《Twins through it all the way》


 Chapter I

    The door slammed shut behind Kiriai as she rushed out of the house she had lived with her family at for the last twelve years, ever since they had moved there from a couple blocks down. ¡°Kiya, wait!¡± She ran up and grabbed her older sister''s hand before she could shut the car door, Kiya looking back at her and flinching as if she expected to see someone else, before her gaze softened upon seeing Kiriai.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She stopped, still halfway inside the car, leaning against the partially open door.


    ¡°Are you really going to move out?¡± Kiriai asks, giving her a long pleading look.


    Kiya gave a long look at Kiriai, pausing, before looking over her shoulder as the door to the house started to open again, and she could hear the sound of shouted arguing reaching outside again. ¡°C¡¯mon, if you want to talk, just get in the car, we can talk on the road.¡±


    Kiriai frowns slightly, but acquiesces, getting in on the other side, and the car pulls out of the driveway even while their mother shouted at them.


    [...]


    ¡°So, what did you want?¡± Kiya asks, pressing a button on the dash to put some music on- quietly, so as to not interfere with their conversation, as she glanced at Kiriai briefly.


    Kiriai glanced out the window to see where they were headed- Kiya was driving slowly, somewhat below the speed limit, heading west in the direction of the nearby convenience store. Kiriai self-consciously rubbed her neck and squirmed down into her seat. ¡°Are you really going to move out?¡± She repeated her question from earlier, slightly hesitantly.


    ¡°Of course. You saw how heated mother got last argument we had. If she doesn''t want me around, then she¡¯ll get her way.¡± Kiya stated impassively, her face carefully kept icy and cold.


    Kiriai frowned. Of course, she wasn''t wrong- the situation in the house kept getting more and more tense, not over any particular issue, just a constant stream of petty arguments over inconsequential things. Rinse, cycle, repeat.


    ¡°But, if you''re gone, I¡¯ll be alone with them. And¡­¡± Kiriai stopped, though there were a myriad of things she could have said. And she¡¯d have nobody to study with, and she¡¯d have nobody to cook for, and she¡¯d not have anyone to talk to around her age. But in truth, they hadnt done any of those things together in months anyways- Kiya was always away at her job, Kiriai was busy with college, and even if they weren''t, they¡¯d drifted apart lately anyways. So instead, Kiriai just meekly ended with ¡°...And I¡¯d miss you something awful.¡±


    Guilt washed over her, and she wondered why she¡¯d even come outside instead of staying shut up in her room like usual. If her sister thought she could be happier somewhere else, who was she to tell her to change her mind, or make her feel guilty for leaving? I guess I just feel like I haven''t spent enough time with you, and now you¡¯re leaving forever¡­ Of course, she would still see her at ¡®family gatherings¡¯, could talk to her online, etc¡­ It wasn''t the same though, was it?


    As Kiya stopped at a light and flicked on her turn signal, she looked back over at Kiriai, her icy gaze softening with a hint of¡­ Pity? The look just made Kiriai feel more guilty. ¡°You could move out too, you know.¡±


    ¡°You know I don''t have money for that¡­¡± Kiriai mumbled, frowning. She¡¯d managed to get a scholarship and some financial aid to get through college, and she did contract work part-time, but even so she was just barely managing to put together enough for college.


    Kiya gave her a sly smile from the side and leaned over to face her, shrugging nonchalantly. ¡°Well, you could always move in with me. The place is large enough for two.¡±


    The statement was made so innocuously that its significance almost missed Kiriai entirely. ¡°But, I couldn''t afford to help pay the bills, or my food- I¡¯m still reliant on mom and dad.¡±


    Kiya¡¯s look darkened as Kiriai brought them up, and she revved up the engine, accelerating with a jerk as the light turned green again and she turned north towards the grocery.


    ¡°I wouldn''t make you pay rent, I wasn''t planning on having a roommate anyways, so I wouldn''t be paying any more.¡± Kiya shrugs, then looks over at Kiriai with a teasing expression. ¡°Besides, I wouldn''t mind paying a bit extra to help my baby sister out-¡±


    ¡°Here, c¡¯mon, you can help me pick out some snacks. Not too much though, there''s limited room with all my stuff in the back-¡±


    [...]


    When they get back, Kiya goes and shuts themself in their room- as usual. There¡¯s a sound of furniture being moved and heavy footsteps, so Kiriai supposes they must be packing. Wanting to clear her thoughts, she heads to the kitchen to busy herself with making food while she thinks about what to do.


    Kiriai keeps her head down as she chops onions for her salad. The burning sensation hadnt kicked in yet, but she was still squinting pre-emptively to help keep her eyes clear. But the sound of the door loudly opening behind her makes her jolt, and she almost cuts herself with the knife.


    ¡°Can you not make such a mess when cooking? There''s nowhere for me to sit, now.¡± Her mother was complaining before Kiriai even had time to notice who it was. Kiriai looked around the room- it was true, it was rather messy and there wasn''t much space, but most of that was because of piles of laundry her mother had heaped onto the table.


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    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll move somewhere else to cook.¡± Kiriai mumbles in return; Trying to debate the point was a losing battle. So she just put all the ingredients and the bowl on the large cutting board and awkwardly picking it up with both hands to relocate to somewhere more private.


    ¡°What, are you crying? You shouldn¡¯t be so sensitive.¡± Her mother stated, caustically.


    ¡°Oh my god, mom, I¡¯m literally cutting onions. See? Knife and cut onions?¡± She waggled the bowl in her mothers direction so she could see the contents, and huffed as she turned around and entered her room before her mother could criticize her in some other way.


    [...]


    Kiriai sighed as she retired to her room, sitting down on her bed. It was always the same lately; School, studying, then spending the rest of the day shut up in her room. Her muscles would probably have atrophied by now, if she didn¡¯t have to walk to the bus stop every day. Reluctantly, she gets back to preparing her salad with the ingredients she had brought with her, although she was missing the dressing that was supposed to go with it.


    She didn¡¯t really feel like eating- She barely had an appetite- but she knew that she had to keep herself from wasting away, so she made her best effort to eat her salad. She¡¯d really mostly just made it to occupy herself while she cleared her thoughts, anyways; When it was two thirds empty, she couldn''t stomach another bite and set it aside as she sat up at her desk and opened her laptop, ready to get back to work studying for her upcoming exams.


    The afternoon passed without incident, and Kiriai turned in early, feeling unusually lethargic. Despite this, she lays in bed staring at the ceiling fully awake late into the night, her thoughts entrapped by thinking about Kiya¡¯s departure. After they¡¯re gone, it¡¯ll just be my parents and Riley left. Maybe I need to try to make more friends. Maybe I should get a boyfriend?


    The thought idly slid through her mind unenthusiastically. None of that would really replace this; Even if she had someone else to see from time to time, it wouldn¡¯t keep them company at home. So, it had no point.


    She closed her eyes and tried to bring her mind to other things, more relaxing things, but she kept sliding back into reminiscing about the past. Still, eventually her lethargy got the better of her, and she slid off into sleep.


    [...]


    It wasn¡¯t late in the day when Kiriai woke up, and given the late time of year it was still almost black outside. Her eyes dimly opened, staring up at the ceiling as she reluctantly rolled out of bed. Could¡¯ve used another few hours of sleep, I think¡­ Kiriai groaned, rubbing her face. But there was no point staying in bed, even as she shivered in the air; She just didn''t feel like she could relax. If nothing else, after being up for a few hours she could probably go and take a nap, once she was suitably distracted.


    Distracted¡­ Even thinking of being distracted brought the situation to the forefront of her mind, and she found her gaze drawn by a picture frame on her desk. She walked over and gingerly picked it up, contemplating. The picture was from summer a few years back, when the whole family had gone to Oregon for a couple weeks. It was too hot for her, generally, but she¡¯d still gone everywhere with everyone, not wanting to be left behind. In the background was her mother and father, and in front was her and Kiya, smiling for the camera.


    Kiriai felt a tear collect in the corner of her eye as she stared at the picture. She remembered the day they had taken it; They¡¯d gone down to the beach to go swimming, but there was an alert of sharks in the water, so they had just gone for a walk along the sand instead. Kiya and herself had ran ahead of everyone else, and gotten lost for a couple hours in a beachfront residential area before finding their way back to the beach, where their parents had been packing up the car thinking they had gone back to the hotel ahead of them.


    Just then, juxtaposed perfectly with that memory, she heard the sound of an engine revving up outside, and she froze in place. It''s too early for mom and dad to be up. It¡¯s got to be Kiya leaving.


    It was just too much. Without even thinking, or realizing she had made a decision, she had grabbed her suitcase full of old clothes she hadn¡¯t unpacked, and her laptop from her desk, and rushed out the door into the hall. Her suitcase bumped into the walls as she ran down the stairs, hearing a muffled protest from her fathers bedroom at the commotion as she threw the door open and rushed outside just as her sister''s car was pulling out of the driveway.


    Kiya slammed on the brakes as Kiriai ran out in front of the car, hastily rolling down the window and sticking her head out into the rain. ¡°God, Kiri, are you trying to make me run you over?¡± Despite this, they press a button on the dashboard to unlock the doors as Kiriai pulls up to the door on the other side of the car, swinging it open and lifting her suitcase to throw it in the back before sitting down and shutting the door behind her.


    ¡°Sorry. I just couldn''t let you leave without me.¡± Kiriai muttered, hugging her knees. She hadnt been out long but her hair was still dripping water.


    ¡°You gotta be more careful, I¡¯d never live it down if I hit you-¡± Kiya mutters, clearly stressed, as she sighs loudly and starts the engine up again. Kiriai sits there in rapt silence for a moment while Kiya takes a look at the mirrors before applying the gas again and starting to move.


    The awkward silence hangs in the air for a long moment, before Kiya sighs and rolls her shoulders, leaning back in her chair, and speaks up. ¡°So you decided to take me up on my offer, then?¡±


    Kiriai hesitated, unsurely. Did I decide? I wasn¡¯t even thinking, I just¡­ She shook her head, receiving a puzzled look from her sister as she looked up. ¡°I um, just thought I should come with you and¡­ help you feel settled in, since you¡¯ve never been on your own before.¡± Kiriai offered, weakly.


    Kiya stared at her for a long moment, a slight frown at the edge of her lips, before nodding affirmation. ¡°You got everything packed?¡±


    Kiriai nodded, hesitantly. Not really, but it¡¯ll probably be enough. It¡¯s just a week, after all. ¡­I hope there''s a laundromat there.


    Kiya made a quiet ¡°Mhm¡± Sound of acknowledgement and turned her attention back to the road, sliding down in her chair a little. ¡°Good. Because I¡¯m not looking back.¡± She increased the gear and pushed down on the gas, and sped off into the rain.

 Chapter II

    Kiriai looks up at the apartment building as her sister pulls into the parking lot. She hadn¡¯t actually seen the place before, and didn''t have any idea where it was- She was so lost in her thoughts she hadnt paid any attention to which direction they had gone, or even how long they¡¯d been driving. It was 7:30 now, but she wasn''t sure what time they had left.


    It was a pretty standard building by all standards; A small courtyard bounded by a rectangular complex of apartments, each lined with small balconies, bounded by fences on the ground floor. Small gardens of flowers sat in front of the walls, each finished with white stucco and terracotta roofing. ¡°Wait here, I¡¯ll go get checked in.¡± Kiya told her sister, opening the door and getting outside. The rain had let up, leaving a dense mist all around. Kiriai leaned back in their chair before deciding to get out and stretch her legs, sitting on the front of the car.


    She felt as though she hadnt gotten fresh air in ages, so she just leaned back against the windshield and closed her eyes, savoring the simple feeling of air against her skin. Before she knew it, she heard the characteristic gait of her sister approaching and flicked an eye open, looking around at them.


    ¡°Alright, got the keys. Lets go get unpacked, shall we?¡± Kiya waggled the key in the air and tossed it before catching and pocketing it, prompting Kiriai to jump up to their feet, eager to help.


    Opening up all the car doors, Kiriai helps carry the first load in, taking her own belongings as well as a pillow stuffed under her arm, as Kiya unlocks and opens up their place- Room 221. It''s a modest living space, with a kitchen and bedroom detached from the main room. A leather sofa sits in front of the T.V., with a hexagonal glass table between them.


    Kiriai sets down their belongings and heads out to the car to collect another load, repeating the process until everything is up in their room and they can close the door. Kiya collapses down on the couch with an ¡°oof¡±, while Kiriai awkwardly stands there before sitting down on their suitcase. Now what? It was still early- well, early-ish- and it wouldn''t be until tomorrow that she had to go back to college. She supposed she¡¯d need to find a new route to get there- she hoped it wasn''t too much farther than before¡­


    Kiriai shrugs and supposes she better figure that out before she does anything else. She gets up and opens her suitcase, taking out her laptop and navigating to the kitchen, sitting up at the counter and opening her laptop there. ¡°Hey, Kiya, did they give you the passcode?¡± She shouts at her sister in the other room.


    ¡°Uh, yeah, it''s ¡®RainyDay221¡¯. The R and D are both capitalized.¡± Kiya called back, grunting as she unpacked something.


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Kiriai replies, plugging in her computer and getting logged on. After turning on location search, she opened up Firefox and started looking for a public transit route to college. With a sigh of relief, she saw she was closer, not further away- Though the route back required her to get on the bus an hour earlier, so she wouldn''t have time to study at school after class. Kiriai leaned back, satisfied, and then shut her laptop to go and help with the rest of the unpacking.


    [...]


    Kiriai and Kiya unpack their belongings and take a look around the place, getting everything put away and finding out where everything is.


    ¡°Hey, I think the place has a jacuzzi. You wanna go hit it up with me?¡± Kiya asks, pointing a thumb outside.


    ¡°H-huh? Oh, yeah, sure.¡± Kiriai responds, shaking off their distraction. They¡¯d been deep in thought yet again, not really paying attention. Had Kiya been talking to her that whole time..? She honestly didn''t know.


    [...]


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    After changing, Kiya and Kiriai head down to the pool and spa. Without even giving a second glance at the pool, Kiya ignores it and heads straight to the spa after unlocking the gate leading in, slipping in and leaning back, sighing. Kiriai tests the water with a toe before more timidly stepping down the stairs and sitting down across from her. There was no-one else around, despite it being a sunday. Lucky us, I guess. Kiriai thought to herself.


    ¡°Ah, that hits the spot. I¡¯m glad I get at least a day to relax and settle in before I have to head back to work.¡± Kiya states, her face looking truly serene as she sits there leaning back against the wall. Kiriai silently repeated her sentiments inwardly, though ¡®relaxing¡¯ wasn''t so much what was on her mind. She hadnt even explained to mom and dad that she was going to be moving out with Kiya, though she supposed that her hasty packing and rushing through the house right before Kiya left would show that well enough¡­ But the point still stood, that she had just rushed out here without thinking. She couldn''t explain it, she just¡­


    She didn¡¯t know. Couldn''t stand the thought of Kiya going off on her own, maybe? At least mom had dad around and vice versa, but Kiya being all alone¡­


    But when she blinked her eyes shut and sunk down into the water further, she knew that couldn''t be it either. She hadnt come along for Kiya¡¯s sake, who seemed quite fine regardless. No, whatever reason she had come was for herself, but she couldn''t quite tell what that reason was.


    ¡°...Hello, earth to Kiriai. We¡¯ve lost all contact!¡± Kiriai blinked her eyes open again in confusion to see Kiya waving at her trying to get her attention. ¡°Gosh, you''re pensive today. You ok? Is the hot water affecting you?¡± Kiya asked, half jokingly and half concerned.


    Kiriai shivered despite the hot water and nodded. ¡°Y-yeah, sorry, I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine, just deep in thought! I came out here kinda all of a sudden, you know? It''s just such a sudden adjustment.¡± Kiriai replied, almost defensively. Kiya gave her a concerned look.


    ¡°All of a sudden? You had time to pack all your stuff, it couldn''t have been that sudden.¡±


    Kiriai blushed slightly, thinking back to how she had actually made up her mind- Just looking at a picture and then haphazardly packing while Kiya was pulling out of the driveway. ¡°Uhm, uh¡­ sure. Yeah, let''s go with that.¡± Kiriai laughed a little. ¡°Whatever, it''s fine, I¡¯ll think about it later. What were you trying to talk to me about just now?¡±


    Kiya laughs and pokes Kiriai¡¯s cheek. ¡°Man, you really are out of it, huh? Maybe the hot water is too relaxing for you.¡± She teased, smirking a little. Kiriai batted her hand away, embarrassed, and sunk down deeper in the water.


    ¡°I was just asking you if you wanna play some super smash bros, once I get the switch set up.¡± Kiya states, stepping back to their side of the jacuzzi and sitting down again.


    Kiriai blinks. It had certainly been a long time since they had done anything together, and she had nothing else going on for once in her life¡­ Well. She supposed she should probably study, but¡­ Surely she could take just the one day off, right? So she nodded hesitantly. ¡°Uh-huh, sure.¡±, and then unsure if she had gotten the point across enough, she nods more emphatically.


    Kiya nods, satisfied, and Kiriai curls her legs up slightly more. The silence lasts longer and longer, and she peaks over at Kiya just to see them relaxing contentedly. Well, at least the silence wasn''t awkward for one of them, but to Kiriai it felt¡­ Odd. She kept thinking of things that maybe she could say- mostly meaningless pleasantries- and then shooting them down in her mind.


    [...]


    Kiya eased one eye open- subtly- and looked at Kiriai, frowning almost imperceptibly. She had hoped Kiriai would come out of her shell a little more now that they were out here, but instead she was as reserved as she had been for the past few years. It was written plain on her face; Kiya could see her opening her mouth as if to say something, then closing it again over and over again. Finally, with a sigh, Kiya stretched and stood up in the hot water, the air feeling cold against her skin.


    ¡°Alright, that''s enough of that. You can stay here a bit longer, I¡¯ll go set up the game so it¡¯ll be ready when you come up, alright? I¡¯ll leave the door unlocked for you. You remember what room we¡¯re in?¡± Kiya asked


    Kiriai nods. ¡°Uh-huh, Room 221.¡± Kiya nods back, satisfied, and climbs up the stairs, shivering in the cold air as she wraps herself up in a towel before heading back

 Chapter III

    Kiya settled down  after getting changed into a more comfortable and casual shorts and loose t-shirt, flopping back on the leather couch and grabbing the controller. She still had to get the switch connected to the internet and the game installed before they could play, so she had best get started on that quickly.


    It took some time- half the download- before Kiriai showed up, meekly opening the door and glancing here and there as if she wasn''t sure where she was. ¡°Sorry I took so long, I don''t know my way around just yet-¡± She apologized.


    Kiya stretched one arm over the couch and looked back at her. ¡°No worries, I¡¯m still getting it installed. Just go get dried off and changed, I¡¯ll get it set up for us.¡± Her gaze followed her sister as she went over to the bathroom, concern carefully masked on her features.


    Once Kiriai had disappeared behind the door, Kiya turned her attention back forwards, flicking out her phone and looking through some posts while she waited for the installation to finish. ¡°Hey, Kiya?¡± The voice came from behind the door.


    ¡°Mhm?¡± Kiya responded, pivoting back to face the bathroom where Kiriai was changing.


    ¡°You¡¯re setting it up for PvE, right? Co-op?¡± Kiriai asked, her voice still sounding nervous and insecure. Kiya had hoped she might relax when it was just the two of them, but it didn''t seem like it.


    ¡°Yeah, of course. I wouldn''t make you compete with me.¡± Kiya replied, in what she hoped was a reassuring voice. Her sister never liked competition- Probably partially because Kiya was significantly better at playing games than her.


    Just about when the download finished and Kiya started setting up the match for them, Kiriai emerged, sweeping her hair back. She was wearing a nice buttoned-up shirt and a skirt, and as usual hadnt quite dried her hair fully, leaving it still dripping. Kiya scooted to one side to give Kiriai room to sit next to them, but Kiriai instead sat in the leather armchair off to the side of the sofa, and Kiya sighed and stretched out onto the couch, resting her head on the armrest on one side.


    [...]


    After playing a few practice matches- one without any enemies just to help Kiriai remember all the controls, the rest in co-op with weak enemies- Kiya starts up a tournament where they can watch the A.I. fighting eachother when they¡¯re not personally involved. Kiriai only makes it to the second bracket before being taken out, while Kiya- Perhaps inevitably- reaches the final round.


    ¡°You wanna go for another bracket?¡± Kiya asks, leaning their head down off the couch so they are looking at Kiriai, upside down with their hair falling down to the floor. Kiriai shrugs. ¡°Uh, sure. I don''t have anything else to be doing.¡±


    Kiya gives her a smile in return, then rummages through the bag of chips she has on her lap, holding a handful out to Kiriai. ¡°Here, want some?¡±


    Kiriai reaches to take some, but Kiya instead keeps a firm grip on the chips in her hand and just places one directly in Kiriai¡¯s mouth, who blinks rapidly in response, surprised. Kiya gives a smug smile at them, suppressing a giggle. ¡°Here, you can have the rest.¡± She hands the mostly-empty bag over to Kiriai as she goes and sets up another tournament.


    This time, they both reach the final bracket- but, of course, since Kiriai doesn''tdoesnt like competing, they just call it there and turn off the game.


    No later than Kiya had done so, a loud grumbling sound issued forth from Kiriai, who looked mortified. ¡°O-oh, sorry, I guess I skipped breakfast this morning. I guess the chips weren''twerent enough for me. I¡¯ll go make some-¡±


    Kiya was already shaking her head. ¡°Nu-uh, no can do. Brand new place, remember? I got some snacks at the store  but no meals.¡± Kiya shrugged.


    Kiriai frowned. ¡°Well, alright, what snacks do you have? I¡¯m sure I can make do.¡±


    Kiya shook her head vehemently as she curled her legs up and then shot them out again, rolling forward in and standing to her feet in one swift motion. ¡°My, that won''t do at all. I invited you here, the least I could do is feed you properly. C¡¯mon, lets go get some proper food.¡± She motioned outside with a jerk of her head.


    Kiriai just pondered for a moment, before shrugging. ¡°Alright, alright, have it your way.¡± She laughs, standing up and smoothing out her skirt.


    Kiya smiled warmly. Finally, she¡¯s coming out of her shell a little. The thought came to her along with a slight twinge of melancholia. It seemed like so little, but somehow it just made the contrast seem greater. I guess that''s on me. Kiya had spent so little time with all of her family lately, she supposed it made sense that there was this somewhat awkward atmosphere between her and her sister.


    Kiya led the way out to the car, sitting down at the wheel and leaning back while Kiriai got in on the other side, staring absently out the window. Kiya turned on some music and started up the engine, pulling out of the parking lot and heading up the road into town. Kiriai watched out the window passively, as the residences slowly gave way to storefronts.


    ¡°Hey, Kiya? Could you play, ¡®Home¡¯? You still have it on your phone, right?¡± Kiriai asked, and Kiya glances at them.


    ¡°Hm? Sure, play whatever you want. I can''t really use the phone right now, I¡¯m driving.¡± Kiya stated, matter of factly. Kiriai took the phone and put in the passcode, then messed with it for a while, while Kiya eventually pulled up to a red light.


    Kiriai looked at Kiya sheepishly. ¡°Can you do it? I can''t figure out how to navigate this accursed thing-¡± Kiya sighed and took the phone from them- Somehow Kiriai had gotten onto their  bookmarks on the web browser while looking for the music. Quickly navigating to the music, she handed it back to Kiriai as the light turned green and she stepped on the gas again.


    A moment went by, and then music filled the car. Kiriai hugged their knees again, frowning slightly. ¡°...This song always makes me think of you.¡± She breathed out, almost silently.


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    ¡°What, you couldn''t pick a less melancholy song?¡± Kiya asked, sarcastically, before glancing at Kiriai and, seeing how somber they were, instantly regretting their attitude. ¡°...Sorry. I didn''t mean to¡­ Sorry.¡±


    They both stopped talking while the song filled the silence.


    I¡¯ve been lost for far too long


    I¡¯m finding out where I belong


    And in the dark you¡¯d be the light


    To guide me home, to guide me.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been driving for a while now, haven''t you? Is there really no grocery anywhere closer¡± Kiriai asks suddenly, looking out the window. ¡°You just passed one right back there-¡±


    Kiya shook their head. ¡°Not going to the store.¡± Just then, she turned on her turn signal and pulled into a parking lot at a Chinese restaurant.


    ¡°Wha- Sis, I can cook my own food!¡± Kiriai blushed a little and started at Kiya as if both infuriated and flattered. It was her favorite restaurant; Kiya had just driven significantly out of her way to go to it.


    ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re relaxing today. Besides, it got you to call me ¡®sis¡¯, didn¡¯t it?¡± Kiya gave a wry smile to Kiriai and reached up to pinch her cheek. ¡°C¡¯mon, let''s go reserve a table.¡±


    [...]


    Kiya leads the way inside and gets a table for two in the corner of the restaurant, near the window. It''s a mid-range restaurant- not too fancy, but not fast food either. Kiriai sighs contentedly as she sinks down into the comfy seat opposite of Kiya, who is already perusing the menu.


    Kiriai looks around at everyone else''s food, hungrily, perhaps a tad impatiently, as her stomach growls louder. ¡°Someone''s feeling hungry.¡± Kiya giggles. ¡°Guess it''s a good thing we aren''t cooking, you might faint on me before you finish-¡±


    Kiriai squirms. ¡°Is it really that loud? I haven''t eaten all day¡­¡±


    Kiya shrugs. ¡°Who knows, maybe I¡¯m just extra sensitive to these things. I assumed you ate breakfast before we left like I did.¡± Then, wanting to take Kiriai¡¯s mind off of hunger, they lean forward. ¡°So, how¡¯s studying going?¡±


    Kiriai perked up. ¡°Well, my chemistry teacher is a bit of a pain, but I think I¡¯m doing well. Finals are in a couple weeks so I gotta study more, but I feel pretty good about it.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with your chemistry teacher?¡± Kiya asked, absently stirring their cup of water with the straw then taking a sip.


    ¡°Ugh, they¡¯re just¡­ They get distracted from the lesson super easily, and have the most dull voice. You could probably replace them with a rock and I¡¯d learn more from them, at least they wouldn''t distract me when I¡¯m trying to read the textbook then-¡± Kiriai complains, huffing irritably.


    ¡°If they¡¯re really that useless, you could just not go. I know some of my friends just went to college for exams, and stayed at home studying the rest of the time.¡± Kiya suggested.


    Kiriai shakes their head. ¡°Well, you know how it is- I stayed at college to make it easier to stay focused.¡±


    Kiya shrugs. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t distract you, if you need to study. I¡¯ll make sure to leave you the living room when you need to study, I can just stay in the bedroom.¡±


    Kiriai blinks, then does a double take. ¡°O-oh, right¡­¡± Somehow, they¡¯d already forgotten they were planning to move out. They hadnt even slept in the new apartment yet, it didn''t feel like home. ¡°I dunno, maybe. I mean, no, I can''t make you stay out of your own living room!¡± She says, doing another double take and furrowing her brow. ¡°Jeez sis, you gotta be less generous or people will take advantage of you.¡±


    Kiya smirks a little and leans back. ¡°Well, maybe I don''t mind if just one person takes advantage¡­¡± She murmurs quietly, under her breath.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Kiriai asks, narrowing her eyes at Kiya suspiciously.


    ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± Kiya says dismissively, a smug look still on their face. Before Kiriai could question further, the waiter appeared.


    ¡°Are you two ladies ready to order?¡± The waiter asks, clipboard in hand.


    ¡°Uh-huh, we¡¯ll have two tomato beef chowmein¡¯s and a plate of dumplings. Oh, and a raspberry lemonade, thankyou.¡± Kiya asked, and the waiter nodded and disappeared to tell the staff the order.


    Kiriai furrows their brow looking at Kiya. ¡°You didn''t even ask me what I wanted-¡±


    Kiya leans over and pokes Kiriai in the cheek, still smiling smugly. ¡°You always order the same thing, silly.¡±


    Kiriai puffs out one cheek, pouting. ¡°Well. You¡¯re not wrong, that is what I was going to order¡­¡± they mutter to themself. ¡°Alright, fine, you win.¡±


    [...]


    When their food arrives, Kiriai eyes it hungrily, licking their chops. She had already drank all her raspberry lemonade, and eaten her share of dumplings- Kiya had stealthily given her one extra.


    ¡°Alright sis, dig in.¡± Kiya announced, spearing her own food- using her chopsticks more like a spear than actual chopsticks, though she was at least holding them correctly.


    Kiriai dug in ravenously, barely pausing to speak between bites. Kiya giggles and just watches them, nibbling at their own food. ¡°You''re eating so messily, one might think you were me-¡± Kiya teased her gently.


    Kiriai swallowed her current mouthful and sat up straight. ¡°...Well, maybe, but at least I don''t talk with my mouth full.¡± They paused and grew more somber for a moment. ¡°Besides, it''s just the two of us here. I don¡¯t think you mind, do you?¡±


    Kiya shook her head rapidly, whipping her hair around. ¡°I think it¡¯d be a bit hypocritical if I said I did. Just eat your fill. Do you wanna order another serving?¡±


    Kiriai blanched, her stomach growling again- not as loudly as before, at least. ¡°Um¡­ I don''t think I can afford it.¡±


    Kiya raised a brow. ¡°Afford it? Don''t be ridiculous, I¡¯m paying for you. You need to save your money for college.¡±


    Kiriai sputtered and looked at Kiya indignantly. ¡°What? Kiyaaa! You can''t do that, it''s bad enough that you''re not charging me rent, you can''t pay for my food too!¡±


    Kiya crossed her arms, looking serious. ¡°I can afford it, and you can''t. Besides, what''s the point of having money if I can''t spoil my baby sister?¡±


    Kiriai groaned, slumping down in their seat. ¡°You just say that, I know you had to save up for months to move out. You need to watch your money better.¡± Kiriai looked at Kiya concerned.


    Kiya shook her head. ¡°Nu-uh. You need money more than me. I¡¯m paying, and that''s final.¡± Then, under her breath she muttered ¡°I can just skimp on showers for a couple months, that¡¯ll make up for it.¡±


    Just then, a waiter was walking by. ¡°Oh, could we have another serving of tomato beef chowmein, please? My sister is still hungry.¡± Kiya asked, Kiriai looking at her furiously.

 Chapter IV

    In the end- with much cajoling- Kiriai was forced to accept it as Kiya paid for both their meals- double servings and all, though they actually still had leftovers once Kiriai was full.


    They headed back out to the car and drove back to the apartment. Kiriai stared out the window as they pulled in. It was raining again, and it looked dark from the dense clouds overhead. A crash of thunder echoed off in the distance.


    The first night in a new place. Gosh, I can¡¯t remember the last time I slept somewhere other than my own room... She was shaken from her reverie by Kiya opening the door on her side of the car, looking in at her from out in the rain. ¡°Well? C¡¯mon, let''s get inside, I¡¯ll turn on the heat.¡±


    Kiriai nodded and unlatched her seat belt, following Kiya inside. Her hair was dripping by the time they got inside, and she wrung it out in front of the door while Kiya turned on the thermostat.


    ¡°I should probably call home and let mom and dad know I¡¯m staying here¡­¡± Kiriai mumbled, half to herself, as she fished around in her pocket for her phone. ¡°Just give me a minute to call them.¡±


    Kiya stiffens in annoyance and scoffs. ¡°Well whatever you gotta do, leave me out of it. I¡¯ll be in the bedroom if you need me.¡± She turns on her heel and disappears into the other room.


    She¡¯s really serious about this whole feud, huh? Kiriai noted with a hint of sadness. With a heavy sigh, she sat down at the table and dialed her mom¡¯s number. She didn''t pick up at first, so she called her father instead.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Kiriai asked when the phone was picked up, keeping her voice down while glancing at the other room.


    ¡°Hello? Who is this?¡± The voice on the other side asked. ¡°Um, it''s me, Kiri. I just wanted to call to let you know I¡¯m ok. I¡¯m staying at Kiya¡¯s new place. I just wanted to let you know.¡±


    ¡°Kiriai?¡± A new voice- her mom- barged into the call. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯ve been, missy? You can¡¯t just go where you want without telling your father and I, we need to make sure you¡¯re safe.¡±


    Kiriai winced. As much as that logic made it sound like she was worried, she couldn''t help but note that her first instinct was to tell her she¡¯d done something wrong. Taking a deep breath, Kiriai rehearsed herself. ¡°Well, actually, mom¡­ I was thinking of staying here, to keep an eye on Kiya.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The response sounded almost outraged. ¡°Now you listen here, missy, you¡¯d better come home straight away, and if you don¡¯t you¡¯re grounded for a-¡±


    Click. Kiriai hit the end call button without even realizing what she was doing, and let out a large shaky breath she hadnt realized she was holding in. Not too different than expected, I suppose¡­


    ¡°Hey, Kiya? I¡¯m done.¡± Kiriai called out, putting her phone on the table and turning around to realize Kiya was already leaning in the doorway watching her.


    ¡°So how¡¯d it go?¡± Kiya asked, sounding almost sarcastic.


    ¡°About as well as one would expect.¡± Kiriai sighed. ¡°I think I should probably wait a while for them to cool off before I try calling them again.¡± Even as she said that her phone started ringing again. She instinctively reached for it, but Kiya got to it first, hanging up and then powering it off.


    ¡°Come on, don¡¯t worry about them.¡± Kiya pronounced, boldly. ¡°They¡¯ll get over it, you know how they are.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess¡­¡± Kiriai mumbled doubtfully, looking over at the phone wistfully.


    ¡°Now it''s getting late, come with me, lets go find you a bed to sleep on.¡± Kiya announced.


    Kiriai nodded in agreement before suddenly doing a double take. ¡°W-wait, what? You telling me you just have a spare one?¡±


    Kiya looked at Kiriai, dumbfounded. ¡°Um, no? We¡¯re going to the store, silly.¡±


    Kiriai shook her head emphatically, her hair whipping around and slapping her in the face from the speed of the motion. ¡°No, nonono. Dinner was one thing, but a bed? No way I¡¯m letting you pay for that, that''s too much!¡±


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    Kiya made a frustrated sound. ¡°Oh my god, when are you going to just relax and stop worrying about it? It''s my money, if I want to spend it on you then let me.¡±


    Kiriai put a foot down and shook her head emphatically. ¡°Nu-uh, no way. How can you even afford all this, anyways? How much money do you have in your account?¡±


    Kiya looked away and mumbled something too quiet to hear.


    Kiriai glared suspiciously. ¡°Sis? How much?¡±


    ¡°200$...¡± She admitted, reluctantly, before shooting a look back at Kiriai. ¡°But, I can make it back, honest. Look, would it make you feel better about me buying you things if we just shared a bank account?¡± Kiya asks, hopefully.


    Kiriai shakes her head. ¡°Kiya, what''s gotten into you? You¡¯ve always been good with your money, now you¡¯re just spending like crazy when you have so little- What if something happened to you?¡± Kiriai¡¯s voice softened at the last bit. ¡°I¡¯ll just sleep on the couch.¡±


    Kiya made a frustrated sound, sighing heavily. ¡°No, no, no! No sister of mine is going to be left sleeping on the couch when they¡¯re my guest! If you won''t let me buy you a bed then you¡¯re taking the bed and I¡¯m sleeping on the couch!¡±


    Kiriai made an equally exasperated sound. ¡°Fine, if I have to sleep on the bed, then I guess we¡¯ll just have to share it.¡± She stated sarcastically.


    Kiya popped a wry smile and took Kiriai¡¯s hand, shaking it before she could think. ¡°Done!¡±


    Kiriai blinked. ¡°W-wait, huh? I wasn''t being serious- I¡¯ll keep you up, you need your sleep for work-¡±


    Kiya shook her head. ¡°Nu-uh, too late now, no backsies.¡±


    Kiriai frowned. ¡°Sis, that''s not fair to you-¡±


    Kiya glared at Kiriai and grabbed her phone. ¡°Look, either you sleep in the bed, or I¡¯m buying one right now.¡±


    Kiriai held her arms up in defeat. ¡°Alright, alright, you win. We can share.¡± Kiriai sighed heavily. ¡°Honestly¡­¡±


    Kiya looked triumphant, crossing her arms and standing proudly. ¡°Ha! Alright, Imma just drink something, then I¡¯ll go make the bed. You can come to bed whenever you¡¯re ready to sleep.¡±


    [...]


    Kiriai went to the bedroom, a bit early- all the stress from the day, plus the little sleep from last night- had left her unusually tired. She quietly peaked open the door, checking to see if Kiya was asleep before she opened fully. There was no need to be concerned- the lamp was still on, and Kiya was laying in bed with a book open. With some relief, Kiriai noted the bed was at least decently sized, probably a Double.


    ¡°Come in, come in, I¡¯m just reading.¡± Kiya stated encouragingly, patting the bed next to her. ¡°C¡¯mon, lay down.¡± She was scooted up on one edge of the bed. Kiriai hesitantly pulled up the covers and slipped down into them. She felt a little¡­ Excited, maybe? There was just some kind of buzz in her mind, both nervous and happy. She hadn¡¯t slept that close to anyone in years, though when they were much younger she had shared a room with her sister. When they¡¯d moved into a bigger house, they¡¯d gotten separate rooms, though; and not long after that, their parents split them up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I was just going to go to bed. Go ahead and close your eyes.¡± Kiya stated while reaching over to turn off the light. Kiriai caught her hand. ¡°No, no, it''s fine, keep reading! I just wanted to lay down, I don''t have to sleep yet.¡±


    Kiya pauses, and looks at Kiriai wistfully. She obviously wants to go to sleep, but she¡¯d feel guilty making me go too. Alright, I¡¯ll go along with it. She shrugs and continues reading, while Kiriai curls up on the other side of the bed, facing away.


    Despite that agreement, Kiya only makes a weak attempt at reading another page before turning off the lights anyways. She reaches over and gently pulls the cover up over Kiriai, who blushes brightly at being tucked in even though they don''t say anything, squirming under the covers a little, while Kiya just giggles softly. ¡°Goodnight, Kiri.¡± Kiya murmurs quietly, smiling gently. She isn¡¯t tired yet, really, but she didn¡¯t want to keep Kiriai up- she had to get up for college tomorrow, after all. Kiya pulls the blankets up over herself, staring up at the ceiling, feeling content for the first time she could remember, breathing in and out slowly.


    The first night of the rest of my life. The first night I get to spend with my little sister. And the last day I woke up at that place I used to call a home.


    [...]


    Kiriai¡¯s head was flooding with thoughts- about her own life, about Kiya, about her parents, about school, and about how little time she had here before she and Kiya would part ways again- but somehow, as she laid down, those thoughts seemed to dissipate and left them with a gentle sense of peace. As the light turned off, she felt Kiya pulling the blankets up over her and tucking her in. A-ah? I¡¯m not a little kid, you know! She thought to herself, flushing brightly and hiding her face down in the sheets. ¡°Goodnight, Kiri¡± She heard Kiya¡¯s voice from behind her.


    Good¡­ Night¡­ her eyes lulled gently shut, and before long she was lost in unconsciousness.

 Chapter V

    Kiriai blinked her eyes open, confused about where she was. What time is it? It was dark, darker than it ever was in her room since the light outside always came in through the window. Further, the blankets weren''t hers- much fluffier and softer, rather than smooth sheets- and there was a¡­ familiar smell.


    Then, Kiya shifted, and she realized the dark shape in front of her wasn''t a mount of blankets, but her sister, and she suddenly remembered where she was. She breathed in sharply, suddenly realizing the warm feeling against her was her sister¡¯s arms curled around her, one holding onto her hips and the other outstretched under her neck.


    T-too close! Now that she was aware of how close they were, it became increasingly obvious; The warm breeze on her cheek wasn''t from a heater, but Kiya breathing steadily. And the smell¡­ She didn¡¯t know how she still knew her scent. What was she, some kind of human bloodhound..?


    Kiriai slowly breathed out again, trying to ease her nerves. She¡¯s breathing slowly and steadily, she¡¯s clearly still asleep¡­ She must have rolled over in her sleep. Kiriai reasoned Kiriai couldn¡¯t move without risking waking Kiya up, so she just tried to calm her nerves and get comfortable, controlling her breathing- though she couldn''t control how her heart rate had jumped.


    Slowly, Kiriai adjusted to the situation. As her heart rate slowed back to normal and breathing became slower, she found herself synchronizing her breaths with Kiya¡¯s. When¡¯s the last time I was this close to anyone..? It had definitely been at least as long as when their parents had split them up, and it was probably with Kiya then, too.


    As close as she was, the proximity to Kiya was the only thing she could feel, with no sound other than Kiya¡¯s breathing and nothing to see. Augh, this is way too much! If I got caught like this at home, I think I¡¯d just about die of embarrassment! But she wasn¡¯t back at home, where their parents had told them years ago it was inappropriate for them to sleep together anymore. She was here, where there was nothing to worry about, where it was just the two of them there and nobody else.


    All that thinking only made her feel more flushed, and she squirmed a little down under the covers, as if hiding her face. As soon as she did she regretted it, because the movement caused Kiya to stir from their sleep, rolling over even closer and making a soft, tired sound almost like humming.


    ¡°H-huh? Kiri?¡± Kiya murmured, sleepily blinking their eyes, not fully cognizant.


    Kiriai¡¯s eyes shot open in alarm. ¡°I-I wasn''t¡­ I didn¡¯t, I just woke up like this!¡± Kiriai stammered out.


    Kiya blinked again before looking down and realizing how close they were and giggling a little. ¡°Oh my, someone got clingy in a hurry-¡± She teased.


    Kiriai blushed more and hastily pulled away, retreating to the other side of the bed. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, I wasn''t¡­ We were just like that when I woke up!¡± Why am I panicking so much? Nobody is here to get you in trouble. Despite this, she couldn''t help but cower under the blankets, as if hiding. But Mom must have had a good reason for splitting us up, right?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Kiri, I¡¯m not upset with you.¡± Kiya murmured assuringly and gently reached over to ruffle Kiriai¡¯s hair. ¡°I must have rolled over in my sleep, I¡¯m sorry if I embarrassed you.¡±


    Kiriai peaked out from the blankets. Of course she¡¯s not upset. So why am I so nervous? In years prior, this wouldn''t have been that unusual to her, but that seemed like a world apart, now. She¡¯d barely even spoken to Kiya in months before coming here, honestly. And now they were so close, it just seemed like¡­


    ¡°Too much¡­¡± Kiriai breathed out, though on some deeper level she wasn''t sure if she actually meant that. Just why am I so embarrassed?


    ¡°I know, don¡¯t worry Kiri. I promise to give you more space.¡± Kiya replied, both soothingly and maybe a little embarrassed themself. Kiriai shut her eyes tightly, not knowing what to think. Was that a good thing? Was that bad? Did she want to be given more space..?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for waking you up.¡± Was all that Kiriai actually replied, keeping the rest of her thoughts inside. ¡°You should have let me just sleep on the couch, so I couldn''t disturb you.¡±


    Kiya sighed loudly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you, you mean. You need your rest for college. I¡¯ll be fine at work even if I get no sleep at all.¡± Kiya sighed as she rolled over and scooted back to her edge of the bed. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to keep to my side of the bed, so please just try to relax¡­¡±


    Kiriai blinked. Was it just her, or was there a hint of nervousness in Kiya¡¯s voice? Silently, she wished she knew what her twin was thinking. There was a time when you would have. The thought came, unbidden, and only intensified the strange mixture of feelings in her gut.


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    ¡°I¡¯ll go see what time it is. If it''s late enough I¡¯ll just get up now.¡± Kiriai murmured, swinging her legs off the bed and standing up. She could barely see her sister in the darkness, but she could somehow feel the intense way she was staring up at her, just as she could somehow feel a sense of guilt emanating from her too.


    [...]


    Kiya frowned as she watched Kiriai stand up and walk away. She just needs some distance. Don¡¯t push her too hard. She kept her sigh inside of her chest as the silhouette went over to the door, letting light from the kitchen into the room as they opened the door and stepped through it, and she could see the uncertainty on Kiriai¡¯s features as she left.


    As soon as they were out of her vision, Kiya rolled over so her face was down into her pillow and let out a muffled sound almost like a scream- only, a scream that was nearly silent because she didn¡¯t want her sister to hear. Stupid, Stupid! She¡¯d just wanted to make Kiriai comfortable in their home together, but instead she had the opposite effect. Now what do I do? I¡¯ll only make her feel worse if I go and sleep on the couch now, and she won''t let me buy her a bed. I can¡¯t just make her sleep on the couch in our own home. She hugged the pillow tightly and curled her legs around it. Dammit all¡­ She sighed loudly. She couldn¡¯t just get up now- it would only make Kiriai feel more guilty that she couldn''t sleep. So she just rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.


    It was seven o¡¯clock and Kiriai was bent over the stove cooking- still as conflicted as before, though the thoughts had calmed down. As the door to Kiya¡¯s room opened, she looked up and suppressed a sense of embarrassment that came to the surface, willing herself to smile at Kiya cheerily as she sleepily stumbled out of her room. ¡°Hey, Kiya! I ran down to the corner store after I got up. Hashbrowns and eggs for breakfast.¡± I hope that makes up for ruining your sleep.


    Kiya gave her a weary smile, though Kiriai could feel the concern in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be delicious. Thanks alot, sis.¡± She offered as she sat down. ¡°You¡¯re going to have time to catch the bus, right?¡±


    Kiriai nodded, glancing back at the clock. ¡°Yeah, the city bus pulls up a couple blocks from here at 7:40. Plenty of time to finish cooking and eating.¡± She flips the mass of potato in the skillet and takes it off. ¡°And incidentally, it''s just about done! No ketchup though, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll pick some up on the way back from work.¡± Kiya breathes in deeply and smiles at Kiriai. ¡°Smells great.¡± She goes and grabs herself a plate and a spatula to serve herself half the dish before walking back to the living room and sitting down at the hexagonal table, drumming on the glass while waiting.


    After a long moment she got up and went back to the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe. ¡°Kiriai. What''s taking you?¡±


    Kiriai looked up from her food, which she had already started eating, sitting at the counter. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kiya sighed and went over to her. ¡°C¡¯mon, it''s nicer in the living room, and we can sit across from one another.¡±


    Kiriai blinked. Kiya wondered what was going on inside her head that she was taking so long to reply, but eventually she stood up, taking her food. ¡°Alright, if you insist.¡±


    Kiya walked back to their food and sat down, glancing backwards to make sure Kiriai was following. She tries not to stare at her as she starts eating, not wanting to make her self-conscious, but still glances up at her surreptitiously to see how she is feeling.


    Despite the cheery attitude Kiriai had shown before when Kiya had stepped into the room, she was back to being reserved and quiet now that she didn''t think she was being looked at. Kiya groans in frustration. Exactly as I feared. I hope this doesn''t cause more problems.


    ¡°Huh? What is it?¡± Kiriai asked, perking up as Kiya groaned.


    ¡°O-oh, nothing, just not happy to be going back to work is all.¡± Kiya flashed a smile as she fibbed on the spot.


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Kiriai replied shortly, idly stirring the cup of tea they were drinking, before cautiously taking a bite of their food.


    Kiya made a face at them, pointing at the food. ¡°You¡¯d better eat up, sis, or you¡¯re gonna have no energy for school.¡± She herself had a bit longer; She wouldn''t have to leave for another twenty or thirty minutes after Kiriai did.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Kiriai laughed a little. ¡°Gosh, you¡¯re such a worrywort-¡± She takes another bite of her food, while Kiya silently watched, feeling increasingly awkward.


    At some length, she cleared her throat to get Kiriai¡¯s attention and leaned forward, clasping her hands under her chin. ¡°So, what are you learning about in school?¡±


    Kiriai swallowed before sitting up straight and at attention to respond. ¡°We¡¯ve just been going over electron configurations of different elements. It''s been mostly pretty basic stuff so far, just learning about the orbitals and what the different shells are called.¡±


    Kiya nods. ¡°Uh..huh.¡± She didn¡¯t really have any idea what Kiriai was talking about, she¡¯d gone straight into the workforce after school and hadnt ever taken a chemistry class after middle school. Silently, she vowed to herself to catch up with Kiriai sometime. ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me about it sometime later. For now, I think you gotta get yourself to the bus. You haven''t gone to school from here before so you might wanna give yourself a bit more wiggle room to get there on time.¡±


    Kiriai glanced over at the clock and, shoveling another bite into her mouth, stood up, chewing and swallowing before looking at Kiya. ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯d best be off. And um, I¡¯m sorry for waking you up this morning-¡±


    Kiya huffed in annoyance- not at being woken up, of course, but out of frustration with herself for not being able to help Kiriai relax. She could tell she was still somewhat tense. ¡°Have a good day at school, Kiri, I¡¯ll see you tonight.¡± Kiya made herself smile and wave as Kiriai went out the door.


    Kiya sighed loudly once she was sure Kiriai was out of earshot and leaned over backward in her chair, so that her hair fell down away from her head. While she was concerned, she had her own work to do, too.


    She slouched over, sighing, and glancing at the clock. She couldn''t think of many things she¡¯d be less keen to do than go stand around flagging cars all day, but it was what it was. Price of independence, I guess.

 Chapter VI

    Kiriai breathed out on her hands, watching the water vapor forming in the cold air. She¡¯d just gotten off the city bus and was walking down the street, a couple blocks from the apartment. It was not that late in the day, only about 13:00; Time she would have spent studying at college before now she just had to spend at home. She passed by a couple joggers on the sidewalk, and there was the occasional car driving past, but otherwise the scene was vacant. Winter had just started, and the cold seemingly kept everyone indoors.


    For her own part, Kiriai appreciated the cold. Last summer had been far too hot, and the cold was just more bearable. Plus, if it was cold enough, she¡¯d have a nice snowy December, and that would be nice. It just makes it feel more cozy when you get home, anyways.


    And thinking of ¡®home¡¯, there it was- at least for now. She stopped in front of the apartment, jangling her key in her pocket before climbing up the stairs and unlocking the door. This was the first time she would be at the appartment alone; Her sister wouldn''t be home for¡­ Four whole hours, huh? Well, I guess plenty of time to study, anyways.


    But first, there was lunch. She wasn¡¯t that hungry, but it was a good idea to get a snack before studying; especially since she didn''t usually like to eat in the afternoon, so it would typically be the last meal of the day for her. So, she strolled over to the fridge and opened it, only to make a sigh of disappointment.


    ¡­Right, of course there¡¯s nothing here. I only picked up enough for breakfast this morning. She shook her head, unsure what she had expected. Shutting the refrigerator door, she gets her laptop out and sets it up on the kitchen counter, navigating over to her bank account to check her finances.


    Should be able to afford a little bit for groceries. Gonna need to take more commissions, though. Kiriai groaned. She still had a couple that she really should have finished yesterday, but had instead spent the whole day just lazing about at the new place.


    Well, better get some work on them done before I go shopping, or it¡¯ll never get done. Kiriai sighs as she thinks this to herself and, nodding in affirmation to her own thought process, rummages through her luggage until she finds her drawing pad and, hooking it up to her computer, gets to work on the one she was closer to finishing; A drawing of someones DnD character, which she had already finished the first pass on and just needed to edit based on the client¡¯s request.


    She worked slowly, only half-focused, undoing her changes occasionally as she reviews the clients notes. Fortunately, there wasn''t too much more work to do, so she finished it up and forwards it to the client in about an hour, yawning and stretching. Alright, just one more. I think I can justify going to get groceries now, though.


    So, after checking the local map on her computer, she went and grabbed her wallet and put on her coat and hat, swinging the door open and- double checking she had her key- strolling out into the cold.


    [...]


    It is 16:53 by the time that Kiya arrives home, opening the door with a tired sigh, but brightening up as she saw Kiriai, sitting hunched over her laptop at the kitchen counter.


    ¡°Gooood afternoon! And how¡¯s my favorite sister?¡± Kiya announced cheerily, sweeping over to where Kiriai was and throwing her arms around her shoulders, which made her little sister blush in embarrassment and shrink in place.


    ¡°Just doing some studying, how was work?¡± Kiriai responded, meekly, as she ducked out of Kiya¡¯s arms. Her drawing tablet was plugged in but positioned off to the side and turned off, so she wasn¡¯t using it just then. Kiya wanders over to the fridge and swings it open, looking for leftovers, but then turned on her heel and looked at Kiriai with a chiding expression. ¡°Kiri! I told you, it¡¯s my job to pay for you while you¡¯re here, you can¡¯t afford buying all this food while you have school! I mean I get that you needed to buy lunch but you should have let me buy the rest of the groceries.¡± Kiya scolded, narrowing her brow.


    Kiriai started and retreated away a bit. ¡°Well, you can¡¯t afford it either! And besides, I got paid for a commission today, I can afford to spend at least a little!¡± Kiriai protested.


    Kiya huffed and crossed her arms in a judgemental stance, opening her mouth to continue scolding before suddenly stopping. ¡­I sound just like our mother. She realized, letting her arms drop down to her sides and slouching in place. ¡°Alright, well, at least let me make you dinner to pay you back.¡± She murmurs, sullenly, opening the fridge and looking through the shelves.


    Kiriai blinked up at her, the tension of an argument unexpectedly vanishing. It was such a strange reaction, that honestly made her feel even more concerned than before. ¡°U-um, sis, if it''s really that big of a deal, I¡¯ll make sure to only buy enough for myself going forward¡­¡± She murmured, backpedaling out of concern for Kiya¡¯s reaction.


    Kiya looked over at her, looking oddly weary as she flopped a wrapped up tray of chicken thighs down onto the counter and opened it with a knife. ¡°...No, it¡¯s fine. You can make your own decisions. Just make sure that you keep enough to live on, alright? And if you ever need any help paying for classes, don¡¯t hesitate to ask me, ok?¡± Kiya absently replied, as she rummaged through the very small quantity of kitchenware she had on hand to grab her only frying pan.


    ¡°A-alright.¡± Kiriai meekly responded, unsurely. Just what had gotten into Kiya, all of a sudden?


    But that was neither here nor there, Kiya had said she wanted to make dinner, and she didn¡¯t want to distract her any more than she already had- plus, she still had some studying to do, so she went back to try and focus on her work.


    [...]


    Kiriai leaned over backwards from her laptop, her vision becoming blurry momentarily as it defocused before she rubbed her eyes. It was difficult to get back to work on studying after she was distracted by Kiya getting back, and she¡¯d barely even gotten started before then- having spent most of the day prior to Kiya getting home doing a mixture of lazing about doing nothing in particular and drawing. I¡¯m gonna fall behind in my classes if this keeps up¡­ Kiriai thought to herself, frustrated. Well, nothing for it. I might as well just try to relax until after dinner, I won¡¯t be able to get focused in that timeframe. But after that, I have to focus.


    Having said that, that was easier said than done; There was nothing that stressed her out quite like feeling like she wasn''t doing something she had to get done, and then that stress only made it harder to focus still, compounding the problem further. But of course, if she kept focusing on that¡­ Well, she could keep making it worse and worse by overthinking it endlessly, so she just shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts as she stood up from the table abruptly and went over to the kitchen to see how dinner was coming.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t it changing color, why isn¡¯t it changing color-¡± Kiya was muttering frantically, stooped over a pan of rice, mixed veggies, and chicken, a spoon in one hand while the other was firmly rested on the handle of the pan, making a bit of a mess as bits of rice left the pan while she tried to toss the mixture to keep it from burning on the bottom.


    ¡°Having trouble?¡± Kiriai asked, coming up behind her and resting against the counter. Honestly, with how frantic Kiya¡¯s movements were, she was surprised there wasn''t more of the food strewn across the stove; at least most of the meal was still in the wok.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Kiri!¡± Kiya jumped a little, surprised. ¡°My am I glad to see you! The rice still doesn''t taste or look right, I can¡¯t figure out why, it should be done by now! And it¡¯s getting stuck to the sides-¡±


    Kiriai takes the spoon from Kiya and tastes it, blinking. ¡°Um, sis..? Did you add any sauce?¡±


    Kiya blinked at Kiriai, blankly. ¡°...Sauce?¡±


    Kiriai giggles and takes the wok from Kiya, turning off the stoves and moving the wok where it¡¯s cool. ¡°Here¡­ Ah, you didn¡¯t even open the sesame oil, either! Sis, you know you¡¯re supposed to add sesame oil and soy to fried rice, right? That''s why your rice isn''t the right color.¡±


    Kiya crosses her arms and looks away sheepishly. ¡°I thought it just changed color while cooking¡­¡± she mumbled, quietly.


    Kiriai shook her head, making a ¡®tut tut¡¯ sound as she took over, adding sauce and oil and stirring the contents of the wok vigorously. At least the cast iron wok wasn¡¯t too sticky, and the fried rice was still quite palatable. ¡°You should¡¯ve just let me make it, you know I¡¯ve made this before-¡±


    Kiya leans back against the fridge, staring away and down. ¡°Sorry¡­ I just wanted to make something nice for yo- us.¡± She stammered as she corrected herself, before shooting a wary look at Kiriai. ¡°Plus, I¡¯ll need to learn to cook for myself if I want to save money when you¡¯re not around anymore¡­¡±


    Kiriai ponders for a moment. ¡°Well, you can still have my cooking whenever you come around, you know. I¡¯ll make something special for you.¡±


    Kiya tightened her grip on her own arms and looked at Kiriai, balefully, before shaking her head and sighing. ¡°...Come on, let¡¯s just go eat dinner.¡±


    Kiriai frowns as she watches Kiya dish up two plates of fried rice, with microwaved brussel sprouts on the side, and carries them away to the living room. Guess she isn¡¯t going to take me up on that offer, then.


    [...]


    Thankfully for both of them, the uncomfortable energy had dissipated by the time that the sisters had sat down. Kiya leaned back, slumping down in the chair as she relaxed and stretched out her arms, rolling her neck, before twirling the fork in her hands with an unnecessarily elaborate flourish. ¡°Well now, time to eat! Just too bad I couldn¡¯t surprise you with my cooking-¡± Kiya pronounces, sounding halfway proud and halfway sheepish.


    ¡°You did fine, Kiya, you just gotta look up the ingredients beforehand. I remember when we were kids you set off the smoke alarm every time you tried to cook, so you¡¯ve definitely made progress since then.¡± Kiriai stated encouragingly, to which Kiya puffed out her chest proudly.


    ¡°Yeah well, I always do my absolute bestest when I¡¯m spoiling my baby sis.¡± Kiya replied, teasingly smirking as Kiriai blushed, Kiya reaching forward to pinch Kiriai¡¯s cheek, giggling.


    ¡°Siiiis, stooop- You¡¯re always treating me like a kid. And you¡¯re only a couple hours older than me, you don¡¯t have to call me ¡®baby sis¡¯...¡± Kiriai protested, though she didn¡¯t look too offended.


    Kiya shrugs. ¡°Well, what can I say? I gotta spoil you while I have you around.¡± She cocks her head at Kiriai a little. ¡°But you do have a point, my little sis is all grown up- You¡¯re further in your classes than I ever got, that¡¯s for sure. I guess I¡¯m not allowed to spoil her anymore.¡± Kiya shrugs, exuding slyness with a hint of wistfulness underneath.


    ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t know if I said that.¡± Kiriai mumbled, taking a bite of her food. ¡°It is a nice change of pace, I guess. I mean, I haven¡¯t seen much of you in a long while.¡± She groans, slumping down in her chair ¡°But I still have so much to do, ugh. I mean, thanks for making dinner, even if I had to give a little help, it¡¯s hard to find time for cooking in between studying and trying to make ends meet.¡± She awkwardly finished her jumble of thoughts, gratefully.


    ¡°You cooked for us lots when we were kids, it''s about time I return the favor.¡± Kiya replies. ¡°But alright, I get the message. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you plenty of time to study. Do you want me to stay in my room the rest of the night? I can keep the volume down.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Kiriai replied, reflexively. ¡°I-I mean, yes, I mean¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± She backpedaled, throwing her hands up. ¡°Ugh, I mean it would be a nice change of pace from back home with Riley.¡± Their older sister would keep her up for hours most days at home, with her never-ending tirade of paranoid accusations at anyone who beat her in any game. It was part of the reason Kiriai didn¡¯t like competing, probably, given how any time she did well would just be met with accusations of cheating.


    ¡°Kiriai, it¡¯s fine, really. I can just put on some headphones, listen to music, you won¡¯t know I¡¯m here. Honest.¡± Kiya said, encouragingly. ¡°Like I¡¯ve told you before, I just want you to be comfortable here.¡±


    Kiriai clenched her jaw, frustratedly. She knew she should take Kiya¡¯s offer, especially with exam¡¯s coming up, but she hated the feeling of keeping her from relaxing in her own house. Not to mention, I don¡¯t want her to go¡­ ¡°And I want you to be comfortable here, too. You¡¯re not going to be locked up in your room with your own apartment off limits on my behalf, ok?¡±


    Kiya held her arms up in mock surrender. ¡°Alright, alright, I can see you¡¯re serious.¡± She laughs. ¡°I¡¯ll just relax , but still, try to focus on your studies. I don''t want your exams weighing on my head.¡±


    Kiriai makes a sound of affirmation, surprised Kiya had given up so easily, but not wanting to make her second-guess herself by questioning it. So instead, she sets her laptop back up and gets back to work trying to study.


    Despite her best attempts, her mind swirls with too many thoughts, and she can''t seem to bring herself to focus- every sentence she reads, her mind drifts off and thinks of something else. Come on, work, damnit- She hissed frustratedly, as if she could simply order her brain to obey her. She knew from experience that it would never work, of course, but it was all she could really do. Reluctantly, she pressed the play button on her video- Even if she would barely internalize any of it, it was better than sitting there doing nothing.


    [...]


    Surreptitiously, Kiya withdrew to the corner of the room, looking at Kiriai to make sure she was working on her studies before disappearing into her own room. Sure, she had agreed to not restrain herself to her room, but that was just because she knew Kiriai would never accept it; She had no intention of doing anything that could distract her sister from her studies. So, she dug through her luggage to find her headphones and slipped them onto her head, climbing up onto her bed to watch some videos.


    While she did, she pondered the situation. She didn¡¯t think it would be easy to convince Kiriai to stay on the bed after she had woken her up that morning- Even if guilt wasn''t the reason, Kiriai seemed rather uncomfortable with how close they had been. She groaned, looking up at the ceiling. It seemed absurd to let Kiriai sleep on the couch out there, when she had invited her here¡­ But at the same time, if she argued over the point Kiriai might just leave then and there. And now that Kiriai knew how little money she had, there was no way she would let her get away with buying another bed.


    Why does everything always have to be so difficult? Kiya wondered. She¡¯d moved out, gotten away from the rest of her relatives, but now she felt scared of her sister leaving every day. She wasn¡¯t as sociable as Kiriai, she didn¡¯t have much in the way of other friends, once Kiriai left it would be just her here. I¡¯d have to go to family gatherings and see my worthless mother if I wanted to see her anymore. The thought made her shudder; She¡¯d given up so much, paid all of her carefully made life savings, just to be here on her own, and now the thought of truly being on her own was giving her pause. For a moment, she wondered if she¡¯d made a mistake coming here.


    Well, it¡¯s too late to back out now. I won¡¯t go crawling back to my ¡®family¡¯, even if I¡¯m left all alone. The thought left a deep hollow feeling in her stomach, but she wouldn¡¯t go back on it, not after sacrificing this much just to be here, dropping out of college and taking up some simple labor job to make ends meet. Whatever it took to be independent, away from those people who claimed to love but showed no care for her actual feelings.


    It was just too much. Even outside of the situation with Kiriai, she also had to worry about making ends meet and figuring out what she was going to do with her life, now that she was on her own without anyone to tell her what to do. Sighing, she navigated over to her finance spreadsheets and got to work figuring out how to pay her bills.

 Chapter VII

    Kiya stares vacantly down the street, waiting for a car to arrive. It was a back street in an industrial part of town, not exactly frequently traversed, so she was doing little more than standing in place bored stiff while the rest of the workers were in the trenches moving the cities electrical grid under the street. She perked up as a cargo van came up the street and she pulled up her radio to tell the other flagger that they had traffic.


    As the van went by and the other side of the radio replied, she sighed. ¡­Well, guess that''s all the ¡®excitement¡¯ I¡¯m getting today. She thought to herself sardonically. She was pulling overtime that day, and her feet were icy cold from standing stock still for hours on end. She would have preferred being down in the ditches; at least physical labor was something.


    She held up her arm, checking her watch. Come on, just another ten minutes and I can be going back home¡­ The thought was a tad less encouraging than she had meant it to be, given how tired she would be when she got home. And since the contract was just about over, she¡¯d have to go down to the union hall to find another one¡­ She groaned inwardly at the prospect and shut her eyes tight for a brief moment.


    At least I¡¯ll probably have most of the rest of the week off before I start work on the next project. More time to spend with Kiriai. That thought was encouraging, and she opened her eyes wide again to focus on her job until it was over. Thankfully, it was just another moment before the supervisor contacted her on the radio to tell her the work day was over.


    Sighing with relief, she went to put the slow/stop sign away in the storage bin, and walked out to her car on autopilot, barely acknowledging the other workers pass by her talking to one another. Alright, stay alert. Don¡¯t want to get in an accident on the way back. She huffed to herself- She still wasn¡¯t completely comfortable driving, the streets were wet, it was pretty dark, and she was tired. Still, it¡¯ll be alright if you are just careful¡­ She told herself, wanting to calm her nerves.


    At the least, getting off of work as late as she did meant she was on the roads well after rush hour, which was probably for the best; At this time of year, rush hour was still in the dark, so getting off later just meant less cars, which was probably for the best when the car skidded to a halt at every traffic light. It¡¯s going to be almost 23:00 when I get back.Kiri will probably be sleeping.


    She drove home in silence without any music to keep from being distracted, looking this way and that at every light until she pulled back into her apartments driveway with a sense of relief- A bit behind schedule, since she¡¯d driven pretty slowly.  Stretching, she unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car before hauling herself up the stairs and unlocking the door, opening it slowly to avoid making too much noise.


    The lights were still on, surprisingly, but Kiriai was nowhere to be seen- she could hear the shower running, so she supposed Kiriai must be in there. Strange. It''s awfully late for her to be going to bed. As far as she knew, Kiriai always went to bed at around 21:00. Glancing at her sister¡¯s laptop screen- still open- she made an ¡°ah¡± sound of understanding. Working on school work. Guess they don''t have much time left for that. She lingered there for another second, feeling a tad disappointed- If Kiri was so busy with school work, she guessed she wouldn¡¯t see much of her tomorrow. So much for spending time with her before she left.


    Kiya sighed in disappointment and, after pouring a cup of milk, retires back to her room, laying down on top of the blankets.


    [...]


    Kiriai breathed a sigh of relief as she heard the door open. It''s so late, why didn''t she get home earlier?


    But by the time she had gotten out of the shower and gotten dressed again, the living room was empty, her laptop screen having turned black for hibernation and the lights turned off. Damn. Missed her. Kiriai frowned a little, but looking at the time, knew it was definitely too late to work further on her essay. She gave a guilty look at her laptop- It had taken her too long to get started, and now she really had no idea what she was doing. Reluctantly, she shut the laptop lid and climbed onto the couch, facing the backrest as she laid down so it would block out the light. Her skin stuck to the leather surface, and the blanket she had wasn''t really enough to keep her warm, but she could deal with it.


    [...]


    By the time Kiriai woke up the next morning, the door to Kiya¡¯s room was hanging open and her sister was nowhere to be seen. She had a moment of panic before remembering that she had no school today- The last day off before chemistry exams and her english essay were due tomorrow.


    Not that I¡¯m going to get to enjoy it, much. Kiriai noted, irritatedly. But before anything, she had to go and make herself some breakfast. Delicately unsticking herself from the leather couch, she rubbed her sore muscles and stood up.


    The fridge was still fairly barren; Even if she did buy food for the two of them, she couldn''t really afford that much. Shrugging, she grabs some cheese and roast beef. A grilled cheese sandwich will do just fine.


    By the time she finished her breakfast and got settled down, her mind felt far too scrambled to actually get any work done, so she just ended up watching videos mindlessly, willing herself futilely to actually get to work.


    Instead, she found herself scrolling aimlessly through comments on random youtube videos she had no, or at least very muted, interest in. This reverie lasted until the door opened behind her, causing Kiriai to jump and hastily switch back to her essay so Kiya couldn¡¯t see her slacking.


    Kiya hung her coat up on the coat rack, her eyes fixed ahead as if she was only half awake as she collapsed down on the leather chair next to the couch with a heavy sigh.


    ¡°Why are you back so early? And where were you last night? You got home super late, I was worried about you. Is everything alright?¡± Kiriai asked earnestly, furrowing her brow, as she pulled her legs up onto the couch so she could swivel her body around to face Kiya.


    ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah, I just put in some overtime to finish the project. Had to go down to the union office to sign up for another one, but it doesn''t start until Monday." She yawned, leaning back in the chair. ¡°S¡¯no biggie, just means I got to skip over rush hour on the way back.¡± She looked over at Kiriai with interest. ¡°How about you? How¡¯s your studies coming?¡±


    Kiriai reflexively just replied ¡°Fine.¡± Why am I lying to her? She honestly didn''t know, but it just seemed like what she should do. ¡°Just doing some last minute edits for my english essay.¡± She motioned vaguely at the screen.


    Kiya glanced at it, without reading much or any of it, and nodded. ¡°Alright, lemme just get out of your hair so you can work on that, then.¡± She replied, standing up and dusting herself off, but not without a wistful look back.


    Kiriai smiled at her, giving her a thumbs up, trying to hide her feelings deeper down. Kiya reluctantly left into the kitchen and, a bit later, off into her room again.


    Once she was out of sight, Kiriai let out a hefty breath she hadn¡¯t realized she was holding in. She could tell Kiya was disappointed that she was busy, but she didn''t have time to worry about that; Her essay was still due tomorrow, and she still hadn¡¯t made much headway on it.


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    And that didn¡¯t seem to be changing; Though she was now staring at the essay page at least, the words swam in front of her and she couldn''t seem to make any headway. Maybe I should have chosen a different topic. Not that she had many options; Something regarding social issues. She didn''t exactly have strong opinions on any ¡®social issues¡¯, so it was hard to feel engaged at all.


    She scrolled up and down through the essay again, but couldn¡¯t make any headway. She needed a full other page, but couldn''t think of anything else to write; Worse, she¡¯d somehow gotten this far without actually having any sources properly formatted. It was just too confusing for her.


    Ugh, just shut up you dumb brain¡­ All that stress isn''t really helping me write any better, you know. What a nuisance; The need to write better just made her more stressed, which just made her do a worse job.


    Her thoughts would go in circles like that for hours, making very little progress. She heard Kiya moving around in the other room, and occasionally she saw her sister watching her with concern from the doorway.


    Don¡¯t worry about that right now. Just focus. So she said, but that was easier said than done; In reality, her ¡°focusing¡± basically amounted to writing a couple sentences and then spending a half hour on ¡°break¡±, or repeatedly looking up the same questions she hadn¡¯t been able to get answers to over and over again.


    It wasn¡¯t until Kiya came over with a few sandwiches on a plate that she realized how much time she¡¯d wasted. ¡°C¡¯mon Kiri, you¡¯ve been at it all day. Time for dinner.¡± Kiya announced, placing the plate down on the hexagonal table. Kiriai blinked at it, surprised. The sandwiches actually looked properly made- granted, sandwiches were not the hardest thing to cook, but she¡¯d always known Kiya to be a hopeless chef.


    Looking over at Kiya, she could see that her sister was thinking the same thing; Her chest was puffed out proudly, with her hands on her hips, as if waiting for Kiriai to acknowledge her efforts. Well, I can''t exactly turn her down looking like that, now can I?


    Kiriai sets the laptop aside and stands up, smiling warmly at Kiya. ¡°It smells great. I can''t wait. I¡¯ll go get drinks.¡±


    [...]


    Kiriai came back with a couple of glasses of iced tea- normally she wouldn''t drink caffeinated drinks at this time, but she figured she could use the extra alertness tonight. She idly munched on her sandwich, while trying to think of what she could do about her essay. There wasn''t much time left and certainly none to do any large scale changes, so she supposed all she could really do was try to lengthen it by inserting unnecessary words and do her best to figure out the correct formatting.


    ¡°...Someones been hard at work.¡± Kiya noted, poking Kiriai¡¯s cheek. ¡°Can¡¯t even take a break for eating, huh?¡± She was propped up on one arm looking over at Kiriai from across the table.


    Kiriai blinked. She indeed hadnt even taken a bite, and Kiya had eaten half of hers already. So, she forced herself to take a bite, tasting chicken, tomato, and onion, washing it down with a sip of iced tea. ¡°Sorry, just thinking about exams tomorrow.¡±


    Kiya shook her head. ¡°Uh-uh, don¡¯t apologize. You do what you gotta do. Just don¡¯t stress yourself out too much, alright? A good nights rest is important to proper brain function, you know.¡± She sounded almost lecturing, but Kiriai could feel the warmth in her words and just nodded affirmation with an ¡°Mhm.¡± sound.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t let me stop you. Eat up and go get that studying down. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll knock it out of the park.¡± Kiya smiled encouragingly at Kiriai, who more hesitantly smiled back. It''s nice to have someone believe in me, but I don¡¯t think that''s going to be happening¡­ Kiriai thought to herself while she took another bite. She didn¡¯t know why she projected confidence when she was feeling much the opposite, but she wasn''t about to change it now, so she just finished her meal and returned to her work.


    [...]


    After dinner, she got back to work and at least managed to focus a little bit better, expanding some sentences and fixing up some formatting issues. But there wasn¡¯t much time left, and at 21:00 Kiya came into the room, looking over at her with concern. ¡°C¡¯mon Kiri, you gotta get some sleep.¡±


    Kiriai made a whining sound in her throat. She was still so far from reaching the actual requirements of the assignment; She¡¯d redone the formatting of the sources several times but she still didn''t have them matching the example somehow, and she wasn''t even sure if the sources were legitimate. But at the same time she wasn''t making that much progress and without completely scrapping huge sections and starting over she wouldn''t be able to fix those problems, and she knew Kiya was right about needing sleep. ¡°But¡­ I have to be ready for the exams tomorrow¡­¡± She muttered, weakly.


    Kiya crossed her arms, giving a stern look. ¡°You need proper rest to focus tomorrow. If you¡¯re tired you wont be able to remember what you studied anyways.¡±


    Kiriai scratched the back of her head, unsurely. She knew Kiya had a point, but even so¡­ ¡°Just another half hour to go over everything again, then I¡¯ll go to bed, I promise.¡±


    Kiya looked at her seriously. ¡°Promise?¡±


    Kiriai shrank away a little, nodding hesitantly. ¡°Y-yeah, promise.¡±


    Kiya looked at her for a long moment then nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯m sleeping out here tonight, you use the bed. You need the rest.¡±


    ¡°But-¡± Kiriai started to protest, but Kiya hushed her.


    ¡°Nu-uh, no buts. I have all of tomorrow off and you have your exams, you need the rest and the bed is just more comfortable than out here. I can just take a nap after you leave if nothing else.¡± Kiya sounded so authoritative that it was hard not to just take her word for it, as she crossed her arms.


    I decided I wouldn''t do anything to keep her up, but¡­ I do need rest to do well in my classes¡­ Maybe I should just¡­ Kiriai¡¯s head spun, confused, and she sighed. ¡°Alright, fine.¡± She just didn¡¯t have the will left to argue the point, she was feeling so run down. ¡°Just let me run over everything one more time.¡±


    Kiya nodded, satisfied- perhaps a little bit smug- and left Kiriai to her own devices. She sighed, saving the essay as it was and navigating over to chemistry. I should at least go over it once more before the exam, I think.


    [...]


    Despite Kiriai¡¯s words, it was actually forty-three minutes before she finished. Still, at 21:43, she shut the laptop and got up to do her nightly routine. A cup of warm milk with decaffeinated tea and honey, then a shower. By the time she got out again, dressed in a more comfortable set of pajamas, Kiya had already claimed the couch and gotten under the thin blanket. She could hear her breathing slowly. Is she already asleep? How do you fall asleep that quickly, especially on this bed¡­


    Stealthily, she crept over and looked down at Kiya¡¯s prone form, barely visible in the darkness. Without really thinking about it, she reached down to lightly brush her hair aside¡­


    Kiya blinked open her eyes, looking up at her, and Kiriai froze, blushing brightly. ¡°U-um, I just¡­ I was just checking if you were¡­¡± She stammered out, embarrassed.


    ¡°All tucked in?¡± Kiya gave her that characteristic smug look, a bit of a half-smile painting the edges of her lips. Kiriai looked away.


    ¡°...S-sorry, I¡¯ll go to bed now.¡± She mumbled. She looked so peaceful and serene.


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, Kiri, just go get some rest. I was just doing some breathing exercises to help relax.¡± Kiya stated, while Kiriai backed away, flustered, before turning around and withdrawing back to the bedroom.


    [...]


    Kiriai made a hefty sigh of relief as she shut the door behind her, and collapsed down on the bed. How am I supposed to get to sleep? She rolled over onto her back, putting her arms over her face. It was more than an hour after her usual bed time but she still didn''t feel particularly tired. C¡¯mon, just force yourself to relax¡­ You know Kiya has a point, you need rest.


    Thinking about her exams and essays was just too stressful, so instead, she curled up under the covers and took a deep breath, trying to find something else to focus on. It didn¡¯t take long, because with that breathe she took in a familiar scent once again, and it took her back to older, happier memories.


    As she shut her eyes and got lost in her daydreams about happy times from years past, the doubt and stress slipped from her mind, and she eventually eased into a deep slumber.

 Chapter VIII

    Kiriai¡¯s eyes blinked open, staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes again, breathing out. It took her a moment to re-orient herself and figure out she was in Kiya¡¯s room, alone. How¡¯d she convince me to sleep in here, again? She wondered as she lazily sat up and looked out the window. It was unusually bright, so she wandered over to the glass and looked outside- Not only was it later than she normally woke up, but the ground was covered in a dusting of snow. Right, I needed the rest for exams¡­ Exams¡­. Wait, it''s exam day! What time is it? She bolted up to the door and threw it open, suddenly in a state of panic.


    Kiya, sleeping on the couch, lazily perked up at the noise, looking at Kiriai. ¡°H-Huh? Oh, good morning, Kiri¡­¡±


    Kiriai looked over at the clock in the kitchen in a scramble. 7:25. I can still make it if I hurry. Kiriai ignored Kiya, grabbing an apple and quickly filling up a glass with milk, downing it in a single long gulp, and grabbing her bag before hurriedly putting on her shoes and rushing out the door.


    Kiya blinks and reaches out a hand, even as Kiriai had already disappeared from view. Didn¡¯t even have time to wish them luck¡­ Kiya glances back at the clock, sighs heavily, and slumps back down onto the couch.


    [...]


    Kiriai took a deep breathe and leaned back, rubbing her face. There were still another ten minutes left in class, but she¡¯d already finished all of the questions on her chemistry exam. Thankfully, it wasn''t as hard as she had feared; Only one or two questions had her actually feel uncertain, and she was quite confident in her answers for the rest.


    Well, a chance to relax before the last class of the day¡­ That just left english. Given that people around her were still working, she wasn''t allowed to actually get up and move around, so she just sat there staring up at the ceiling.


    ¡°...And put your pencils down.¡± She heard the professor say in his typically dull and monotonous voice, and she perked up, deliberately slamming the pencil down. She was feeling rather itchy and fidgety, and was anxious to get up and go to her last class already.


    ¡°Bring your tests up to the front and turn them in, please.¡± Kiriai bolted up in her chair, carried the exam over, and handed it to the professor, beaming at him uncharacteristically. Normally she was just exhausted after this class, but today she was full of energy; Probably because it meant she could move along and not have to come back again. Still going to need another chemistry class next quarter, though. She shook off that thought; Can¡¯t get stressed out over that when I¡¯m not even properly done with this quarter.


    So it was that she practically pranced out of the room, ahead of other students talking to each other about the results of their exams. There were thirty minutes left before her next class; Normally she would be eating a lunch she had packed that morning now, but given how she had gotten up late, she had nothing of the sort, so she just went to the front plaza and sat outside.


    She wasn''t really dressed appropriately for the cold weather, seeing as how she hadnt had time to change out of her pajamas that morning, but the snow was certainly pretty, and she didn¡¯t mind the cold anyways. Even if she was shivering, she was just glad it wasn''t summer; The numbing sting of the cold just made her feel more awake. If mom could see me now, she¡¯d be throwing a fit that I left the house dressed like this-


    She closed her eyes and sat on the raised terrace. She would have laid back, but her clothes were not waterproof and there was snow on the ground behind her. In truth, although the cold and snow were nice and all, she wished her last class would hurry up and come; There wasn''t much for her to do, and the feeling of having something she had to do in the near future was just stressful in the extreme, even more than actually doing that thing.


    Soon enough, even for her the cold was too much, so she went back inside, walking to the location of her next class, slumping down against the wall and digging through her bag again to make sure she had her essay on hand. She¡¯d printed it out earlier that day, before she went to chemistry. A couple other students were also there, but she didn¡¯t even remember their names, so she didn¡¯t feel a particular need to talk to them; If she hadn¡¯t gotten to know any of them by now, she certainly wouldn''t start now on the last day.


    So it was that she felt a certain degree of relief when the teacher came through and unlocked the door, and she could finally enter the room to begin the final class of the semester.


    [...]


    Kiriai stepped off the city bus a couple blocks from the apartment with a mixture of relief and apprehension. She may be done with her classes, but she wouldn''t really be relaxed until she¡¯d gotten her grades; The semester didn''t really feel over until then, honestly. She¡¯d had plenty of time to warm up on the bus, so she kept her hood down and just appreciated the biting chill. It was windy, but there hadnt been any snow that morning; The snow on the grass from last night was only a light dusting. Still, it felt nice under her feet as she walked, giving a satisfying feeling of crunching as she treaded over both snow and ice.


    To her surprise, as she walked down the road, she saw the familiar face of Kiya round the corner on the other end, past the entrance to the apartment complex. Kiya perked up upon seeing her and increased her pace, bundled up in considerably warmer clothes than Kiriai¡¯s PJ¡¯s.


    Kiriai paused at the entrance to the apartment and waited for Kiya to catch up to her. ¡°What are you doing out here? I thought you weren¡¯t a big fan of the cold.¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s different when there¡¯s snow. I had to go down to the union office for a meeting, but I didn''t want to drive on the roads right now, so I just jogged down. C¡¯mon, lets go get back inside.¡± Kiya announced, reflexively taking Kiriai¡¯s arm in hers and tugging her along. Kiriai stumbled on the slippery ice momentarily, and Kiya¡¯s expression immediately changed to panicked concern, leaning over and supporting her.


    ¡°Kiri! Are you alright?¡± Kiya asked, although Kiriai obviously hadnt actually fallen over and was quite apparently fine.


    ¡°Y-yeah, I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good, I just lost my footing for a minute. C¡¯mon, let''s get inside.¡± She pronounced.


    [...]


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Kiya ushered Kiriai in, giving a glance backwards as she shut the door firmly, before taking a towel and stuffing it on the lower side of the door to help insulate it from outside. With that done, she turned back to Kiriai. ¡°So, how¡¯d exams go? Did you sleep well? Were you too cold?¡± The barrage of unrelated questions caught Kiriai off-guard, as she sat down at the table, feeling strangely exhausted after the stress of the day. ¡°Um, fine, fine, and fine.¡± She rolls her eyes up as she thinks and answers each question in succession.


    Kiya rubs her arms to warm up and sits across the table from Kiriai, looking excited and hesitant. Kiriai narrows her eyes at Kiya suspiciously, leaning forward and placing her chin on her hand. ¡°Alright, alright, speak up. I can see there¡¯s something on your mind, what is it?¡± She asked, her tone somewhere between suspicious and curious.


    ¡°Well it''s just, your last day is done, right? So you have time now?¡± Kiya prodded. Kiriai nods, hesitantly.


    ¡°Well, we should do something together, then! I don¡¯t have much time left with you, after all.¡± Kiya pronounced, sounding both sad and excited.


    Kiriai considered. She was, honestly, quite tired and would have preferred to just take a nap, but after putting Kiya off all week for studying, she couldn''t turn her down now. So she nodded affirmation. Kiya must have noticed her hesitation, because she also looked concerned, cocking her head.


    ¡°Hm? ¡­Are you sure?¡± Kiya asked, pausing in her speech.


    Kiriai nodded again, trying to put more energy into it. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m sure, just give me a little bit to refresh my energy. Maybe I¡¯ll shut my eyes for an hour, then you can wake me up?¡± It was only 13:07 after all, there was plenty of time in the rest of the day.


    Kiya looked a bit disappointed, but nodded in affirmation. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll uhm, see you later then? I¡¯ll try and keep it down.¡±


    Kiriai let out a breathe, relieved, and flopped down onto the couch, pulling her light blanket up while Kiya turned up the heat, looking back at Kiriai again before walking back to her room.


    [...]


    Kiriai shuts her eyes, feeling the lethargy of removed stress settle down upon them. They didn¡¯t fully settle into sleep, more of a half-conscious state where they couldn''t tell how much time was or was not passing. They occasionally heard sounds from around them, but ignored them, taking the time to just refresh her mind. Thoughts of concern about her grades or the essay she had turned in she muted and repressed. Come on, it''s the last day with Kiya before you head back home, you¡¯d better at least try to relax¡­ Kiriai thought to herself.


    Her mind drifted from thought to thought without any real consistency, worrying about the next quarter at school, going home, what she would spend the day doing, etcetera¡­ Until eventually, she hears a crash of metal banging together and Kiya yelping. Kiriai¡¯s eyes bolt open and she throws aside the blanket, rushing over to the kitchen.


    ¡°Kiya! Are you ok?¡± Kiriai asked as she threw the door open. Kiya looked over at her, with an expression like a deer in headlights, kneeling in front of a cabinet with a pan in her hand. ¡°H-huh? Kiri? I thought you were asleep-¡±


    Kiriai frowns a little and walks over to Kiya¡¯s side. ¡°Well I was in bed, until I heard a certain someone making a commotion in the kitchen¡­¡±


    Kiya blushed a little as she put a couple lids on the floor back into the cupboard. ¡°Eheh, sorry, the pans were just stacked in the cupboard and fell out when I opened it up¡­¡± She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. ¡°Darn, I wanted to surprise you when you woke up¡­¡±


    Kiriai gave a small sigh of relief, leaning back against the counter. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright, anyways. What were you making, some pasta?¡± She looked out over the assembled ingredients and quickly determined it was something a tad more ambitious than that- There was a collection of new groceries she must have gone out to get while Kiriai was sleeping, ranging from sour cream to garlic powder and ground lamb.


    Kiya clapped her hands together. ¡°Well, uhm, actually, I wanted to try making something I know you like. So I got stuff for beef stroganoff!¡±


    Kiriai arches a brow, looking at the ingredients, and the distinct lack of beef. She looked back at Kiya quizically, who put on a defensive posture.


    ¡°...It doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be beef, you know!¡± Kiya stated defensively.


    Kiriai giggled. ¡°You¡¯re so silly. Here, let me help.¡± Don¡¯t want to risk you destroying the kitchen trying to cook, after all¡­


    ¡°Um, alright!¡± Kiya said, hesitant but enthused at the same time, disappointed she hadn¡¯t gotten to surprise Kiriai, but also happy to spend time with her. ¡°I¡¯m already cooking the noodles, though, so leave that to me!¡± She said, perhaps a tad defensively, while Kiriai nodded in reply and got out one of their only two skillets to start cooking the ground lamb.


    Kiriai knelt over the ground lamb, seasoning and stirring it until she thought it was done, then showing it to Kiya. ¡°Here, you think it''s done?¡± She took a tiny morsel of the meat and put it up to Kiya¡¯s lips to taste.


    Kiya paused from chopping up onion to chew the tiny scrap of ground lamb thoughtfully before nodding. ¡°Mhm! I think the noodles are ready, too!¡±


    Kiriai nodded. ¡°Let''s just finish cutting up the mushrooms and onion, make sure the onion is properly tender, then add it all together. The onion needs more cooking than the mushroom, so it¡¯ll be better that way.¡±


    Kiya smiles back and nods briefly in response, trusting Kiriai would know better than her. But they weren¡¯t done chopping up the ingredients, so she handed Kiriai a knife and they worked side-by-side.


    ¡°Be careful not to cut yourself now, sis-¡± Kiriai cautioned, looking over at Kiya¡¯s work in concern, knowing how relatively inexperienced she was.


    Kiya gave her a defensive look. ¡°...I can use a knife, I¡¯m not that hopeless!¡±


    Kiriai frowned at her, worriedly. ¡°Are you sure? Last time yo- ow!¡± She yipped as she cut herself while watching Kiya¡¯s knife work instead of her own.


    Kiya put down her knife immediately and took Kiriai¡¯s hand in her own. ¡°Sis! And you were giving me a hard time! Wash that with some soap, I¡¯ll go get a bandaid!¡± Kiya instructed Kiriai, already rushing off. Kiriai blushed, embarassed, but the wound was actually stinging as some of the onion residue was getting into it and stinging, so she did as Kiya had said and went to wash her hands.


    Kiya returned a moment later and, as soon as Kiya had dried her hands, getting some blood on the washcloth, Kiya took her hand and delicately wrapped the band-aid around the shallow cut on her index finger. ¡°There, now be careful. I¡¯ll cut the rest of the onion.¡±


    Kiriai made a sheepish ¡°meep¡± sound and looked away.


    As soon as she had made sure there was no contamination, and removed the onions that were anywhere near the wound, Kiya put the rest into the wok and let Kiriai watch over it, season it, and add oil while she cut the mushrooms. Before long, they were ready to add the ingredients all together, sour cream and cream cheese  and lamb and onion and mushroom.


    ¡°Let me stir it, c¡¯mon, I¡¯ll get the cheese all mixed in-¡± Kiriai proclaimed, reaching for the bowl and large spoon.


    ¡°Alright, but only because I can''t think of a way for you to hurt yourself here.¡± Kiya teased, flicking Kiriai¡¯s nose, who blushed again.


    ¡°Siiiis, don¡¯t be mean¡­¡± She protested, the tip of her tongue sticking out from her mouth as she mixed the ingredients in the skillet with some effort, until the chunk of cream cheese and sour cream at the top had differentiated through the whole mixture and she could add the slurry on top of the bowl of egg noodles, and clapped her hands together. "Alright, all done!"