Now:

It's been a good day. The best Rei can recall in recent memory. She spends the day lounging on the beach, unbothered by rude boys or pestering memories. She listens to the sounds of the ocean while her cousins race along the sand and splash in the water; a melody all its own. In the afternoon she helps Momiji build a sandcastle and smirks when she sees Kyo teaching Tohru how to float on her back in the water.

In the afternoon when they return to the house for the watermelon spitting contest she notices how gentle Kyo's eyes are when he looks at Tohru. There's something there; a softness she hasn't seen since they were little. She's known for months now that her brother has a crush, but when she looks at him now she wonders if maybe, just maybe, there's something more. Something like lo–

"Rei, do you want to give it a try?"

"What, huh?" Rei snaps back to attention to see that Haru and the others are looking at her. The blanket with a dozen or so watermelons laid out before her. "Oh, yeah, " she says, "I'll give it a go." She takes a few steps back.

Kyo takes Tohru by the shoulders and pulls her away from the blanket. "Trust me, you'll want to back up for this." he tells her. The others blink uncomprehendingly, but when Rei charges the blanket, leaps into the air, and lands with a devastating swipe of her leg, they suddenly all know when Kyo meant. A spray of melon coats all of their faces as Rei completely demolishes three of the remaining watermelons with a single go.

"Wow! Dat must be a new record!" Momji says excitedly as he wipes bits of melon from his face.

Rei pants and takes a low bow. Yuki grimaces, pulling pieces from his hair. She sees Tohru blush as Kyo wipes a drip of melon juice from her cheek. "Well now that we all need a shower," Kyo grumbles, "I think it's time to head back."
Once everyone is clean and dinner has been eaten, Rei calls everyone into the backyard for a bonfire, claiming that they can't skip out on a classic summer tradition like smores.

Haru and Yuki toss some split logs onto the swelling fire as fireflies dance around them. Rei is sitting beside Kyo, fixing herself another marshmallow when Tohru comes outside to join them all. "Here," says Rei, getting up, "You can have my spot."

"Oh, no really I don't want to make you move." Tohru says hurriedly, but Rei has already moved across the fire to another seat.

"Really, I insist."

Kyo shoots her a skeptical look as Tohru shyly takes the seat beside him.

"This is boring," Hiro says cooly.

"Oh shut up and toast a marshmallow like a normal kid, would you?" snaps Rei.

"I hate those things, they're all sugar."

Rei rolls her eyes. "Oh how terrible." She then pops her marshmallow in her mouth dramatically, licking her fingers to exaggerate just how delicious it is.

"I know!" Momiji pops up behind her. "Let's tell scary stories!"

"S-scary stories?" Tohru asks nervously.

"Vell, maybe not too too scary. Just a little bit scary. For fun!"

"Have you heard the one about the annoying bunny that got turned into rabbit stew?" Hiro smirks.

"Hiro, that's not very nice," Kisa says to him quietly.

Momiji frowns deeply and folds his arms. "Don't be such a grump! You're starting to sound just like Kyo."

"Hey, don't compare me to that little brat," Kyo hisses.

"Who are you calling a brat?"

Tohru's face has gone bright red, "Maybe we should do something else," she tries to say over the comotion.

"Let's play a game," Rei says so loudly that the others fall silent. This seems to be satisfactory because everyone sits back in their seats.

"What kind of game?" Asks Yuki.

Rei scratches her head. "Let's play…superpower." Kyo groans, but Rei wags a finger at him. "Don't get your knickers in a twist boyo, it will be fun!"

"It wasn't fun when we were kids."

"Sure it was, you loved it."

"Vat is superpower?" Momiji asks, clearly voicing what everyone else is also thinking.

"It's fun. We all take turns giving the person to your left a choice between two superpowers, but with each power you also have to give them a weakness. So, Momiji say you had to choose between being able to fly but you could only land in water, or you could run at lightning speed but only for five seconds at a time, which would you pick?"

Momiji beams. "Ohhhh, I like dis game! I vant to fly, das vat I would pick! I'm a great swimmer so landing in water should be easy!"

"Great is a bit of an overstatement," Yuki says under his breath.

"I want to try, I want to try!"

They take turns going around the circle, making up nonsense that makes them all laugh. Then they get to Hiro's turn. "So I get to give the cat a superpower then, is that it?"

"Just skip me, I don't want to play."

"No skips!" Announces Momiji who is apparently making the rules now.

Hiro rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm, what power should I pick? Alright, how about you have super strength but you can still never beat Yuki…"

Kyo scowls. "Very funny."

"Oooor," Hiro thinks for a moment, "you can make any girl in the world fall in love with you, but you're locked away in a cage for the rest of your life so you can't be together."

A hush falls over the group. A tense uneasiness lingering in the air as eyes are cast downward and they shift uncomfortably. Rei sees Kyo's face illuminated by the firelight. His brows furrowed in anger as he balls his hand into a fist. At first she thinks he might actually hit the kid, but instead he gets up abruptly and says, "Forget this. I'm going to bed."

Both Rei and Tohru share the same worried expression but before either of them can make a move to go after him another voice comes from the darkness.

"Well would you look at what we have here? Hope I'm not spoiling the fun." Shigure of course. Always with his grand entrances.

Tohru nearly jumps out of her skin. "Shigure! You startled me."

"Sensi? When did you get here?"

Shigure walks over to the fire nonchalantly. "Oh I've only just arrived."

"A day late at that," Rei says, "Didn't you say you were coming yesterday?"

"Did I say that? I can't recall. In any case I had a few things come up I'm afraid. Important business matters to attend to and such."

Reis' eyes narrow. "Righhhtt."

"But I'm here now," he says happily, "And I'm not the only one."

"What? Someone else is here too?" Tohru asks cheerfully, "Is it Kagura? Or Ayame?"

Yuki shrinks. "Don't even tell me he's here too."

"Oh no no, Ayame didn't join me this time. Akito is here."

A silence even darker and more ominous than the one before settles over them all. For a moment no one says anything, then Momiji speaks up. "Akito? Here? But why?"

Shigure shrugs. "Oh I don't pretend to know why our beloved family head does anything. All I know is that Akito is here and that we've all been summoned for a visit tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow," Yuki says questioningly, "But–"

"Ah, no buts. You know better than to question the family head."

Yuki backs down but looks unhappy.

"Oh and I've been told that Akito will want to see Kyo at some point as well." Shigure gives Rei a crooked smile.

"What? Why?"

"Do I really need to repeat myself? Anyway, I thought I would just do you all the courtesy of giving you a heads up. Now, who would like to pass me a marshmallow?"

Shigure hums merrily as he seats himself next to Haru and Yuki and toasts himself a marshmallow, all the while everyone else shares the same gloomy expression. Rei is particularly unsettled. Akito had always made a point to make Kyo feel excluded from the others, and as such rarely summoned him to family gatherings. But every time Akito did, it ended in disaster. She can't help but feel that this time will be no different. She looks up at the light being cast from her brother's bedroom and can just barely make out his silhouette in the window. She frowns.

Today has been a good day. And now it's over.

Then:

"I just don't understand."

"Give him some time, he'll come around."

"Did you see his face? And the way he ran? It was like he couldn't get away from me fast enough. Ouch–could you go easy? That stings, you know."

"Sorry. Almost done."

Rei winced, biting back the pain as Kazuma applied the medicated ointment to her wound. She was sitting on the bathroom counter and even so he was still a whole head taller than her. She felt childish and small as he carefully dabbed a cotton swab around her stitches. But his hands were steady and warm, and though she wanted to melt from embarrassment, there wasn't anyone in the world she'd rather have to care for her.

"There," Kazuma said, "I'll just rewrap the bandages and we'll be finished."

"Yeah, until tomorrow. Then we have to do it all over again." Rei moved to pick up the mirror that was sitting by the sink but Kazuma snatched it first. She understood what he was trying to do but she swiped it from his grasp anyway and looked. "It's no wonder why he ran," she said glumly. She poked gently at a spot below her cheekbone and flinched. "My face looks like ground up dog food."

Kazuma took the mirror from her. "It does not. And you're alive, that's what matters." He caressed her unwounded cheek and she blushed, casting her eyes away.

"Yeah. Right."

She had expected when she returned from the hospital that Kyo would be hesitant at first. Her reflection was off-putting even to herself, but still, she didn't think he would actually run. When she got out of the car and saw him standing with Kazuma in the doorway, she made her best attempt at a smile. She was so overwhelmingly happy to see him after all. But the way he seized up at the sight of her, the look of terror on his face before he darted off into the house and shut himself in the room Kazuma had prepared for him, made her heart sink. She wasn't expecting that.

Once Kazuma finished with the bandages she hopped down from the counter and inspected his handiwork. She sighed deeply. "I'm like Frankenstein's monster."

Kazuma turned her around, holding her small shoulders in his hands. "You're beautiful. No matter what."

She tried for a smile, but it pulled at her stitches so she stopped.

Over the next several days Rei tried and continuously failed to get Kyo to talk to her. He refused to come out of his room to have meals with her, and if he happened to see her in the hall he would turn around and start off in the opposite direction. The only time she really got to see him was when he practiced with Kazuma. Kazuma had begun teaching him martial arts and Kyo seemed to take to it pretty easily. Rei stayed hidden, only catching glimpses of the two of them through the partially opened doorway.

"You're doing well, Kyo. Good job."

"Thanks, Master!" She watched from behind the door as Kazuma tussled Kyo's hair and Kyo beamed at him. She couldn't help but feel a pit open up in stomach. How had she gone from feeling so close to him to feeling so far away? But maybe she was being selfish. After all, Kyo seemed happy, and after what they had been through that was a minor miracle in itself. It just hurt that he seemed happier without her.

She grimaced and forced herself to bite back tears, not only because she didn't want to appear weak, but also because tears made her wound burn.

That night Rei ate dinner with Kazuma and the empty spot at the table where Kyo should have been. Rei found herself swirling her food around absently.

"You should eat," said Kazuma, "It will help build your strength."

But that empty space at the table was gnawing away at her. So much so that she couldn't ignore it any longer. She got up suddenly and threw a portion of food onto a plate.

"Rei, I don't think you should–" Kazuma started to warn but she brushed this off and headed down the hall.

She knocked lightly but meaningfully. "Hey, I'm coming in." She didn't wait for a response.

Kyo was in the middle of the room, and appeared to be practicing some sort of martial arts move. He had a firm stance and was throwing punch after punch into the air.

"Hey Rocky, take a break. It's time for food." She dropped the plate down on the nightstand by his bed. Kyo didn't turn to look at her.

"I'll eat when I'm done practicing," He said breathlessly.

"You'll eat now." She grabbed his shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his skin, squirming away from her touch.

He looked at her for the first time in days. He looked shy, almost fearful. "I..I'm not hungry, Rei. Just go away."

The pit in her stomach grew wider but she stood her ground. "Kyo, what's wrong? Just talk to me."

He pouted. "Nothing is wrong."

"Is this about what happened? Because we can talk about–"

Kyo threw his hands up in frustration. "It's not about anything. I just want to be left alone, okay?!"

Rei wasn't exactly intimidated by her six year old brother's ranting, but she was so hurt by it that she didn't even argue. She just left.

The whole summer, she told herself that it was just a phase. That he was just projecting his anger onto her. That it would pass and everything would go back to the way it was. That he would go back to looking at her like she was his sister and not an unwanted stranger. But he didn't.

The end of summer she stood in her room. She had packed what few possessions she had into a suitcase and waited for the driver to arrive to take her to the airport. She felt stiff. Rigid. Then a hand curled around her shoulder. A comfortingly familiar touch. "Don't look so tense," Kazuma said in her ear. "Everything will be alright."

Rei sighed and turned to face him. "It doesn't feel alright."

"Maybe not now. But give it time." He lifted her chin with his finger and kissed her gently. "You'll see. The car's just arrived, here I'll take your bags."

She didn't normally give in to Kazuma's gentlemanly gestures out of some misguided sense of pride, but today she allowed him to take her bags. She felt too unsettled to protest. She followed behind him as they made their way down the hall. When they got to Kyo's room she paused. She had already tried to talk to him. She had told him weeks ago through his locked bedroom door that she would be going away to America for school, and that Kazuma would look after him while she was gone. She had mildly hoped that he would come out of his room to say goodbye to her but as the day wore on that hope grew thinner and thinner. She had told herself not to bother, but as she stood outside his door in what would be the last time for the next several years, she couldn't help but try. She tapped on the door with her knuckles.

"Kyo?"

No answer.

She frowned, but forced herself to continue. "I'm going now. Kazuma has my new phone number, you can call me anytime. Don't worry about the time difference, I'll pick up. Anyway, I just wanted to say…remember to fold your clothes after you wash them. They get all wrinkled if you let them sit there in a pile. Don't forget to eat your greens. I know you hate them but do it anyway. If you don't, I'll know." She glanced down the hall to where Kazuma was waiting for her. "Kazuma is going to take good care of you. He's a good person. A caring person. You can trust him. And if you ever need me, I'll be there. I promise." She rested her forehead against his door and closed her eyes. For a brief moment she pretended things were different; that there was no door between them and she was pressing her forehead to his the way she used to when he was scared or upset. The way she used to show him…"I love you." She said quietly. She allowed herself to linger for a moment, then went to join Kazuma. He packed her things into the trunk and smiled at her, a smile rooted in reassurance that everything would be alright.

Composure be damned, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "Make sure you set the rice cooker to the right temperature, he won't eat it if it's even the slightest bit over cooked. And make sure to remind him to keep his ears clean or else he gets ear infections. He also has this weird thing about water, sometimes it's hard to get him to bathe, but if you–"

"Rei," Kazuma said firmly. "It's alright. You just go out and make your mark on the world. I'll take care of things here."

Tears wet her cheeks before she even realized she was crying; softly, quietly into Kazuma's robes. He kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry about us. We'll be right here waiting for you when you get back. Both of us."

Her bottom lip quivered. "Kazuma, I've been meaning to tell you…I mean I've wanted to say for a while…I lo–"

He puts a finger to her lips. "Let's save that for when you come back. Something to hold onto while you're away. Something to look forward to when you return. Consider it…a promise."

Rei dried her eyes and for the first time since the night of the incident, she actually smiled. She lifted onto the tips of her toes and kissed him hard. "Our promise."

"For the record, I do too." He kissed her again. "Until next time."

The car pulled away, taking her to a new place, a new life that wouldn't be entirely her own. Her heart both ached and yearned for that new life. She told herself that this was for the best. For everyone. That she owed it to herself to see what was out there, what potential the world could hold for her. And she owed it to Kyo to set that example. Even if he couldn't look at her now, she wanted him to see the choices she made, the risks she was willing to take, and feel confident enough to try them himself one day. To break free from this family and all of its woes. She hoped, prayed, that one day he would see it; that all this, everything, was for him. That she loved him more than anything.

She couldn't be certain but she thought she caught a glimpse of a shadow pass across Kyo's bedroom window. A brief flutter of the curtains like maybe he had been watching. She smirked.

There was always hope.