Nonidentical Twins

The Fujibayashi clan was quite strange, Sunohara decided as he headed back to his office.

Seriously, they had two daughters: one who was a rabid eagle, and the other who was more timid than a mouse. How did that work? They were supposedly identical twins! They should be the same in appearance and all that, but sometimes Ryou seemed shorter, and there was that thing about their eyes... Come to think of it, it was scary how Kyou's was purple and Ryou's was blue. Did Kyou really spend all that money on colored contacts just to make herself seem different than her sister? The ribbon on the opposite side of the head was enough, wasn't it?

Kyou was something, that girl was. With the viciousness that Tomoyo lacked, the strong-will Ryou lacked, and the balls Sunohara himself sometimes lacked, Kyou was quite a powerful person. It was surprising, to be honest, that she was a girl who had fallen for a dope like Tomoya... Then again, if Tomoya was a dope, then what the hell was Sunohara?

Kyou muttered bitterly to herself.

Sunohara was an idiot, and though Tomoyo was kind in trying to help Kyou end her loneliness, the fact was that even when Kyou tried to give him a chance to prove that he wasn't useless, Sunohara still proved that, yes, he was a worthless scumbag. Kyou sighed. How could she possibly end up dating that idiot?

But what was even more embarrassing was the fact that she was still thinking about it even though hours had passed... Kyou figured that it's probably because nothing notable happened since then, and thus her mind kept itself preoccupied on something that would keep her from going mad.

A blue pickup rumbled along, rattling up and down as it moved over a few pebbles of gravel. Finally, it came to a stop on the sidewalk, in front of a small condo on the edge of town.

Kyou emerged from her truck with a yawn. She hadn't moved much, besides turning the wheel now and then, and that made her feel quite lazy.

"Sis?" She heard a voice.

Turning about, she saw a younger woman with short, purple hair and blue eyes. "Ah, Ryou..." Kyou smirked, approaching her sister.

"I thought you would be at work..."

"It's summer, so when the students are off, I'm off."

"Oh... That's great!"

"It sure is..."

"So... Sis... You... You came to visit me?"

"Of course. We haven't talked in such a long time, but why are you so hesitant?"

"Well... I..." Ryou blushed a little, her eyes drifting off to her condo.

"Ah... Kappei's living with you, isn't he?" Kyou stroked her chin with a smile.

"Sis!..." Ryou gasped. (1.)

"You know, it's quite unsettling..." Tomoyo mumbled when she and Okazaki were sitting around on a couch in their home.

"What's unsettling?" Tomoya asked with some interest.

"I remember that Kyou always had a grudge against me for 'taking' you, but to have her suddenly lighten up to me... Does that mean that Kyou was serious about Youhei?"

"Why are you showing such concern now? Weren't you the one who wanted to go through this whole thing in the first place?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"No butts. Like I said, if we're going to actually help that loser get a girl like Kyou as his lover, then we can't regret anything. Kyou befriending you actually makes our lives so much easier. Any misplaced feelings on her part and we're pretty much screwed."

"You should put more faith in Sunohara."

"True..."

"Anyways, Kyou looked pretty mad... Maybe she does care about him."

"If she does, we'd better make a new plan... I think Youhei pissed her off."

Kappei was a great guy. He was good for Ryou... Kyou thought happily as she went back to her truck.

But why couldn't she find a suitable man? Tomoyo got Tomoya, Ryou got Kappei, and yet she got no one. Was her personality really that scary?

Kyou turned and stared at Ryou and Kappei's condo for a few more minutes. Did that mean that she should be more gentle, like Ryou?

No... She couldn't lie to herself like that. She was Fujibayashi Kyou, and she would let nobody control her, not even the one she loved!

That evening, Kyou reached her apartment and turned on the news.

Nothing special seemed to happen, except for a particular report:

"A three car collision blocked traffic on the Tornei expressway today. (2.) Seven people were injured in the crash. Two escaped with minor injuries while the rest are in critical condition. The following names have been retrieved among the victims..." A small bar appeared under the broadcaster, listing names, and Kyou's eyes widened when she saw one of those names...

"It couldn't be! It's not far from here... I'd better call the hospital. Ah, Ryou!" Kyou gasped as she grabbed her cell and dialed Ryou's number.

A blue pickup swerved along the streets, finally parking itself in the guest parking lot of the hospital where Ryou worked.

Kyou burst through the front entrance. "I'm here to visit Sunohara Youhei, room 147." She stammered. The nurse nodded and Kyou flew off.

By the time she arrived, she found that Tomoyo and Tomoya had already beaten her to it.

"Ah, so you've come too..." Tomoyo chuckled.

"Will he be alright?" Kyou spoke quickly.

"He's fine... Just a few broken bones. He'll be here for a few days, I hear, but afterwards he'll just be limping around on crutches and a cast. Youhei'll make it, don't worry."

"Whew... Hearing that from you makes me feel better. You know how fast he heals better than anyone else." Kyou breathed a sigh of relief.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You beat him so many times and you've seen how fast his recovery is."

"Ah... Well, do you want to visit him?"

"Sure..."

Tomoyo quickly stepped aside to let Kyou in.

"Ah... To think of the day when a girl would come visit me when I am wounded. Oh, what a glorious feeling! Oh, what a glori..." With those lines, it was fitting for Kyou to punch him the stomach.

"What the hell?!" Sunohara gasped.

"It was the only place not covered in bandages!" Kyou stammered.

Tomoya could only watch in shock. Since when did Kyou care about Sunohara so much? She seemed to treat Youhei like a diseased fly most of the time.

"Pah..." Sunohara sighed. "Anyways, Kyou, thanks for being here."

"No... No problem." Kyou beamed, then turned away, embarrassed.

Tomoya smirked to himself. How was Tomoyo so shrewd as to know that Kyou would be willing to give someone like Sunohara a chance?

"Anyways... Since you'll be fine, I guess I don't need to stay here any longer." Kyou's smile quickly turned into a bitter frown, and she marched out of the room.

"What... The...?" Sunohara blinked, as did Tomoya.

With a confused expression, Sunohara turned to Tomoya. "Do you think it's her time of the..."

A notepad flew from behind Tomoya and slammed into Youhei's forehead. As Sunohara collapsed on his bed, Tomoya picked it up and handed it back to Kyou, who was strolling back to the hospital room.

"Thanks. I'd better get going." Kyou smiled and sprinted off.

Tomoya sighed. Maybe Tomoyo shouldn't be so hopeful...

A few weeks passed uneventfully. But during that time Sunohara got to chat with an old acquaintance.

"So, what should I call you now? Fujibayashi? Ryou? Nurse?" Sunohara chuckled as he shifted about in bed.

"Just call me Ryou, Youhei." Ryou smiled. As a nurse, she personally tended to her old friend Youhei Sunohara.

"Ah..."

"After all, we are old friends, right?... But don't get the wrong idea. I have a boyfriend now."

"Oh? Really?" Sunohara seemed strangely interested.

"Yes. His name is Kappei. My sister's gotten along with him pretty well, and I think you, Tomoya, and Tomoyo will too."

"You seem to have quite a bit of faith in him."

Ryou blinked. "Huh? Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, let's just say that..."

"Sunohara, do I have to call my sister over here?"

"No... Of course not, Ryou!"

"Glad to hear... Now get yourself some rest..." Ryou smiled and walked out of the room.

"Why does everyone hate me?!" Sunohara groaned.

So once Sunohara Youhei recovered from the accident, Ryou invited him to her place. After all, they hadn't talked much since graduation, and it was fitting for two old friends to have their paths cross again.

"So you're Sunohara Youhei, huh? Nice to meet you. I'm Hiiragi Kappei. I've heard quite a few things about you from Ryou and Kyou."

"Ah, well, half the things Kyou said might be lies, and..."

Sunohara heard someone sneeze, and froze.

"And, um, uh... I'm actually a much better guy than Ryou thinks..."

He heard another sneeze, and shivered a little.

"Is something wrong?" Kappei asked.

"Is... Is Kyou around here, by any chance?"

"Well, I did see her earlier today."

"Crap." Suohara thought. If Kyou was here, he'd better duck or something might hit him again.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing... I'm just scared of Kyou."

"Why?"

"Don't tell me... She's never been pissed at you?"

"Not at all. She's quite a nice girl. I'm proud of the idea that she'll be my future sister-in-law."

"Oh... Well, then... I guess you've seen her rare good side. If you ask our old friend Okazaki Tomoya, or even his lover Sakagami Tomoyo, they'll tell you all about how Kyou can be such a violent witch."

"That's... Those are pretty harsh words."

"But I speak the truth."

"Well, I suppose everyone gets angry once in a while."

"Oh, Kyou's 'angry' mode and her 'normal' mode are far from what most people consider 'angry' and 'normal.' Heck, the only time when she's friendly are the times when you're critically wounded. While other people would be screaming and calling for an ambulance, she'll merely smile at you and shake your hand."

Turns out, Kyou and Ryou were really listening in on their conversation.

"Sis... I feel like I'm violating their privacy..." Ryou whispered.

"Silly... Don't you want to know how Kappei will react to that idiot? Besides... He said such cruel things about both of us..."

"But sis, that's just between Youhei and Kappei. We're not involved."

"Like hell we aren't! Do you think that I could sit by and hear him abuse us both with his words?"

"It's not like Youhei means to insult us... He just wants to protect his dignity as a man, that's all. Tomoya and Kappei are no different than him in that way."

Kyou wanted to rebut, but she couldn't think of anything to say.

"Let's... Let's let them be, sis." Ryou mumbled.

"Fine, fine...' Kyou sighed and the two slipped quietly away.

"I'm sorry you feel that way about Kyou." Kappei mumbled with a frown.

"Well, heh, heh, I'm not the only one, Hiiragi... I should introduce you to Okazaki. He'll definitely recite to you the various misdemeanors of that demon."

Kappei shook his head and didn't answer for a time, and as Sunohara watched his companion's troubled expression, he began to feel guilty, for some reason... For the first time ever, he felt that if Kyou were to suddenly throw a dictionary at him now, well, he'd deserve it...

But why did he feel guilty in the first place? It was the truth, wasn't it? Kyou was far too violent for her own good, and no one who truly knew her could possibly deny that. And yet he felt as though he was being very harsh on her...

Kyou, of course, felt like strangling Youhei, but if she did that right in front of Kappei, it would prove that Youhei wasn't lying at all. The older Fujibayashi sister sighed, realizing that she'd have nothing to do back home either, as it was still summer and there wouldn't be any new students till fall. Since Ryou had to go to work, and Kappei was with Sunohara, Kyou decided to bother Tomoya and Tomoyo again.

"I never knew that Kyou was like that..." Kappei chuckled worriedly.

"Well, she tends to protect Ryou like a mother bear protects its cub, so if you try to be a man around Ryou, Kyou'll probably kill you. Watch out, man."

"But... But Kyou's still a nice girl at times, isn't she? She's not that violent, right?" (3.)

"Well..." At this point Sunohara began to feel even more guilty. "... Yeah... Yeah, she has her kinder side... Just that I've hardly had the chance to see it..." Youhei sighed and bowed his head.

Kappei took one look at Sunohara, and stroked his chin. "I see... So that's how it is."

"What?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Kappei laughed. "Hey, I'm going to get some lunch. Will you tag along?"

"Sure."

1. Ryou says "Onee-Chan" quite a bit in the anime. However, this is an English fanfic and because of that I'm not going to use Japanese for every third word. Just to clear things up.

2. I looked up Japanese expressways, because Tomoya and the others are Japanese after all. This was the first expressway to come up, so I jotted it down. I have no idea where its exact location is, nor, honestly, do I care. The point is not where it is, but who was on it. That's all I'll say.

3. I'm worried that I made Kappei too serious for his own good. Well, I've always thought of him as easy to get along with close friends, but since he's a bit spoiled, he tends to have a harder time following instructions or dealing with small, impressionable children, as he tends to want to do things his way... For example, when he told some kids some very graphic fairytales involving people getting skewered and heavy physical abuse. I hope that it doesn't ruin Kappei's character too much, and I'll try to restore him to his usual self...