Hush

Gou sat at her dinner table accompanied by her three friends from school, Saki, Rieko and Chigusa. Her mother agreed to let them stay over to work on a project they had for class, although they were more interested in talking about boys than working on the Japanese History project.

As Gou sat there cutting out pictures of warlords of Feudal Japan, she occasionally looked up at her giggling friends, who didn't even start on their parts of the project. She knew that if she wanted this project to get a good grade on it, she was going to have to do it herself. She tied her hair up, rolled up her sleeves, and grabbed the supplies she needed from under her friends that were still chatting.

"Uh Kou," a voice said from across the table, it was Saki. Gou looked up from applying paste to the back of Hideyoshi's face. "Do you have a crush on anyone?" asked her friend. Gou became puzzled; she never really had a crush on anyone. Although checking out the Iwatobi boys while they were swimming didn't mean she had a crush on them.

"No, not really." She finally said after thinking for a minute. Her friends blinked at each other.

"Oh come on Kou," giggled her friend, Rieko, next to her as she shook her arm, making the paste squirt onto the face of Oda Nobunaga. Gou sighed; she knew she was going to have to reprint that. "You aren't at least interested in someone?"

"What kind of guys are you into anyway? I'm bet you're into athletic boys; you hang around with those boys in the swim club a lot," Chigusa smirked as she watched Gou get flustered.

"W-well of course I have to be around them! I'm the m-manager of the swim team!" Gou blushed, looked down, and tried to wipe the paste off the photo. It was no use; the ink was distorted. Gou sighed, "Besides, none of those boys are my taste." Her friends blinked.

"Then what kind of guys are you into?" Chigusa asked. Gou played with her ponytail as she thought.

"Well… He has to be tall and athletic like you said, quiet, independent and tough." Gou thought. "Also it might just be me, but I really like red hair…" She gasped as she realized who had come to her mind.

"Huh," Reiko mumbled, "That sounds a lot like your brother. Although I wouldn't say he is independent and tough he's more…."

"Like an asshole." Saki muttered as she reached for some markers next to Gou. Reiko tried to shush her, but Saki ended up giggling when Chigusa agreed with her. Gou rubbed her forehead; she agreed that her brother could be a bit unpleasant sometimes.

"Well I bet he only acts that way because he is trying to protect his Kou-chan." Reiko said.

"More like over protective," Chigusa added. Gou had to agree with that one. Rin was slightly possessive with her.

She remembered of a time when she, Rin and her mother were at the beach one day. Rin had come home to visit and they decided to spend their time as a family; Gou was about twelve and Rin thirteen. Three older boys made some filthy comments to Gou in her bathing suit and Rin got into a fight with them. Rin broke one of the guy's noses and left the other two black and blue. He made her wear his shirt the rest of the day, after a scolding from his mother.

Gou groaned and put her elbows on the table as she remembered how he looked, he himself got a busted lip and scrapes. She buried her face in her arms trying to hide her blush.

"Uhh, Kou…" Chigusa mumbled, "You got some glue on your jacket." Gou shot up and examined her elbows. The paste that was on the table from earlier was all over her arms.

"Let me go take this off." Gou sighed as she pushed her chair out, "While I'm at it I should print out a few more pictures. This one is ruined. I'll be right back." She said as she picked up the picture of Nobunaga and tossed into the trash as she left the kitchen.

Rin sat on the corner of his bed as he read one of his latest fitness magazines. He grimaced when he got to the dieting section. To help with memory and stamina, try this salmon and strawberry smoothie mix. If I wanted a stomach ache I'd eat nails. Rin thought to himself as he tossed the magazine onto his desk. Thinking of eating nails actually made him hungry.

He got up and walked out the door and into the hallway. Rin stopped at the door way when he heard Gou and her annoying friends talking.

"Kou, do you have a crush on anyone?" he heard one of them ask. Rin listened impatiently for her answer. He was relieved when she said no. No boy is worth Gou's attention.

"I bet you're into athletic boys. You hang around those boys in the swim club a lot." Rin growled under his breath. The Iwatobi boys were even less that worthy for Gou. Haru is obviously not interested in anything but swimming. Makoto is too involved in keeping Haru in check to even notice girls. Nagisa is a nasty little troublemaker; I got to keep an eye on him. Rei, he makes me sick just thinking about him involved with my little sister. Rin thought to himself as he tried to calm down and listen to the girls in the other room.

"Then what kind of guys are you into?" the same girl asked.

"Well… He has to be tall and athletic like you said, quiet, independent and tough." Rin pushed his face onto the wall as he listened harder. "Also it might just be me, but I really like red hair…" Rin gasped as he tapped his foot. He thought of all the possible boys that Gou could be interested in but the only person that came to mind was himself. He shook his head, the thought about him and Gou was unthinkable, even taboo.

"That sounds a lot like your brother." Rin snapped back to the girls as the talked. He rolled his eyes when he heard one of them mentioning him being an "asshole". "I bet he only acts that way because he wants to protect his Kou-chan." That's right, his Gou. Gou was his and belonged to no other man. If there was one person that was worthy of Gou it was him. Rin growled as he shook the same thoughts out of his mind. Why was he feeling this way?

"I'll be right back." He heard Gou's chair scoot across the hardwood and her steps coming in his direction. Rin hurried away from the door and back into his room. He swiftly closed his door, but Rin left it open enough to watch Gou walk to her room. She walked by slowly with her jacket in her arms. Gou's long hair swayed slowly as did her hips. Rin's stomach flipped when he look down her body, her being in such a short skirt was frustrating him.

"Argh," Rin growled loudly, "stop doing that!" He shouted at his inappropriate thoughts. He had realized that Gou heard him curse himself and he slammed his door. Rin leaned on the door and heard her steps come closer. No, don't come any closer. Knock, knock. Please…

Gou tried to keep her eyes away from her brother's door as she walked by. She never realized these hidden feelings that she had about him. Gou rubbed her forehead as she tried to push these bizarre thoughts from her mind. Why was she even thinking like this?

"Argh, stop doing that!" Gou gasped when she realized that was Rin's voice. She turned and the door shut tight. She tossed her jacket into her room before she walked over to Rin's door. Gou lifted her hand to knock, but she just couldn't find the strength to.

What if he isn't in the mood to see me? He seems mad and I think I might just make it worse, whatever it is… Gou thought as she looked at her hand inches from her brother's door. She took in a deep breath before mustering up enough courage to knock.

"Rin," she laid her hand on the wood, "Are you okay? I heard you yell." She listened but all she heard was silence. The door finally swooped opened and Gou found herself pulled in by her arm. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was pinned to the wall. When she looked in front of her, she saw Rin holding her arms up above her head with his face flushed a deep pink. Gou gasped and tried to say something but Rin covered her mouth with one of his hands.

"Hush," he whispered close. Gou could smell his cologne and her face felt hot. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp but he was far stronger than her. Rin took his hand from her mouth and pulled her arms to her sides. Gou watched with patient eyes for what her brother planned on doing with her.

He leaned in closer as he looked into her eyes. He saw that they grew worried as he got closer and closer. Rin finally stopped when he realized the grip on her arms was tight and he let go. She quickly crossed her arms and her eyes avoided his, he could tell that she was uncomfortable.

"I'm going to kiss you." Rin whispered when Gou's eyes shot to his with a nervous stare. Her mouth opened to say something but she blinked trying to comprehend what she just heard.

"What?" she asked. Rin sighed as he put his hands on her shoulders, and her arms fell open.

"I said, I'm going to kiss you. So be prepared."

"I," Gou protested but she was cut off when Rin softly placed his lips on hers. He pulled her closer as Gou got on her toes. Her arms hovered at her sides, not knowing what to do with them. Should she push him away like she should or should she wrap her arms around his neck like she wanted to? Gou didn't even have a chance to decide when Rin pulled slowly away from her. She opened her eyes and met his.

"Did that feel right…? How was it?" He asked as he rubbed her arms.

"Bittersweet…" Gou whispered. Rin nodded before opening his door to let her out. Gou didn't take her eyes off her brother as she took a step out of his room. His eyes didn't want her to go, and she didn't either. "But," she said before she stepped fully out of his room, "It felt right. Thank you, Rin." She got on her toes and planted a soft kiss back on her brother's lips. His eyes fluttered open and his face flushed again.

Gou walked slowly down the hall, never taking her eyes from her brother as he watched from his doorway. She didn't know if the heat in her cheeks was messing with her vision, but she swore she saw him smile. Gou took her time turning the corner back to the kitchen before she finally tore her eyes from Rin and she heard his door close. She pulled her chair out and sat back down before slumping on the table.

"Uh Gou, I thought you said that you were going to print out more pictures on your computer?" Saki asked. Gou's face shot up from the table as she remembered why she even left the kitchen in the first place. She knew she was going to have to go back again…

"Crap…"

I can't...