They knew the house would be empty when they got home. Ayano would be at tutoring, and Seto had said goodbye to them on the way home, running off to make it to his after-school job. Their father would still be at the school, and with Ayaka out of the picture now, that gave them at least an hour before anyone else showed up.

Kano made a beeline for the kitchen. "We could have a party!" he said, delighted. He dug out a carton of juice, taking advantage of their lack of supervision to drink directly from the container. Kido leaned against the counter, wondering if she should rein him in.

"We could watch like, super violent TV," he added, ripping open a bag of chips and offering the bag to her. She shook her head, and he shrugged and took a handful. "We could make out."

Kido choked. "What?"

He started laughing, rolling up the bag of chips and stashing it in a cupboard. "You know, fool around. Smooch. Canoodle."

"Did you forget we're siblings?" Kido cut him off, her face closing up. Kano was a notorious flirt, invading the personal space of boys and girls alike in their class. Any time he'd come close to her, touching her hair or complimenting her eyes, she'd brushed it off and tamped down the exasperation that somehow had turned affectionate, lately.

"Aw, you really feel that way? I'm touched but also sad…Ah, but that's how first love goes…" Kano faked a sad swoon, the back of his hand pressed to his forehead.

Kido felt her face heating up, but she couldn't tell if it was embarrassment or something else. Had he been serious this whole time? "Explain yourself," she gritted, crossing her arms.

She wasn't sure how it happened, but he stepped towards her and ended up far too close, her crossed arms pressing against his chest. Her scowl deepened, her cheeks burning. "It's simple, isn't it?" he said, the same casual smile as before, "I'm a sad boy in love with my cool and strong sister. A tragic story, but I'm sure I'll get over it." His eyes searched her face, and she looked down and away, clenching her jaw.

They were siblings. She'd held onto that fact, relied on it. Since they'd been adopted into this family, they had been her strength and purpose. She'd engaged with the outside world at first only to defeat their bullies, letting herself fade into the background the rest of the time.

It would be a betrayal of Ayaka and Kenjirou's kindness to want anything else from either of her brothers.

('Sit down, be quiet', she remembered as clear as day. 'don't bring attention to yourself and don't ask for anything, or you'll cause trouble for all of us.' The Tateyamas weren't like that, but a lesson learned young was a lesson learned forever.)

He was still standing close, and she couldn't let herself look up, couldn't let herself look at his stupid clever eyes or his stupid pointed nose and especially not his stupid grinning mouth.

Kano laughed, and she could hear a forced and nervous note in it, a hint that no one but her and probably Seto would have been able to pick up on. He was good, but they'd known him too long. He stepped back, giving her more space, and she began to breathe again.

"Of course I'm just kidding," he giggled, turning away, "how dirty-minded do you think I am?"

He was not as disgusting as her, however, because as he turned away she seized his wrist, spinning him back around to face her. Then she kissed him. Her fingers dug into his wrist but he didn't seem to mind as his free hand found the back of her head. He stumbled backwards and hit the counter, yelping in pain as the sharp corner dug into his back.

Kido kissed him hungrily, shoving her tongue into his mouth and grabbing his shirt, pushing him against the counter. She fought not to want, and failed, and let her selfishness well up like blood in a wound that had never really healed.

His skeleton wrist in her hand twitched, tendons shifting under the skin, and she dug her nails in, wondering if she could break his bones if she tried. She didn't want to hurt him, not really, but that was so much less shameful than wanting to kiss him.

Still gripping his arm she yanked at his uniform shirt with the other hand, fumbling with the buttons and getting nowhere. She pulled back to be able to see properly, but still couldn't get them undone.

"Need some help there?" Kano murmured, and she wanted to hit him, but she needed her hands for other things so she bit him instead, ducking her head to close her teeth around the soft skin under his jaw. It didn't shut him up, but she much preferred the noises he made to his smug commentary.

Under her fingers a button popped off his shirt and rolled away, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She felt his knees knock against hers and realized his legs were shaking, and that it was because of her. Drunk on her own power she pinned him further against the counter, her knee between his.

She couldn't let herself think, couldn't allow herself to accept how selfish she was being. To want one of her siblings to herself was a horrible sort of favoritism, one she wasn't willing to admit to.

But she did want, in the most selfish way possible, and she bit down down again on the joint between his neck and shoulder, his shirt collar pressing against her cheek. He would be able to hide the marks easily, a fact which relieved and disappointed her. No consequences for this. But no lasting claim, either.

His hand on the back of her head was less pulling her close now and more holding on, and his fingers were tangled in her long hair. She pulled back, suddenly worried for him.

Kano looked wrecked, the two reddening bite marks standing out on his neck. An old scar puckered the skin on one side of his lip, and another lay along his cheek bone, like something had struck him and the cut had never been treated. He dragged in a breath, staring at her with wide eyes, and she realized with a shock that this was it, she'd shattered his concentration so thoroughly that he'd dropped his mask. She was seeing his real face, possibly for the first time.

She couldn't look away as she committed that face to memory, and he gulped down air, his fingers twitching in her grasp, for several long seconds. Then the sound of the door being unlatched shattered the spell.

Kido released him immediately, whirling around and scrubbing her back of her hand against her mouth desperately.

"I'm home! Ah, something was wrong with the lights so the boss said just go home for the…day…" Seto paused in the doorway, peering at the two of them curiously. Horrified, Kido opened her mouth to explain, but Kano stepped between them.

"Kido won't let me drink out of the carton," he whined, grabbing the juice from where it still sat on the counter. Kido realized with a start that she should be able to see one of his hickeys from here, but they were gone, faded into his skin like they'd never been. She suspected his scars were much the same.

Seto could tell something was different, she could see it in the way he looked at them uncomfortably. She met his eyes, and she was sure there was a pleading expression on her face, because he decided not to pry. "Well, I should get started on my homework?" he backed out of the kitchen and they heard him go upstairs. Kano's shoulders sagged.

Terror suddenly coursed through Kido's mind. What had she done? He'd started it, but she was the one who had pushed him down, the one who had kept going…

"Ah, what a shame. We'll have to finish up later, right?" He peeked at her, a mischievous grin spreading on his face, and she realized with a shock that suddenly two red marks were blooming again on his neck. A vindictive feeling in her stomach made her want to squirm, but it was overrun with relief that she hadn't ruined anything. Nothing would change.

"I'll break your nose if you come near me again," she threatened, raising her fist, but there was almost a smile on her face, and she knew he could see it too.

"Maybe I'll take you up on that," he teased, and she chased him out of the kitchen as he screeched in mock-fear.