In a past life, I would complain about needing glasses. Things I would do to have regular eyesight. It was all joking. All right. Perhaps I was a little serious. Even years after wearing them, I would catch sudden sight of my frames and spin my head to see what was off to my side. So I would go without whenever I could as a child. Until at some point in my early teen years I discovered my eyesight had gotten to the point I couldn't skip wearing them on weekends and holiday breaks.

Today, well, today I was on the run.

"Rin! Rin, you get back here!"

Don't worry. There was a point to the glasses. They weren't broken or anything, I swear. I only snitched them off of Yuu's face. All those things about eyeglasses earlier? That wasn't Yuu.

Isn't it normal? Complaining of not having something? Claiming jealousy for something someone else had? Joking about some trait you wished you had that the other person didn't want? Man, what I wouldn't give for 20/20 vision. I'm jealous of how curly your hair is. What do you mean, you hate your drive? I wish I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

Normal is really subjective. Really subjective.

I jammed Yuu's glasses on as I ran, scrunching up my nose so they wouldn't fall off as I made it to the bathroom. They didn't really serve their purpose very well. I jumped up onto the step stool for a better look, leaning close and trying to make myself out through my blurry vision.

His glasses were large. Too large. And the black frames were only marking the top. It wasn't my style. These didn't just feel wrong, they were wrong.

"Of course they are wrong."

I spun about to see Yuu squinting at me from the doorway, his breathing off from chasing me. His curly hair looked frizzy around his head and I couldn't make out his freckles until he pulled the glasses off my face. And even if they felt wrong, I mourned a little at the loss. At the way I could see him just fine now.

"You do not need eyeglasses Rin. Mom went over that with you a couple of years ago when I made the discovery that I did. Your vision is fine. You know this. Right?" His already serious face pinched in anxiety. I nodded, trying to reassure him. Even if I couldn't reassure myself with what was going on with me, I could at least give some to him. Yuu didn't let it go however and leaned closer. "Is it… Are…are you feeling fine? Rin?"

"I feel fine." I put as much of a whine in that as I could. "You're the one acting strange, Yuu."

"Acting strange?" Alarm entered his tone. "I asked only if you felt fine Rin. Why did you bring up how you have been acting since…since last week, when Yana and Kido stopped by the apartment?"

"I am not," I disagreed. It was super childish, but I was annoyed by him right now. I'd only wanted to figure out what was going on. Yuu might be smart, but I didn't think I could explain it well enough for anyone. Whatever idea came to my mind that seemed to fit, sounded utterly crazy. Except, it wasn't. And as a child, who would take me serious? Okay, Yuu might. But he was the type to take lots of things seriously.

"Rin." His tone brokered no argument. Yuu stared me straight in the eye, level with me, face lined in earnest need. "This is important. You need to be honest with me. I made a colossal miscalculation, a blunder that put you in danger and I risked my very being to save you from my grievous error. I fear I have made a mistake in thinking you were well. I need to know if there is something wrong, something different from last week after your afternoon nap."

Yes. But I fidgeted. I could probably duck under Yuu's reach and escape out. It would be easy. But it wasn't like he would be deterred and we lived together in this apartment. I didn't remember laying down for this nap, which left me wondering what exactly happened. It was clear Yuu did have something to do with it. The two boys I had been introduced to when we all walked home to our apartment. They'd all been doing something in Yuu's room when I was busy coloring. I do remember bouncing into his room to ask about going for ice cream. His face had gone stark in horror and he'd screamed.

"What did you do," I asked suddenly.

"There is something," he pressed.

I shrugged. "Yeah, but it's too weird and you don't believe in fantasy things."

"Neither did you."

Oh. Right. I guess I didn't. But the part of me that grew up with eyeglasses did believe in that type of thing. Both were there inside of me, except one wasn't as strong.

"I think…I think I remembered a past life. I wore eyeglasses like you," I added helpfully.

Okay, fine. I fess up. Glasses aren't really the point here. But I focus on weird things. Give me a picture of a couple posing for a photo as they do some tourist thing and the first thing I notice will be some tiny guy in the background about ready to trip over an umbrella laying on the ground. And I jump around in telling my stories. I want to start here, but I should be starting five steps before to set it up. But I just jump right into it. So my jumping around in a story is because the person I tell it to makes me back up.

Give me a moment to run backwards here.

Sorry. Hard to see where I'm going, but I think I need to turn slightly right and a few meters more…there. Well, I think so anyway. Then again, I'm talking to myself to make sense of this. So, crazy to anyone listening to in on me. I try to at least entertain myself. Where did I need to start again?

Oh, right. Yuu said it for me. That nap.

Everything before the nap was one way and now it's another.

"Rin?"

A large hand jostled my shoulder. With a groan, I tried to burrow myself back under the covers. "What?" I didn't feel as though I'd been laying long. Head slightly throbbing and body feeling heavy, I wasn't happy with being woken up. I really didn't want to get up unless this person gave me a good reason to do so.

Wait. Rin?

Oh right, my name. Or was it? I blindly searched back to remember anything I might have been dreaming, but came up empty handed.

"It is late and you have not eaten yet. You need to get up. Are…are you not feeling okay?"

I squinted my eyes open and peered over where I held the covers up to my face. The other face was clear. Curly black hair that was partially slicked back and ruffled, cute freckles, small nose under large, rounded-corner, rectangular glasses, eyebrows up and round little eyes watering concern. Odd. My older brother tried too hard to be responsible and in control of what was going on to show his little sister any uncertainties.

Older brother sat wrong in my head, but I couldn't figure out why. He'd always been older than me.

"Are you okay, Yuu?" I scooched my way up and closer to him. A too small finger reached out for his face. "What happened? I'm fine," I quickly said. And in the face of his face, I suddenly was wide awake with alert worry. "Was there another gas leak in the building? Is it bad? You didn't look like this last time. Just…intense when you called the landlord to inform them."

Carbon monoxide. I always had the vague memory of being carried downstairs. But I'd woken up with my three siblings at Grandpa and Grandma's house. I frowned. I was positive of three siblings, younger. But I was also equally sure of only me and Yuu. Grandpa and Grandma's house?

"No, no gas leak," he hurried to assure me. With a couple of blinks, his face lost the earlier concern. "I made an oversight on an experiment with Yana and Kido earlier when you came in."

"Oooh." That could explain why the late nap. And why I woke up feeling off. Yuu must have really made a big oversight to even mess up an experiment. He got really perfectionistic over his work. Let's see, what was the last thing I remember?

I was going through the English coloring book Yuu had gifted me with at the start of the school year. Which, now that I thought about that, was strange. Mom had given me a whole bunch of basic language coloring workbooks when I was in preschool and kindergarten. Well, I'd finished the book. The one Yuu gave me. And then I ran into his room because he'd promised me an ice cream when I did.

"Oh!" I sat up and grinned at him, then made a grabby motion with my tiny hand. "Where's my ice cream Yuu?"

Besides, I was fine. Whatever he'd done, I wasn't going to worry too much over. It was nice to be the youngest and not worry. Right at this moment anyway.

I grinned wider when he snorted into laughter. "Gimmie, gimmie, Yuu. You," I stressed the English word. "Promised me an ice cream when I finished up that book." He covered his face with a large hand, shoulders shaking with his laughter. Score.

"Tomorrow," he said finally. And ruffled my head with a silly smile. I ducked my head a bit, the typical action feeling suddenly unfamiliar. He stared at me in surprise. "Are you suddenly too old for your big brother, but not ice cream?"

I paused, thinking it over. The unfamiliar reaction to Yuu faded. Instead, a longing filled me up as though it'd been ages since he'd last done that. I pushed the feeling away. It hadn't been ages at all.

"Are you suddenly old enough to break a promise?" I stared up at his startled face. "Ice cream. Gimmie, gimmie, Yuu."

He huffed in amusement. "Am I being blackmailed out of big brother duties until I produce said ice cream?" I nodded in agreement. "Tomorrow Rin. I am only delaying it a little. It is late. A bit late to walk to the convenience store."

"Oh, all right," I allowed. "What is there to eat before I go back to bed for the night then?"

Yuu's face became apologetic and I knew what the answer would be. "It is late Rin. I can make a quick shiojake if you are willing to wait a little longer. Salmon actually sounds good to me at the moment now that I think on it."

I shook my head. "It's okay. There's nothing to be done about it. I can just put some rice in the steamer. I'd rather the long version for the salmon fried rice anyway. It tastes better that way. You always say so and it's true. It's not the same." I jumped off the bed and shook my head again, but more for the room spinning than in saying 'no'. It stopped shortly enough and I stretched my heavy muscles, swinging one arm and then the other across my chest to pull at them slightly. "We've got sugar and cinnamon, right?"

"I believe so. Why?"

"It sounds good to me with rice right now."

I could see it in my mind's eye. Crystal grains and brown powder dusting the top of fluffy white rice, a fork ready at the side of the plate. Yummy.

Yuu followed behind me, I could hear his footsteps padding along. "You got that idea from that Akari girl in your class, didn't you?"

"Huh? Oh. Nooo. I've had it before."

He hummed. "Interesting. You know I am here and can get it for you right?"

I glanced backward from climbing up the shelves to spot him leaning against the wall, arms crossed and eyebrow raised over his glasses. Then grinned. "Like you're going stop me."

There was a sigh of fake exasperation. "I will not be happy if I need to say such things as 'I told you so' to you one day." But Yuu's eyes sparked in amusement as I got the steamer off the shelf and hopped down with it.

"One day I'll be tall enough not to climb."

"And what a sad day it will be for you then."

"I didn't say I wouldn't climb."

He chuckled and peeled away from the wall to grab a bottle of water out. It was nice to see Yuu so much more relaxed than before when he woke me up. That I could take his mind off of his worry. He would blame himself for it. But I'd probably blame myself if I couldn't manage to lighten him up. I rather liked it when I could help someone or get them to smile.

When the rice finished, I scooped some out for Yuu first, surprising him, before I took some out for myself. Then I added a bit of sugar and cinnamon on top for both of ours. "Try it. It's good."

"I am not that hungry, Rin." He hesitated a moment, then said, "I ate earlier."

"Liar," I called him out.

He tended to do this. When it was near the next paycheck, Yuu would skip a meal. I was never quite sure if it was to make the food last long enough or to spoil me. In this case, I would go with trying to spoil me. Considering the money he was putting to the side for the promised ice cream. The notion made me itch and feel more uncomfortable than it ever did in the past. Less warm with him looking out for me and more wishing he didn't have to do it. I lied too this time.

"I'm not that hungry either."

Yuu stared at me from over his half-drunk water, studying me for the lie. Or to figure out why I did this. His eyes flickered down to his plate. "Fine," he heaved out as though it was an inconvenience. "Just this once, Rin."

I choose not to bring up forgetting the ice cream. I'd never done something like that before. But I was positive Yuu would take it badly. He was supposed to be the older brother. The responsible one looking out for his little sister. And often spoiling me. It wasn't supposed to be the other way around.

As we ate though, I was filled up with a warmth at knowing I was able to ease whatever troubles were on his mind and get him to not skip a meal. Like a job well done. I couldn't keep my eyes off of Yuu as he ate, rolling the rice around in his mouth thoughtfully before digging in. I hid my smile. He liked the sugar and cinnamon combination on top. Awesome.

Some people back home thought it was a strange addition to rice when I asked for it at restaurants. But our family had always brought out the option on the table when we had it at home. It was nice to see someone else savoring the taste like I did. Especially Yuu.

I frowned. This was clearly the first time I'd had this at the apartment with Yuu.

I swallowed a bigger bite than before, hoping it would fix the sudden empty and terrible feeling in my gut.

Something was wrong.

Something was wrong with me.

But what?

I didn't dare bring it up to Yuu. He'd been worried about that experiment of his. This was no science experiment, but something else. Something I wanted to figure out before I made him worry so soon again. I wouldn't have any answers in bringing it up.

Only that I knew something was wrong with me.

I couldn't put my finger on it.

I felt fine, physically, but still. It didn't seem right to be having such certain thoughts on memories I couldn't possibly have. I was positive they were real. But logically, things like the rice toppings and younger siblings shouldn't belong.

They were real. They felt right. They were part of me.

But…oh. Maybe his experiment did have something to do with it. This was just like waking up from a dream that felt so real I could still feel certain about knowing how to ride a bicycle. Maybe the chemicals of what Yuu was working with made what I'd been dreaming still feel real after waking.

That had to be it.

Right? Right.

And that settled some of my stomach from what my gut was doing. It should have calmed me, but I still felt uneasy after telling Yuu goodnight. Just an interesting result to one of Yuu's school projects I attempted to assure myself as I lay there in the dark.