Ultima Ratio

Chapter 16: Sibling Bonds

Before Akira could even see who barged in, Danya was there first, lunging at them like a lion going for the kill. In one swift motion, she seized the intruder by the arm, kicked out their leg immediately below that, and threw them face-first on the ground before digging a knee deep between their shoulder blades.

"Easy, easy!" a familiar voice yelped from beneath Danya. "I'm fragile! These muscles are just for show, you know!"

"Danya, wait!" Akira exclaimed, ignoring the way her body protested when she leaned forward in shock. She would know that voice anywhere. "Sammy?"

"That's 'Sam' to you!" Sam protested towards the floor, his muscular arms trying and failing to do a pushup.

Akira scoffed. "Then that's 'Captain Dunn' to you, Sergeant. Do you really want to play that game?"

When Sam didn't answer right away, Danya twisted his arm a bit.

"Alright, alright!" Sam said, slapping the ground with his free hand. "It's Sammy! It's Sammy!"

"Funny, I thought it was Bernard," Danya said, and while she righted his arm orientation, she still kept him pinned to the floor.

"I don't understand why you keep calling me that!" Sam grumbled, turning his head as much as he could to look at Danya; he didn't get far. "Is 'Sam' really that hard to remember?"

"She's saying you're like a Saint Bernard, the dog," Akira explained. Now that her initial shock from Sam's entrance was wearing off, her headache began to return in full force. "And Danya, he's fine, can you..."

When Akira jabbed a thumb to the side in lieu of words she couldn't think of, Danya frowned but complied, stepping off of Sam's back and moving to Akira's side. Together, they watched Sam struggle off the floor, wincing as he straightened up to his full height.

He was at least twenty centimeters taller than Danya's petite stature, and the volume of his styled hair probably gave him another five. He was also much more muscular than her, and Akira knew for a fact that his daily routine included at least six hours of exercise and consuming enough protein to feed a family of four. In fact, he was opposite from Danya in almost every way, from his darker hair and complexion to his sharp outfit that fit firmly to his muscles: a white button down shirt, its long sleeves partially rolled up, with crisp black slacks and dress shoes.

When he finally shook himself out and made eye contact with Akira, his beaming smile really did make him seem like an oversized dog.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed, as if they hadn't just been bickering mere seconds ago. "My baby sister has finally returned to the land of the living!"

Sam Young wasn't biologically related to Akira in any way—or at least not directly. Within his complicated bloodline, it was very possible they shared a common ancestor, but there was no telling how far back he would have to trace his genealogy to find out. He would joke that the UN picked him as their representative since he had a fraction of every possible ethnicity within his genetics and was a living specimen of "united nations"; Akira figured he was most likely correct, but his photogenic physique and popular personality probably had a say too.

Regardless, their relationship was just like any other pair of siblings, and Akira grimaced as Sam approached her with his arms extended for a hug.

Surprisingly, Danya stepped between them, her arms firmly crossed over her chest.

Akira's immediate reaction was relief; she knew Sam was a hugger, and while he always insisted his muscles were just for the eyes, his tight constrictions always contradicted him. And even though he was still a few meters away, Akira could already feel her bones snapping under his affectionate grip.