Opposition: Yin

Characters: Yukina, Hiei

Pairings: None

Continuity: English Anime

Summary: Yukina's thoughts on her brother. "Is this what it's like to be rejected?" [Companion/Sequel to Opposition: Yang.]

Author's note: After I wrote Hiei's thoughts on his sister, I just had to write a response from Yukina.

I know.

I've known for a long time.

I dearly wish for you to tell me, to acknowledge me as your family…but I won't tell you that I know. No, that's your choice to make. I'm sure you have your reasons, and I will respect your decision.

But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

Is this what it's like to be rejected?

I shouldn't complain. I have many years of acceptance behind me, while you were never welcomed anywhere.

Still, from the time I learned I had a brother, somewhere out in the world, I dreamed of meeting him.

I wanted to ask his forgiveness.

Your forgiveness.

But you won't let me ask.

So let me say it now, though I know you can't hear me: Please, please…forgive me.

Forgive me for being what I am. Forgive me for not being the one cast out like garbage. Forgive me for the sexism and prejudice of my early life, and for not realizing it was wrong until it became personal.

The Ice Maidens are not my people.

They stopped being my people the moment they chose to reject a member of my family—of their own family.

And even if it took me years to realize that fact, I can't forgive them for that terrible, desolate choice.

How could I stay, knowing that it could have been me?

How could I forgive myself, knowing that I only realized that it was wrong when I realized that it could have been me?

Please forgive me, for I cannot forgive myself.

You're so different from me.

I don't think I ever quite imagined how different you could be, how completely opposite we were.

Not that I really knew what to expect…I knew only that you were male, a man of fire.

Those two opposites, though, weren't enough to clue me in. I didn't realize that until much later.

The first time I saw you, I wondered why I mattered so much to you. Why did you feel such a need to protect me? I was sure we hadn't met before.

And why did you stop when I asked?

You wanted nothing more at that moment than to kill that horrible man, but when I caught your arm, you relented.

I didn't realize you were fire until later.

When I saw that, the last piece slipped into place.

Such total opposites couldn't possibly be a coincidence.

We're so different…but I think that's meant to be. We balance out the scales, even the equation.

I'm weak.

There's no denying that.

Weak, and as slow as a glacier.

But that's all right.

You need it more than I do. You needed speed and strength to survive in a world I never had to deal with.

I'm glad you survived. I'm glad we don't have to add life and death to the list of ways we're opposite.

But it still hurts to know that you're so near, and still refuse to acknowledge me.

We're opposites, we're yin and yang.

But yin and yang should never be separated from each other— never can be separated, not really.

Please, my dear brother, stop trying to keep us apart.

Let your stubbornness go, let yin and yang slip back into their eternal dance.

We can still be opposites as a family.