Kiku had gotten a job at that teahouse.
He needed to support his family, no matter how twisted they'd become.
So now, instead of being in front of the counter ordering a drink, he was behind the counter, straight faced as always, brown eyes staring at the customers in front of him, absorbing their orders.
"Would you like whipped cream with that?"
He asked in a monotonous voice to the man who'd ordered hot chocolate.
Oh.
Just like him.
"Uh, yes please."
The man replied awkwardly, and Kiku turned and told the pretty smiling girl behind him,
"He wants whipped cream."
Another boring day in the shop went by.
3:00 came and went, 4:00 the same. Time seemed to slow whenever he was in the teahouse. It was almost calming; the warm smell of cinnamon mingling with the sharp scent of chai tea. Soon, it was 6:00, and he was permitted to go home. He said his goodbyes to the owner of the Teahouse, Kaoru, and the pretty girl at the counter, whose name he learned was Mihako. The soft jangling of a bell strapped to the top of the door signified that he'd opened the door, then closed it behind him as he left the shop.
Kiku walked slowly, taking his time to get back. He didn't want to confront his brother. His brother, who had changed so much. But eventually; inevitably, he reached the house. He unlocked the door with unsteady fingers, ready to greet anyone who came up to the door.
Or so he thought.
When the door swung open, a girl stood there. The girl being not his mother.
"Sa-Sakura?"
He gasped, frowning at his cousin.
"What are you doing here?"
Sakura stood in front of him, her short black hair decorated with red flowers. She was only slightly shorter than him. That was saying something though, because Kiku himself was only 4"11. Which was strange, because that meant Kuro was a good foot taller than him.
Kiku took after his mother.
Kuro took after his father.
"I live with you,"
Sakura said bluntly, confusingly. Kiku stared at his cousin, eye twitching slightly at her. Well this was news.
"Oh."
Was all he could say.
"Oh."
Sakura was only 10 years old. She was 5 years younger than Kiku and seven years younger than Kuro.
"Where's big brother?"
Sakura asked. She'd always referred to Kuro as big brother.
Surely she has seen him by now.
Kiku thought to himself.
"You don't want to see him, he hasn't been in a very good mood recently."
Kiku respondly gently. But Sakura was stubborn.
"Where is he? I haven't seen him in two years."
She pouted.
You haven't seen me in two years either.
Kiku bit back the rude response and rolled his eyes, beckoning her down the corridor to Kuro's room.
"If he's mean to you, don't be surprised."
He warned, voice softening. Sakura could be so stupid and careless sometimes, but he still adored her like a sister. Quickly escaping the scene as Sakura opened the door, he went to confront his mother about why his cousin was here.
Apparently, Aunt Misaki, or Sakura's mother, was dead.
"She died of some lung disease."
Kiku's mother seemed like she didn't even care that her sister was dead. She just seemed broken. She held down another cough of pain, her chest heaving. Kiku murmured words of comfort to her. She's become frail. The pain was hard to fight, he supposed. It was probably very hard to stand up every day to get on a train with the pangs of pain assaulting her chest.
Kiku's uncle was never to be spoken of. He left Sakura at birth, leaving Misaki alone with her newly born infant. Sakura's father was not her mother's soulmate. They'd met before they'd even turned nineteen.
Kiku cringed at the thought of that. At least his own father had been kind and stayed with him for 14 years. At least he hadn't left him alone with his mother and brother. At least it wasn't his fault he died.
He jumped to the sound of a crash and a bang, and a feminine yelp, accompanied by rough shouting. Kiku raced down the corridor and barged into Kuro's room. Sakura was sitting on the floor, winded, and Kuro was stalking back onto his bed, flopping back onto it with a growl. Kiku could see tears welling in Sakura's eyes.
"What the hell, Kuro?"
He shouted, hating this. Hating everything. Kuro only responded with a glare. Sakura stumbled to her feet, and, trying to refrain from sobbing, hurried out of the room.
"What's wrong with you? Ever since Father's death you've been acting -"
He didn't get to finish his sentence. Kuro had gotten up silently, teeth bared like an angry dog's.
"Shut up, Kiku."
He hissed, red eyes flaring for a moment.
"B-But Kuro, you've been-"
Kiku began helplessly again, stammering slightly.
"I don't care about what you think about how I've been or what I've been doing. I need you to get the fuck out of my room before I snap."
Kiku stared back at his brother through wide eyes.
"I hate you."
He whispered hoarsely.
"I really hate you."
With that, Kiku turned and fled out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
July 10th of the next year
Tonight.
Tonight was the night Kuro would receive his soulmate's name, address, and phone number.
Kiku rarely spoke to Kuro anymore, though he felt a nagging guilt in the pit of his stomach for what he had said nearly half a year before.
"I hate you. I really hate you."
Kiku didn't hate his brother, of course. It was nearly the opposite. He adored him, and wanted Kuro to become his old self once more. But that past seemed behind him. He seemed to be throwing away everything and everyone that meant anything to him. Sakura had turned twelve around a month before, and she still tried to speak with Kuro. Sakura would always leave the room, ignorant and defeated.
Kiku could hear them shouting in the other room.
Again, with this miserable life.
He hated it.
Their mother was at work in that huge grey concrete building now, probably typing away at a computer or something. She was strong. She would pull through. She would live for them, despite the gnawing pain she felt. It was worse for her than it was for him. Much worse.
The day drearily went by, and it almost seemed like a normal day. It almost seemed like Kuro would not wake the next day with a note under his pillow; it almost seemed like he wouldn't be gone in a matter of a few days to find his soulmate.
But there were slight clues that it was time- Kuro muttering to himself as he stuffed his belongings into a bag, his mother coming home early to talk to him about soulmates. Kiku would get this speech on the July 10th after his 18th birthday as well. But right now, he was 16. He didn't need to worry about petty soulmates and packing up to leave.
He could distinctly hear Kuro swearing loudly to himself from the other room, and winced. He greatly disliked profanity, but it seemed profanity was all that came out of Kuro's mouth.
"Damn it!"
An extra loud shout came from Kuro's room. Kiku's eye twitched, and he tried to refrain from going to Kuro's room and giving him a lecture. Honestly, Kuro seemed to be aging backwards, growing more and more immature as time went by.
The daylight came and went, and soon it was night.
Soon, it was time for Kiku to go to sleep.
For Sakura to go to sleep.
For Kuro to go to sleep.
"Goodnight, Sakura."
Kiku whispered when he passed Sakura in the corridor. Her brown eyes glowed in the gathering darkness. Kiku observed her bite her lip.
"Kiku, Kuro's leaving. He told me. He's leaving tonight, and he's never coming back. He says he hates everyone here."
She blurted out. It had obviously been a secret, because her hand immediately went up to cover her lips. Kiku could feel a dark swirl of despair churn in his belly.
Oh.
"Okay."
Was he could say, it was all that came out of his mouth. Sakura looked slightly relieved he hadn't gone storming to Kuro's room.
"Goodnight, Kiku."
With that, Sakura stepped past his almost frozen form to go to her room. After a second of hesitation, Kiku copied her, walking down the corridor to his own room and opening the door. Kiku flopped onto the bed miserably, closing his eyes briefly, then opening them to stare up at the empty wooden ceiling.
"Goodnight, Kuro."
He whispered to nobody, but it seemed more like a goodbye.