"And there we go." Sora brushed her hands together, smiling proudly at her work. "I would compliment you, but I don't want you to run away before your date."
"Since when do I run?" Akebi scoffed, gently touching her hair.
"Figuratively speaking."
"Yeah, I was gonna say 'I would think you'd know me better'." Akebi stood up and looked herself over in the bathroom body mirror. She borrowed her mother's red, velvet silk, sleeveless shirt with a v-neck, a pair of black leggings, and a silver hoop earring in her left ear. Her hair seemed to have a bit more volume to it. The bangs were styled around her forehead, coming to a soft points around her eye brows. Then, she noticed dark lines around her eye lids, and glimmer on her lips on eye lids. "I figured you were putting make up on me. I was wondering if you were going with darker colors."
"I don't think that's necessary for a first date." Sora responded as she started to put her things away. "I saw the outfit you plan on wearing hanging on the shower rod. I think a little bit of subtle, light and glimmering makeup compliments your fair features, and makes your eyes just pop. It shows your ready to get out there, but nothing too serious, yet."
Akebi looked over herself again with a grin. "Sexy and mature. Actually, I look like I'm 21 with this style. I think I'll leave a lasting impression that's not a prank on this guy. I owe you one, Sis." Akebi wrapped her arm around Sora's shoulders, giving the left one a gentle squeeze. "And you promise you won't tell Mom?"
"I promise." Sora placed her hand over her heart, smiling apologetically. "As long as you don't do anything that will get you tossed into juvenile hall again. Then, well...you know."
"I have no reason wreak havoc this time. Don't want this date to see all of my cards, yet." Akebi said, turning away from the mirror so Sora wouldn't see her proud smile. Pranking became a bit of a hobby for Akebi when she was a young child; leaving muddy prints in classrooms, spilling paint on the playground equipment, squirrel's in the hallways. After awhile, and after getting caught several times, she started to develop a reputation from it.
Noticing the sun was going down, she began to realize the house was quiet for a weekday evening. "Hey, I remember the family went out for Inojin's training. But, what are you doing home, Sis? I thought you were out at the art festival? You know, the four day event."
"I helped set it up earlier today." Sora shrugged, tucking her royal purple make up bag into the corner of the closet. "I got more than my fair share of window shopping. So, I thought I spend the evening at home."
Akebi gave her a look similar to how a mother would look at her reclusive child. "So, what? You're just gonna stay home doing nothing again?"
"Again?" Sora asked, almost insulted. It wasn't that Sora wasn't interested in going out. In fact, she venntured out most nights to host various events; concert's, art shows, tattoo's, and practice calligraphy. Recently, she volunteered to set up the Village's Art Festival. And although she wanted to stick around to see the displays, she just wanted an evening off. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, don't get your training bra in a wad." Akebi rolled her eyes. "What I mean to say is that most nights you just chill in our room reading or painting. Outside of that, you don't do much for fun around here."
Sora's gaze became firm, placing her hands on her hips. "I do so, I just prefer to do my own thing. I'm an artist like Sai and Inojin, some of my activities take time, and sometimes in solitude. Besides, you know how I enjoy reading in our room by the window. The lighting is perfect."
Akebi could only sigh and shake her head in defeat. "You're hopeless, Sis. Anyway, you should try to do something fun tonight, or something different, at least. I hate to think of you here, by yourself, while everyone else is out."
Hearing Akebi's concern for her made Sora smile. "How adorable. Do you feel the same concern for me when you go out having 'fun'?"
Akebi tilted her head at Sora, and for a moment, she was confused. Then, she chortled, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, I get it. You mean the trouble-making fun. Now that kind of fun is something I do alone. Besides, only one of us should cause trouble, and I'd rather it be me."
This time, it was Sora's turn to scoff and roll her eyes. "Because it's easier for you to make a clean get away?"
"Yeah, Twig, you'd just slow me down." Akebi said in such a teasing tone that both girls started to giggle, knowing that was true.
Sometime ago, Sora had joined Akebi while she was prowling around the village at night, pranking the rich and more well-off villagers. Sora started joining her in hopes of aiding Akebi with a faster get away, to keep her out of the eyes of the police force, and hopefully cease her immature actions. For awhile, she was successful. After six months of pranks and senseless jokes, Sora realized that Akebi didn't plan on stopping anytime soon. And that depressing and hopeless feeling lead them to almost getting caught.
Akebi wasn't in the mood for her usual over-the-top pranks, ones that would leave her laughing so hard her ribs would hurt. So, she targeted one of the families who gained fame during the war. Their sons faked severe injuries several times, and hid with the medical group far from the front lines. But, they took the credit for saving several of the medical units from the never ending waves of White Zetsu copies. Credit that belongs to two Shinobi who passed away from exhaustion just as the war came to an end. Although the survivors were quick to tell the real story, the brothers fought tooth and nail with them, which lead to the brothers calling the medic's 'traitors'. After the war ended, and the villages started cleaning up the left over messes, those deeds were swept under the rug by the Council, claiming that all Shinobi should be praised as hero's. Even those who lied and cheated throughout the war.
Akebi wanted to create a humiliating prank for the brothers, but still wanted them to feel pain for their deeds. So that night, she gathered buckets of paint, gloves, a black knit hat, toilet paper, eggs, fecal matter, sour milk, anything that would leave a stench in the morning. After everyone went to bed, she went to work painting the windows, throwing cat feces onto the roof and down the chimney flutes, leaving cartons of sour milk by their front and back doors, ripping open the piles of trash bags and spilling them all over the front yard. Sora just stood by the front gate, watching Akebi bounce from one end of the house to the other, laughing and gagging as she went. While her sister worked, Sora pondered why Akebi enjoyed humiliating people, what did she gain from such actions.
Then, Akebi laid a banner on the front yard, pinning the corners with heavy rocks. Curiosity getting the better of her, Sora climbed up the gate and looked down at the banner.
TRAITORS
Sora pinched her lips, suddenly feeling guilty. But she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was still naive and believed that these people were still good, in some way. Did they deserve this kind of humiliation? Maybe she couldn't blame the brothers for being scared during the war. The White Zetsu armies, from what she was told, were an overwhelming force able to look like anyone. Not to mention the units of the undead Shinobi joining the battle. They did what they needed to do to survive. Even after the war, fortune seemed to smile on them; they had their childhood home to come back to, parents who left them a large sum of money, and enough food and alcohol to feed their neighbors for weeks.
But does that justify their actions? Should they pay for their actions? What kind of punishment would be fitting?
Suddenly, the porch light clicked on, washing over everything in it's path. Including Sora. Her eyes widened, her feet glued to the gate, scared and horrified. The thoughts of seeing her families expressions when they come to pick her up in juvenile hall, the heavy feeling of disappointment, the shame of being confronted by the now alcoholic and enraged brothers.
Luckily, Akebi was able to haul Sora over her shoulders and raced to the nearest empty building. All the brothers saw was trash and paint, no one saw the two teenage girls. Since then, after seeing how much her shenanigans depressed her sister, she has since eased how many nights she would go out late.
"But in all seriousness," Akebi continued, bringing them back to reality. "Why don't you, I don't know, find a date or go shopping. You deserve to treat yourself here and there, you know."
Sora rewarded her sisters kindness with a sincere smile. "You're so sweet."
Feeling her face flush, Akebi looked away. "Well, I'm the oldest sister. It's part of my job, that's all."
"Here we go again with that." Sora complained, wanting to say more, but then she realized the time. "I'll save my words for later. Right now, if you don't get going, you're going to be late."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going."
