What was ordained

For not the first time that year, Takeshi had been hit over the head with unexpected news. His sister, Ikigai, was going to be married off to Elysium. He supposed it wasn’t too much of a surprise, she hadn’t kept it a secret that she’d be up to such a thing, but it didn’t mean he would ever be ready for it. His sisters could very well take care of themselves, he knew that, but he would never be able to shake off the protective big brother in him. He and his siblings had been through so much in their almost 2 years of life, they deserved happiness for the rest of it and Takeshi would be damned if he’d let her go if it wasn’t what Iki really wanted.

So, the boy found himself in the doorway of her room. She was inside, packing up some of the last bits of her belongings. The room felt so barren without her things neatly stacked about, like her entire presence and personality was already where she would be going. He felt a pang in his chest. “Need help with anything?” he asked, walking through the doorway and pressing a kiss to her forehead as he always did.

Speech