Part III: Chapter 3
It wasn't that she did not like Kiku. She did. That was the problem.
She did not want to be in love with him. If she only loved him because he resembled her Watcher, then would that not be unfair to Kiku? How could she simply dismiss the love she'd held onto for her Watcher for so many years? She knew her love for him was hopeless, but a part of her insisted on clinging to that lingering piece of magic from her childhood. She could no longer see strange beings in the corners of her world as she once could. She had begun to wonder if it had all been a collection of hazy dreams and her Watcher was the only proof she had for herself of that magic. Would choosing Kiku mean losing him?
Her thoughts wandered to that kiss. It had hardly been sensational, but coming from Kiku…The thought still made her lips tug upward subconsciously. Her heart had never raced so much around her Watcher. Was it because he had been so unchanging? So steady and predictable? She had felt the same about Kiku at first, but this change in him had startled her. He had not tried anything so bold since that night, but she became more aware of him. She noticed small things about him that she hadn't before and anything he did for her suddenly seemed more significant. Unlike her Watcher, he was tangible- just within her reach.
She let a long, frustrated sigh.
"What're you doing?" Mei twisted around to see Yao standing over her with an incredulous expression. She'd been lying with her head hanging off the couch and her feet tossed over the backside. She scowled, pulling herself into a normal sitting position.
He'd finally begun to recover. It'd taken a couple of years, but it was a miracle he was able to pull himself out before falling too deep into the path he was headed. He owed much of it to the persistence of his mother and the realization that his family truly did need him. Even so, Mei was not so forgiving. To her, one of her heroes had abandoned her willingly and without so much a second thought.
"Nothing," she shrugged and took out her phone indifferently. Usually their conversations, if they could be called that, ended at this point, but to her surprise, and annoyance, the couch cushions beside her shifted as he sat beside her.
"Is it about Kiku?" There was a hint of teasing in his voice, an echo of the old Yao. It does nothing to hide the just barely visible purplish bruises beneath his eyes.
"How'd you know about him?"
"I'm a part of this family you too, you know. And we go to the same school."
She gave a small grunt and kept her eyes on the phone in her hand, but he didn't move. "Did he do something to hurt you?" A note of protectiveness crept into his voice and she felt her irritation heighten. At one time she would've been comforted by his concern, but now his words fell hollowly, meaninglessly onto the carpeted floor.
"Kiku wouldn't hurt me." Unlike you. The words were left unspoken, but she was sure he heard them. She pretended not to see him wince and he changed the subject.
"You used to have an imaginary friend called Kiku. You never shut up about him and I thought it was the most ridiculous thing." He snorted at the memory and she clenched her jaw. "You were so cute back then."
"But this Kiku is different," she blurted out defensively. She didn't exactly remember thinking the thought in her mind and the moment the words tumbled out of her mouth she wasn't so sure if she believed them herself. Yao frowned faintly, puzzled by her outburst.
"Oh. Still, it's quite a big coincidence if you think about it." Silence stretched between him and she thought he would finally abandon their awkward conversation when he asked, "Do you like him?"
There it was. The one questions she couldn't, or wouldn't, answer herself. A part of her flared in anger at her older brother. He had no right nosing his way back into her life and expecting her to confide in him as they once had. The other part of her began to gave way. She'd missed Yao, no matter how fiercely she wanted to deny it.
"I think so." She swung her feet, unsure of whether or not to continue. Her brother was quiet and, before she could stop herself, she went on. "He just reminds me a lot of… of someone and I'm afraid that I like him because of who he represents and not who he is."
Yao tilted his head, his black ponytail sliding down his shoulder. She noticed absentmindedly that it looked healthier, shinier than before. "Then why else do you like him?"
"Because…" She frowned in thought. The more she thought about it, the longer the list of reasons grew. All of the little things she'd begun to notice about him that made Kiku different. Now that she thought about it, she knew Kiku. She knew he wasted money on horror movies at the theatre because no one else would go with Alfred. She knew he was extremely competitive and tended to hold hidden grudges. She knew he had a knack for building just about anything. She knew he was a deceptively good liar, but often ended up feeling so guilty he would confess later. She knew he chewed his bottom lip when worried and scrunched up his nose when annoyed. She knew his quirks and dreams and even then she still found herself taken by surprise. She smiled a little to herself. For a moment she forgot her animosity towards her brother and said, "Thanks, Yao."
"You're welcome?" He gave her a confused look, but it turned into kind smile. "Looks like we can still get along after all."
Mei scoffed and looked down her nose imperiously at him as she pushed herself off the couch. "Don't hold your breath."
As she stalked away though, she couldn't help but feel that maybe, just maybe, she'd gotten her big brother back. She didn't think she could completely forgive him anytime soon, but at the moment she was happy that the seams of her family were finally beginning to stitch back together.
A/N: We're nearing the conclusion! I think there'll be one more chapter and an epilogue (just in time for the end of summer break ;.; I guess the good thing is I won't be distracted from studying for finals...)
I'm not entirely satisfied with this (when am I ever?) because I couldn't seem to get into Yao's character. Sorry if his change seemed to happen a little too quickly~ Also, I've completely run out of creative title ideas lol