This oneshot takes place not long after Another World: Kyou Chapter… sort of.

Delicate.

It was delicate: the hand in hers, the hair that danced across her cheek, the way the other girl breathed as her chest moved slowly up and down.

Everything about her, about this moment, was delicate, and perfect, and for the first time, Ryou felt as though she was finally in control of some part of her life.

It was with this girl, with the auburn hair, that she could be herself.

Shy, but not weak.

Strong, not physically, but emotionally.

Kyou had always been the one that took charge. She was the one who chased after her dreams with fervour.

That was, after all, how she had ended up with Tomoya.

Never giving up. Always moving forward. Ridding all obstacles in her path through brute force and a cascading push of emotions. She acted first, thought later. Hurt others, then regretted it.

Occasionally.

More in some cases, less in others.

Not if she was rewarded with the object of her heart's desire.

But if anyone dared to suggest Kyou had the heart of a demon - sometimes, none at all - Ryou was quick to correct them. Kyou showed grace to those she cared about.

And Ryou could read her easier than her fortune-telling cards. She was her sister, her twin, her equal; yet so different. They shared the same face, the same hair – the same being of affection. They were each other's confidant, support group, and partner in the crimes of the heart.

With their clashing personalities, they should have become two parts of an equilibrium. And they were in a sense – rarely was one seen without the other. Never before had one idly sat by when another was hurt.

We're sisters, after all! We have to look out for each other.

Yet, how many times more had Kyou ended up looking after her?

Her sister always had her back. Ryou, though filled with solely pure intentions, often fell to the wayside as her twin marched ahead. Sometimes, the younger felt as though her sister was moving too fast, too far, and she couldn't keep up. She couldn't act on her own. She was a puppet, pulled by a hand that didn't belong to her.

Now and again, it was at Ryou's expense. She didn't mind. She knew Kyou wouldn't do anything to purposely harm her. It was part of her nature, and Ryou wouldn't change any part of it.

In the end, Ryou realised, it was this temperament that ultimately separated them.

Kyou had acted out, put up a fight, refused to back down. She pursued, and conquered.

Ryou had stumbled upon her fate by accident. It was luck, not ambition; a meeting through a broken heart.

A quiet word of encouragement.

A small gesture of comfort.

An unspoken assurance that she didn't have to be compared to her sister any longer. She wasn't to be pushed into the shadows. She could shine, not behind the scenes of Kyou's play, but at the front of her own.

Never give up. Keep pursuing your dreams; not according to Kyou's judgement, but yours.

Kyou and Ryou would always be twins. Two halves of a whole. Black and white. Headstrong and timid. Forthcoming and reticent. Neither without their taint.

Sometimes - not often - Ryou would still feel inferior. She would remember how she had lost Tomoya to her sister, and the hurt that had come with accepting it. But in losing, she had gained.

The short time she spent with Tomoya had been fun. There were times when she could lose herself in the moment, forget about Kyou, about her feelings, about the hurt that hid in her eyes whenever Ryou returned from a date. About the raw jealousy that seemed to overpower her.

After it was all said and done, however, Ryou realised that she preferred the real smiles, the real laughs, the elation in her sister's voice when she told of her own time spent with Tomoya.

Ryou didn't want to lose her old memories. But she was not hesitant in creating new ones.

It was easier to lose yourself in brown eyes than in blue.

Delicate lips met her own.

You can consider this a prologue to any future Ryou/Nagisa fics I'll write! Because there will be more. Probably.

Also, if you need any sort of explanation, I'll be more than happy to give it to you! I can be rather vague at times.