Simple Sweetness

Chapter 20: The Middle

The living room was enshrouded in warm morning light, cascading in from the large bay window. Warming the somber form of a dark haired young man, trying unsuccessfully not to crack even a hint of a smile. Currently enjoying the less then peaceful morning.

Darien let out a slow breath, sitting in the living room absently cradling his coffee cup. As he sat in the white leather arm chair, dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white polo top with a rounded collar, with a black hoody zipped up half way. Listening with a patient humour, as his true love pacing up and down the back hall like a rampaging elephant. She was the last one awake and was now urgently needing the bathroom, unfortunately Shingo was currently having a nice long soothing shower and could not hear his sister's now whining plea's for him to hurry up.

Monday morning had arrived in the flurry of sound and activity as his two new house mates went about getting ready. It was a bit disconcerting, a tad inconvenient at times, but ultimately comforting to have company constantly milling about his small apartment. But he was starting to feel like a blind man suddenly given sight. The steady noise, having to navigate around other's to get from one end of the place to the other. To have to engage in simple conversations, when he had spent years in the silent peace of loneliness was becoming quite a welcomed shock to his system.

"Shingo...com'on!" Usagi screamed at the bathroom door, now dancing and clutching herself in dismay. Her long golden locks fluttering about, tussled and full of static. Still wearing her pink sleep pants and now a huge white t-shirt of Darien's that hung off one slender shoulder like a shroud.

Her brother instantly pulled the door open a crack and shot his head out in alarm. "What the hell, Usagi?" he breathed, blue eyes wide in alarm, that she would just shout out his true name like that with Darien a room away.

She regarded him soberly, as the steam from inside the small room curled out to dampen her face. The sudden moisture only making her predicament more urgent.

"He knows everything..." She stated, in a rush. "We need to learn to trust, little brother. We have to take care of ourselves now. The Agency can't be trusted. " She kept on seeing his nervous look. Hopping urgently for him to get out of her way, her hand fluttering near his shoulder's. Resisting the urge to pull him forcefully from the bathroom so she could use it.

He nodded, trusting in his sister. He would interrogate her later about how she came to that conclusion, seemly out of the blue. But that explained why she yanked them away from the agents on the weekend. Then silently left the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Padding away leaving small puddles upon the hard wood in his wake, walking back towards the living room where his bag lay.

Darien smiled in amusement, taking a long sip from his coffee when Usagi's blissful cry of relief floated out from the bathroom.

"See you, at the gates after school. Onee-chan... Nii-san!" Shingo called and waved as he dashed out of the truck and through the elementary school gates.

Usagi gave him a warm smile and wave as he dashed through the gates.

Darien had been oddly quiet all morning, he paid the young boy a small nod and communal smile as well. Waiting just long enough to watch him cross the threshold onto school grounds before driving off down the street and pulling into the parking lot of the High school.

Usagi had being paying him strange looks the whole way to school, contemplating his nervous mood. She had chosen a more subdued outfit herself today. In her tight dark blue jeans with the black rose embroidery. With a nice pearl off white blouse, with long sleeves and wide cuffs. That had a frilly low style Elizabethan like collar. Accented with tiny buttons with pleats along its central line. The sides form fitting to show an hour glass shape down her slender body. She left the blouse untucked to hang just below her waist with her heavy dark bomber jacket over top.