Blood of the Covenant Pt. 01

"Thanks."

"The dragon is your dad isn't it?"

"Yep. The Moon is my mom."

"And it's turquoise because Kira loved it."

"You got it." Banri put his shirt back on.

"Am I the first one to see it? I mean. Besides the sluts you slept with in Germany."

"They're not sluts, Emily. And... Uh... I actually showed Zoe the day I got here."

"What?!" Emily hit him. "What the fuck? That's not fair!"

"Hey, I thought you still hated tattoos. I knew Zoe was cool about them, so I showed her."

Emily was still pouting. "Whatever. Let's get the ice cream."

Banri got out of the car and rushed up to her to hug her from behind. "Come on, bug. It's not like I showed her first because I like her more or something. I didn't want you to be disappointed in me."

"You were afraid of disappointing me and yet you got a tattoo. Makes sense." Emily's heart started pounding faster from having his arms around her. God, he smelled so good.

"Well I've been wanting to have a tribute to my parents. But I was also worried about your opinion."

"And Mom's?"

"Eh Mom will gripe at me for a bit and then get over it." Banri shrugged.

Emily reluctantly stepped away from the hug and smiled. "So you're saying my opinion matters more than Mom's?"

"That's not what I'm saying at all. I thought you were more likely to stay mad about that tattoo than Mom."

"And you're worried about that because my opinion matters more than Mom's." She looked extremely smug.

"Emily-"

"If you shut up and agree with me, I'll let you get an extra topping on your ice cream."

"Your opinion matters more than Mom's."

"Wooooow. What a sellout." She opened the door for him. "Okay. Enjoy your extra topping."

After they got their ice cream (both got the large bowls) they walked over to the park area with cow statues and sat on a bench. "Thanks for the ice cream."

"You're welcome, bug." She smiled at him fondly and scooted closer to him. He was too busy eating his ice cream to notice her staring at him. Except for his green eyes, which were his mom's, Banri looked like an exact clone of his dad. Long, straight black hair that he kept in a half ponytail. Soft, gentle face with the perfect amount of stubble. Really goddamn handsome. That's what he was. Really goddamn handsome. It was unfair. "I missed you, Banri."

"Dude I've been back for over a month."

"And you were gone for 6!" Emily scooted some more and this time Banri noticed. "It really sucked doing fun stuff without you. And even boring stuff like cleaning the house."

"I missed you guys too."

"Yeah right. I'm sure you did over all those girls you went through."

Banri snorted. "Why are you so fixated on those girls? You keep bringing them up."

"No reason." Emily blushed. Fortunately for her, the park didn't have good lighting. "I just think it was a really dumb, unhealthy way of getting over Brie." She then added. "Fucking skank."

"Jesus Emily you curse her out more than I do."

"She deserves it! I'm still mad!" Emily huffed. "How could she cheat on someone like you?"

"Temporary insanity. You'd have to be to pass on this ride."

"Gross." Emily made a face but on the inside, she thought, I'd never pass on riding you. Then immediately scolded herself for thinking that.

"It is what it is." Banri smirked. "Enough about my dating life. How's yours? You haven't had a boyfriend since college. Tyler, right?"

"Yep. Tyler." Emily nodded. Tyler had actually been gay and had asked her to be his beard. Her last real boyfriend was in high school which didn't really count. "I dunno. I just haven't met anyone I want to date." Except you.

"There's this guy at work who's pretty cool. Connor. He's on the development team. You two can bond over nerd shit."

"I'm good. I'd rather find my own man." Emily said. "And how do I know you aren't trying to get revenge for Brie?"

"You caught me red handed."

"Jerk." Emily saw that he had finished his ice cream. She quickly spooned down her last few bites then winced. "Ow! Brain freeze. Fuck. Ready to go?"

"Let's go." Banri stood up and rubbed her head. "You could've eaten it on the way to the car."

"Yeah I could've." Emily tossed their cups into the trash can beside them and then extended her arms out wide. "Come here, bug."

Banri gave her a one-sided smile while hugging her. "What's the hug for?"

She buried her face in his chest and had to bite her lip to hold back a happy moan. His smell was intoxicating. Soap, deodorant, and his natural scent combined to form an addicting cocktail that Emily loved. "Because you need one." She put her chin on his chest. "Mom, Zoe and I can't possibly replace your family. But I swear to God that we love you just as much. Getting you as a brother is the best thing that has ever happened to me." She made him bend his head down so she could kiss his forehead then went back to hugging him. "I love you so much, middle bug."

Banri couldn't say anything so he just hugged her tighter. Hard to talk with your heart inside your mouth. Emily went back to listening to his heartbeat and breathing in how he smelt. She felt a combination of guilt and happiness while doing it, but the happiness was stronger. When he had hugged her tighter, Emily pushed her chest into him. Banri didn't notice at all; he was used to hugging his big breasted sisters. Emily, however, had done it fully aware of what it would do to any straight man that wasn't her brother. Why'd he have to be her brother?

"It's getting late, bug." Emily murmured. "Mom and Zoe aren't going to sleep until they see you."

"A few more seconds." Banri said. "Please."

"Okay." It wasn't hard at all to grant his request when his voice sounded like that. She'd hug him for however long it took to get his strong but gentle tone back.

***

"What is the point of having a fucking smartphone if you can't be reached with it?!" Mom shouted after hugging me.

"Wow you're cursing! I must have really fucked up."

"No shit, genius." She smacked the side of my head. "You should have gone to the House with one of us."

"I wanted to go alone."

"Then you should have texted us before going."

"Come on, Ma. I'm fine. Clearly."

"Did you eat anything other than the ice cream?" Zoe asked, clinging to my side.

"Probably not since he's making a lot of smart decisions today." Mom spoke for me.

"No. I haven't." I admitted. I was immediately dragged to the kitchen where a plate of spaghetti was placed in front of me after being microwaved. "We had lasagna yesterday and you made spaghetti today. You know that I know y'all are Italian-American right?"

"Zoe asked so I made it." Mom sat next to me and rubbed my back as I ate. "Is it good?"

"Of course it's good. It's your cooking."

"Thank you, sweetheart." She pushed another few meatballs onto my plate. I noticed Zoe making consistent eye contact with her, so I got ready to answer the question that was about to come my way. "How was the House, bug?"

"Awful. It was like going into a museum. I'm really happy everything looks exactly the same, but I wish it wasn't like the life had been taken out of it." I poked at the spaghetti, appetite gone. "I'm going to sell the place."

"What?! No!" They all said at once.

"I'm paying property tax on a house I don't even live in." I said.

"You don't live there now. But maybe you will in the future." Emily said. "Just because it's traumatic for you now doesn't mean it always will be."

"If you can't afford the tax, I'll help pay." Mom offered.

"It's not about the money, Mom. I can afford it." I sighed. Easily. "I've learned to handle the loss as best as a person can handle something like that. Moving into the house would undo all of my progress."

"At least think about it..."

"I have thought about it, Mom." I pressed. "For months. Going over today was a test. If I only got a little stressed out and sad, I was going to keep the place. I figured I could eventually get over that and move in. But it wrecked me. Emily, you saw what I looked like. Tell them."

"Awful." Emily mumbled unwillingly. "He looked miserable."

Mom's face fell but she relented. "Okay, bug. If that's what you want, then sell the place. I'll ask Joy if she recommends her realtor. Sold her house and moved into a new one recently."

"Thank you." I squeezed her hand then went back to eating. "I've got this place to call home. It's enough."

Chapter 4: Blossom

"Hi, I'm Simon Getty." A tall man with grey eyes and a close shaved salt and pepper beard rushed over from his car. His graying hair and the crow's feet by his eyes were the only 'old' features on an otherwise youthful face. "Sorry I'm late. Tried to time things with traffic but you know how it gets."

"It's fine." Claire smiled. "I'm Claire Rossi and these are my kids, Banri and Zoe."

"Nice to meet you." Simon shook all their hands. "Banri. This is actually your home, correct?"

"Yeah it's my house." Banri nodded. "Well it was my parents. I uh... Mom did you tell him the whole story? I don't want to repeat myself."

"She was quite vague actually. Made me a little wary." Simon chuckled.

"Sorry. I didn't know how much Banri wanted to share."

"Well the people that'll buy the place should know its history." Banri shrugged. He had told the story so many times that it no longer bothered him to tell it. "My parents and sister died when I was five years old. Ms. Rossi here was my mom's best friend and my Godmother. She adopted me."

"I am so sorry to hear that." Simon's smile fell immediately, face turning solemn. "I'll be sure to find someone that truly appreciates it. Before we begin, though, I have to ask. Are you positive you want to sell it? Aside from the personal history you have with it, the home is a gorgeous property in an amazing area. Wonderful school district, low crime rate, everything a family would look for. And the HOA here isn't godawful. Your future spouse and children would love it."

"Positive."

"Then it's settled. Know that you can change your mind at any time and I will not question it." Simon said. "Unless you change your mind after its sold. I will question you a lot if that happens."

The group laughed and then Banri led them all into the house. "You guys are free to go around checking it out. I'll stay right here in the foyer."

"Actually, I think you should wait outside." Simon said. "I don't mean to be rude. But I don't want to make this process even more painful for you. We can all see how tense you are just standing here." He looked at Claire. "I hope you know a lot about the house?"

"She probably knows more than Banri does." Zoe said.

"Alright then." Simon dug in his pocket then tossed Banri a set of car keys. "Just bought the Audi yesterday. Test the AC out for me."

"Cool thanks." Banri relaxed and smiled. "Could I test the driving too?"

"Not if you want my commission to be low."

"Understood." Banri nodded then left. Zoe thought about going with him to keep him company then saw the look that her mom was giving Simon. That was much more interesting.

"That was very considerate of you." Claire said. "Thank you."

"No big deal." Simon shrugged. "I lost my parents when I was young as well. I know what it's like."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry." Claire put her hand on his arm.

Best way to a mom's heart is through her kids. Zoe thought as she smiled to herself. And being hot as hell. He might be as hot as Banri and that's not easily done... She shook her head and returned to paying attention.

"It's been years, Ms. Rossi." Simon began walking through the house. "It barely hurts to think about nowadays."

"Call me Claire. Please."

"Alright, Claire Please." Simon spread his left arm towards the house as he smiled at his own joke. "I'd love a tour."

What followed was 20 minutes of talking about the house followed by 40 minutes of Simon and Claire shamelessly flirting with Zoe standing uncomfortably in the background. It had been cute at first, but she quickly regretted staying with them. "We should go tell Banri we're done."

"Yes we should." Simon paused mid-flirt and led them out of the house.

Banri got out of the car after seeing them. "AC works great and the speakers are awesome."

"Good to know." Simon smiled as he took the keys back. "Want to hear my thoughts on the house?"

"Yes, please."

"Let me start by saying that selling it will be very easy even with the market being the way that it is. Like I said before, the area it's in is very desirable and the house itself is beautiful. The 90s style still holds up. Plus, the place is wonderfully maintained. I should get the name of the cleaning service you used, Claire." Simon said. "However inside I saw some spots with water damage, places the paint has started to peel and flake off, and the air conditioning system used is outdated and most likely will not work even if you get this place hooked up to the grid again. Outside in the backyard, the tree desperately needs a trim. It's blocking all the natural light from getting in and making the living room of the house look and feel very gloomy. All those issues are minimal and shouldn't cost you too much. I know a few people you can call that'll give you a good deal if you're interested. You'd just have to tell them I referred you."

Behind his back, Zoe mouthed 'Wow' to Claire. She nodded. "Wow, Simon. It didn't even look like you were paying attention to the house."

"I would have paid even more attention but there was another beautiful thing distracting me." Simon grinned.

Zoe made a face and Banri looked surprised. "Uh. Yeah. Sure. I'd love their numbers."

"Great! I'll email them over to you. We can put the house on the market the second all of that is taken care of." Simon looked as if he hadn't just boldly flirted with their mom in front of their faces. "Any questions?"

"Any idea of how much we're looking at? Like price?" Zoe asked.

"Zoe!" Claire scolded. "Be a little sensitive."

"Banri was going to ask!" She turned to him. "Right?"

"It's alright, Mom. I was going to ask." Banri ruffled Zoe's hair. "Thanks for being my spokeswoman."

"Well I can't give you an exact number since I haven't done a proper appraisal yet but..." Simon made a face as he tried to think of a rough estimate. "I'd say you're looking at around 430. Probably more..." He looked at the house again. "Definitely more."

"Holy shit." Zoe whistled. "Rich boy is going to get way more rich."

"All thanks to your mom for taking care of it." Simon nodded at Claire. "House wouldn't sell for nearly that much if she had just let the place sit there."

"Thanks, Mom." Banri hugged Claire from the side. "I love being richer."

"You're welcome, bug." She kissed the back of his hand then sighed. "I still wish you weren't selling it. Diana was so excited when she and Ryu bought the place."

"Well... If they were good parents, which they clearly were, I think they'd rather you did what makes you happy." The solemn look had returned to Simon's face. "That's all parents really want. Even if they can't see it, they want their children to smile."

"Let's give my parents what they want then." Banri sighed. "If my happiness is their happiness, then so be it."

***

"You should have been there, Emily." Zoe made a face as we all sat down to dinner. "They were flirting non-stop. Banri got lucky and only saw a little."

"We were not flirting!" Mom said, glaring at her. I saw the faintest hint of a blush.

"I would have paid even more attention but there was another beautiful thing distracting me." I quoted. "If that's not flirting, I've been doing it wrong all these years."

"What's so bad about admitting it?" Emily asked. "It's been awhile, Mom. Go and get some."

"I do not need to go and get some." Mom rolled her eyes. "Even if I did, we're his clients. It'd be inappropriate."

"Technically, I'm his client." I said. "You're a tagalong."

"I am not interested."

"Okay." Emily, Zoe, and I said at once.

"I mean it."

"Uh-huh."

Mom opened and closed her mouth a few times then smiled. "Well I guess if I'm not his client..."

"Yes!" Zoe cheered. "Call him now."

"It's late. I don't want to bother him."

"It's barely 8 o'clock." Emily grabbed Mom's phone from the counter and handed it to her. "Go on."

"After dinner."

"Promise?"

"Jesus Christ, kids." Mom chuckled. It was nice seeing the blush getting stronger on her face. "I promise."

Dinner consisted of black bean casserole with chocolate gelato for dessert. All of it was emptied to the point of being scraped. "Delicious as always, Mama."

"Mhm." She said distractedly. She was scrolling through her contacts.

"Shall we leave you alone?" Emily smirked, clearing the table. Since it was her turn to wash the dishes, she opted to throw all of it in the dishwasher instead.

"Yes. Get out.".

"Mama and Simon sitting in a tree..." Zoe began.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G..." Emily continued.

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby -" Mom delivered a swift smack to the side of my head to shut me up then shooed us to the living room.

"Ugh. I wish she didn't use her ring hand when she did that." I rubbed at the spot she hit me while sitting down.

"Up for a movie?" Zoe pulled the trigger to get her leg rest up then cuddled up to me, throwing her leg over mine.

"Netflix added Gran Torino." Emily sat on my other side and cuddled up to me as well.

"What are you guys doing?" I laughed.

"I told you. We missed you."

"So being clingy is your solution."

"Yes, bitch. Deal with it." Zoe searched for Gran Torino and started it.

"Whatever." I attempted to shrug. "Do we really have to watch this? We own the Blu-ray."

"Yes, bitch." Emily said.

"You just want to watch it because you're thirsty for Clint Eastwood."

"He's hot!"

"He's old as fuck."

"That's the appeal." Zoe was idly tracing her fingers on my belly. It felt nice, weirdly enough.

"See? Zoe gets it."

"You two have a thing for the geriatric. Got it."

"No..." Emily said. "We have a thing for stoic men with sexy voices."

"And with really intense stares."

"And bald spots." I added. "I'll let your future husbands know to stock up on adult diapers so you can spice up your sex lives."

"Just shut up and watch."

"Yes, ma'am."

***

Both Zoe and Emily spent more time drooling over Banri than watching the movie. The sixth month separation had only amplified their feelings for him. His frequent posting on social media with different women had annoyed them to the point that they were now behaving extremely clingy. For Zoe, what Banri had done for her in dealing with Stephen confirmed that no other guy could take care of her nearly as well as Banri could. He understood her, often better than she understood herself. What had started as a crush at 12 years old had turned into full-fledged love years later.

Emily hadn't felt anything like that for him until college, although she did know about Zoe's feelings. She had picked up on her sister's childish attempts at flirting and confronted her. While she had told her to move on and find someone more appropriate to like, Emily had been very understanding and didn't judge Zoe for a second. Banri was funny, kind, gentle, and an emotional rock whenever they needed it. Of course Zoe fell for him. Emily understanding Zoe's crush turned into developing one of her own. The crush turned to love when she saw Banri play the guitar for the kids in the children's ward of the hospital. He had taken each of their requests and even took the time to teach a few chords to the ones who were interested. A pure, joyful smile had been on his face the entire time. It had been the happiest she had ever seen him.