This is most likely the last thing I will post until I return from my week long vacation. For anyone interested, I've set up a poll in my profile asking what you all would like me to write or to update more. Any input would be very much appreciated. Now, please enjoy...

Disclaimer: I do not own Vocaloids or Voyakiloids. Dell Honne and Haku Yowane belong to CAFFEIN.

--

Sitting in the middle of the kitchen table is a little vase, holding a blue rose with it's stem spiked with thorns. When she comes home and sees it, Haku knows exactly what she has to do.

As fast as her feet can take her, while still remaining quiet, she quickly walks to the room and reaches for the brass knob.

There's no need for her to knock, no need at all. She knows she has full permission to enter right now, at any given time.

Inside, there is almost pitch black darkness.

The laptop that often sits open on the desk has been turned off and closed, not even a recharging light blinking on the side, and the little amount of light from the moon that would come in through the window is halted, both the blinds and curtains being shut tight.

All that Haku can use for sight is a few candles that are lit on the side table by the bed, walking slowly so as not to trip on something or break whatever may lay on the floor.

Her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, and she sat on the side of the bed.

There he lays on his stomach, burying his face into the pillow while clenching the bedsheets on either side of him.

"I'm here, Dell-san..." Haku spoke quietly, reaching down and running her hand through his silver hair several times. He says something back to her, but it's too muffled to tell what.

She doesn't attempt to say anything back to him. Instead, Haku slowly eased herself down until she lay next to him.

Dell turned his head just slightly to look at her, into those worried red eyes.

Before anything else, he rolls on his side and wraps his arms around her as tightly as possible. Wrapping her arms around him as well, Haku assured him she wouldn't be going anywhere.

He closed his eyes and tried to forget about everything that had occurred that day, but it was short lived, for his eyes snapped open when the familiar feeling of soft lips brushed over his own.

Right away, Dell moved forward and pressed his lips forcefully against Haku's, hungering for her taste.

She complied without hesitation, closing her eyes and letting the feeling take her away.

It wasn't until she start unbuttoning his shirt that he stopped and swiftly pulled himself from her.

"No, Haku...I..." His body seems to shudder in that moment. Bright red eyes flicker away, and he turned onto his other side so that his back faced her. He didn't want to see Haku's puzzled look.

"Why...?"

"...It's not right..." He shook his head. "This isn't right...We're not right..."

She had to stifle a small laugh, if only to bring a bit of light humor. "You make it sound so deep..."

"Because it is...Haku, you're my sister...My sister, damn it! We aren't supposed to do things like this!"

Bringing his hand down, he punched the bed with the side of his fist before curling up into a tight ball. Little to no fear was in Haku, no, instead she felt worried.

Worried and upset, because something or someone had pushed her brother so close to frustration.

Because, in all honesty, there was no difference between her brother and her lover.

Getting up closer behind him, she loosely wrapped her arm around his waist and held him close. He didn't respond, staying in the same position without even a stir.

"What's gotten into you, Dell-san...?"

"...Don't you hear about...What they do to people like us, Haku? Don't you ever listen? If someone ever hurt you because of it..."

"No one else has to know..." She whispered into his ear, her warm breath clinging to his skin.

Dell wriggled around slightly, struggling away from her even more. "There have been too many close calls...I can't...I can't even hold your hand in public or hug you or anything as a brother anymore...People ask...People wonder..."

"Let them wonder...They don't need a real answer..."

"You just don't understand how serious this is!"

Long fingers ran through his hair again, twirling and untwirling locks of gray, white and silver. He wanted to pull away again, maybe even get off the bed altogether and just leave.

So what was stopping him?

A gentle tug on his ponytail was enough to yank Dell back into her arms. Haku's eyes staring at him like they were was enough for him to cover his own. Tightly shut, palms covering them, mind trying to ease away...

It didn't stop tears from coming through anyway. He choked back a sob and tried not to make a sound before wrapping his arms around the older girl's body. She, in turn, did the same and held him close while trying to fight away her own tears.

The sight of her hardworking, strong brother breaking down was enough to make her cry too.

If he couldn't handle it, how could she?

Softly, almost silently, Haku spoke. "They don't need to know because...They just wouldn't understand..."

She leaned in and kissed his forehead before trailing down all the way to his lips, her hands gripping just a bit more to his shirt.

When finally the blurriness of tears went away, Dell could see she too had begun to cry. He didn't hesitate at all this time. Her lips met his, her hands roved along him as his explored her every curve.

And this time, when she unbuttoned his shirt, he didn't stop her.

"Have I ever told you...How much I love you, Dell-chan...?" She asks, referring to him as such only in situations such as this.

"Many times, Haku-chan..." He gives the name back to her, the tiniest of tiny smiles coming onto his face

--

To him, the most amazing feeling is of one scrubbing another's back, whether they are the one scrubbing or the one being scrubbed.

Right now though, he'd have to agree with the one being scrubbed.

Haku leans down slightly and presses a kiss to his neck before continuing her routine. Up, down, side, side, up, down...It's almost mesmerizing, and she has to stop occasionally so as not to get dizzy or, god forbid, hypnotize herself.

Did that even make sense? No, probably not, but she's too caught up to notice.

She drops the cloth and instead rubs along his body with her hands, over his shoulders and down to his chest, all the way to his waist.

The motion elicits soft moans, and Dell's hands clamp over her own as they would if she had touched something he didn't want her to.

"Not now, Haku...We're just...Cleaning up right now..." His breath is hitched and he curses himself slightly from already wanting another go. Her hands fade from his skin immediately and she goes back to scrubbing his back.

"Sorry, Dell-san...But I can't help it..."

"..."

"...Dell?"

"...Turn around, I want to scrub your back."

"Eh? But...I always do that to you..." She gave him a confused look, but he only smiled back at her.

"You deserve it tonight..."

--

He steps in the door the next afternoon, his fingers busily messing around with the stubborn tie around his neck. Why did Haku insist on tying it for him that morning?

After all, she always tied it way too tightly...

For a second, Dell sat at the table to fix it, before glancing up at the vase. It should have been empty. Should have.

But it wasn't.

Inside was the same blue rose from yesterday, as well as a new, brighter colored one standing next to it proudly.

He wanted to be happy, yet he wanted to be sad as well. To smile and cry and yell and scream and run and walk and all of it at the exact same time. All due to a flower not even as long as his arm.

Dell didn't care though, because that one flower was what compelled him to run to her room, to embrace her and tell her so many compliments and good things.

Because it's his turn to comfort her now.

Because, in all honesty, there was no difference between his sister and his lover.