tampered | Complete!

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Complete!

When; December 27
Rating; PG-13 for underage drinking and incestuous undertones. Possible brief moment of R near end, thanks to Future Ghost.
Characters; Tohno Akiha and Shiki
Summary; As a Christmas gift, Shiki spends his whole day with his sister Akiha.
Log;The day had arrived; one she had been awaiting since Christmas Eve. Today she would receive her gift: her brother would spend the entire day with her and do what she wished, without complaints. Already she had washed and prepared herself in her best outfit, and had sat herself at the table, waiting for Nii-san.

Except she’d forgotten that her schedule for waking up, 5 AM, was an utter impossibility for him.

Hence, after two hours, she calmly ascended the stairs, sought out his room, and entered. There she spotted her lazy brother, so deep in sleep; he resembled a corpse at a funeral. Momentarily, his appearance disturbed her, bringing back horrid memories. Then she shook herself, telling herself it was an illusion, focusing on how her brother was sleeping when he should be awake!

Knowing Hisui’s past troubles with this, Akiha didn’t bother with speaking softly. Instead, she kicked the side of his bed repeatedly.

"Nii-san, wake up! Today’s the day!"

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She giggled - barely even started and already she was enjoying this.

"It doesn't have to be anything extra-fancy, that might be too much for you. Something simple like pancakes with various fruits and sunny-side eggs. Oh, and tea. Black please, one cube of sugar."

Edited 2008-12-27 05:32 (UTC)

Leaving the room, he sighed in relief. He really was only planning on pancakes and eggs. Still, it was his sister so he had to do something special. Setting his finally cooked pancakes on a plate, he cut up the fruit and arranged it into a something like a smiley face and poured over a fruit glaze. He'd seen pancakes done like this before. He put the eggs on another plate and finished up the tea exactly like she asked.

He walked out into the dining room with the plates balanced on his left arm and the tea in his right hand. He placed them down in front of Akiha and awaited her own approval.

She looked over the dishes, observing the rather childish facial expression on the pancakes. Still, they were freshly made, with the right amount of glaze that didn't create an oversweetness. The eggs themselves had all the white cooked, leaving only the middle part raw, just how sunny-side eggs should be. As for the tea, it was perfectly done like asked.

Overall, her only complaint, "Why didn't you fix yourself a serving? I wished for us to sit together and eat. Besides, we have a long day ahead; you need the energy."

Edited 2008-12-27 05:47 (UTC)

Taking a seat near her, he shook his head.

"I'm not really hungry. I rarely eat a lot anyways but I'll be fine today. You should enjoy yourself. Besides..."

He gestured to her.

"If I'm not eating, it gives us more time to talk."

Looking downwards, a sigh escaped her lips. She grabbed an extra plate, placed onto it some fruit and one of the eggs, and set it near him with an extra fork.

"Pour yourself some tea, too. This is my day alone with you, so please don't be too reserved. I won't talk until you eat."

Edited 2008-12-27 05:58 (UTC)

He acted like he was doing it grudgingly but he poured himself a cup of tea. Sitting back down, he started to eat with her. He was deadly quiet, not knowing what to say. It was easy to write down words on a paper but when faced with the real things, it became more difficult by a factor of three.

The quietness of this breakfast wasn't lost on her. Even if she couldn't read people as well as Hisui, she understood Nii-san wasn't very comfortable. If Kohaku were here, she'd break the awkwardness with her cheery voice and ideas. But right now, Akiha was on her own. Tempted to just yell at Nii-san to start talking, she searched around for a conversation topic.

"So, what other presents did you receive?"

He quickly chewed what was in his mouth before speaking up.

"Just a few things here and there, not too much. Most people know I'm not big on physical things though I did get a knife set for the kitchen. How about you?"

What about her? Looking back, she hadn't really received a present from anyone beyond Nii-san. But her brother's present had excited her enough that she didn't notice it until now. For a few seconds, her eyes reflected her disappointment.

But she smiled at him and answered, "As far as I know, you're the only one to give me anything. But your gift alone is enough, thank you."

It's true. Gifts from the others don't matter as much as Nii-san's. His is enough. At least, that's what she told herself.

Edited 2008-12-27 15:07 (UTC)

"No one else got you anything? I know you're new but..."

He shook his head, wondering about a few of his friends and why that got nothing. Oh well. Worrying about wouldn't hurt much of anything.

"I hope you've been adjusting well at least."

"I arrived over a week before Christmas, so it's not like anyone would know what I wanted." Besides, this day is what I wished for. "Just promise me you won't tell anyone of this. I'd rather not be given gifts out of guilt."

She drank her remaining tea as if stating her conclusion. "Well then, after breakfast, shall we wander off to the park? I've yet to explore anywhere beyond the central area of this City."

Edited 2008-12-29 00:52 (UTC)

He looked at her, a queer look going across his face.

"How could I not tell anyone? It's not really fair to you to sit back and get nothing."

He didn't like hearing talk like that. Akiha should be enjoying things as much as everyone else, right? It just didn't make sense not too, unless she was just being self sacrificial.

"All right. I'll show you around. That way, you won't need me escorting you every time you need to go out."

"Agh, just do it, Nii-san! Besides, I received enough presents last Christmas anyway."

None that she actually cared for, but she digressed.

Once breakfast was over, it wasn't long before they reached the gardens of Xanadu. (At least, it didn't feel long to her. Time passed quickly when talking with her brother.) She took the time to observe the natural beauty of the snow-covered flora. The deer poking around, searching for the tastiest bark. But when they reached the center...

"Ah! Nii-san, that tree! It's December, yet cherry blossoms are blooming!"

Edited 2008-12-29 02:20 (UTC)

Shiki himself looked up at the tree upon it's mention. He gave it a few moment's notice before giving a slight wince.

"I've heard some stories about that tree. I'd stay away from it if I were you."

He eagerly motioned to another direction, not wanting to come near that one. He heard it ate people or something really ridiculous. He didn't quite believe it but he didn't really want to test it out either. You could never trust anything in this city.

Edited 2008-12-29 02:24 (UTC)

"Why would anyone approach a cherry blossom tree? They're for viewing, not touching."

Despite the illogic of this tree's existence, her sense of aesthetics didn't wane. This tree's beauty was astounding. She wished she'd brought a bottle of wine.

Alas, there were other things to view, so she went along with her brother's direction.

Edited 2008-12-29 02:36 (UTC)

After about another minute or so, Shiki motioned off to his left. It was pretty easy to see the Ferris Wheel and certain other rides from the amusement park that was recently put into the city.

"If you ever get really bored one day, that's not too bad of a place to go. If you get scared of riding any rides, I'll go on them with you."

Those rides certainly seemed fascinating, especially to someone who had never seen such a place, much less been allowed to visit one. Too bad it appeared closed (at least from where they stood).

"Perhaps, although none of them seem frightening. But if Nii-san offers to escort me, just in case, how can I refuse?"

Sometime after, they exited Xanadu to explore more of the City. In the midst of their meandering, peculiar embarrassing noises emitted from both their stomachs, causing her cheeks to be flushed.

Good thing they were near Cafe Juliet, not that she knew the place.

Edited 2008-12-29 02:55 (UTC)

Shiki couldn't help to throw in a joke about the situation. Especially since he felt Akiha needed to relax about some things.

"That wasn't very lady-like, Akiha-sama."

From Akiha's point of view, such jokes didn't make her relax. In fact, his teasing just made her tense more - or so she thought.

"Oh shut up, it's a natural reaction to being hungry. Besides, you did it too," she complained as she entered the cafe.

"It's okay if I do it. I'm a guy so you can't expect any different."

This conversation was probably going to break down into a stupid argument so Shiki decided to do something nice for once. Once they had found a table, he pulled out a chair and offered it to her to sit in.

She gratefully took his offer, although her ire didn't diminish.

"So my being a girl means I should somehow control my stomach gro-"

She'd just taken her first glance at the drinks section of the menu. She already knew what she wanted, but...

"What do these terms mean? Tall? Grande? Venti? Do they only serve large sizes here?"

Shiki stared at her like she had no idea what she was talking about. Scratch that, she didn't have any idea of what she was talking about. It's not like it mattered, he thought while wishing he could push his hand through his face.

"Just pick whichever one sounds best. I'm the one paying so it doesn't matter."

A sigh. So her brother was just as clueless as her.

"A tall, then. I assume that's the smallest size here. Honestly, why does everyone feel the need to "go big" these days?"

She didn't realize the joke she had unknowingly set herself up.

Of course, he couldn't hold himself from prodding that line of thought.

"If only you asked yourself that question. You might find the answer you're looking for."

"Eh..?" she almost asked. But then the line of thought connected with her and she understood...and wished she didn't.

Her glare practically bored into him, her hair seemingly doing a ghostly dance. The usual reaction to this joke was usually a foot, fist, or other blunt object to the head. Oh, but those were so trite and would only prove his point, which she absolutely didn't want.

"Perhaps Nii-san too, should ask himself that question. He could easily find the answer very well."

Edited 2008-12-29 04:03 (UTC)

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Finally back

=D

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