Whooo boy. Long chapter ahead guys! It was about 12 pages and almost 5000 words last I checked so please enjoy!
The next day, Mitsuki felt surprisingly cold in the morning. She pouted when she realized Hiroomi had gotten up before her. "He could have woken me," she muttered to herself. She sighed when she realized even Yakiimo was gone.
Mitsuki quickly went to her room to get dressed and grab her things, and she passed by the shower on her way out. It was running, and Mitsuki wanted to give Hiroomi a scare for not waking her. Just as she was about to say something she heard a muffled moan. She thought she had misheard, but there it was again.
"Ah…shit."
She was confused at first. Until she realized what her big brother was doing.
"Th-that pervert!" she whispered to herself, covering her red, hot ears. "Let's go, Yakiimo!" She quietly ran out the house, trying to calm herself.
Once she entered the classroom, Mitsuki was greeted by all of her school friends. "Hi, Nase-san!" her friend Misaki chirped, a grin ever present on her face.
Mitsuki took a deep breath, trying to push out the memories of that morning. She needed to save face. "Good morning, everyone." She forced out a smile.
Class soon began, and her two friends went back to their seats. The class stood for the teacher, and Mitsuki was grateful for the distraction. Her teacher's soft and droning voice could put her to sleep, and Mitsuki could say she almost was until she felt a tap on her shoulder.
The boy sitting behind her said in a hushed tone, "Mitsuki-chan, sensei will get mad if you fall asleep." Mitsuki thanked him and turned her head back to the lesson.
When lunchtime came, Mitsuki's friends all came to her desk and squealed. "Mitsuki," Chihiro hissed. "Aren't you happy?"
Mitsuki cocked her head to the side. "Why should I be?"
"Tohru talked to you!" Misaki blurted, jumping up and down in place. "He even touched your shoulder!" The two girls sighed dreamily, blushes rushing to their faces.
Mitsuki still didn't understand. "Who?"
Misaki gasped. "He's been sitting behind you since the beginning of the year and you still don't know who he is?"
"I should expect nothing less from the Nase princess," Chihiro chimed in, giggling behind her hand.
Mitsuki clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Well, who is he?" she huffed impatiently, crossing her arms.
"Tohru is the most popular guy in the class, maybe in the whole school," Misaki blabbered on. She proceeded to ramble on about how picky he was with his women and how his cool, stoic personality attracted about eighty percent of the girl population at their high school (and roughly twenty percent of the boys).
"He is so cool," Chihiro finished for Misaki. "And he talked to you, aren't you excited? He even called you Mitsuki-chan!"
Mitsuki shrugged as she delicately ate her bread. "Not particularly. I was never really interested in him, I suppose. Anyways, my older sister always said-"
You can never be with someone who isn't a spirit warrior.
Misaki was silent for a while. "Are you okay, Nase-san?"
Mitsuki, for the second time that day, forced herself to smile. "Absolutely fine. Don't worry."
After the school day was officially over and Mitsuki was about to head over to her club, Tohru stopped her at the door. "Mitsuki-chan, you seemed to be able to stay awake for the rest of the day. I'm glad." He beamed at her. Mitsuki's ears reddened despite herself. He really was quite handsome, and he was almost as tall as Hiroomi.
"Yeah, I should thank you once more for saving me earlier. Sensei would have kicked me out of class for sure," Mitsuki said gratefully, inclining her head a bit. "Excuse me, I have to go to club."
"Hey, Mitsuki-chan, would you like to go to the aquarium with me on Saturday? A couple of friends and I are going, and I was wondering if you'd like to come as well. You can bring your friends, too!"
Mitsuki couldn't believe her ears. It almost sounded as if he was asking her on a date. That wasn't possible, was it?
"Um, let me think about it. I'll give you my answer tomorrow," she said coolly, flipping her hair smoothly. "Now, pardon me, but I have to go to club."
Tohru finally stepped aside and waved her goodbye. Once she was out of sight, she quickly ran to the clubroom, anything to escape.
"You have been acting so weird lately, what's up with you?" Akihito blurted out. They had been sitting in silence doing homework for over an hour, and frankly, he was getting sick of it. Anything would do at this point, even her teasing.
Mitsuki briefly glanced at him before turning back to her math. "Nothing, why do you ask?"
Akihito sighed and pressed his fingers up to his forehead. "You have been absurdly quiet. Now, I know you're no chatty Cathy, but even you are usually more talkative than this." He paused. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but like, we're friends, right?"
Mitsuki finally looked up at Akihito. He was looking awkwardly to the side and rubbing the back of his neck, his cheeks a bit red. She couldn't resist a giggle. She didn't feel comfortable telling him about the dreams or her sleeping situation or her youmu problems as of yet, but-
"I heard my Aniki masturbating this morning." Akihito jerked in place, and Mitsuki swore his face turned a little green. "I feel very uncomfortable with this fact, and I don't know why."
Akihito chuckled nervously. "W-well, Mitsuki, almost everybody does it. Especially guys. You know…especially if they're thinking about a special p-person," he finally stuttered out, surprised at how calm Mitsuki seemed even though she said she was uncomfortable.
Mitsuki hummed. "Do you think about Mirai?"
Akihito frowned. "I thought you said you were uncomfortable."
Mitsuki grinned mischievously at him. "Well, that's a yes, isn't it? I wonder what Mirai will think about this…" she drawled, waving her pencil at him.
"What? Don't tell her," Akihito moaned, rubbing his temples. Mitsuki heard him mutter, "It's just the glasses, just the glasses," as if that could convince her.
"I don't understand it," Mitsuki muttered, and she wondered whom on earth Hiroomi had been thinking about.
Akihito grumbled, "I can't believe this was what was bothering you."
Mitsuki froze in place, but she burst out laughing. He really was so worried about her. "Akihito, you're such a loser."
"You see that youmu over there?" Hiroomi pointed out a rather cute looking animal, and Mirai curtly nodded. "It's worth over six hundred thousand yen."
Mirai's jaw dropped. "S-s-s-six hundred th-thousand yen, you say?" she yelped out, her hands fidgeting tightly. "That's a lot of bonsai."
"Kuriyama-san, focus on paying the bills first," he chastised her, bopping her on the head. "Now, its appearance is rather deceptive. It looks adorable, admittedly, but it is extremely dangerous. It has led to the disappearance of several people, and we have concluded that it has eaten them." Mirai grimaced.
"Sounds rather scary, doesn't it?" she replied quietly. "You want me to take care of it?" Hiroomi nodded.
"I will be here as backup just in case you need it. I highly doubt you will, knowing your skills. You were even able to take Beyond the Boundary out of Akihito all by yourself, which still surprises me to this day." Hiroomi shook his head. "Anyway, the reward will be all yours. I just need it dead, are we clear?"
Mirai took off her gold ring. "Yes!"
Misaki and Chihiro were delighted to go to the aquarium so they told Mitsuki that she must accept Tohru's invitation. Mitsuki reluctantly agreed, but she felt like she should ask for Hiroomi's permission. After all, he was her brother, and he sometimes knew better, though she'd never publicly admit it.
To be honest, even if he forbade her from going, she'd still probably go. This was a chance for her to make more friends, to be like a normal girl instead of the Nase princess. She needed this opportunity.
Looking at the clock, she realized he was far later than usual. It was already two in the morning, and she hadn't seen him at all that day. Pacing the floors, she tried to convince herself she wasn't worried.
"Aniki can take care of himself," she mumbled to herself repeatedly, biting on her thumb's nail. "He's strong, nothing can hurt him." She eyed her cell phone as she continued walking around the kitchen. "He might be busy, I shouldn't call him." She looked down to Yakiimo in her shirt. "But what if he's in trouble?" She paused. "Or what if he's with a girl?" For some reason, the idea did not sit well with her. She shook off the feeling. "Who cares if he's with a girl? As Akihito said, he's a man with…needs."
At the end of that thought, Mitsuki heard the door open. She was tempted to just run to check if it was Hiroomi and not the servants, but she restrained herself. She didn't need to encourage his sister complex with her running up to him.
"Mitsuki, are you home?" She breathed a sigh of relief at his voice.
"Of course I am, dummy. My shoes are at the door."
She heard him walking to the kitchen, and she made it look like she was busy texting. He entered the room, and Mitsuki laughed a bit. His hair was disheveled, and he had dirt on his face and hands. He definitely had not been doing anything with a girl. "Why are you still up?" Hiroomi asked, pouring himself a glass of water.
I was waiting for you. Mitsuki shrugged. "Wasn't tired," she stated simply, going back to her phone.
"Naughty Mitsuki, you should have at least tried," Hiroomi scolded, trying to make it sound like a joke. However, he was too exhausted to even hold his head up properly. It did not go unnoticed by Mitsuki.
"Nii-san, you should get to bed," she said halfheartedly, still looking at her phone screen. He shook his head and leaned on the counter. "I still have homework to do," he mumbled sleepily, messily gulping down some water.
Mitsuki had had enough. She took him by the arm and yanked him down the hallway to the bathroom. "Mitsuki, what are you-" She cut him off by shoving a wet washcloth in his face, roughly wiping off the grime he had accumulated over the day. When she was done, he tried once more. "Mitsuki, what-"
"Let's go to bed, Onii-chan." Hiroomi, even in his exhausted state, still felt his heart skip a beat at those words, and he cursed himself for being a pervert.
He hated himself even more when he said, "Okay."
Mitsuki gave him some time to change into his pajamas, and Hiroomi did it as quickly as he could at that point, slowly stepping into his pants. Calling out to her once he was done, she quickly hopped into bed first. Hiroomi smiled at how accustomed she was getting to this routine. He liked it, perhaps a little too much.
He climbed in after her, his body lusting after his bed at the very moment. He felt unnaturally heavy, and the moment his head hit the pillow, he let out a low moan in the back of his throat.
When Mitsuki heard that moan, she was reminded of her eavesdropping earlier that morning, and she felt the area between her legs warm. Crossing her legs, she tried to ignore that foreign feeling and concentrate on falling asleep. "O-oh, nii-san," her voice came out in an unintentional squeak. "This weekend, I'm going out with some friends."
"Oh? Where to?" His voice was low and husky, and Mitsuki clutched her chest when she felt her heart race. She begged for this feeling to stop.
"The aquarium. It's going to be me, Chihiro, Misaki, this guy Tohru from my class, and his friends. I'm thinking about getting Mirai or Akihito to go, too."
"Not me?"
His lips brushed her ear, and Mitsuki felt a chill go down her spine. She could not hold in the gasp that escaped her lips. Hiroomi leaned up. "You okay, Mitsuki?"
"Stupid Hiroomi, not you. No one can meet my brother and find out what a giant pervert he is."
Hiroomi plopped back down onto the bed. "That hurts, dear sister."
"Whatever you deserve it." Mitsuki was silent for just a moment before she asked, "Hiroomi, if I dated someone who wasn't a spirit warrior, would that be okay?"
It was as if time stopped for Hiroomi. He knew that eventually, Mitsuki would find someone to love who was not him, but he had not been prepared for it at all. The only reason she would ask is if she had found somebody. However, he didn't want to hold her back. That would be selfish of him. "Of course," he managed to choke out. "You can date whoever you want."
Mitsuki felt a stab of disappointment at those words, and she could not fathom why. She felt happy that Hiroomi would let her be with whoever she liked unlike Izumi, but she had not expected him to…give up so easily. She figured with his sister complex, he'd be dead set against her dating anybody. But he just said she could. Her stomach twisted, and she sighed.
"Onii-chan," she breathed. "Closer." Hiroomi shifted next to her so their arms were touching, but it wasn't enough. "I said closer!" she whined. Hiroomi scoffed and wiggled just a bit closer. Growing impatient, Mitsuki forcefully grabbed him, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him flush against her.
Hiroomi didn't know if his heart could handle this. He could feel her breathing on his chest, and he was quickly growing hard. To make matters worse, she had forced her legs between his, so if he made one wrong move, she would feel his boner poking into her thigh. If he didn't stop this, it would grow out of hand.
He repeated mantras into his head to control himself until Mitsuki fell asleep against him, mumbling something about pancakes and glasses. He then removed himself from her, hotter than he'd ever been.
The next day, Mitsuki awoke first, and she cheered for herself mentally. Hiroomi was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling at a slow, steady rate. He must have been wiped out from his busy day yesterday. She saw some hair about to fall into his eyes, and she almost brushed it away before realizing that she might awaken him. Smiling slightly, she decided he deserved a day to sleep in just a bit.
"Mitsuki-chan, good morning," Tohru greeted, his face crafted into a beautiful, soft smile. Mitsuki could practically hear the excited whispers of Misaki and Chihiro meters away.
"Morning," she replied simply, setting her bag down and taking her seat.
"So what'll it be, Mitsuki-chan? Are you going to come to the aquarium with us?"
Mitsuki shook her head "yes." "Tomorrow, right?"
Tohru leaned forward. "Yeah, we're thinking around one. Is that okay with you?"
"That should be fine."
Tohru held out his phone. "Let's exchange numbers." Mitsuki rolled her eyes at the jealous stares her friends were giving her.
Tohru was a fairly friendly guy. Mitsuki saw that he was a bit colder to people he didn't have an interest in, but she figured she was the same way. He ate lunch with her and her friends, and he even walked her to the club. "See you tomorrow," he murmured, patting her arm softly. He rubbed his thumb against her shoulder, and she could feel his fingertips trailing down her arm as he left.
Akihito poked his head out. "Hoooo, was that Asahina Tohru? Hiroomi's going to be so jealous," he teased.
Mitsuki's cheeks were painted pink. "Shut up!" she blurted, her voice coming out much louder than intended. She stomped into the clubroom, shoving her shoulder into Akihito's.
Amazed at the brazen display of emotion, Akihito scratched his head and muttered, "That was weird."
Saturday finally came, and Mitsuki had gotten Mirai to come along with her and her other friends. They met up at the aquarium with Tohru and his buddies, and Mirai commented, "He is very hot as all the girls say!"
Misaki nodded enthusiastically. "Isn't he? Oh, and look! His friends are pretty cute too! Guess we'll have to go for them since Tohru's got his sights on Mitsuki."
Chihiro shushed them, not wanting her boy crazy side to be revealed, whilst Mitsuki shot them a dirty look.
"Oh, I'll be all right," Mirai said cheerfully. She grasped the other girl's hands in her own. "I'll be cheering for you, senpai!"
Misaki laughed and thanked her underclassman, patting her on the head gently. "Let's get 'em, ladies!"
They looked at all the tropical fish first, agreeing to save sharks for last. For an inexplicable reason, Mirai was very interested in seeing all of the fish. Mitsuki wouldn't say it, but it was adorable.
Misaki doubled over in laughter as Mirai squealed at the sight of a manta ray. "Why are you so excited, Kuriyama?"
Mirai giggled nervously, adjusting her glasses. A light blush dusted her cheeks. "It's my first time here," she admitted, scratching her head bashfully. Mitsuki's eyes widened. She had no idea that Mirai hadn't even been to an aquarium before. She had just assumed… Now she knew she had to bring Mirai to explore all the museums and places she had never been to.
Misaki snorted. "Sure, Kuriyama." Mitsuki frowned at her friend's tone, as did Chihiro. However, Mirai seemed unaffected, so Mitsuki let it pass. For now.
Mitsuki had always thought Mirai's childish amazement was endearing. She could look at simple things with wonder, and it was awfully adorable. Chihiro grinned. "Mirai-chan's cute, isn't she?"
Mitsuki's lips twitched. "You have no idea," she said fondly, her eyes softening. However, Mitsuki's good mood was ruined by her ears picking up something foul and ugly.
"Kuriyama is such a ditz, isn't she?" Misaki laughed, her hand on her stomach. "She's such a kid, this is so exciting to her, you should see it! Ooh, aaah, look at the fishies! They're pretty like princesses!" Tohru's friends joined her in laughter, and Mitsuki narrowed her eyes at them. She was about to march over to them and give them a piece of her mind.
Tohru stepped in. "Guys, stop it. I know you haven't warmed up to Kuriyama-san just yet, but give her a chance, huh? Don't say such things about her." Mitsuki felt all of the angry tension in her release. Tohru's friends agreed with him, and Misaki scoffed at their betrayal, murmuring a 'whatever' before walking off by herself.
Tohru's eyes met Mitsuki's, and she mouthed a "thank you" to him. He responded with a smile and a nod.
"I really don't know what you're worrying so much about," Akihito said while munching on popcorn. "They're just going to the aquarium."
"She's going there with a boy," Hiroomi growled, unable to focus on the movie.
"Hey, your sister can handle herself pretty well. Plus, Kuriyama-san's with her." Akihito paused to chug down his smoothie. "With the two of them, it's highly unlikely that anything that Mitsuki doesn't want will happen."
Hiroomi let out an irritated grunt and clenched his hands into fists.
Akihito sighed. Behavior like this was not common of Hiroomi. He did have a rather major sister complex, but this was deeper. This wasn't normal for him.
"Both of you have been acting strange," he muttered to himself.
"Huh?"
"Nothing."
On their way out of the aquarium, everyone had to say an abrupt goodbye to Mirai. She claimed that she had urgent business to attend to, but Mitsuki knew that Mirai had spotted a youmu. Yakiimo was getting fidgety in her shirt. Mitsuki, as sad as it was, was extremely tired and declined going to a café with all the rest of them, much to Chihiro's disappointment.
"Are you sure? They have really good waffles…" Chihiro said coyly, trying to bribe her friend into going with her. Mitsuki pouted.
"I know what you're trying to do, and it won't work," she stated flatly, crossing her arms. She really did need to catch up on some sleep, all because of her stupid older brother.
"Mitsuki-chan," Chihiro moaned, and Tohru interjected.
"Now, now. I'm sure Mitsuki-chan would like to get some rest. Come on." He waved her over. "I'll walk you home."
Mitsuki nodded meekly, fidgeting with the tendrils of her hair. They parted ways then, Mitsuki and Tohru walking side by side.
"That was rather fun today," Tohru confessed. "I haven't had fun at the aquarium like that since I was a kid."
"Same here," Mitsuki admitted. "I haven't had fun like that in a long time."
Tohru chuckled. "It kind of seemed that way. Same with Kuriyama-san. She was awfully adorable today."
"Wasn't she?" Mitsuki burst out. "I'm so happy I got to see her that way," she told him. "She doesn't go out enough."
"Well, it was fun, but maybe next time, it can just be the two of us."
Mitsuki didn't know how to respond. This might be her only chance for normalcy. She had to take it. "For sure," she replied weakly, her voice wavering. Tohru beamed at her and confidently took her hand in his.
It didn't feel right.
Hiroomi jumped suddenly. "Shit, what is it?" Akihito sputtered, startled.
"She's back," Hiroomi informed him, standing at the window. Surprisingly, he sat right back down on the couch.
"Aren't you going to get her?" Akihito asked, one eyebrow raised. "You were so worried before."
"No, I'll just get in the way," Hiroomi said blankly, staring out the window.
Akihito gave up. There was just no understanding these sibling as of late.
"Thank you for walking me back," Mitsuki said, bowing her head.
"It was no problem," Tohru laughed, not letting go of her hand. His eyes locked in with hers, and suddenly, Mitsuki felt like a deer in the headlights. His gaze traveled downwards to her lips, and her mouth went very dry as he licked his lips. He leaned forward and tilted his head and-
She angled her face away from his so that his lips just brushed her cheek.
"Too soon, huh?" He stroked her cheek with his thumb.
"M-maybe next time," Mitsuki stammered, though she wasn't sure if she could do it next time either.
"Okay," Tohru whispered, and he gave her another quick peck on the cheek. "I'll see you Monday."
"Bye." Mitsuki waved timidly at him until she couldn't see him anymore. She then quickly entered the house and locked the door. "He's not dangerous, Mitsuki. It was just a kiss on the cheek," she tried to convince herself.
"Did you have fun?" Hiroomi's voice called her out of her own little world. She couldn't face him. Not like this.
"Yeah."
"What did you do?"
"We looked at fish! What do you think we did?" She stomped away and slammed the door to her room shut, making a shockingly loud noise.
Akihito sighed. "That was even more weird."
Mitsuki texted Mirai later that night, making sure she was okay. Turns out that her friend had ended up at Akihito's house after feeling rather anemic. He, being the lovesick fool he was, took care of her. Mirai then promptly told her good night, exhausted from the blood loss.
Mitsuki set the phone down next to her and asked Yakiimo to cuddle up next to her on the bed. The animal declined this time, content to stay on its own bed. Mitsuki harrumped. "Fine, be that way."
She didn't know how she could face Hiroomi. She felt rather guilty after letting Tohru kiss her, and she felt like she had let Hiroomi down somehow. It was completely ridiculous to feel that way, she knew that, but it plagued her mind nonetheless. How could she crawl into his bed again after what she had said to him? He might not want to let her in. The fear of nightmares was so great, though. Mitsuki didn't know how long she could hold out.
For about an hour, she tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep peacefully, but every time she had managed to start to get some rest, images of Hiroomi dying would flash through her dreams.
Enough was enough. She got out of her bed and didn't even bother to be quiet about the fact that she was entering Hiroomi's room, slamming the door shut. Hiroomi sleepily lifted his head and mumbled, "Mitsuki, what?" as she climbed over him to get to her side of the bed. She curled up against him and rested her fists against his back.
"Onii-chan, I had fun today. I'm sorry I snapped at you," she quickly apologized, burying her face into his shoulder.
"It's okay," he said, rubbing her thigh. Mitsuki's whole body warmed up, and she felt her breathing quicken. "Onii-chan still loves you."
Mitsuki nodded even though she knew he couldn't see it and swallowed audibly. She debated on whether or not she should tell him about Tohru. Well, Hiroomi had said that it was okay for her to be with anybody she wanted, right?
"Onii-chan, Tohru kissed me on the cheek today." Hiroomi stiffened.
"Oh?" he asked, his voice flat.
"I told him that maybe next time he could kiss me on the lips." Mitsuki's hands unconsciously went to her lips, and she ran her fingers over them. She wet them with her tongue. "Onii-chan, what's it like to be kissed?"
Hiroomi could not believe that his little sister was asking him this question. He turned over to face her. "Mitsuki, have you never been kissed?"
She shook her head. "I know, I just… Nobody's ever wanted to."
Hiroomi narrowed his eyes at her. Now that is just not true. "Mitsuki, trust me, people want to."
She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I don't know, I think I'm just afraid that I won't be good enough."
"Dear little sister, it's not hard." Hiroomi smiled and ruffled her hair. "You'll get the hang of it sometime.
She finally looked up to him, and Hiroomi noticed she was red up to her ears. Mitsuki herself couldn't believe she was asking this, but she had a very strong desire to learn right at that moment. At that very moment. With her older brother.
"Could you teach me how to kiss?"
Hiroomi tried to act disgusted. He did. But it just wasn't possible. "W-we're siblings," he chuckled nervously.
"That's what makes it okay, though!" Mitsuki stuttered. "I know that you're not going to hurt me." She batted her eyelashes at him. "You won't hurt me." She stuck out her lower lip. "Please?"
Hiroomi was sure his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He knew he should have resisted, but his guard was down and this was probably the only and last chance he would ever get. He held up a finger. "Okay. Just one, to help you learn."
Mitsuki smiled at him, her face still completely red. "Close your eyes." She did so obediently, and Hiroomi wondered why she wasn't ever this obedient with chores. His hand shaking, he cupped her cheek and ran his thumb along her pink lips, just a taste of how soft they were. He nearly groaned at that alone.
Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, catching her upper lip in his and sucking just for a moment before pulling away. He was breathing hard just from one kiss, and he was sure that the color of his face matched Mitsuki's by now. "There? Did you learn how it goes?"
Mitsuki tilted her head. "Like this?" She then went for his lips, giving him a lingering kiss. Hiroomi grabbed the bedsheets in his hands, reminding himself that his self-control was crucial here. He pushed her shoulder, removing her lips from his.
"Yeah," he said, breathless. "Just like that."
Mitsuki laid her head on his chest. "Thank you, Onii-chan," she replied, her voice low and laced with sleepiness.
He covered his eyes with his hands, massaging his temples.
"No problem," he managed to reply, hating himself for letting that happen.
