Author's notes
Damn you, Manami… here is the answer to your meddlesome question.
This is picking up after the end of the anime, the season 2 OVA episodes (episode 16). I'm still reading the light novels, so if something conflicts, I'll come back to fix it. I'm also trying to match their style.
My native language is English, and it's what I'm most skilled at, so I will be writing the bulk of the story in [UK] English. However, I'm assuming that the characters are speaking Japanese, and it's taking place in Japan. Therefore, I won't hold back on using Japanese words where I feel it will provide appropriate seasoning or authenticity. Insert Manami determined face. My apologies if it's too much, but I figure if you're otaku enough to come here for fan fiction, you're probably otaku enough to know some Japanese. :)
Finally (for these overly long author's notes)... this site forbids quoting any non-PD works, including lyrics. Instead of quoting them, I've just referenced which ones they are, and you can find links for them on my profile page. Feel free to ignore if you like, but look 'em up for the full experience.
.
Now
Many storeys down, an ice rink took up the bulk of the plaza. No, not just an ice rink. A full ice sculpture with a rink as one of its human-friendly features: a large ice statue of a kappa next to a decorated and lit Christmas tree in the centre, and various other statues around the edges. Snow fell lightly, piling gently on top of the statues and the people walking and skating below.
So intensely was he studying the scene, and with such nostalgic feelings, that he didn't notice his own breath clouding up the window. By the time he did, it was too late. He looked to his side fearfully, and the brunette girl with the curiously blue eyes was staring back at him, eyebrows lowered, irritation on her face.
Kyousuke flinched a little from the expectation of… something. But time had mellowed Kirino a little, and she merely clicked her tongue, wiped the window with her sweater sleeve, and muttered, "Baaaka. Sis-con." Kyousuke smiled fondly before responding, "Hai, hai, bro-con."
It was a familiar volley, something that might be considered rude or bizarre among other company, but it was simply one of many textures making up their lives. One of those strange things: at once a non-thing and also the centre of their lives. Their central joy and their central tragedy.
Kirino looped her arm around Kyousuke's and leaned her head gently on his shoulder.
"Hey," she said. "It's Christmas again. Ten years since… that Christmas. Do you regret it?" Her eyes searched his face vulnerably, but she had nothing to worry about. He reached over with his other hand and patted her head fondly.
"Do you really need to ask that?" he responded. Kirino's face took on a look like she'd seen something offensive. Except she was facing Kyousuke.
"Don't dodge the question!"
Kyousuke looked briefly worried again, going so far as to utter an Eh! of alarm. Then they both laughed. It was another familiar exchange, and they both knew that her reaction was a kind of defence mechanism, itself.
"Hai, hai," he said again. "I don't regret a thing. Do you?"
Kirino shook her head, murmuring her answer, and snuggled his arm tighter.
"I can't believe it turned out this way, though," he said. "How could we be so lucky to get the 'good ending'?"
"We're not at the ending yet," Kirino replied quietly, sounding slightly piqued.
They were quiet for a moment more, then Kyousuke broke the silence.
"Merry Christmas, Kirino."
"Merry Christmas, Kyousuke."
.
Earlier - Kyousuke
"Come on, we're not lovers anymore!" she said with a wink as she ran from the chapel in her wedding dress.
From our wedding.
Our wedding that would never be official, and which no one could ever know about.
She was responding to my slightly sad face.
I only ever wanted to be a typical, normal guy. Doing normal things. Eating normal food. Passing my days pleasantly and quietly. Reading some manga. Playing with some friends outside on nice days.
A quiet life.
And then my little sister happened to me. Her eroge habit happened to me. Her otaku friends happened to me. And finally, a wild, strange ride happened to me. I turned down cute girl after cute girl who confessed to me.
Ahhh! How could I have done that? I'll never be this popular again.
But it's as they say, a bird in hand… I had my innermost heart's desire. Why would I want anything else?
Except things were complicated. Kirino had been told from a young age, after admitting her forbidden love, that she could not pursue it. That we could not pursue it. That it was creepy, perverted, weird. We pursued it anyway.
We agreed to date for a time, openly, and enjoy ourselves in the open air. Except around our parents of course!
Eeek!
"SHINDE!" Die! I could still hear my father's hypothetical voice in my mind.
We knew, to take the heat off ourselves, that we would have to do this. To appear to break up, to appear to go back to just being siblings again. To "grow up", to "be normal", as I'd always wanted.
But it's not like you can just turn off your feelings. My sister, who had been a dedicated bro-con for years and years, with a serious crush on me, who had developed an entire otaku habit because of it, was not going to do so, for sure.
And I… I, who had never understood my feelings until I allowed myself to stand up for her, to protect her, and finally to love her… I would also not let go of those cherished feelings.
No, there was nothing to it except to go undercover.
And that's what we did.
.
Before That - Kirino
Tsk! If that little Ms. Normal glasses-wearing Manami had been the last battle, the last hurdle to the Good Ending, I would've been just fine with that. But it was not to be.
"Ohayou," I said enthusiastically to Ayase that morning.
"Don't ohayou me!" she responded. "There's nothing good about this morning!"
"Eheh," I responded lamely, feeling a little pale. But I hadn't come this far to be a weakling now. I spent half my life being a weakling over this subject, and that time was past. Everything was in the open now. "What's your problem?" I asked with bravado, guessing the answer.
"You know what the problem is," she counter-attacked. "You and Onii-san."
"Oh, that," I volleyed back, rolling my eyes innocently.
"That. Talk."
"What's there to say?" I asked.
"I'm not sure, but if someone doesn't start talking, someone is going to die."
Now I really did go pale. "Eheh. W-w-what are you talking about, Ayase?"
Ayase had picked up some bad habits from one of my games a while earlier, and this was the harvest I reaped from what Kyousuke sowed. Kyousuke no baka, I muttered in my head. Those games were for us. Ahou. Shinde.
I sighed with feeling and stared at the ground for a moment. I felt the anger rising again, anger at myself, anger at Kyousuke, anger at Manami, anger at the world and its stupid restrictions. When I looked up at Ayase again, it was her turn to blanch.
"I know what we're doing is wrong! I know it's perverted! I know it won't be accepted! But I don't care! I don't care," I trailed off, worrying that tears would come. "I still love him." Fierce again. "And I'm not putting it away again!"
Surprisingly, she came forward and touched my shoulder in sympathy.
"You don't have to become angry with yourself for my sake," Ayase said back to me. "You're my best friend. I won't make that mistake again. No… I'm not sure I even agree with what you said. I think… it's not accepted, but love is love, right? It's not like we can choose who we fall in love with, even if it turns out to be a bad idea..."
Oh Ayase, don't tell me you fell for that lump, too.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing, though. Her sympathy, even if she was my best friend. But still… Ayase did have her weird and unexpected points.
"I just wish you'd told me yourself. I thought we were closer than that..."
"Ayase…" I whimpered through tears that were definitely coming now. I rushed forward and hugged her, and she yelped in surprise, but returned the hug.
"Onii-san on the other hand," she said ominously. "He turned me down for his little sister. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. We will be having words."
.
The others had various reactions. Of course that thieving black cat and Saori-san had their say previously, but the others who found out all weighed in.
"Gross, even if it's sweet…"
"What are you doing?"
"Creepy, but I'll support you as friends."
"Seriously?"
Even the "positive" responses were backhanded. Why couldn't anyone see?
If we hadn't had the accident to be born to the same parents, no one would have cared. They would've congratulated us without reserve.
It's not fair.
In the end, to find any peace, we had to tell the others about our "plan". To do this for a while, and then to go back to being just siblings.
As if we could do such a stupid thing. As if we would. Screw that.
Screw you, society! Screw you, world!
It went against everything we were taught. Our relationship and our attitudes. This world and its people would not forgive us so easily, but I didn't care, and neither did my brother.
That night, I snuck into Kyousuke's room at night and slept next to him on his bed for comfort. This time, he put the blanket over me, saying quietly, "Hai, hai."
Onii-chan, you've learned well, my apprentice.
.
After the Break - Kyousuke
What else could we do? It was a sad thing, but when I had finally found a girlfriend, the girlfriend I cherished and wanted most, a beauty of a girlfriend, we had to pretend just to be friends. No print club, no dates, no stolen kisses, no shared outrageous ice cream and fruit desserts, nothing.
Well, okay, we did some of those things, quietly, often in some part of Tokyo that wasn't Akiba or Shibuya or the many other places we used to go. A place where our friends wouldn't find us, and a place where the rumours wouldn't make their way back to anyone, especially our parents.
Gaah! How did I end up in this strange spy life, straight out of a movie?
But, you know, I'm not really complaining too much. Looking over at Kirino, my beautiful girl sparkling through life like a movie star… No, I would not trade this for any amount of normal.
So I simply got used to having a strange double life. Strangely, but satisfyingly, this is my new normal.
.
"Kyouuu-chaaan," Manami said to me one day, in full on grandma mode. "I noticed that you and Kirino have been spending a lot of time together. I thought you two agreed to be adults about this. Is there anything you want to talk with me about?"
She pierced me on the spot like a butterfly collector. In spite of her plain, well-meaning face, she somehow had an evil aura.
"Eheh," I replied unsteadily. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She just stared at me.
"Can't brothers and sisters just hang out and be good friends?" I replied defensively. "We already told you all that we went back to being normal siblings."
"Mouu~" she replied, sounding upset and not convinced at all. I just shrugged and laughed a little.
She knew me entirely too well for comfort.
So far everyone had simply accepted that we'd repaired our relationship vastly as siblings, and spent a lot of time together. Even our parents bought that. Manami was more perceptive than most, since we spent so much time together, too. But it was only a matter of time.
.
A little earlier, when I'd graduated from high school, I started at a university. A plain university, nothing prestigious or exciting. It suited me just fine. I had all of the excitement I could want and more without worrying about prestige.
At the time, I was still living at home and commuting to school. The university was not terribly far away, but it wasn't next door, either.
Kirino was in high school herself, doing her normal thing. Top track star, modelling, top grades. Growing up, and more beautiful than ever. Somehow while having time for eroge and offline meetups, she was able to do all of that. She was a senior, and she was starting to look for universities herself.
We would sometimes go on our dates near my university, because it was far enough away that we wouldn't be caught, and it was familiar to me, so I knew the right places to go. It was this practice, along with Manami's recent, ominous warning, that led me to my next action.
I knocked on Kirino's door and waited. Nothing. I knocked again and called out, "Oi, Kirino." Once more, with feeling.
This time I was "rewarded" with a door almost crashing into me, and an angry Kirino staring me in the face.
"What?"
"Eroge troubles?" I asked astutely.
She responded with a little "eheh" sound, and then, "Get in here."
To an outsider, it would probably be strange, playing little sister eroge with my little sister. But it had simply become one of those strange parts of "normal" that made up my life these days. Even if I thought back to that fateful day when I stepped on a God-tier land mine by picking up her DVD case, I couldn't make complete sense of this life.
But we started playing through the game together, and she seemed calmer by having me there with her, somehow.
"Na, Kirino," I said.
"What?" she replied, not sounding entirely happy to have her game interrupted. I'd learned that this was just part of who she was, a little tsundere. I suppose some guys might find that attractive.
I explained what Manami had said earlier, and Kirino's eyes glassed over, as if she was staring at something far away. The game's prompt was sitting unanswered. Then she looked down, muttering something about "that glasses-wearing bitch not getting the message".
"I think…" I started hesitantly. "I think that I may move into the dorms at my university."
Her head whipped up to stare at me. "But, but…"
"Listen, Kirino. It's the only way. When I live there, you can come visit any time you like. It's a very liberal dorm."
Suddenly, her anger returned.
"Asshole! Idiot! What the hell is that supposed to solve? Won't it just be that much more obvious that I'm spending time with you?"
She was always like this, even now. An unpredictable tempest, a fickle typhoon. I suppose it was charming. What am I saying, thinking like that? Sigh. It's true, though.
"Shh, shh," I said, alarmed. "Do you want dad to hear?"
She grimaced at me a moment more, but relented. "How am I supposed to sneak in and sleep next to you?"
"Because," I said, patting her head. "Because you're going to graduate soon too. Then it won't matter what we do, because to all of those university friends, we'll just be a couple."
"Moron," she said, but subdued. "We already talked about this when we decided to 'break up'! Don't you think they'll be a little suspicious that we have the same family name? What if one of our friends finds out?"
"No," I shot back. "Most of our friends wouldn't trouble us, really. To us who know our secrets, it seems like there is a spotlight on us. But to others, we are simply normal. Normal… ahh." She shot me a dirty look, and I swallowed hard. "Anyway. We can joke about it, embarrassed, saying it's some kind of positive omen." I played with my fingertips a little, almost unconsciously. "We are married, after all…"
She blushed and smiled then. "Da yo, ne." That's so…
.
Time passed, and surprisingly, our plan worked. I don't think that Manami ever stopped suspecting us, but she didn't say anything more, either. It felt almost like old times, being able to go on dates and just be like a normal couple.
Kirino could get into any university she wanted, of course. My grades were pretty fair, but not as good as hers, and I doubt I could have survived in such a strict boot camp. In the end, as with so many life decisions we'd made together, we chose to compromise. We chose one university that both of us could feel okay with, and I transferred.
In this, as with so many other things we did, our parents could hardly fault us, in spite of the suspicious looks our mother sometimes gave us. Having a familiar face, and family at that, would be a positive force for our studies.
Little did they know…
Then came my university graduation. Kirino and Ayase somehow convinced their modelling agency to take me in for an office position. A white-collar salaryman with a fashionable messenger bag: this was normal; this was the life for me. A breath of fresh air.
I rented a small apartment near the agency.
Then Kirino herself was nearing graduation, and she chose to continue her modelling career. These were good moves for both of us. Of course our parents praised her work and looked at me like trash, since I hadn't really pushed for something higher or fancier. The eldest child still gets no respect! Tsk…
For a short time, we shared that apartment, both to save costs, and… well, you know. Among the people who knew what had happened, there was some consternation, but we convinced them it was just to save costs and learn independence together.
.
One day...
I tried to watch the game calmly. It was another of her little sister eroge, of course. This was a cut scene with some very interesting things happening between the two. Suddenly, Kirino paused the video and looked down quietly. Then she looked at me with a light frown and her eyes cast to the side…
"Anta sa," she started. "I… kind of want to try that."
"Eh!" I replied.
"You're my boyfriend, aren't you? No, more than that, you're my husband. So why can't we?"
It felt like a scary bridge we had yet to cross, and perhaps we would not cross. But
I had to admit, her argument made sense.
As thus we finally passed from some long, innocent dating phase into that forbidden love that Saori had joked about. I had no regrets, except perhaps that it had taken that long. Between any other two people who were Just Dating, there would not have been a problem at all, and it was with that talisman of belief that we moved ahead.
.
Our parents had both started looking at us suspiciously again, but they didn't accuse us a second time. We'd both grown up and moved out of the house anyhow; what would they do now? (No, on second thought, I don't want the answer to that question.)
Kirino and I had our share of arguments, but it was like heaven. We could do as we liked, and it started to feel almost like we really were simply any other couple.
Of course I knew that wasn't the case; I wasn't stupid. It was something that never really left our awareness. But that time was a kind of bliss, not having to sneak into each other's rooms, not having to worry about playing eroge or sneaking the occasional kiss or cuddle. We toned it down when our family or our otaku friends came to visit. But it was good.
Too good.
.
Then - Kirino
I moved in with Kyousuke, and things were pretty fun, I guess. That pervert, that hentai, that sis-con, we had a lot of fun.
Ehehhh, I guess that stuff goes for both of us, huh?
We didn't exactly advertise our relationship to people I worked with. Old habits die hard, and there was still the off-chance one of them would make a comment about my boyfriend to one of my old friends, or to family who were visiting. But neither did we really hide it.
It's not like you can really hide living with a guy in your own apartment, anyway. Especially when he works in your company.
Things were okay, though, and then…
"Kousaka-sempai," she said, walking up to me during a break at a shoot. Hanako. That was her name. "You're so beautiful, and you always seem to know just how to pose for the camera."
"Ehh, well, I don't know if I'm that good. You're pretty good, yourself."
We continued our smalltalk for a minute or two, and then she said something dangerous.
"Listen," she said, drawing me off to the side, speaking conspiratorially. "I like you, you're my senpai, and you look out for me, so I want to look out for you, too..."
"Of course," I said, wishing she'd get to the point. This almost gave me bad kind of shivers at the sound of it.
"Well, there's this rumour being passed around… that you and your boyfriend are actually siblings."
At that, something did feel like it turned to ice and fell out of my stomach. Give me a break! Would this crap never end?
I'm sure that I turned quite pale for a moment, but I tried to control it to avoid giving her the wrong idea… the right idea.
"It's not like I believe it," she continued. "Gross. Seriously? Why would a person like you be involved in something like that? But I just wanted you to know. Someone in accounting claims that they looked it up. But I think they must have found some other Kousakas."
I laughed nervously. "Maaa, na. That must be it. What the hell? That would be super creepy." It felt like Comiket and Ayase all over again.
"People get funny ideas just because you have the same last name," Hanako said. "But I think it's cute… it's like a sign. You're destined for marriage!"
They knew we were just dating and not already married, so this curiosity about our names must have taken root. I tried to laugh a little and look like an expectant bride. It wasn't too hard, considering. "Yeah, I agree. That's all it is. Yep."
I wanted to stomp something. Hard. But aniki's foot wasn't available. Where was Kyousuke when I needed him? This was all his fault.
.
A few nervous weeks later, an opportunity happened to come up. Minako, that darling president of a foreign modelling agency who'd been responsible for my and Kyousuke's first date, contacted me to see if I would be interested in a job in America.
"America again?" Kyousuke asked. He pondered for a minute in that normal way he still had sometimes. I suppose some day I may get used to it. Maybe.
"Yeah… but you get to go with me this time." I smiled a little, gently. In reality, it's the only way I would've gone, anyhow.
"I guess with the rumours, it's a good idea."
I looked down at the tatami floor of our apartment, a place filled with months of good memories. I didn't want to leave.
But that's just how the world was. This time I did stomp on his foot.
"Why'd you do that?" he asked angrily.
I shrugged. "Good old times' sake?"
"Damnit, that hurt! I'm going to speak bad English to punish you, you know," he said mischievously. "I … amu … Cal-e-foru-nian. I love A-me-ri-ca."
I just rolled my eyes. He exaggerated as much he could, I'm sure. Then again, given his grades in English, maybe not.
"Are you really okay with this?" I asked him suddenly, feeling very serious. "Up to now… well…" My face burned with some combination of sadness, embarrassment, and anger. "Those other girls are still there… maybe you could make up…"
That infuriating hentai just reached up and patted my head like a dog.
"Hai, hai," he said, mediocre as always, unable to keep us in check and in reality as always, out of sync with the rest of the 3D world as always. "I've made my choice. Staying here without you was never really an option, was it?"
My anger faded quickly. "Da yo ne," I said quietly, looking down, thinking of how he echoed my own thoughts. I suppose it really wasn't an option.
That week, we packed up, and before we knew what was happening, we were on a flight heading east, away from the dreadful and angering rumours. That they were true was no consolation.
.
Later
A light wind whooshed by, and a little bell hanging from the porch tinkled. The warm summer sun shone upon green mountains in the distance.
The summer in Hokkaido was cooler than Chiba, but it was still warm. Cicadas called out from the trees. The porch's wooden flooring was spotless and cleaned, like an old dojo, but on the lawn out front, a large watermelon was lying on a picnic table like a patient on an operating table.
Kyousuke and Kirino stood near it with knives, cutting it into pieces. Two adopted children, both girls, ran in circles around the table, throwing something that looked suspiciously like seeds at each other.
"Girls, girls!" Kirino chided them.
Kousaka Daisuke, in his summer yukata, sat on the porch in an old rocking chair, looking at the scene. Years after Kyousuke and Kirino left the house, he and his wife had confirmed their fears of what had happened. He still sometimes felt disgusted at the situation, unable to believe that his children had come to this after his apparently failed attempts at parenting.
But in the end… they were really not so bad, were they? Sure, it was disgusting, perverted… the words rolled through his mind but they felt empty-hearted. He was able to live with his children in his old age and bounce grandchildren on his knee. What more could he want?
The house was part of a farm outside of Sapporo. Kyousuke and Kirino were technology nuts these days, and they wouldn't step too far from a city. But they'd slowed down about it a little bit, a mind-boggling twenty-five years after they'd apparently started dating in secret. And of course there was that frighteningly realistic virtual reality simulator they'd built off to the side. They'd never stop watching that mind-destroying anime or playing those terrible games that had probably led them astray to begin with…
Kyousuke and Kirino smiled big grins at each other, and grasped hands over the table. He could see the glint off of their "wedding" rings. Daisuke turned away before he would have to watch them exchange a light kiss.
"Do you know if Kuroneko or Saori will make it for the party tonight?" he heard Kyousuke ask.
Chiriko ran toward him. "Grandpa, grandpa! Come have some watermelon!"
He couldn't help but smile at the girl as he stood up slowly.
.
Earlier - Kyousuke
We'd been living in Los Angeles for several quiet years. Normal, uneventful years. Finally! Yahoo!
If living in a foreign country could be considered normal, anyhow. But it had been a fun and interesting time.
I looked over at Kirino fearfully, wondering if she'd heard my thoughts through some kind of ero-telepathy, but she showed no sign of looking away from her latest game. They were sure something these days, 3D, immersive, amazing AI.
"Hehehe," she laughed evilly. "Ohhhh that's so hot!"
I gave her a flat look, which was completely ignored from inside her Eroge Master shell. Some things never change, and she had connections here and back home to help her obtain the newest games.
[New Shoes, line 5 of the chorus onward]
This music drifted in from the window from a nearby apartment, and it somehow expressed a nostalgic feeling from my childhood, spending time playing and studying with Manami. This time Kirino really must have read my thoughts, because she was staring up at me with a ; face when I looked back at her.
"What perverted thoughts are you thinking?" she asked suddenly. "Stop thinking so loud. Urusai. I'm trying to play."
What did I do this time? You can see, in spite of all the good times we've had, and how close we've become, she's as abrasive as ever. But I suppose, after all this time, it's really a little bit charming after all. It's her way of saying "I love you". If she didn't, she wouldn't bother at all.
.
"I'm meeting up with that brat," she told me later.
"Oh, Ria?"
"Yes, Ria." Her face scrunched together, but for once, it wasn't directed at me. "I beat her that one time, and some day I'll repeat it. I want to see that look of defeat on her face for once."
Kirino hadn't stopped her track activities; they'd just taken a back seat to modelling. Normally I stayed out of it, though I enjoyed watching Kirino run. And I have to admit it, there was something very attractive about her standing there after a run, sweating, calm from a runner's high.
But today, I was plain bored and didn't feel like staying in alone.
"Can I go with you today?"
A suspicious look crossed her face. "Lolicon."
Ehh! I jumped back a little.
"See? You just outed yourself."
She smiled at me and pulled me along as we walked to the car.
.
Los Angeles was a huge change of pace from Chiba, and Japan in general. Things were so fast paced, and it was very difficult to get anywhere without a car. So we'd pooled our money and bought a relatively cheap car. Then there was American culture, and the climate, which were both very different as well. It was an altogether very different experience.
.
"Let's get a pizza", she said one day. And we finally had that "futon party" I'd always dreamed of. Just cushions on the floor, pizza, Siscaly, and more than a few cuddles. A contented sigh passed my lips. I could hardly be happier, unless perhaps someone could change things so that we could be an above-board couple.
But the fact that she was my sister, that we'd grown up together, literally her entire life, lent it all a certain kind of charm, too. I'd said that I was glad she was my sister, and she'd said she was glad I was her brother; nothing had changed about that.
.
I was able to transfer to her new modelling agency, the oddball Japanese guy in the American office. Other days, we would go together to events with her modelling agency. Still yet other days, we'd visit art galleries, or game arcades. Then there was the beach, that stellar, amazing beach with the grey sand and sunshine, the wind rushing over your face. That never got old.
And always, we could simply be a married couple to others around us. It had occurred to me one day that this was the real solution to the dilemma of us having the same family name. We didn't look alike. We put our rings back on, and no one questioned it anymore.
.
This is how our life went. You might even say that it vindicated my outburst against Manami's claims that our life together couldn't go anywhere. I don't care what anyone says. I know who and what is important to me, and I will cherish them both with my life.
.
And then came the day when it all ended. No, it's considerably different than you're thinking, from that ominous intro.
"Ne," Kirino said to me one day. "Do you miss home?"
"We go visit every so often, don't we? And we see the old gang, and go shopping in Akiba…"
"Please stop being even more dense than normal, hard as that is," Kirino said back to me cruelly. (And her ; face, of course.) "You know that it's not the same as living there."
"I know. Are you saying we should move back? I can't say I'd be sad about that, but we've gotten a certain level of comfort here with no chance of anyone finding out our secrets."
In the end, as difficult as it was to give up our new life and friends (who we promised to visit!), homesickness had taken hold of us both.
We spent quite some time deciding where to go. We both missed Chiba, too, but there was little chance of our finding peace there; our parents were still there, and too many of the old gang, who would definitely not approve of our lovey, deredere, married lifestyle.
Oh, who am I joking? It was more like tsunderedere. Kirino would be Kirino. But I couldn't complain.
Anyhow, in the end, Kirino had the idea of trying to find the old gaming club president and see if he had started his game company. It turned out that he had, and he'd headquartered it in the northern city of Sapporo, in Hokkaido.
Kirino's mind was as sharp as ever. She had been feeling like a change of pace from modelling anyway, so she spent some time studying programming, using Kuroneko's old game club game as an example, and building on it for practice. Being a hard core gamer was a very short step from wanting to build your own games. With practice, she was able to get a junior programmer job at the company. I was taken on as a marketing director.
And so, once again, we packed up and headed away to a new home.
.
Much Later
"Tadaima," Chiriko called out as she came in through the door, a chill autumn breeze following her.
"Okaeri, Chiriko," Kirino called out from the sofa. A translucent window hung in the air in front of her, showing news, social sites, and other such things. Her fingers had developed enough arthritis to make extensive typing and mousing a literal pain, so this relatively new technology was a boon.
"How are you feeling, mom?" Chiriko asked. "Do I need to ask the doctor to come out again?"
"No… I think I'll be fine." Her eyes were the same stunning turquoise blue that they'd always been, though she'd let her hair run back to plain brunette.
Sachiko and Chiriko had both moved out of the house a heart-aching twenty-five years ago, attending universities in Okinawa and Los Angeles. Eventually, when Kyousuke and Kirino had started to age, Chiriko moved back to Hokkaido to be with them and live on the farm in the family tradition.
Chiriko's grandparents had died years back. When Chiriko returned with a family of her own, feelings of nostalgia and homesickness overwhelmed her, and her family came to live with her parents in their golden years.
Chiriko and Sachiko had both learned about the reality of her parents' relationship many years back, and their reactions were as different as the girls themselves. Sachiko didn't take it very well; she ran away from home for several worrying days, and she'd never been as close since then. Chiriko shrugged and said that they would always be her mom and dad, no matter where they came from. She suggested a rebellion against social norms on their behalf, and Kyousuke had laughed indulgently, saying, "Hai, hai", and patting her on the head.
Both of the Kousaka children were closer with their parents at this point, even if some awkwardness still remained between them and Sachiko.
That night, Chiriko had stared at a picture of the two of them from their grade school years, marvelling at the old uniforms and wondering what it was like to live near the turn of the century.
"I'm going right back out after I change," Chiriko said to her. "I have to pick up little Kirino from daycare, and I want to pick up some nice food for us tonight. Yuuichi got a raise!"
"Ohh!" Kirino replied. "Well good for him. You don't have to do anything special for us, you know? But I won't say no, either…"
"Oh mom," Chiriko replied with a grin. "Mou~. Leave it to me!" This, Chiriko had picked up from her father.
Kyousuke woke from his nap and shuffled out into the living room.
"Did they wake you, you dirty old man?" Kirino asked him. After all these years, they still said such things to each other, even if they'd become familiar endearments rather than insults.
"No, Eroge Master," he shot back. Neither of them had played eroge for a number of years, but that, too, was familiar.
They stared at each other for a few moments and then laughed.
"Kirino!" Kyousuke started, then hesitated.
"Nani?" Kirino replied.
"Dance with me?" Kyousuke asked.
Kirino stared at him as if he'd grown another head. "What the heck? Have you been watching too many romances?"
Kyousuke smiled at this, and while he snapped his fingers to call up a window with music, he said absently, "We danced a few times. Especially back in America." His finger flicked through the list, looking for something in particular, before stopping at a track with an English name.
"I guess we did," Kirino mused.
Kyousuke tapped an entry, which blinked, and the window disappeared. Music came from the air around them, as if they were in the middle of an orchestra.
"May I have this dance?" Kyousuke asked. Kirino blushed, nodded, and walked to him, placing a hand around his waist, while he placed his around her shoulder.
[Over the Valley, first 6 lines of stanza 6]
They danced slowly in circles, looking deeply into each other's eyes, Kyousuke into Kirino's turquoise eyes, Kirino into Kyousuke's brown eyes.
.
That winter was a particularly hard one. Many strains of the flu, still a worrisome problem even in these later years, had made the rounds. Several people had died from it, and the powerful cold didn't help anything. But in spite of noises from Chiriko and Yuuichi, Kyousuke and Kirino had no desire to move from their long time home and familiar place.
And then a time came when the doctors said that if anyone wanted to come, they'd best come soon.
Saori herself had died several years ago, as well as Ayase. But other friends who were still alive made the trip for their dear ones.
"Sachiko!" Kirino called when she came through the door. The woman came over quickly and hugged her mother and father gently.
"I'm sorry... all those years... why couldn't I have just let it go and spent more time with you? Why..."
"Don't worry, don't worry..." Kirino replied to her, hugging her again. "I'm just glad you're here."
"Manami," Kyousuke said. "Kuroneko." In all her years, she'd never managed to shake the nickname; she was always slightly embarrassed if someone mentioned the Queen of the Nightmare, but she would also defiantly defend herself in terms of the spirits of the darkness. She was still not to be trifled with.
Kyousuke and Kirino lay on the bed together, holding hands lightly. Their breathing was slightly laboured and their faces looked pale.
"You two really did it," Manami said. "After all my warnings and urgings… you still did it. But I guess it didn't turn out too badly, after all."
Kyousuke smiled at her. "Our win, after all, huh? And here you are, a real grandma…"
Manami just smiled quietly and mock-slapped Kyousuke for his "win" comment. "I'm sorry, Kirino. There, I said it. I can't say you were right, but... well... you were right for yourselves. After all these years, can you forgive me?"
Kirino smiled gently and took Manami's hand. "We're okay," she said quietly.
Manami let out a whoosh of air as if she'd been holding her breath.
"I put some curse on you, didn't I?" Kuroneko said. "All these years… my true curse, the true destiny that I'd written in that book. You found your true love and have lived through this lifetime and beyond in happiness, and we've been friends too. It worked, did it not?"
Kyousuke laughed a little, which turned into a dire-sounding cough. "Neither one of you has really changed much."
"Don't forget Kanako!" a cheery voice called out. "Me~~rumerumerume!" She sung a little of the opening song for good old times' sake. Her voice was not what it once was, but her enthusiasm hadn't waned.
"Yeaah!" Kirino said. "Meruru is still the best, sixty years later."
"Tsk," Kuroneko replied. "As if. That disgusting kiddy show can't compare to the grand majesty that is Maschera."
The two of them stared daggers at each other for a few seconds, then laughed.
.
The group passed an evening together, recalling old times, sharing food, staring out at the snow falling quietly outside in the blue moonlight. Chiriko's children ran around the house and helped lift everyone's moods. Finally it was too late to do anything else, and the group found places to sleep.
Kirino turned her head to look at Kyousuke, who was also awake. He turned to look at her as well.
"Onii-chan," she said cutely. "How about one more life counselling on Christmas?"
Kyousuke smiled wanly at her. "Hai, hai. Leave it to me!"
She leaned over to kiss him, and after a few moments, they separated again. He patted the top of her head.
"Together?" she asked.
"Together," he said.
The two fell quietly asleep, feeling peace at last.
And together, against all the odds, against all the naysaying, against all the pressure, they embarked on their next adventure.
[Over the Valley, stanza 5]
[Over the Valley, stanza 2]
.
Kyousuke
Listen, now, to my tale of two bright souls whose innocent love for each other was condemned and forbidden by the world in which they lived. A plain guy longing for a normal life, and a girl whose life force was like an ever-burning fire, not content until her passions had been fulfilled.
Our failures, our triumphs.
Our sadness, our happiness.
If I've made you smile even once, then I can leave this life happy.