Chapter 1: Happiness, but at what Cost?

Stardust Witch Meruru hopped across the screen as the end credits began to roll. Kyousuke rubbed at his eyes with his palm and stretched. He couldn't believe that episode had only been thirty minutes; it had felt like an eternity! As he stretched, Kyousuke was very careful not to disturb his sleeping sister, who lay next to him on the small couch, curled up with him inside of a warm fleece blanket. Kyousuke smiled as he looked down on her. Kirino's sides rose and fell with each gentle breath, her extremely light brown hair shined in the glow of the television set, and her light lavender perfume carried through the still air. Kyousuke's smile faded as he realized he would have to wake her up, as she was supposed to be back home by 7:00. He glanced towards the clock on the wall across from where the two lay. It was only 6:17, plenty of time to get her home before her curfew. Kyousuke looked back down at his sister and lay a gentle hand on her cheek. For two months now, Kyousuke had been living on his own in an apartment close to his college. Nearly every night, his sister would come after track practice and the two would spend a few precious hours together before Kirino was required to be home. The catch to this was that nobody, not even their own parents, could know that the two of them spent this much time together.

Kirino breathed deeply and shifted slightly, rolling onto her back as she groaned in her sleep. The silver necklace she now wore every day now lay visible on her collarbone. This necklace was why the two couldn't be seen together. To let it be known the two of them saw each other so often meant rousing suspicion of a 'rumor' that had only recently died out. Kyousuke gently reached for the shining silver and brought it's full length from the space inbetween Kirino's shirt and bra. Dangling on the chain was a small ring, on which sat a heart design, which sparkled with the brilliance of several small diamonds. It had been the ring he had proposed to his sister with. That cold Christmas night in Akihabara was burned into his memory; chasing her down, confessing his true feelings to her, and proposing to the most important girl in his life in front of an enormous crowd. He smiled fondly, turning the ring over in his hand. Every moment he had spent with her was a happy one. Even when they went on 'sibling outings' every other weekend and were forced to fake detachment and bitterness towards one another, Kyousuke couldn't imagine himself being any happier. Kyousuke realized there was a sudden lack of soft snores, and glanced down at his wife. Her blue eyes shined up at Kyousuke as she gazed deeply into his features. A soft smile played at her lips as she teased her brother.

"Thanks for waking me up, stupid," she said, wrapping her arms around Kyousuke's chest and hugging him close.

"S...sorry about that!" Kyousuke apologized, feeling his heart skip a beat as his little sister stared at him lovingly. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am."

Kirino's gaze shifted into one of disbelief. "How lucky you are? More like how lucky I am!" she lessened the hug and pulled back to look into her brothers eyes. "You had so many amazing girls fighting for your love, it defeats all common sense to think that my brother would have fallen for his sister!"

Kyousuke smiled and sighed. "I don't see why it's so shocking," Kyousuke retorted as he leaned in and eskimo-kissed his Kirino. "Especially when my little sister is this cute!"

Kirino giggled and drew back, thrusting a fist against Kyousuke's face in mock defense. "Ew, gross!" she complained, using her free hand to rub at her nose. "Give me some heads up next time, moron!"

Kyousuke frowned. "Where's the fun in that?" he complained. "Kissing someone who knows you're going to kiss them is just a kiss. If you kiss someone who isn't expecting it, you get to see how they react to mpf!" Kyousuke was unable to finish his reasoning before Kirino shot her head up and planted her lips on his. Her tongue was immediately pressing against Kyousuke's lips, pleading to be let in and explore his mouth. Kyousuke submitted to his sister''s pressings and greeted her curious tongue. It played at the roof of his mouth as he slipped his own tongue into Kirino's mouth. Kyousuke savored the sweet taste of heated saliva and the slight aftertaste of mixed fruit that the kiss presented him. Kirino broke the kiss and wiped at her mouth as she looked up at her brother and giggled.

"You're right, that's much more fun!" Kirino's genuine smile pulled at her brothers heart. There was nowhere in the world he would rather the two of them be right now. If they could lay like this forever, he wouldn't mind at all. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Kirino had a curfew and Kyousuke didn't want to ruin what they had by getting those privileges taken away if she was late. He sat up and stretched, jabbing his sister in the face with an extended index finger.

"About time to think about getting you home, huh?" he said, glancing back to the clock, which now read 6:35.

Kirino turned her head to glance at the clock as well, and upon seeing it, groaned. "Ugh, I how much of Meruru did I miss?"

"Not much really," Kyousuke said, stepping over Kirino and standing from the couch. He was light-headed and dizzy for a moment before getting a firm grip back on reality. "Well, about 15 minutes worth of the show itself, but all that happened was Dark Witch Melina monologues on about her plans to destroy the Polaris Star, the story really didn't progress much at all."

Kirino let out a sigh of relief as she sat up. "Thank god!" she stood as well, stumbling and falling onto Kyousuke as her own light-headedness got the better of her. "I didn't mean fall asleep, but I pushed myself to my limit at practice today!"

Kyousuke put an arm around her waist as Kirino struggled to stay on her feet. "Figures. Next Saturday's meet is a big one, right?"

Kirino laughed. "Big meet!" Kyousuke shook his head at her immature sense of humor, despite the fact he said it the way he did specifically for Kirino to react the way she had. Kirino cleared her throat after her short chuckle and nodded, switching back into the serious conversation. "Yeah, I guess it's a pretty important one. There's a few sectional teams there, but the only one I'm worried about is Akihabara Central. Their sprinter has been practicing all year apparently."

Kyosuke looked at Kirino reproachfully. "Haven't you been practicing all year long, too?" he said, not asking as much as he was reminding her. Kirino had been out all summer, sprinting intervals, paces, and time events.

"Yeah, that's the thing though!" Kirino said as she unwrapped herself from her brothers arms. "We both practiced the same amount, so we're both evenly matched!"

Kyousuke put a comforting hand on Kirino's shoulders and looked into her uncertain eyes. "Forget that. When you get out there, whatever practice the two of you worked with is null and void. It all comes down to heart after that, and I know for a fact my little sister has more heart than anyone on that track could ever dream of having."

Kirino smiled and pulled her brother into a hug. "I love you, Kyousuke. You always know how to get my head on straight. Thank you for that."

Kyousuke rested his chin on his sisters head and returned the embrace. "I love you, too, Kirino. You'll do wonderful. I promise." he glanced back at the clock. 6:40. Five minutes had passed already! "Come on, then, I'll walk you home."

Kirino smiled as the two walked towards the doorway. "Oh, walking me home today?" she said, smiling mischievously. "Keep your distance from me then, you gross siscon pervert!" Kirino teased, sticking her tongue out at her husband.

Kyousuke smiled crookedly and took a seat on the landing as he slipped on his running shoes while Kirino zipped up her light brown boots. The siblings started out the door after Kirino threw on her light blue coat and grabbed her duffel bag of school books and sports equipment. As the door closed behind them, Kirino tossed her hefty bag at Kyousuke. He caught it as it slammed into him, almost falling to his back due to the weight.

"Careful with that, stupid!" Kirino huffed, donning a guise of disregard and distance. "The contents of that bag are worth more than anything you can afford to replace!"

Kirino speed walked away, the heels of her boots clicking down the asphalt as she left Kyousuke behind.

Kyousuke grinned. "Hey, wait up!" he called to Kirino as he ran to catch up with her, the hefty bag slamming against his leg.

Kirino waved an impatient hand as her brother caught up with her. "It's not my fault you're so slow!" she complained. The way they were acting now, no one who saw them together would ever guess that only an hour ago, they were cuddled together watching Stardust Witch Meruru.

The two Kousaka siblings stepped up onto the porch of their parents house at 6:57. Their security light came on, throwing long shadows over the ground and exposing the moths that sat inside of the glass covering.

Kirino stopped at the door and turned to her older brother. "Are you coming in to say 'Hi' to Mom and Dad?" she asked, looking at Kyousuke hopefully.

"Hadn't really thought I would…" Kyousuke said, scratching his chin and glancing upwards. After a few moments of considering, he looked backed at his sister, who now stood pouting. "Could it be that you just want to spend as much time with me as possible?" Kyousuke teased, prodding Kirino in a way he knew would cause her frustration.

"W...what?!" Kirino stammered, taking a defensive step back. "That's not it at all! I was just wondering if you wanted to see Mom and Dad since you came all this mpf~!" Kirino's argument was cut short as Kyousuke leaped forward and got back at his sister for the kiss earlier. He pressed her to the front door as he slid his tongue between her lips and played with her tongue. At first, Kirino resisted, pushing back against the unexpected onslaught in an effort to keep up the act of a distant sister, but eventually, she gave in and returned the kiss, wrapping her tongue around Kyousuke's as their lips danced together.

Kyousuke broke the kiss and stared into his sisters happy eyes. "That's what I came

here for." he said, his hands still pressing her wrists to the solid door behind them.

Kirino blushed and smiled. "You're so stupid." she said, pulling her wrists from Kyousuke and wrapping him in a hug. "We're lucky no one saw that."

Kyousuke laughed. "I suppose we are." he broke the hug and stepped off the porch. "Tomorrow, same time?" he asked, watching his sister open the door and set a foot inside.

She turned and winked at him. "No way! Why would I want to hang out with my gross Onii-chan?" With that, she dashed inside and shut the door behind her, leaving Kyousuke out in the chilly night by himself, happy as can be.

Kyousuke softly hummed the the 'Love Girl' OST to himself as he walked down the street, slowly working his way towards his lonely apartment. His breath created a thin fog in front of him as the night proceeded to get colder. Kyousuke pulled up the collar of his coat to prevent the chill from crawling up his neck. All of his thoughts for the time being revolved around his sister. Her kisses, her eyes, her smile; everything about tonight had been so perfect. Kyousuke blushed and closed his eyes in satisfaction. He was married to the most wonderful girl in Japan, and she happened to be his sister. Kyousuke thought of his sisters soft hands. How they felt in his, the elation he felt when Kirino laced her fingers with his. In his minds eye, he could see her clearly. Her blue eyes glowing in boundless pleasure, her long, light brown hair cascading down her back, her lips curled into a beautiful smile. Kyousuke opened his eyes and stopped walking. There was nobody in the entire world that could make him feel the way his little sister does.

Slowly, Kyousuke's smile began to fade. There had been a girl like that, hadn't there? A memory flashed through his head. She twirled in front of him, her white dress spinning at her knees. She smiled as she pulled off her porcelain mask. One eye purple and the other a bright yellow. Her long black hair spun with her. On this day, she was an angel come down from heaven for the sole purpose of pleasing Kyousuke. "I am Shironeko!" she called, her voice confident and steadfast, a huge change from her usual timid behavior. "Shall we begin our date?"

Kyousuke looked up into the night sky. Ruri Gokou. Standing where he was now, Kyousuke could hardly believe that only a year ago, his heart had been dominated by the petite, shy goth. When they had broken up, Kyousuke had been decimated, but his sister had been there at his side to comfort him. She had helped him search for Ruri for days, and despite the fact she had feelings for her brother at the time, Kirino had begged Ruri to take him back, because it destroyed her emotionally to see Kyousuke so upset. At the end of the day, it had been Kyousuke who had decided he didn't want to get involved in a relationship with Ruri again because that had been the day he truly began to realize his feelings for his sister.

Kyousuke began walking again. Another memory struck, this one much more recent. The sound of tearing paper broke the silence of the dreary night. Followed by the pained cries of young Ruri. The night he had professed his love for Kirino to Ruri, and brought Ruri's fantasies of having a second chance with him to an end. She had destroyed the Destiny Record, a notebook which she had kept record of all her future hopes and wishes, before falling to her knees and crying. Kyousuke had been in a terrifying amount of pain as well during the ordeal, as more than anything, he wanted to comfort the sobbing girl, but couldn't. He had been the one who hurt her.

Kyousuke began walking faster. Another girl in tears flashed through his mind. The face drew forth it's own wellspring of memories. Being handcuffed in her room, listening to her threaten his life on multiple occasions, seeing her for the first time in his living room. Ayase Aragaki. A lump began to form in Kyousuke's throat. "You promised me you'd marry me!" she cried, delivering a series of desperate and weak blows to his chest. "You called me your angel!"

Kyousuke was now in a dead sprint. The same living room he had met Ayase held another face. This one had not been tearful the last time he saw it, but angry. "I'm going to be the best thing you never had, Kyousuke!" Kanako shouted, not losing a single beat on the stage as she continued her act as Stardust Witch Meruru. "I'm going to be the biggest Idol Japan's ever seen!" Tears began to run down Kyousuke's face. She was with him in the apartment he had lived in during the transitory period in which he had been kicked out of his home. Kanako had brought him a homemade meal, which was frankly disgusting, but she was still just learning. Learning from…

Kyousuke slammed into the door to his apartment with tears streaming down his face. He sobbed as he fell to his knees and sank to the ground. Manami had been teaching Kanako to cook. Manami Tamura. His best friend since before he could remember. The two of them had been together through all of primary school, studying for endless hours so they could get into the best high school possible. Through high school even, the two of them had been closer than Kyousuke had been to anyone. He could come to her with any problems, whether they were school related or just emotional turmoil, and she would be there for him. Kyousuke would have never guessed in a million years she felt so strongly about him, but the day her and Kirino had duked it out had served as the tipping point. Manami had made it clear it was her or Kirino. She had told the two of them to grow up and leave the fantasy world where their relationship made any sense at all. Kyousuke's own confidant was berating his romantic decisions. And then she had confessed to him, crying as she asked Kyousuke to remember the years they had been spent as friends, and Kyousuke had denied her. She had left and to this day, Kyousuke had not heard a single word from her.

As his muffled sobs echoed through the chilly air, Kyousuke looked back at the great number of girls he had turned down in order to be with his sister. Contrary to the regret that would have pulsed through the veins of a different man, Kyousuke found himself filled with an immense amount of guilt. How had he made those girls feel when he had refused to be with them, even after he had been so tender and caring with them before? "God damn it…" Kyousuke grunted, slamming his fist against the ground. "I'm the happiest I've been in my entire life, but at what cost?"

While Kyousuke lay crying, a single thread of comfort worked though his head. Kirino and him playing the newest eroge, Kirino sitting with him talking about her day while they watched whatever anime was on, Kirino pulling him into a photo booth while the two were out on the town, their lips connecting as the camera flashed. Kyousuke worked his hand into the right pocket of his jeans and withdrew his wallet. The only evidence he had that could prove his relationship with his sister sat behind his drivers license. A small picture of the two of them, a look of surprise on Kyousuke's face as Kirino ambushed him with a short kiss. Kirino had one as well, which she had put on one of the empty pages inside of her scrapbook of Kyousuke.

Kyousuke stared at the picture fondly and wiped away his tears. Kirino was what it had all been for. She was nothing short of Kyousuke's dream girl, and if he could go back, Kyousuke wouldn't have chosen anyone else. He placed his drivers license back over the precious photo as he got back to his feet. Shaking his head clear of his emotional thoughts, Kyousuke began to think upon the girls logically. They were the second most amazing thing in the world to him, and he appreciated all they had taught him about love, friendship, and determination. Where were they all now, and how was life treating them? Kyousuke couldn't imagine those girls receiving nothing but the best from life and hoped that they had moved on and found men who were currently treating them like the Princesses they are.

Opening the door to his apartment, Kyousuke found the will to smile again. Perhaps he would check back up on them. Not personally, of course, they would all hate him far too much to approach that way. He would have to find someone to find how they were doing for him, but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. If they weren't faring so well, then Kyousuke could step in and fix whatever seemed to be the issue, helping them just as they had helped him so many times before. The door closed behind him and Kyousuke chuckled. It seemed that despite being married to the most wonderful girl in the world, he was still in love with his Harem.

Chapter 2: