Work Text:
November
Ryoga Hibiki lay on the floor of his home's living room, and sighed as he stared at the ceiling.
Outside, the chill of the early evening was already permeating the air. The living room’s space heater hummed softly in the corner. Checkers lay next to Ryoga on the floor, her head on his stomach, and whined sympathetically.
The Hibiki Family Directional Curse led to a lonely lifestyle. Ryoga and his parents were as close as they could be, given the circumstances, but it was rare that all three of them were home at the same time. Checkers was, thankfully, self-sufficient and well-behaved enough not to make messes in the house or destroy the furniture, and things always worked out that someone always made it home for feeding time, without fail.
Still, Ryoga wished he could wind up seeing them more often. Even on their end, it was a coin flip whether his Moms would be together or if they'd get separated as well. The two were always happy and delighted to find each other again. They doted on each other, in the sappy way that made Ryoga make a show of finding gross, but he secretly found adorable.
Still... it didn't make being alone so often any easier. And yes, he had friends in Nerima, and his weird On-Again-Off-Again Friendship/Rivalry/It's-Complicated relationship with Ranma (which had softened greatly since they’d all graduated), but...
Ryoga sighed again. It was hard to explain.
He'd had an idea, not so long ago. One of those half-joking “ha ha what if” ideas, at least at first. Then, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like a “hey, why not” kind of idea.
Ryoga sighed a third time, before tapping Checkers on the back. “Lemme up, girl.”
Checkers silently slid her head off of her master's back, before easing into a lying position on the floor next to him. Ryoga hauled himself to his feet, stretching his arms above his head, before leaning over, grasping his phone from atop the living room table.
He slid through his contacts, finding Ranma's name, then pressed call.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Three times-
Click.
“Hey Ryoga. What's up?” Came Ranma's droll, bored-sounding male voice from the other end.
“Hey Ranma. Can... can I ask you a weird question?”
“Only if you're okay with a weird answer.”
Ryoga chuckled, before falling silent.
”Ryoga?“
Ryoga steeled himself. “Can... would... look, I don't have a non-weird way to ask this, so I'm just gonna ask it: would Yoiko be willing to come over for a while?”
White Mary-Jane shoes, left at the door.
Black stockings, tastefully rolled up to her thighs.
A red, silk, long-sleeved shirt, a little different from her usual style, with no buttons and a different, white collar.
The yellow romper overalls, serving as an adorable skirt.
Fake fangs. The nice kind from the costume shop, with the molds that fit over her teeth, not the cheapo plastic vampire fangs that never fit and always filled up with saliva.
Hair laced into two cutesy pigtails instead of her usual long braid.
One of Ryoga's spare black-and-yellow bandannas, ties around her head to serve as a headband.
Ranma reached up, absently tightening one of her two matching pigtails, her legs crossed under her. “Y'know, of all the things I ever expected you to ask, this wasn't even on the list.”
Ryoga chuckled, plopping down on the couch next to Ranma. ”I've been trying to find a way to ask for ages that didn't sound creepy.“
Ranma shrugged. ”Hey, I know you at this point. I know you're not the creepo little-sister-lolicon type, onii-chaaaaan.” She smirked as she emphasized the nickname.
Ryoga smiled gently. ”But yeah, I dunno... it felt... nice, having a little sister. And... you seemed like you were having fun with it.“
Ranma giggled, leaning against Ryoga’s firm shoulder. “I gotta admit, it’s fun sometimes to just… act goofy for a while, like this.”
Checkers bounded onto the couch on Ranma’s other side, lapping at her face. She laughed loudly, petting the two-toned Shiba Inu under the chin. “Hey there, girl. How are you doing?”
Ryoga reached over, giving Checkers scritches behind the ears. “She missed you.”
“I can tell!” Ranma laughed, before pushing back at Checkers. “Okay, okay, down girl.” Checkers eased herself into a lying-down position, her head in her master’s sister’s lap.
Ranma turned her attention to Ryoga again. ”So, what do you wanna get up to?“
Ryoga shrugged. ”Want to see what's on TV?“
A matching shrug. ”Sure, I'm down for anything.“
As the evening wore on, Ranma was surprised at how comfy she felt.
She'd never had any siblings, much less a brother like Ryoga. Though, there had been times that she'd felt as close to Ryoga as siblings. They'd been friends, they'd been enemies, and everything in between.
Yet, if you'd asked Ranma, she'd tell you that Ryoga was one of the few she'd trust with her life.
The living room was warm, the couch was comfy, and the weight of Checkers' head on her lap was like a small, warm, weighted blanket on its own. The Hibiki house was peaceful, and she felt comfortable here, away from the chaos of the Tendo home.
In time, she found herself leaning her head against Ryoga's shoulder. ”Mind if I doze off a lil'?“ She mumbled sleepily. If she was here as Ryoga's sister, even for a little while, she was gonna enjoy it while she could.
Ryoga chuckled. ”Go for it.“
”Heh... thanks...” Yoiko grinned. “G'night...”
And thus began what quickly solidified into a new, comfy arrangement between the two.
When Ryoga was able to make his way back to Nerima from wandering wherever, he'd call Ranma.
Ranma would dig out the clothes, and Yoiko would come over to relax and chill with her big brother.
There was never a plan to it, it just happened.
It was about a month into this pattern that Yoiko found herself seated on the floor in front of the TV, next to Ryoga, the two of them mashing furiously on a pair of controllers.
“Come on, Blue Shell, come on, Blue Shell, come on... Banana peel. Again.”
“Sucks to suck, bro. Ya gotta optimize your karts, don't just go for what looks fast. There's a science to it.“
”You wouldn't know science if it crawled up your pants and died, Yoiko.”
Yoiko stuck her tongue out, leaning forward, not taking her eyes off of the screen. “Come on, come on, gimme that Super Star- YES!“ She crowed, singing along with the music. ”DEN-DEN-DEN, DA-DEN-DEN, DA-DEN-DEN, DEN-DEN-DEN, DA-DEN-DEN, DA-DEN-DEN-“
Ryoga grinned as he saw a familiar incoming symbol on the bottom of Yoiko's screen. ”Oh no, what could that be?“
“What-” Yoiko's eyes widened. “NononononoNONONONO-”
There was a crash from the TV's speakers as the incoming Blue Shell crashed into the back of Yoiko's kart, leaving her driver (King Boo) crippled right before the finish line, and speeding right past her to take first place-
“DRY BONES AGAIN?!” She squawked indignantly.
“Why is it always Dry Bones?” Ryoga agreed, even as he chuckled.
“FUCK YOU, DRY BONES!” The two chorused, the both of them grinning now.
Yoiko fell backward onto her back, still chuckling as she let her controller fall to the side. “Blerg.”
Ryoga fell backward next to her. “What time is it?”
Yoiko glanced toward the window. “Dunno. It's gettin' dark.”
“Do you need to head back? You've been here pretty much all day.”
Yoiko shrugged. “Nah, they know where I am. I'm good for pretty much whenever.”
“Want to do another race?”
“You're on. Best of 48?“
”You know it.“
Yoiko’s pigtails drooped down on each side of her head, which hung backward and upside-down off the edge of the couch. Her manga was spread open in front of her in one hand.
“What do you wanna do for dinner?” Came Ryoga’s voice from the kitchen.
Yoiko shrugged. “Dunno. I’ll eat anything.”
“Want to just order in again?”
“That sounds awesome. “
Exactly 30 minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Yoiko allowed herself to slide off of the couch and toward the floor, lightly pushing herself from a handstand and backward to a standing position, before she headed for the front door. Her stockings padded softly on the hard floor.
She flashed a wide grin as she slid the door open. “Hi hi!”
Shampoo beamed, that enormous grin she had so often. “Nihao, Yoiko-chama!” She primly handed over a heavy plastic bag, full of delicious-smelling food. “You still hanging around here?”
Yoiko chuckled, perhaps a little bitterly. “Yeah. I know it’s been about a week. I should probably head back home tomorrow, huh?”
Shampoo shrugged. “Here, Tendo House, it up to you. I not tell anyone who would object.”
Yoiko smiled softly. “Thanks, Shampoo. You’re the best.”
“Oi!” Came Ryoga’s voice from inside. “Stop flirtin’ with the delivery girl and let’s eat already!”
Yoiko spun on her heel to face down the hall, sticking her tongue out, pulling one eyelid down with her finger. “Bite me, you overgrown pork chop!”
December
Around Christmas, Ranma and Akane had a long talk behind closed doors, in the Dojo.
None of the other members of the Tendo Household were invited, or even allowed to listen at the door. The two made abundantly sure of that, shooing away Genma twice and Nabiki and Kasumi three times.
As such, no one but the two of them knew what was said and discussed, or what the reasoning was that ultimately led to the two of them emerging to declare at the dinner table that the engagement was officially off, and they wouldn't hear otherwise.
Soun wept.
Genma yelled.
Nabiki chuckled.
Kasumi seemed more relieved than anything.
Ranma and Akane sat at the table, stonefaced, eating calmly.
When Genma attemped to kick Ranma in the back of the head, it was met by a sudden plate to the shin from Akane, sitting across from Ranma. Neither of them had even bothered to look up from their food.
As Soun and Genma retired to the backyard to drown their sorrows in the customary bottle of sake, the two ex-fiancees shared a small, hidden grin. It was like a heavy weight over both of their shoulders had lifted.
Around the same time, surely by coincidence, Ranma stopped appearing around town so often.
The rumor mill spun its usual, of course. That he'd gone on a training trip, or was out living it up with a dozen unknown other fiancees, or had hopped a plane to America and been abducted by aliens.
Also surely by coincidence, around the same time, the previously-unknown other Hibiki child began to make herself known around town more often.
A precocious, mischievous kid, who looked and acted younger than she appeared to be. She had a grand knack for being able to charm an extra scoop or three from the ice cream parlor, or a warm bean bun on the house from the vendors.
The old status quo continued to slowly fade away, and the new one cement itself.
February
Ukyo quickly and roughly ground her spatula against a small chunk of burned egg stuck to the griddle, glancing up at her favorite customer as she did so. “What about that Kuno idjit, the brother? I never talked to ‘em much, but he seems kinda, y’know…” She slowly rotated one index finger around her ear, crossing her eyes. “Boop-Boop.”
“Wewll, thuh lasht time ah’ shaw Kuno, he-“
“Chew and swallow first, Sugar, please.” Ukyo droned, with infinite patience.
With a loud GULP, Yoiko swallowed a mouthful of okonomiyaki, before giggling. “Sorry. But yeah, neither of ‘em seem that interested in me anymore.”
“My brother is many things, dear, but he is not a lolicon, thankfully.” Came a familiar, refined voice from the other end of the bar.
In what was rapidly becoming a regular spot for her, Kodachi was sitting primly, sipping from a cup of tea in a bone china teacup and saucer, none of which were things offered by Ucchan’s.
At her side, Konatsu sat in the next seat, clad in a brand-new dress and pair of shoes. A pair of expensive-looking earrings dangled from her ears, and her hair, nails, and makeup were all clearly recently, expertly styled. What was very clearly an expensive-looking collar was fastened around the waitress’s neck, the tag gleaming gold. As if to tie the look together, a pair of puppy ears on a headband sat atop Konatsu’s head.
Konatsu, blushing, squirmed gently in her seat, her hands in her lap, clutching her dress, as she rubbed one shoulder against Kodachi. Kodachi reached over, scratching Konatsu on the back of the head, eliciting a happy hum from her girlfriend, before continuing. “Tatewaki is a dingbat, but were he a dingbat that pursued twelve-year-olds, I would kill him with my bare hands.”
“I’m a year younger than you.”
“I do not believe you.”
A shrug from Yoiko. “Eh, whatever. Glad you’ve laid off too, not gonna lie.”
“I still have no clue who you are.” Kodachi finished her tea, setting the cup and saucer on the bar with a clink. She turned to smile at Konatsu. “Ready to go, my darling?”
Konatsu nodded frantically, her eyes wide. “Y-yes, mistr-“ She suddenly blushed even deeper. “I mean… yes, Kodachi.”
Kodachi chuckled. “Good girl.”
Konatsu gave a giddy squeal, before quickly moving to walk alongside Kodachi as she headed for the exit. A thin, discreet leather leash extended from Konatsu’s collar to Kodachi’s hand, behind their backs. A chilly breeze blew through the open doors as they left.
Ukyo saluted, grinning like a madwoman. “There goes a champion. I’m so proud of Konatsu.”
Yoiko chuckled, her feet kicking above the restaurant’s floor. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m surprised Konatsu hasn’t quit, yet.”
“Not fer lack of ‘Dachi tryin’. Ko-chan won’t have it, though.”
Yoiko hummed thoughtfully, before turning to look at the chef. “What about you, Ucchan?”
“What about me?” Ukyo tilted her head, confused.
“Well, you know. Things were… contentious, with us, for a while.”
Ukyo sighed. “Well, maybe, but… honestly, Sugar, I’m just glad to have the old you back.”
Yoiko looked up at her. “The old me?”
“Yeah! You’ve stopped the whole… the Bluster and Bravado act the panda hammered into ya, and you’re just like you used to be when we were kids.” Ukyo smiled fondly. “Honestly, I’m just happy to see you happy again, Yoi-chan.”
Yoiko chuckled, wiping some excess moisture from one eye. “Thanks, Ucchan. I know you’ll find an awesome bride.”
Ukyo cocked an eyebrow. “Bride? I’m not gay, Sugar.”
The silence was palpable as Yoiko stared dryly back at Ukyo, her eyes half-lidded.
Ukyo sighed. “Dang it, even I don’t believe that one.”
Yoiko stuck her tongue out at Ukyo with a good-natured grin.
Grinning right back, Ukyo gave her a side-eye. “Okay, smartass, you wanna talk about how the name you went with just guarantees that people are also calling you a ‘good girl’ all the time?”
“I have no idea what you could possibly mean by that.” Yoiko responded, shoving another piece of okonomiyaki into her mouth.
April
“Ahhhhhh!” Yoiko crowed as she stepped out into the evening air. “Great dinner as always, Shampers!”
At Yoiko’s side Ryoga nodded his assent. “Agreed!”
Shampoo giggled lightly, standing in the open door of the Cat Café. “Yoiko-chama and Lost Man are too kind! You both always welcome!” With a mischievous smirk, she darted forward, planting a quick peck on Yoiko’s cheek.
Yoiko’s face grew pale. “Ah… uh, Shampoo, I-“
Shampoo gasped as she realized her mistake. “Oh! Oh no! Yoiko-chama, don’t worry, that not Amazon Kiss! Not Marriage Kiss or Death Kiss! Just… kiss-kiss, promise.”
Yoiko clutched her chest, breathing heavily. “Okay… okay, good.”
Shampoo squeezed Yoiko’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry. Wouldn’t do that to you. Promise.” She smiled thinly over Yoiko’s shoulder. “You can cool it, too, big guy.”
Yoiko suddenly became aware of what felt like a raging wildfire of ki over her shoulder, which quickly extinguished to a low burn as Ryoga calmed down. She turned, catching Ryoga’s steely eye, before tapping him on the chest. “Easy, big’un.” She turned back to Shampoo, the happy mood from just a moment ago back in her eye. “You keep stuff like that up, I’m gonna think you’re flirting with me, Miz Shampoo.”
Shampoo raised a flirtatious eyebrow. “Who says I not?”
Ryoga suddenly stepped between the two. “Alright, alright, save some room for Lady Decency, you two.”
Shampoo laughed as Yoiko stuck her tongue out at Ryoga. “Party Pooper.”
Shampoo waved goodbye to the two of them as they headed down the street, Yoiko guiding Ryoga back to his… to their house, so he wouldn’t get lost.
Their house, as of… shoot, Yoiko wasn’t quite sure when the distinction had been made.
Shaking her head, she shot Ryoga a side-eye. “Wasn’t expecting you to try pulling double-duty as bodyguard, nii-chan.”
Ryoga chuckled. "Sis, I'm your brother, and that gives me certain responsibilities. One of those is issuing the sacred trials of the Protective Big Brother test. Anyone who wants to date my sweet, adorable baby sister has to go through me!"
Yoiko smirked in her brother's direction as they walked. "We are literally the same age, dumdum."
Ryoga sputtered. "Ah-buh… whoops. I straight-up forgot we were twins."
Yoiko cocked an eyebrow. "Ryoga-"
Ryoga continued. "I'm sorry, I know I'm forgetful, but, I didn't think it was that bad. Well, I'm still older, if only by a couple minutes!" He thrust a dramatic fist before him, Ki sparkling proudly around his face.
There was a long, long pause, as Yoiko stared at Ryoga, a confused, somewhat troubled look in her eyes.
Catching her concerned gaze, Ryoga turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"
"...Ryoga… do you even remember that name? Ranma?" The question was asked slowly, haltingly, as if Yoiko were afraid of breaking a spell she only just realized was there.
However, Ryoga simply shrugged. "Well, yeah. That was yours before you joined the family. But…" he reached over, wrapping an arm around Yoiko's shoulders, pulling her close. "That was then. Now you're just… Yoiko. My annoying little sister."
Face pressed into her brother's warm shoulder, Yoiko simply smiled, and chose not not press the matter any further.
May
On the morning of the first day of May, Yoiko shuffled out of bed, still bleary-eyed from the previous night’s sleep.
Yawning, she trudged across the hall to the bathroom, scratching her stomach over her boxers. The very long yawn finished as she crossed in front of the mirror, heading for the toilet.
It was only a minute later, while she was sitting on the toilet, that she realized just what she’d seen as she glimpsed her reflection in the mirror.
Yoiko finished her business, flushing the toilet as she stood, before walking back to the mirror. Specifically not looking at her reflection, she washed her hands, drying them thoroughly, staring at the fake fangs kit on the counter. She would always take them out of her mouth to eat, and at the end of each day, washing them before leaving them here to reapply in the morning. It sucked, but she had to do it.
After several seconds, she allowed her eyes to flicker upward, staring at herself in the mirror. Slowly, she spread her lips, revealing two sharp fangs where there hadn’t been any when she’d laid down for bed.
She gingerly ran her tongue over them, before experimentally biting her lip. Neither action was enough to piece flesh, or make her tongue or lips bleed.
She blinked. “Huh.”
Then, with a fanged smile, she gave her reflection a thumbs-up.
“Bitchin.’ ”
(Meanwhile, somewhere deep inside of Yoiko’s mind and soul, a Cat smiled with her new fangs, before stretching, long and comfortably, and curling up to go back to sleep.)
June
P-chan wriggled in Akane’s hands, looking down at her with his adorable, beady eyes.
Lying on her bed, Akane brought her piglet down, smooching his gently on the forehead. “Good piggy,” she whispered, before hugging him close to her.
After a moment, she turned her head, looking toward the floor of her room.
Yoiko lay on her rug, leafing through a borrowed volume of manga. Her stocking-clad legs kicked lazily in the air.
Akane paused, wondering how to phrase what was on her mind.
“Say… Yoiko-chan?”
Yoiko looked up at her from the floor. “Hmm? What’s up?”
“When was the last time you… you know… changed?”
Yoiko blinked. “Hmm. Lemme think…” her gaze drifted to look at the wall above Akane, as Yoiko appeared to be counting on her fingers. “About… I wanna say, four months ago?”
Akane nodded. “Huh, okay. Are you… dealing with having a period okay?”
Yoiko shrugged. “I mean, it’s annoying, I gotta keep stocked up on chocolate and ibuprofen, but, just one of the things you deal with, bein’ a girl, right?”
A slow, understanding nod and a slightly smug grin from Akane. “Yeah… okay, just checking.”
The closed door to Akane’s room was suddenly flung open as Genma lunged through the door, pointing into the room with a yelled “AHA! GOTCHA!”
Akane, Yoiko, and P-chan stared silently back at him, before Yoiko shrugged. “Still nope. Just us.”
“Honestly, Mr. Saotome, you’ve been trying to catch Ranma in here for months now. He’s not here. Give it up.” Akane added.
Genma gave a long, defeated sigh. “I swear I keep hearing his voice. Where could that boy have gone to?”
“No idea, Pops.” Yoiko snarked from the floor.
The word choice made a whistling noise as it flew directly over Genma’s head. He turned back to the hallway, mumbling to himself as he headed back towards the stairs.
Akane leaned forward, lightly tapping the open door with her foot to nudge it shut, before smirking at Yoiko. Yoiko grinned. “Thank you.”
“Hey, I’m just sorry he keeps bothering our guest with his accusations.”
Yoiko paused. “Any word from… from Auntie Nodoka?”
Akane chuckled. “Oh yeah, she told him to go search for Ranma and not come back till he found him. As far as she knows, Genma’s currently wandering China, looking for Ranma.”
Yoiko giggled, a long, chirpy sound. “You love to see it.”
Akane smiled, before turning her attention back to P-chan. “By the way, Yoiko-chan, tell your brother to visit more often. I still want him to meet P-chan!”
P-chan was suddenly aware of the air in the bedroom growing colder, as Yoiko gave him a long glare. “Oh, don’t worry, ‘Kane…” she responded. “I promise, I will absolutely be having a long talk with my brother about your pet pig.”
July
It’s a lesser-known fact about Jusenkyo curses that, the longer you stay in your cursed form, the harder it becomes to change back.
Most curse victims don’t know about this particular rule. After all, for most of them, why would you want to stay in your cursed form for longer than necessary? Besides, there was always items like the Musk Tribe’s Ladle of Locking.
And after all, this particular aspect of the curse would typically only come into play after a long period of time.
Along the lines of weeks, or even months.
Not that any of this was on Yoiko’s mind as she scrubbed in the bath, her breasts barely hidden under the warm waters.
The time with a weird, gender-changing curse was so far in her rearview, it barely warranted thinking about.
Especially with a body she was actually comfortable and happy in.
August
“Oh, by the way, Yoiko’s upstairs.” Ryoga added, as he poured tea into the cups around the table.
Across the table, his mother, Kokoro Hibiki, raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “Yoiko?”
Ryoga flashed her a grin. “Yeah! My… sister…”
There was a long, long pause between the two.
Kokoro looked more confused than anything. “S… sister?”
Ryoga chuckled. “Ah, right. It’s been a minute. I should… probably catch you up.”
In the hall right outside the room, Rioka Hibiki paused, listening to her wife and son talk. She had been on the way back from the bathroom, and had caught the tail end of the past few sentences.
There was someone in her house, pretending to be her child.
Rioka adored Ryoga, he was and always had been the apple of her eye, but… he could be a bit… gullible, sometimes.
Silently, Rioka bypassed the living room, heading for the stairs.
Rioka Hibiki, formerly Takanashi, was a tall, skinny woman, with a crude sense of humor and a crooked smile. She had never outgrown her love of sentai, and made a mean cup of coffee. She’d been a barista before she’d met and fallen in love with Kokoro, a security consultant for banks, with a kind smile and a sweet, soft-spoken voice.
On the night of their honeymoon, Rioka had left their hotel room with an ice bucket to go to the floor’s ice machine, and ended up wandering around Hokkaido in her bathrobe and slippers for the better part of a day before somehow making her way back to the hotel room, the ice having long since melted into a bucket of water. Kokoro had been waiting, with an amused smile and a kiss.
Ever since that day, when the Hibiki Family Directional Curse had made it clear that Rioka was one of theirs now, she and Kokoro had always managed to find their way back to each other, no matter how far apart or how many months passed in between.
Rioka paused at the top of the stairs, glancing back over her shoulder. Kokoro and Ryoga's voices could still be heard from the living room, talking animatedly.
Rioka rolled her sleeves up to her shoulders. She wasn't quite as good a fighter as her beautiful wife or their wonderful son, but she could hold her own if she needed to.
As she scanned the upstairs hallway, looking for this potential intruder passing themselves off as her daughter, the door to what had once been the guest bedroom slid open, and out into the hallway stepped-
Yoiko froze, an open can of Cola halfway to her mouth.
Before her, Miss Hibiki, the woman she had met just a few times in her youth, orange hair in a loose bun, staring at her silently behind her glasses. Her face implied that she was remembering…something.
The two stared each other in the eye for several long, silent seconds.
Wide-eyed, Rioka adjusted her glasses. She recognized that face. She'd always been good with faces. The hair was a different color, and the cutesy clothes were definitely unexpected, but this was definitely Ranma Saotome, the boy… no, the girl Ryoga had been friends with, so long ago.
Ranma… Yoiko stood stock-stiff in the hallway before her like a deer caught in the headlights, eyes wide in almost-terror.
Rioka had seen that look before, many years ago, when a brief conversation between them had been interrupted by Genma Saotome yelling "BOY!" as he arrived, uninvited, on the scene. That same, guilty, Deer-in-Headlights expression had crossed the child's face, just for a second, before disappearing behind the defensive wall of droll sarcasm.
And now, Yoiko looked guiltier, even ashamed, than she ever had before. She hurriedly and awkwardly placed the can of Cola on the floor, a low panic rising behind her eyes. "M-M-Miss Hibiki! I-I-I… look, I know this looks weird, b-b-but I-I swear-"
Out of nowhere, Rioka quickly stepped forward and pulled the young woman into her arms. She held her close in the way only a mother could, Yoiko's face to her shoulder. "It's alright, Yoiko. It's alright. I promise."
After several seconds, the tension began to slowly flow out of Yoiko's body as she melted into the hug. Her own arms slowly, tentatively rose upward, clutching the back of Rioka's green shirt.
"Would you believe I always wanted a daughter?" Rioka murmured softly.
"Thank you… thank you…" Yoiko whispered into Rioka's shoulder.
Rioka smiled. "Lemme get a look at ya."
Yoiko pulled backward, allowing Rioka to look her over. Still smiling, Rioka looked over Yoiko's clothes, tugging the romper shoulder-strings, letting Yoiko's pigtails slide between her fingers.
“What a pretty young girl you are…” Rioka chuckled. "It's just a shame. We, ah… seem to have lost all of our pictures of you, Yoiko, baby. But hey, we can always make more, right?"
Yoiko sniffled happily, nodding at her mother. "I'd like that. A lot."
"Me too… by the way, no food allowed in the bedrooms, hon."
"Gotcha."
September
The house was silent. Quiet. Still.
Yoiko sighed to herself. Ryoga was lost again. It had been a few days since he’d made his way back home.
This wasn’t the first time it had happened since Yoiko had been living here, but it didn’t make it any less lonely, to be alone in this house with only Checkers for company.
The dog lay with her head in Yoiko’s lap, keeping her company as Yoiko was slumped against the couch, stroking her fur gently.
Her stomach gurgled softly.
“Blerg.”
She scratched Checkers behind the ears. “Lemme up, girl.” With a grumble, Checkers lifted her head from her lap, allowing Yoiko to stand.
Yoiko stretched, before striding to the front door. She slipped on her shoes at the threshold, grabbed her wallet from its spot on the shelf by the door, and tucked it into the pocket of her overalls.
Then, whistling a tune, she started down the path from the front door, then turned, heading down the neighborhood’s street.
It was a nice, sunny day out, and Yoiko found herself inhaling the breeze deeply, smiling up at the blue sky.
It only took a few minutes to reach the neighborhood conbini, approaching on her left. The door chimed brightly as she entered.
A spring in her step, Yoiko made her way around the inside of the store, bopping gently to the music on the speakers. She gathered a collection of snacks, candy, a few sodas, and a pair of onigiri from the small fridge.
Yoiko paid for the snack run without incident, and made a left turn out of the conbini.
As she walked, that spring never left her step, staying with her as she walked.
And walked.
And walked.
And walked.
Yoiko blinked, more than a little confused.
The house was only a five minute walk from the conbini.
Yet she’d been walking for quite a while now, and hadn’t made it back yet.
She’d somehow wound up in the city center, on a street she’d never seen before.
The street was lined with restaurant fronts, and bright lights. A giant model of a crab decorated the front of a restaurant.
This was weird.
Yoiko shrugged, and made her way through the crowd to a food cart. She shifted her bag of snacks to hang from her elbow as she gave the vender her best smile. “Excuse me, sir! Am I anywhere near the Nerima ward?”
The vender shrugged. “Sorry, my gal, never heard of it.” His Kansai accent was thick and springy in his voice, just like Ucchan’s.
Yoiko shrugged. “Nuts. But hey, while I’m here, I’d love some of your takoyaki!”
Fields lay open on either side of her as she walked, humming to herself. It was early morning, with the farmers just beginning to get to work for the day.
She waved one over, swallowing the mouthful of onigiri. “Hiya, sorry to bother ya. Can you point me toward the Nerima ward?”
She stopped for lunch at a fast food restaurant, tucked at the bottom of a skyscraper.
The street outside was busy, as cars eased past, and a thick army of pedestrians slowly walked in every direction. This… was probably a financial district or something.
Her plastic bag from the conbini sat on the table next to her, the handles tied to keep her snacks from spilling out.
Yoiko clasped her hands over the food. “Itadakimasu.”
It was evening again, the sun beginning to set and cast long shadows, before she finally made it back to the house.
She slid the door open, easing her shoes off. “I’m home!” She called into the house.
Ryoga’s voice called back to her from the living room. “Welcome back.”
Yoiko eased into the living room. Ryoga lay on the floor, head propped up on one hand, watching TV. “Hey there. Where’ve you been?”
Yoiko plopped the plastic bag on the table, removing the now-warm sodas from within. “Went on a snack run. Here, lemme go throw these in the fridge.”
“Nice. I brought food back, there’s a bento box in the fridge for you.”
“Wow, thanks! I’ll have that for dinner later.”
Reemerging from the kitchen, Yoiko plopped down at the table next to her brother, before digging in the bag. “I gotcha some of that melon pan you love so much,” she snarked, lightly tossing the packaged bread in Ryoga’s direction.
“Har har, sis.” Nonetheless, he opened the bread, immediately digging in.
Yoiko peeled open a package of gummy worms, inhaling the fruity scent deeply. “Whatcha watchin’?” She asked, shoving a handful of candy into her mouth.
“Mostly just channel flipping. You just missed Sailor Moon.”
“Aw, nuts! Anything else worth watching?”
“I think there’s a Gokaiger rerun about to start.”
“Nice.”
The two fell into a comfortable silence, broken only by the sounds of the TV.
“Love you, nii-chan.”
“Love you, sis.”