Yuu didn't appear pleased. Except, this dealt with him feeling as though he made a mistake. He was serious in just about every aspect of his life and this mistake focused on me. Me. You've got to understand. Yuu takes lots of things seriously and I don't want to add to his stress if I can help it. Because he's not like other brothers here that I've heard about from Tsukiko, Aoi, Mitsu, or Akari. Yuu has always, always, looked out for me.

People like that in this world, in any world, are people of near myth. Real life is messy, uncertain. There are those who come close to how certain characters in stories are written. The rare few who are trusted above the rest. He scoffed a few months back, when I told him he was like a character in a book with a heart of gold. Well, he was certainly a heart of gold brother. And he'd warmed to my amendment.

My feelings remain the same. Even today. A heart of gold brother.

And something he did…

I swallowed. Yuu's freckles even looked pale.

Fuzzy as the image was, I know that I saw his horrified face and scream from the wrong viewpoint.

"A…a past life." His face struggled with it, internal gears already shifting to work through this. "How did you come to that conclusion, Rin?"

I tried to swing his mind onto a different track, maybe slip away from the real conversation after what I told him. Sticking with the eyeglasses. "Don't you ever get annoyed about turning your whole head instead of looking through the corner of your eye? Because of your glasses? It was so weird, not being able to see clearly looking through your glasses and that's not how it should be. Or turning your head when you catch sight of something going by the corner of your eye only to realize it was nothing but the frames—"

"Rin. Stop with the eyeglasses." His voice was strained and I froze. My hands, moving as I spoke before, drifted down and I peered down at my toes now that I didn't have anything to block my view of Yuu. "I asked for honesty Rin. You can give it to me straight. No matter how weird it may seem. Fantasy…it is a matter of perspective. Perspectives can change."

Perspective.

While glasses were not the point, what they led to, absolutely was important. This is my life. Glasses have a point. These were my starting point. If everything before the nap was one way, then everything after the glasses was really another.

My realization. To where I was. To what had happened.

Not all of it. But enough of it.

And watching as it completely tore Yuu apart.

Monday.

With a deep breath, I took the moment to relish the feeling of Monday.

While there's nothing wrong about looking forward to the weekend, I looked forward to the start of the week too. Mondays felt like a fresh start, away from home, and a nice break from family. There were stronger undertones drifting through my head this morning. I shoved the odd weekend out of my head and hurried to the door. There was all day at school to enjoy and soak in. Yuu had been acting quite the worrywart all through Sunday and I was fine.

Fine.

Such a lie that word was probably. But I felt fine.

Physically, I could be absolutely sure of no lie in saying I was fine at least.

Yuu, however, had these weird extra lines to his face and bags were forming. The same older brother who touted all about maintaining proper sleep habits to keep yourself at your highest mental capacity. Also promoted good eating for health, even though he always opted out when money was tight and drank mostly water instead. The few plants around the apartment for fresh oxygen were strategically placed closer to my side of the bedroom and the large potted one was in Mom's bedroom.

As was typical, she barely had enough time to change shoes at the door before Yuu and I headed out for school. Her job hours kept her busy through the night and she'd often pick up a few additional hours, both for the extra money and the extra safety. Traveling through the streets too late at night, when her night shift was supposed to begin, would often turn very sketchy. And Yuu was nothing if not a worrywart. It always caused mom to smile when he'd sigh in relief as she brought home an early-clock-in-for-every-shift-that-week work schedule.

She caught him before he could duck away, ruffling his curls for peeking at the newest work week schedule she held. With a giggle, I shot forward as quick as I could to fluff up the curls on the very top of his head. Yuu hastily took a step back and stood, pushing his sliding glasses as he directed a snobbish air of importance down his nose at me. I clapped a hand over my mouth, peeking over to Mom.

"My, my, Yuu. When did you become so tall and distinguished?"

I broke into laughter.

With a huff, Yuu ruffled my head and directed me out the front door. "I do not think Rin needs the continued extra encouragement for her joke."

"Says the elder brother who just did that for his precocious little sister."

"Says the mother. I take my appearance for school very seriously."

"You take everything seriously," I pipped in. Yuu couldn't hide the quirk of a smile from me. "Especially my jokes."

It was such a typical Monday morning routine that it was refreshing. So refreshing, it felt brand new all over again. It was a great feeling. Yuu chuckled as I skipped beside him and lengthened his long strides, quickening his pace. I kept right up.

The feeling of every familiar sight appearing new over the course of the weekend didn't disappear. I felt so bright eyed and bushy tailed as I skipped, waving goodbye to Yuu as he went his way for Meiou High. And without him worrying for me, without me doing the usual, usual? Was I sure it was usual for me to keep high spirits and keep his mind from worrying? Well, yes. That rang true. Really true.

It soothed me as I bounced around the next right turn towards my school. Walking to school was fun. I'd never really had the chance to do it before because school used to be 12 miles away. We'd wait at the end of the driveway for the dusty school bus to come pulling up to pick us up. And I'd come up with things like jump over school bags like hurdles to make sure my two little brothers didn't go running off before it got there.

Or battling invisible and pretend ninjas my strange thoughts parted in a last shot before drifting out of my grasp.

Things that didn't belong. Not here. I know gravel roads weren't going to be showing up in any city, but I also know I just pictured one with three younger siblings surrounded by fields and the sound of the bulk tank running. A bulk tank? I reached out in my mind, searching and then thought myself stupid. Of course I knew what a bulk tank was. It held all the milk and cooled it. I knew that.

But how?

I live in Mushiyori City.

I grew up on a dairy farm.

Both were real and right and part of me.

It'd happened throughout yesterday too. All Sunday. Since that Saturday nap. A fresh new part of me, marveling over everything and how it used to be. But it kind of…flittered into the background whenever I took notice of it, apologizing, trying to distance from everything going on with me.

But it was me.

Logically, no, something was wrong.

But it was me.

I shrugged it off. Things settled and I ignored anything to do with worry. Big brother Yuu can do that for me. I hopped along, smiling at how delicious that ice cream was yesterday and how when I finished it, the licked clean stick proclaimed me a winner of a free one. I gave it to Yuu. He'd looked so startled at my offering it too. But I insisted. He deserved something nice every now and again too. I really hoped he used it. Chocolate. He should totally use it for a chocolate one.

Maybe. Yuu always did get this aching look when he spoke about going out for chocolate ice cream together with our dad when he got back from business trips. It's the closest I've ever seen him, that I can remember, get to eating the cold treat.

With a mad grin, I ran for it, so glad the school uniform was a skort as I hurdled over the empty bike rack.

"Rin!"

I let out a triumphant whoop. "I made it that time!"

A spikey haired boy in the sky blue uniform immediately tore off from the group to try for himself. The three girls at the corner shrieked as he catapulted himself into the air.

"Aoi!"

Long braids flew up and flapped behind the girl running over, her face scrunched in anger, not concern, at Aoi's banged up shin. Flashing all his teeth up at her, he clicked his tongue and gave a two finger salute. "Check out how close I made it this time Na-OW! That hurt!" Aoi pitifully clutched his cheek. His eyes watered, going large.

"Don't you give me those puppy eyes Aoi. Get up."

All tears disappeared as he scrambled up. "Yes ma'am!"

Giggles cracked up out of me. Following commands. The boy was often like the naughty puppy Natsue complained he actually was. Mostly, I think he liked trying to get her face red. If not that, then making her explode. She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "You're an idiot."

"Rin did it," he whined.

"At least Rin grabs the bar going over if she doesn't jump high enough so she doesn't injure herself like a moron."

"Exactly," called out another voice. I waved over to the rest of the group, getting waves back. The girl tucked her short strands behind an ear and cupped her mouth. "Rin actually listens to big brother Yuu during his safety speeches."

"And Rin doing it is not an excuse!" The other girl shouted at him.

Puffy and pouty, Aoi turned his head to look at the group at the corner. "Are you going to help me at all, Yasahiro? Come on. Us boys, we got to stick together."

Long curly brown hair bobbed up from a comic book, the other boy's wide eyes blinking as he peered about and took in the situation. "No thanks." And those grey eyes snapped right back to the brightly colored book. Yasahiro lived in a house filled with women and girls. There was never a time Aoi had yet gotten the other boy to take his side against the rest of our little walking group.

"God you guys are loud for a bunch of munchkins," complained a voice loudly as it cut through our laughter. Huffing, Natsue pulled Aoi to his feet, rolling her eyes at the older student. Mitsu tucked her short hair back behind her ear again and muttered out a greeting to her cousin. She was the only one.

Tsukihito was arrogant in a way that made him unfriendly to others. He didn't help matters when he typically skipped walking them or even Mitsu home when the after school activities finished up. All because he didn't even care enough to bother showing up to any after-school activities. There was never any of his classmates joining him as we walked, him muttering insults every time he saw one walk past.

But something sat wrong in me when he grumpily looked over at me. Wide eyes under brown fringe and a young, innocent face. He needed someone to care about him in life. Because it seemed sad now for someone his age to believe the entire world was filled with idiots.

"Fine. Stay there staring like a dummy and miss school. No one's gunna care about some missing kid."

He should probably be glad he's never met Yuu thanks to the routes to school we all take, always saying rude stuff like that. And glad my older brother finds anyone who uses violence as a method utterly deplorable.

"Rin! Ignore him, let's get going!"

I hurried to catch up with the group, then turned back to see Tsukihito trailing a distance behind us, glaring off to the side. When his head turned, he caught sight of me staring and glared. I spoke up anyway. Someone had to stop the whole not-talking-to-him-the-whole-way-to-school thing going on. "My older brother will."

"Woo-hoo," he snapped sarcastically back. "Good for you to have family looking out for a dummy. He must be a bigger dummy than you."

"Oooh!" Aoi bounded up, excitement sparkling in his eyes as he waved his arm about in the air. "I still vote to somehow drag your cousin with us on a park day and officially meet the older Kaito! Big brother Yuu and Tsu—"

"Like I'd go hang out with bunch of munchkins on my only day of freedom." His wide violet eyes got halfway through rolling and then narrowed back in on me. "Wait. Yuu Kaito is your brother? Huh. What do you know? Your brother is a big dummy. For turning such a great offer down by only the coolest adult there is. His loss, my gain."

Tsukihito flashed a smirk at me and strutted by.

"It's going to be world changing."