CHAPTER 13- FARAWAY

Tokaji hummed to himself as he wrote a letter. He chuckled when he found how hard it was to write. 'Oy, Tokaji, you haven't written in so long, you're rusty." Still, he bit his lower lip in determination and began.

'Dear Okaasan,

It's been three months since Pa sent Hotaru and me out here to the country. It went well, thank goodness. The people didn't suspect a peasant boy and his little sister. We didn't even have to make up a story.'

He paused at the noise of laughter outside. Rising up partway, he peered out the rice window.

There was Hotaru, tall and elegant, as she tossed a ball back and forth to a little girl and boy. There were children all around her.

Tokaji smiled and kept writing.

'Hotaru's doing great. Pa and the others thought she would stay small and skinny forever, but she grew. I thought she was only about 10, maybe 12 at the most, but she's actually 15! People will start labeling us as a couple rather than siblings!

She's so happy nowadays. Her eyes aren't even icy anymore. She's the same kid I found over a year ago.'

"TOKAJI-SAN!"

"TOKAJI-NII!"

Hotaru and the kids were calling. Tokaji knew that his quiet time was up. Sighing, he vowed to finish the letter to his mother later.

Hotaru beamed when her "big brother" came out to join them in the frosty noon air. "Yay! Now we can go fishing!"

Tokaji quirked an eyebrow. "Fishing? In this weather?"

Little Yuuji nodded. "Yeah! There's lots of fish in the creek! Come on!"

They all pulled Tokaji away.

Being February, snow still dotted the grounds. It made for some good snowball fighting, an activity that the children engaged in every chance they got.

Hotaru watched as three of the boys ganged up and began pelting Tokaji and the girls with snowballs. The little girls screamed and cowered behind the young man, causing him to take the brunt of it. Still, he laughed through the while thing.

'This is the way it's supposed to be,' Hotaru thought. 'This feeling, these children, this place.I want to stay like this forever.'

PLOOSH!! Someone hit HER! "Agh! Who did that?"

They pointed at Tokaji, who was poised to throw another one. That did it. With a loud battle cry, Hotaru gave chase. "I'M GONNA GET YOU NIIIIIIIISAAAAAN!!!!"

Tokaji screamed. "NO! DON'T HURT ME! I'M SO DELICATE!"

"I thought we were gonna go fishing!" Yuuji pouted.

POOM!! Hotaru caught up with Tokaji and pounced, tackling him into the ground. But she held him there. "Say it! Say uncle!"

"Damn, you're strong! Uncle! Uncle!" he yelped.

She sat back and began to laugh. "HAH, HAH, HAH! You underestimate me, 'Niisan'."

He sat up and brushed to snow of his hakama. "Yeah, no kidding."

Hotaru took in his gaze with a sense of wonder. They were ocean blue again. No longer did they hold the ice of guilt and anger. And she was certain hers didn't either.