averting his gaze. She saw it then—recognition dawning slowly, as if he was only just realizing how deeply he’d worried her.
Aira sank back down onto the floor, tucking her knees to her chest again, feeling a burning sensation build behind her eyes.
“I know you’re your own person,” she said softer. “I know you don’t have to tell me everything. But you can count on me. You don’t have to carry all of this by yourself...”
The ache in her chest deepened, shifting into something quieter and far more devastating. She realized it wasn’t just frustration—it was the creeping thought that she'd already lost him, that she’d failed him. That maybe she wasn’t as dependable as she’d always believed, and he hadn’t trusted her enough to lean on her.
Am I a terrible sister?
The possibility settled heavily in her chest: maybe he only did all of this out of obligation. Maybe he’d be better off without having to take care of her, without having to make space for her needs. It made her throat tighten until it was hard to breathe.
Aira swallowed and spoke without looking at him, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Be honest… do you think I’m a burden?”
The question lingered in the air between them, fragile and exposed.
For a moment, Akio didn’t answer. The television murmured faintly in the background, its noise suddenly too loud in the stillness. Aira felt herself tense without meaning to, arms tightening around her knees. She told herself she was ready for whatever he might say—though she wasn’t sure if that was true.
“Aira,” Akio said at last, his voice soft and steady. “Of course you’re not a burden. I’ve never once thought that.”
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She glanced back at him, searching his face for hesitation, for something unsaid. Instead, he met her gaze directly and offered a small, sincere smile—one that reached his eyes despite the exhaustion lingering there.
“Though… admittedly, sometimes you can be a lot.”
Her shoulders stiffened.
“But it’s never bothered me,” he continued, tone warm. “You’re my sister. I’ll always make the time.”
The knot in her chest loosened just a fraction, though the self consciousness didn’t disappear entirely.
“Am I too demanding?” she asked after a moment. “I feel like I’m always asking you to do things for me. You do realize you can just say no if you don’t want to, right?”
“I know,” Akio replied easily. “But if it makes you happy, I don’t mind.”
“Then how come you never ask me to do things for you?” Aira pressed. “Or talk about what you want?”
Akio leaned back slightly, propping his head up with one arm. “I’ve never really felt the need to,” he said mildly. “And you’d probably find most of the stuff I’m interested in pretty boring anyway.”
Aira huffed softly, curiosity overriding the tension. “Like what?”
A flicker of amusement glinted in his eyes. “Like the spontaneous collapse theorems of macroscopic objects—”
“Oh my god,” she groaned immediately, burying her face in her hands. “You’re such a nerd.”
“Told you,” he said, clearly entertained.
She muttered something under her breath, then lifted her head again and turned her attention back to the television. Footage of the Dawn Hound rescuing civilians from a collapsing structure filled the screen, the masked figure moving with precision. The image sat strangely heavy with everything she now knew.
“…Why were you bleeding?” Aira asked quietly. “What happened?”
Akio’s gaze followed hers to the screen, his expression distant and thoughtful.
“It was just… bad decision making on my part,” he said after a moment. “I’ve been so focused on work that I haven’t really been taking care of myself.”
“What kind of work?” she asked, eyes still fixed on the television.
“Some ongoing thing,” he replied. “It requires a lot of… thinking. Recently it’s led to some nosebleeds. From everything I can tell, it’s probably stress induced. It shouldn’t be anything serious.”
Aira frowned slightly, turning his words over in her head. The explanation felt neat, a little too smooth.
“You’re getting nosebleeds because you’re thinking too much?” she asked. “Is that even possible?”
A small smile tugged at Akio’s lips. “Stress can indirectly cause nosebleeds,” he said. “Higher blood pressure, elevated heart rate—fragile blood vessels in the nose can rupture more easily. It’s not uncommon. In my case, I think it keeps recurring because I haven’t had time to fully heal.”
She considered that in silence. It made sense, Akio had always been good at explaining things like this. And yet, a quiet dissatisfaction lingered beneath her acceptance, a subtle sense that something had been left unsaid.
Aira propped her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hands, watching the Dawn Hound move across the screen. “Ok… so you’re saying it’s not an injury or anything, and you’re absolutely sure it’s just stress and nothing serious?”
“Mhm,” Akio hummed. “As far as I can tell. I can’t think of another reason.”
She glanced sideways at him. “When you say it’s work that involves a lot of thinking—if it’s stressful enough to make you bleed, what exactly are you doing?”
Akio paused, eyes flicking upward as he thought, then he spoke with mild amusement. “It’s actually related to the topic I mentioned earlier. Collapse theorems. How they apply to complex systems.”
“Is that, like… physics or something?”
“Quantum physics,” he replied easily. “In simple terms, the theory suggests that objects exist in multiple possible states, but only one of them is actually viable.”
He leaned forward slightly, warming to the explanation.
“Most complicated systems look chaotic at first. But once you stop thinking in terms of endless possibilities and start thinking in terms of constraints and fixed variables, the system collapses on its own. There’s only one path left. The only one that doesn’t break everything.”
Aira tried to picture it and failed almost immediately. She pressed her forehead against her knees with a groan. “Ugh. I feel like I’m getting a headache just trying to understand that.”
Akio huffed a quiet laugh, clearly amused. “I rest my case.”
Aira shot him a look before turning her attention back to the television. She drummed her fingers lightly against her arm, gaze unfocused, thoughts drifting in slow, overlapping circles. She wasn’t entirely convinced, but... he was really insistent that it wasn’t anything too serious, just nosebleeds brought on by stress and overthinking. Somehow, that felt painfully on brand for her brother.
And yet, even with most of the tension between them eased, a faint sense of guilt lingered, the quiet feeling that she could have noticed sooner, could have done more.
“If that’s really what caused the nosebleeds,” she said at last, voice measured, “then you shouldn’t think about that stuff for a while. At least not until you’re better, or after we check with a doctor.”
Akio paused, considering her words, then nodded. “You’re right,” he said. “I should take a break.”
Aira glanced at him, searching his face. “Promise me you will.”
“I promise.”
She held his gaze for a moment longer, then looked away, letting the answer stand. The quiet stretched, gentle instead of strained. After a beat, Akio spoke again.
“Hey,” he said softly. “I’m sorry for not telling you earlier. I didn’t mean to make you worry. I’ll try to be more open about things in the future, and I’ll make sure to take better care of myself. It’s the least I can do.”
Something inside her loosened at his words, tension she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying all day slowly easing its grip. The doubts and self-reproach didn’t vanish completely, but they dulled, replaced by a warmth she wasn’t ready to acknowledge out loud.
“You better,” she muttered, eyes lowered. “And you’re coming to the doctor’s tomorrow. I already made the appointment.”
“Of course,” Akio replied, quiet but grateful.
They sat like that for a while, wrapped in a comfortable silence. The television murmured in the background, and the soft clink of cutlery filled the space as Akio finally ate. Aira let her thoughts wander, the day replaying itself in fragments, until a sudden realization tugged at her.
“Oh, right,” she said, glancing over. “You don’t have to meet my friend anymore. I thought about it, and honestly… there isn’t really a reason besides the fact that I want you to. You’re both so busy. It feels kind of unfair to make you go out of your way for that.”
Akio paused mid-bite, surprise flickering across his face. He lowered the bowl back onto his lap, thinking. “That’s really considerate of you, but I’m actually pretty interested in meeting your friend.”
Aira blinked, caught off guard now. She turned toward him fully. “Really?” she asked. “How come?”
She watched his expression carefully as he spoke, trying to act like his answer didn’t matter as much as it did.
“I’ve heard interesting things about him,” Akio said with a small, thoughtful smile. “From Gabriel, and from all the stories you’ve told me. He sounds like quite the character. So I’m curious to see for myself.”
Her heart lifted before she could stop it. She pushed herself up onto her knees on the floor and leaned against the couch, trying to keep her tone casual even as excitement bubbled up uncontrollably.
“So… you’re not mad at him for not showing up the first time?” she asked. “You really still want to meet him?”
Akio nodded, faint amusement flickering across his face. “I missed the meeting this time,” he said evenly. “It’s only fair.”
Then, after a beat, he added, “He’s nice to you, right?”
Aira broke into a grin immediately. “Of course he’s nice to me!” she said, pointing at him. “He’s one of my best friends! What kind of question is that?”
“Well,” Akio replied mildly, tilting his head just a little, “I’m just making sure he’s not a suspicious individual.”
She scoffed. “You think every guy that even looks in my direction is suspicious.”
Akio placed a hand over his chest in mock seriousness. “Men are dangerous creatures, Aira. As your brother, I simply have your best interests at heart.”
“Stop!” she laughed, rolling her eyes. “You’re so overprotective sometimes, I swear.”
The last of the tension she’d been holding onto finally slipped away. Aira flopped down onto the couch beside him, stretching out comfortably, a bright, unrestrained smile spreading across her face as she stared up at the ceiling.
“You two are actually going to get along so well,” she said, words spilling out faster now. “I mean, I swear you have so many of the same interests—like, you both get way too into oddly specific philosophical stuff, and you’re both into cooking, and—”
Her voice turned into an enthusiastic ramble, ideas tumbling over each other as she talked. Beside her, Akio listened quietly, fondness evident in his expression. For the first time in days, Aira felt everything settle back into the warm, familiar normalcy that belonged to them.
They would be okay.
─ ? NEXT CHAPTER POV ? ─
Akio
Superhero ? Action ? Drama
ARK — Volume 1
Who does an old soldier follow when he's left without direction?
What does the world's first superhero do when his biggest obstacle is his own family?
Where can a boy be safe when there's nowhere left to hide?
Earth has always been a nexus of incredible power—dormant too long. Devils, aliens, superpowers, and energies beyond comprehension: the world is overdue, and it's about to become everyone's problem.
Series focus
ARK Volume 1 follows the origins of a diverse cast fighting to grow, learn, and survive as an expansive superhero universe erupts around—and because of—them.
Readers can expect
- Multiple POVs destined to collide
- Drama, tragedy, action, comedy, and slice-of-life
- A steady burn of ever-escalating conflict as the mundane becomes extraordinary