Mission Complete

Prologue

A roofed pathway. A sunlit day. A school she never wished to go back to, but one to which she went only for them. A chance to see them, to go out for ice cream....

The last time she saw them.

Her hair was effervescent, despite its caramel colour; it shone like rose gold when hit with any light. It was wispy and thin, but straight, and had it been out of her pigtails, it would have fallen straight to her hips. Her eyes were a gorgeous golden-amber, flecks of orange-red making them seem so much deeper and her hair turn rosy. Her skin was so pale that she radiated with warm and golden hues, like wheat shifting in sunlit fields every time she walked. Even her waist was so thin one could almost wrap their hands around it, yet none would dare touch her Aphroditic beauty. Completely unaware of their affections, however, she stormed her way through every day, moaning and groaning, screaming and crying, hoping she could one day face her own family, and be recognised as part of it.

She smiled at the boy in front of her, tucking her head and brushing her hair away.

He handed her a letter, and when she reached for it, he took her hand as he gave it back. "I got your letter, lovely, but I'm afraid you gave it to the wrong twin. I'm Kaoru." Kaoru, my ass, she thought. "However, I'd rather keep this sweet little thing between us. He's not interested in you, but I certainly am." He lifted her chin up so she looked right into his golden-amber eyes. His red hair brushed against her forehead as she heated at the proximity, but she had to wait until the right moment. "So? Would you be okay with me?" he whispered, leaning in as though to kiss her.

She pulled away before he could come closer, rubbing her cheek to get rid of the condensation from his breath. "You're disgusting, you know that? Those girls may have been horrible to you, but it's not your right to toy with their emotions. You should never treat anyone like that, woman or man. You're better than this." Tears welled in her eyes, but they were hidden as she punched him in the face. It caught him by surprise enough that he stumbled back, grabbing his nose in a not-quite-graceful way. "And Kaoru, you look awfully ridiculous hiding in those bushes."

Kaoru raced to his brother's side as she turned on her heel, a swagger in her step as she began to walk away.

"H-How?" Hikaru muttered in a nasal voice, pinching his nose in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"How can you tell us apart?" his twin muttered. She stopped, curling a pigtail around her finger.

"It's really not so hard to see. I'm older sister to a pair of twins like you. You two have different tics, anyways. You must have such poor memory to not remember me." She clucked at them motherly, shaking her head. "We've met before, after all." A sob tried to break through her words, but she'd had enough practice hiding them to control it until she rounded the corner.

She sighed, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall for a moment. She couldn't figure out why she was so hurt by their reaction to her when it was her fault, anyways.

When she saw the black limo outside the school, a weight fell back onto her. She'd just come back; for what reason must they send her off again so soon?

"Yes? What is it this time?" she asked, straightening her posture.

"You've been recognised for a scholarship at the Massachusetts' Institute of Technology. Your bags are packed, and your flight is docking now." Her lips straightened, and she bit on the inside of her mouth in response to his monotonous words. She had been gone so long, but now....

She'd never left the country for work before.

She vowed that, no matter what, she would come back and give them a chance to remember her.

We could finally go out for ice cream then....