Chapter 38: Chapter 38 - The Sisters’ Promise

The weather outside is rainy and dark, making for an ideal setting to unwind from the day. However, there are two people who are wide awake — Akari and Aoi Tachibana, who is in bed feeling the weight of the day on her shoulders.

As Akari lies in bed looking out the dark window, she knows what happened.

The knowledge of what happened is hard for her to accept.

It’s like an accident; you know the person who is hurt, but you don’t want to see the damage.

Similarly, with Kuro and Aoi, things will never be the same after Kyoto; even a bright smile from Akari will not change that fact.

Finally...knock knock.

Akari glances towards her door, then turns back to the window.

"...Please come in."

The door opens slightly as Aoi walks into her room in her oversized pj’s, holding a warm cup of tea.

As always Aoi is calm, cool, and collected.

But tonight, Akari despises Aoi just for being herself.

"Have trouble sleeping too?" Aoi softly asks her.

Akari lets out a weak laugh.

"Of course you already knew."

Aoi sits on the edge of the bed next to Akari without saying anything for several minutes as they both listen to the raindrops hitting the ground below.

Then Akari unexpectedly breaks the silence with, "You’ve got this!"

Slowly, Aoi pulls her fingers away from the cup when Akari finishes her comment as if Akari struck her.

Akari gives Aoi a bitter smile.

"I saw it in Kyoto."

Her tone went soft.

"It’s the way that Kuro-kun looks at you now."

It was a painful reality.

The weight of the room increased drastically.

But they both didn’t avoid this reality anymore.

They both understood each other.

Akari leaned slowly against the wall.

"Do you remember when we first ran into him?"

Aoi nodded once.

Of course, she would remember.

Who else could forget?

Years ago. Rainy afternoon. Elementary school.

Akari was always reckless.

Enabled by her too much energy, too much noise, and too little fear.

That day she had climbed a broken fence by the river, in spite of many signs warning of danger.

Then she got stuck, and her leg was embedded painfully in the rusted metal.

The kids were scared at first and nobody moved. Except for one boy - Kuro Kurogane.

As other kids screamed for the teachers, Kuro Kurogane walked up to the fence and approached Akari and asked in a monotone voice, "Why were you climbing on the fence?"

"I was having an adventure," Akari said excitedly.

He frowned and said, "That is stupid."

Then in spite of the rain and in spite of cutting his own hands on the fence, he helped Akari free herself from the fence.

It was the first time Akari had cried in pain and from being scared and from being hurt.

He sat next to her holding his umbrella over her as they both waited for the rain to stop.

Aoi and Akari didn’t get along too well.

Aoi was not too great with words.

Aoi found it hard to find comfort.

And somehow, Kuro’s small act of kindness changed Akari forever.

The memory of Kuro’s kindness made Akari smile gently.

"I fell in love first."

Aoi’s quiet confession was a simple fact.

Aoi looked down for a moment.

"I know."

Of course Aoi knew.

Aoi knew because Aoi had a moment much later than Akari’s.

During the winter of their middle school years, Aoi very rarely cried.

Even as a child Aoi didn’t often show her emotions.

After their father had walked out on them, everything inside of Aoi began to silently fall apart.

One day after school, Aoi was wandering about alone while it snowed softly on the deserted streets.

Aoi did not respond to anyone’s messages and had stopped talking to everyone.

Then, Aoi had a very unexpected surprise when a person named Kuro placed a warm can of juice into Aoi’s cold hands.

Kuro was young, shy and not the best with words.

Kuro sat quietly next to Aoi on the swing set about the playground with the snow covering the ground all around them.

There were no big speeches.

There were no forced types of comfort.

After quite an extended silence, Kuro very quietly told Aoi, "If people leave you, you should not automatically assume that the reason for their leaving is your fault."

Aoi to this day recalls exactly what Kuro told her. She needed very much for someone to have told her that then. Kuro had noticed something that Aoi never verbally communicated to him.

This was the very first time for Aoi to realize something very dangerous about Kuro; Kuro would always save people quietly, never knowing how important his actions would become later on.

The rainfall outside became heavier as the moment passed.

Akari weakly chuckled again.

From the beginning, we were doomed to fail.

Aoi gave a soft smile.

That’s probably true.

Silence returned to the room.

The silence was not hostile.

It was just painful.

Both sisters knew the truth.

They each deeply loved the same person, and neither of them could stop pursuing him.

Aoi said quietly, "I kissed him."

Akari stopped moving.

Even though she was already suspicious that Aoi had kissed him, it still hurt to hear her say it.

"Oh," Akari replied.

Aoi lowered her head.

"It was an accident."

"That makes it worse for me."

"Probably."

Akari held the pillow close.

She hurt.

She really, really hurt.

Now that this had really happened, Akari felt the distance between them.

Aoi had made the first move.

And Kuro had not rejected her.

Akari knew that too.

Then quietly,

"Did he like it?"

The question came out smaller than Akari expected.

Aoi looked surprised for just a moment, but then she was honest with her answer.

"He said he didn’t regret it."

Akari looked down immediately.

Her smile quivered a bit.

And for one brief moment, Aoi saw something in Akari that she had not previously recognized Fear.

Fear of losing something.Fear of being abandoned.Fear that one day Kuro would look at her differently than he does now.

Aoi responded gently and placed her hand on Akari.

Akari blinked.

Aoi’s voice changed to be softer than it normally was.

" I do not want to hurt you."

True

In all reality—Aoi also loved her sister deeply.

Akari laughed.

But you will anyways.

Because they both knew it was now inevitable.

Aoi unexpectedly spoke.

"Stop acting like our mother."

Akari stilled.

"In every instance in which anyone has ever been involved with you—" Aoi kept her tone low.

"You always put other people ahead of yourself."

"You keep on pretending that you and I are still children."

Her grip around Akari’s hand tightened just a little.

" But, we love him now."

Finally, Aoi made complete eye contact with Akari and stated quietly:

" So, fight me with everything you have."

The room physically felt like it was frozen afterwards.

Rain made a muffled sound on the windows.

Akari gazed blankly at her twin sister.

"You have really changed since Kyoto."

"Probably."

Akari quickly cleaned her eyes before getting up off the bed.

As she stood up, she leaned slightly toward Aoi, and grinned confidently again now.

" Maybe you are winning right now."

Aoi raised her head.

Akari gave an even bigger smile.

"I am going to win this war!"

While Kuro Kurogane was fast asleep in his bedroom on another floor of the building he was completely oblivious to this great battle going on above him.

A fool for sleeping through it all.