"Yuna, please stop doing that."
The small finger stabbed her cheek, the blunted nail leaving an indent, and Himeko's eye twitched.
"Yuna." Her tone was low, daring her sister to poke her again. Brown eyes, the same shade as her own, sparkled with mischief as an airy giggle echoed around the room, "Please stop."
Out of all the days her parents could've planned their yearly getaway, they chose the one three-day weekend Himeko had. When she got the text, Himeko had been excited at first. Not only did she have a reasonable excuse to leave school a bit early, but she could spend the time she craved with her family. Sure, her parents were going away but maybe that meant her sisters would be more relaxed—maybe they'd listen better.
Himeko had never been more wrong.
"Hinata, put the knife down." The mahogany-haired girl peered up innocently at her, large eyes blinking. The two sisters stared at each other: Himeko's eyes narrowed while Hinata slowly inched the knife closer to her, "Do you want to have a time out."
Did that even work on six-year-olds? Himeko had no idea.
Apparently, by the sharp gasp and sudden tears that flooded her sister's eyes, it did. She made sure to keep note of that. Even Yuna, whose legs were tightly wrapped around her waist and warms looped lazily around her neck, froze.
"You can't put me in time out!" The younger twin's lower lip wobbled, "You're not allowed to!"
"Oh, really?" Himeko questioned, her eyebrows shooting up with mock surprise, "I'm not?"
"No." Hinata sniffled, rubbing at her nose, and Himeko wondered when she became such a good actress, "Because you're not mommy or daddy."
"Ah," She nodded, pretending to understand her logic, "But Mom and Dad left me in charge. So, technically, that means that I can put you in time out."
It was quite funny to her—watching the realization that flooded her sister's eyes turn to fear. Her parents were such pushovers, it was disgusting. But, though she would never admit it, Himeko was, too. Especially when it came to the twins. Born premature, there was a solid month where her parents terror-filled whispers echoed around the hospital room. Where Himeko held her baby sisters' hand through an opening in a wall, their grip barely there.
Sighing, she crouched down, tightening her grip around Yuna's waist to ensure she wouldn't fall. Sometimes Himeko forgot that they were only six. It was easy to. She was barely home, she trained to fight evil in the world, she was constantly surrounded by people around, or close to, her age. Gently, her fingers tucked a strand of mahogany behind a small ear before using her pointer finger to tilt Hinata's head towards her.
"I won't put you in time out, okay." Himeko said, "But you have to listen to me when I tell you to do something. I only want you to be safe and knives are very dangerous. Do you remember when I had to get stitches a few years ago?"
Himeko doubted she did, but Hinata nodded nonetheless.
"That's because a knife cut my finger. I don't want the same thing to happen to you, okay?"
A wail escaped her sister and Himeko blinked in surprise, gasping for breath when she charged at her, knocking her to the ground. Subconsciously, she brought Yuna to her chest, stopping her head from hitting the wooden floor. What the fuck is with this family? Himeko struggled to breath. Hinata was crying into her stomach and Yuna was staring at Himeko with the same bewildered expression that was on her face.
"I'm sorry, Himeko!" Hinata sobbed into her army green shirt, probably covering it with snot and tears. Himeko suppressed a shudder at the thought.
Patting Hinata's head, she simply said: "It's okay. How about we watch a movie instead of making cookies? I'll make some popcorn."
Teary hazel eyes met hers, and Himeko couldn't help but coo at how cute her sister looked with her flushed cheeks and red nose. Besides her, Yuna huffed into her neck.
"Stop acting, Hinata," The older twin scolded, "It's getting annoying."
Like magic, the tears dried and Hinata frowned. Himeko was, in few words, incredibly concerned. Never before had her sister rammed into her and clutched at her, sobbing, only to be called out for faking. Yuna shifted herself and Himeko grunted at the weight that settled on her stomach.
"Hinata's jealous that you were carrying me," She stated, "And that you were giving me all your attention."
Himeko blinked.
"I wasn't."
"I was not!" Himeko and Hinata said at the same time, and Himeko winced at the pitch her sister's voice reached.
"And stop reading my thought! Mommy said you're not allowed to do that anymore." Hinata said, pulling herself up and off Himeko just to stop her foot.
I can breathe once again—that was, until Yuna turned around and angry slid down until she was straddling her stomach. God, she hated her sisters sometimes. Shouldn't they be hugging her? Listening to her? Not using her as a chair?
"It's kinda hard to when they're so loud." The lighter-haired deadpanned.
Sighing, Himeko threw her head back and stared at the white ceiling. Option A: let them fight it out, she thought, Option B: watch a movie and give them candy; Option C: put them both in time out…which one would be less of a headache…Option B it is.
Roughly—but careful not to hurt her sister—Himeko shoved Yuna off her stomach and jumped to her feet. While the older twin looked utterly offended that Himeko just moved her without her permission, the younger twin had a smug look on her face. Huffing, Himeko brushed the loose strands of hair from her face and pointed at the twins, who watched her with curious eyes.
"Whoever's first to the couch gets to pick the movie!"
Brown eyes blinked up at her and, in an instant, they were gone. Himeko could hear them arguing from the kitchen and shrugged. Yuna would most likely decide to watch whatever movie Hinata was thinking of. Their fight was merely for show. Humming to herself, she focused on cleaning the mess that was left behind. Half made cookie dough sat in a bowl, eggshells left in the carton, some milk spilled on the counter.
I can always clean when they're napping, Himeko rationalized as she tossed the eggshells into the trash, it's not like anyone's coming over.
The doorbell rang a second later. Wow, she stared blankly at the door, I'm a shitty psychic.
"Himeko!" Hinata screeched from the couch, "Somebody's here!"
"I know," She called back as she made her way towards the door, "I heard the doorbell."
"She's not deaf, Hinata," Yuna whispered in the background.
"But she's old," Hinata protested, "Her hearing could be going—just like grandma."
Himeko's eye twitched, "I can still hear you."
They're brats, she scowled, her hand encased the silver handle. It was surprisingly cold compared to the temperature. Unlocking it, she froze at the sudden weight that coiled around her left leg. Glancing down, she met wide eyes.
"What are you doing?"
Yuna smiled at her, "Making sure it's not a bad guy. I can tell you his thoughts before he attacks you!"
Two skinny arms wrapped around her right leg, and Hinata beamed up at her. Obviously forgetting the remarks made mere seconds ago. Himeko, on the other hand, had not.
"Yeah," Her sister agreed, "We can help you!"
Himeko raised her brow, but said nothing. She wasn't expecting anybody today. Sure, Mai sometimes liked to stop by unexpectedly, but the girl made her own secret knock so Himeko knew it was her. Truthfully, she wasn't all that worried if it was a villain. Vines would incase him in a prison before he stepped foot into her house.
Twisting the handle, she pulled the door open—shifting backwards very, very carefully. Her heart caught in her throat, eyes widening in disbelief, blood pounding in her ears.
He was here, standing right in front of her…her sunflower came back.
"Toshi?" Her words were barely above a whisper, her heart racing when a smile crossed his face at the sound of his name, "What are you doing here?"
Her sunflower shifted and Himeko noticed how different he looked. His hair was longer—fuller, and he stood with more confidence…she also hated to admit it but he looked…really, really good. Go away you stupid blush.
"I got your text," He said, "And I miss you, too. Gran Torino gave me a day off" Himeko did not believe that one bit but let him continue, "So I thought we could spend it together?"
Faintly in the background, she heard Hinata mutter to her sister as the two bodies left her legs, "This is disgusting."
Yuna's voice followed, "Doesn't she know that boys have cooties?"
Himeko couldn't wait until they got older. Revenge was going to be beautiful.
"Yeah," She smiled, ignoring the whispers behind her, "I'd love to…we're about to watch a movie if you'd like to join us."
Toshi beamed, bright cerulean eyes shining with absolute joy. Himeko couldn't help herself. She missed him.
She honestly and truly missed him.
Lunging forward, she threw her arms around the taller boy, pulling herself flush against him and resting her chin on his shoulder. Toshi tense for a moment, but only for a moment. There was no hesitation when he wrapped his around her waist, holding her just as tightly.
"I really missed you, Toshi." Himeko found herself muttering in his ear. The familiar cologne flooded her nose, and she found herself feeling strangely at home.
"I really missed you, too." His said, and Himeko felt his chest rumble, "More than you know."
The last part, she realized, wasn't meant for her to hear. It was so faint, so incredibly soft that she wondered how she heard it in the first place. Himeko didn't say anything, though. She simply held him tighter.
I'm going to hate when he goes to America.
another chapter? *cue gasp* Yes, because I'm in the feELS!
hope you like it :) (strange how the chapters are getting longer, isn't it?)
starrat: I LOVE YOU! THank you for the review and I'm glad you like it!
TheOneThatSeesGNS: thank you! yeah, tbh when i first wrote this, i thought the same but last night i was sorta like 'i think they'd probably die if she was feeling depressed and go crazy if she was angry or something'. I'm SUPER happy you liked the update
Yuki Suou: It is, isn't it? I'm sorry you feel that way sometimes, just remember that your friends love you and want to talk to you! It's hard, but i swear you aren't bothering them :) i hope this chapter makes you smile :)
NotSureHowToMingle: I'm glad to be back! and your comment made me so happy, i love hearing that my updates make you happy and all that...it makes me realize that people do like my work, lmao. I am doing well! I hope you are too! Yes, Himeko will be more vulnerable from no on (not drastically) but she's learning to cope with loss and all that now
Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! my mind gets blown away every time i check on this story and see how it's doing! IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY Y'ALL CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO IMAGINE
please leave a review if you'd like :)
see ya soon
ana
