Fantasy, Meet Reality

Chapter X: Meet Your Match

(Hi, guys! I come to bring you another chapter again. The updates are slow because of the reason I mentioned last time.

Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to see this story through. This chapter is dedicated to @blueroselianasaito for her sweet comments and consistent votes. Thank you dear.

Well, here it goes. Happy reading and enjoy!)

     Natsumi was dumbfounded by her brother's attitude. She knew he had changed a lot since the day of his unfortunate accident. But she didn't realize by how much.

     "What's troubling you, Haku?" His silence bothered her. He was many things but silent wasn't one of them.

     "Please tell me," she continued. It was a desperate move on her part. Nonetheless, she didn't care. "I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

    A dull thud echoed throughout the place. 'Help, nee-chan?" The apparent hate in his voice made her step back. "You're making things worse!"

     "What are you saying, Haku?" He wasn't making any sense.

     "Don't play dumb. You know what I mean."

     Did she? "I'm in the dark about it," she said, fighting to maintain her composure.

     "Are you, nee-chan? First Kotaro-san and then this Takuya." It was a certainty. She didn't like where this conversation was going.

     "Can you stop being so vague?" What was her brother insinuating?

     "Are you this desperate to get a man?" Has she misheard? "Fine. We can live without you."

     Before she knew it, her hand had moved. Out of the corner her eye, Natsumi spied a red mark forming on her brother's cheek.

     "Was this your suspicion all this time?"

     "Suspicion? More like the truth." Keep your cool, Natsumi. Be reasonable even if he's not.

    "You don't know that," she replied.

    "I know! I've always known." Hearing her brother spout such words were painful. "You'll be with a man someday and abandon us!"

    Never. Not as long as she lived. "Listen, Haku-"

    "Shouting at your sister like that?" Since when did Takuya-san got there? "Where are your manners, hmm?"

     "Don't interfere with us. You're a stranger."

     Natsumi turned her eyes to Tokiya, waiting for his reaction. "I'm aware of it, Haku-kun. May I call you that?" To her surprise, he was calmness personified. "That doesn't give you the right to lash out at your sister."

     "Trying to be a hero, eh. Well, screw-"

     "Enough. Listen and listen well," Tokiya said, firmness lacing every word. Wait. Did Haku stand a tad straighter. "You will speak to Natsumi-san in a civilized manner. Got it?"

    "N-No way in hell." Why was he being so defiant?

    "You were saying?" Awestruck. This summed up how Natsumi felt as she beheld her brother. "Talk to me about your concerns if you're not ready to do so with your sister."

    Will he accept? Probably not.

    "I-I guess I will." Was she dreaming? Her headstrong brother agreed to someone else's bidding."

    "That settles it." Natsumi let out a relieved sigh. "Come Haku-kun. We have a lot to discuss." And so, she was left to ponder upon the turn of events.

      The rest of the morning might have sped by had she not noticed the shadows growing shorter.

    "Time to head inside." While still in a dazed state, she made her way to the house.

    "Natsu-neechan!" Just how many were gonna startle her today?

   "Sayu. What is it?" Paying attention was still hard for her. No wonder, with her mind reeling from the earlier happenings.

     "Mou... You're ignoring me." It was true.

    "I'm sorry. What is it?"

    "Look at this!" At what? She glanced at the paper Sayu was holding and saw kanji characters written in an elegant hand.

    "Takuya-nii wrote this!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling with excitement. "I think he is a great person. He helped me with my handwriting."

   "Is that so?" Natsumi replied. "Why the interest in that, dear?"

    "Don't get mad, nee-chan" she continued. "People say I would never be someone." How dare they? "All because we're poor."

     Natsumi could imagine how those words hurt  Sayu. "So I wanted to study hard to prove them wrong." There. That was her sister.

    "But it's hard." She knew that well. "Calligraphy is quite beyond me." How callous of her not to notice her sister's struggles.

    "I wish I could have helped you out more."

    "You've already done a lot, nee-chan." Had she? "It's time I handle what I can on my own."

    "So what did Takuya-san teach you?"

  "A lot of things," her sister answered. "Like how to write properly and my name in kanji "

    "He used up all the paper though." A pout appeared on Sayu's lips as she spoke. "But he did promise to replace it."

    Heaven-sent. To Natsumi, Tokiya was all these and more. The need to provide for her sibling's basic needs had almost made her neglect their education.

    "I'm thankful for Takuya-nii's help. I hope I can return his kindness someday." Just how did her sister read her mind?

    A burden was seemingly lifted off Natsumi's shoulders. Things did run a chance of getting better, didn't they?

     The sky which hung above them was bright and clear. Hope. This sight evoked the emotion in her. Under its vastness, anything and everything can happen.

    Including the mending of broken relationships.

    "Natsumi-san." Takuya-san? "Are you okay?"

    "My brother, where is he?" she mumbled.

    "Leave him be for now," he replied. "Everything will be alright."

     And with all her heart, she believed it would.

Next Chapter's Sneak Peek:

     "By the way, why were you chasing an onigiri down the street?"

    "H-Huh?" He caught me doing that? Oh gosh, earth please swallow me now.