Thursday, April 18th, 2013

6:30AM

*Bang Bang Bang*

Kikoe awoke to the loud songs of banging on her bedroom door. "Nee-san!? You awake yet!?"

"Shut up, little devil!" Kikoe sat up groggily, grabbing hold of pillows in her left and right hands. She's coming... Kikoe readied herself for the incoming attack.

The door opened slowly as she saw her little sister's hand sneak in slowing from the entrance. She's taking longer than usually this morning to attack. New strategy?

The door suddenly burst open, Kikoe threw the pillow in its direction but hit nothing. "Silly Nee-san! You think I would use the same strategy every morning?" She busted through the door, rapidly approaching Kikoe thinking she had no ammo left to attack with.

"You shouldn't underestimate me!" Kikoe revealed her hidden pillow as her little sister was mid-flight. She swiftly arced the pillow, striking her little sister in the neck. With a loud thud, her defeated foe now lay motionless on the ground.

"Seriously girls? Their father, Ryuuji Nagata, stood in the doorway adjusting his tie. "You know your mom was up late last night." His glare was able to quiet the raging sea that was Yuyuko Nagata, Kikoe's younger sister.

"Sorry, Dad!" They both yelled in tandem. He grunted before returning to the restroom, finishing up his morning work preparation.

"Got a major case of the bed head I see." Yuyuko pulled herself up from the ground and looked closely at Kikoe's short brown hair that was tossed everywhere.

Kikoe looked at her younger sister, still wearing her panda themed pajamas with her black hair in seemingly perfect order. "How do you keep your hair looking so nice all the time?" Kikoe ran her fingers through the tangled mess on her head.

"Silk pillows, Nee-san. I've told you this so many times already." Yuyuko put her hands on her hips while chastising her. "Just go ask Dad to buy you some."

Kikoe groaned. "I'd rather not ask."

"You're never going to find a boyfriend with that attitude." Yuyuko had turned away, walking back toward the door.

"What did you say to me, you little devil?" Kikoe glared at her back as she walked out.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how you are going to catch all of the boys with your Sadako style hair." Yuyuko giggled as she escaped through her bedroom door.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I hate you!" Her statement was quickly followed up by a loud shush emanating from the nearby restroom.

7:00AM

"If we aren't in a relationship by the end of high school, promise we'll go out?" Danshiro Sanaba sat up from his futon as Kikoe's voice rang through his head. I wonder if she still remembers that promise?

"You awake? Breakfast is almost ready." His older brother, Shinjitsu Kanada, was standing in the small kitchen that was wedged into the wall opposite the entrance door hallway.

"Yeah. I'll start getting ready in a second." Danshiro looked over at his brother's messy futon on the other side of their common living area. At least put away your own stuff, you lazy bastard.

With a great heave, Danshiro pulled himself up and walked over to open their closet doors. Let's just get this over with. He could hear the pan sizzling in the background as he grabbed his futon and threw it haphazardly into the closet. He looked down and grabbed his brother's and did the same.

"So, what's for breakfast. My favorite Oji-san." He teased Shinjitsu with his least favorite nickname.

"You mean your Nii-san, you rude little boy." He shot Danshiro a glare.

"Yeah, yeah. So, what's for breakfast, huh?" Danshiro shook his hand in front of his face, a dismissive gesture.

"Nothing for you." His response was swift and concise.

"What's up with you?" Danshiro squeezed past him, trying to get to the restroom near the front entrance.

"Stop being lazy and put the futons' away correctly." Shinjitsu continued cooking while he pointed at the closet, a futon hanging out from its edge.

"Question, dear Shin-chan, will I be as stuck-up as you when I get older?" Danshiro snuck past him again, returning to the closet.

"I can only hope you get some sense of responsibility by the time you're my age." The sizzling sound in the small apartment had ceased as Danshiro heard the clacking of plates.

Dude, you're only twenty-four. Why are you responding like you're forty already? Danshiro opened the closet doors as he was assaulted with the falling futons.

"Wouldn't have happened if you put them away correctly the first time." Shinjitsu was quick to add insult to injury.

"What if these killed me, bro?"

"I would be ashamed to have called you family."

Danshiro picked himself up from the ground and, with great complaints, folded them all correctly. They fit into the closet space perfectly.

"Now doesn't that look nice?" Shinjitsu brought two plates into the room and placed them on the small Kotatsu table that lay in the center of the common living area.

It really does look nice. "Whatever, it was fine either way." Danshiro walked over to the table and sat down with shins directly on the ground, butt sat on top of them, the Seiza sitting position.

Danshiro had his mouth full of rice before his brother began speaking again. "So, did you confess your feelings to Nagata-chan yet?" He choked on the rice, coughing violently before falling over to his side.

Oops. Looks like I might've killed him. Shinjitsu saw his eyes rolled back as he remained motionless on the floor.

Danshiro began coughing again. His eyeballs slowly rolled back into place. "W-Who could like that...that girl, huh!?"

"Wow. So convincing." Shinjitsu kept eating as he responded, refusing to make eye contact with him.

Shinjitsu waited for him to respond, eagerly awaiting his little brother's teenage reasoning but he heard nothing. The silence was deafening as they continued eating.

"You guys have been friends since before Mom and Dad met. It doesn't seem all that weird that you like her." Shinjitsu broke the awkward silence.

"Whatever." His cheeks were bright red as he couldn't lift his eyes to meet his older brother's.

Ah, the joys of teenage hormones. Shinjitsu quietly laughed to himself.