Once upon a time, Kirino used to talk about her brother.

We became fast friends at a young age, Kirino and I. We lived close by to each other and our mothers were acquaintances from their teenage years. We attended youchien – kindergarten – together and saw each other nearly every day, right through until middle school. Being best friends, there was nothing we didn't know about the other.

Or so I thought. I eventually found out that I couldn't have been more wrong.

She used to always talk about her onii-chan. It was clear that she cared for him very deeply. I remember growing jealous, for I do not have any siblings and could not understand. The things she used to tell me, how he'd play with her whenever she wanted, how he'd comfort her when she was feeling sad – they were things I wanted for myself. Being an only child, I found myself lonely at times.

And then, without warning, she stopped talking about him.

In fact, she stopped talking about him for so long that I even forgot she had a brother to begin with. I don't know why – and I still don't – but the one time I asked her about it, she had grown angry, so I never asked her again. I didn't like Kirino being angry, after all.

Despite being best friends, I rarely visited her house. Most of the time, she visited mine. The few times over the years that I did, he was never around – and thus, he practically vanished from my memory.

It wasn't until that faithful day, when Kanako and I visited, that I first laid eyes on her onii-chan. He was cute – is cute – I can admit, but not exceptionally so. Just an average guy, as Kanako had said in that disdainful way of hers. Nothing special at all. But I still exchanged numbers with him, since he seemed like a really kind person. Even with the compromising position he got himself into, I never felt he had done such a thing on purpose.

Then I found out about Kirino's hobby, and everything changed after that.

I couldn't believe it, at first. I refused to believe it. Smart, beautiful, athletic Kirino – she would never read such disgusting comics. But the proof was right in front of me, irrefutable evidence of her hidden life.

We worked everything out in due time, in large part because of her brother. He gave me someone to blame, someone to take my anger out on. He went from being the reasonably cute onii-chan of my best friend to the vile, perverted beast that had corrupted my dear Kirino. And I had fallen for it.

It was later that I figured out what he had done. He had willingly sacrificed his standing with me, had ruined his image – all for his little sister.

That was around the time that she started talking about him once again.

And when I started noticing the way she looked at him, when she thought no one else was looking.

Her mouth spewed insults that he took in stride, yet the moment his attention was drawn elsewhere, her face would soften, eyes carrying not hate, but something far more sinister. I had mistaken it as sisterly affection at first, something harmless and normal. They had their differences but they were still brother and sister, they were still family.

But the more I discovered about her hobby, the more I doubted my own assumption. The looks continued, far more frequently she would talk about him – about the things he had done for her. Then one day, she had left me alone in her room after showing me some of her collectables, her secret hiding spot exposed to my curious eyes. Her mother had called her downstairs and in her haste, the brunette had forgotten to close it. A rather plain box in the back had caught my eye, drawing me in with its rather innocent exterior. It looked out of place amongst all the colourful video-game boxes and miniature figurines.

What I found inside had cemented my growing suspicion beyond my expectations.

Dozens – no, more like hundreds of pictures were stacked inside. Most of them were old, but a sizable portion of them were newer – yet they all contained one common theme. Slightly alarmed, I had sifted through the photos, yet no matter how deep I dug, the same face peered up at me. He wasn't always alone. Sometimes he was with his parents, or with other members of his extended family. And sometimes he was with Kirino. Those were older, before their teenage years – he was quite short, while Kirino's hair was dark brown instead of light. And then there were the ones where he was unaware that his photo was being taken.

Watching a movie in the lounge.

Drinking something in the kitchen.

Walking down the street with a girl who had short brown hair and glasses.

Eating dinner at the table.

I had stared in disbelief as they got worse.

In some, he was fast asleep in his bedroom.

In others... he was in various states of undress.

Little hearts were drawn on some. Confessions of love on others.

"Oh my god," I had whispered. It was beyond anything I had ever dreamed of.

I suspected a crush, perhaps a little bit more – but never to this extent.

And now here I was, sitting on my best friend's bedroom floor, gazing down in shock at the completely nude form of Kousaka Kyousuke as he showered.

"P-Please don't tell him."

I nearly screamed, my heart almost bursting as I leapt to my feet. Kirino was in the doorway, shaking in terror, looking like she was about to start crying at any moment.

I dropped the photo as if it had burned me, backing away frantically. The crazed look on her face was frightening, her desperation clear.

The door shut with a soft click.

It was then that I learned obsession was a dangerous thing.

OoOoO

A message from the Cow: Basically, this is just a place where I can dump any small idea that pops into my head. Some of these snippets won't be very long, but some might turn out to be quite lengthy. All depends on the idea, I suppose. This one takes a few things from the Visual Novel that was released for the PSP.