The CainSetsu Saga

Setsuka reclined on the ledge, worrying on her lip ring. Her darling brother had given her freedom to wander the city as she liked. She even had a healthy bundle of yen discreetly strapped to her thigh. Setsu had perhaps another half hour left; she patted her tote lovingly. Inside were two surprise bentos for a happy lunch break with big brother.

She crossed her legs to get comfy, but her short skirt made the result too showy for her liking—after all, she was a spoiled princess. But trade in the tiara for intermediate skills in the dark arts. She took to swinging her legs, pleased with the booming reverberations from kicking the ledge.

It was in this way that Shou Fuwa, who was passing by, chanced to look up at the source of the racket and discovered a shiny new object of fantasy. Everything about her from her spiked combat boots to her loopy pink hair screamed Bad Girl! And she looked to be a respectable B cup.

"Hey cutie," Shou said, revving up his mojo. "Were you waiting for me?"

She leapt down and for a glorious second, Shou got a fantastic view of shock pink garters that no man had seen before.

"Cain!" she cried, hugging him wildly and smiling so hard that she clearly couldn't see that he was much cooler than Cain. "I made you lunch! And I picked up the takoyaki you—"

She paused and stepped off. A dark expression twisted her face, but it slid into a pout. "Ah, I made a terrible mistake. Cain's taller. Longer, graceful legs." Without so much as an apology, Setsu hopped a bench and resumed her perch.

Longer? Graceful? Ugh, she was cute and lip ring but she sounded like a Ren Tsuruga groupie.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Shou Fuwa demanded. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Yea," she said, staring off. "You're in an emo rock band. Sure, your songs are catchy but there's no depth or love to be felt. Maybe you'll eek out another hit by selling your soul to the devil."

Setsu reclined easily on her elbows, waiting for him to buzz off. Her low cut bodice and leather gloves played up her slim arms and lovely body line. She picked up movement in her peripheral vision and then Shou Fuwa grabbed her shoulders.

A jolt passed between them, and their mouths parted in surprise. Shou completely forgot about defending his music and his hard-earned celebrity rank. He'd never tried kissing around a lip ring.

Setsu fought the grudge demons threatening to burst out of her and blowing her cover. At the same time, her body reacted strangely to Shou's hands on her. Not even her darling brother had touched so much of her at once.

Kyouko would have expected his hands to be clammy to the point of oozing slime. They weren't. But his hands were cold before they warmed up on Setsu's sun-kissed body. Kyouko would have damned him to hell, but it was Setsu who rolled her eyes and brushed him off.

"Just 'cuz you're famous doesn't mean I can't sue you for harassment man. Paws off." She managed to push his hands off without shoving him to the curb.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Setsu. I am Setsu, and you better not try anything or else."

"Will you go out with me, Setsu-chan?" Shou asked.

"Uh, no. Even if I didn't already have a special someone, I wouldn't." She hopped down again, surprisingly nimble on her spiky heels and ran away, dragging her tote bag after her. "Maybe in the next life!"

A rounded container fell out and spun like a lucky coin at Shou's feet.

Shouko sighed for what seemed like the millionth time, waiting for Shou to breeze out of his promotional shoots and to jump into the van taking them to sound check for the concert tonight. A little lump of butts slowly grew in the ashtray.

Finally, Shou threw the door open and clambered in. Shouko looked him over carefully. Something was off, but she wasn't going to complain when he buckled up without her needling him to be safe. Then the smell of pickled vegetables and fried pork filled the van.

"Where'd you get that?' Shouko asked curiously. It looked like a girlfriend bento.

"I picked it up," was Shou's useless explanation. The chopsticks packed were too short for his musician's fingers. He opted for the spoon conveniently included and nibbled on the fried meat. Though it was lukewarm, it was salty and crunchy exactly the way he liked.

If beautiful, chain-smoking Shouko weren't watching him, he would've finished the lunch in two or three messy bites. Instead, he took his time eating and tasting.

"What are you doing now?" Shouko asked. She paused in the middle of a text message when he pulled a pen out of nowhere and started jotting things on a napkin.

"Bored. We've been in the same gridlock for nearly an hour."

"It is your night. Bad traffic could mean loyal fans. They won't mind if you're a little late."

"Eh, guess I'll have to put out for the show."

Meanwhile, Setsu resisted the urge to throw up. She had just suppressed a thousand years of HATE and RESENTMENT in facing down her nemesis in disguise. And she'd told the boy to call her by her brother's precious name for her.

And now she was lost, unsure where the set for her brother's movie was located.

"Excuse me, young lady, are you allowed to be here?" Setsu bristled as the elderly gentleman looked her up and down and passed his judgments.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm looking for the lobby."

"It's that way. Follow that hallway and don't go opening any doors."

"Thanks." She nodded, too self conscious of her lacy top to bow respectfully. Setsu feigned following the man's stern instructions, but when she heard the ding of the elevator signaling his exit, she skipped in the direction opposite to the lobby and found a freshly varnished set of double doors that a camera crew would use comfortably.

"Bingo!" She did a short Chalrie Anger victory pose.

Setsu wandered in, ignoring the looks she got. 'Heh, no locks,' she thought.

She could sense Cain nearby.

"What are you doing here? Tokyo too boring to play in?"

There was her magnificent brother, wearing a tight gray shirt and beige khakis with his hair combed back unnaturally. She wanted to hug him, but instead dangled his lunch. "I thought you'd be hungry. I also got takoyaki for you!"

Setsu saw his hopeful look and scowled. "You'll have to eat it without your sake! You're too much like a functioning alcoholic dude."

Cain pinched her cheek and pulled it back roughly. "Who taught you to speak impudently? Dude is no proper form of address."

"Soooowwwwwy," Setsu managed to say, and Cain was charmed so he relinquished her face.

"I am kind of hungry," he said. "I guess killing people does that to me."

He brought her to a couple of tables where other men ate store-bought rice balls.

"Is that what they feed you?" Setsu asked in horror.

"It's not a high budget film," Cain said as Setsu presented his bento proudly. "Is that all you brought?"

Setsu snapped the lid back onto the bento and pouted at him.

"You know I didn't mean it like that. Where's yours? Don't you want to eat with me?"

Setsu blushed, and he could tell because her other cheek got as pink as the one he pinched.

"I must have dropped it," she said, hitting the side of her head. "But I'm grateful it was mine since I put more YUMMY in your box. Please eat. I promise we'll eat a nice dinner together later."

She scooped up a tiny bite and put it in her mouth, smiling hugely. Then Setsu spooned up a bigger portion and held it out to her brother.

"You don't need to make choo-choo noises," Cain said. Still, he ate off the spoon and chewed with an air of skepticism. Then he smiled his glistening approval and popped his mouth open.

"I'm not going to keep feeding you!" Setsu exclaimed, jabbing the spoon in the rice. "You'll catch flies! You look like Domo-kun! I should've made a potato stew! Or apples!"

No insult worked. Finally, Setsu began the tedious task of shoveling lunch into his mouth. Ah, but big brother smiled so cutely each time so secretly Setsu didn't mind and forgot her troubles.

"Is that Heel-san's girlfriend?" one of the cast asked another, a little jealously as he crunched the store-bought wrapper to toss.

"No, he referred to himself as 'big brother.'"

The actors watched as Cain tapped her nose when she finished spoon feeding him.

"It's best not to speak about that sort of thing," the other cast mate replied. They sweatdropped from the way little pink hearts surrounded Cain and Setsu.

Hours later, Setsu yawned and yawned and exclaimed, "Big brother works pretty hard!"

"I told you not to wait up," Cain chastised her. "That doesn't mean hang around until 2 in the morning."

Setsu blinked stupidly as her tummy grumbled.

"C'mon," he sighed, taking her hand. "Let's call up a cab and drive around until you see a food stand that's open."

"No way! Cab fare is murder in these parts!" Setsu blurted, trying to wiggle her hand out of her brother's.

"Fine, fine," Cain said. "There's a McDonald's still open."

"It's a mystery how Cain eats so bad and passes as a male model. Hmph."

"I don't see you passing on the fries," Cain muttered through his teriyaki burger.

Setsu paused in massively drenching a fistful of French fries in the special sauce. Her eyes got big and watery.

"Eat," he said, and she happily did so.

The McDonalds, which was relatively deserted, suddenly burst with screaming fan girls. But they were loud before they saw Cain, so Setsu relaxed, thankful that Yashiro-san wasn't needed. Still, as a precaution, he slouched over his food.

"Can you BELIEVE that Shou Fuwaaa-aaa-aaa? Getting us all riled up before he leaves town to keep touring?"

"Mi-chaaan, you recorded the whole set didn't you?"

Across from Cain, Setsu put down the fries and reached for the soda with shaking hands.

"Fast forward! More forward Mai-chan!"

"Waah, that's the end of the tape!"

"Quit bullying her, Minami-san. I know I got his song!"

More shoving and button pushing ensued until Shou's voice sounded, his arrogance intact despite the tinny audio quality.

Thank you to all the good girls who came to see us rock out! I also give a special thank you to all the bad girls

Girly screams, both from the recording and the fan girls present polluted the McDonalds. Setsu's ears rang from the screaming and she got up for the nearest exit.

I wrote this melody as a treat. It's never been recorded. You can't download it! I hope you enjoy Setsu's Love. I know I did.

A tapping of the drums started up, accompanied with a guitar gently strummed and Shou's velvety lyrics.

Her jaw flopped to the mopped tiles. What the heck? What is the idiot doing?

Setsu stared at the speechless, crowded table in disbelief. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and she froze when she saw her brother's eyes staring into her. She had enough. She glared at the groupies, but at the rate she exited the McDonald's, her glare lacked its usual paralyzing effects.

The night air took the edge off her confused anger, but a big hand caught her around the waist, picked her up, and carried her in the direction of her hotel.

"Cain! Leggo! I'm too old to be picked up like a baby!" He didn't even look at her or acknowledge her struggle.

"Stop! Dude, what if someone sees up my skirt?"

He put her down to cloak her with his expansive black jacket and proceeded to carry her off like a rolled up carpet. Sometimes, Setsu wished that her brother wasn't so scary that no one would speak up when it was clear she didn't agree to being lugged around.

The hotel door shut ominously behind Cain as he dumped his sister onto the bed.

By the time Setsu struggled out of his trench coat, Cain had peeled off his gloves and started to pop his buttons off trying to undo his shirt. Setsu recognized his brusque actions as a building temper tantrum.

"Look, I don't understand why Shou Fuwa suddenly wrote a bad song with my name in it. I didn't do anything to encourage him to do an idiot thing."

It hurt when Cain sighed and refused to look at her. Setsu bent forward and forced herself into her brother's face. She'd expected him to be angry, but he looked totally lost. His soft eyes snapped into focus and he shoved her into the wall.

Bits of dry wall skittered into her hair after Cain punched in two deep holes.

"I am going to kill. I am going to kill slowly."

"Cain! Snap out of it! Who are you going to kill?"

Cain straightened and smiled viciously.

"Hey! I don't agree with your thinking!"

His eyes flicked lightly over her disheveled clothes. "Did you let him touch you?"

"No! Never!"

"When did you meet him?"

"Just today! He was bothering me but I blew him off."

"Did you tell him to call you 'Setsu'?"

"I—" She realized he didn't want explanations. "Yes."

"Why did you do that? Are you trying to make brother mad?"

"No!" Setsu screamed. "I told him word for word I have a special someone. You come first, second, and third. I won't let anyone else in!" And she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, ignoring the buttons caught in her chains. Anything to make him stay.

He exhaled, long and tired and his body folded onto the bed. He touched her face and carefully brushed threads of metal out of the way of his buttons. Angry as he was, Cain didn't want to rip her piercings.

Setsu went to heat up sake for him, but found her wrist in his grip.

"Do you love me Setsu?" he asked.

She nodded violently and her chains jingled.

"Say it to me."

"I love you Cain," she said fiercely. He pulled her closer and sat her tiny body on his lap.

"Then will you sleep with me?"

Her eyes and her mouth popped open, and whatever she was thinking to say tripped and tangled over her lip ring. Cain sighed again. "I guess you're getting too old to sleep with big brother."

He went into the shower room and came out in a fluffy robe. Setsu waited by the door for her turn. She'd put his jacket around her shoulders and the many folds shielded her body.

Cain lay down and closed his eyes but he was aware of the shower water running over her body and the perfumed tendrils that escaped through the cracks in the door and messed with his head.

Mutely, Setsu tossed belt, jacket, and shoes at the foot of her bed after her bath. She gazed longingly at Cain, who slept despite the lights he'd left on for her.

Setsu turned off the lamp and felt her way to bed. Her fingers pressed delicately on a lump in the bed. The lump moved and pulled her under the covers. "Setsu, Setsu. Is it really you?"

"Yes, Cain. Go to sleep."

"Kay."

And though she fooled herself in the dark, Ren Tsuruga lay still. He was too stubborn and unwilling to waste the hours sleeping, with Shou Fuwa's stupidity stuck in his head.

The unfairness of the universe struck him in these hours. That he had a claim on her as a mentor, a rival, a friend, and now a brother when Shou Fuwa didn't have a single justifiable connection to her—

Cain rolled over and his arm and leg curled over the girl snoozing next to him.

Sister or not, Setsu was his.

Setsu's Love Lyrics

I'm a demon hungering your soul

I'll kill the man you belong to

Don't deny how you offered your name

From sin studded lips like a kiss stain

Setsu, you are dangerous to want

I want your trigger finger on my gun

Finish me off, a slow loud bang

Nail me hard with your fast looks

One salty taste I'm forever hooked

If I could lick and suck on Setsu's Love

Oh, the places I'd take your leather glove

And uncross your legs so hot in the sun...

...etc. etc.

That's pretty much all that big brother Cain could stand to listen to. Hahaha.