Hi, this is a Dear Brother one shot that I've been meaning to finish forever. I hope Kaoru and Rei are in character. I wanted to explore their dynamic in more of a 'what-if' situation. This after the anime and Kaoru and Rei are both alive though some of the anime canon events still apply. And yes the outfit that Kaoru is wearing is the one that she has on in one of the last episodes of the anime. It was the first one that came to mind :) Hope you enjoy~SerriaSpell23.

Words Effervescent

A Dear Brother Oneshot

"Kaoru? What are you doing here? What's wrong?

"Nice to see you too, Rei. Sober, for once."

Her friend smirked. "Sort of. Detoxing is hell." Rei gave the woman leaning in her apartment's doorframe an appraising glance. Kaoru had thrown a well-worn coat over her clothes, and her shoes were scuffed; however, aside from those blemishes, her appearance was impeccable. A white blouse, navy blazer, tan pants, and brown shoes: dressed more feminine than Rei had seen her apart from her wedding. Proving Kaoru could pull off a dress when she wanted to, she looked gorgeous. But something was off.

Rei grazed Kaoru's arm and caught her shoulder in a weakened grip because the shaking was resuming. "Are you okay?"

The roles reversed as Kaoru stepped forward to seize her best friend in her arms, foregoing her emotional turmoil to care for Rei, Nanako, Mariko, or anybody else that needed her. Self-sacrificing to the point of determent; a prince in every fashion. She and Rei had something in common.

Looking down at the mane of blonde hair cushioned on her chest, Kaoru grinned. She brushed the bangs back from Rei's forehead. "You should lay down. Do you want water?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Slinging Rei's arm around her shoulder, Kaoru escorted her to the bedroom. Flicking on the bedside lamp, she watched the light catch the violet eyes locked on hers. With an oomph, Kaoru and Rei collapsed on the bed. Rei looked up at her friend and blinked.

"Kaoru?"

Kaoru's fingers passed the material of the puffy shirt Rei often used as a nightshirt between her fingers—flexing and gripping, conformity, and instinct. Her green eyes met Rei. She hoped she didn't notice the tears.

Frustration, it's just frustration, Kaoru thought. Why do I do this to myself!

"Sorry. I tripped. Excuse me." She got off Rei and pulled her up to the pillows. Kaoru glanced toward the mirror-lined walls of the apartment. She rubbed her face to preserve her composure. "Have I told I hate these mirrors?"

Rei's lips quirked as she pushed herself upright. "You would."

Kaoru crossed her arms. "They magnify your imperfections, Rei. Your insecurities. The years of being under your sister's control, her toxic cycle of conditional love at your expense have left you fragile…"

Rei opened her mouth to interrupt, but Kaoru cut her off. "Let me finish, dear. Have made you yearn for affection without the need of a crutch. I'm sure Nanako helped."

"I miss you."

Kaoru bent down and kissed her forehead. "I miss you too." She cleared her throat. "Ahem! I'll get you that water. I think I'm going to need one too."

Turning on her heel, Kaoru walked into the kitchen. The room still looked desolate but for little touches. Flowers placed in a vase on the counter, a note on the fridge in Rei's scrawl dated yesterday. Call Nanako. Kaoru was grateful to the girl she had been Rei's support when she couldn't be—standing up to Miya-sama with an all-out passion flued by righteousness and first love.

Kaoru smiled.

She listened to water splash into the glasses in her hand, the clock, and Rei's muffled breaths from the adjacent bedroom. Setting the glasses on the counter, Kaoru bit her lip and covered her face, shallow sobs making her lips quake.

"Kaoru? Are you all right?" Rei called.

Her friend scowled. "I thought you were asleep."

"Not yet, dear. Should I worry?"

Kaoru dragged herself back to the bedroom, disregarding the water. She ghosted her palm over Rei's cheek. Collapsing on the bed, Kaoru hauled her exhausted body as close to her friend as she could. Her head nestled into Rei's chest, the puffy shirt's sheer buffer was doing nothing to stop the ecstasy of skin-to-skin contact. She pushed herself up enough to bury her face in Rei's blonde hair and sighed.

Rei laughed and stroked the other woman's short brown waves. "You've neglected your shoes, dear."

"And my clothes," Kaoru said, smirking as she met Rei's deadpan expression. "Shall we do like we used to? I don't feel myself in these clothes."

A terse nod. Rei removed her friend's shoes while Kaoru shrugged the blazer off, unfastened the blouse's buttons, and dropped the rest of the garments to the floor.

Clunk.

Kaoru peered down toward the noise; her shoes were on top of her clothes. She shook her head. "The one time you're not graceful, Rei."

"My mind is a bit fogged. Tonight's going to be hell."

Kaoru eased Rei's shirt over her head. "Let me. I shouldn't be here in the first place, Rei. Takehiko probably knows I'm here. I wanted to return from Germany to visit you, and he indulged me." Tears pricked Kaoru's eyes. "Our dynamic can't be how it was."

Rei hugged her and pushed back the sheets. Her mouth opened as the weight of Kaoru's statement hit her. "He indulged you, and you took approximately an eleven-hour flight?"

Nodding, the other woman snuggled beneath the blankets. She faced Rei and enfolded their bodies together.

Rei pressed against her, hoping their flesh colliding would ground her. "Shh. It's okay. Let's just relax. I've got you. Climb under the covers."

"Kaoru, what happened?" Rei asked, caressing her cheek. "Something's bothering you."

"Takehiko and I got in a fight. Not about you; however, I realized I'd rather be with you than be with him. My husband." Kaoru spat out the official term of address. "At least until he cools off…"

Rei blushed and started tracing circles onto her friend's shoulder. "About what?"

I found out I was expecting recently. I hadn't told him yet because of my medical past. I'm paranoid something will happen."

"That's understandable. So Hemni found out?"

Kaoru nodded. "Blew up. I needed time away from him. You think I'm a bitch, don't you?"

Rei's blithe smile, charged with her magnetism, ensnared Kaoru with ease; violet eyes held her transfixed, awed, and aching for intimacy and companionship.

"No dear, never," Rei said, her fingers twirled into the other woman's hair. "You looked gorgeous in your wedding dress. I never told you."

Kaoru beamed; she was overcome by the instinct to seize Rei's lips. Kaoru's eyes drifted, not wreathed in her customary confidence, downward. She bit her lip again.

Rei tilted her friend's chin and smirked; Kaoru kissed the other woman's mouth. Rei obliged and opened her lips, her tongue gliding along Kaoru's chapped lip. Blushing out of indignity, she let the indication bloom across her face.

Screw it! she thought. Rei's caress on her cheek punctured by the woman's glorious laugh snapped Kaoru from her self-pitying state.

"Have you wanted to do that all night, dear?" Rei said.

"Yes, and I hate myself."

"What if I kiss you? Are we even?"

Kaoru laughed. "You kissed me back, Rei."

"Yes. Slip of the tongue."

"There was no 'slip' about it. How are you and Nanako?"

Rei smiled and cradled Kaoru's face. "We're fine. We decided to cool off until she gets settled in university. Let her meet other people, then choose."

Kaoru brought her hand up to Rei's cheek. "Wouldn't want to be a third wheel. The situation's screwed up enough. How the hell did we end up here?"

"Did you ask about Nanako in a search for absolution?" Rei's gaze turned somber. "If I'd asked you, what would you have said?"

"You were together with Nanako, and now I'm married. I feel guilty twice over because I'd never want to hurt her; of course, the irony that I'm her brother's wife is rich. A hellish love triangle." Kaoru said, huffing out a shaky laugh. "I would have said yes, Rei."

Pecking her friend's lips, Rei hugged her close. "Cruse bad timing."

Kaoru touched their foreheads. "Are you cold?"

"A little, but the body heat is helping. When are you leaving?"

Kaoru shrugged. "It's at my discretion. I should check-in, though."

Rei reached across her to grab the phone. Handing it to Kaoru, Rei keyed in the number the other woman read off and added the long-distance extension.

"Kaoru, are you okay?" her husband answered.

"Yes, dear. I'm just checking in."

He chuckled. "How is Rei?"

Kaoru smiled an unseen affectionate smile. "Detoxing. It's great to see her again. I missed her."

"I know. You love her, Kaoru. I can see it."

"So what?" she said. "Rei and I are a missed opportunity. I'm married to you, Takehiko, and she might rekindle her relationship with your sister if they both decide to. Forget it!"

Rei caressed her friend's cheek and coaxed it into her shoulder. "Kaoru, listen to me. Your affection is not one-sided." Planting a kiss on Kaoru's hair, Rei tightened her hold, her arms warm and soothing. In return, Kaoru slipped her fingers down Rei's arm, touches seeking out the scar under her gold bracelet: an immortal reminder of what Miya-sama had done. She shivered in revulsion. Rei helpless and bleeding was not something she wanted.

"Kaoru?" Rei said.

"I'm sorry. I guess I didn't realize how much our experiences were entwined. Certain events make me angry. Your sister had no right, Rei!"

Rei seized Kaoru's hand. The tremors slowed, and she interlocked their fingers. "I'm here, okay," Rei muttered, a jovial chuckle in her voice. "I'm not leaving you, dear."

"I'm making this worse, aren't I?" Takehiko said.

Rei smirked, taking the phone from her friend's languid grasp. "No, Henmi. We have to sort our feelings out ourselves. We're stunned by the effects of the past few years. And everything prior…"

"Rei, may I speak to Kaoru alone, please." Glancing toward her best friend tucked in her embrace, Rei kissed Kaoru's shoulder.

"He wants to speak to you. Are you up to it?"

Kaoru pursed her lips. "Yes. I wish I could absorb your pain."

Rei smiled. "Lovingly noted. We both have some introspection to do. I'll be in the kitchen." She set Kaoru next to her as she untangled from her arms. The other woman sighed and hugged the sheets to her chest. Watching Rei pull her nightshirt over her head, Kaoru lay with her hair pillowed under her, her eyes darkening.

"Hurry back." Kaoru cringed as she heard herself utter the request. Being moonstruck with love never appealed to her; Rei succumbed to the exception. Capping off her stardust quota and shaking off her afterglow from unrestrained, emotional intimacy, Kaoru sighed at the phone beside her.

"Yes, Takehiko? I'm not in the mood for a third degree."

"This isn't one, Kaoru; stay with Rei. I forced you into our marriage. I thought I was going to lose you."

"I wasn't opposed—at the start. And you are one of my best friends; you never would. I'm not going to keep you out of the child's life. Don't worry."

"I am grateful for your capacity to forgive. I'll always care about you. I regret I ignored Rei and your feelings. I knew, Kaoru."

When she answered, Kaoru's voice was hushed and raw. "I love you—even our time was brief; the affection I hold for you has altered but will never wain."

"I love you too, Kaoru. Take care." Henmi chuckled and hummed. "Did Rei finally tell you how you looked in your wedding dress?"

"Yes."

I'm glad. I'll call again soon."

"Bye, Takehiko," Kaoru said.

Hanging up the phone, Kaoru glanced toward the doorway. Rei began walking to the bed again in only a couple of strides. She sat beside Kaoru.

"So what did he say, Kaoru?" Rei said, her fingers tracing the woman's jaw.

"I can stay."

Rei smirked, pulling Kaoru to her. "Where were we?" The husky phrase landed against Kaoru's cracked lips, a simple comfort, and vow. Tightening her grip on Rei's shoulder, Kaoru kissed her. She hugged her neck and attempted to suppress a shiver.

"We shouldn't get too carried away, dear," Rei said. "Rest is vital to you. You look exhausted, Kaoru."

"I don't care. I need you."

Rei pecked Kaoru's forehead. "As ravishing as you are, dear, each other's company is enough."

Blushing, Kaoru buried her face in Rei's chest. "Yes, Rei, I wasn't attempting to imply that we should have sex until three in the morning. I'm touch-starved. Hold me."

Rei clasped Kaoru in her arms and nuzzled her cheek. Ghosting her lips over Kaoru's forehead, Rei's loving smile reappeared. She nestled Kaoru against her as they dozed off.