Aya looked at her brother nervously as he began to spiral into another one of his “outbursts”.

“Aya, why can’t you see that I don’t need to take the medicine every time I leave this house? I love you, I really do, so why must you force this on me, just let me try and go without it one time!”

Aya stood up meekly, her legs shaking as she spoke from underneath her breath pain cascading over her voice,

“Hero, it wasn’t me who told you about this, it's your doctor. Why do you always push this on me? I care for you Onii-chan, I just want you to get better!”

Hero stood up screaming,

“You don’t care for me, you just want me for yourself! Why won’t you quit lying to me!?”

Aya’s face contorted as she fought herself for control over her face but to no avail, she was left with a bright smile gripping the sides of her head. Thankfully she was looking at her brother, away from the camera's view that had recorded their entire orchestrated conflict. She stood up with one leg while the other was coiled around it, slowly coming undone to reveal a stain in the middle of her pants. Her breath hot, and face a shade of reddish-pink. Her tongue forcefully slithering its way out of her mouth as she laughed.

Hero leaned back as Aya advanced on him, her presence filling the room making his feet lose all strength. Once she made it to him she pushed him down to the bed her lips parting to hiss out in a sickly saccharine,

“Onii-chan, it's almost time for work, don’t you know that?”

She pressed her leg against his chest, mounting him as she pressed her thumb through his lip and forced his mouth to open. Hero’s tears began to run down his face as he started to pant. His heart racing from the fear of his days to repeat like this, time and time again.

Aya opened her mouth to reveal slobber that she twirled around her tongue, it drooling out of her mouth down into his. Entering his mouth as his tears stained the already blemished pillow beneath them. Aya grabbed his jaw glaring at him then demanded him to.

“Swallow it.”

It was as if time itself froze as his mind raced to find a way to avoid this, and he did it, he found a life line. Aya had been holding something behind her back so it was safe to swallow, so he did. A smile forcefully latched itself to her cheeks, painfully strangling it into a bright lustful smile.

“Stupid Onii-chan, I saw your eyes wander. You really thought I had your meds behind me didn’t you, what were you going to take a stand or something? No, we have done this so many times, and each time you fall for the same trick. They were chewed up by me and delivered in that spit I gave you. Are you ever going to learn that you can’t resist me?”

Hero’s expression of horror slowly faded as his eyes did the same. Aya looked to the side as her lips pursed in disappointment, she idly patted her brother's head as she got up to retrieve his work materials and set them by the door.

“Hero, once you get to your senses your suitcase will be at the door.”

Hero put his hand up to look at it and it was numb. No matter how much his mind insisted it wanted more he couldn’t think more than base level thoughts. As always it felt like his brain had been shot by a tranquilizer dart, the anxiety meds always did this, it made him forgetful, slothful. He limped to the door as he picked up his suitcase to go to his job.

He escaped the place dazed, his walk seeming to be programmed into the marrow of his bones with its lack of personality. Aya followed close, getting the tapes from the cameras around the house, splicing together a convenient cut with her phone as she walked alongside Hero. She held his arm close, resting his suitcase on her thighs, though he didn’t seem to notice, he couldn’t. He couldn’t think of anything aside from putting one foot in front of the other, his eyes began to water, not understanding his thoughts. She held his hand.

“Hero, you have to leave your walking to your muscle memory, just focus on the sensations I’m giving you.”

Hero stopped thinking about the walk and focused on the heat coming off of her chest, the sensation that encompassed his forearm, her breath hitting his neck, leaving moisture with every heave. He didn’t notice how he walked on a sharp rock that would have hurt him if he could have focused on it. His body jolted, though he didn’t know why, so without thought, nor decision, his muscle memory made him continue onward. He noticed the shift of balance of a pull so he looked in the direction of it, as could have been expected by a more present mind there stood Aya. As he began to listen, his body froze up leaving all function to the subconscious.

“Well, this is where we part ways Onii-chan, I have an errand to run today. Be sure to focus on working today, since you are our breadwinner aren’t you?”

Aya leaned forward licking his cheek, her spit sticking to his callus skin. He looked up to see the hospital, his eyes began to water as he looked down back to her, their smile was boasting pride. Aya walked into the hospital as Hero continued to walk down to his work.

Looking straight ahead and nowhere else. He walked through the doors of his job looking around for which cubicle to go into and while his mind did not know which way to go his body seemed to. His heart bled of the containment his brain had been in, he simply couldn’t, he was the bare essentials. Now trapped to the desk his hands flew on the keyboard. He was sure there was noise present around him but he couldn’t know what, all he knew for sure were the numbers on the LED screen in front of him.

While Hero dazed into the screen Aya had already been walking through the halls of the hospital. The doctor seemed well familiar, smiling once she saw her turn around the corner.

“Oh, Mrs Aya, may I ask you what brings you here again?”

Aya sighed, her face drooping in discontent.

“It's my brother again, I don’t know what's happening but, he’s having outbursts again. It seems that every time it wears off, it just feels like he just regresses to who he used to be.”

Aya pulled up the video on her phone, capturing the doctor's attention as she smirked unbeknownst to anyone but herself. The video was her brother screaming at her harshly, the edits she placed in volume and the color balance helped paint the picture she wanted to nest in their head.

“Oh, Aya you poor girl. Thank you so much for enduring and taking care of your brother. I know it's hard watching a family member destroy themselves. You're so brave, thank you on their behalf. I just know that if he was in a more stable state of mind he would thank you too. I will make sure to get a higher dose but are you sure you still want this prescription? There are options that will last for an entire day instead of nine hours.”

Aya turned her head in confusion for a second.

“Oh, I didn’t know that, but I think that we should keep to the path we are on. I wouldn’t want to make my brother lose himself in front of me.”

The doctor took a second to sit in her confusion before shaking herself out.

“In front of you?”

Aya smiled.

“Oh, ignore that it's just me talking out loud, now when can I get the next dose?”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Hero got up from his desk and a co-worker shot up to join him, shifting in front of him quickly.

“Hero! I’ve been trying to talk to you all shift what's been going on?”

He stopped to respond,

“Did you? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear.”

The girl walked closer leaning under his chin as she examined his face.

“You’re all droopy-eyed again.”

Hero’s face stayed awfully still as the girl stood up pressing her finger against his chest playfully.

“Don’t worry Hero, I’m sure things have just been hard. We may of not spoken in a bit but I just know that it's not your fault, because you promised me. You said that you would stay by my side, I know things are hard right now but,”

She nabbed his hand, her passion transferring to him through the warmth of her palm.

“I just know a promise couldn’t mean so little to you. And if I were to disbelieve something as unshakable as your word, how will I ever be able to call myself your wife one day!”

Hero jumped reflexively but so did his smile. He spoke slowly,

“Thank you for your unbelievably kind words, I’m not deserving, but…I have to go home now. If I don’t arrive 30 minutes after my shift ends I get yelled at.”

She gripped his hand tighter as her smile softened.

“Sounds good, my Hero.”

Hero walked through the door to see Aya sitting at the dinner table that was now lit by candlelight; She had already made food and his chair was surrounded by roses, she was kicking her feet in excitement to see her brother. Jumping out of her chair to embrace her brother, wrapping her legs around him as she forced herself onto him.

During the emotions, and passion, the medicine slowly began to fade and he was able to shift his arms around her bottom so he could take her to the couch and lean further in. She pressed the blunt of her nail against her Hero’s neck digging into it. Pulling away as her eyes showed her want for more in full display, saliva still connected them despite their tongues being apart, she spoke.

“Not now, I have some good news for you.”

Hero’s pupils dilated as his lips loosed,

“Why?”

Aya bounced up from the couch, dragging Hero to the dinner table as she refused to look back, holding him by the choker she forced him to wear every time he went out to his job. Aya spun him around to change how she was holding him, throwing his head back and grabbing his hand a moment later.

“Oh, I just can’t wait to tell you, it gets me so excited! Ok, so get this, tomorrow morning on your day off you and me are going to go on a little date together, at this nice little restaurant!”

Aya pulled out a pamphlet from the waistband of her skirt, pushing it toward him with a bright grin on her face. He hesitantly took it, quickly shifting so he could keep her in his periphery while he read. It seemed to be an island day retreat, when looking at the people count it would appear only there would only be-

His gaze shot away from the page as Aya looked away from him towards something else, he stayed paused for a long moment trying to figure out what she saw but finding nothing, he panicked, thinking about what she may have done in the time he couldn’t have seen her, but, she didn’t move an inch. To be safe he decided to not read into it any more than he already had.

“It looks great…When do you plan on us leaving?”

Aya looked excited kicking her feet as she answered,

“Oh, right when you wake up Onii-chan! I wanna make sure I can be with you as long as I possibly can!”

Her jolly demeanor quickly deteriorated as she crossed her arms into a pout.

“Before you gotta go to your stupid job all over again!”

Hero quickly retorted, sounding worried,

“But you're still going to let me go aren’t you?”

Aya got up from the table, slithering around it as she dragged her finger across the tablecloth. Her left hand reached forward over to him to grasp his throat, and her right dipped into the melted wax of one of the candles, betraying only the slightest flinch at the heat. His mouth may have been closed until her right hand demanded it to be open. The wax solidified on his cheek as the two tangled their tongues together. She forced this until the moment was interrupted and the oven beeped, she let his tongue from out of her vice. Before walking away she said as she cupped his genitals.

“Onii-chan, I love when you truly show me how much power I have over you.”

Hero’s eyes and mouth stayed hung open in horror, his stomach twisted and turned within him as this awful sharp feeling ran through his body in anticipation of what was coming next. Aya spoke from the kitchen while taking out the pan,

“So, I’ve been thinking about your medication and I’m starting to think that the doctors got the wrong diagnosis. I don’t want you on them anymore.”

Hero knew that she was the reason he got it in the first place but maybe she was trying to help him out of the prison she put him in? Today she had been rather tame considering everything. An idea shot into his head, was all she wanted was control over him? If that the case then as long as she has that peace of mind of his loyalty he could be free. He couldn’t show his joy so he asked, trying to stay calm despite his giddiness,

“What made this come up?”

She looked at him in his eyes as she set down the food.

“Oh, they have just been uncooperative as of recently, so I decided it might be better to cut them out by removing the medication altogether. Plus! I can control my Onii-chan even without those extra accessories.”

Hero smiled to himself, something welled up in his stomach as his body slowly untensed and his eyes began to fill with tears. He spoke, resigning himself finally to his sister.

“You can, you always were able to.”

Aya giggled to herself as she walked to her side of the table and sat down.

“That's exactly what I want to hear.”

After the two shared a dinner they went to bed. Aya’s arms were coiled tightly around Hero’s chest, grasping him like they’d never in a million years wish to let go. Holding out for that flint of hope he followed her will, till the morning when he woke up and wedged himself out of her grasp before beginning to slowly scour the house, checking it over before she had the chance to move herself. Still, nothing. As much as he wished to believe in her, he just couldn’t, he was scared, he didn’t want to be something he wasn’t anymore.

Hero wanted to feel the emotions of the every day, even the painful ones. He wanted to have conversations with colleges. He wanted to be able to comment on how the sky looked that morning, he just wanted, he just needed to live in his own mind. One without any dilations but those damn meds have taken so much of his life away, stealing what was rightfully his. He couldn’t do that anymore, he couldn’t lose another year of his life.

Before he knew it he was on the floor crying once again, it felt safe being a sobbing mess, until the sound of a door cracking pierced through his brain like a stake, adrenaline surging through him. Aya walked out seeming concerned as she watched her brother crumble to the floor shaking. The two caught each other's eyes then Hero immediately broke the gaze as he instinctually clawed back away from her, all before slamming himself into a wall.

Each step Aya took towards him made his body primally shake in fear, more and more as she approached, it was as if she was his natural predator. When she got in range to strike he closed his eyes, but then, nothing happened. He opened them to see her reaching toward his face, slowly caressing it.

“Listen, I know I’ve done wrong, but I promise you, you're safe here. Things have been hard these last few years but I really think we can get through this together. I didn’t want to bring up the medication ‘cause in all honesty, when I think about what I did to you it makes me get all shaky.”

He looked at her and her hand vibrated against his cheek, and despite himself, he knew she was telling the truth. She continued to speak from the heart,

“But those things did happen, I framed, drugged, and did much more to you. If I’m being honest, the only thing I really wanted was my Onii-chan back. Nothing else matters to me, but I know how childish it is of me, so I have to ask, please Hero, will you please marry me?”

Hero looked at his shaking sister, could it be she feared him, maybe just as much as he feared her, and this idea made his heart melt. Maybe he was the thing gatekeeping their happiness by his terror. Everything felt so hazy, so disconnected, so much so that he lost the reason he feared her. He couldn’t let his fear hurt them any longer, but just as he was about to say yes he remembered. Someone important, proclaimed to be his wife one day. She was hazy in his mind but she was there. Hero’s heart clamped when he tried speaking, but if his sister was going to be this honest with him, admitting to everything she did wrong. Then he would have to follow suit, despite his body’s blood-curdling screams he spoke what his instincts pleaded with him not to,

“I’m afraid not Aya, I don’t know who I love yet, if I were to say yes to you now I don’t think I would forgive myself for playing with your feelings like that if I was wrong. So I have to say no for now, but maybe one day.”

Aya’s face dropped to a look of disappointment before she shifted to slide out a bottle of water from one of her pockets and take a drink of it.

“Ok Onii-chan I understand, but could we at least share one more kiss until that day arrives?”

Hero looked at her sorrowfully, he wanted to but his body stiffened with every movement he made to try and abide by his sorrowful sister.

“Oh, alright just once though.”

The closer his hand went to her cheek the tighter and more painful his muscles tensed. Despite being in pain, tears covering his cheeks he still listened to his sister that he thought he hurt so. Aya leaned in to kiss and a liquid pursued her tongue into Hero’s mouth before he pulled away. She stated with a mouth full of water,

“Let's drink this last bit together.”

She gulped and he drank before Aya said, water flooding out of her mouth,

“Wrong answer Onii-chan, I guess you’ll need an even higher dose next time. One that will make you forget that stupid whore that makes you stutter. We’ll do this over and over and over again until you utter the words, I do, but until then it’ll be me and you for eternity. No more coworkers, no more sun, you have to remember you are not you. You are us, same as me. Once you learn maybe, so I have to say no for now, but maybe one day.”

Hero’s eyes bulged out of their sockets in an unending dread only cut short by his hitting the ground with a thud as his consciousness faded.