The birds chirped, the wind whistled, and the sun radiated against the small town. The village was most active at this time, as this was when the townsfolk made the most money they could in the year.
Two young children were walking to the small market located in the center. An impatient yell was directed to the other. "Rouche, you're so slow!" Responding with a sigh, the boy spoke up. "You shouldn't run off like that. You could get into trouble. Mother and father would be furious..." The young girl, Limera, looked down sadly, realizing the trouble she could have caused.
"Come now. We'll go get a snack. My treat." he smiled. Limera quickly responded with one of her own and agreed. As the two reached the merchant, a sweet fragrance filled the air, followed by a bell chime. They knew what that meant; a fresh batch of cookies was ready. The young girl pointed to the tray holding the freshly baked goods. "I want one of those!" she cheered. Rouche smiled and bought two cookies for themselves. "Alright, here you go-" he began, but was surprised by the girl's swift actions of taking the cookie.
Limera gobbled the snack up in a matter of seconds. As the older child was going to take a bite out of his share, he heard a soft whimper. Turning, the young girl was seen staring at the treat. He eyed the girl with serious expression. Finally, he handed the cookie over to his younger sister. Her reply was filled with a smile as she finished the second cookie.
No trace of a cookie was left behind...except for the crumbs on her face. "You're such a messy eater." He teased, trying to wipe her face. The young girl tried to hold her older brother off. Pouting at her given title, she grew upset. "No I'm not!"
The older used a napkin given to them from the merchant. He licked it and began to clean her face. "Hold still," he demanded but the girl refused to listen. The two fell back as the eldest landed on top.
There the two were. Their eyes were locked as both blushed a bright red like two shiny tomatoes. The taste of cookies was still present on the girl's lip. As the boy tried to pull away, he felt two arms pull him in closely. "B-Brother," she whispered softly, engaging in a second kiss.
Now he was the one blushing the most. The pair finally got up and brushed themselves. The girl was filled with wonder and excitement. Not being able to hold it in, she blarted out. "Wooooow, that was so cool!" The older sibling was still blushing. "I can't wait to tell mother and father about our discovery-" Rouche cut her off before she could finish. "This is our little secret!" He demanded, glaring at her. "You will tell nobody! It is only for us to know! And ONLY us!"
Tilting her head, Limera was confused as to why he was acting so strange. "But I always tell mother and father," she explained. "W-Well just for once, please listen to your older brother. You must keep this our secret," he pleaded. The younger girl shrugged and nodded in agreement.
As the duo returned home they saw two figures standing next to each other. There were their parents, Reed and Lucana. "Mommy!" Limera shouted as she ran to her. The two embraced in a hug while her brother smiled at the sight and walked inside. A warm hand grasped his shoulder. Turning to see his father smiling at him. "Thank you for protecting your sister." Giggling, he thanked him for his praise. "Of course. I love her and I wouldn't let ANYTHING happen to her."
Reed smiled at his son's response and gave him a hug. The family all exchanged hugs and got ready for dinner. Limera sat next to her mother, while the boy was seated near Reed. Every time she looked at his mother, he held his breath and hoped that the secret wouldn't be revealed. Concerned, the man decided to ask him what was wrong.
"Rouche, you seem a bit troubled." His child laughed it off. "Ah...no I'm fine. It's just that my head hurts a little," he said trying to come up with an excuse. "You should rest then," Lucana suggested. The older sibling smiled and nodded. Just as he got up, he caught a glimpse of his younger sister whispering in Lucana's ear. He immediately rushed to where he was sitting. "No no I'm fine I'm fine!" He said, beginning to eat his food like it was his last. "Whoa whoa, slow down."
Taking away his plate of food, the boy protested. "Honey, is there something you want to tell us?" his mother inquired. "NO! I-I mean... Errrr no I'm fine," he said burying his face in his arms. "This can't possibly get worse," he groaned.
"So mother, brother and I did something special while we were out," Limera said said cheerfully. The older sibling held his breath and stared at his younger sister. "Whoa, are you okay there?" His father asked holding his son's arm.
His sister had a large smile and turned to Lucana. Panicking, he could feel his heartbeat rise. "He and I kissed!" she yelled happily.
Rouche was silent, frozen in his own world. "No..." he mumbled to himself as sweat began to form. Lucana and Reed looked at each other and then at the kids. "Awwww how adorable" Lucana smiled. Reed chuckled and patted his son on the back. Rouche, who was still blushing, glared at his sister. Her response to his glare was a cheerful grin. "Please let this be over." he prayed.
Limera moved in for a kiss but the older sibling held her back. "No no! No more!" He yelled blushing. His sister paused and stared at him. "Brother? She asked, confused. "I'm sorry," he said looking down. Limera wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, in an effort to cheer him up. "I'm sorry too brother," she apologized while looking at him. Without thinking, he pushed her away and ran off. "Rouche, wait!" Reed yelled, as he tried catching up with his son. "I need some time alone!" The boy yelled as he ran to his room down the hall.
A soft whimper escaped the child, tears beginning to form. Lucana helped her daughter back up on her feet, only for the child to cry loudly. "BROTHER HATES ME!"
The next thing the parents saw was the girl running to her room; causing Lucana to become upset. Ultimately, her mother tried getting to her, but was stopped. "Let her go." Reed said, trying to reassure her. "The two need to take time alone for awhile. Don't worry, they'll be as close as could ever be in a few hours." Nodding, she sat back down to finish her dinner.
Several hours passed, and Limera awoke from her nap. "I wonder if he's still mad at me..." she thought, as she got off her bed. She slowly opened her door and walked down the hallway. "B-Brother..." She called out eventually reaching his room. She began to knock on it gently, hoping for a response.
Rouche's door opened slowly, as two eyes poked out and then a face. "What do you want?" He asked. His hair was somewhat disheveled, as if he just woke up from a nap. "I'm sorry for earlier," she said looking at her feet. She felt a hand stroke her cheek and lift her head up to meet his. "Apology accepted," a smile slowly formed across his face. "I shouldn't have over reacted." Two small arms wrapped around his waist. He could see tears dripping from her eyes. "Brother," she whispered. "Hey, don't cry sis," he reassured, wiping her tears. The two siblings gave each other a tight hug. "Let's go back to mother and father,"
Suddenly, they heard approaching footsteps. A shadow then appeared from the corner and turned to them. Two deep blue eyes stared at the two siblings, making them feel uneasy. "Sis, get behind me," Roche whispered to her. With no hesitation, his younger sister did what she was told. At the end of each of the figure's arms were claws. They were sharp as eagle talons, and we're made of metal. Each step the figure took, the tighter her hand grasped onto her brothers. He felt his sister shaking with fear. "GO AWAY!" The figure didn't listen. It only walked in one direction; towards them. "I want you to go and get mother and father," the older sibling instructed. The young girl only clung tighter and buried her head into her older brother's chest. "Make the monster go away!"
Rouche charged at the stranger with great speed. The impact was enough to make the figure fall over. "I AM ONLY GOING TO TELL YOU THIS ONCE! LEAVE US ALONE!"
"So you must be his son?" the figure asked with a smile. "You've got quite the skills, lad," he said getting up. Getting into an aggressive position, the child was ready to attack once more. The figure sighed and shook his head. "Will you let me explain?" Without warning, the child attacked again, but this time the figure was ready. He knocked him away before he could strike; sending a wave of panic that flooded his sister's thoughts. "Brother!" Limera shouted, rushing to her brother's aid. "No stay back!" the figure, yelled holding her arm. "LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" the young girl screamed and soon began to cry.
Two strong arms held the girl firmly to the stranger's chest as he tried calming her down. The figure was unaware of the sharp claws that were scratching her.
When he got up, all he saw was his sister's screaming, teary eyed face, and the stranger who had her in his grasp. "This isn't what it looks like!" The man yelled, slowly letting the girl go. As she ran to get help, she fell with a thud.
Shock soon filled the boy, but the shock soon turned into anger as he glared at the man, snarling; trying his best to intimidate the intruder. Before anything else could happen, Reed and Lucana rushed to the scene. Limera got the energy to run to the two parents. "MOMMA!" she cried, collapsing in her mother's arms. "RHEIN, WHAT HAPPENED?!" Lucana yelled. "EXPLAIN NOW!" Reed shouted at the man. Rhein told everyone what happened and looked at the small girl. "I-I'm so sorry," he said reaching out to the young girl. The older sibling quickly reacted by slapping his hand away. "LEAVE NOW!" He yelled, still furious at what he did to her. "Stop that!" Reed growled grabbing his son's arm. Surprising him, the boy muttered "D-Dad..." as his father pulled him away. "W-Who is that man?" He asked. "That's my friend. His name is Rhein."
"I'm sorry...But he hurt Limera!" Hearing this made his father smile. The boy really was selfless and caring, that's what he thought. "I know you want to protect your sister, and I appreciate that. But I know Rhein, and he means no harm." He explained. The boy sighed and turned away from his father. "I want to be left alone," he said. Reed sighed and tried to cheer him up. "Come now," in a last resort, he tried tickling his son. Rouche pushed his father away and ran to his room, locking the door.
Meanwhile, Rhein was trying his best to cheer her up, but to no avail. "Mommy make the bad man go away!" she yelled, clinging to her mother's arm. "There there. Rhein is a friend. So you don't have to be scared of him."
"But he's scary!" the young girl yelled, clinging tighter.
Rhein let out a sigh "I-I guess I should head out," "No wait!" Lucana said. She tried thinking of way to convince her daughter before he could change his mind "Limera please. Give Rhein a chance, I promise he is a good person," The young girl thought for a bit and finally nodded slowly. "THANK YOU!" her mother said happily, hugging her. The older male had a grin as he bent down to greet the child, trying to apologize for early. "I'm sorry for startling you." . In an effort to make her laugh, he tried making funny faces. Eventually the girl let out a giggle. "You're silly," she mumbled, finally giving him a hug. Rhein was shocked by her action, and hugged the girl back. Her mother smiled at the sight and walked off, "Thank you, Limera."
Limera let out a yawn, and looked at the man. "Is somebody sleepy?" he asked, picking her up. "No I'm not tired," she yawned. "I'm...wide awake." Chuckling, he placed the child back in bed. "Would you like me to stay here until you fall asleep?" "YES! I mean...yes, please stay." Her eyes struggled to stay open as she was starting to slip into unconsciousness. "Now I know you're sleepy."
Before another protest could be uttered, the girl was out cold. He slowly began to stroke the girl's hair, careful not to mess up her already straight hair. Hearing the doorknob turn, he quickly stood up and to his surprise, it was the boy.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Rhein finally greeted him"H-Hey there-"
"What're you doing here?" Rouche interrupted the man mid sentence, approaching him.
"I-I was going to ask the same thing." "Get out of my sister's room, now!" As the two began to argue, they heard a soft whimper coming from Limera's bed. "Sis?" The elder sibling asked as he slowly approached her.
The whimpering turned to crying, which eventually turned into a scream. "GET AWAY!" She yelled as she pushed her brother into Rhein, unaware of her action. The young girl was finally awake, curled into the fetal position.
The boy neared her, in an effort to comfort her, and questioned what may have frightened her. "What's wrong, Limera?" Her body shook, and she clung tightly to Rouche. "M-Monster."
He explained to her that it was all a dream, which had calmed her until she got a glimpse of Rhein's talons. Again she was bawling, crying out to the older sibling for comfort. "Brother, make the monster go away!" As much as he wanted Rhein to leave, he explained to her, again, that is was just a nightmare.
Clinging to her brother's arm, her screams died down. The man seemed to notice something that caught his attention. "She seems to calm down when she is able to hug something." he thought to himself. Walking out of the room, he came back with something in his hands. "This should do the trick," he smiled, pulling out a teddy bear. Handing the stuffed animal to her, he said, "I bought this for you, but forgot to give it." Limera took the small bear and hugged it tightly; thanking the man with a tired smile. Returning to her bed, she instantly fell asleep with the bear wrapped tightly in her arms.
As both the child and man walked out of the room, the boy was able to utter a quick thank you. Although it pained him to say it, he felt a wave of relief as he did so. Smiling down at him, Rhein thought it was about time he head to bed, too. "Alright, now it's your turn." "W-What?" Rouche asked, confused by what he meant. "Come on," the man ordered, grabbing the boy by his arm, taking him to his own room. The boy tried protesting, only for his mouth to be shut by his hand. "Shhh, you'll wake everyone up."
By the time they reached the child's room, he had a spiteful look and pushed the man out. "Because you helped Limera, I won't kill you," he informed, slamming the door in Rhein's face. Collapsing on his bed in exhaustion, he let out a sigh as his head went under his pillow. "Finally...some peace and quiet."
As Rouche slowly began to drift into sleep, he heard the door creak open. The darkness made it unclear as to who it was. Fear began to build inside of him, until the figure revealed himself to be Rhein; the fear turning to annoyance. Letting out a groan, he covered his head with a pillow."You have no business being here."
His voice was cold, every word having the impression of a death sentence. "I know, but I would like to talk to you," he said, pulling the pillow off of Rouche's face.
Groaning in annoyance, he huffed at the man. "Just tell me why you're here, so I can go to sleep."
"Your mother and father hired me to take care of you. Kinda like a babysitter," The man explained. "I don't need a babysitter," the boy pouted, quickly raising his voice. "And I can take care of MY sister by myself!" Smiling, Rhein looked down at him and chuckled. "Yes yes, you're the big protective brother. But, even you need protection."
Folding his arms, the boy gave him an annoyed look. "I can take care of myself too, I'm not a baby." he said. "Of course not, but I would like you to show me some respect," the man ordered. "I just want the both of you to be safe, is all." Rolling his eyes, the child looked away.
As the two began to argue again, Rouche's door opened slightly. The young child poked her head through the door and walked slowly towards them. Her teddy bear was tightly held in one hand, and her other hand was rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Limera, you should be asleep." Rhein said. Almost as if she hadn't heard him, the girl climbed onto her brother's bed; saying in an inaudible voice only he could hear, "Brother, I can't sleep…. Can I sleep with you?" she asked, placing her head on his lap. The older sibling blushed, trying to hide his face.
Seeing it would be a great moment to embarrass the child, Rhein decided to tease him a bit. "That would be a great idea."
Glaring at the man, he demanded him to leave his room. Not wanting to interfere with the two siblings Rhein hesitantly agreed and left them. "Why is Mr. Rhein here with us?" She asked softly, glancing at her brother quickly. Her brother let out a sigh , and began to explain to her that he was their "babysitter." Before the boy could finish, he heard soft snores coming from the girl. A smile formed across his face. "Goodnight." he whispered, as he fell asleep, holding her tightly in his arms. "I love you brother." Limera murmured. "I love you too sis."
A/N: Sorry if any of you are disturbed by that slight hint of incest. I'm hoping that you can look past that, haha. Even if this story will contain romance between the two. If you're disturbed by that, then that's okay. To each their own. But the story won't have a heavy emphasis on it.
