Another

Chapter 23: Stretches

*The above picture is just a quick sketch I did so you can get an idea of what I meant when I said the marks covered nearly their whole bodies! I've also drawn out the warding masks Urokodaki-san made for them. Let me know if you don't like me adding sketches or anything, since I know some people find it annoying. I just want to help ya visualize a bit. Sorry for the long authors note and the bad art lol, I'll be making a little sketch collection for "Another" so you can get an idea of the outfits they'll be wearing throughout the story!
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No sky met me. I only saw the splintery wooden planks of a ceiling above me. There was no snow or bitter coldness. There was no rush of a river, although, distantly, I thought I could hear the barely audible bubbling of water in a kettle.

My eyes flitted downward, over my body covered by a thick blanket, and to the entrance of the unlit room. I groaned as I pulled myself straight up, my joints creaking their very own complaints. I pushed the covers off, listening to them rustle as they fell down to my lap.

A sharp gasp echoed through the room. I quickly glanced to my side, surprised to see a young woman vaguely resembling onee-san. She had long black hair, and wide fuschia eyes that stared at me. She quickly wiped her eyes, and stared at me again, as if she thought she was dreaming.

"Ot...oto-san?" She whispered.

I studied her, confused. "No..." I trailed off. Her hair shifted as she tilted her head to the side, revealing black ink resembling vines climbing up her neck. It curled around her jaw, and disappeared into her hair.

I narrowed my eyes at her, and hesitantly sniffed the air. There was the smell of coal and herbs from the other room and, faintly, Urokodaki-san's scent, but other than that, I could only smell Nezuko and I in this room. This woman didn't have a distinct scent. Unless...

I leaned forward, inspecting her. She leaned back, away from me. There was no way. There was no way this nearly grown woman was my little sister.

The young woman wrung her hands together, her eyes shifting nervously side-to-side. Nezuko had the same bad habit whenever she was anxious. I forced myself to slowly exhale.

"Nezuko?" I asked. The young woman quickly met my eye, alarmed. She furrowed her brow, and squinted at me, clearly confused. I grinned, amused.

"Hello, imouto." I cooed.

For a moment, only confusion filled her features. Suddenly, Nezuko's eyes grew wide. She gaped at me, seemingly as surprised as I was. "Onii-chan?" She whispered, hesitantly.

I nodded, a bit surprised it took me a while to recognize my own sister. "Yes. I'm here." I smiled. Nezuko's gaze flew up and down, as if she couldn't believe I was actually here. I just shook my head and got up to my feet.

I stretched, wincing as my joints popped the higher I lifted my arms. Nezuko followed suit, occasionally glancing up at me. I grinned, certain that I must've also changed quite a bit. I glanced back at Nezuko from the corner of my eye. If my baby sister was now a young adult, then it was safe to assume we've been asleep for more than a few days.

"Nezuko?" I grit my teeth as I reached for the floor, ignoring the unpleasant throbbing as I folded myself in half. She merely grunted in reply, busy with her own stretches. I sighed in content as I stood back up. "How was your sleep?" I asked, failing to suppress a grin. Nezuko snorted.

"It was great!" She exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she began putting up her futon. I quickly began rolling up mine as well. She raised her eyebrows at me. "Why?" Nezuko asked, a bit cheekily. Her cat-like eyes were glowing mirthfully. "Are you still tired, onii-chan?"

I scoffed as I handed my futon to her, so she could place it in the tiny closet. I plastered what I hoped to be a convincing look of certainty on my face. "Kind of." I lied.

Nezuko's fangs caught the moonlight from the window as she laughed. I smiled, happy to hear it. She had grown so much! My baby sister was now an adult! And I missed it all during our nap. She was so big now.

Nezuko's laughter suddenly stopped. She was staring at me in concern. "Are you okay, onii-chan." I blinked rapidly, my vision cloudy. I turned to the side and quickly swiped away at my eyes.

"Yes!" I started, with a small laugh. "Yes, I'm fine. I don't know why I suddenly started crying. How weird, r-"

The air knocked out of me as Nezuko rammed into my chest. My tongue snagged on my canines as her head hit the bottom of my jaw, momentarily filling my mouth with the iron taste of my own blood. I glanced confusedly down at my younger sister. Her arms were a vice around my midsection, as if she was afraid that I'd leave her.

"Don't do that." Nezuko whispered against my torso. "Don't pretend to be okay when we're both not." She pressed her face further into my chest. "Don't act like everything's okay, because you and I know it's not. Please don't smile like nothing's wrong."

I pressed my lips firmly together. Nezuko hid her face in my clothes, waiting for me to say something. Anything.

I shook my head and rested my chin on the top of her head. She was shaking. I sighed, and hugged her tightly. "I won't pretend anymore." Nezuko froze, before pulling back. She stared at me, looking for sincerity. The corner of my mouth jumped. "I promise." I vowed.

Nezuko studied with me for a few more seconds, until she was certain that I wasn't lying. She moved back towards me, probably for another hug I'm guessing, but I stopped her with a finger on her forehead. She squinted at me in confusion.

I raised my eyebrows. "I promise," I repeated, "as long as you promise not to cry anymore." I finished. Nezuko gazed thoughtfully at me, mouth set in a firm straight line. I sighed and pulled her back in for another hug. "It hurts me when I see my little sister cry." I simply explained, hoping that she understood. It was the truth.

Nezuko nodded into my chest, and I smiled softly. I released my hold on her. "Now." Nezuko curiously met my eye. I grinned. "Let's surprise Urokodaki-san, hm?"

Nezuko smiled mischievously, the moonlight turning her eyes into pink fire. She dusted herself off, before grasping my hand in hers.

"Let's go."