Chapter 1: Arrival
Two figures danced at the middle of the ball, a tall guy and a shorter girl. The two of them were chuckling; laughing at each other's dancing mistakes. Another figure near them, while dancing with her partner, glared evilly at the girl. But as the song was nearing to its end, her lips were contorted to an evil smirk as an idea popped inside her head. She waltzed, leaving her partner in daze, towards the two chuckling figures, trying to get herself with the guy. But the guy just dismissed her, and continued to dance with his partner. She growled.
Desperate times call for desperate measures. She smirked evilly as she gave one last glance at the girl before marching her way outside the ball. If she can't have the guy, then no one can have him. She pushed the button that controls the chains that hold the chandeliers in time that the two were beneath it. The guy took no notice of it but the girl did.
She looked up and measured that if she didn't move, neither of them will not get caught by the falling chandeliers, so she did what she thought is the best thing to do. She pushed the guy in time that the chandeliers landed on her. It took the guy a minute before comprehending what really happened. And he simply can't believe what his eyes saw as he shouted, "RY...!"
"Ah!" Ryoma yelped, making the three people inside the cab stare at her. She blinked, and looked down, embarrassed at her sudden action. Ryoga raised an eyebrow.
"What is it, Chibisuke?" he asked and the girl continued to look down, not answering. Ryoga didn't push her to answer... yet. He knows that private is still private. He hooked his arm around her and let her sleep again, which she did.
It is three and a half of an hour to reach their house. And it took half of half an hour (fifteen minutes) to wake Ryoma up from her catnap, which failed miserably. Sure, she did change, many things changed, but that exclude her 'sleeping like a rock' attitude. Ryoga decided to just carry the sleeping maiden, for she isn't really heavy, inside their house.
On his way at the top of the stairs, Ryoma stirred, which caused one single sudden effect. The two of them fell... from the top of the stairs... down. One Echizen and one Smith witnessed all of this, and they laughed... hysterically. Poor Ryoga blushed at the embarrassment, but didn't really mind it, for he was being overtaken by pain. On the butt. Ryoma, who is already awake, caused by a sudden gravitational malfunction, sat on Ryoga's lap, trembling as she attempted to keep herself from laughing... but soon failed. She buried her face on Ryoga's chest to resist her laughter.
"Maa maa, ojiisama, Kevin-kun, Ryoma-chan," a blue-haired lady spoke from the doorway, smiling a dazzling smile. "Ryoga-san is all red. Please refrain from embarrassing him."
Four heads turned to look at the source. Echizen Ryoma had her eyes widened as she ran toward the door, screeching, "Okaasan! Nanako-neechan!", while stepping mercilessly on a certain figure that was left twitching on the ground. She gave each of them a kiss and a hug which they cheerfully returned. Nanako then noticed something; something that is staring at them for a few minutes. She tilted her head and grinned.
"Jealous are you, Ryoga-san?" she asked in her usual sweet tone.
The Echizen siblings are known for their sweetness and closeness to each other. A certain Echizen Ryoga is known for his oversized sister complex and an Echizen Ryoma for her sweet personality (after the accident). Each and every people might think that the two committed incest, and of course, their own family is included, so, they often tease the older about this, since the younger will only laugh and dismiss the matter.
"Not you too, Nanako," a gentle voice that came from a brunette in a bun said while palming her face. Meino Nanako- the blue haired lady- just laughed quietly, "Now, now, Ryoga, why don't you bring Ryoma to her room now so she could rest?" she asked while offering a motherly smile. Ryoga nodded, while gesturing the younger girl to follow him.
As soon as the two were out of their sight, Rinko, Nanjiroh and Nanako turned to a certain blonde. Rinko asked, "How's America and Ryoma, ah Kevin-kun?"
Kevin could only gulp... twice.
XxX
Ryoga turned the doorknob in a slow motion, making it somehow suspense. Ryoma watched with anxiousness as her Aniki turned the doorknob. As they entered the room, the younger one gaped.
"Sugoi! It's... It's..." Ryoma trailed. Ryoga pat her shoulders.
"Like it?" he said with a wink. Ryoma nodded vigorously in astonishment. She looked around her blue-painted room and her eyes twinkled in happiness. Ryoga smirked.
"I had it remodeled since you haven't used it for years," he bragged, and then he noticed that Ryoma frowned for a second. She smiled bitterly as she sat down her bed.
'Ugh…Wrong topic for wrong timing.'
"I can't even remember anything of it," she sadly said as she looked at her lap, eyes brimming with tears. Ryoga felt that he, too, is going to cry. He walked over to where Ryoma is, and sat beside her. He held her hand with his one hand and the other came cupping her face, making her look up at him.
"Don't worry, you'll regain them, we'll regain them... All... all of your memories. I'm here for you, we're here for you. We'll help you," he said quietly, forcing himself not to cry as he patted the sobbing girl's head.
"But... But... I feel so empty! All of these years, I've tried to recover, to forget that I once erased all of my memories, to start a new life again, to rebuild and create new memories... but... but," she paused, then forced a weak smile, "it seems that my past still hunts me, I feel that it shouts inside my head, 'Remember them! Don't leave your past!', and those dreams... dreams that haunt me when I am asleep... I can't... I mean, it feels that they encourage me to remember... And I, myself, still long, still wonder... who I am before... And... And," that's when she broke down, as well as Ryoga who bit his lip to resist his tears. He pulled the girl in a tight but warm embrace and silently hushed her.
And the whole night lasted, with Ryoma, who quietly nestled in the overprotective arms of a loving brother.
XxX
Click… click… click…
Giggle…giggle…
Snort…
'Is that a giggle?' a certain lad wondered while half-asleep and with closed eyes. He could feel the flashes that blind his eyes even though they're closed, also his numb right arm, and emitted warmth on the right side of his body. He tried to figure that out but considering that his eyes stubbornly refused to open, he did what he thinks is the best thing to do.
'Might as well sleep again.
And so he did.
Click…click…cli-
"Waaii! Ryoga-san and Ryoma-chan are so cuuutte! They are the best incest pair ever!" Nanako squealed as she continued taking pictures of the couple... I mean, siblings.
"What is enjoyable with incest? I mean, aren't you supposed to be cooking breakfast by now? Why the hell did you even drag me here?" Kevin asked, lying on the cold floor while trying to get at least a minute of sleep.
"I just want to show you how cute an incest is. So, please just shut up because if Ryoga-san woke up, my incest scrapbook will be empty for this month. And that'll be your fault, Kevin Smith."
"Incest... Scrapbook?" Kevin muttered with a sweat drop.