[KHR;challenge] meeting the sister
Sasagawa Ryohei, Hibari Kyouya, Sasagawa Kyoko
For 31_days. January 17th. I can only tell you my side of the story
Kyoko worries about her brother. She's heard that people will change as they grow up, but Sasagawa Ryohei has always been unwaveringly constant, his enthusiaism for life and boxing never fading. Although it is true that Kyoko will never ask her brother to change for her, oniisan is oniisan after all, she still worries when Ryohei comes home with bruises and fresh scars, even if he laughs them off like he always does. She winces for him when she changes his bandages, but bites her tongue when anything else tries to slip out.
She worries most when Ryohei comes home with shadowed eyes, the flame of his ring still faintly alight, or when he calls her at odd hours, all the way from Italy, his voice crackling over the wires, and all she could do is either hug him or fill his ears with her voice. The only comfort she draws from these times is that at least he's stopped lying to her.
Kyoko knows about the fight nights as soon as they start, and though she wants to talk her brother out of such recklessness, the contented smile on Ryohei's face as he recounts his training (not only with Hibari-san, but Colonello-san, I-pin-chan, Lal Mirch-san, Lussuria... oniisan has more teachers than she has fingers) stops her from doing so. She knows too well that if she says anything, anything against the mafia, Ryohei will give it all up in a heartbeat.
She finds out about Hibari-san and her brother's rather strange relationship later, in her brother's sixth year in the mafia (she knows. She's always known.) Though to be exact, it is Ryohei who breaks it to her, and for that she is grateful. Her informal introduction takes place one Wednesday night when he brings her out for dinner, and to her surprise there's Hibari-san sitting with a disgruntled expression on his face, staring moodily at the plate. She remembers being incredibly nervous as Ryohei sits her cheerily down, certain that something will go wrong within the next ten minutes, but the dinner goes smoother than she expects. Niisan is quieter than usual, even if he's talking more than the both of them combined, and although Kyoko knows that it's probably because of Hibari-san, she thinks it's not for the old reasons.
Halfway through the meal, Ryohei suddenly stands up and excuses himself to go to the washroom, much to her consternation. She reaches for the sleeve of her brother's suit only to realize that Hibari is copying her, and Ryohei flashes both of them an entirely too-bright smile before disappearing into the bowels of the restaurant. Kyoko stares after her brother before she glances to Hibari-san, and the look of utter betrayal on his face surprises her into nervous giggles.
His glare quickly convinces her to school her expression into something less offensive, and somehow Kyoko gathers enough courage to strike up a conversation. "H-How is niisan doing in the family?"
Hibari narrows his eyes at her and bites viciously into a forkful of meat, but he swallows dutifully before answering, "Passable." Kyoko cocks her head slightly to the side at that, that isn't really the answer niisan brought her here for, is it? She forms her next question carefully.
"Why are you here, Hibari-san?"
For once Kyoko is glad that she's in the public eye and that there are many people around her and niisan is hopefully less than two hundred metres away, because Hibari's glare is absolutely deadly and she ends up dropping her fork anyway. But she keeps her gaze steady (just barely), and waits for Hibari's answer.
"I lost a bet to Sasagawa."
"You lost to niisan?" The nervous giggle bubbles up again before she stops, but Hibari's gaze has moved to somewhere behind her, and somehow she knows that her brother is there, probably gesticulating wildly or mouthing like a goldfish. She hopes that he doesn't end up hitting a waiter. Hibari confirms her suspicions by closing his eyes and sighing deeply, once, before opening again and pinning her with a fierce look.
"I don't hate your brother."
It takes her a few seconds to register what Hibari has said, and when it hits a strange sense of relief washes over her. "Oh," she says, "that's...that's good." She musters up a smile for Hibari-san, whose expression had went back to being carefully blank again, and then she can hear Ryohei moving his way back to their table, declaring, "The toilet was extremely hard to find! So, did you guys talk?"
The cuff of her brother's suit is dry where she touches it, but she nods anyway to his remarks. Ryohei grins at her, Hibari bristles slightly, and Kyoko finds that she doesn't mind the spotlight of her brother's love turned briefly away from her.
Kyoko loves her brother. So even if she doesn't really know what's really going on, what he's doing exactly, to her, that's okay. His safety matters a lot to her, but there is something more important. She doesn't doubt that Hibari-san will keep her brother safe, in his own way, and if Hibari makes niisan happy, Kyoko is satisfied with that.
When they part ways with Hibari, Kyoko makes up her mind to gently squeeze her brother for details. She wants the whole story, after all.
For 31_days. January 17th. I can only tell you my side of the story
Kyoko worries about her brother. She's heard that people will change as they grow up, but Sasagawa Ryohei has always been unwaveringly constant, his enthusiaism for life and boxing never fading. Although it is true that Kyoko will never ask her brother to change for her, oniisan is oniisan after all, she still worries when Ryohei comes home with bruises and fresh scars, even if he laughs them off like he always does. She winces for him when she changes his bandages, but bites her tongue when anything else tries to slip out.
She worries most when Ryohei comes home with shadowed eyes, the flame of his ring still faintly alight, or when he calls her at odd hours, all the way from Italy, his voice crackling over the wires, and all she could do is either hug him or fill his ears with her voice. The only comfort she draws from these times is that at least he's stopped lying to her.
Kyoko knows about the fight nights as soon as they start, and though she wants to talk her brother out of such recklessness, the contented smile on Ryohei's face as he recounts his training (not only with Hibari-san, but Colonello-san, I-pin-chan, Lal Mirch-san, Lussuria... oniisan has more teachers than she has fingers) stops her from doing so. She knows too well that if she says anything, anything against the mafia, Ryohei will give it all up in a heartbeat.
She finds out about Hibari-san and her brother's rather strange relationship later, in her brother's sixth year in the mafia (she knows. She's always known.) Though to be exact, it is Ryohei who breaks it to her, and for that she is grateful. Her informal introduction takes place one Wednesday night when he brings her out for dinner, and to her surprise there's Hibari-san sitting with a disgruntled expression on his face, staring moodily at the plate. She remembers being incredibly nervous as Ryohei sits her cheerily down, certain that something will go wrong within the next ten minutes, but the dinner goes smoother than she expects. Niisan is quieter than usual, even if he's talking more than the both of them combined, and although Kyoko knows that it's probably because of Hibari-san, she thinks it's not for the old reasons.
Halfway through the meal, Ryohei suddenly stands up and excuses himself to go to the washroom, much to her consternation. She reaches for the sleeve of her brother's suit only to realize that Hibari is copying her, and Ryohei flashes both of them an entirely too-bright smile before disappearing into the bowels of the restaurant. Kyoko stares after her brother before she glances to Hibari-san, and the look of utter betrayal on his face surprises her into nervous giggles.
His glare quickly convinces her to school her expression into something less offensive, and somehow Kyoko gathers enough courage to strike up a conversation. "H-How is niisan doing in the family?"
Hibari narrows his eyes at her and bites viciously into a forkful of meat, but he swallows dutifully before answering, "Passable." Kyoko cocks her head slightly to the side at that, that isn't really the answer niisan brought her here for, is it? She forms her next question carefully.
"Why are you here, Hibari-san?"
For once Kyoko is glad that she's in the public eye and that there are many people around her and niisan is hopefully less than two hundred metres away, because Hibari's glare is absolutely deadly and she ends up dropping her fork anyway. But she keeps her gaze steady (just barely), and waits for Hibari's answer.
"I lost a bet to Sasagawa."
"You lost to niisan?" The nervous giggle bubbles up again before she stops, but Hibari's gaze has moved to somewhere behind her, and somehow she knows that her brother is there, probably gesticulating wildly or mouthing like a goldfish. She hopes that he doesn't end up hitting a waiter. Hibari confirms her suspicions by closing his eyes and sighing deeply, once, before opening again and pinning her with a fierce look.
"I don't hate your brother."
It takes her a few seconds to register what Hibari has said, and when it hits a strange sense of relief washes over her. "Oh," she says, "that's...that's good." She musters up a smile for Hibari-san, whose expression had went back to being carefully blank again, and then she can hear Ryohei moving his way back to their table, declaring, "The toilet was extremely hard to find! So, did you guys talk?"
The cuff of her brother's suit is dry where she touches it, but she nods anyway to his remarks. Ryohei grins at her, Hibari bristles slightly, and Kyoko finds that she doesn't mind the spotlight of her brother's love turned briefly away from her.
Kyoko loves her brother. So even if she doesn't really know what's really going on, what he's doing exactly, to her, that's okay. His safety matters a lot to her, but there is something more important. She doesn't doubt that Hibari-san will keep her brother safe, in his own way, and if Hibari makes niisan happy, Kyoko is satisfied with that.
When they part ways with Hibari, Kyoko makes up her mind to gently squeeze her brother for details. She wants the whole story, after all.