A/N: Oh man, where do I begin? Well I'm new to the whole fanfiction scene. I read a lot of books but never really written before. Something about this anime/novel just really made me want to get into it though, mostly because of the ending. I know a lot of people were upset with the ending and I was too at first, but after really thinking about it, if you ignore the "incest theme" it had going, I would say the ending was proper. Even though Kyousuke and Kirino didn't get together (although I'm hearing that it's implied that their relationship is still going), they were able to repair their sibling relationship, and to me that's one hell of an accomplishment. From going 3 years with barely any interaction, living in the same house to where they are now is no easy feat. Still, I can't imagine those two being just "normal siblings" as we all know, you can't just shut off your feelings like that. So with that said here's my continuation of the story of what life is now like for the Kousaka Siblings and company. There will be romance, there will be drama, there will be hurt, and maybe a bit of comedy if I'm any good at it. Please comment, rate, and review. Although I've based this on the anime, I've also read the light novel to have a better understanding of the characters, so if anything seems out of character let me know. I appreciate any and all suggestions. Thank you for your time and interest in reading my fanfic and I hope you all enjoy!

Kyousuke:

My name is Kyousuke Kousaka. I'm 19 years of age and live in the Chiba Prefecture of Tokyo, Japan. This may be difficult for some to believe but I'm a pretty average person: I have short, black hair that reaches down to the nape of my neck, a slim build, dark-colored eyes and usually sport simple, casual clothes. Nothing special really. My life, however, is anything but normal, it's a roller coaster ride from hell and I'm prepared to run to the back of the line for some more.

You see, about 5 years ago, I've entered a cold war with my little sister, Kirino Kousaka, who by now is 16 years of age. When we were younger, we used to get along great, in fact it could be said we were inseparable, but somewhere along the line we began growing apart at an alarming rate and I ended up losing what it took to be a proper big brother to Kirino. During our 3 year cold war we rarely spoke and never did anything together. It got to the point where I started to see her as a stranger and not my little sister anymore since for the most part, she pretended like I didn't even exist. In short, we hated each other. During that time, we've pretty much went about our own lives, neither of us involving the other. While I wanted to live a "peaceful and normal" life without any worry or care in the world, my sister became the overachieving, multi-talented person she is today: She's a part-time model, has one of the top grades in the prefecture, a role model for her school, a track and field athlete and a best-selling novelist. She is also incredibly beautiful with long hair dyed a light brown from her original dark brown, ocean blue eyes, flawless white skin and a body no girl her age should even be allowed to have. She is everything I'm not and I admit at the time, I was jealous and felt insecure around her and saw myself as useless in the eyes of my parents. My father made that clear all too well and I'll always know that I'll be second in his eyes, especially since he adores Kirino. Back then I couldn't even remember the last time my dad gave me even an ounce of praise.

However 3 years later, I stumbled upon a secret my little sister has harbored that would change both our lives forever; She's an avid otaku with a taste of little sister eroge. This is a secret, which apparently if anyone were to find out about, would be the equivalent to a volcano erupting in the middle of Japan. Thanks to the media, otakus are mostly shunned by the public, especially by middle-high school girls. It was a secret she couldn't tell anyone about, not even my parents, but when I found out about it, while I admit I was surprised, I didn't judge her or make fun of her at all. She's my little sister, and despite detesting each other I still wouldn't do anything to hurt or make her cry. When she saw this, she made me into her confidant in the form of "life counseling" and we began to repair our broken relationship using our "life counseling sessions" as a bridge for 2 good years: I helped her find 2 great friends for her to share her hobby with, I played her eroge for her to have someone to talk and share her interest with, took dad's rage (and a fist to the face) so she could keep her hobby when he found out about it, helped reconcile her friendship with her best friend while inheriting her wrath and being label a perverted sis-con, practically belittled myself in front of a whole production team to protect her novel that was being turned into an anime from being butchered into something Kirino didn't want, and the list goes on. It's weird that I would go the distance for my little sister despite the how she treated me and seemed somewhat ungrateful most of the times, but in the end, when I saw my little sister's cute side, it made it all worth it. As such, we were able to repair our broken relationship and I was able to re-establish my role as an older brother to Kirino.

Happy end right? Well...yes and no...depending on how you see it: During those 2 years of reconciliation, a new bond was beginning to form between Kirino and myself...something beyond a brother-sister relationship, something stronger, something that neither of us could have predict would ever happen: We fell in love with each other. No joke, I'm in love with my little sister and she with me. I know what you're thinking, the eroge she made me play corrupted us both right? Well at first I was starting to think that, but after careful and long consideration on my part, I can safely say it wasn't the case. Granted it may have turned me into somewhat of a pervert, god knows I unwillingly have the evidence to support it, it had no sway in my feelings for my little sister. Before Kirino re-entered my life, I was a husk. I had no drive to succeed or make a mark on the world. Nothing to run forward to. All I would do is wake up, go to school, come back home, occasionally go to Manami's place, eat, then go to bed. Rinse and repeat. When Kirino came along and pretty much pulled me out of my routine, I admit I've haven't felt this happy in a long time. My life is full of joy, there's always something new each day and I have her to thank for that. I've always admired how she takes passion in what she loves, whether its video games, anime, eroge, modeling, friends, you name it. Her passion for it is something to be reckoned with and I just love seeing the smile on her face when she indulges in it all.

For Kirino, well...if I remember correctly, during one of our lovers ceremony she finally showed me the contents of that cardboard box she had hidden away and it held something even more precious than her eroge. It was pictures of me before our cold war, when our relationship was good. She had took them from the family album and placed them all here because, in her own words:

"They're pictures of my beloved Onii-chan."

I was completely shocked. Never have I thought I'd hear those words from my little sister. She was just too cute. We then listened to an old I-pod made from when she was little as a sort of message from her past self to her current. It revealed some tidbits about why she started to like Imouto eroge in the first place and her true feelings towards me: My little sister has loved me ever since we were kids. It was a secret she couldn't tell anyone, not even myself, a secret she had held in her heart for all these years and still had them even during our cold war. If I had to put 2 and 2 together, the eroge was a surrogate for this. I've been out of her life for 3 years and she developed a complex because of it, a fact she would never have told me the first time I found out about her hobby. I couldn't help but fall more in love with my sister on that day.

A little before that on Christmas eve, I confessed to my sister and she accepted. I was happy, ecstatic, I thought I could take on the world, however after the adrenaline hype, we both came crashing down to reality with this one simple fact: Siblings can't marry. Granted I knew that already, but still...heat of the moment right? I wanted more than anything to tell my sister about my feelings. So after some talk and eroge playing, my sister tells me she has already thought of a solution: Between then and graduation day, we would become limited time lovers and openly express it except towards our parents. We would fully enjoy ourselves, after that we go back to normal siblings. I accepted, but deep down while I didn't show it, I was a little heart-broken. I knew it was for the sake of not only our lives but for everyone who loves and know us, but will this really make us happy? I guess it was for the best, there's no happy end to these kinds of relationships and it would only lead to struggle. The Funny thing is...I kinda didn't care, I mean, this is our happiness we should be thinking about. I knew if we had gone this route there would be many trials and complications to deal with, but as long as I was with the one I loved, I felt like could take on anything and everything. In the end though, I accepted because it seemed like she was really happy, and my sister's happiness is my happiness. I would do anything for her, sacrifice anything for her, and go anywhere with her. Those are my true feelings. So if I must sacrifice this relationship for her, then I will. No matter what though, I will always love her, and I'm sure she feels the same.

But hey, it's not like everything's a total lost right? If anything I've repaired my broken relationship with my sister that I thought would be impossible to do at that point in time, and to me that's the greatest consolation prize I could ask for. Kirino has also lightened up a lot towards me although she still has her sharp-tongue and tsundere tendencies sometimes, but hey I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a kick out of it. We're a lot more closer now and spend time with each other like mad. We're a rare breed of siblings that don't grow apart over time. We're both a part of each other's lives and I couldn't be more happy...I guess.

It's been a couple of months after the offline meeting of "Otaku Girls United", and everything is going fine. She wakes me up in the morning sometimes, brings me along to go shopping together (though I'm almost sure it's just to carry her stuff), play games together, converse almost every day, and...uhm...sometimes I would give her small pecks on the cheek as a form of "sibling affection". I guess it was my fault to begin with since I used that as my 1 wish when I won a bet against her, but after that it became almost like a standard for me. I swear it was pure sibling affection and no ulterior motive behind it! ...Ok, maybe a little. It was like having the Kirino I had always dreamed about during our cold war, back when she still had her original hair color.

After graduation, I was able to get a job in the mornings as a store clerk for a family owned bakery shop in down town Chiba. It's not bad, the pay is good, and for the most part I just keep the store clean and watched over while the family does the baking. It's mostly quiet and they don't mind if I break out a magazine now and then.

As I speak, I'm now on my last hour of my shift. I've just finished sweeping the floor and now assisting the store owner, Mr. Sakamoto in setting the freshly made baked goods on the store shelves. Mr. Sakamoto appears to be in his late or early 40s and is a rotund man with a long, gray-brownish beard, completely bald on his head, and wears bifocals. He looks like he could be some sort of school teacher or something but his personality is very warm and loud though. He loves to joke around and play practical jokes on his family. I've never seen a serious moment come from this guy, he's like the polar opposite of my dad. The bake goods look absolutely mouth-watering. This bakery is known for making not only Japanese confectionery, but also stuff outside the normal. For example, today they've made an oatmeal raisin cookie dough cake with cinnamon sprinkled on top, a double sized blueberry muffin with a cream cheese filling in the middle, and finally, my personal favorite today, a strawberry and granola danish with vanilla icing. They're all 100% hand-made by Mrs. Sakamoto and their daughter. Mrs. Sakamoto's age is a little around her husband's but I swear you could never tell. She aged very good, with long violet-pink hair, rosy cheeks and red lips. It's hard to tell if she wears make up or not. Her figure is a bit on the thick side, but she got curves that would make any guy make a double take. And then there's their daughter Ayane Sakamoto , who looks almost identical to her mother but of course much younger looking and slimmer. Her hair is slightly longer and brighter giving off a fuchsia shade and her body is amazing, about nearly the level of Saori's but not as...erhm..."busty". I swear I'm gonna lose my job one day just from staring at her.

"Gwah ha ha ha! What's the matter, Kyousuke? You have more red on your face than this cake here. Ya wanna taste that badly huh? Huh?!" Oh I want some cake alright, but not the kind of cake you're thinking...god I'm going to be out of a job soon I know it! Focus, Kyousuke!

"Aahh...no no Mr. Sakamoto, I had a big breakfast today, although these bake goods are amazing looking. My mother would die to try these."

"Gwah ha! Yes yes they're quite something aren't they? My wife and daughter are absolute prodigies when it comes to baking. It almost feels like I'm taking advantage of them! But...gotta pay the bills eh? Eh?!"

*Thwack*

And right at that moment, Mrs. Sakamoto shows up and gives a good left hook to the back of Mr. Sakamoto's head. She must have overheard him from the kitchen. The guy should really try toning his voice down.

"What was that about taking advantage, Anata?"

"Ow wow wow! I'm just kidding, honey! Geez can't a man pride his darling wife and daughter for practically living off their talent? GAH!" Oooh, and there's a right hook. That had to hurt...

"Living off us huh? In that case, we'll have to talk more about splitting the profits to the real "breadwinners", don't you think so, Anata?"

"Gwah ha-oof! Good one, honey! Breadwinners! Get it?! Because we're bakers?! God you're one in a million, honey."

"I'm glad you think so. Ah Kyousuke, shouldn't you be heading off now?"

"Ah yes, Mrs. Sakamoto but I don't mind staying a bit longer and helping out. It's nice seeing what you guys made before I leave out."

"Ah you're such a sweetheart, Kyousuke." She says with a bright smile.

"It's really nice having you here around the shop. Not too many boys your age mature enough to work here." Ahhh, that flatters me a bit. I'm not really used to compliments so that really made my day to hear.

"Yes, yes indeed he is! You know, before you got here, I've rejected a ton of applicants around your age because they gave off such a lousy vibe, most of them were blatant troublemakers or just plain lazy looking. But when I saw you Kyousuke, I knew you were something special. The look you had in your eyes told me that you've seen some things in your life and you're full of ambition! Maturity at its youngest! I'm proud to have you working with us! Hell I might even give you my daughter's hand in marriage! Gwah ha ha ha!" I nearly choke on my breath hearing that last bit. Just then I hear some pots and pans dropping on the floor in the kitchen area. Our attention focuses on the point of origin to see Ayane walking out with a flustered look on her face and fresh dough covering her apron.

"Father! Can you be any more embarrassing? Hmph! Don't listen to him, Kyousuke. You should know by now my dad likes to joke around."

"Huh? Who said I was joking? I was being serious!"

"Ah...uhm...well...errr" I couldn't help but stutter like an idiot while trying to regain my composure. I don't know if I should be flattered or stick my head in the ground like an ostrich.

"Uhm, well now look at the time! I should get going. Mom probably has lunch waiting for me."

"Have a great day, Kyousuke. We'll see you tomorrow morning!" Says Ayane as she and her family waves good-bye. I wave back and proceed to walk home. Man that was beyond awkward but in some weird way, it made me feel a bit happy. If the old man was being serious, that would be the first time I've ever been offered someone's daughter. Mom would have a field day with the rumor mill in our neighborhood. Though, of course, I would have most likely rejected. Don't get me wrong, their daughter is absolutely gorgeous and I'd be considered a fool to not accept, but my feelings would not allow me to do so...because in the end...my heart still belongs to one person...

About a half hour later I reach the front of my house. Mom should have lunch ready for me. She's been treating me really awesome ever since Kirino and I have gotten along after all those years of not speaking to each other. In fact she seems a lot happier because of it; Her breakfasts are huge in comparison to the last 2 years and she's always making me a huge sandwich after I come home from work. Kirino and her have also been interacting with each other a lot more, talking about their day among other girl stuff. It makes me smile seeing them that way. Kirino used to be a bit distant towards our parents due to her hectic schedule and whatnot, barely speaking a word during dining times unless she's spoken to, but now she seems to speak on her own accord and strikes up a conversation with mom almost on a daily basis. It really makes me happy seeing this huge change in her character. She's still the hot-tempered, capricious and cocky Kirino we all know and love but she has definitely soften up some.

I've decided since graduation that I won't attend a university until next year. I need time to think about what university I want to apply to and what I want to major in. That whole time in high school I was so wrapped up in trying to be "normal" I didn't really think about the future. I've wasted so much time and before I knew it, I'm about to graduate. Thankfully in the beginning, even though my grades weren't perfect for the most part, they weren't bad either, and towards my third year, around the time I've started to grow more close to Kirino, my grades improved dramatically. If not completely dominating that mock entrance exam during the time I was separated from Kirino wasn't proof enough I don't know what is. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what my motivation was.

Speaking of which though, while of course I never said this to anyone, the main reason I decided not to attend university this year was because I wanted to try to spend more time with Kirino. I feel that, even though we've come a long way together, we still have a lot of time to make up for. 3 years is a long damn time of not speaking to each other, and I feel I'll never be able to make up for that time we've lost, but I can try, and I won't lose a single second more if I can help it.

Dad was fine with the decision as long as I got a job of some sort. I was fine with that, as I wanted to save up money for tuition anyways. Dad even said he'd help pay half of it once I decided what I want to do as long as I kept myself hired and continued to look after Kirino.

"I'm home." I give my usual greeting. I take a look around and see mom in the living room reading a magazine.

"Ahh, welcome home, honey! Your lunch is on the table. Dig in."

I look towards the kitchen and notice a plate with my lunch beaming on top of it. She made me a triple-decker sandwich with 3 kinds of meat: Ham, turkey and chicken with the usual condiments of lettuce, tomato and a special tangy sauce that mom makes herself for me. My mouth is practically watering plants right now. God how I look forward to coming home from work!

"Thanks mom!" I say with a goofy looking smile as she notices the drool running down my face and giggles lightly.

"Hehehe you're welcome Kyousuke. Remember when I used to make these for you when you were a kid? You had quite the appetite back then. Glad to see that hasn't changed."

I smile back and make my way into the kitchen, sitting down in front of my godly looking sandwich fit only for a king. I dug right in, taking a huge first bite that nearly fills my entire mouth, enough to make me practically gasp for air. Heh, when did I ever turn into such a pig? While eating I look at the magazine mom was reading and notice Kirino on the front cover. Ahh, she must be reading the latest magazine from her company. Since like a year ago, Kirino's popularity has grown quite a lot to the point where she's now featured on the front cover of most of her latest magazines.

"Is Kirino home mom?" I ask nonchalantly.

"Hmm, nope. She said she was going out shopping today after getting her paycheck. I imagine she'll be home before dinner. Speaking of which, hun, what would you like for dinner tonight?" Eh? This again? She always ask me this knowing that she'll completely disregard my opinion. Besides, all she knows how to cook is curry anyways...

"Oh come on, mom. You know you can only make curry."

"Hehehe, then I'll have quite the surprise for you tonight, Kyousuke. Your mother has learned some new tricks."

"Heh, looking forward to it. Just don't hurt yourself, mom." I say back jokingly. I hear her chuckling lightly and goes back to her magazine. I've really came a long way. Back then before I found out about Kirino's hobby, I could never get into the mood to joke around with my mom like this. She would always try to cheer me up, even to the point of making fun of my porn hoard she "conveniently" found under my bed. I knew she meant well, mom is a very sweet woman and loves us dearly, but at the time, I just couldn't get into the mood to really interact much with my family in a positive way...if at all. I guess it's just another sign of how miserable I really was back then before Kirino came back into my life. I don't know if she really knows how grateful I am to her.

"Thanks for the food, mom. Well I'm going to go to the library for a while. Maybe I can get an idea of what I want to major in for college next year."

"Alright hun, make sure you're back for dinner. Have fun."

With a satisfied belch, much to my amusement, and a pat on my stomach, I get up from the table and head back out the house and go walk down the street to the nearby library. On my way there my thoughts strayed towards my sister, wondering what she's up to. Probably out shopping in either Shibuya or Akiba for some eroge. Mom and dad have become a little more accepting of Kirino's hobby lately, well...mom more so than dad. He still feels her hobby is a useless one but won't say it out loud. He's still under the impression that I'm the owner of the eroge he found 2 years back, but lately I've gotten vibes that he actually knows who it really belongs to. Call it a hunch, but I'm well-known for being a "bad liar", and if I know dad, being a cop and all, he can spot a lie from a mile away. Kirino and I were never able to get away with lying to him when we were kids. So either it was an absolute miracle that he didn't catch onto my lie the night I said I owned the eroge or he's playing dumb for our sake. His trust in me has grown a lot since then and I feel like I've gained a lost respect from him. If he ever knew the truth of what happened between Kirino and myself, I don't know what he would do...probably kill me or disown me. Ugh...I'd rather not think about it.

I arrive at the library and make my way down the many aisles. Man, I wonder if I'll ever figure out what I want to do with my life. Hmm, maybe Business Management? Nah, although Kanako says I'm a great manager, it's not really my thing. Maybe...Computer technology...probably not, I've only just gotten into computers like 2 years ago and I still don't know a lot about them. If I did I wouldn't have gotten busted by Kirino for checking out porn sites. Oh god that's going to scar her forever. Bah, still nothing. I'm such a space case. If Manami was still around, she'd probably help me out since we were suppose to go to university together at some point. I wonder what she wants to be?

"K-Kyou-chan?" And speak of the devil...Manami calls out to me from behind my back. I ended up dropping the books I was reading out of surprise. I never expected Manami to be here...

"Manami?! W-what are you doing here?"

"I'm just purchasing some books for university, and you?"

"Ah...well I'm trying to decide what I want to major in for next year when I go to university. I figured some book reading would help me." I say as I fumble to pick up the book I've dropped.

"Ah...I see...Kyou-chan is still as useless as ever without me around. Hehe."

"Hey hey, I can take care of myself grandma. I think I've proved that during the mock exam!" I say a little jokingly with a bit of hostility laced into it. I'm not sure how to act towards her now, but I'm glad we still have some semblance of our old friendship. Her personality seems the same for the most part, but her appearance now is another story. Her hair looks a little longer now, reaching to her shoulders. Is that a bit of make up she's wearing? Yea it is. I think she has some eyeliner on, and that's definitely lipstick I see. How odd, Manami was never one to wear make-up before. I wonder why the sudden change? Also...wait...

"Manami? Where's your glasses? Did you lose them again?"

"No, grandpa. I got fitted for contacts a couple of weeks ago. What do you think? I look better without them?"

"You look...pretty good without them actually." I say with a half-hearted chuckle. In all seriousness though, she doesn't look half-bad without them. In fact I'd say she looks better without them. Granted this isn't the first time I've seen her without glasses, but that's usually rare and only when we had sleep-overs. Overall though, she looks like a completely different person. The grandma aura she usually has around is all but gone. Amazing how much she's changed in a couple of months.

"I see. I'm glad then." She smiles and I smile back a little, all the while the atmosphere around us goes super awkward and I feel a bit tense right now. Not sure why, I've never felt this way around Manami before. Maybe it's because of what happened about a month ago with Kirino and myself. God why does it feel so uncomfortable now?! After awhile of us both staring at the ground, Manami finally breaks the silence with a question I was hoping she would not ask:

"So...how are you and Kirino doing?" Damn, knew this was coming and I know where it's going to go.

"We're fine..." Quick answer I know, but I rather avoid this situation right from the get-go. Hopefully she's take the hint and ends the subject. Of course, that would be wishful thinking, as now she looks slightly upset.

"Ah I see...I figured you both would have grown up after a couple of months and listened to my warning. I guess you both haven't accepted the reality of your disgusting relationship yet." *Sigh* She just had to use the word "disgusting". I'm now slightly irked.

"Actually...we've already agreed to break it off way before you even confronted us about it. We didn't need your input on it. We just wanted to enjoy ourselves a little without society butting into our lives." I say with a bit of anger in my voice.

"I see...that's good then. I guess you can still make good decisions, Kyou."

Ok, now I'm a little pissed off. Even though she says that with her typical smile that may pass off as innocent to those who don't know better, Manami is one hell of the passive-aggressive type. I've seen it first hand when I brought Manami home for lunch, and Kirino was being "herself" and tried putting down Manami in every way she could despite Manami just taking it all in stride, seemingly un-phased by Kirino's immaturity. I didn't notice it at first, but when Kirino left in a huff I knew it had to be Manami's plan all along to "kill her with kindness" or at least piss her off to the point of submission. She can be damn scary at times but this time around though, it only serves to provoke me.

"You know Manami..." I pause before putting the book I had in my hand back on the shelf and look her square in the eyes.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you...ever since that day in the park."

"Sure, what is it, Kyou?"

"Why didn't you tell me about what you said to Kirino those few years ago?" I found out a little more information from Kirino a while after the park incident about what Manami said to her those 3 years back when Kirino was an elementary schooler. She said how Manami went on about how it was weird for her to love her brother and how it made her feel like a freak. It explained a lot, mostly why Kirino hated Manami so much...and maybe even me.

"Because I felt like you didn't need to know."

"Didn't need to know? Or rather you knew I wouldn't have approved of it." Who does she think she is? Isn't she suppose to be my best friend? Why keep something like that from me? I thought we could share anything...

"It needed to be done, Kyou. I saw how your little sister felt about you, for a long time. I felt that...you probably wouldn't have done what I did because you wouldn't have had the heart for it, that you adored Kirino too much to possibly hurt her feelings. So I guess, I did it for you."

"I didn't need you to that for me, Manami. I'm her older brother. She was my responsibility. You were too harsh in enforcing that reality on her at that age."

"And yet even with my stepping in, you both still went down this path."

"Maybe...but that "talk" might have been responsible for Kirino and I's falling out. Have you considered how it made her feel or how it affected her? Or me for that matter?" I can only imagine how it must have eaten at her everyday knowing that her feelings for me were deemed wrong and how she could never tell me, her big brother of them with the fear of being rejected. I wonder...how I would have reacted back then if I knew...but now's not the time to think about that.

"...It wasn't my intention to destroy your relationship with Kirino. I just wanted to...separate you two a little. Besides...I didn't make you spend all that time with me, Kyou. You would tell me for a while how Kirino and yourself had stopped talking and how you two didn't get along anymore, but have you done anything about it? Have you approached Kirino and tried to resolve it as a "big brother" should? If I'm responsible for breaking your bond with Kirino, you're just as guilty as well."

Damn...she hit me right at home. She's right. During the start of our cold war, I never really attempted to find out what was up with Kirino and her sudden change towards me. For awhile I thought it was just her going into her rebellious phase. I figured she'd grow out of it eventually. But as the days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, the rift between us gotten bigger and bigger and I still did nothing about it. As an older brother, it should have been my absolute duty to make sure we never reached a point where both of us pretty much ignored each other's existence...why didn't I?

"Maybe...I guess you're right. I'm not trying to place blame on you for what happened between Kirino and I, in fact I blame myself 100% because I should have prevented it, but I'm still not happy with what you said to her. Had I known that..."

"You probably would have never spoken to me again..." I stopped for a moment and studied her expression, she looks genuinely sad, eyes looking towards the ground with her shoulders drooping slightly. Maybe she was afraid of how I would have reacted if I known the truth back then. Silly girl...didn't she know me better back then?

"No...I still would have been friends with you...I just would have been really upset. Kirino was...is very precious to me." Yet I left her alone all those years and never attempted to reconcile with her...why? I can only imagine how things would be between us if I hadn't found that DVD case. I should be ashamed that I let karma do the work for me.

"I know Kyou. I know she is. You've made that perfectly obvious...even back then." Wow, I gotta say, It feels weird having an argument with my closest friend. In fact, aside from the incident in the park, this is the first time I've ever argued with Manami, something I never thought would be possible...

"Anyways, I'm glad I got to see and talk to you one last time before I go."

"Huh? Last time? Where are you going? Vacation?"

"No. I'm attending a university outside the Chiba Prefecture. That's why I'm buying books so that I'll have all I need."

"Y-you're leaving Chiba? I thought you would be attending the same university as I am?"

"Yes...that was...before...everything went down hill...Now I just want to focus on me and my future and no one else." Ouch. I guess I understand how she feels. Manami has always been the one taking care of me and my problems but I've never seen her cater to herself, really. I've always wondered what made her happy...it couldn't had been all me...right?

"I-I see. Well then tell me what university you're going to? Maybe I can visit you sometime." Manami just walks up to and gives me a smile while patting my shoulder lightly.

"You're sweet, Kyou-chan...as usual...but sorry. This is good-bye for a while. Maybe I'll come visit you when I visit my family. Take care of yourself, Kyou...and I'm sorry...for everything." Manami then turns to walk away but I grab her shoulder to stop her. There's something I need to say to her before she leaves...something that's going to be really hard for her to hear.

"Hey, Manami?" She looks at me with a bit of worry and confusion in her eyes.

"Thank you...for not telling my parents about Kirino and I." To my surprise, she just smiles at me which now brings confusion to my face.

"No need to thank me Kyou...I was bluffing for the most part..." She turns to walk away from me again, but not before commenting:

"I love you too much to watch you destroy yourself."

I could only stare at her with my mouth agape. Ahhh, I'm starting to remember when she confessed to me in the park. I had no idea she had feelings for me all these years now. I always felt Manami and I had a special sort of bond where we saw each other as family and not in a romantic way. For her to harbor those feelings for me all this time and never tell me? Maybe she already knew I never felt the same. With that in mind, all I could do was watch my once great childhood friend leave out of my life for god knows how long. I should be sad...which I am, a little...but not as much as I should be. For some reason it's just easy to let her go. When Kirino left for America a year ago, I was going crazy without her despite our relationship still in the thawing process. We came a good ways at that point but nowhere near to what it is now. But here I am, watching my childhood friend of 10 years who's been with me through thick and thin leave, and I'm not even trying to stop her...Is it because I'm still a bit sore about her actions those years ago...or it is something entirely different? What made me miss Kirino so much after she left for America that I went over there and dragged her back to japan...yet I've done nothing of the sort during our cold war? Why wasn't I there for her then, but here for her now?

What was my drive back then?

Manami:

Empty. That's how I felt the moment I turned my back towards the person who meant so much to me in my life. My first and only love. Ever since I first met Kyou-chan I instantly fell in love with him. How passionate he was with what he enjoyed, his out-going attitude in the world, and his willingness to help those in need no matter what. I knew I could never have him in his current state back then. I was just a normal, shy, introverted girl with barely any friends, I never stood out in any way. But Kyou-chan was something special, and way out of my league, but he still befriended me, and never judged me for who I was. I knew then and there I loved him, and wanted to make him mine...but...there was an..."obstacle" I had to overcome first.

I'm sure Kyou-chan has never noticed it, but his little sister, Kirino, for as long as I can remember had always had a strange affection for her big brother, fueled even further by Kyou-chan's achievements and abilities. She admired him, as I did as well, and for a while, I thought it was harmless. Just a younger sibling who admired an older one. I'm not sure. I have a younger sibling as well, Rock, but he has never admired nor looked up to me the way Kirino has for Kyou-chan. I was never really close to him, not that we didn't get along, but we never really bonded much. Perhaps due to us not knowing our real parents, and having live with our grandparents had something to do with it. It has always bothered me...and perhaps that's why I've always withdrawn myself from not only Rock, but a lot of people, but since I was so young, I thought that maybe it was normal for family to not to be so close to each other and eventually move on in life. Perhaps that was why I felt it so strange that Kirino and Kyousuke had such a strong bond with each other...or maybe...that's what I wanted for myself? I really don't know the answer, but I do know I wanted Kyou-chan all to myself.

Over time, Kirino's behavior over her brother was becoming more and more belligerent. Every time Kyou invited her over to spend time with us, there was almost always a situation with her: She would throw tempers almost instantly when she saw us together, and she would follow him almost everywhere, making sure I wouldn't get too close to him. Kyou was confused of course, probably felt she was going into her rebellious phase, but I saw it...the look in her eyes, the way she looked at Kyou...was the same way I looked at him. I knew it. She was in love with him and it was with that realization I decided to act.

I already knew the reason Kyou-chan tried so hard at everything, why he was the way he was in his youth. It was all to impress his little sister. Kyou knew Kirino saw him as a superhero and he reveled in it. It was like his energy source, his motivation to do his best, it was his greatest strength...and unknown to him, his weakness. All I had to do was wait for the right moment.

When Kyou-chan came to me one evening worried about how Kirino was spending less time with him and doing things on her own like going to track meets and studying, I took that as my cue to act. I told him I knew why he worked so hard, and convinced him that he didn't need to impress his little sister by "trying" to be amazing, because in the end, you will always be normal no matter how she sees you. It was a moment of weakness that...while small, hit the bulls-eye. Kyou would spend more time with me, and less time at home, and with Kirino. I thought it was enough at first, but it had added results that I didn't foresee but nonetheless worked out in my favor. Kyou quit doing track and modelling for fairs and spent even more time with me. It had even gotten to a point where his grades would start slipping and I had to tutor him when he used to tutor me. It was quite odd but not at all a bad thing. It was like Kyou was slowly becoming mine. More and more I began to mold him into what I wanted him to be...what I felt was good enough for me.

I felt my mission was complete, until one day Kirino ran to my home and demanded I gave her back her brother. It seemed like she wasn't ready to part with her Onii-chan yet. Poor girl, doesn't she know it's normal for siblings to grow apart from each other? It was at that point that I had to do something drastic, what Kyou-chan wouldn't had done himself.

"Nope. The amazing Onii-chan you admired so much never existed in the first place."

It was a direct hit. Kirino froze on the spot and was left speechless, I knew right there it was the time to make the last blow, to reveal her secret that no one else knew.

"Don't you think it's weird to love your Onii-chan? I think so. It's disgusting, and people will agree."

The deed was done. Kirino was crushed by my seemingly cold words as she rushed home crying her eyes out. I wasn't too worried about it. I figured when she grew up more she'll realize I was right. For now, I just wanted to focus more on Kyou-chan.

Over the next 3 years, Kyou-chan and I spent an enormous amount of time together. He'd come over for sleep overs, eat dinner, and we studied together. During that time he would mention how his relationship with Kirino had gotten so bad that they don't even talk to each other anymore. I of course re-assured him it's fine and that in time Kirino will talk to him again. It's not like she will ignore him forever right? But maybe I was wrong, because I haven't seen Kirino again during those years and Kyou-chan appeared more and more detached. It was then I realized that their relationship had indeed gone bad.

I never intended on destroying their relationship, I just wanted to offer a "gap" in their closeness...a gap for me to fill in between. The results were more than what I desired but I had Kyou-chan all to myself and that was all I cared about. But even during those years together Kyou never returned the feelings I had for him. I mean I didn't exactly tell him how I felt because I was so scared of possibly being rejected, but I threw him so many hints and he just never responded. Over time, I knew he didn't feel the same way, but I was hopeless, I diluted myself into thinking one day he may return my feelings, and thus continued to be by Kyou's side.

The day I lost Kyou to her had destroyed me. My plan of 10 years had gone to waste. Kirino had stolen Kyou back from me somehow...and I didn't even have a chance to confess to him. When I finally did confess as a last-ditch effort to take Kyou-chan back, he rejected me. It felt like my whole perfect world was destroyed. I left in defeat, dragging my heels on the ground all the way home and just jumped into my bed, wailing my eyes out all night. It was the first time in a long time I've cried and it wasn't any easier. I've just been lying to myself all these years and the truth finally came smacking me in the face: Kyou never belonged to me to begin with. All I did was put chains on him that would eventually rust and break. Kirino helped Kyou break those chains and now he's free from my prison of unrequited love. I'll always be second in his eyes. It was with that confirmation I decided to go to university outside of Chiba and move on with my life. There's no reason for me to stay here anymore. I still love Kyou, I always will, but I know it's time to finally let him go. So as I walk out the library, resisting the urge to look back at him one last time, I wish my best friend of 10 years good-bye. I hope he will find true happiness in his life...regardless of who it's with. Even you too, Kirino-chan, I wish you the very best. You've won fair and square and I will no longer interfere, because even if you both decided not to date anymore, you and I both know better than anyone, you just can't turn off your feelings like a light switch, and I know it's eating at you right now as I speak. So to you, Kirino-chan, I wish you the very best of luck, and may Kami help you guide your heart.