Sister of Mine

"Big brother!" A familiar voice called out his name in a mist filled plane. Somehow, he knew it was someone close to him. Someone he cared for very much. It was warm and…comforting.

"Who's there?" Shugo said anxiously, looking around in the unknown regions. Looking down, he noticed he was in his Kite avatar. "I'm in The World? But how…?"

"Big brother! There you are!" Shugo looked up to see Rena, in her BlackRose avatar, waving at him to join her where she was. She was surrounded by a thick, grayish-white fog, but even through that, he could still see her slender form. He would always know it was her. He was her big brother after all.

He couldn't help but grin as he saw her bright smile directed toward her. Her smiles were addictive, always making everyone around her smile too. Right now, he was happier because that beautiful smile of hers was directed toward him. Not Baramunk, not Mireille, not Ohka. HIM. For some unknown reason, he felt a blush rise to his face, his chest burning with an odd sensation he never felt before.

He saw her running toward him, her arms upraised to give him a hug. "Big brother, catch me!" She giggled as she jumped into his awaiting arms, her own arms wrapping themselves around his slender neck.

"It's good to see you too Rena," Shugo murmured quietly, embracing his sister even more tightly.

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"Shugo! Stop daydreaming! I think I found a new area! It's so pretty!" Rena cried happily, gently tugging his sleeve, trying to get him to stand up and walk with her.

"Huh? Oh…okay," Shugo dazedly said, following his impatient sister as she dragged him off to who knows where.

'That dream…it felt so real…but,' he looked up at The World, a small grin on his face. 'Everything here does feel real…' He was forcibly knocked out of his thoughts by a low hanging branch. He blinked, looking at his surroundings. His sister dragged him toward a clump of trees.

'She's going to kill me? I know I'm not the greatest brother around, but she doesn't need to go this far!' For a moment, Shugo forgot that he was on an on-line game, and that he could really be killed. That embarrassing moment was forgotten when he noticed it wasn't dark enough to efficiently dispose of his body, and that the place she had dragged him off wasn't really dreary looking.

"Here it is!" Rena cried happily, shoving the slender branches aside with her large sword. She stepped aside to let him have a better look.

Shugo eyes widened as they saw what was beyond the clump of trees. It was a large field of flowers. It wasn't just normal field of flowers, but a bright array of flowers, all from different countries. Some of them, like orchids, were near flowers it would probably never come into contact with, like a small grove of daisies. Some of them, none of them had seen before. The system administrators must've thought up several different kinds of flowers for some of them were physically impossible. One flower, sitting near a small stream that wove around the flower patches, it had deep navy blue petals, and water sprouting out of it.

"Isn't it pretty!" Rena chirped merrily, dragging him over a large, flat boulder, making him sit next to her.

"Yeah, yeah it is," Shugo murmured, still surprised at the spectacular view. Suddenly, he felt a warm body suddenly pressed against him. Looking up, he noticed Rena had scooted over closer to him, laying her head down on his shoulder.

"I really missed you Shugo," she whispered softly, her eyes shielded by her long, pink bangs. "Ever since Mom and Dad separated, I thought I'd never see you again."

Shugo looked at her, sort of glad to know she was also feeling lonely after the separation. Cautiously, he wrapped his right arm around her waist, pulling her closer until she was halfway sitting on his lap, and he could wrap his left arm around her shoulders. Holding her close, he leaned down and softly whispered in her ear, "You couldn't get rid of me, even if you tried."

To his delight, he saw a crimson blush stain her beautiful face, her ruby eyes looking downward.

"I-I'm glad," she whispered back, before leaning up and placing a butterfly soft kiss on his right cheek.

Somehow, he wished she would kiss him somewhere else. He didn't know where exactly? His forehead? Nah, that wasn't it. He just knew he wanted her to kiss him, but unsure where exactly.

Rena, suddenly aware of where she was sitting, quickly stood up, almost making both of them topple over onto the digital grass.

"We should probably be going now. I'm sure Mireille and Ohka are worried about us right now," she said, an oddly gloomy smile on her face.

"Y-yeah," Shugo stuttered before clumsily getting up from his sitting positing, his hand tightly grasped in hers.

She giggled, the shadow of sadness disappearing from her ruby eyes. Her hand tightened in his and she leaned closer, her head lightly resting on his shoulder. "Can I…can I stay like this for a little while? Until we get out of this area. Please?" She whispered it so faintly, Shugo thought it was just his imagination for a moment until he saw her thin lips move.

"Sure," he said softly, slowly walking away from their secret area, Rena gently leaning against his arm.

That secret spot would remain secret for only a little while longer because some snooping swordsman or wave master would eventually find it and post its location all over the boards. But…the memory of just them would be there. Just them. No one else. For a few minutes, the thoughts about their real life with their parents or their role of brother and sister were diminished. In that secret area were two people. Two people who cared about each other very much.

"Hey Shugo, just what were you thinking of a little while ago?" Rena asked, interrupting the peaceful silence that had enveloped them a few seconds ago.

"Nothing Rena…nothing. Maybe I'll tell you when we get a little older, 'kay?" Shugo whispered softly. The underlying tone of his voice told her to keep that topic closed. At least, until he was ready to tell her.

Rena nodding before smiling, looking at the digital sunset that was about to envelop them in its orange brilliance. "Hey Shugo, for a moment…I thought we were actually on a date. Funny, huh?"

"Yeah…" he murmured, looking up at the sky. Unbeknownst to him, a single tear fell from his cerulean eye, falling down his red striped cheek. It lay delicately swaying on the edge of his face. "Funny…"

Rena's eye caught the teardrop from the corner of her eye. Without a second though, she leaned forward and licked the salty drop of water from Shugo's face. She saw his cerulean eyes widen at her action, a mixture of shock, happiness, and guilt swirling around in his eyes.

"Umm…I heard that the Admins plan on having a festival in a few days. Would you…would you like to go with me? Alone…?" She said quickly, looking up at her older brother with pleading ruby eyes.

"Like…a date?" Was the hesitant reply.

"If you want it to be," Rena said weakly, chuckling softly, covering up her worry.

"I think…I would like it to be a date," raising Rena's hand with his own gloved hand, he gently kissed the back of her hand.

-Shugo-

'Just once...let me be with her. Let me me be the only one in her eyes. Please, let me be the one to protect her rather then some wannabe knight. Even if is is only for a brief moment, let me stay by her side.'

-Rena-

'I know he's always ogling at other girls because they're more...filled out then me. For some reason, it hurts. But, right now, he's only looking at me. I'm happy. Very happy because his eyes are only directed toward me and no one else.'

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SS: Oddly enough, I immediately thought of Angel Sanctuary when I saw these two together. =3