Memories of Agony: The Rescue of a Rival

The Melody
Aoi was sleeping next to Kyuui, her breathing light and slow. The sun began to creep in through the windows.

Slowly, and quietly, their door opened with a small creaking of the hinges. In the open crack, the face of their red-eyed grandmother peeked out to study them for a moment. There was no doubt the two were still knocked out, asleep as a fallen log. Without a word, she turned and silently shut the door behind her.

She herself was wearing a morning attire: a bedrobe, with her hair tied up in a loose bun/ponytail. Her feet were bare, trekking the cold floor as easily as a mouse would. Her eyes, although she was clearly awake, held the effects of her own grogginess due to waking up early. Her mind said she was a morning person... but her body, apparently, not so much.

The house was peaceful, and as the sunlight became brighter upstairs, Aoi rolled over on top of her sister and resumed her light slow breathing. Downstairs, Ahatake was out like a light, oblivious to his wife's prowling of the house, snoring lightly.

"I guess I could start cooking before the riot arrives..." The woman muttered to herself, reaching the bottom of the massive stairwell. In a matter of several seconds, she had entered into the grounds that were the Kurosaki manor kitchen. She flexed her fingers, preparing herself for some heavy duty work...

Upstairs, Kyuui was beginning to stir from her uneventful slumber, slowly opening her own eyes to the reality of day. But, she was surprised to see her sister straddling her, head resting on her chest. She couldn't help but smile softly - she looked so adorable...

Aoi did not stir, however, and continued to sleep, not knowing her "pillow" was now awake.

"Aoi..."

Slowly reaching up with one hand, she shook Aoi's back gently, but still with enough force to jog her out of her own sleep. "You can get off me now..." She said gently, almost in a tone that a kind mother would use.

Aoi's eyes opened slowly, revealing her purple iris's. She looked at the slightly blurry figure of Kyuui and smiled. "Morning Onee-chan."

"Morning." The white-haired girl replied, releasing her grip from Aoi's back. "But..." Although the smile was still onto her face, she tossed her head back onto the pillow and made a motion with her eyes, as if rolling them. "You're kind of crushing me with your weight..."

Aoi's eyes widened and she looked slightly frantic. "S..sorry Onee-chan!" She cried and rolled off of her sister onto her side of the bed.

With the weight now off of her waist, Kyuui sat up straight, although wincing a bit. "It's all right..." She assured, reaching over to scratch one side of her bed-ridden hair. She looked a bit sheepish at the reaction. "I didn't mean for you to panic..."

Aoi appeared not to have heard her, she was busy putting in her contacts. After blinking, she turned and her sister came into full view. "It's all right." She replied, smiling. "Just like Grandpa, I overreact." She leaned in and kissed her sister. Then she got up. "I'm going to use the shower, unless you want to first?"

"That's fine." Kyuui replied, the smile fading into a more casual look. She looked a bit complaining of her bed-ridden hair, attempting to make it look smooth as possible with her hands. "We both get to use it, no matter who's first."

"Alright." Aoi smiled and walked towards thier bathroom and closed the door with a small click!.

As soon as she was out of sight, Kyuui started reaching her hands towards the nearest drawer in order to scuffle around for a hairbrush. It was times like this that she cursed herself for being a neat freak, but the thought of one thing out of place always irked her.... which meant that Aoi wouldn't be using that brush for a while...

As the water ran, Aoi's voice could be heard over it, clear and melodic. "Bit by bit My heart is charmed, With that dazzling smile, Let's flee from the endless darkness Hold my hand..."

"Huh?"

That caught Kyuui's surprised attention immediately. She shut the drawer she was looking in for a moment and climbed out of bed, revealing nothing but her sleeping pajamas. She tip-toed over to the door that Aoi had closed behind her and listened closely, curiosity getting the better of her.

The voice continued, clear as crystal. It seemed Aoi had inherited her Grandmother;s singing ability, like Midoriko. "You see, when I met you, I remembered the view which I had treasured when I was a child, Won't you dance with me, It's a winding road of light and shadows Even now, you're dreaming of him?, There are times when it seemed like I wanted to turn back but, Holding love, courage, and pride, I shall fight.."

It was so beautiful.

The voice of Kyuui sister seemed to catch her heart in its clutches like a newborn infant. Unconciously, she raised a hand to place it on her bosom where her heart would be, the pulse having raised considerably. The lyrics seemed to mesmerize her, putting all other thoughts aside and pulled her into listening to the melody.

"Bit by Bit My heart is charmed, A piece of hope in this world, Anyone surely wants to have eternity in his hands, Even if you pretend not to mind at all, Hey I love you, Let's flee from the endless darkness Hold your hand.." The water stopped, along with the melody and after a moment the doorknob turned.

"Uh--"

Suddenly having been caught off guard, Kyuui's eyes widened, and she let out a startled yelp at the sound of the doorknob turning. In an attempt to pretend like she didn't hear anything, she sat herself on the bed, her legs crossed in a ladylike fashion and hanging off of the edge. She was inspecting her fingernails by the time the other girl came out of the bathroom, pausing to look up. "You done?"

Aoi's hair was sopping wet and dripping out onto the carpet. She had her towel completely wrapped around her. "Did you enjoy the singing, Onee-chan?" She asked, a sly smile on her face as she turned towards the wardrobe.

So she did find out.

The red blush creeped onto Kyuui's face once again, and she turned her gaze towards the side in sudden interest at the wall. "I...I have no idea what you're talking about." She managed to say with dignity.

"Onee-chan," Aoi fought the urge to laugh. "I know you by now. And don't insult my ability to detect spiritual pressure, especially yours."

"Gah--!" That dignity had been immediately shattered, and Kyuui looked at her sister with a stunned expression. Then, she raised her hands up in mock surrender, sighing heavily. "Oh, all right." She muttered, her tone one of humor. "You got me..."

Aoi began extracting a black dress from the depths of the closet, along with matching black undergarment. "Onee-chan, you can go shower now." She said pointedly.

Without a word, Kyuui turned, lifted herself off the bed, and walked into the bathroom. The door shut behind her quietly, and soon after, the sound of running water could be heard coming from the shower head.

Aoi threw off the towel, and it hit the ground without making a noise. She began to put on her clothes, and after she had finished, which took no longer than two minutes, she began to tie her hair into twin tails.

"Aoi!" The sound of Kyuui's voice was heard once again. "How's it been so far? You know, with your Zanpakuto?" Her curiosity was once again exposed to her sister.

"Pretty Good actually." Aoi called back, her finger's fumbling on the bow. "The spirit's are still hard to control, but their coming along fine. I'm working on my final move actually. But that ones a surprise."

"You mean the poison one?" A light chuckle could be heard as an addition to Kyuui's reply.

"Oddly enough, this one isn't poison at all." Aoi replied back.

"What is it, then?"

"I said it's a surprise, Onee-chan. You'll just have to wait." Aoi replied, laughing. "Keep asking and I'll come in there and tickle you to death."

Kyuui gasped in mock horror. "You wouldn't!" She protested.

Aoi grinned. "I would." She said, tying the last bow and looking in a mirror, admiring her handiwork.

The shower-head promptly turned off, and it was no sooner that the white-haired girl herself had opened up and stepped through the doorway. She had come out in the same manner that Aoi had: in a towel. "Well, too bad." She said smugly. "I'm not going to let you!"

Aoi expression changed into one of disappointment. "Awww..." She groaned. "You came out with a towel on!"

A puzzled expression came across the white-haired girl's face. "Is that bad? I didn't want myself to get cold entering this roo--" Then, as realization dawned in her head, she squinted her eyes shut, grinned widely, and playfully shoved Aoi away. "Ah! You perverted little girl!"

Aoi started to laugh. "I'll leave so my dear Onee-chan can change." She laughed and walked out the door. Dawn had broken and the sun was still rising. It did not seem like anyone else was awake. Or so she thought. A delectable aroma was wafting upstairs. "Who's cooking?" Aoi wondered as she bounded down the stairs, almost flying. "Anyone down here?" She called out.

"Me!"

The sound of her grandmother's voice came from the kitchen. In the dining room, however, the smell of fresh breakfast food could be inhaled through the noise from where Aoi was standing.

Aoi moved into the kitchen where she saw Tereya busy at the stove. In that instant she came up with wild, very dangerous idea. She moved quickly with the speed of a cheetah and the agile prowess of a panther. She tackled Tereya to the floor. "Mornin' Grandma." She said cheerfully her twintails bouncing.

She hit the floor hard, arm shot with pain when it landed. Had she not been in her morning mood, it wouldn't have phased her as much. But now, it felt like a dozen needles had been stuck into her arm, which wasn't helped by the fact that it was pinned down. Her other arm, however, was raised up and pressed against the girl's neck. It wasn't sooner that a bright red glow began to form in that palm. Tereya's eyes had now gained the frightening color of black and yellow, and she was smiling darkly.

"Morning, Aoi..."

BOOM!

No sooner than that, a vicious explosion rocked the manor.

Aoi's hair was disheveled by the blast, her dress slightly frayed but otherwise she was unharmed. "Grandma why did you do that?" She whined.

Now with free room to get up, Tereya allowed herself to stand and dust herself off. "Excuse me for being tackled like a football player." She retorted sarcastically, passing a sidelong glare at the girl. "Anyone else awake?"

Aoi got up and wrapped her arms around Tereya. "I didn't mean to tackle you I mean to hug you Grandma." She said sweetly. "And Onee-chan is awake."

"Oh, stop with the sentimental shit and go sit at the table..." Tereya muttered, rolling her eyes. But she made no move to push the girl off of her, nor did she return the hug. "That is, if you're going to eat at all..."

Aoi released her grandmother and muttered something that Tereya could not here, though the words "rape" and "sleep" were audible.

"Whatever it is you're thinking, brat..." Tereya thought, with an amused smile. "You're gonna be very disappointed..."

It was then that Kyuui herself came down from the stairwell, dressed in her common attire. Her white hair, much to her delight, was in its regular, smooth, and flowing state. "Good morning, grandma." She said politely. Tereya only responded with a slight "hmph" of acknowledgement before turning back to finishing her kitchen work.

Aoi walked up to Kyuui and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Should we sit down, Onee-chan?" She asked, gesturing to the table.

"Of course..." Kyuui did a curtsy before walking over to sit in one of the chairs. Tereya couldn't help but roll her eyes at the antics of politeness.

"Aha-jii should be down soon." Aoi yawned. "Tereya-baa, is he awake yet?" Her voice was slightly cold when she spoke to her grandmother.

"Nope. The guy's as awake as a dead log." Tereya replied smoothly, flexing her fingers in and out to work out the strain. "And I really don't feel like getting out the blowhorn."