I feel it building up inside of me. It starts as a tickle in my chest that grows bigger and more insistent as it creeps its way up my throat. I put my fingers to my lips to cover it, but it's like fighting a storm with a teacup: useless on the one hand, while fighting it only makes it stronger on the other. Despite my best efforts and the cover of my hand, my face changes with the very obvious signs of its coming. 

I try my best to conjure bad feelings. Reasons I should be offended, old memories of times where I opened the fridge to find my special dessert was missing, the frustration of not being taken seriously after everything I've been through. But it's useless. Run from it, or fight it in a loop forever, there's just no escaping a giggle fit once it starts snorting out of you.

"Pff... pfffffFFFFFahahahahahahaheheheheeeeeee! Oh my g-ahahaha! Oh my! Oh, heehee! Oh my [i]goshies[/i] sis, you're such a dork!"

I can't breathe from laughing so hard. Never mind forgetting dignity, I can't remember balance. I shake so hard where I sit that before I know it I'm tipping over, over, ooooohhhhh there I go, rolling onto my back holding my stomach while a bunch of silly noises escape my lips. I roll around like I'm trying to put out a fire. Doesn't help. I wheeze, because you have to fight for breathe when it comes in [i]and[/i] out in the form of laughter. Once or twice I make the mistake of thinking I've got it, but then I sit up and see her face, and I go rolling back down into sillyfits. 

It goes on forever. I dunno why it hit me so hard. I guess it's 'cause it's the first joke she's used on me in years. First one she's had a chance to. Or, well, it's not a joke but it... y'know. Sister stuff. It's just been so long. I burst. I giggle until I can't feel my fingers. I giggle until she starts to worry about me. I giggle until I need her to hold me still, and then I giggle until I start hiccupping. 

As far as duels go, this one's kind've a disaster, huh?

"Love you too, sillyhead." I reach up and touch her face. The one that looks just like mine, except a little bit older and a lot of bit cooler. 

Y'know I, honestly? I always assumed that when Sis left and didn't come back, it meant she'd settled down. When things got me down with sun farmin' and tryin' to convince the village that my little beads were worth a trade, or on dark cold nights when there wasn't enough good wood for a proper fire or just... sometimes I'd feel lonely and sad for no great reason. I know, me! Happens sometimes, y'know? But on days like that, I'd imagine Sis in a wedding dress with just the biggest smile on her face. Who was she marryin'? What were they like? I imagined all kinds've people, tall and short and pretty and handsome and every sort've face you could think of, but the thing they all had in common was that they made her happier than she'd ever been. Happier than I could make her. And when I pictured that... it made me smile. Sometimes I'd make plans to go see her, show her how I'm doing. Find out who she lived with, all that jazz. Thought about it a [i]lot[/i] on my adventure. She'd be so surprised!

I can't believe she went and had an adventure of her own, instead! All that action and excitement and demon politics and dark queen stuff! Wowies, I'm actually kinda jealous? I mean if I had to choose I'd definitely still pick mine, but hers sounds amazing too! I wish I could... no. No. I'd better not wish that. Hearin' about it's plenty good enough. It's her story, and mine's mine, and now that we're here they combine to form the story of how we two found each other again when we'd both basically stopped trying. It's perfect. It's so perfect it's like we'd planned the whole thing from the start.

But also, what was that? What was that about... all of the money? All of it?! H-how technically is technically, exactly? 'Cause, like... Sis do you realize what this means? We could, I mean you could, like I, um, oh gosh. That's almost enough for... gosh, ok, carry the one, uh. Yeah. Like, six tractors? Minimum? With enough left over for [i]really good[/i] cocoa and cookie fixins like basically every night! Ohhhhh, I wish I didn't know about this. That's too much power for any one girl, or pair of related girls to have. I wish I--

Oh. Right. We're still dueling, aren't we? I know I laughed, but the Sword of Sisterly Love is not a technique that anyone can afford to take lightly, least of all me. Its blade cuts sharper than any sword I've ever faced. But, did you know? For all of its power, it's actually almost as dangerous to the user as the opponent. That secret sword has a hidden, reversed form. A shadow sword, if you will. And it goes a little something like this. I take her hands in mine. I look her straight in the eyes. And then I start talking.

"Sis," I begin

But then I pause because straight away it doesn't sound right. And it's gotta be perfect, or it won't work. I'm not even fighting to win here anymore, but that doesn't mean I'm pulling any of my punches. The most perfect outcome of our duel today would be a draw. That's what I'll call a win. I take a deep breath and let it out in a huff.

"...Xiu," I haven't said that name out loud, not to her, in over a decade, "Come home. Please."

I feel her tense up in my grip, but she doesn't pull away. She doesn't look away, either. That's my big sister for you. She's so brave, even when she's got every reason to be as nervous as a girl can be. The true shape of the Shadow Sword reveals itself: A Love Stronger Than Adventure.

"I don't mean you have to, I... like, you don't. Mm. You don't have to drop everything and start farming eggplants with me or anything like that! Unless that still sounds fun? But it, you, I don't care what you do, Sis! If you wander off again and I don't see you till one or both of us is dressed to get married that's fine! But come home! Come home and meet Hyra, at least, she's got a beautiful picnic with all of our best teas all set up and ready for company and everything!"

"Come look at the lake with me again, like we did! Like we used to! Come sort through all the memories in our little cottage together, so I can put stories to all the stuff I can't remember on my own. Come, just... just come! We're family, you and me! Sisters are forever and ever but we've missed so much [i]time![/i] so please. Please come home with me."

"I understand if you wanna keep Princessin', I really do, I uh... keep wishin' and wishin' and wishin' I could be that, too. But I just, I, yeah. I just want you to come and do it somewhere with a post office you can use. Or better yet, texts! Texts are things now, didja know? We could, oh gosh, I should show you my phone! I should, we, no wait I can't get distracted! I'm just, I'm tryin' to say, I don't need protecting from demon hordes anymore. Like, honestly, if you coming back means we get to duel unreformed underworld queens that sounds kinda... cool? And good? And, and even if I do need protecting I've met so many amazin' people who'll be there for me and [i]you have to meet them come on let's go!"[/i]

I'm standing. And she's standing. And one more time, we're hugging. And there's crying, and I don't know who's got it worse 'cause it does turn out that we didn't quite work it all out the first time. I'm proud of her, she's proud of me. Our duel draws to a close. Without a judge here to yip opinions at me, I couldn't tell you which of us won. Or if anybody even needed to, after all (but secretly, I hope it was me).

"You're gonna love Hyra, I promise. She's so pretty. I mean, funny! Funny! Well, she's both! And she knows a bunch of amazin' magic tricks and so, [i]so[/i] much about 'angles' and she, oh. Right. She dooooeeesss have a bit of an accent? But only with certain words. It's fine! Fine, I say! I just, I want you to be ready, in case she says one so you don't spit tea all over the -- I mean! Not that I! H-hey! Listen! Listen!! You don't know what it -- I said it's [i]fine![/i] A-a-and she's gonna be your sister soon, too! So! Stop! Laughing! Already!!"

Sisters, sheesh. Not even once. But then, also? Every single time.