Kurai sulked into the soft fabric of the couch, her eyes fixated on the ceiling.
It was midnight and her family was asleep and she knew she should be asleep but she didn't see the point of self care when all she was doing was bringing disappointment upon herself.
Her eyes rolled back and before she knew it, she knocked out.
[It's five in the morning now]
Teruna woke up by the sound of her blaring alarm and sprinted out of her bed full on Naruto style.
Teruna wasn't in charge of stuff like chores or even making breakfast, that was Kurai's responsibility but to make it up to Kurai, today was going to be different.
"Okay stay calm Teruna all you're doing is making pancakes, no biggie," Teruna said out loud to herself.
Eh...she spoke a little too soon.
Teruna tiptoed downstairs into the kitchen, still in her Hello Kitty slippers and matching pajama set, with her phone in her hand to double check the ingredients for the recipe.
"Kuu's gonna love me for this!"
Flour scattered across the kitchen counter and eggs scattered across the floor.
Panicking, Teruna scooped up the flour from the floor and dumped it into the metal bowl and frantically mopped the egg mess from the floor, leaving the kitchen smelling fresh from the egg.
Her heart violently began to throb. She didn't mean for all this mess to happen and she certainly didn't want to pour the dirty flour into the metal bowl but their parents hated wasting food and being screamed at for making a mess at five in the morning wasn't funny.
Not only that, if they found out she woke up early just to make breakfast they would immediately assume that Kurai somehow bullied Teruna into doing so, and Teruna wanted Kurai to forgive her, not try to rip her throat out.
Pacing around the kitchen, Teruna placed the rest of the ingredients on the counter: baking powder, sugar, salt, milk, vanilla essence and melted butter and of course she got two more eggs to replace the broken ones.
Suddenly Teruna got an idea.
"These pancakes wouldn't be Kuu's color without food coloring!" Teruna gasped.
Teruna went scavenging through the fridge for black food coloring to add to the batter.
Unbeknownst to her, Kurai was watching her all along.
Kurai and Teruna bedroom's were beside eachother and their walls were thin, this made it impossible for Kurai to ignore Teruna's room.
Tossing and turning, Kurai failed to fall back to sleep so she decided to go shower early to start her preparing breakfast.
When she stepped out her doorstep, she noticed Teruna tiptoeing down the stairs and this had already made Kurai suspicous of her.
"Why is Teru up this hour?" Kurai thought, "I'll just take a little peek."
So Kurai followed Teruna while maintaining a distance in case she spotted her.
When Kurai realised what Teruna was doing, she could have tried to help her because it was clear she was making a mess, but at that moment her heart went cold.
Teruna crapped two eggs and slowly the yokes made their way into the metal bowl, along with the itty bit of egg shells.
One by one the other ingredients were poured into the metal bowl and whisked.
"It isn't black enoughhh, would it be ok if I used the whole bottle?"
Kurai's face twisted in horror as all the black food coloring began to slowly spread around the metal bowl like a deliberate stream.
As Teruna banged the almost empty bottle onto the bowl, eager to get every drop out.
The batter was now a pure black and inky texture that clung onto the bowl as if begging to escape but she just whisked it away.
Unfortunately for Kurai, she could do nothing but stand there and watch as the black batter swirled around in the bowl and whisked.
The final step was carefully pouring portions of the black batter into a non-stick frying pan on the stove and lighting it.
However, Teruna remembered the monstrous roar of those crimson flames that dared to attack anyone who opposed them.
With trembling hands, Teruna tried lighting the stove but nothing came on and she got so happy until she remembered...the gas was off.
She still had to face her vicious opponent who teared people to spreads just for overworking it.
Her eyes furrowed with rage as she turned the gas on and braced herself as she lit the stove.
Blue and orange flames emerged from the unknown.
Perhaps the pits of hell!
"Teruna..."
"Stove..."
"Don't be shy, go on now. Make her the pancakes. Don't you want to be a big girl."
Teruna hesitated, cold sweat forming on her greasy forehead.
She was a big girl now and taking risks were her first step to showing her Mum and Dad that she was no baby now.
She was a big girl.
Three cups of the black batter poured swiftly into the frying pan, Teruna's face turning pale.
Teruna flipped the pancakes with carefully, sweat dripping down her face and her eyes shifted from the pancakes to the fire.
"Don't blink. I move when you don't watch me."
Teruna began to scream.
And originally, Kurai didn't want to help Teruna at all. She wanted nothing to do with her in that moment but her sister senses were tingling so she ran into the kitchen.
Teruna went full on fight or flight mode because she didn't hear anyone coming near me kitchen.
She would have recognized it was Kurai but she was consumed by fear to the point she picked on the hot pan and was going to slam it onto Kurai's face.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Kurai yelled, her fingers gripping onto the nearest knife to guard herself.
"S-sorry the fire was talking and I was s-scared," Teruna stuttered.
"Do you hear the crap that comes out of your mouth? Giving me a concussion is not how you gain my forgiveness!"
"But it was talking!" Teruna ranted, looking over her shoulder to watch the fire but it had gone back to normal, crackling softly like nothing had happened.
"Listen, I appreciate you for trying to make breakfast but being a big girl means facing your fears. Come let me help you."
After about ten minutes, twelve charcoal pancakes touched up with blueberries and drizzled with maple syrup were sitting prettily on two ceramic plates.
Kurai stared at the plate across from her.
"Hm..."
Kurai took a pancake and bit into it and chewed then paused.
Then without a word, she reached for a napkin and spit it out.
Teruna froze.
"Is it that bad?"
Kurai didn't answer. She just pushed the plate away and shook her head.
"Next time don't dump all the food colouring."
Teruna's shoulders dropped.
"I just wanted it to match your asethetic.."
Kurai's eyes twitched again.
"This little shit..." Kurai thought to herself but forced a smile, still flattered that she went through all that trouble to prepare breakfast for her.
"Come on let's make proper pancakes and honey lemon ginseng tea and tidy the kitchen before okaasan and otousan wakes up."
(Okaasan- Mom, Otousan- Dad )
Scurrying around the kitchen, the sisters began their duty and tidying the area.
Kurai mopped the floor with detergent to get rid of the egg smell then proceeded to remake breakfast while Teruna wiped the kitchen counter and washed the dishes.
"That was exhausting!" Teruna complained.
"Get used to it because you're becoming a big girl now, after all you're attending a prestigious school now." Kurai snorted.
Teruna softly flicked Kurai on her cheek and the sisters began to laugh and eat the pancakes (no not the charocal ones) and drank their tea.
"Sis I'm scared about school though."
"Why?"
"What if the girls don't like me and worst of all, what if the guys think I'm ugly?"
Kurai scoffed.
"In order to enjoy highschool you have to put yourself first, no matter where you go people would have negative opinions about you, and about boys. Any guy that thinks you're ugly would leave you laying there for you to be collected by your soulmate."
Teruna giggled.
"Thanks Kuu."
"You're welcome Teru."
"But Kurai what are you doing now that you're finished highschool?"
Kurai's face darkened.
"Don't worry about that sweetie," Kurai smiled sweetly yet patted Teruna's head aggressively.
"Hey stop that! that's mean!"
"I'm mean? You're the abomination that gets all their attention and now the only option I'm left with is to die but I'm too fucking scared. Maybe I'm the villainess in my own story because I don't understand why when death presents myself, I run away like the big pussy I am. Maybe it's all my fault that I wasted my time crying during covid. Maybe it's my fault... I can now sit back and watch as my youth passes by in her dainty white dress like it's nothing while I cripple away. BUT I'M FUCKING MEAN?!"
No, Kurai didn't say that to Teruna. Teruna would have obviously woken up their parents and complained that her sister was an unemployed lunatic roaming around Tokyo but she didn't care.
Kurai had better things to do with life, and it certainly wasn't to be known as a Miss Goody Two Shoes.
She was immediately snapped out of her thoughts by her mother's voice and the sound of her father's large feet.
"What's that delightful smell?" Mrs. Tsukikage asked, sniffing the air.
"I'm surprised both of you didn't start a fire," Mr. Tsukikage said smuggly.
Teruna's eyes lit up and paced back and forth and gave her parents two pancakes each to try with some maple syrup and whipped cream.
Their mother wasn't fooling anyone. Mrs. Tsukikage's entire face went blank and stared in horror at the pancakes, they looked too perfect for her own good.
The golden-brown pancakes drizzled with syrup stared back at her, waiting for her to take her final bite.
On one hand, there was a possibility the pancakes were going to taste scrumptious and on the other hand...Kurai could have stepped away for a moment and Teruna with her short self, could have mistaken the salt for white sugar and poured tons in until her heart's content!
Mrs. Tsukikage gulped,"My lovely daughters, you know I love you right?"
"Yes mommy!" Teruna squealed.
"Depends," Kurai replied.
Mrs. Tsukikage managed to keep her cool around Kurai.
"Look my dears I would love to try your pancakes but I'm afraid that I can't because I'm on a diet," Mrs. Tsukikage lied, twirling her finger around her hair,"Isn't that right honey?"
Mr. Tsukikage's face was stuffed with one of the pancakes, munching happily.
"RIGHT HONEY?" Mrs. Tsukikage asked jabbing him with her elbow.
"R-right! N-now even though y'all mother isn't able to try the pancakes, I could for sure tell you it's delicious!" Mr. Tsukikage said, his hand reaching out for another one.
Teruna slapped his hand.
"Nuh uh uh! No more for you until mommy tries MY PANCAKE!" Teruna screeched.
Mr. Tsukikage looked at the ceiling, wondering how long he could stay that way until Teruna gets so tired of bothering him that she gives the pancake up to him.
But his plan failed.
Teruna got closer to her father and looked straight into his eyes and tilted her head.
"TELL HER TO EAT ITTTTT I KNOW SHE'S LYING!!" Teruna yelled.
Mrs. Tsukikage sighed heavily and picked up the pancake that the syrup got absorbed in.
"Eat it. Come on mother...do you not trust me?" Teruna grumbled.
Mrs. Tsukikage closed her eyes and said a short prayer in her mind and took the tiniest bite known to mankind, giving herself enough time to detect if there it was too salty.
"Oh..." Mrs. Tsukikage nervously giggled,"I was um anxious you know...I've had batter days."
"Batter days!" Teruna laughed.
Batter days. Hm...the Tsukikage family really have a terrible sense of humor that frightens me.
But oh well, who knows if Batter Days are truly ahead. Only the universe knows and I do too.