Author's Notes: First off, I don't own Minami Ke, as if it needs to be said. Secondly, Minami Ke needs more fan fiction. I'm doing my bit to help that. Thirdly, not exactly a five star name, but deal with it. I really just picked it to avoid having to think up a meaningful one, but I actually think its pretty fitting. Well, it will be later. I hope. This is about Chiaki and Touma, can't say much more than that right now, aside from them being older. May or may not be angsty. As for my Cube story, I'll write another chapter later. And for the Rule of Rose one, I seriously doubt its ever going to be revived. Such large/nonexistant intervals, I'm horrible at this u.u

I am in fact the type to add in Japanese phrases despite the story being in English, just so you know. Also, I think school starts in autumn, but this is my reality, and here school starts when its still summer. R&R?

---

Little Brother

Chapter One: A New Year

"Hohoho, you think that meatball is your's, eh? That you deserve it, eh?" Kana sat at the table, darkly murmuring to herself, not being paid much mind by either of her sisters. Kana was seventeen now. She was taller, and her pigtails still remained, reaching her waist. One thing that hadn't grown, she often noticed grimly, was her bra size. "You're saving it, eh?" She murmured again. Her wild personality also remained, and it was doubtful it would ever simmer down with age. Tomorrow the new term would begin, and Kana would be beginning her last year of high school, attending the same one Haruka had.

To her left Haruka Minami continued her meal, lifting her glass to her lips to drink some tea. The eldest of the Minami sisters was at the ripe old age of twenty one, and in her third year at the local community college. She had once planned to apply for Tokyo U, but she'd chosen to stay at home to look after her sisters. She still wore the outfit she had worn to school, a simple white button up blouse and dark skirt, her light hair held back in a ponytail. She was quite attractive, but didn't delve into dating much. Though, every so often a man would come home with her, his stubbornness winning in the end. These few tended to be driven off by the constant glares of the youngest sister, and if not the relationship ended up withering away before it ever went anywhere anyway.

Chiaki also completely ignored the middle sister, if her words were even reaching the girl's ears that is. Chiaki was fifteen now, and had of course grown taller, though she was a few inches short of her age's standard. Her hair still maintained its fringe of bangs and its dumpling-like ahoge, though it was longer now, reaching her mid thighs. Despite her 'little brother' having been declared more womanly, she had definitely started resembling Haruka in one area. Kana often noticed and envied her younger sister. Her face, though still retaining its usual half-lidded look, had become quite pretty. All in all, she had become a beautiful young woman. Not model material, but one would look back over their shoulder when passing her on the street.

Finally Kana acted. In a swift snake like motion, her chopsticks were slicing through the air at Chiaki's plate. With a fluid series of movements, the youngest Minami deflected her sister's chopsticks, grabbed her last meatball, and popped it into her mouth. Kana fell backwards, grabbing her head dramatically, as Chiaki chewed satisfactorily.

"Thank you for the meal, Haruka-nee-sama." Chiaki said to the eldest, showing more respect to her than the middle Minami as always. Haruka acknowledged her thanks with a 'mm' as she stood, picking up her plate. "Let me help you with the dishes." The hazel eyed girl continued, standing as well and grabbing hers and Kana's plates.

"Thank you, Chiaki." Haruka said warmly, and the two headed off for the kitchen.

"Ne, what about dessert?" Kana suddenly spoke. She lifted into a sitting position and looked around the empty room. "Ne!? Dessert!"

---

Chiaki's eyes slid open, quickly closing again due to the glare coming through the balcony door. She sat up, her sheets falling off her, and stretched. After a moment her arms fell to her sides, and she let out a breathe contentedly. She lazily looked around her room, her eyes pausing at the calendar. Remembering what day it was, the teenager slid out of bed and started getting ready. Her hair brushed and uniform on straight, she headed for the table to await an undoubtedly delicious breakfast from the college-goer of the house.

Chiaki did not follow in Haruka's and Kana's footsteps in their school of choice. Chiaki's walk to school would take her all the way across town to the East. It was longer than Kana's walk, though it was of course shorter than Haruka's, as she took the train to her college. The distance was worth it in her eyes however. It was a high-ranking junior high, certainly better than the one Kana had advanced from, who would be attending her first day of twelfth grade today, should she ever wake up.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Haruka-nee-sama." Chiaki greeted pleasantly, if somewhat monotonous, as her elder sister walked into the room carrying two bowls of rice.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Chiaki." The light haired girl-woman-replied.

"Would you like me to help set the table?" Chiaki offered. She was slightly irked with herself in the mornings as of late. In the mornings now she tended to sleep in more, waking up when Haruka was either almost finished or entirely done with breakfast. She really needed to get around to buying an alarm clock.

"Ah, I'd rather you wake up Kana." Haruka answered as she returned to the kitchen to grab more dishes. Chiaki nodded, despite now being alone in the room, and stood from the table. She dusted off her skirt and headed for Kana's room.

The skirt in question being a plaid mini skirt in various shades of dark green. It was the uniform bottom for all girls attending her junior high school. Above it was a white button up blouse and green ribbon under a vest with a diamond pattern, sharing the same shades chosen for the plaid design. If it were winter, there would be a green school blazer on top of it all, but as it wasn't, the blazer hung snugly in Chiaki's closet.

Inside the messiest room of the house, riddled with poor organization skills and books and magazines tossed carelessly to the floor, Chiaki's eyes fell upon the bed. There her sister lay, or half lay, as her legs were hanging off the side. For some unfathomable reason she had chosen not to sleep on the bed long-ways. Instead, she slept right in the middle, her head nearly touching the wall and her hips just barely fitting on. The blanket was wrapped tightly around her chest and arm, and the fifteen-year-old wondered vaguely how it ended up like that. The pillow could just barely be seen, its corner peeking out from under the bed. Now that, Chiaki decided, would never have reasoning. On the floor she could understand, but under the bed was--

The girl stopped her train of thought short with another thought, why was she thinking about her sister's sleeping position so much? As if it mattered.

"Oi, wake up." Chiaki called, knowing it wouldn't be enough to rouse the girl from her slumber. "Oi! Get up, I said!" Chiaki commanded in a louder tone, giving Kana's shin a light kick. The seventeen-year-old, soon to be eighteen-year-old, moaned and rolled, somehow, diagonally. She ended up at the edge of the bed, legs pulled up, laying in the right direction as a bed should be used. Alas, just in time to be woken up. "Oi! Bakayarou!" Chiaki now shouted, lifting a foot and shoving it into Kana's skull. The disturbed girl let out some unintelligible noises and waved her arms in Chiaki's general direction before finally waking. She sat up drowsily, rubbing her head.

"What was that for?" Kana pouted as she threw off her covers with her free hand.

"You wouldn't wake up." She answered simply. Kana glared at her, which, as usual, failed to phase the fair haired girl at all. "What?" She asked as she turned for the door. "You always complain when I sit on you."

One meal, and many urgings aimed at the middle sister, the three were finally out the door. They walked to the first floor together, whereat Kana and Haruka set off down the street to the right. Chiaki turned to the left, beginning her long trek to school. It had been a while since she had walked these streets, but her last two years at the school had etched the path into her mind. She could have walked it blindfolded.

As she walked she thought about school. This was her last year at junior high, and it would feel strange to leave her school. She and Yoshino had decided on this school in sixth grade, and with their long-established study habits made it in easily. After some urging from her older sister, Touma had begun studying for the school, and got in without too much trouble as well. Uchida and Makoto, not wanting to be left behind, had studied like mad to try for it. They, by a hair, had made it in.

Despite those four, plus a few other familiars from her school, all accompanying her to this junior high, she'd not seen any of them. The school was a big, and busy, place, and being in different classes meant a lot more there than it had at her primary school. For the most part, she'd spent the last two years at school alone. Occasionally she'd manage lunch with Uchida and Yoshino, who always had the same class, or Touma, or have them over at her house, but it was far from a daily happening.

As she thought about school, the sun continued to rise and her feet continued to carry her, and eventually her school came into view.

---

Author's Ramblings: If you saw a Tomo in there somewhere, or see one in a later chapter, just pretend it says Kana. Those two just seem so alike to me. The moments where its just Kana and Chiaki bickering over some thing especially remind me of conversations between Tomo and Yomi. While were on the subject, if Chiaki were more into anime and manga, she'd really remind me of Konata. If you don't know who the aforementioned are, you fail at being a slice-of-life fan. Or maybe not, I'm not to judge.

Any who, hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I've got no clue how many chapters there will be, or even what the feel of the story will be. I should really start planning these things out before I start, shouldn't I? Nothing really happens in this chapter, I'm just…setting the mood? Giving the setting? I don't know, but consider this chapter a prologue or something. Ja ne!