Sister Pri 02

Marie didn't feel well… Marie didn't feel that bad, but she didn't feel well enough… It was going to be a roller coaster day.

She slowly made her way to the Nurse's Office, occasionally stopping for breath. She hated being sick all the time; far be it from me to exfoliate on the days she had spent in bed, counting the minutes, not even feeling like watching TV or sitting up. However at the same time she wasn't one for complaining, so she just grin and bore it.

In one last push she made it to the door. She wasn't usually this tired, not in the morning anyway, and the poor nurse usually couldn't do anything because she was… hopeless…

Trying not to cry she pushed the door open and nearly toppled over. The cot was taken by…

"Brother Mine!" she exhaled, that tired feeling lifting at once. He turned his head toward her and grunted an acknowledgement.

"What's wrong today Marie?" the nurse asked, getting up to offer her a hand.

She started to say how she suddenly felt better, but that would make her look stupid. "I just had a tired feeling, but…"

The old nurse smiled. "Your brother had a bad breakfast this morning. He should feel better in a little while, but why don't you two keep each other company for a little while? I have to… mail this letter."

"Okay Miss Echimangi, we'll be good."

As soon as she was out the door Marie was kneeling next to Brother Mine. "What happened?"

"Rin… Rin…" he muttered, rolling over on his side and stretching.

"I don't understand."

He coughed a little. "Rin Rin tried to give me one of her Midnight Delights, and it didn't go down to well. I feel funny…"

"What do you feel like?" She said, standing up, looking worried.

He sat up and patted the seat besides him. "Don't worry, I don't think she would have poisoned me on purpose, but… you know Rin Rin"

She sat down. "But you said you feel funny…"

"I do, but it's not that bad, it's not like I'm in pain it's just… well…" He started to blush.

"What…?"

He looked at her and felt a shock go through his body.

"Marie," he said with a different tone, an oddball tone. She blinked. "Marie, how long have you been wearing glasses?"

"I… uh…" She didn't like it went people talked about her glasses.

"Because I think they magnify your eyes a little. Not I'm one for eyes but yours are so pretty. Tell me you'll never wear contacts."

Had Marie's eyes looked big before that was no comparison to how big they must have appeared now. Nobody ever said anything nice about her glasses. And this was Wataru. But it wasn't. He had a different way of talking, sort of conceited, but… "Well… I was…"

"Marie," he said grabbing her hands and looking straight into her eyes. One would typically say deep, but her gaze was so distant you couldn't see very far. It was almost like she was living this over. "Where are you going for dinner tonight?"

She pulled in and out of focus. Everything was going dim. And suddenly everything went dark. Wataru caught her before she fell far, and as quickly as she had fainted his bout with the player within was over.

"Marie!" he shouted. She stirred and breathed again. He put her in his place, covered her with a blanket, and staggered out the door, back to class.

Much later lunch had come again, and while he could use a little break, there was no rest for the wicked. The first to catch him just as he walked out the door was Karen, who just wanted to see if he was feeling better. He nodded, as he felt that odd bubbling in his gut, and was about to say something to the extent of 'I love your hair, we should share grooming secrets sometime, how does tomorrow under the kissing rock sound?' but Yamada was also concerned. Ha. That is to say that very quickly Wataru and him were halfway down the hall conversing about his latest plot. He waived goodbye to Karen and suddenly returned to normal.

"Wataru, will you at least pretend to care!"

"What? Sorry, I was preoccupied, what do you need?"

"I think Yotsuba has a crush on me but I'm to shy to ask her myself."

"Uh-oh. I don't like this conversation."

"But what are good buddies for?" he sung. "Besides she's your little sister, she won't think anything's going on if you play your cards right… right? Right?"

Slowly but surly Yamada had dragged him outside, and hiding behind the mass of columns they could see Yotsuba a small distance away, studying a leaf with her magnifying glass. (She wasn't typically allowed to bring her camera to school.)

"Oh, there she is, now remember just ask her if she has the hots for anyone and come right back. I'll be waiting!" And so saying he gave a mighty push and Wataru was on his way.

This was so embarrassing, he didn't want to ask his sister a bunch of personal questions. But he was spared! Sakuya and Hinako were headed his way too. He couldn't possibly ask in front of them. Suddenly he felt a little electrical shock.

"Dear Brother, I think you owe me an apology. Leading me on this morning and letting Rin Rin carry you off…" She would have continued, but Wataru was smiling at her, so she trailed off.

Wataru kept smiling. "Sakuya there's no I in Cream of Us. What does that mean to you?"

Had all eyes not been on him one might have imagined their heads would still be spinning on their necks, but things as they were, not only were they not believing their ears, Sakuya, Yotsuba, Hinako, and Yamada, but none of them knew quite how to take that.

Knowing this he smirked and looked at Hina. "What's wrong little one, you look confused."

"What did you just say, Bro Bro?"

"I said how would you lovely ladies all like to go out for some Vanilla Cream Pie after lunch?'

"Oh…" they all chorused. Yamada snorted, so loud, in fact, that Wataru recalled his 'sacred' mission.

"So Yotsuba are you seeing anyone?" Now we all know this was a legitimate question in this scenario, however from a girl's stand point it's one of the worst way of being asked out on a date. Unless the girl already likes you in which case it's not so bad. Then again, unless the girl is your sister, in which case you better be quite a spin doctor or the villagers are going to start lighting those torches and a noon bonfire is going to be the end of you, if you know what I mean. But this was Japan, and I don't know if they're just a bunch of freaks or none, and I mean NONE of them have brothers and/or sisters to put up with, but apparently they don't seem to think its wrong. However, since the Playboy Wataru wasn't one to be walked all over he quietly added, "The Yamadas of the world would like to know," and winked at her.

"OOOhhh!" she cawed. Looking around she spied him behind the pillar and made off in the opposite direction.

The three smiled at each other. "Bro-Bro are you really going to take us out after lunch?"

"Well, there's hardly time, how about we go after school on the way home, and…" this was the real Wataru coming back, "since I invited you I guess we have to invite the rest of them."

Sakuya looked a little disappointed, but Hina was beaming. He waived farewell and walked back to Yamada.

"What did she say?" he desperately asked, his eyes glowing with anticipation.

"She said, 'OOOhhh,' and ran off."

"Um… What does that mean?"

"I think it means I need to lye down, I don't feel good."

"That's what you get for eating pancakes without sharing."

"WHAT! Good night, Yamada, there was hardly time. What with you hugging people and Mamoru dragging other people outside I didn't get the chance."

"My ears are burning Big Bro."

He felt that familiar shock as he flung around. Mamoru was jogging in place, and (interestingly enough) Yamada was nowhere to be seen. 'At last,' his other self shouted in his minds forum, as he clutched his fist and bowed his head, 'alone with a girl!'

"What's wrong?" she asked, stopping.

"Mamoru…" he said thinking fast, "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

She looked bewildered. "I'm at school."

"tisk, tisk, tisk. And I had such high hopes for you…"

He thought that she'd go wide-eyed too, but unlike the others her brow furrowed and she started laughing. "What's that suppose to mean Big Bro?"

"Oh nothing. Tell me do you like deserts?"

"Huh?"

"It's just that all the sisters are going to get some after school, I was wondering if you wanted to come along."

"Of course!"

"Yes I'm glad to hear that. Its not that I don't like any of the other girls, but there's something special about a girl who can do more push ups than most of the guys I know."

He took a step forward and she took a step back. "What do you mean?"

He smiled. If you push to had you'll break the door, and that's just bad. "I mean, look at you. I would kill for those abs, nothing personal, of course."

"Oh…"

"So tell me when do you usually get up to run in the morning again?" Her eyes lit up. At last something he predicted. "I'm not making any promises, but if I should ever happen to get up early some morning and feel like burning some lard I might as well."

"I get up at five thirty, please come running with me Big Bro…"

"What an odd thing to say…"

She giggled. "I have to get back to my routine, but think about it. Bye-bye."

Wataru gave her a thumbs-up and started chuckling to himself. He could smell something very close. It was Haruka's perfume. He turned around with the biggest, whitest smile a guy like him could have and said in a deep, bachelor (cheap colone) voice, "Hello there."

Haruka came out from behind one of the pillars. "Hello Beloved Brother."

"Now, now, were all friends here… You can just call me 'Good-lookin'."

"You haven't been acting like yourself! What happened to you? Did it have anything to do with half the kitchen disappearing last night?"

Wataru suddenly came to his senses. This was all Rin Rin's doing. Sure it was fun when he was in the fray but he didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings. He didn't want to lead anybody on. Good night, he didn't want to get up a five thirty in the morning! He cleared his throat. "Sorry Haruka, I haven't been feeling well."

"Well… Okay, when we get home I'll make you a nice cup of tea, but… Beloved Brother, don't do anything we'll all regret, and… may I come along for the desert after school?

His pupils suddenly shrunk. "Yeah, sure, what's a party if Haruka isn't there?" he said with all the gumption of a deflated balloon.

She blushed. "You are such a charmer."

She quickly disappeared. So everybody was going to the candy store with their hands in his pocket. "It can't be true," he moaned into his hands.

"You're not complaining are you?"

He looked up. It was Rin Rin. Just the person he wanted to see.