Aqi: Control

Chapter 4: Toqi

Chapter Four: Toqi

        Aqi awoke to the sound of a hard object making a thumping noise against the other side of her wall. She turned her head violently to the side and over at her clock. A groan escaped her for she didn't feel that she should have to get up at five in the morning but settled because she technically went to bed early. Sliding her legs from underneath the covers, she made sure her feet were stable before standing up and making her way out of her room. Walking down the hallway, she paused before the wooden door to Naqi's room.

        After knocking lightly a few times, she tried rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. The door before her opened a bit to reveal unfamiliar, long pink hair on an all too familiar face. “What did you...” Aqi started while pointing to her sister's hair before dismissing the question. Shaking her head, she continued with the question she had originally come to ask, “What experiment are you working on that makes that much noise?”

        “Twin therapy.”

        Aqi was confused at first, but then it all made sense when a loud and rather high pitched voice reached her ears.

        “You're an idiot. Mom would have made us anyways, so shut up!” Qiri's voice carried out into the hallway and echoed off of the walls.

        “You're a brat! Of all hair colors, why did you choose that?” Toqi's voice. Which was equally loud but slightly deeper, did the same. The sound of their shouts mingled throughout the large house but it was certain that no one would come to see what the fuss was all about.

        “Let me in,” Aqi said, pushing past her sister. In the room she saw Qiri facing towards her with bright blonde hair, a brick from the wall in her hand. Toqi, with his back to her, also had blonde hair of which had become considerably long and reached just above his shoulders. A katana from his room was clenched in his hand. With a roll of her eyes and a heavy sigh, Aqi stepped towards the center of the room to stand between them.

        “Didn't mom ask both of you to decide on a hair color, the same one?” Aqi asked, looking back and forth between them.

        “Yes,” they replied in unison, their arms and heads dropping to look at the floor.

        “Then why are you fighting?” she practically yelled in response.

        “Because she...” Toqi stopped, still pointing at his female counterpart, unable to think of a reason.

        “Well, can you apologize for wasting my time so I can go back to bed because, unlike someone, I have a job,” Qiri said, quite irritated by her brother's ignorance. She gave him a sideways glace while tapping her foot repeatedly on the wooden floor.

        “Maybe you should just go to bed, 'cause that's where I'm going,” Toqi responded as he started to make his exit. With the door open he couldn't manage a step out of it before being dragged back into the room by the collar of his shirt.

        “She's right,” Aqi said, tiredness still apparent in her voice. As he started to protest she held up a finger to him. “You don't have a job,”

        “What point does that prove?”

        “I have lessons today,” Aqi answered, rubbing her eyes again knowing he would fall for it if she was being cute.

        “Yes you do, just like you do every week, what's the difference?” he asked, pulling her hands away from her face and wiping the water from her eyes gently with his thumb.

        “I didn't do my homework,” she finished, pouting her lips as if she had intended to do it on her own in the first place.

        “Aqi, why don't you do your homework?” Qiri asked, pulling Aqi into a back hug. She then lightly rubbed her knuckles across the younger girl's head.

        “I was busy with all that other stuff,” she replied lamely, knowing that there was no excuse, she just used her time in a way she thought was better. Toqi looked at Qiri and then at Naqi who just shrugged.

        “Fine, I'll help you since I seem to have nothing better to do,” he concluded, taking Aqi's hand in his.

        “You really don't,” Naqi interjected before he pulled the younger girl out of the room and down the hall.

        “No one asked for your input,” Toqi whispered out loud to a non-existent Naqi.

        “You know that you'd have to yell for her to hear you right?” Aqi asked as he opened her bedroom door.

        “That's why I said it to myself. That way no one gets in trouble for their incompetence,” he stated, shamelessly barging into her room and grabbing her school bag, all the while dragging her along behind him. “Aqi, you're reasonable, right?” he asked stopping in the hall to turn around and look at her.

        “Yeah,” she responded, looking up at the ceiling to think about it. “But dad also says I'm crazy so, trust your own instincts I guess.”

        “Okay, anyways, if I specifically told Qiri that I wanted brown hair for the upcoming garden party and she dyes her hair blonde, is that fair?” he asked a very serious expression upon his face. Trying hard to hold in her laughter, Aqi took a deep breath before answering.

        “If it was required for her work then yes, but if she did it to spite you, you're out of luck. Also mom prefers it when you guys are blonde, then all of your outfits look good and match,” Aqi rationalized.

        “If I shaved my head, would that be more of a punishment to me or her?” he asked trying to find a way of revenge against his twin.

        “You, because girls comment mostly on your hair, so you should trim it and make it look better than hers,” she explained, pressing her hands against his chest to push him backwards down the hallway to his room.

        “Sorry,” he said, pulling out a key to unlock his bedroom door. Aqi almost laughed again but thought better of it and decided to let him have the illusion that no one enters his room. She followed him into the perfectly spotless room. Aqi was always surprised to see that it was clean when he dressed more like a hobo than a neat freak. “Okay let's get this party started,” he stated, closing the door behind them before tossing her bag onto his bed where they would spend then next couple of hours studying.