A/N: Written as a Relation Shipping 2016 exchange gift for RaspberryHeaven.
Morning sunshine bounced off the rooftops. The early warmth enveloped Sakura's half shivering body, and she gripped harder to the warm hand pulling her along, the dew of the grass rubbing against her ankles. She focused on Sakuya's hand and wondered what was happening now.
"Sister, why did you drag me out here at eight in the morning?"
Not waiting for an answer, Sakura sleepily rubbed her eyes and yawned. She examined their mother's garden in the backyard and, indeed, pieced together that she had only been dragged into their backyard. The black-white ruffles of her dress tickled her skin in the morning breeze.
"What do you mean?" Sakuya's brown eyes sparkled mischievously under the sunlight. Sakuya glanced over her shoulder at Sakura. Then, she suspiciously looked side to side for any mischief. In Organization Alert Mode, she was prepared for anything. "We have to attend to your daily routine, Princess Sakura. We can't just skimp out on royal business!"
Sakura groaned. Despite herself, she could not say no. Sakura was oddly entranced with her sister's hurried and relentless tone even when she was dead tired; she could never stop herself from tagging along with one of her insane fantasies. Her sister was so energetic when she did not have to be. "It's Sunday. I wanted to sleep in," she complained crisply.
"Sleep?" Aghast, Sakuya shook her head. She raised one finger at pointed at the horizon. Her voice lowered, conspiratorial. "Sleep is a trap. The Organization doesn't care about what time it is, you know. They can strike whenever they want to, just like I told you. Just you wait and see."
In reply, Sakura simply collapsed into her sister's side, hugging her around the middle. It was uncharacteristic, all things considered. She had stayed up all night sewing a dress for one of her dolls. Perfection had no time limit. "Sister, are you wearing my dress again? I thought I told you—"
But she stopped mid-sentence as the wind rushed past her ears. Arms wrapped around her and tossed her in the air. Sakuya held her bridal-style in her arms, Sakura's head comfortably resting against her shoulder. It took a minute for Sakura's brain to connect back to the rest of her body, and she furiously blushed, stomping down any and all thoughts of nervousness.
"Y—You can't do that so suddenly!" Sakura squeaked. Though she had no complains about this, honestly, she could try being a little less brash.
Yet again, her weirdness was what she loved about her sister so much… She was a geek, and weird beyond comparison sometimes, but only Sakura could call her as such. Only a beloved sister could speak that way.
Sakuya did not comment on this at all. She cradled Sakura in her arms, peering down at her intensely. Sakura, fully awake now, could not resist the light blush that dusted her cheeks. When Sakuya looked at her like that, she could never vocalize much of anything, much less anything angry.
Sakura closed her eyes and braced herself. She hoped she was would do it. She wouldn't mind or anything like that… But nothing happened. She peeked a moment later. Now, Sakuya was staring off into the distance.
"We should hide," Sakuya said after a moment's pause. "I feel eyes on me."
Disappointment drained Sakura's face. She pouted, eyebrows scrunched up. Sakuya was wasting no time skipping to the chase, and she wished she had just taken one second to notice her. Sakura highly doubted eyes were on them anyway considering how the oak trees fencing off their property stood tall and proud far in the distance. She would humor her nonetheless.
"Who do you think is watching us—?" Sakura began.
But she was cut short. Sakuya held her closer and squeezed tightly, protectively. Sakura turned her head at the insistence, feigning anger and resentment even though Sakuya was too engrossed in her too fantasy. The lack of hesitation in her actions—how her sister had the strength to do something embarrassing like this without fear and act so rashly, she admired. She would never know how she did it, but she allowed Sakuya the satisfaction of dragging her along to her next "adventure."
Honestly, she didn't really like this… but she didn't dislike it, of course…
Yes, this was nice… sometimes… just to leave her care to her hands…
Years ago, their mother had decided the backyard needed a makeover. The flowers and plants growing in her garden were never enough for her image. Their mother loved class and elegance. And even back when their mother had redecorated the yard, she had said the gazebo would add an elegant touch. After all, what was more elegant than reading a book under the roof of a gazebo? Her mother had thought it a very lovely addition to their large backyard, plotted flowers surrounding the outside in a neat row.
Unfortunately for her, Sakuya loved the gazebo. And she usually—
Before she could finish this thought, Sakuya ushered her sister under the gazebo and laid her down on the couch inside. Besides Mr. Morikawa leaving his house in high spirits to walk his poodle, or the children playing ball in the street, no one could see them. A group of high school girl and boys briefly passed by their outside gate chattering about something funny their teacher did during class. Her muscles tensed up while all too conscious of their surroundings. She prayed no one would interrupt them, then she relaxed. Even if they all saw them like this, Sakura really did not care as much as she should in this situation.
Because her sister was weird, she could never be ashamed of her.
No other "enemies" crept behind the pine trees bordering their property. No suspicious men or woman were dressed in black scaling the nearby rooftops to get a better look at them. Except for of course… Well, nothing was ever peaceful for Sakuya, though, so she would have to endure it.
Sakuya obviously saw something she did not, and she always wished she could see it through her sister's eyes if it brought them closer…
Sighing at her own thoughts, she snapped out of her reverie. Sakura noticed a cake with pastel pink and pink frosting. Two cups with tea sat off to the side. She blinked, surprised. When had Sakura done this?
"This," Sakuya announced, releasing her sister in a flurry of grandeur and gesturing to the interior of the gazebo with one outstretched hand, "is our castle. We have returned from war with the Organization and Princess Sakura must rest."
A castle? Now, really, this gazebo was a castle?
Sakura frowned, then shrugged, then smiled thinly. Okay. Her heart beat a little faster now that she was awake to understand being called Princess Sakura. She really was way too embarrassing… but it was nice…
So, out of the endless list of possibilities her sister had stored in her head, Sakura was a princess today. Whatever her sister said went accordingly to her plans and she could never change her mind on the subject.
"What are we going to do today at the castle, sister?" Sakura asked coolly, seriously, trying to assume character. Hesitantly, she grabbed one of the cups of tea and raised it to her lips, inspecting the green tea inside. No, nothing out of the ordinary with it, but... Now even she was paranoid?
"We' have many matters to discuss." Urgently, Sakuya sat next to her. She bounced in place, practically energized like a battery that had been charged for too long. The clash of her personal cheerfulness alongside her somber gothic Lolita assemble was quite out of line. Sakura made a mental note not to let her touch the cake. "For example—"
A smack resounded off the gazebo wall. Something plopped into the grass.
"Incoming attack!"
Sakuya's eyes rounded, and she stood to her feet, the purple hem of her dress flying in the wind. She immediately jumped on Sakura and shielded her with her body, knocking her over back into the soft couch. Sakura's teacup easily fell out of her hands in the moment of confusion. The cup clattered to the floor, and the tea splattered on the rug.
"Sakuya—" A thousand thoughts passed through her head. Sakura could feel her entire face burning under the pressure of her body so close to hers, the tickle of Sakuya's breath against her ear. Sprawled out on top of her, Sakura clung to her sister's arms, not even knowing why. Horrified, she had no idea who was watching now, but... why did she have to be like this…?
Sakura was just in time to see the soccer ball roll in front of the gazebo's entrance. It bounced, once, twice, and finally, it fell back onto the grassy hill, half resting against the gazebo's stony floor. Where had she just seen that? Sakura froze and held her breath, waiting, then remembered. Yes, that was the ball the children were playing with outside their backyard gate.
"Hey," a boy with short hair hollered at them. He ran up to the gate, panting. Bending over from exhaustion, he leaned forward and put his hands on his kneecaps. Then, he looked up. "Can we have our ball back?"
"Certainly not!" Sakuya yelled. She looked up over the couch in brimming confidence. "You threw a cannon ball at us and tried to kill Shion Academy's Princess Sakura. I cannot let that go unpunished, especially now that I can put an Organization member's face to memory!"
Counting to ten to herself, Sakura mentally facepalmed. Okay, so seeing them like this was one thing. But shrieking such things… Half annoyed, half aghast, she knew the situation had just leapt off the deep end. Every time it ended up like this, she always had to clean up her mess
"Sakuya," Sakura snapped, voice firm and loud. After a moment's pause she collected her calm and cool again and added, "Knight Sakuya."
Almost as it slapped, Sakuya looked back at her like a kicked puppy, pointing an accusing finger at the innocent boy a few feet away.
The Organization did not exist. It had never existed, either. Everything her sister spouted about The Organization was a hodgepodge of random encounters and vivid scenarios that strictly orbited her dear sister's imaginative head. But Sakura could never actually voice this, because Sakuya would always spring into action regardless of warning.
Years ago, Sakura had accepted her sister's cruel fate. Her sister would always believe in the invisible and ultra-selective Organization she rambled on daily about. Usually Sakura could have minded less, because Sakuya would immediately run off and strike the air in hopes of defeating her enemy. But right now, this may be a bit too far for Sakura's comfort.
"But he might be a spy," Sakuya protested with a dejected face. "Or a secret agent ready to infiltrate our forces. Do you really want—"
"Sister, stop it!" Sakura reprimanded. Her tone was sharper than her gentle, breezy tone. A headache started to rack the back of her head. Nothing… romantic was really happening… but she wished they had not been interrupted at all. She covered her mouth like a well-respected princess would do and lowered her voice. Playing along would get Sakuya's attention the best. "Please give him back his ball. It is unbecoming of a knight such as yourself to not be chivalrous. You don't have any evidence to present to the court, do you? Anyway, if you do return the ball to his care, he'll have less reason to stick around and pick up our secrets. You'll have given me a good name."
The boy, wide-eyed in horror though blissfully unaware of their whispering, still seemed scared of whatever exchange was going on. He glared at them and stepped back to join his friends. None of them looked happy.
Sakuya shot daggers at the boy, though she did not reject an order. Begrudgingly, she picked herself up as Sakura's human shield and walked over to the ball. She kicked the soccer ball and clean over their fence and, astoundingly, landed in the yard across the street. She smirked at them, pleased with herself. Awestruck, the boy clapped his hands. When the boy realized he was betraying himself and his cause, he stuck his tongue out at her. The boy raced off with his friends across the to retrieve their ball.
Sakura tipped her face into the lace of couch's lacey pillow. The summer morning was warm, but the breeze was cool. And Sakuya had been very warm. Now, she missed her being so close. She missed her being so careful about touching her…
Well, obviously, she didn't like it. But she couldn't ever dislike it…
Okay, she guessed she liked Sakuya hugging her after all…
"You're too well-mannered a princess. One day the neighboring nations will take control of this country if you give them everything they want. Land, treasured objects…" Sakuya grimaced. She slumped onto the couch next to Sakura and stretched her arms above her head. "With me defending you as your knight, you'll never be captured by that nasty Organization, I swear to it. We're all so lucky. You're so understanding. It is no wonder the people of our country love you. But you know… because…"
Sakuya steepled her fingers together. Sakura could see a light blush dust her sister's cheeks. She tried to look away to cover it, but she spotted it.
Sakura stared intensely at her lap. Her voice was low, though sincere without the fake act preamble attached to it. "I love you the most, very most of your subjects… and that's why, I can't ever let the enemy hurt you."
Sakura's breath hitched. She had always known her sister… but…
"And that's why we have to prepare," Sakuya added, clutching her fists. Her soft=spoken, gentler side vanished. Her hardened warrior-against-the-Organization façade returned at full force, and she laughed gleefully.
Here it was again. Sakura, indulgent all the same, swallowed to rid her throat of a lump. She was oddly curious about her sister's thinking.
Sakura mumbled to herself. "P—Prepare? For what, sister?"
Sakuya grabbed her hand. "For the invasion!"
Invasion? Oh, no. She had jumped from a cannon ball strike to an invasion. Why was it always such horrible things? But something in her voice…
"I don't think there will be an invasion," Sakura pointed out slowly. She searched for something to grab her sister's attention. The sparkling, sapphire snake-like twist of their mother's garden caught her eye. "Do you see the garden over there, sister? No invaders can pass that defense; the flowers are too strong."
Somehow a "flower defense" did not really make sense to her, but it would be enough for Sakuya. She could imagine literally anything and everything, honestly. Every western castle needs a moat for protection... and Sakura guessed that was their wall of protection instead. Sakura had read that in a fairytale once with princes and princesses. After all, no one had ever stormed in their backyard and judged them and, maybe one day, she could break that barrier and show her sister off to the world.
Sakuya evaluated this newfound information with a stern face.
"I suppose you're right." Relenting, she crossed her arms over her chest. Seriously, Sakuya nodded briskly and pounded her fist into her palm as if it were her final verdict. "And because no one can breach our territory, I don't want to let anyone in willingly. So, I Kurobane Sakuya, want to… to…"
What… what was her sister trying to say now? Perplexed, she frowned.
Determination filled Sakuya's eyes. "I didn't want to do this, but I think it's the best way to show them that Princess Sakura belongs to this country. We'll have an arranged marriage with another princess… and I'll unveil my true identity as not only your knight, but as your sister that will marry you!"
When… when had an arranged marriage become an issue!? Nothing about that was a full-proof plan! Sakura's jaw went slack. Did that mean…
"You mean… princess?" What more did her sister want? She had soothed her worries that the Organization would strike. She would be her princess… but, but— Sakura blinked as he processed this, tilting her head as her sister looked closer towards her. "You'll be the princess that—that—"
Before the words could slip through her lips, arms whisked around her. Her squeak of alarm muffled, Sakura stared into a twin pair of amber eyes resembling her own. It took the circuits in her brain to fully recognize it—a kiss—and melted into her sister's embraced, stunned but her usual calm, direct and logical demeanor speechless.
The lips over her own were safe and warm and everything she had really come to love and care about. Sakura's hand rose to her sister's shoulder to find leverage, then traced higher above her neck. Her fingers tangled in Sakuya's hair. Sakuya's grey hair felt silky under her fingertips. Dare she say it, but she actually preferred this feeling to her all her dolls. Each of her dolls had such coarse, artificial hair. Enticed, she lightly smoothed her fingers through her sister's hair a little at a time, indulging her just a little bit. This was comforting despite that her sister may say insane things. But Sakura, lost in the golden sunlight and rich summer day, decided that she really liked the spice of ridiculousness in her daily life.
Yes, she may have to stroke her sister's hair more often.