So, time for another chapter! I'm having lot of fun writing this, so I feel like even if no one reads this, It'll be worth it in the end.
Also, I'm aware of some mistakes I've made, and I will fix them accordingly, Thanks to the people who sent me PM's regarding those.
BTW, I might have lied in my last update. I decided to let the story pick up in this chapter and the next. So, keep an eye out for it... ;)
A/N: Mion and Shion will be referred to their grandmother as "Bachan," just so I can clear up any confusion ahead of time. I know some people think it's Batcha, but it's actually Bachan.
As always leave a review if you can, favorite or follow. And I'll see you guys at the end of the chapter...
Chapter 3: Emotions
As Mion slammed the sliding door shut behind them, she sighed in exasperation. Seriously,why did her parents of all times have to be silly now? And on the day she brought Keiichi home, too! This was not how she had wanted it to go. She thought it would've been nice and quiet, a quick exchange of pleasantries, and then she and Keiichi would go to their room, do their homework, and Mion could get Keiichi started on all the housework she had planned out for him.
But nooooo, they just had to get all up in her business and embarrass the living crap out of her! Seriously, she had already made the mistake of admitting she liked Keiichi to them, but couldn't they just leave the subject be?
She could tell Keiichi was looking at her, but she didn't know what to say. She had no idea why Keiichi was such a big deal to her parents.
I mean, yeah, she thought. It is really impressive that Keii-chan stood his ground in an argument with Bachan and won, but still. It's not like we'll be dating anytime soon... or at all... She thought sadly as she looked over at the boy with the violet eyes she'd come to know and love so well. She swore that sometimes she would merely glance in their direction and they would suck her right in... How she wished they could look at her with unadulterated affection, a look only for her... with that wonderful smile of his that made her heart race, and that laugh that sent butterflies through her stomach...
She cleared her head. She shouldn't be having those kind of thoughts. Might as well be wishing to breathe on the moon, or to even be able to fly.
"What was all that about? With your parents, I mean" Keiichi said, suddenly looking away. Was it her wishful thinking or was he... actually blushing?
"I'm sorry, Keii-chan. They're not usually like that. They're usually more dignified. Besides," She said sadly. "They're only visiting me and my sister for a bit. They talked Bachan into letting them stay in the guest room for a few days." She smiled mirthlessly. "She probably would've knocked some dignity into them, if she hadn't been at a meeting.
"Oh, I forgot..." Keiichi looked down at his feet, feeling sorry for Mion. She must feel so alone, being raised by her grandmother, not being able to be with her parents all the time... "So why aren't you at the meeting with her?"
"Well," She said softly. "I wasn't needed."
"Ah." Keiichi shuffled his feet nervously. An awkward silence enveloped the room.
"Anyways!" Mion slapped Keiichi on the back, the mood forgotten. "We should probably get our homework done! Otherwise, Chie-sensei will have our necks."
Keiichi winced, but smiled. "You know, that might be the best idea I've heard all afternoon."
As they laid out their work out on the floor, they began to delve into the world of mathematics and history. They began to discuss their schoolwork as only the best of friends could, discussing the finer points of certain subjects, and the reasoning.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again." Mion said, laying on her side. "If I'm gonna be the head of the Sonozaki family, why am I studying this junk? We probably won't use half of what we learned, not to mention I won't even need to do any math. I'll just be ordering you and everyone in the village around, and I can just make you can do them for me!" She laughed.
"Yeah, but what if you need to distribute provisions and supplies evenly, and you can't hand them out normally, because its an uneven...well, supply? And no one else is around to help you?" Keiichi stammered as he propped himself up on one arm, trying to make a coherent argument.
Mion raised a finger as if to say something, then stopped, frowned, and let her hand fall to the floor. "That's a good point." She said grudgingly.
He looked over at her papers, and shook his head. "Besides that, what are you even doing there?" He pointed at one problem in particular. "How the heck did you even get that answer?"
The tomboy looked in confusion at the problem.
The problem was 12 x 3 + 6 – 4 / 2 = ?
Mion had answered 19.
She frowned. "It seemed pretty straight forward. Just added and subtracted, and all that stuff."
Keiichi hung his head. "Don't you listen to any of the stuff I show you? That's not the way to solve this particular problem."
"Keii-chan, what are you talking about?" She punched him in the arm. "And don't go insulting me like that. It'll only make it sweeter when I have you doing all my chores tomorrow."
He paled. "Seriously, Mion? You're gonna go that far?"
She shrugged. "Maybe. Depends on if I'm in a good mood or not."
He sighed. "Look here." He pointed at the math symbols. "Just because they appear in a certain order, doesn't mean you solve them in that order."
Mion sighed. "Can you just stop with the stupid riddles? I'm growing old here, I could wither to nothing any second!"
He laughed and rubbed her head. "Would you stop talking like that?" He smiled affectionately at her. "You look just fine."
Mion felt her face heat up at the touch. She felt his fingers brushing through her emerald strands of hair, and shivered. He was so gentle as he did it... "You think so?" Mion said softly, immediately hating how she sounded as she said it.
He didn't pay any attention, and if he did, he didn't show it. "Of course! Now look."
He pulled a sheet of paper from his notebook and started writing a series of letters.
P. E. M. D. A. S.
"I remember seeing those." She said, trying to get over the embarrassing moment. "But, I never really understood what they were for."
"Well," He began to explain. "It's a tool to help you solve problems like these. It's an acronym." He began to write words next to each of the letters as he spoke. "It's to help you remember the order you should always solve a problem in, in order to get the best stands for parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction." He pointed to each one as he said it. "You see what I'm saying?"
She nodded slowly. "Kinda, but it's all still gibberish to me."
He shook his head. "You know, I kinda feel sorry for whoever your future husband is..."
"What was that, you little punk?" Mion rolled up her sleeve, as if she were gonna hit him. But in reality, she was struggling to keep from blushing as a series of images and fantasies flashed through her mind... Her and Keiichi at a western style wedding... held in front of the Furude Shrine...
"Look." He wrote the problem out again. "You see the problem?" She nodded. "Okay, so what is in the problem that comes first in the acronym?"
She looked at the question, narrowed her eyes, and said, "It's multiplication, right?"
Keiichi smiled. "There you go. So, treat that as it's own math problem. What is 12 times 3?"
"36." She answered.
Keiichi nodded. "You kinda get what I'm saying now?"
She smiled. "Yeah, I think I do. Why are you such a good teacher?" He laughed.
They continued working, unaware that a few hundred yards beyond her window, a pair of eyes were watching them. The eyes widened in realization as an idea came into their mind. They then began to gleam with malice.
We need to keep a closer eye on those two. But if this is what I think it is, then we'll pull this off no problem. A portable camera was removed from an unseen pocket as the figure proceeded to snap a few pictures. It pocketed the camera before fading into the silky black of the night.
A knock on the sliding door brought the two friends out of their study mode. Mion stood up and walked over to answer the door.
It was her sister, Shion.
"Hi, Onee!" she began, "I was just wondering-" she looked inside and was very surprised to see Keiichi sitting in her sister's room.
"Oh!" She exclaimed. "Hey there, Keii-chan. I didn't expect to see you here..."
"Well, I didn't really have a choice, to be honest." He said honestly. "But I got to meet your parents and I'm just helping Mion as we knock out our homework together."
"I see..." Shion smiled mischievously as she gave her sister a side glance. "So, y'all are on a study date? Is that it? Or are we having a little more fun than that?" She nudged her sister in the shoulder. "Way to go, sis..."
"Shion!" Mion got very flustered. "It's... it's not like that!"
"Whatever." Her sister said dismissively. "Anyways, Keii-chan. I need to borrow my sister for a bit. Is that alright with you?"
He nodded, then smiled at Mion. "Just don't take too long!"
Mion barely had enough time to respond as she was dragged out into the hallway by her sister and into the kitchen.
When her sister finally sat her down at the table, Shion's face was serious. "Okay, I only have one thing to say to you. What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Mion gulped and looked away, "Nothing! I'm not doing anything!"
Shion sighed. "Onee, you got to stop playing games. If you don't seize this opportunity while you have it, you're gonna lose the biggest shot of getting with Keiichi that you will ever have. I swear, and if you keep acting as conservative as you are now, someone else is gonna get to him before you!"
"Huh?" Mion seemed to relax a bit, albeit she was blushing furiously. "Wait, that's what this is about?"
"Well, of course that's what I was talking about, what else would I..." the twin narrowed her eyes. "Onee... what did you do?"
Mion laughed, but looked away nervously. "Well... I might've... borrowed some of your clothes... for tomorrow..."
"Why would you borrow my clothes?" Shion sat there, confused. "You always said that my outfits were too girly for you... unless..."
Her eyes lit up. "Mion, are you thinking of doing what I think you're doing tomorrow?"
"Ahaha, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Mion said. "But I probably should go, Keii-chan is waiting on me..."
Mion started to get up, but she was held back when Shion grabbed her wrist.
"You're taking Keiichi on a date, aren't you?" Shion's grin was huge.
Mion blushed. "Maybe." She said. "I don't even know if you could call it a date."
Shion hugged her sister. "Oh, Onee! I knew you had it in you! You just gotta show the guy what you feel, and he'll fall for it! Hook, line, and sinker!"
Mion grinned. "Yeah, I guess so, huh?"
"And don't worry." Shion said. "I'm, like, 70 or 85% sure Keiichi probably likes you back."
Mion's world narrowed on what her little sister had said and she sat back down. "Say what?"
"Oh, like I haven't noticed all the time you guys spend together." Shion giggled. "I mean, come on, be serious. What guy would constantly spend time with a girl if he didn't have some interest? And it's not like you two avoid each other. If you don't go to him and ask to spend time together, he usually comes and asks you. Tell me you don't think there's more there than just friendship?"
Mion played with her hair. "Maybe, but I dunno, Shion. When we're together, it's like he only sees me as a boy trapped in a girl's body. I don't think he sees a girly side to me... "
"That's not true, and you know it!" Shion's eyes flared. "Remember the doll Keiichi gave you? Would he have given you that if he felt you weren't girly enough for it?"
Mion shrugged.
"And not only that. Do you remember what he told you when he gave it to you?"
Mion's eyes widened and she nodded. "He said he thought I was plenty girly..."
"Your problem is you keep selling yourself short, Onee." Shion said bluntly.
"Yeah, but..." Mion shifted her eyes. "There are so many other girls that are way cuter than I am..."
Shion facepalmed. "Oh my God. You just might be denser than he is."
She looked at her sister. "Do you think I'm beautiful?"
Mion blinked at the sudden question. "Huh?"
"Just answer the question."
"Yeah, of course you are, sis! You're one of the most gorgeous girls in Hinamizawa!"
Her sister spread her arms wide. "There's your answer. If I got a good chance, then so do you."
"But, I don't get it..."
"Stupid Onee! We're identical twins. We look exactly the same!"
"Oh." Mion stared off into space for a second, then grinned at her. "Guess you got a point there. I could give it a shot."
"That's the spirit, sis!" The two embraced once again, holding each other tightly as they felt a rush of sisterly love wash over them.
"I just gotta say one thing, though, sis." Shion was serious again when they released each other. "Don't make the same mistake that I did. Don't wait too long to tell him." Her face darkened, and a deep sadness welled up in her eyes. "I never got to tell him, you know..."
Tears began to stream softly down the younger twin's face, and Mion couldn't help but hold her as she began to cry silently, her whole body wracked with sobs. Her heart was aching.
"It's good to cry."
The twins looked up in shock to see their grandmother standing before them.
"B... Bachan..." Mion stammered in surprise. She stood up and quickly bowed in respect.
"I'm sorry, Bachan." Shion followed suit. "I shouldn't be crying."
"Nonsense." She slowly walked into the kitchen and poured herself the last remaining bit of tea. "Tears make us human. They remind us of what is precious." She glared at her granddaughters. "The trick is in knowing when to stop. If you cry constantly, then you're weak, and wouldn't be worthy of the Sonozaki name."
She began to walk away, but stopped before the door. "However," She turned back. "Be wary of the heart that cries in silence." She looked at the twins intently. "That's when someone really is in danger. Usually happens after an accident. They hold everything back, every tear, and deny who they are and what they feel inside. They're the ones who begin to lose themselves." She seemed to look pointedly at Mion, before she turned back.
"That's a good man you have your eye on, Mion. Not many like him around anymore. Don't lose him."
She left the two standing there, just processing what they had been told. Mion raised a hand to her face, and realized she had been crying as well.
Keiichi finished his homework a few minutes after Mion had left. So, he had nothing but time to think. He laid on his back and gazed around the room, noticing that Mion still had the blonde doll he gave her after the tournament. He smiled, glad that she still had it. He didn't know why, but he had been nervous giving it to her. He just felt like it was something she would like. And, he didn't want to admit it, but a part of him wished that maybe, just maybe, she kept it simply because it was a gift from him.
He shook his head. What was with that line of thought? It was like all he could think about lately was Mion. Her smile, her fearless personality, her laugh, her eyes, the way she smelled when she hugged him...
He slapped himself in the face. Snap out of it, Maebara! That kind of thinking wasn't healthy... was it?
He'd never really liked any girls before. It wasn't that he wasn't interested, it was simply that none had gotten his interest. Not that girls hadn't been interested in him...
Was that what was going on?
The door slid open and he looked up to see Mion enter the room. He sat up and smiled. "Hey!" He said cheerfully.
She looked at him and smiled. "Hey."
He pointed to the doll on the bed. "Glad to see you kept it."
Mion smiled softly. "Well, of course I kept it. It was a gift."
Something was off about her. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel it. Something pulled in his heart, and he couldn't describe it or how he knew, but he knew something was wrong. He stood up, and as he did so, he noticed that her face was slightly wet.
"Mion, are you okay?" He asked, alarmed. "Did something happen?"
She realized he'd seen her tears. She began to wipe her face quickly, embarrassed. "Everything's fine, Keii-chan. Just had a talk with my sister is all-"
She stopped talking when she felt arms envelope her suddenly. Strong, caring arms. Keiichi's arms. "A talk with your sister wouldn't make you cry." He said softly, his lips moving just above her ear. "Not unless it was an argument." He ran his hands through her hair, soothing her as he held her gently. Anything to keep her from being sad.
Her mind was reeling. Was this really happening? Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she was afraid he'd feel it.
"I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything, Mion." Keiichi said. "If something is bothering you, I wanna know about it. I want to help you in any way I can. Because we're... close, right?"
She nodded slowly, still in slight shock. But she decided to enjoy the moment. She closed her eyes and returned the hug, burying her face in Keiichi's chest. She suddenly realized that he was a lot more muscular than she had been led to believe. His arms felt like an impenetrable wall surrounding her, and protecting her. If this was what heaven felt like, she wanted to stay like this forever. She didn't care about anything else. She didn't want to move, she didn't even want to breathe. All she wanted was what was happening right here, right now. This moment... It was all too perfect.
She pulled back and looked up at him, his arms still holding her. "Thank you, Keii-chan. I really needed that, I guess."
He smiled. "Happy to help."
As he looked at her, she seemed transformed. The girl that always tormented him, always walked by his side, suddenly seemed different. She was... beautiful...
Keiichi felt himself leaning forward slowly, his body acting on its own. Mion looked at him, her eyes widening. Was she dreaming? She closed her eyes. She could hold her composure if he held her, but if he actually kissed her... she would lose it. She would forget all about being a tomboy and just melt in his arms.
The two drew closer, until their lips were almost touching each other, and then...
The door slid open. "Onee..."
The two teenagers pushed away from each other, the moment broken, and they straightened their clothes, blushing profusely.
"Yes, Shion?" Mion said, in a slightly annoyed tone.
"Ummm..." she said slowly, as if she couldn't believe what she saw. "I just..."
"It's okay!" Keiichi said, gathering his stuff. "I finished my work anyways, and it's getting late. I might as well head home." He totally forgot about how Mion had invited him for dinner, and apparently so had she.
"Alright, do you have everything?" Mion asked, helping out, handing him pencils and papers here and there.
"Yeah, I got everything." He said. He smiled warmly at Mion. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, tomorrow." Mion said as he left the room and began walking home.
Shion simply stared at her sister. "Onee, did I just... were you about to...?" Her eyes were wide in shock and awe.
"Yes... we were... until YOU BARGED IN!" Mion's fury was sudden and explosive. "I was so close! That was my chance and you blew it! Stupid Shion! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!"
Shion laughed and dodged all the projectiles thrown her way. When her sister finally calmed down, holding the doll close to her, Shion sat on the edge of her bed and looked at Mion. "So... how did it feel?"
Mion was silent, but her face gave it away when a dreamy look washed over her. Her eyes got a far away look and she smiled so warmly. She buried her head behind her knees, and said, "It was amazing... I didn't want it to end at all. I wanted to stay that way forever..."
The younger twin smiled. "Well, that just goes to show I was right, wasn't I? Ol' Keii-chan does feel something towards you." She poked her big sister. "Now all we gotta do is draw that out some more."
Mion looked up at her sister with a hint of tears in her eyes.
Shion smiled. "And I got just the idea..."
The figure was still there. It had never left.
It smiled. The suspicions were correct. There was definitely something between those two. It knew that they were basically joined at the hip, and where one was, usually the other one was right next to them. And now their relationship was starting to develop.
The plan had been to eliminate those two and cause the group to fall into a state of decay so they could begin to kill each of them, slowly, one by one. Those children didn't deserve a quick death. They deserved to suffer.
But this just made everything easier. Because now, all it had to do was eliminate one of them, or severely injure them, at least, and the other would be so sick with worry they couldn't focus on anything else. And if it could be made to look like their fault...
It chuckled as it began to scratch rather violently at its neck. It turned it's head to the side, and and began to talk to the open air. "Do you see them, grandfather? Do you see them? They're helping us. We won't be forgotten. You won't be forgotten. We will be gods. We will be remembered."
It smiled. "When they die in a few days, everything will be so much easier. And I'm going to savor every minute."
It was late, as always, when Shion entered the secret room at the Irei clinic. The boy that laid in the bed before her said nothing, as always. He couldn't. He hadn't spoken, or opened his eyes in over a year.
She smiled. "Hi, Satoshi-kun. I'm back. Did you miss me?" She sighed. "I missed you. I still do. You're right here, but you've never felt so far away."
She sat down. "I brought you another book. This one's kinda old, so I hope you forgive me."
She frowned. "I'm sorry about everything, too. I should've told you how I felt earlier. Before everything happened. We could've been together, and I would've seen the signs. I would've been able to tell Dr. Irei sooner, and we could've been able to save you, like he saved Satoko." She sighed once more. "Guess all that's left anymore is regret."
She opened the book. "Speaking of together, did you know that I caught Onee and Keii-chan getting ready to make out? It was awesome to see. Sis is always so timid when it comes to that boy, and Keii-chan is so dense, I sometimes wonder how he manages to think straight."
She looked up at the ceiling. "Everyone is rooting for them, you know. They want them to get together. They'd be so happy together. Even Bachan likes him, and you know how she is about outsiders. Don't you kinda wish that that's how it could've been for us?"
She smiled. "He's a real hero. He's done so much for this village that he doesn't even realize. And he's always so humble about everything, as if everything he does was nothing. Like anyone could've done it. But in reality, I don't know of anyone other than him who went into a debate with Bachan and came out on top alive. And everything that happened with Takano and the whole debacle around Watanagashi last year, he protected everyone and kept them safe, and so did Sis. They deserve each other."
She settled down to start reading.
"I just hope its not too late for them, like it was for us..."
As she began to read, she failed to notice that a smile had appeared on Satoshi Hojo's face. His hand closed, like he was grabbing something, then relaxed, and stayed still.
Two days later, this finally got finished. What the actual heck. I'm getting slow. Whatever... I'll do better next time.
So, yeah, there was some fluff there. And it's gonna go on, and kinda be the driving force behind the story, as you can see here. In the next few chapters, I promise you, things escalate faster than hinted at in this chapter, and it will hurt. Remember how happy you felt in this chapter? Hope you're ready to not feel that way for a while.
Thanks for all the support, you guys. I've been struggling to get this out, and you help keep me going. With your continued support, this story will be finished in no time.
As always, if you haven't already, leave a favorite or a short review. Also don't forget to follow this fic, as there's still plenty left to go!
Stay awesome, you wonderful people! And I will see you in the next chapter, Darkness Ensues...
