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Separation. It was a newfound fear when it was time for René and I to no longer live beneath the same roof. It was something bound to happen, yet, I hadn't expected it to occur so soon. Nevertheless, I knew that fate would allow us to reunite, as it would be impossible for us to be separated for long.
There were problems at first. Sure, making friendly connections with classmates was only but a stick in the mud. But, when I'd wake up and expect him to cheerfully greet me, he wouldn't be there. When I glanced at the empty chair next to me during mealtimes, expecting to secretly give him my tomatoes, it wouldn't happen. Finding a caterpillar to pick up with on a stick, expecting to scare my brother with it, I'd only meet no one but the air.
It took a while to get used to. The days were just... empty.
But then, for some odd reason, my brother's absence allowed me to... breathe. To take in this sense of freedom, that made me wonder when I ever felt so chained.
When René was around, he and I would get the top grades, thus making us share the first place seat. When he was around, he and I always grasped the adults' attention, until it slowly shifted to him being the main focus as he was the heir. When he was around, he shone the brightest when playing the piano, his music enchanting everyone under a spell. Even the rowdiest of crowds would fall silent, allowing his music to sink deep within their hearts and make their eyes speak for themselves.
But when he left, I had it all. It allowed me to focus on myself and understand how great Léa can be. It was no longer the Suoh twins, René and Léa, but just Léa. Léa, and Léa alone.
Our connection is different than how it used to be. Now that we figured ourselves out without the other, what would our different selves be like together?
Well, so far, it seems as though nothing much has changed.
"Hey, look, Léa!" René spoke up as he hooked his arm around me affectionately. "We share the same spot again!"
I clicked my tongue as I stared up at our names together on the midterm results board in the second place, ready to go on a ten-mile run while screaming at the top of my lungs.
"Ah, it seems Kyoya got first again," René added, not realizing that he had a ticking time bomb within his grasp. "Oh, well~ Nothing we can do about that!"
Yes. I painfully admit that nothing much has changed...
"Hey, look, Léa!" René called out with a wave. He was sitting before a grand piano, surrounded by his customers who had tears escaping their eyes, most likely fallen under his enchantment spell. "We should play a duet!"
I grumbled to myself, clicking my tongue again when they requested him to play another piece. The music he played after made me have the sudden urge to listen to heavy metal, just to cleanse my ears from it.
"Ah, it seems Kyoya has a task for you," he said when he finished, glancing at the Shadow King with a grin, not realizing that he made me have a sudden urge to slap that look off his face. "Oh, well~ Nothing we can do about that!"
