The wind rustled the dry leaves in the sandbox. Under the flickering streetlamp, Mikan looked smaller than Rito had ever seen her.
Rito kept his hand on her cheek, his thumb gently rubbing at the stubborn smear of black ink.
"We can fix it, Mikan," Rito said, his voice earnest. "I know Lala messed up. I know that page took you hours. But I can redraw the pencils tonight. If we work together, we can—"
"Stop," Mikan whispered.
She reached up and grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand away from her face. She didn't let go, though. She held onto his wrist like a lifeline, her grip trembling.
"It's not about the manga, Rito. It's never been about the manga."
Rito blinked, confused. "But... you were so angry about the ink. You ran away."
"I ran away because I couldn't breathe," she choked out.
She looked down at his hand, then at her own stomach, covered by her shirt.
"I see them, you know," she said, her voice trembling. "The Seals. I saw Lala-san's. I saw Run-san's. And later... I even saw the prim and proper Haruna-san's."
Rito stiffened. "Mikan, I—"
"They glow," she interrupted him, tears finally spilling over, cutting clean tracks through the ink on her cheeks. "They glow when they look at you. They have this... this proof that they belong to you. That they're going with you."
She looked up, her brown eyes swimming with a terror Rito had never seen before.
"You're going to be the King of the Galaxy. Lala-san said it. Run-san had broadcasted it. Everyone knows."
She let go of his wrist and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering violently under his oversized hoodie.
"And Kings... Kings go away, Onii-chan. They go to palaces in the stars. They take their wives and their queens and they leave."
"Mikan, I wouldn't—"
"You will!" she cried, her voice cracking into a sob. "One day, you'll pack your bags. You'll take Lala-san, and Run-san, Haruna-san and the rest of your harem that you make. And I'll be left here. In that big, empty house. Just 'Rito's little sister' who was good at cooking and cleaning but wasn't... wasn't special enough to go."
The confession hung in the cold night air, heavy and devastating.
"I'm scared," she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. "I'm so scared of being left behind. I hate the Seals because they mean you're leaving me. I hate them because I'm the only one who doesn't have a connection to you that lasts."
Rito stared at her. The realization hit him harder than any punch.
He thought she was jealous of the sex. He thought she was annoyed by the noise.
But it was much simpler, and much more painful. She was terrified of being abandoned. She thought that because she was his sister, bound by blood but not by a visible "Seal", she was temporary. That once his life as a King truly began, she would be discarded like an old toy while he flew off to the stars with his wives.
"Mikan..."
She didn't answer. She just cried, her small shoulders shaking, alone on the swing set where they used to play as kids.
Rito moved.
He stepped inside the swing's chains. He reached out and grabbed her shoulders, his grip firm, refusing to let her hide.
"Look at me." Rito ordered. His voice wasn't angry; it was fierce.
Mikan flinched, slowly lifting her tear-streaked, ink-stained face.
"I'm not going anywhere," Rito said, his amber eyes burning with intensity. "I don't care about being a King if it means leaving you. I don't care about the galaxy if you aren't there."
"You say that now..." Mikan sniffled.
"I mean it forever!" Rito shouted, his honest nature pouring out. "You think you're just the 'little sister'? Mikan, you're the reason I can even breathe in that house! You're the one who makes it a home! If I go to Deviluke, you're coming. If I go to the edge of the universe, I'm dragging you with me!"
He leaned down, bringing his face inches from hers.
"There is no future where Yuuki Rito exists without Yuuki Mikan. You are the most important person in my life. You always have been."
Mikan's eyes widened. The raw, desperate conviction in his voice cracked the wall of her fear.
"You... you promise?" she whispered, her voice small.
"I swear." Rito vowed.
He reached up. His thumb brushed her cheek, wiping away a fresh tear that was mixing with the black ink. He didn't pull his hand away. He cupped her face, his palm warm against her cold skin. He rubbed the ink stain gently, almost obsessively.
"You're a mess," he murmured, his voice softening into something dangerously sweet. "Look at you. Freezing out here."
"I... I forgot my jacket," Mikan mumbled, leaning into his warm hand unconsciously.
"I know."
Rito turned around and crouched down in front of her.
"Get on."
Mikan blinked at his broad back. "What?"
"I'm carrying you," Rito stated. "You're tired, you're cold, and you're shivering. I'm not letting you walk."
"I can walk, Rito. I'm not a baby—"
"Get. On."
The command was firm, possessive. Mikan hesitated, then slowly slid off the swing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and settled onto his back. Rito hooked his arms under her knees and stood up effortlessly.
The contact was instant and overwhelming.
Mikan buried her face in the crook of his neck, surrounded by his scent, the clean soap, the faint sweat from his run, and that underlying, addictive musk that Haruna and Run were so crazy about. His body was warm, solid, and strong.
'His back is so wide now,' Mikan thought, her heart fluttering as she felt the muscle of his back through his shirt. 'He used to be bony. Now... he feels like a wall.'
"Hold on tight," Rito whispered, adjusting his grip on her thighs. His hands squeezed her legs, kneading the soft flesh slightly. "I've got you."
As they walked back through the quiet streets, Rito made a silent decision.
Words weren't enough. A promise wasn't enough. She was scared she wasn't special. She was scared she wasn't anything compared to the wives.
'Fine…' Rito thought, a new, darker resolve settling in his gut. 'If she feels left out... then I'll just have to overwhelm her. I'll treat her with so much love, so much affection, that she'll never doubt where she belongs to again.'
He turned his head slightly, his lips brushing her hair.
"Mikan?"
"Mm?" she mumbled into his shoulder.
"When we get home," Rito said, his voice dropping to a husky, doting whisper. "We're taking a bath. Together."
Mikan stiffened on his back. "W-What? Rito, we're too old for—"
"You're covered in ink," Rito interrupted calmly. "And your hands are freezing. I'm going to wash you. And I'm going to warm you up."
He squeezed her thighs again, pulling her closer against him.
"I'm going to take care of you, Mikan. Starting tonight."
…
As Mikan rested her head against his shoulder, her breathing evening out, Rito stared ahead at the streetlights blurring in the darkness. His face burned, a deep crimson flush spreading across his cheeks as the reality of what he had just said, and what he was about to do, sank in.
'I can't believe I just said that,' Rito thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. 'Taking a bath together... washing her... it's something a pervert would do. It's shameless.'
He tightened his grip on her thighs, feeling the warmth of her skin through her clothes.
'But... she was crying. She thinks because she doesn't have a 'Seal', she doesn't matter. She thinks she's just a spare part in my life.'
His eyes narrowed, a flicker of possessive, stubborn fire burning through his embarrassment.
'I can't give her a Seal right now. It would scare her. But I can give her this. If she feels empty... then I'll just have to fill her up with so much affection that she forgets to be scared. I'll hug her, I'll hold her, I'll spoil her until she can't even remember what it felt like to be lonely.'
He swallowed hard, the honest desire in his gut mixing with his protective instinct.
'I'll be the best big brother in the world. Even if... even if I have to be a little bit of a beast to do it. I won't let her go. Mikan is mine.'
*****
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