I own absolutely nothing. RG Veda and all its characters belong to CLAMP.

Ryuu is more of a brother than Tenou ever could have been.
Rating: G

Sim: This one has no romance, only brotherly/sisterly love!

Ryuu: Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

Ashura: Start the story!

Brother

Ashura looked around the small town. In order to pick up some supplies, which Ryuu insisted they wouldn't have needed if Ashura didn't eat so much, which then lead to a shouting match, Yasha had sent Ryuu off with Ashura to find some vegetables to buy while he and Souma handled the meats. But Ashura was still angry with Ryuu, and had slipped off the minute he turned his back.

Now she was wandering the streets, taking in all the talking and laughing. Ryuu wouldn't notice she was gone for a while, since he was busy arguing with the vendor about asparagus or something. Ashura had never been alone in a town before; Yasha or Ryuu had always kept an eye on her. But now she could explore on her own!

As she tried to make her way over to a stall that sold cakes, Ashura spotted a girl with long blond hair about her age sliding into an alley. Curious, Ashura slipped after her. The girl was hiding at the other end of the alley, peeking out as though watching for someone. After checking the cloth that was hiding her ears, Ashura tapped her shoulder.

The girl jumped. "Hi, what are you looking for?" Ashura asked, smiling.

After glancing around to make sure she was alone, the blond girl whispered, "My brother's looking for me."

"Brother?" Ashura cocked her head, confused. The girl opened her mouth to explain, but just then...

"Mona! Where are you?" an angry voice called out. The girl squeaked in fear. Ashura glanced around and spotted an open crate. She pushed the girl, who she assumed was Mona, inside and closed the lid carefully. Sitting down on top of it, she swung her legs as if she hadn't a care in the world.

A tall blond boy with dark blue eyes entered the alley, looking mad. "Hey kid, have you seen a girl about your height, with long blond hair?" he asked.

Ashura smiled innocently and nodded. "Uh huh. She went that way," she pointed to her right. The boy's eyes glinted madly.

"Thanks, kid. When I get my hands on her..." Still muttering to himself, the boy ran off in the direction Ashura had pointed. Ashura waited until his footsteps had faded, and then opened the crate again.

"He's gone now," she said as Mona climbed out of the crate. Mona smiled back, her blue eyes lighter than her brothers.

"Thank you," she said as the two girls left the alley and headed down the street.

"Why was he looking for you?" Ashura asked. Mona shrugged, looking mad.

"My brother doesn't want me to go play with the other kids in the field. So I snuck out, but then he came after me. He never lets me do what I want," Mona pouted. Ashura stared in surprise.

"Ryuu does that too! He always yells at me and says mean things too!" Mona's eyes widened as Ashura kept talking.

"Does he tell you that you aren't doing things right when you know you are?" Mona asked. Ashura nodded.

"All the time! Are brothers supposed to do that?" Mona frowned and thought for a second.

"I don't think so. My mom always tells him to be nice to me, so I don't think he's supposed to."

"Yasha is always telling Ryuu that too. But if he's not there, Ryuu doesn't listen to me!" Mona nodded firmly.

"Brothers are the worst!"

"Well, that all depends." Ashura and Mona jumped and spun around. An old woman with gnarled hands and long white hair sat on a rocking chair on her porch, watching the two girls. "After all, older brothers have to deal with younger sisters as well."

"What do you mean?" Ashura asked, walking over and sitting next to the woman's chair. Mona followed after a short hesitation.

"Well, for every mean thing your brother's say and do, you've probably said something mean or done something wrong right back," the woman replied. She smiled when Ashura and Mona immediately started protesting. "I'm sure it's not all the time, but brothers tend to worry."

"Worry?" Mona asked. The woman nodded.

"Yes. You see, big brothers always try to look after their little sisters. They feel it's their duty to keep their siblings from getting into any trouble. While it may seem mean, he's just looking out for you."

Mona pondered this quietly while Ashura quickly said, "But Ryuu isn't my brother. Shouldn't that be something only brothers do?"

The woman's eyes lightened. "Oh, I see. You feel that since he isn't your brother, he shouldn't be allowed to do this."

"He doesn't have a reason," Ashura agreed.

The woman chuckled lightly. "Well, child. It appears you are lucky enough to have someone worry about you."

"Worry?" Ashura asked.

"Yes. While he may not be related to you by blood, he sees you as his little sister. So he tries to look out for you, and gets worried when you get into trouble. Once you're safe, he gets angry and yells."

"So, my brother's just trying to help me?" Mona asked. The woman nodded. Mona smiled and got to her feet.

"Mona, where are you going?" Ashura asked, getting up as well.

"I'm gonna find my brother. If I was the big sister, I'd be worried about him too." Mona smiled and bowed to the two. "Thank you for everything." And with that, she ran off.

"Tell me child, how old is this Ryuu of yours?" Ashura looked back at the woman.

"He thinks he's a man, but he's not," Ashura replied, remembering Souma's advice about giving away personal details on her mind.

"Oh, that age," the woman chuckled. "Boys of that age don't like to talk about caring for someone; they feel it makes them look weak. So they yell and tease to let you know they care. Do you understand?"

Ashura thought for a minute. She remembered Ryuu telling her stories, and overhearing conversations about how Yasha wasn't taking good care of her. It usually made her angry, but maybe Ryuu was just trying to look out for her. She nodded slightly.

"Good. Now you should go find him before he kills himself looking for you." Ashura smiled and nodded. She jumped off the porch and ran down the road, before waving back at the woman on the porch.

Heading down the road, Ashura ducked behind a couple of baskets when she saw Ryuu coming her way. She had hoped she would be able to get back before he noticed she was gone. As she hid, she saw him pull over a man on the road and ask him something. When the man shook his head, Ryuu's shoulders drooped and he kept moving. Is he looking for me?

This time, he stopped a woman who was standing by the baskets where Ashura was hiding. "Have you seen a kid about this tall, with dark hair?" The woman shook her head before walking on. Ryuu sighed. "Ashura, where are you?"

"Ryuu?" Ryuu spun around to see Ashura standing up, walking towards him slowly.

"Ashura!" Ryuu sighed in relief, and then that relief turned into anger. "WHERE WERE YOU? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I'VE BEEN?" Ashura winced as he yelled at her, and then the words of the woman ran through her head. While he may not be related to you by blood, he sees you as his little sister. So he tries to look out for you, and gets worried when you get into trouble. Once you're safe, he gets angry and yells.

Smiling slightly, Ashura walked over and gave him a quick hug. "I get it now," she whispered.

Ryuu looked startled for a minute, before asking, "Get what?"

"You're not being mean, you're just being a big brother." Ashura pulled away and grinned up at the young king. "Let's go find Yasha!" She skipped off, leaving behind a surprised Ryuu.

"Big brother, huh? I guess I am." Ryuu grinned for a moment, and then hurried to catch up to Ashura.

End

Ashura: I liked that one.

Sim: So did I. It was hard to write though.

Ryuu: Why was I even there? I barely showed up!

Sim: Stop complaining. It was sweet. Read and review!