Chapter 75: You're Mine
Yu watched as Sasuko gradually stopped crying and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The sister in his arms seemed increasingly... well... difficult to handle.
Sasuko lifted her tear-stained face, her eyelashes fluttering wetly. "Then I'll go wait in your room first! You should come rest early too."
She released him and skipped toward the bedroom, her skirt swaying in cheerful arcs, showing no trace of her tearful appearance moments before.
Yu watched his sister's mood shift from storm clouds back to sunshine and suddenly felt like he'd fallen into a trap.
But the lingering warmth on his palms and Sasuko's innocent, adorable retreating figure made him push his doubts back down.
It's probably just normal sibling affection...
Inside the bedroom, Sasuko was hugging Yu's pillow and breathing deeply, the pillowcase still carrying that reassuring scent of soap.
She buried her burning cheeks into the soft fabric, her eyes gleaming with a darkness that didn't match her age.
Take it slow... make Yu get used to my presence... my company... my scent...
She shouldn't have lost control like today.
Usually, she could suppress these dangerous emotions, but watching Yu allow Naruko to mark his wrist during the day had felt like watching someone defile her most precious treasure. Anger, fear, desire, and possessiveness wove together into a net.
I was here first... I'm the one closest to Yu...
And Yu's thoughtless comment that evening—"Now I'm truly bound to Sasuko"—had been like a spark falling into an oil depot, burning away the last shred of restraint.
Sasuko suddenly bit down on the pillow's corner, a beast-like whimper escaping her throat as her nails dug deep into the fabric.
Her Sharingan manifested unconsciously, scarlet eyes churning with twisted affection as she clutched the pillow tighter, as if trying to merge herself into that scent.
Not enough... still not enough... I need more...
Click—
The sound of the doorknob turning made her instantly resume a docile sitting position.
When Yu entered, he only saw his sister hugging the pillow and rubbing her eyes. "You took so long!" Her soft voice was flawless, though some crystalline moisture still remained on the pillow.
Yu's gaze lingered on Sasuko for a moment. He felt something was off but couldn't put his finger on what.
Sasuko casually returned the pillow to its place and patted the bed. "Yu, come here quickly!"
Yu noticed there was only one pillow on the bed. "Where's your pillow Sasuko?"
"One pillow is enough!" Sasuko blinked her innocent eyes. "Two pillows are too much in the way..." She deliberately drew out her words, her fingers quietly tugging at Yu's sleeve.
Yu started to give a gentle reminder as he lay down. "When sleeping, you need to—"
Sasuko interrupted before he could finish. "I know, I know! Be good, be obedient, don't move around, early to bed and early to rise!" She mimicked his tone, puffing out her cheeks adorably. "stop being naggy!"
Yu helplessly pinched Sasuko's soft cheeks and said nothing more. He lay down on the outer side of the bed, deliberately maintaining an appropriate distance.
The moment he turned his back, Sasuko immediately pressed against him, her forehead lightly touching his back. "It's so cold..." Her voice carried a wheedling nasal tone. "Yu's body is warmer!"
"It's summer." Yu calmly pointed out the fact.
"Summer nights are cold too!" Sasuko retorted righteously, her fingers quietly gripping his sleeve.
"Then I'll get another blanket."
"No need, no need!" Sasuko hurriedly stopped him. "If you holds me, I won't be cold!" Her eyes flickered, even though tiny beads of sweat were forming on her nose.
Yu looked at her flushed cheeks—clearly hot but still pretending to be cold—and suddenly found it amusing.
Seeing his softening attitude, Sasuko practically draped herself over his arm. "Let's sleep like this... I promise I'll be good!" She deliberately used her childhood tone. "Just like before, Yu!"
Warm breath brushed across his back, her hair tickling his skin. Yu sighed softly. "But you're not a five-year-old child anymore."
This statement made them both fall silent for a moment.
Sasuko's eyes suddenly darkened—she tightened her grip around Yu's waist. "So what? Even if I've grown up, I'm still the person closest to you..."
The declaration, delivered with a sweet lilt, made Yu feel uneasy for the first time. He suddenly realized that all tonight's unusual affection might be wrapped around something far more dangerous.
Sasuko, you...
Sasuko buried her face against his spine, hiding her triumphant smile.
She could feel Yu's gradually stiffening muscles, like a butterfly caught in a web beginning to struggle—but it didn't matter. She had all the patience in the world to slowly draw the net closed.
Sasuko understood Yu too well.
The way Yu looked at her, the "like" he expressed when looking at her, was completely different from the feelings in her heart when she gazed at him.
His eyes were full of gentle indulgence but lacked the burning intensity she craved.
Perhaps growing up together had made her mistake dependence for love. Perhaps never seeing anyone more outstanding than Yu meant her gaze could only rest on this bright moon. Or perhaps it was simply because—he was the only person left in this world willing to protect her with his life.
Even if he's an adoptive brother...
Sasuko buried her face deeper into Yu's back, greedily breathing in the warmth of his body.
It's okay...
She quietly tightened her arms around Yu's waist. Since this world had first taken away all her warmth, what was wrong with clinging to the only remaining light?
Sasuko's small hand gently traced across Yu's chest, her palm clearly feeling his steady heartbeat. One beat, then another, like the gentlest lullaby.
Yu didn't turn around, remaining quietly on his side facing away from her. Moonlight outlined his shoulders and back, every line already deeply carved into Sasuko's memory.
Sasuko wasn't impatient. She understood Yu's indulgence toward her too well—that embrace forever open to her, those helpless yet doting sighs—they would all become her leverage. She would break through Yu's boundaries again and again until he completely accepted her.
That day will come eventually...
Her fingertips lingered over the Flying Thunder God mark on his heart, still retaining chakra's faint warmth. Sasuko closed her eyes, imagining some future moment when the net finally closed—what expression would Yu have then?
When I grow up a bit more...
She pressed her nose against Yu's bare skin, inhaling deeply as if marking her possession. The soap scent mixed with a faint trace of sweat created a uniquely reassuring fragrance that belonged only to her.
Outside the window, the cicadas' song gradually weakened as summer night's wind carried the coolness of dew.
Listening to their breathing gradually synchronize, Sasuko suddenly wished this night would never end.
After all, we still have a very, very long future ahead...
Before her last thread of consciousness sank into darkness, she unconsciously murmured, "Mine..."
Moonlight quietly shifted as Yu slowly opened his eyes. They held complex emotions that ultimately transformed into a barely audible sigh.
Yet he never pushed away those slender but persistent arms around his waist.
***
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