(Well, nothing much to tell. For those of you who don't know, "Onii-chan" means, "big brother". Enjoy, nya~)
Chapter 1:
Just Like Onii-chan
I sat in the office, quietly, listening to the silent tapping of fingers on the keyboard. The room was dark and depressing, just like the man behind the desk. My father, Kazuomi Hoshina. I had never loved him. I had never even called him "dad". He never loved me, or my mother. But my mother, who at times I think is utterly foolish, loved this horrible man. God knows why.
My mother, who just yesterday got involved in a car crash, was recovering in the hospital. Since we had just moved to this area, we didn't know anyone. Except, my birth father. For some ridiculous reason, my mother trusted this man, even though he left her when I was born. There was no remorse from him, but he didn't argue to watching over me either.
We sat quietly in his office, I didn't bother to speak, and neither did he. On the ride here, he explained to me how important the company was.
"Easter supplies food, entertainment, and such. The building is not a place for running around, so you will stay in my office quietly while I work."
I'm fifteen, why do you think I'd do? Run through the halls like a child?
This man disgusted me. Every time I looked in the mirror, I saw his blue eyes, staring back at me. His own were filled with deceit and malice. Mine reflected similar feelings, but they were only directed to the man that shared my DNA.
I had heard from my mother that he married a widow named Souko, and they had two children. I didn't bother asking for their names, because frankly I didn't care. Those man's children were about as dead to me as he was. Of course, they were his step-kids. Which meant they probably weren't as wretched as he was. A trait that I unfortunately, posses.
His eyes and his passion were the only things we have in common. My passionate hatred for him were obvious, but what he desired was oblivious to me. I could tell by thee fire in his eyes, he was yearning for something. What that was, I was slightly curious about.
Thankfully, I got my looks from my mother. My long black hair and pale skin were a plus, but I'm somewhat short, so I wear heels often. Because of my (as my psychiatrist claims) depression, I tend to wear a lot of black clothing. As long as I remember, I've seemed to have a problem dealing with emotions. Sometimes I would break out into tears, and other times I would tear my room to shreds. My mom couldn't bear it. I had been seeing the dumb shrink once a week, wasting my time on nonsense. I would never open up to him, I never open up to anyone. My feelings are hidden from the world, and they would stay that way.
At least that's what I thought at the time.
I glanced into my bag, making sure it was still there, and that it wasn't a dream. The egg I found in my bed last night. At first I thought it was some sort of prank, so I kept the egg, thinking my mom would ask about it. But she never did. I had no idea where it came from or how it got in my bed, but I kept it anyways. The egg was black, with a blue silhouette of a cat's head, with blue and white spots all over.
There was a knock at the door, and my father granted entrance. A boy, about seventeen walked in the door. Slung over his shoulder was a violin case. He appeared to be wearing a black school uniform, with black choker with a silver cross on it. His eyes were blue, like mine. But a different kind of blue, ones filled with sadness, but with a cynical spark. His face showed no emotion, and if he noticed me, he never gave any hint. What was odd about him was his hair. Just like his eyes, they were the color blue. It was interesting, but somehow he pulled it off.
He walked up to the desk, and Kazuomi looked up from his laptop. "Did you find anything out?" He asked the boy.
"No." He replied, but I could sense he was lying.
The man's eyebrow twitched, and he too must have known he was lying. "You will tell me if you do have any information, Ikuto. You know the consequences of keeping secrets from the Boss and I."
Ikuto nodded and headed for the door, but glanced back at me before he left. There was something about him I was interested in. Perhaps it was typical for a girl to be attracted to the silent-types. But then again, I've never been attracted to anyone.
I looked back at Kazuomi, who had already gone back to typing. I suddenly felt like asking him questions, because they kept swarming my head. Who was "the Boss"? What did he want Ikuto to find out? Why did he have a teenage boy working for him? I decided to ask a simpler question.
"Who was that?" I asked.
He looked up, almost surprised I had spoken to him. "My step-son." He said plainly, his eyes back on the computer screen.
Ah. So Ikuto was his step-son, huh? That would make him my, what? Step-brother from another mother? How confusing. Families shouldn't be that complicated. What a strange boy, too. Almost as strange as I was. He only left a minute ago, maybe I could catch up to him.
I stood from the chair. "I'm going to walk around."
Kazuomi looked a little angry, but he grunted. "Don't leave this building, Mitsuko". With that, I left the office and started walking quickly down the hall.
I wasn't sure why I was looking for Ikuto, but it seemed like a better idea then sitting in an office. Since I had never been in this building before, I was completely lost. I made my first mistake when I looked back, thinking I saw Ikuto, and ran into someone. After colliding with me, he dropped all of his papers on the floor. Because of his worried scrambling to pick them up, I decided to help. His nametag read, "Tsukumo", and judging by the lab coat he was wearing, I figured he was some sort of scientist.
Handing him the last of the papers, I asked him where Ikuto was.
"Eh, Ikuto-kun, huh? That black cat's probably up on the roof like always." He said. I thanked him and brushed past him, seeing a nearby elevator.
I got inside, thankful that no one else needed to use it. It was bad enough I was in an enclosed space, but being in it with someone else would make me uncomfortable.
Soon I reached the highest floor, which to my dismay, was not the roof. But after some directions, I discovered some stair leading to the roof. Walking up the stairs, I thought how odd it was that all of the adults didn't question who I was or what I was up to. I supposed it didn't matter, but I hoped none of them told Kazuomi that I was looking for Ikuto. I silently opened the door at the top of the stairs, revealing the roof. Nothing special about it, just some air vents.
I looked around, but Ikuto didn't appear to be there. I slumped against the door, my thoughts drifting away like usual.
It was nice, being all alone on the rooftop where no one could hear me. No one would bother me, and I could just look at the sky. I now knew why Ikuto would come up here.
I never got to be alone like this, I never got to sit in peace. Then again, I never got to do anything I wanted. I never got to be myself. I always got into trouble, which was fun of course. But I wished I could get away with it. I just wanted to be free, to wander the streets alone. No rules, no restrictions, like an alley cat.
Tears swelled in my eyes and I sniffled. Never, not even once was I allowed to be free. Between my protective mother, my psychiatrist, and now that man, I would never be free.
I felt my bag shake, and my tears stopped. Peeking into the bag, I saw the egg rocking back and forth. Quickly, I pulled it out, glaring at the thing shaking in my hands. Suddenly, it shot itself upwards, then stopped in mid-air, right in front of my face. The egg cracked, and it spread all around the egg. My heart started beating faster as the egg opened. Out from the egg popped what looked like a miniature floating person, like a fairy you'd see in a story book.
Whatever it was, had black hair and green eyes like a cat. It had a black tail, paws, and cat ears. It had a little long-sleeved white top and a blue skirt, with tiny black combat boots.
She floated over to me, so she was right in my face. She spread her arms and yawned. "Ahh~ Good to be out, nya~!" She said.
"Er, what are you?" I asked.
The little…I don't know what- licked her paw. "I'm Yoake! Your Guardian Character! I'm the person you want to be!" She flew around, giggling when she rested on my knee.
"Person I want to be, huh?" I mumbled to myself. As unbelievable as this seemed, I was excited. Nothing even the least bit exciting ever happened to me. I smiled, happy that I had made a new little friend.
Yoake froze, and sniffed the air. Without warning, she flew around the corner and I heard talking. When I followed, I saw Ikuto, sitting with Yoake- no…another Guardian Character on his shoulder. Yoake was talking to the other, when all three noticed my presence.
"You're Ikuto, right?" I asked him.
"Yeah, and you're my step-sister." He replied. Yoake and Ikuto's Guardian Character were chatting it up over on the side.
"That's Yoru." He said, pointing to the blue-haired Guardian Character. Yoru had the same cat features as Yoake, but he wore black shorts and tank top, with a silver cross on the shirt and a studded silver belt. His yellow eyes were wild and was definitely similar to Yoake.
I realized, if your Guardian Character is the person you want to be (I would get more information on that later), my Guardian is an energetic cat. Yoru has the same personality as Yoake, which meant that Ikuto and I were wanting the same thing: freedom. I was just like my brother.