Life in England had been fun yet draining.
It was just a mere desire of a 17-year-old girl to reside in her home country, nothing more. If one thing could be called abnormal, it was the fact that never in her life had she ever stepped her foot on the said country. And yet, she called it her homeland.
Her trip from England to Japan was long, very long. It was long and quite. She had travelled alone, leaving her beloved older brother behind in his very own misery. Her brother loved her deeply, to the point of being too much. It was a struggle itself to convince him of her leave to where she was currently. He was stubborn, but so did she.
In the ninth year of her time of living, she had lost the warmth given by those of mothers and fathers. It was sad, really. At times, she would blame her brother for her loneliness. Her brother would comfort her with some candies that had lost its effect long ago. Though, it was his sincere feeling that always made her warm up, not the candy.
It was never said that she had some kind of tragic past. Don't assume that her parents were dead, because they weren't. But it was true, she didn't have them by her side those past few years. It had only been her and her brother, just the two of them. Well, his fiancée came by occasionally, but it was irrelevant. She'd never admit it, but she had a brother-complex of her own. That was the reason why, as much as she hated it, she had never complained about her brother's antic.
Her life-changing event started during the early year of her fourth grade. While it was true that her brother was excellent at cooking, she had never thought that he wanted to pursue the particular field further. It was a big shock to both of her parents upon hearing the news; even she was surprised by it. He asked for their permission to go study in England, saying that a fellow chef recommended him to a certain cooking institution there. The institution was very convincing that he actually dared to take the chance.
Her mother was delightful to hear the wonderful news. She supported whatever her son decided to do wholeheartedly, even if it meant that he had to go somewhere far away from home. Her son was already big, and he deserved the chance. On the other hand, her father didn't take it as positive as her mother. But, her brother didn't mind him very much; it was quite easy to persuade him, and it proved to be true. Not long after, he agreed reluctantly.
The real dispute started right after that. Everyone in the family was present in the dining room during her brother's announcement, including herself and her younger brother. Her older brother's next request was what startled the whole residents most: for him to bring her along to England. He never said a thing to her regarding the issue, so of course, she too was surprised. Going with him would mean separating with her dear family, and she didn't want that. Yet, the thought of not being with her older brother disturbed her more. Call it favoritism, but she indeed loved her older brother most, more than her mother, father, or even younger brother.
Even if she agreed with his decision of taking her with him, the problem didn't lie there. In the end, it was her parents' final decision that could settle everything. Seeing their not so amused look, it only meant one thing: the answer was a no. But really, what could an ignorant father and soft mother do when they were faced with stubborn children? Nothing. Consequently, both her and her older brother managed to convince their parents. That was how she ended up living in England for eight long years.
Eight years in England and nine years in America. If we add them up together, it would mean all her life spent in foreign country. Then, how was she not excited coming to her home country of Japan?
She couldn't help but feel elated when she walked outside of the cramped building of the airport. Really, what could be nicer than a blazing sunny sky after a very long ride? Well, her bedroom might win, as she was a shut-in at times.
Maybe she was over excited, or maybe the two of them weren't looking their way properly, and they just had to bump harshly that made the girl almost lose her balance and fall jarringly. Almost. But, the same didn't go with her belongings. Her suitcase was okay, but not her handbags. Some of the contents of her handbags were scattered around the place. Amidst of all the frustration, the only thing she could feel was vexation. Someone just had to put her in that situation, and it was definitely not very pleasing.
But, what can you say? Even if she wasn't those that will be enchanted with handsome appearance, she just have to be a little excited upon seeing one right in front of her face, no? Well, she did. Though, she convinced herself she was still irritated by the incident, what could she do, really? She wasn't blushing, no she wasn't. She was just smiling like an idiot, thinking of her not-so-unlucky occurrence of her youth. It tingled her how an event could lead to another.
What she saw was a beautiful countenance decorated with shrewd amethyst eyes along with chin-length wavy hair. His hair was blue of a darker color that really, really, made her wonder. If she were a bit sane, she would wonder that the person in front of her had blue hair, but she didn't. Instead, she wondered about the hair that went perfectly with his pale complexion. If the person were a woman, she'd like to have him as a sister. The person really gave her a sense of security. Why she chose to have him as a sister, she wasn't very sure. Maybe, she just couldn't take the fact of him being more delicate than her.
Even when admiring his features so thoroughly that it left her stunned, she still managed to catch the amused look he gave her. It was brief, but he was definitely laughing at her. Well, who wouldn't? Someone you had just met was practically worshipping your very being.
Without further ado, she straightened her back to his field of vision; disregarding the look he gave her and bowed remorsefully, thinking that from what she had seen (in dramas and anime), Japanese liked to bow, "I'm sorry. Are you hurt?"
In the slightest moment she succeeded in detecting the irked look on his face, that expression turned into one heavenly smile that suited his appearance just nice immediately as he bowed back a little, "I'm all right. Are you?"
Looking quite unconvinced (since she did notice the irritation on his face, and she could never believe a mere bump could as much irritate the virtuous looking person), she replied skeptically as she retrieved her scattering belongings, "Just fine."
As the man helped her gather her stuffs, she pondered about the reason behind the face he made during that very brief moment. Well, if he was indeed irritated by their bumping, why would he still help her rather than walking away? It wasn't like they knew each other, and she (probably) wouldn't curse him for it. Or was it just common courtesy? When she thought about it, people were in fact politer than that. Only an ass would actually leave someone so pathetically alone collecting his or her scampered belongings in the middle of the busy crowd. It was damn embarrassing, after all.
Leaving her thoughts behind to focus her sole attention toward the other party (since she had been thinking about politeness, else she couldn't care less), she thanked him with the sweetest smile she could mustered to compete with that of his saintly smile. It was a bit discouraging, really, being by someone's superior (in term presence) to you. So at least, she thought, she had to put some good deal of effort.
But the competition didn't last long (that had also turned into a staring contest), just when she thought she could equal him. Well, her smile wasn't as angelic as his, but it was certainly very charming. Supported by her intense gaze, she concluded she was almost in equal standing as him. It was a game of her own, and she didn't really think the other party would take it as serious, so she didn't bother about it much. It was just a tad disappointing how close she was on winning her little game.
It was the car of her ride that broke the silent commotion between the two of them. She'd rather walk away losing than missing her ride. It was only a little game of hers after all, nothing worth the consequence. Just again, a tad disappointing.
"Take care," she parted softly. If she ever saw the man again, it would certainly be interesting. What were the chances?
Warm welcome was showered as soon as she entered the car. Her mother almost burst into tears upon seeing her only daughter back into her embrace. The father, well, he'd never show his soft side toward the second female of the family, but he was really pleased seeing her for the longest time ever. She had hoped for such a reunion, but just two things were missing: her brothers. Well, her big brother was in UK, so it couldn't be helped, while her younger brother on the other hand…
Indeed, where was he?
She might love her older brother most, but it never meant she didn't care for her younger one. Maybe, the latter thought otherwise. She had always been aware of her lack of attention toward her younger brother, making him grow to be somewhat distant. If she was kind and caring, she would regret those things in the past when she didn't include her younger brother much into her life, but she wasn't. It might be her fault that her younger brother had became an aloof person, but she never regretted it. She would always blame him for not being as interesting as her older brother, for doing nothing while everyone left him behind. Though, she loved him, really. He was the second person she loved most after her older brother. She sincerely loved him, despite the things she had done. That was one contradiction of her life that she never really bothered to care. What's done was done.
She realized she might not have the right to be upset of his absence, but did she really care? It was common courtesy, as reluctant as he was to welcome her back after so long. She was angry, and disappointed. If he actually hated her for those reasons, would she come to care about things she had done? Even if he hated her, he would always be her adorable younger brother and it would never change. Ever.
The moment her mother told her about the reason behind her brother's absence, it relieved her a great deal of time. Even if it meant nothing, at least he had an excuse. At least her thought would have a greater chance to be incorrect. The one thing she cared about was her family, after all. And never did she ever wish for one of them to hate her even the slightest.
Her mother said about tennis practice. His school had a very great tennis team and he was part of it, not that she ever doubted it. He was a tennis freak without fail, being raised in a tennis-oriented family and all. That didn't make her one like the other members of her family (excluding her mother; she played tennis, not breathe tennis, see the difference?), though. She enjoyed playing, but didn't seem to see the ecstasy of playing it as much as the males of her family. They were crazy. They could live with only tennis. They loved tennis as much as they love themselves. That was the one thing that differentiated her significantly between her siblings, and why her father seemed to care about her brothers more, specially the little one; he really had a passion for tennis.
Anyway, the school tennis team had reached the national championship, which was why her brother was forced to practice even on Sunday. Some things never changed.
Sightseeing the city of Tokyo through the moving car was nice. It was almost dark, and everything began to switch its light on; from the little streetlamps to the big lights in that very huge building. She had heard about the building since it was pretty famous. It was the Shibuya 109, and yeah it was big for a mere shopping mall.
She was sure amazed by the many different fashion styles offered in a single place. All of the Japanese street fashions could be seen as one there. Goth, Lolita, Punk, Visual Kei, Gyaru, Decora, you name it. Well, there were still those who wore ordinary clothing, but they still look great nevertheless. She, on the other hand, was eager to merge herself in that life. As weird as it looked, she promised to at least try once each of the styles and take a picture of it. She was a narcissist all right, so whatever.
Considering it was going to be winter in a few months, she was sure to go buy some jackets in that tall-looking building, 109 (excuse made).
It was only a mere coincidence catching his presence in that very place, or was it fate? Anyhow, there she saw him walking with a crowd of guys that didn't really catch her eyes. It was he and he only. The reason behind her eagerness wasn't because of her missing. Well, she missed him, but it wasn't that. A whole different feeling had surrounded her heart. It was a feeling of superiority. She sensed the need of to announce her presence that had been away for years. She needed to. She didn't want to be the insignificant person that happened to have the same blood flowing in their veins. She really needed to claim that place she once held: a sister.
One he loved or hated so badly.
He was an extreme person, she was aware of that. He would never have something so half-hearted, including his feelings. So it was either of the two, and she was actually unsure of which was better. Of course, everything would be good if he loved her. But, she could never cast away that little feeling of excitement at the thought that he hated her. It was the second contradiction of her life that she would never understood, or she would eventually.
She asked permission to step outside a little bit, saying she spotted her brother and was impatient about meeting him. Her parents gave an okay and let her go. They were aware of the two's complicated relationship, and a little mend wouldn't hurt. Neither was at fault, even if it was obvious that she was the evil one. But, it would be cruel if they blamed their only daughter and belittled her. She was so sensitive even if she was strong, and not one of them dared to shatter her. They never believed in her strength. They never believed she could handle it. They never believed that scolding their only daughter was normal. They never realized of how trivial the matter was to their daughter's eyes. They were exaggerating.
But she never complained or thought about it much. It was no one's fault. It was only the fault of her sensitiveness, her emotional struggle. Everything was messed up because she thought too deeply about everything, at the same time not caring about it in the slightest bit. She'd never admit it was her fault, so it was no one's.
Choking her little brother almost to death was the only think she'd admit her fault.
If every people's eyes were directed to her solely, then she never noticed it, like nothing caught her attention when she first saw him. She wasn't aware of anything. Be it the confused stares those people gave her, the strange atmosphere that surrounded the air since she appeared, or even the horror in his face. She was blind, more like she didn't care.
Only a gasp managed to escape his lips. Yes, he was horrified, but neither annoyance nor shock was in the mixture. He expected it. He knew it. Just, his mental wasn't particularly ready yet. It had been a while, and the moment she saw him was to jump on him so vigorously. He wasn't ready, yet.
If she ever cared about one thing that time was the face he made. She should be amused, really. His face was priceless, but she knew perfectly. She had definitely startled him so bad that he began to freeze. Was her appearance that appalling, or he had never anticipated it in the first place?
Then again, she had no right to be upset. But he was her little brother, what do you expect?
He was still frozen the moment she released her hold. He was petrified, but not as horrified as before. He had caught of the current situation, and readied his heart. A simple reunion with one's sister wasn't supposed to make your blood ran cold. But it did. He was ready, but he never will. That, he knew.
She was aware of his mental conflict, but acting oblivious was always an option.
It took several moments for everybody present to process all the things they had witnessed. Well, everyone thought that a sibling of their little freshman would be a carbon copy of him, but that proved to be wrong. The female they saw was one with lustrous auburn hair and porcelain white skin. Though, the eyes never lied; she had the same golden pair that shimmered under the dusky sky. Even their names were similar.
Echizen Ryoma and Echizen Rio.
A/N: trying to express the mental conflict between the siblings. I could never find a suitable name for a female Echizen. Even Rio didn't click well with me, but I dislike Ryoka or Ryoko or Rika more. And yeah, the older brother is Ryoga (not that it's a mystery or anything).