Reborn

Chapter 5 : Home Sweet Home

Kichiro slides the shoji revealing the inside of the old wooden house. Eiji and Hanako coughed as Eiji accidentally knocks a stack of books down releasing the amount of dust resting on the books. Kichiro opens all the shoji and windows.

"I still can't believe we are home," Kichiro said excitedly but Eiji glared at him.

"A dusty and smelly home," Eiji mumbled lifting bits of pieces of paper off the ground.

"Hey! I won't let you offend the house that we grew up in, bakamono." Kichiro said pouting causing Eiji to roll his eyes.

Eiji watched as Hanako slowly start picking up the books that Kichiro knocked over and was placing them on the shelfs. She gave them a good rub and blow before putting them which warmed Eiji's heart at how much she cared for the books. Kichiro snickered at his besotted brother before getting glares from Eiji.

"Don't look at me like that," Eiji whispered to Kichiro who rolled his eyes and turned his back on him.

Eiji glances at his brother who was trying to find something in the kitchen. He wondered what happened to him to cause him to act so irritated.

"Was it because of what we did to the Hidden Leaf village?" Eiji thought to himself before helping Hanako put away the books.

Kichiro looked around in the kitchen trying to find the broom inside the cupboards but he found a set of tea cups and a teapot inside with dust covering them. He smiled gently at the memory of them sitting down with Itachi drinking tea while Eiji was annoying Hanako.

Itachi and he would laugh at him because Hanako would always be reading while his brother tried to impress her with facts she already knows. Kichiro frown at the thought of Hanako before slamming the cupboard and looking around for the broom.

Hanako rearranged the paintings on the walls and use her handkerchief to wipe away the dust and dirt that collect on it. She smiled at the painting as she could imagine her brother snoring while butterflies flew onto his hose.

"You've always liked that painting. I remember you would always stare at it when we stayed here, why?" Eiji asked behind her causing her to go back to her emotionless face.

Hanako moved away from the painting but not Eiji's gaze. Eiji stared at her in curiosity but she moved outside of the room. Sometimes Hanako will show small expressions but it was hard to get her to explain them.

"When are you going to stop chasing her brother? You know very well that it's pointless. A cold heart can never love anyone." Kichiro said leaning on the wall with a broom in his hand.

"A person with a cold heart can only show their love by being cold, brother," Eiji said staring at the painting on the wall.

"You're foolish brother. A person has a cold heart to keep everyone away from them. Only a sick puppy would think when their master is being cold it means their playing." Kichiro said as Eiji never turned to look at him.

"Maybe if you knew what love was then you would understand that nonsense you speak," Eiji said grabbing the vase of dead flowers to the kitchen.

"The only nonsense I see if you. You're blinded by the invisible happiness that you can't see the madness you are in, brother." Kichiro spits at Eiji who ignored his outburst.

"Sometimes flowers bloom because they need to," Eiji said washing the vase.

Kichiro sighed before cleaning the tatami floor leaving Eiji alone. Eiji stared at the vase, thinking about what his brother said. There was something off about his brother for sure now.

Eiji brought the cleaned vase into the room where Hanako was lying on the floor and he caught Kichiro for a second glaring at her. Eiji placed down the pot and moved slowly to Hanako.

Suddenly 2 shadows appear on the shoji and the sound of 2 bells could be heard.