Divide and Conquer (A Higurashi When They Cry FanFic)

Chapter 3: Emotions

As Mion slammed the sliding door shut behind them, she sighed in exasperation. Seriously,why did her parents of all times have to be silly now? And on the day she brought Keiichi home, too! This was not how she had wanted it to go. She thought it would've been nice and quiet, a quick exchange of pleasantries, and then she and Keiichi would go to their room, do their homework, and Mion could get Keiichi started on all the housework she had planned out for him.

But nooooo, they just had to get all up in her business and embarrass the living crap out of her! Seriously, she had already made the mistake of admitting she liked Keiichi to them, but couldn't they just leave the subject be?

She could tell Keiichi was looking at her, but she didn't know what to say. She had no idea why Keiichi was such a big deal to her parents.

I mean, yeah, she thought. It is really impressive that Keii-chan stood his ground in an argument with Bachan and won, but still. It's not like we'll be dating anytime soon... or at all... She thought sadly as she looked over at the boy with the violet eyes she'd come to know and love so well. She swore that sometimes she would merely glance in their direction and they would suck her right in... How she wished they could look at her with unadulterated affection, a look only for her... with that wonderful smile of his that made her heart race, and that laugh that sent butterflies through her stomach...

She cleared her head. She shouldn't be having those kind of thoughts. Might as well be wishing to breathe on the moon, or to even be able to fly.

"What was all that about? With your parents, I mean" Keiichi said, suddenly looking away. Was it her wishful thinking or was he... actually blushing?

"I'm sorry, Keii-chan. They're not usually like that. They're usually more dignified. Besides," She said sadly. "They're only visiting me and my sister for a bit. They talked Bachan into letting them stay in the guest room for a few days." She smiled mirthlessly. "She probably would've knocked some dignity into them, if she hadn't been at a meeting.

"Oh, I forgot..." Keiichi looked down at his feet, feeling sorry for Mion. She must feel so alone, being raised by her grandmother, not being able to be with her parents all the time... "So why aren't you at the meeting with her?"

"Well," She said softly. "I wasn't needed."

"Ah." Keiichi shuffled his feet nervously. An awkward silence enveloped the room.

"Anyways!" Mion slapped Keiichi on the back, the mood forgotten. "We should probably get our homework done! Otherwise, Chie-sensei will have our necks."

Keiichi winced, but smiled. "You know, that might be the best idea I've heard all afternoon."

As they laid out their work out on the floor, they began to delve into the world of mathematics and history. They began to discuss their schoolwork as only the best of friends could, discussing the finer points of certain subjects, and the reasoning.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again." Mion said, laying on her side. "If I'm gonna be the head of the Sonozaki family, why am I studying this junk? We probably won't use half of what we learned, not to mention I won't even need to do any math. I'll just be ordering you and everyone in the village around, and I can just make you can do them for me!" She laughed.

"Yeah, but what if you need to distribute provisions and supplies evenly, and you can't hand them out normally, because its an uneven...well, supply? And no one else is around to help you?" Keiichi stammered as he propped himself up on one arm, trying to make a coherent argument.

Mion raised a finger as if to say something, then stopped, frowned, and let her hand fall to the floor. "That's a good point." She said grudgingly.