01. shouma takakura

For some reason, she feels like Sleeping Beauty, waking up from a very, very long nap. The room is dark and smells of a doctor's office, cold, as if there was no heat on.

'Oh,' she thinks.

'I just escaped death again.'

She wants to try and sit up, but she feels too weak. She searches for a clock, some kind, any kind, even though she knows it's too dark for her to see.

"What are you doing?"

She hears a voice, a man's. It isn't Sho or Kan's though.

"You're not ready to get up yet."

A smile graces his lips.

He's a tall man, wearing white among black. His hair is messy and long, the colour of cotton candy.

"Who are you?" she asks warily. It's strange for a strange man to strangely appear in her room the strange moment she decides to wake up from her long slumber.

"My name is Sanetoshi Watase, Himari Takakura. I'm... your doctor."

Her eyes widen. "Oh, i-it's nice to meet you, Doctor!" How impolite could she get? Of course the only person who would check up on her at this time would be her doctor, or Kan if he really wanted to visit. She smiles inside, of course he would.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," he says lightly. "But I believe it's time for the Princess to sleep again. After all, you did just escape from the darkness."

He gently tucks her in, his hand waving over her eyes, and she feel sleepy once more.

"How long was I gone?" she asks, drifting away, not as far away as before.

"Long enough for your brothers to worry," he says, turning away.

She was asleep again.

-D-

"Good morning," Himari greets.

Dr. Sanetoshi always managed to walk into her room the moment she woke up. It was some sort of magic he had.

With a gentle plop, he sits on the visitor's seat, back of his hand propping up his chin. He smiles.

"Good morning," he says. "Do you feel better today?"

"Much better, thank you," she answers.

"Would you tell me about your brother? I'm sure you have interesting stories about your brothers," he requests casually.

"Which one?" Stories were already popping in her head, so many she couldn't handle them all.

"Ah, Shouma?" he tapped his lips in thought. "Yes, that one."

"He's kind…" she smiles in thought. "Sho really likes cats," she laughs. "Every once and a while, he'd take me out on a walk, and every once and a while, there would be a cat stuck in a tree. He'd go, "Ah, Himari, give me a second, I'm going to save this kitty okay? I'll be back in a sec!" and then he'd crawl up the tree, making comments like "Uwah, I'm not going to fall!" or giving me a glance and saying that he was alright." Himari closes her eyes. "Those times were bliss. Then, we would go home with that kitty, and we'd keep it until Kan would make us get rid of him, but I think he secretly liked him too."

"How electrifying," Sanetoshi says.

She was a hindrance, he thought, but she was bright, brighter than any star he saw. She was innocent, a smile always gracing her face, only able to conjure up happy thoughts about her brothers. She didn't know anything. What a shame.

"I love my brothers. They're so important to me," she smiles at him, her eyes full with warmth.

"I can see that in your face," Sanetoshi smiles. He glances at her penguin, a cute little thing with a ribbon, those flippers against its cheeks. It looked as happy as her. How wonderful.

"How cute!"

"How passionate!"

The twins were behind him, holding hands, eyes glowing.

Himari Takakura was floating in a world that was dark, being a small little light, the only light.

'How enviable,' he thought, leaving her room after saying goodbye.