It was hard to wake up in the morning and remind himself that there was no other presence in his bed.

It was hard to walk through the day with no one by his side. On occasion, Renji was there, but the comfort he brought was only one of the flesh, and his words were not as soothing to the mind as hers used to be.

It was hard to see her sister, flourishing and blooming like a plum blossom in summer (the same flower that flourished while she wilted), and resist calling her Hisana. He knew that was not her name, but in his heart he longed to believe that.

She was the last shard of something he held dear, something he used to love. But when she ran, he gave chase, clinging to a memory of a woman who used to dance in the wake of cherry blossoms, but who now lay cold in the ground.

When his eyes found hers, he let his mind lie and erase the caustic tongue, the strong eyes and defiant stance, and replaced it with soothing words and a serene inner grace. For moments, he would believe that it was she who walked by his side obediently, she who listened to his every word without fail, not her carbon copy. But he could not find it in himself to replace her in his heart, and so he locked all of his love away, sealing it behind a stoic mask that concealed all the emotions that he feared would surface.

But it was hard to remain this way when her eyes found his, that pleading glance and ache for attention, to be noticed and praised for all of her hard work. The way the word 'nii-sama' rolled out of her mouth, the tone of it looking for some inch of kindness to give way, to appear and shine forth from within. The need, the want to be loved in return.

And he knew that, in these moments, a portion of his heart had unlocked to let love in for this girl, despite his wishes. He knew she was not her sister, yet he would let himself believe it when the sorrow was too much to bear.

Hisana would never be replaced within him. Hisana could never be replaced. Her sister was who she was, independent and free-spirited, chasing after the dreams she sought. He loved her all the same, just like he promised that he would, for all that she was.

But it was hard to resist from loving her more than that.

Imouto-san.