Etsuko awoke in her room. The fairy lights were on and her over head window reflected the setting sun. She must of passed out sometime in between Katsu and Buro arguing about the ingredients of mango salsa.
At least that's her last vivd memory.
"That's a stupid question, Katsu." Etsuko said snuggling deeper into her grandmothers warm side.
"There is no such thing as a stupid question." Katsuki said.
"What are you a teacher or something?"
Her grandfather laughed from his spot on the recliner. "Katsu a teacher? That'll be the day. I would know the apocalypse is upon us."
She could feel her grandmother chuckle as Katsu pouted. Etsuko's eye lids felt heavy, and every time she blinked her eyes stayed closed a little longer than needed.
"Ha-ha. Make fun of me all you want. But, it's true. There is no such thing, and I firmly believe in this, there is no such thing as a stupid question." Katsuki said crossing his arms with a smirk as he stared at his surrounding family members.
"Hey guys!," Saburo called out from the kitchen. "What's in mango salsa?"
Katsuki's face fell. "I stand corrected."
It all just went downhill from there. But, at least from what she remembers, it was funny. She made a move to sit up, and felt her head spin.
"Ouch . ." she mumbled to herself holding her head in her hands. She looked around her room, and noticed that something felt off. Cautiously Etsuko stood and walked to the corner of her room where she still had yet to unpack certain items from her move. The lid of the box was open and the things inside were shuffled around. Nothing was missing, but Etsuko remembers clearly that she had not touched that box since moving in with Katsu and her grandparents.
She was so focused on the box that she didn't notice the figure creeping into her room.
"BOO!"
She grabbed the baseball bat hidden behind her unpacked boxes and swung full force at the intruder.
Saburo ducked in time for the bat to swish dangerously over his head. It made a sound as it cut through the air, and both teens knew that if there was an impact it would hurt.
"WHAT THE HELL?" Saburo screeched sounding more like a girl then a man.
"BURO!" Etsuko screamed at the same time. Relief washed over her but, anger replaced it seconds after.
"Why do you have a bat!? You're a surfer!" He accused standing up and pointing a finger at her.
"Why are you creeping around my room like a stalker!?" The younger shot back raising the bat once again threateningly.
"I wouldn't say 'stalker' . ."
"I would."
"You say potato, I say 'Please put the bat down, I want to have kids'."
Etsuko relaxed her aggressive stance lowering her weapon. She continued to glare at her ridiculous cousin, the ice in her eyes making him sweat bullets.
"I don't remember the saying going like that."
"Oh, yeah it totally does. You should get out more, expand your horizons."
Etsuko snorted and eventually dropped her glare as well as the bat.
"Please anything but that bullshit lecture again." She said walking over to her bed and jumping on it. From her place she gave her cousin a once over and scowled.
"Didn't I tell you to put on pants."
Saburo whined throwing himself at the spot near her. "You're the only one who seems to have a problem with it."
"Because I'm the only one who has the mental stamina to argue with you on the importance of pants in society."
Saburo whined again but, louder. "Ugh! Screw morals."
"I don't think their your type."
Saburo laughed grabbing one of Etsuko's many colorful pillows and smacking her dead center in the face with it, shoving and rubbing the fluffy material into her mouth. "Shut up, brat."
A wrestling match in-sued, shoving, biting, tickling and tons of dirty under hand tricks, but balance was restored when Etsuko successfully pinned him down and sat upon his back.
"I win."
"Cheater."
"Traitor."
"Traitor?!"
Etsuko bounced once and enjoyed the pained groan her cousin emitted from under her. "Yeah, both you and Katsu are traitors. Leaving me alone to deal with Ojii-san when he was angry earlier."
"You had that more under control then I do my whole life at 19."
A moment of silence passed between them.
"That's sad but, true."
"I was kinda hoping for you to comfort me."
"Aren't I the real one in need of comfort here though?"
Saburo sighed with a mouthful of bed sheets. "I can't exactly do that in my current position can I?"
Etsuko contemplated this and eventually rolled off her cousin, watching as he sat up with a wince and rubbed at his neck. "You're heavy for someone so small."
"I'll sit on you again."
Buro rolled his eyes and patted his lap with a smile. Etsuko crawled over to him and laid down allowing the older boy to run his hands over her hair.
"How you feeling Suko?" he asked after a minute or two.
She didn't answer right away and stared with furrowed brows into the distance.
"Etsuko?" Buro questioned when the silence continued for longer then usual.
She rolled over flat on her back, her head still in his lap, and stared up at him with her usual blank face.
"I think I'm having a feeling. How do I stop it?"
Saburo snorted out a laugh placing a hand over her eyes and squeezing her face. "You can't stop it little Miss Robot."
"Life sucks."
"And we swallow. What else is new."
Etsuko made a gagging sound. "That's completely disgusting, Buro."
He laughed at her. "Oh, please your 'holier than thou' act isn't working."
Etsuko sighed and took a minute to compose herself. "Honestly . . I don't know what I'm feeling."
Buro sat there and waited patiently for her to explain as much as she wanted. "Everything I said down stairs earlier was true. My watery eyes were real, so I know I'm shaken up by the incident."
She paused and furrowed her brows. " I just don't know how to deal with it."
"I never do . ." She added after a second of silence. A scowl was on her face by now and she could feel the tears of frustration building up behind her eyes.
"That's why you're here though." Her cousin spoke up. He was smiling down at her softly, as he continued to play with her hair. "You're here to get better. To feel okay again. You'll get to that point eventually. But, things take time."
In that moment Etsuko realized just how much she missed him and Katsuki. They were apart of her life again after, God knows how long without seeing each other, and she missed them so much.
The feeling was mutual with her grandparents as well. All these people who noticed her, and worried, and cared. It was overwhelming and she can't really deal with it the right way, because life back with her parents messed her up. But, that didn't matter to everyone here. They still loved her, and believed in her.
Just when Etsuko thought this overbearing realization was going to suffocate her awkward little self, her room door opened and in waltzed her older brother.
He paused and scowled at Saburo despite there being no heat behind it. Then he started to whine.
"Sukoooo! Why are you letting this thing touch you?," The twenty six year old, might she add, said as he stomped his foot like a petulant child.
"Excuse me?!," Saburo said his facial expression going from serene to annoyed at the snap of her fingers. And thus began the childish family feud all over again.
"What do you mean thing?" Saburo continued to rant though Katsuki was talking over him at Etsuko, pretending like the cousin wasn't there.
"You never spend time with me like this! Sometimes I feel unloved an-"
She zoned out focusing on her brothers mused hair, and the way Saburo's body was wound tight with repressed tension. She knew they were going to get physical and if a wrestling match was about to start up in her room, she wanted out.
Both her cousin and brother were block heads. They might be older, they definitely loved each other, but put them two in a room together and something was bound to explode.
"Ah," She cut in and both boys instantly shut up. Perfect timing too, because Katsu began to roll up his sleeves a vein of annoyance popping up near his forehead, he was gonna pounce. And she could tell Buro was preparing himself for it.
"Katsu, did you touch my surfing box?" She suddenly asked. Etsuko had almost completely forgot what had made her feel uncomfortable earlier but, now since she remembered she might as well ask.
Her brother raised a single dark eyebrow at her and shook his head. "Nope sorry baby girl, wasn't me. Why?"
Etsuko scowled again and stared at her box. "It was open and moved around when I woke up but, I haven't touched it since I came to live here."
"Maybe it was a ghost."
"Maybe it was your creepy stalker butt." Katsu retorted.
"Oi," Buro shouted pointing an accusing finger at Katsuki and moving it back and forth between him and Etsuko. "Why do both of you keep saying that? Did you like plan it or something?"
"We don't need to plan something out to come to the mutual agreement that your a stalker Buro." Etsuko said nonchalantly as she stood up off her bed. She wanted to take a shower she felt gross.
"Ha!" Katsuki laughed pulling Etsuko almost immediately into a hug. "I knew you'd agree with me."
"You're squishing me. Let. Go"
"Both of you are so mean!"
