Bonding With Sister, For Nii

[CrimsonZanpakuto]

[For Nii and Nii alone.]

It was by far one of the most one-sided matches she ever played. The ball kept zipping past the net and right out of the other player's reach. It was true what many students said about her; in tennis, Hitomi was unstoppable. Serve after serve, the tennis queen could not be beat. By the end of the onslaught, the winner was undeniable. Though she did lose a few points here and there, it was all due to silly mistakes, or maybe she was just starting to loosen up in the middle. Kenta ran up to her afterwards and shook her hand, both of them panting and sweating from the darting across the court. Grabbing a towel and her water bottle, she sat back down on the bench before it was finally time to go home. After shedding the glistening beads from her body, she got dressed in her usual T-shirt and skirt and walked out smiling, heading home.

The Miyoshi family lived in a nice little home just by the local pool, and the old car was parked nicely into the driveway when Hitomi got home. She was exhausted from all the things she had done today; track, tennis, and even had to go run an errand for a friend of hers taht required more than just nimble feet. Now that she was home, she just wanted to relax and talk about their days and such with her family. Of course, her mother and father did not always have time to talk to her, but at least her younger sister Satomi always seemed interested to listen.

Of course, seeing her any time brought a smile to her face. She was unlike a lot of people that seemed to not get along with their siblings; in fact, she adored her. Though she was only two years younger than her, she seemed so young and innocent. At times, she felt a little envious of her, but that always just faded into happiness at being able to spend time with her. Many times, she played with Satomi and killed hours of dull emptiness with her. On Saturday evenings, she would sometimes take her out to a restaurant or a movie, or just hang out with her. In a way, she was one of Hitomi's best friends, and nothing would stop that.

Going in through the door, the cool air conditioning a powerful contrast to the warm spring air outside and blessing her hot face with a relaxing sensation. She set her bag down by the wall, taking off her shoes and taking out the ribbon in her hair, her brown locks waving through the air as leftover sweat hit the hardwood floor. Taking a deep breath, she made her usual call when she came home from practice.

"Mom, Dad, Sis, I'm home!"

Her father was sitting on the couch, watching the news as her mother was cleaning the windows as water boiled over the stove. She ran over to her mom and hugged her, then proceeded to her dad and gave him a hug as well. The two always smiled when she did that. Beaming as always, Hitomi ran off to find Satomi. She felt bad dumping some of her homework on her earlier, so she needed to show her the appreciation she deserved now that she was back, as well as kill time until dinner was ready. Like lightning, she took off upstairs and stopped right in front of Satomi's room, which was right next to her own room, and across the hall from the bathroom. Down further was the laundry room, their parent's room and a play room/guest room was to her right. Tossing her hair, Hitomi rapped her knuckles on the door and spoke as cheerfully as always.

"Sis, you in here? I'm back. Can I come in?"

Of course, she could always come in here, as she had done so so many times in the past. Satomi never seemed to mind whenever she came in. Although, she always asked just to be polite. Hitomi didn't want to come off as being rude, especially to her dear sister. Popularity had not transformed her into a snobby and obnoxious girl like they showed often on TV, though it did take up a lot of her time away from her sister. So it was when she was home that she always hung out with her, where it was just the four of them.

[Nii]

Satomi, despite it still being light outside (even if barely with the setting sun), was fast asleep. Despite not being involved in anything actually physically strenuous, having been working from the morning until now had taken it's toll on the young girl. She might be a prodigy, according to some anyway, but there was only so much she could take. Doing two loads of homework was just her limit. But she did it willing. After all, she had to help her sister. That was why Hitomi's work was all finished and neatly piled on the corner of her desk.

She was almost better at doing her sister's homework than her own. As long as she could remember, she had put Hitomi's needs ahead of her own. And knowing that teachers would get suspicious if it wasn't in Hitomi's handwriting, she had taught herself to write just like her sister did. As a naturally messy writer herself, it was saying some that she could mimic Hitomi's neat writing almost perfectly, and go back to her own sloppy writing when she had to.

If people knew she had done all of that and more, though, if they knew just how devoted she was to Hitomi...Well, it was good that they didn't.

Sitting up with a start when there was a knock on her door, Satomi knocked her chair off balance, sending it and herself crashing to the floor. Hearing her sister's voice though, she quickly scrambled to her feet, straightening the long sleeve T-shirt and skirt she wore, and opened the door, a big smile on her face.

"Hitomi! You're home!"

Without warning she hugged her sister. Realizing a few seconds later though that she was being goofy, she let go, backing away and looking at the floor to hide a blush.

"Um, s-sorry...I just woke up...Oh, sis, I finished your homework for you! Everything clear to the end of the week, so, you don't have to waste time working on it."

She looked up again with a smile as she said that. If there was anything she loved to do, helping her sister was one of the things she loved most. Someone as popular and important as Hitomi didn't have the time to waste on stuff as trivial as homework. She needed the time to practice and work out, so she would always be at the top of her game.

[CrimsonZanpakuto]

The door had flung open, and her sister, Satomi, was as eager to see her as ever. The young sister hugged Hitomi and she quickly withdrew, looking down at the floor. The older sister only smiled at her as she spoke, and told her that her homework was done. She messed up Satomi's hair in adoration and sent her beaming smile right at her. She felt awful that she made her do that, and apparently made her fall asleep from all the work, but her dedication and smile seemed to mean it was ok. She felt spoiled and stupid, but she could set those feelings aside for now.

"That's great, Satomi. You're a lifesaver! So, what do you want for a reward? I'm completely free this weekend, so it's all you."

Of course, it was no obligation on her part. She just wanted to spend time with her sister was all. She was an adorable little girl, even though they were only two years apart. The two were completely different in many aspects; Satomi was a genius, Hitomi was...well, a bit below average IQ. Sis was small, she was taller and larger. Satomi was a little on the flat side, while she had a chest that was a bit larger than normal for most teens. Sis was quiet and withdrawn, while she was open and social. Still, the gap could easily be bridged between them, and every moment they shared seemed to be a good one. Giving her another quick hug, walked over to Satomi's bed and sat down on it, her legs crossed and gazing sincerely at her sister. They still had a little while to talk before dinner was ready, so she wanted to spend it with Satomi.

[Nii]

Satomi smiled up at her sister when Hitomi messed up her hair. She had been worried she might have gotten Hitomi angry with her sudden hug, but Hitomi always messed up her hair when she thought she had done something cute or adorable, and how could she be angry if she was smiling? But what made her smile bigger was when Hitomi thanked her for doing her homework. She loved hearing that she had helped Hitomi out. The only thing that Satomi hadn't expected was the offer of a reward.

While it was good hearing that Hitomi would have nothing to do this weekend, why offer a reward? They would be hanging out anyway, right?

"No, I'm just glad to help you out, sis. I don't need any reward."

Sitting at her desk she just cleaned up a bit, straightening her books and putting papers away. Looking back at Hitomi, she smiled again.

"So...How was your practice?"

[CrimsonZanpakuto]

The words of modesty and willingness flying from her lips, Satomi had spoken of not needing a reward, being more than happy to help her. Her smile was returned with a very adorable one, and Hitomi felt a little warm inside. She was one very nice sister. She was glad that the two were so close, that they were not like other siblings. After all, they were family, flesh and blood; perhaps it was just her, but she could never hate her sister. She was just so nice, so kind and innocent.

Being asked how practice was, Hitomi laid herself back on Satomi's bed, staring up as the events flashed by in her head again. Well, it was certainly an eventful day, seeing how she noticed something earlier, before her match with Kenta. She tilted her head over to look at Satomi and spoke nonchalantly.

"Well, let's see. I had to go get Ayane's cat out of a tree that just so happened to be in a construction site before doing anything else. Then, I played a few matches here and there, though I think I might be losing my touch; I made quite a few bad mistakes today. Before my match with Kenta though, Makoto Shoji was looking at me rather oddly."

Makoto Shoji was pretty much Hitomi's equivalent at school. He was a major athlete, doing anything that came his way. Though people at school remarked at how the two might make an incredible couple, Hitomi just never seemed to notice. Perhaps she just wanted something more than an athlete that was just as good as her, or maybe he just wasn't her type. Either way, a date between them hasn't occurred yet.

"Anyways, he talked to me, and he seemed a little nervous doing so. I don't remember doing anything to unnerve him, and he's definitely the more 'take-action' kind of guy. Seeing him nervous was a little weird. Before he could say anything, it was then my match with Kenta and then I got dressed and headed home. I bet all the other girls would say he was trying to ask me out. I'm nothing special, though. So, how was your day, Satomi?"

[Nii]

Satomi just sat in the chair by her desk, waiting patiently to hear about her sister's day. She always enjoyed hearing about what Hitomi did during the day. Her sister always had so much fun, and did things that Satomi knew she would never do. Satomi had the athletic ability of a rock, if even that. She couldn't swim, she couldn't run fast, and she didn't have the coordination needed for sports not invovling running or swimming. All she had was her brain, which thankfully she was able to put to good use in helping her sister.

So when Hitomi started talking, Satomi stayed silent, absorbing every word. Her sister was just so awesome...Going into a construction site to save a cat, that was something Satomi knew she'd never be able to do. She tilted her head when Hitomi said she was loosing her touch, though. Refusing to believe that, Satomi just shook her head.

"Don't worry about that, sis, I'm sure you just had a bad day."

But what she didn't want to hear was that there was some guy interested in Hitomi. Instantly feelings of jealousy popped up. Whoever this guy was, she doubted he was good enough for her sister. Satomi made sure to keep her smile, though, masking her thoughts. Instead, she knew what she had to say...

"Nothing special? Hitomi, you're the school's star athlete, the most popular girl in school, certainly one of the prettiest...He probably likes you, sis."

Giving her sister a smile, she just shrugged then when she was asked about her day.

"Oh, um, nothing exciting happened. Really nothing worth mentioning...Umm...So, do you...like Makoto?"

[CrimsonZanpakuto]

Hitomi was not all that surprised when her little sister started defending her against her own modesty, saying that she was the most popular girls in school for a reason; she was a superstar athlete, she got along with a lot of people, and she was one of the prettiest girls out there. Well, maybe...but that pretty comment was a little out there. Besides, it's not like her sister didn't have a similar beauty. But the possibility of him liking her...well, it was high, but she didn't have a clue. As usual, Satomi never spoke about her day, claiming it wasn't interesting. She really wanted her to tell her what she did every day...it was something she always wondered about.

Her sister's hesitance when she started asking if she liked Makoto was a little noticeable, but Hitomi was oblivious to it, like so many other things about her. She seemed to think about it a little before replying. When she did, she had a small grin on her face, making a noncommital shrug and shaking her head side to side.

"Well, I dunno. He's pretty cool, but I don't know him too well. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I know, it's a little weird, but...well, I guess I just have to wait and see, huh?"

Their mother called them down for dinner, and Hitomi just gave her sister a light shove as she headed downstairs, sitting right next to Satomi when it came time to eat. It was a simple little meal, and after that, she and Satomi got to hang out and play around for a little bit before finally going to bed. To her, this was just another normal day, nothing too strange...

That would all change the next day.

~~~

"W-would you...please go out with me?"

It came as a mild surprise, but to many people, the only mystery behind all of this was time. And it was about time that Makoto Shoji ask out Miyoshi Hitomi on a date. It had occurred right after third period, in the middle of the hall. Hitomi was, oddly enough, incredibly shocked at the revelation. He had gotten up the courage to talk to her, and told her that he really liked her, ever since he joined the tennis club. Now, he was asking her out, and Hitomi had no idea what to say. It seemed that half of the school was around here, watching this momentous occassion unfold. Though she hadn't dated anyone in a while...well, why not? She wanted to have some dating again.

"Um...sure, why not? I'm free Friday night, so..."

"Great! I'll see you then!"

Well, that turned out well...at least, it had for her. But, she still kept the rest of the weekend open, so she'd still have time for Satomi, right?

[Nii]

To Satomi's great displeasure, she had been in the same hall as her sister when Makoto asked Hitomi out. It certainly wasn't because she wanted to be there. With the feelings Satomi had for her sister, the very last thing she wanted to see was Hitomi get a boyfriend. It just further drove home the fact that she would never be able to be as close to her sister as she wanted to. But, unfortunately, her locker was along the wall where Makoto finally gathered the nerve to ask Hitomi out.

Holding her books to her chest, Satomi looked down at the floor with a frown when Hitomi accepted Makoto's offer for a date. And it hurt to hear Hitomi plan teh date for Friday. The two of them were supposed to hang out together then, and the rest of the weekend. Well, Hitomi's life and needs came first. So, when everyone walked off after the new "couple" was finally together, she walked up to her sister, a big smile on her face.

"See Hitomi? I told you he liked you. Well, I asked if he liked you, but...Well, he likes you!"

[CrimsonZanpakuto]

Hitomi was interrupted in her stride when her little sister popped up in front of her, telling her that he really did like her, and with a big smile on her face to top it off. Hitomi found this whole thing a little strange, since everyone really wanted this all to happen. It was almost as if it didn't matter what her feelings were, so long as everyone got to see the perfect couple together. But, at least Satomi wasn't sour about having asked Makoto out on Friday. So, with her own little smile, she messed up her hair and chuckled.

"Well, we'll see if I like him. Apparently, everyone wants me to, so I just might have to."

She picked up her pace and waved to Satomi as she moved on to her next class, oblivious to the news spreading like wildfire across the school. She was always one to not notice these things, simply because she didn't really see the need of it. But, hey...all that mattered was that they were together. Everyone was happy, right?

For a brief moment, in her mind, she saw a saddened face of a little girl, only a few years younger than her. She looked very familiar, but she was on the verge of tears. But...who was that? She couldn't see every little detail...so it could be anyone. But why was she sad? What could she be sad about? Hitomi just shrugged it off, and went on with her day as normal...well, as normal as could be, with Makoto trying to talk to her about personal matters and everyone gossiping and admiring the couple.

[Nii]

Satomi hadn't expected her sister to just walk off on her after only saying a few words. While they never really had conversations in the halls, they at least got to talk a bit when walking to class. Hitomi had said something that made Satomi feel a bit sad, though. She didn't realize that people were expecting her to like Makoto back. If Hitomi didn't like him, then why did she agree to go out with him? And that wasn't just her own feelings talking, it was common sense. One shouldn't do something just because everyone expects it of them...

But Hitomi didn't give her a chance to say anything at all, so all Satomi could do was watch her sister walk off to her next class. Feeling she had made her sister angry by going along with what everyone though, Satomi made her way to her next class, which she sat silent through. And the same thing happened with her next one. By time lunch rolled around, Satomi thoroughly believed she had made her sister angry with her.

Settling down at her usual table in the back corner of the cafeteria, she opened her lunchbox and started taking out the lunch she had packed for herself. She sat at her table alone. She had few friends, as no one in the grade she was in wanted anything to do with her since she was two years younger and much, much smarter, and the friends she did have that were her age ate in another lunch period. She didn't bother asking to site with Hitomi, as there was usually no room at the table her sister sat at with all of teh friends her sister had.

Besides, now that she had made her sister angry at her, asking to sit with her would probably be denied anyway...

[CrimsonZanpakuto]

For the most part, this relationship didn't seem too bad, from what she had experienced in class. Makoto was a nice boy, at least from what she saw. He was kind of cool, he was good looking, had an air of confidence and was really strong and athletic. Though, whoever was better in comparison was probably a question for the ages. Hitomi never thought anything truly extravagant about it, and just thought he was an okay guy. Well, if she did turn out to like him, then that would be good. Once again, everyone should be happy, right?

Well, that saddened girl's face kept popping up every time she thought of that, and always seemed to trouble the young athlete. What was the reason behind this? Who was it? It was a little baffling, and she was so curious as to what it meant...maybe she'd have to ask Satomi about it. She was smart psychologically as well as academically, right?

When it came time for lunch, Hitomi was once again eating with her friends, but all they seemed to want to talk about was her and Makoto. Nothing had happened yet, anyways. Wait until we actually have a date, you ditzes, she wanted to say. But she was too distracted by Satomi, eating alone like that and looking just a little upset. She looked upset when she had left her in the hall after the big confession...though certainly not sad. Just...different, somehow. Maybe not upset? She could never figure these things out. But, she decided that since her friends were too involved in gossiping, she took her food and sat down over by Satomi, tilting her head to the side and smiling with such a carefree attitude, as if Makoto was no one special. For right now, he wasn't. Satomi was far more important.

"Hey there sis. Seems my friends won't shut up about Makoto. He's okay, but...well, I just wanna talk about something else right now. You don't mind that I'm sitting here with you, do you?"

[Nii]

Satomi never paid a lot of attention to what happened during luck. Because it never included her or affected her, she typically just read while she ate. Today she had some carrot and celery sticks, an apple, and a peanut butter and blueberry jelly sandwich, with a pint of milk she had bought from the lunch line. Having already eaten her sandwich, she was nibbling on the vegetable sticks while reading a new book about quantum physics. She didn't even notice Hitomi had moved to her table until her sister spoke up.

Looking up with a start, she yelped lightly, almost falling out of her chair. For a few minutes she didn't even realize Hitomi asked her a question. What was she doing sitting here? There was an empty seat at her usual table. Plus, hadn't she made Hitomi angry with her? Hitomi shouldn't want to have anything to do with her, now...

She would have said something about that, if Hitomi hadn't said she didn't want to talk about anything related to Makoto. So, instead, she just nodded a bit meekly.

"N-No, of course n-not...You can sit here, Hitomi. Umm, I can move to another table, if you want..."

[CrimsonZanpakuto]

It seems she had caught Satomi off guard, as she seemed to almost fall back. Though she tried to help her, she seemed to get her balance back, and Hitomi just had to laugh. She was always so clumsy, but it added to her cute charm. That small yelp of hers only added to how adorable she was, like a young child. Her intelligence really was on par with an adult, but in body and soul, she was just a little kid. It really made Hitomi appreciate her sister more, of course.

But her offer to move to another table was met with a confused look on her face, wondering what it was that made her want to leave the table. Was it something she said earlier that day? Hitomi shook her head and gave her reassuring grin to her, then reaching out and messing her hair again.

"Silly! That's why I came over here! To talk to you. Why would I want you to move tables?"

She then sat back down and winked at her, looking at the lunch she had packed herself. She always was the kind of person that seemed to have things all neat and organized, as was indicated by her perfect rectangles for her carrot and celery sticks. Then, her gaze drifted over to a big book that was obviously way too intelligent for her. Hitomi could admit, she was a little on the stupid side. Her sister got all the brains. Still, that didn't stop her from trying.

"That book interesting? What'd it teach you so far?"

The only real problem that Hitomi had, was that she was oblivious to a lot of things her sister had felt or done. She tried to talk with her on this kind of level, but being lost in all of her genius made her feel like an idiot for not keeping up. Still, she wanted to at least try. She was her sister, after all. She wanted to connect with her as much as she could. No big boyfriend would change that.

[Nii]

Well, Satomi hadn't been expecting that. Hitomi was acting as she always did, so...Maybe her sister wasn't angry with her. Could she have just been reading more into what happened than was really there? Maybe Hitomi had just been too busy thinking about had happened earlier to really pay attention to her. It hurt just as badly as her sister being angry with her, but, it at least meant she had a chance to make it up to Hitomi.

So, she smiled a bit when Hitomi messed up her hair again, fixing the mess her sister caused when she sat back down. For her question, though...

"Oh, um...Well, no one ever really wants to sit with me, so I just figured...Sorry..."

When Hitomi asked about her book, Satomi just looked at it, shrugging a bit. She knew that her sister was just trying to connect with her, but Satomi didn't like doing things that made it seem like she was better than her sister, because that just wasn't right. Hitomi was the oldest child, their parents' favorite, and a sport star. Satomi was no where as important as Hitomi.

"It's just a book about quantum mechanics, nothing important...One of the teachers thought I would be interested in it. But, you didn't come over here to ask about what I was reading..."

Closing the book after marking her page, she smiled again at Hitomi.

"So...How's your day so far?"

[CrimsonZanpakuto]

Hitomi only frowned when her sister began talking about how no one wanted to sit by her, and her frankness that she didn't come over here to ask what she was reading hurt her. Satomi wasn't always so blunt. Something was worrying her lately...what could it be? It was starting to worry her, too. She didn't want Satomi to feel bad or humbled. Despite all the apparent popularity she had, she was still a normal girl, just like her...right?

"Well, like I said, everyone's talking about me dating Makoto...It hasn't even been a day, and I'm almost sick of the gossip. Still, I guess they were all expecting it, so..."

"Hey, Hitomi! Nice to see you again."

Standing behind her was Makoto, wearing a plastic smile as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Her hand went up to where his lips pressed her cheek, feeling a little odd from the gesture. He then looked straight at Satomi, grinning with mild interest.

"So, I heard Hitomi had a little sister. That you?"

"Y-yeah, that's her. Go on, introduce yourself."

Makoto extended his arm in greeting towards her sister, a kind of sick grin formed on his lips.

"Makoto Shoji. A pleasure."

After that little exchange, Makoto grabbed Hitomi's hand, and looked her dead in the eye. He was really different than how he was this morning...it was kind of scary.

"Say, Hitomi. How about we eat together, huh?"

Seeing as how all her friends' attention went to this table, all the girls' eyes sparkling as the dazzling prince wanted to whisk away his princess to a private castle for the two of them...well, Hitomi couldn't refuse.

"I...I guess. Satomi, I'll...I'll see you after school. Heh."

With that, she went with Makoto, looking back at her sister, sitting alone...again...


((Bleh...hate myself right now...))