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Chapter 2
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I sipped my tea calmly, ignoring the battle going on in the garden in front of me. The Nakamura clan sent us their heir with the hopes that I, the female twin sister of the future leader of the Hibari family, would getting attracted to him. Never mind the fact he is at least ten years my senior. Well, it doesn't matter much anyways. Kiyofumi was having fun trying to beat his face into the ground. The male's green eyes indicated he has some mixed blood, but his hair is a normal brown with natural Asian features. He is a bit on the tall side though. I bet that'll frustrate Kiyofumi in the future...how amusing.
"K-Kiyofumi-sama! I-ow!"
"Quiet." Kiyofumi had his sai out, I suppose it is time for me to intervene. I don't mind fistfights, but the older teen is unarmed...I want to have fun too so it's not good if i-he breaks too quickly. "Unworthy mutt."
"Onii-sama." Kiyofumi paused, ready to cut into his face. "Leave it."
"Kiku."
"Onii-sama." I stared at him blankly. "Leave it. I have no interest in someone so weak."
"Hn."
"Ow...owowow..."
"Little sheep...hm...no, rather you managed to hold your own against Onii-sama...then little puppy."
"...Puppy...?"
"Have some of the maids see to your injuries. Tomorrow is our seventh birthday so I suppose that makes you a gift from your family to ours."
"Hn."
"Come now, Onii-sama." I put down my now empty cup. "It'd be useful to have someone older than us when we wish to take into town. He can carry our things."
"Hn."
"Yes, yes, he is a very weak little puppy, but won't it be nice if you forced him to train himself up?"
"Hn."
"Well, I suppose we can find a use for him once we're adults."
"..."
"Onii-sama, come now. I don't have any use for a man weaker than you."
"Hn."
"Don't pout, it's not cute."
The two of us continued our usual banter. Kiyofumi resorting to being a full time Hibari and me lightly scolding him. The not so little puppy was confused as he watched the two of us interact. I hid my mouth behind my sleeve, hiding the fact I was amused with how my brother was acting. I lost that amusement when I sneezed. It's colder than usual today...well, this is what I get for sitting outside just because my brother was fighting.
"Kiku, go inside and warm up. It's cold today." Kiyofumi said putting his haori around my shoulders.
"Winter is always cold, Onii-sama." I said rubbing my nose.
"Go inside and rest."
"What about you, Onii-sama?"
"I'll join you shortly."
"Alright." Kiyofumi shot the little puppy a look, walking off. I waited until he was gone before turning to the young man. "I shall make a proper greeting now then. I am Hibari Kiku, the one who had beaten you in combat is my elder brother Hibari Kiyofumi. Your name, little puppy?"
"Itachi."
"You're a puppy with the name of a weasel."
"Can you please not call me a puppy...?"
"It cannot be helped." I stood up slowly, dusting off my knees. "Please excuse me then."
"Kiku-sama, why is it you didn't fight despite the fact I was the one to challenge you for your hand?"
"I have no interest in weak opponents." I looked at Itachi with a blank stare. "You are weak, I knew this and Onii-sama knew this as well. For that reason, you have no place demanding such a thing from me."
"I...have no interest...in marrying you...but..."
"For your family or because it was an order?" I didn't hear an answer. "What a fool. We do not bow our heads to those weaker than ourselves. You bow your head merely because it was an order from your father?"
"Don't...speak like you know anything!"
"I am weak, that is why I currently obey the words and training of my Chichiue and Okaa-sama. I am small, a child, but I am not foolish. You are old enough to be considered an adult, but you are a fool. Blindly following orders that you despise. Do you really intend to marry a girl ten years your junior?"
I took my leave, seeing no point in remaining with such a clueless little puppy. I returned to my room to take a short afternoon nap, dragging the futon out and crawling in. I was joined a few moments later by Kiyofumi and he pulled me close to him to absorb my warmth. I released a small whine...he's freezing cold. Kiyofumi ignored my whine, instead began nuzzling the top of my head.
"Warm..."
"You're cold..."
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"Grace is necessary in your movements, Kiku." Okaa-sama stated gently leading me through a dance.
"How so?" I questioned bored out of my mind.
"A graceful woman can capture hearts easily, giving the appeal of a gentle and merciful woman." How does this apply to you then? "Grace and killing are not commonly put together especially with women. To men, a graceful woman is nothing more than a pretty bird to look at or perhaps try to obtain for themselves." Okaa-sama said gently raising my left hand a bit.
"Then they're stupid."
"Kiku."
"Then they are foolish."
"Good."
I could do without the proper speech lessons too, but it is necessary. When I become an adult, I wonder how long it would take some men to realize that I'm actually as skilled a killer as my brother. That would be an interesting thought. Once the lessons ended, Kiyofumi was waiting for me outside. He gave our mother a small nod of his head before taking my hand in his own. The two of us left and I could hear her say something how her children were so cute.
"Do you like dancing, Kiku?" Kiyofumi questioned seeing me playing with my fan.
"No, I was thinking of asking Chichiue to fashion together a tessen for me." I raised the fan over my head. "Senbon will only help me so far and aren't good for close combat. They're disposable." I stated tucking it into my obi.
"Do you want a specific pattern?"
"A pattern?" I thought about it. "...koi?"
"Okay."
"Hn."
Kiyofumi went to the pond and we fed the koi. The two of us knelt down by the water, snuggling up to the other. It's cold, but the koi were nice and relaxing to look at. I'm a bit amazed how they were able to live beneath all that cold. I suppose I can understand the appeal of winter, with the snow covering everything in white. Still, I wish it wasn't so cold...rather, I wish my current family was so traditional. I can't wait until coats and pants become the norm too.
"Kiku, Kiyofumi."
"Chichiue."
"Hn."
"Tomorrow you have no classes. We'll be obtaining proper weapons for you two."
"Chichiue...I love you." Just when I want a weapon, a suitable one, he is there right when I need him. I ran up to him and I looked up at him. Kiyofumi slowly joined me, looking up at the man. "I want a tessen."
"You weren't trained in that."
"You didn't give me a choice in my weapon of choice. You let Okaa-sama choose for me."
"I heard no complaints."
"I am a woman, weaker than a man in terms of physical strength. Poison is the weapon of choice for women. Why should I be limited in how I should fight? I am no man, honor means nothing to me." Well, it still wouldn't even if I was a man in this life. "Senbon are disposable weapons."
"Indeed."
"...You were waiting for me to ask this, weren't you?"
"You are a Hibari. A child, yes, but you must make your own decisions."
"Alright, Chichiue."
The man gave me a small smirk, taking his leave. Kiyofumi and I watched him leave. The boy took my hand in his own, interlocking our fingers. I turned to him and he stared at me blankly, but his eyes said it all. While we are twins, while we do depend on one another...I knew for a fact that Kiyofumi would have preferred it if I let him leave the close combat to him. After all, I am a girl in this life...if anything happened to my face then it'd be a constant reminder to him that he failed me in some way. It'd be hard to cover up without makeup after all.
"Want to nap?" I asked returning the blank stare.
"...Hn."
"Let's get a blanket then."
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"Go faster, puppy." I said from my spot on his shoulders.
"Hurry up." Kiyofumi said glaring at him as well.
"Kiku, Kiyofumi, stop bullying the small insect." Chichiue said standing ahead of us.
"Why am I even here...?" Itachi questioned as I lightly tugged at his hair.
"You're our dog, you must obey your owners. Now, walk faster." I ordered looking ahead.
"Why do I have to be your dog...?"
"You're weak, that's why."
"Hn."
We arrived at the blacksmith and I lightly kicked my legs, indicating Itachi can put me down. When he did so, Kiyofumi took my hand and pulled me away from the tall male. I allowed it, but I wasn't so pleased when the blacksmith we were meeting took one look at us and scoffed. He spoke with an accent...it was slight, but it was still there. While he is Asian, he isn't Japanese. Kiyofumi and I exchanged looks, staring at the old man. His hair is greying with a few streaks of black. He has a nice beard too, but...we can guess quite a bit about this old man.
"What do you think, Onii-sama? Where is he from?" I questioned 'silently' to Kiyofumi.
"Not all that tanned so not from the southern islands." Kiyofumi stated staring at me.
"Accent, which place? It's hard to figure out as we have little to no exposure to those outside of our lovely country." I said a bit bored.
"Weapons on the walls. Chinese in origin."
"True. Very well."
"Hn."
"I agree." The two of us looked up at our father and spoke at the same time. "Chichiue."
"Yes, this man is from China."
"You told them, didn't you, Kanta-dono?"
"No, I only decided yesterday to take them with me. Why do I have to inform them of a worker bee like you?"
"Do you always have to compare people to bugs?"
"Hn."
"Chichiue gives actual species to notable people. Worker bees for those who are good at crafting, creating." I get the reference, but I really don't like bugs. They're kind of gross and I don't want to spend more time thinking about why he gives people a certain bug nickname. "If you are weak or unimportant then you would merely be called an insect."
"Is that so?"
"Please don't be so pleased with this fact. He called you a worker bee, which means you're only good for creating. If you were good at creating and attacking then you would be call a wasp. Bees can only sting you once, wasps can continue to sting throughout their life."
"Heh...Ojou-chan, you're talkative for a Hibari."
"Hn." I hummed with a small amused smile on my lips. "I was taught that the more talkative a lady is, the less a man expects out of her. How am I doing so far, Ojii-san?"
"I say pretty well. If I didn't know Kanta-dono, I wouldn't even think of you as a Hibari. A smart nobleman's child, maybe, but not a Hibari."
"Hn." I covered my mouth with my sleeve, hiding my smirk. "Is that so?"
"Heh, interesting little buggers you got." The man released a small laugh, looking at us. "Alright, what would you like out of this old man?"
"Before such a thing, allow us to properly introduce ourselves. I am Hibari Kiku, this is my elder brother Hibari Kiyofumi. A pleasure to meet you, Ojii-san."
"Kiku-dono and Kiyofumi-dono, smart children, very polite."
"Hn."
"Applies to this one only." Chichiue placed a hand upon my head, pleased with my behavior. "Kiku."
"Yes, Chichiue. Today, we arrived in order to procure proper weapons. My elder brother requires a pair of sai while I would like a pair of tessen. If possible, I would like senbon as well. A few dozen."
"Alright, give me your hands."
I looked at Kiyofumi and he looked back at me. He stepped up first, allowing the old man to check his hands and arm length. He began muttering something under his breath, in his native tongue so I had no idea what he was saying. Once he was done with my brother, I stepped forward next. The old man seemed surprised to see little dots littering my pale arms when he pulled up my sleeves. He hummed, going over the length of my arm.
"You hurt yourself quite often with your senbon, don't you?"
"Hn."
"Don't go getting quiet now, Kiku-dono. I'll have a hoister ready for your senbon too."
"Thank you very much."
"It's not a problem. It's a shame if such a cute girl were to end up with scars. I bet in ten years or so you'll be quite the looker!"
"Thank you for your compliment." I don't want to be a looker though. "Please take care of me in the future then, Ojii-san."
"Hahahaha! Come by any time then! I welcome the company of a cute girl!"
I hid my mouth behind my sleeves, pretending I wasn't smirking. As visiting this blacksmith was all what was needed today, our father let us have free rein to roam about as we pleased so long as Itachi was with us. Now, it wasn't because he trusted the male to protect us, but it was so that no one had any stupid ideas about kidnapping the two of us. While we could handle ourselves, it'd be a pain in the neck to deal with the attention or police.
"What do you think, Onii-sama?" I questioned forcing another box of sweets on the puppy.
"Interesting." Kiyofumi stated shutting his eyes.
"I agree. The old man knew that I was being hurt by senbon, but he merely acted as if it was because I didn't have a proper hoister for them."
"Hn."
"Yes, I think I would take up his offer. It would be good to have a closer relationship with such an observant man. That and it would be nice to see what kind of weapons he can produce."
"Kiku-sama...how much are you buying...?"
"Tomorrow's lesson is on the art of serving poison with a smile. That being said, you two are going to help me, right?"
"Hn."
"Do I have to?"
"Of course. How else would I learn? The servants will also suffer so don't complain."
"Why is there so much then?"
"Apology candy."
"Huh?"
I felt bad about doing this, but I hope to ease some of the suffering by offering them sweets. When we returned home, Okaa-sama was so pleased with the fact I procured so much sweets...thinking I bought so much to learn how to stealthily add poison to them when my target chooses which one they would like. I didn't bother to correct her, but I knew that Itachi was thoroughly afraid of my mother as she went on about seemingly harmless methods of delivering poison.
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Chapter 2 Ends
Kiku and Kiyofumi's relationship is very simple. Kiku is the 'face' half, the one who does all the talking and gathers the people's attention with her seemingly polite disposition..despite her usual bored expression. Kiyofumi on the other hand is the one who remains beside his sister in silence until it's time to act. In that case, it will either end with someone getting hurt or the twins deeming someone their new toy, sometimes a mixture of the two. I think each Hibari has their own way of referring to people, you already know how Kiku's father refers to people. Kiyofumi and Kiku are similar, but the differences will be more notable in the future. Until next time! Bye-bye~!