A/n: I'm so sorry for the really late update. I couldn't even finish the interlude cause...

My house is now full of my little cousins and aunties hanging out and I'm crying by how noisy in here for a WHOLE week. I know it's not an excuse, but you gotta admit that it's not a comfortable atmosphere to type a story while you need to protect every device you had.

Eh, never mind. This interlude takes place at the end of "We Reunited". Read the last chapter and you'll know what I mean.

Enjoy~

At an unknown location, the sounds of footsteps echoed in the enormous castle at midnight. Several blue lantern against the white dull wall shone the dark hallway, keeping it lively to welcome any occupant who is late for their slumber. 

Both Iachi and Aini passed them one by one as they walked toward the room where Mother Of Light usually viewing the scenery through the window. They bowed to her despite having her back against them.

"I can feel the maturity power he's holding now." Mother Of Light said. "I want you two to start your mission and bring him to me."

"Roger." Iachi exclaimed.

"We will, hope everything will be exactly as our plan." Aini said.

"If we move faster, we'll be able to beat him. We'll make sure our victory in the end." Mother Of Light said to them in her assertive tone as she finally turned her body sharp to both teenagers.

After giving one last salute, the two of them stood up and walked away.

Iachi stared at the sky and clenched his fist. "... We will reunite again. It's been a long time since we separated. Now I will find you, so wait for me,... brother!" Iachi thought with a smile on his face.

"Hey," Iachi stretched his neck up to look at the tall girl beside him. "Aicha will be leaving early, should we have a tea time a bit early for her?" Aini asked.

"Whatever you girls want for, I won't be focusing on tea time tomorrow." Iachi replied.

"You should join too."

"I'll be running for miles so I need to spend my time in the training room before I go."

"We'll be having cheesecake tomorrow."

"More reason for me not to join you girls."

Aini puffed her cheeks, "Fine. Then I'll eat your part too."

"It will be funny if I see you having a different body when we meet again." Iachi smirked.

Aini quickly gathered all gravity on her hand to hit Iachi but the boy managed to avoid the worse outcome and ran away. "Get back here, you midget!" She said as she chased her target.

"Come and get me, elephant!" 

After all of those running with a little bit of yelling from Mother Of Light, both of them left each other to their room.

The next day has arrived for the teenagers to prepare themselves for their first mission. As Aini planned last night, both Aicha and herself sit side by side in their favorite spot for tea time. It was at the garden near the fountain where every protectors spend their free time sitting in one of the tea-table sets.

It is called favorite spot for a reason. Having so many beautiful roses and leafy trees above them surely adding a nice atmosphere to remember the outside scenery, especially for the last time before they will truly free to witness the outside world after a long time. 

Aini poured the tea on Aicha's cup as both of them have planned to drink their tea at the same time.

They could only laugh with how sync they started and finished their drink. Aini poured another one on her cup, "Spend my time in the training room, my foot. Look who's sitting in front of me right now." 

A blue hair ahoge moved a little when she said that.

"Typical someone I know and close by." Aicha said as she rolled her eyes. 

The mentioned bluenette could only drink his tea slowly while holding a light blush on his face.

Yes, he doesn't know what he was doing in front of the duo who thought that they can enjoy themselves together without having a yesterday-blacklisted creature join them.

IachI kept his lips on the cup although there's no liquid left in there. "Plan change." He muffled on his cup shortly.

"That's odd." Aini laughed a little and put the teapot down. "It's rare for you to break your own schedule, unless there are some condition you couldn't help for." She continued with a suspicious look on her face.

Aicha slammed the table, making her younger cousin jumped as his tea cup almost slipped from his finger. "And I'm pretty sure you're not the type to be startled easily like that." Aicha crossed her arms. "Spill the beans, Iachi."

Iachi lifted his cup to finish his drink, only to find out that it was clean and dry before he realized it. He put the tea cup down, "... I'm anxious right now."

Aicha spurted the tea she drank and laughed along with Aini who was cough laughing at his statement.

After giving tired look on both girls, Iachi took the teapot and also find that it has been emptied. "L-Let me... " Aicha asked for the teapot while stepping at Iachi's dignity with her laugh. The blueberry could only hand the teapot to the elder strawberry. 

Aini regained her breath to calm the situation, "Okay, okay. S-So, you're anxi-... " She abruptly stopped to hold her laugh. "That's totally not you... you never feel anxious like this before."

"That's the point! Don't you think that this is a serious business if I am?" Iachi asked. 

The girls shook their heads while having leftover laugh on their face. "That just made it funnier." As Aicha said that, the girls broke into laugh once more along with fallen Aini from her chair.

Iachi put his hands on top of his head, "God, what a good friend I have here..." He mumbled while looking at the girls attacked his anxiety moment.

Aini raised her hand up, "Okay, stop... that's enough, Aicha." She raised herself from the grass afterward. "We... We give too many laugh for him." 

Aicha left her seat while Aini adjusted her sitting position. 

"I know I did too many things to piss you girls off." Iachi said, covering his face with both hands. "But having my anxiety to be laughed at is just..." Red thick marks appeared on Iachi's forehead when he heard another muffling chuckle from Aini. 

"There, there..." Aicha said as she put a plate of blueberry cheesecake in front of Iachi with its spoon. "Here, as apologies." She put the other one same as Iachi's to Aini and the strawberry one for herself.

Iachi stared down his cheesecake and took a spoonful of it to his mouth, "Foods different, they never laughed at me."

"I'm sure if they are humans right now, it will be a full orchestral of laugh." Aini said.

"But care to explain why were you anxious, probably a minute ago?" Aicha smiled a little.

The same case as his teacup, he kept his spoon while staring at them. 

He slightly bit the spoon, "I really was planning to spend my time in the training room, but the thoughts before sleep ruined me entirely." The girls quietly listened. "What if Brother Aichi isn't the same as when we were little? What if I'm not good enough for him? What if right now he's abruptly transforming into a different person?"

"Oh~" Both girls nodded their head. "No wonder~" They stared at each other.

"Like, everything about Brother Aichi suddenly made me nervous to meet him. I know I just have to reveal myself, but to actually meet him in person and talk to him feels like it's beyond me." Iachi said.

"You literally have given so much speech in front of many people with fangirls screaming your name without complaints yet you feel anxious just by your own brother?" Aini said. "Not like I can't say it to myself but I thought you have infinite confident there."

"Right?" Iachi shrugged his shoulder and took the spoon out. "I don't know why I feel like this."

Aicha took her time to think, "Maybe because you don't know what Aichi look like, that's why you feel nervous about it?"

"Maybe." Iachi said.

Aicha brushed her elbow to Aini's arm and nodded her head. Aini understood as she took out her phone and play a video to Iachi. "It maybe worth for you to watch."

"You're not just bragging about your new phone, ri-" Iachi stopped himself when Aichi appeared on the screen.

"He's a world-class card fighter now. He won Asia Circuit with his teammates." Aini explained.

It really shows how Aichi cardfight with his opponents. Iachi probably didn't realize that he was widening his eyes while watching it with full intentions.

Aicha took pictures of him with her iPad and it went perfectly in every angle.

"Man, Iachi sure not moving right now." Aicha said.

"Bet if I hit him thousand times, he won't budge at all." Aini added.

After consuming every video clips Aini had in her phone, Iachi finally let out all of his trembling freely on his body for the girls' display.

"Hahahahaha, I knew it... I knew it." Aicha laughed.

"I'm so satisfied right now..." Aini- said, wiping her tears away.

"What a good way before starting a mission." Aicha took Aini's phone from Iachi's hand and still witnessed him trembling. "You should fix this guy, Aini." She handed the phone to Aini.

"Nah, he'll fix himself in no time."

Not long after, the girls bid goodbyes to each other as Aicha finally left off from the castle.

Aini waved her hands and slowly put it down as Aicha's existence felt thinner on her side.

Aini let out a sigh, "Wonder how it feels like outside." She span her body to the entrance. "Need to prepare myself before evening." Aini happily walked in, letting the maids closed the door from the outside world.

Aini just need to prepare her necessary belongings cause' she'll be away to her new lab where it's enough for her to stay there.

Iachi won't be needing any preparation other than his health care and one cap. He'll be joining Aini after he brings Aichi with him.

It was almost time for Aini to set off from this castle which she always called her home. Aini wore her backpack and was ready to go until...

"What did you do to him?" Mother Of Light appeared before her at the door side, crossing her arms with no facial expression.

"What do you mean, Mom? Who's 'him' you talking to?"

"The only 'him' in this floor right now."

Aini immediately thought of her bluenette friend, "What's wrong with him?"

Mother Of Light just walked away from the door toward the only occupied room in the corner. She opened the door and gave a space for Aini to see.

Aini got freaked out when she saw the scene.

Mother Of Light sighed, "I thought he borrowed my laptop for an urgency, turns out this is what he's been doing."

It just like what she said, in front of them, Iachi was curled into a ball while sitting on his swivel chair. He was watching another video clips of his brother, proven by the laptop's screen.

Aini saw him in the same condition as when she introduced Aichi through her phone. It probably triggered a switch in Iachi's brain.

"No!" Aini ran to her friend's side. She span Iachi's body against her then grabbed Iachi's shoulders. "Hey, pull yourself together-"

"Stand up my Avatar," Iachi said as he imitated Aichi's style.

"Gyaaaaah!" Aini got embarrassed upon hearing that.

"I ride-"

"You're not gonna riding anything!"

"Blaster-"

"Shut up!!!" She finally cut him by chopping his head with her hand

Even after watching the mess from both Aichi's fans, Mother Of Light could only walk away from the scene.

She took out her phone from her pocket but then realized something fell from her pocket.

She picked it up, turns out that it was Aichi's mini keychain.

Mother Of Light quickly scanned her surroundings before taking big steps away from any sight.

A/n: I gotta say I enjoy this interlude so much. I'll publish chapter 17 anytime soon. Thank you for your patience, guys.

Aizuki~