Siblings on a Mission [Kyo, Nao]

What sort of a dumb question was this. God her brother could be such a meathead sometimes. So the tiny older sister shook her head like she was disappointed in her brother's statement.

"Goodness gracious Kyo. I should beat you up for even saying that. To think that you speak of our parents like they might bring you shame, I should defend their honour right now! If this Mizu girl does not like your family then the relationship was doomed from the get-go. What kind of foundation are you trying to build your future marriage on?"

Nao accused and chided. She might not have had a tall stature but Nao was much taller than him right now in spirit. He would need to catch up one of these days.

"Listen here, it's not about shame or anything like that. But you and I both know that mother would put any woman I bring home over the coals. And father! He'd have so many questions that she might faint, you know."

Of course, he was exaggerating a bit, but Kyo knew that their parents were quite a bit more intense than what most people were used to. It wasn't that he thought Mizu would necessarily be afraid of them, and he knew she could handle it perfectly well when it came to it. No, if anything...

"It's not a worry about her not liking them. It's just a worry about them being...insensitive? No, that's not the right word. You know what I mean! It's just a worry is all."

Why she outta whoop her brother some sense. Why was he interested in a meek girl? That didn't sound like it would be a foundation for a strong marriage if he was already worried about what their parents would do to her. Had he learnt nothing from her in all this time being doted upon and raised with strong Sawachika spirit!?

She must seem like a failure of a big sister now! Oh no, wait. She could never doubt her own abilities like that so Sawachika Nao puffed out her chest once more and looked Kyo straight in the eye.

"Very well little brother. I shall meet this Mizu myself and determine if she has the strong character that is worthy to meet our parents and for you to carry on the Sawachika legacy with."

Nao declared to the heavens above and the hole below but most importantly, to him.

Nao's confidence was, frankly, reassuring in its own way. Maybe it was just the fact that she was far mellower than their parents were. Besides, she understood Kyo a bit more than they did, and he had to imagine that, at the end of the day, she was right. If Mizu wouldn't get along with the family he held so highly, things almost certainly wouldn't work out.

"Sounds good. You'd never embarrass me after all. Right?"

With a laugh, Kyo focused more on the meal he was making, though he spoke again after a moment, a fond smile still on his face.

"Thanks, nee-san."

"Embarass you!?"

Nao was flabbergasted that he'd even accuse her of that. Why, did he feel like she did that? The nerve of her brother sometimes! It could break her poor heart if it was not made of adamantine.

"I would never embarrass you, Kyo."

She might even have said she only wanted to do the best for him as his older sister but that'd surely embarrass him. To have his little sister get all doting and lovey dovey like that, or maybe it'd embarrass her but that'd be absurd. Nothing fazed her...

"Exactly, I know that."

Admittedly, Kyo felt pretty confident that Nao was wholly capable of acting in a way that might actually embarrass him, but at the same time, he knew dhe wasn't doing it on purpose. It was just how she was, and considering how much care she'd shown all through his time growing up, he appreciated that overbearing care she showed.

"I doubt there's anyone else in Soul Society with an older sister half as reliable."

Unlike her, he had no issues stating how he felt openly. If anything, he liked to get things like that out in the open. It was easy to focus on bravado, but more subtle things tended to get lost in the intensity of the Sawachika sometimes.

"Exactly. Now let's eat and once we're done with this patrol I'll go pay your future wife a visit to determine if you have a future together."

She declared without a hint of shame in her voice by stating such a bold claim. After all, this was her little sister-in-law they were talking about. Nao basically had as much a leg in the race as he did with the future. Family was family after all.

Nao however returned to her work of trying to assist him in cooking. She was a good little cook naturally, how else was she supposed to fufill all the housewife duties when she met her husband who was unparalleled under heaven? She could never expect to get a guy that put 200% into it if she didn't too.