Having reached her childhood home Benihime stepped through the door, and unsurprisingly was greeted by all her older male siblings including her favorite Aritei as well as her mother and father. She put on a brave face, pretending to love the attention of various commentaries and head pats that came her way. The
?Oh you've gotten taller,? followed by the
?Eh, you're so strong now, you wanna wrestle?? and let's not forget the rather obvious
?Why are you still wearing Aritei's old pants?? not that any of these statements mattered to her. She answered them in turn, offering hugs to each of her brother's before heading back to her room. Claiming to be tired from the training this afternoon and her travels here. This of course would be respected, though not without a few groans from those who sought more of their only female siblings attention. She on the other hand, settled back into her room with the door closed and relaxed against the wall her bed was pushed against.
?Ugh, why do I keep coming back here?? she asked herself as her head hit the wall. Normally speaking she couldn't help but want to kill things whenever she was here. There was a reason she stopped coming home, and it mostly had to do with her inability to tolerate extended conversations with her family. They weren't bad people, but she couldn't stand them... they were boring. To the point that she wanted to kill them all and put them out of their misery, and she was pretty sure she could do just that at this point in her life. As she smashed her head repeatedly against the wall trying to numb herself, her mother walked into her room, stopping at the door to watch her daughter's behavior. She'd always been rather skiddish around this girl, unsure of how to speak to her. When the decision was made that she would go to the Dojo and live with Saya, she'd agreed to it under the pretense that it would help the girl grow into a better person. As she looked at the girl in front of her, she could tell... Benihime was stronger, but her emotional development was still something of a mystery to the older redhead.
?Hime-chan, I know you need some time. I just wanted to say... It's nice to see you.? the woman said turning as if she intended to leave. Benihime smirked as her head hit the wall one final time. She decided that perhaps she'd show this woman something besides spite and disdain, to see what would come of it. In that moment, Benihime moved forward, away from the wall hugging the woman as she tried to leave. A small smile on her face as she looked up into the slightly taller woman's eyes.
?It's nice to see you too, Okaa-chan.? she said sounding genuinely happy and sweet. So much so that it made the tiny redhead want to gag, but she had to finish testing all she had learned. In that moment her mother hugged her back and seemed completely shocked by the girl's change in attitude. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she squeezed once more before she pulled away.
?I'm making your favorite for dinner, then after you can do whatever you like.? her mother said to her. The innocent and sweet look remained on Benihime's face while she faced her mother.
?Arigatou.? she said but as soon as her mother turned the corner of her bedroom door a most wicked smirk appeared on the girl's face. It appeared, to her, that if she wasn't as openly manipulative as she had been before, she could well get her way and much easier. Oh the amount of fun she would have when Saya finally freed her from her training. She'd return here, and have everyone doing her bidding in a matter of days. A life free of chores, and with the power to kill anything that could possibly challenge her. This was what the young girl wanted, for now at least.
A few more minutes passed and a familiar face, and the reason for her visit home stopped by her room, entering and closing the door behind himself. Aritei stood before the small girl, who had been his savior on several occasions over the past couple of years. He'd grown some, now standing a great deal taller than his youngest sibling. And beyond that he was looking surprisingly healthy. His cheeks had filled in again, and he no longer looked like he needed to catch up on weeks of sleep. She stared into green eyes and found herself calmed by him, he was without a doubt, her favorite among her siblings and that was why she sat back on her bed and stared at him one hand in her hair as she yawned.
?Ari-nii, you look better than the last time I saw you. Why the cryptic note from the kid with the orange?? she asked of him. The note she'd read, which had made her decide to visit her childhood home for the first time in 6 months had simply read.
'I have something to tell you. I am not in trouble, but I could use your help. ~Ari'
Such a note could have meant anything but it was missing just enough details to make the young girl come to her childhood home and risk the boring speeches of her parents and other siblings just to see him. As he came further in her room he took a seat atop a trunk she kept at the foot of her bed. He took a few moments to gather his thoughts before he began speaking.
?Hime-chan, Enshou is missing.?
The words left his mouth and Benihime barely managed to look anything other than confused. Of course, there was a reason for this and it had nothing to do with her caring about the fate of her childhood tormentor. A snide smile came over the little redhead's face as she showed her brother who she really was. That person, she'd hidden behind stolen emotions and faked kindness. The person who was missing that key component which made people humane.
?I sincerely hope you didn't bring me back here just to tell me that. I mean I almost beat him to death myself half a decade ago... if you don't remember. He probably just left... why should I care?? she asked of the boy in front of her.
Aritei had expected such a response from his younger sister. He knew she cared little for the black haired boy with the corn yellow eyes who had managed to torment her throughout her childhood. That boy had constantly managed to start fights with the girl and continued to try and best her in combat. Of course, Aritei realized this was only because the boy had a crush on his younger sister, and though he thought no one was good enough for her, he could at least understand the kid's motivation. Which was something his younger sister obviously didn't get.
?I'll show you... after dinner. I know you didn't like him... but he liked you.? he said calmly seeing the disgust spread across the young girl's face he continued past this point so as not to lose her. Knowing his sister was prone to leaving in the middle of the night without notice if she was so inclined.
?Beyond that his disappearance was mysterious and you're the smartest person I know. I could use your help... so if you won't help for him. Just do it for me... please Hime-chan?? her brother practically begged her. The redheaded girl kept her head tilted to the side, bright red irises shining as she stared at the redheaded man before her his spikes of hair so long they'd fallen into something of an untamed mass of fringe around his face and shoulders. She could tell him no, and considered it at this very moment, but she also knew something such as this was probably the most interesting of things she'd get to do for quite a while. She couldn't well say no to something which had the potential to be entertaining to her and besides that...
'If I manage to foster Aritei's faith in me. When I come back and assume control of this whole family he won't deny me. He'll just fall in and help me. If I am nice to him... then everyone will continue to think that I am growing and changing... this will be helpful for later.' she smiled at her brother but before she could answer him, her mother called for all of them.
?Dinner!? and with it she looked towards the door and then towards her brother a small smile spreading over her face. This was easy... almost too easy now that she understood completely how normal people worked.
?Show me after dinner. If we disappear before Okaa-chan and the other boys will be heartbroken.? and it was with these words that the girl agreed to help her brother. The boy looked somewhat relieved and she couldn't quite tell why, but she figured she'd just pull that information out of him later. For now, she just approached the door of her bedroom and headed out of it. Out in the hall the rest of her brothers crowded around her and accompanied her to the dinner table. And Benihime put on the best show of her life. Pretending to be interested in the things said over dinner.
One brother found a girl he liked, he was planning to ask her to marry him. Another seemed to think he'd eventually have enough power to become a Shinigami. Cute. She smiled all the while Aritei spent all of dinner watching the little redheaded girl's mannerisms and he saw through them. He knew who she was inside, knew she wasn't interested in the things being said around her. But in the time she'd been gone, Benihime had gotten much better at the nuances of normal communication. It was almost as if she wasn't an uncaring, unfeeling sociopath. She was almost a kind and caring little sister. But he wouldn't be fooled, he already knew that people didn't change. And his sister was only playing along until she got what she wanted, as she always did.