I stand there, my heart pounding against my rib cage. Long dark hair, soft smooth skin, brilliant brown eyes... Miku and Ai were twins?? My hand trembles as I flip the photo over. "Miku and Ai, Churaumi Aquarium, '20". This photo was taken just a year before Miku and I got married! How did I not know about this? Why would she keep this from me?

"Hiro!" I hear Miku's sweet voice behind me and I jump. "What do you have there?"

My voice sputters for a moment as my tongue remembers how to form words. "J-just a photo of you and your sister," I finally say. "Why did you not tell me you were twins?"

"Oh..." Miku's gaze drifts to the floor. "We... drifted apart. We didn't get along very well."

I show her the photo of her and Ai, together on Okinawa. "This photo was taken two years ago," I say sternly. "You look pretty close to me."

"Oh, that?" Miku looked up at the photo, slowly taking it from my hand. "This was the last time I saw her. On our way back to the hotel, I told her you had proposed to me. It was strange, she got really upset. I don't understand why. When we got back to the hotel, she left, saying she was going for a walk. I never saw her again after that."

"Hmm..." I stare at her, my brow creased with frustration, but eventually, I relax. "All right. I'm sorry I got upset."

Miku moves closer to me, places a hand upon my chest, and smiles. "Hey, it's okay, Hiro," she says sweetly. She kisses me on the lips, lingering for a moment. Her lips taste like cherry and I realize she is wearing lip gloss. I freeze. Miku never wears lip gloss. I detect a hint of strawberry emanating from her. She is wearing perfume, but Miku does not even own a bottle of perfume.

She pulls away and smiles. "Come, I've been preparing some soup for this chilly day." She takes my hand and pulls me along, tossing the picture onto her dresser. I follow, but my nerves are tingling. Something does not feel right. Her behavior has been odd since Ai's death. Is it grief? Perhaps she is trying to maintain her composure and taking extra steps to ensure she does not break down. I close my eyes and shake my head. I must be overthinking this. Still...

Miku pulls out a chair and sits me down. She takes two bowls, serves up some soup, and places one before me. It is aromatic and I feel myself begin to relax. My stomach growls and I remember I have not eaten anything today. Perhaps I am just hungry.

I take my spoon and sip the hot soup carefully. Miku sits across from me and watches me eat with great intrigue. The hot liquid glides down pleasantly, warming my shivering body. It is rich and brothy, and packed with vegetables. I detect basil, seaweed, and leeks. I melt into the flavors. Miku smiles and eats along with me. As soon as she takes her second spoonful, it hits me: Miku hates leeks.

I pause, watching her eat mouthful after mouthful of a food she had adamantly been against since we started dating. I set my spoon down and look at her hard. "Miku."

She looks up at me innocently. "Yes, Hiro?"

"You hate leeks."

"Do I?" Miku asked, scooping another spoonful. "They're not so bad."

I frown. "Miku, you loathe leeks. I stopped eating them completely because you would refuse to even kiss me if I did. You said you could taste them on my lips. So what is going on?"

"Honey, I thought I'd do something nice for you!" she said, getting upset. "I put a lot of work into this. I know how much you like leeks and you've been so accommodating with me since my sister's death. What has gotten into you?"

I narrow my eyes. "You never call me 'honey'."

"Dammit, Hiro!" Miku slammed her spoon down on the table, spilling soup onto the tablecloth. "What's your problem?!"

She stands up and walks into the kitchen. I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. It is true, I have been so focused on her recently, I have been ignoring my own stress. Perhaps I just need to relax, destress, refocus. I should see how much vacation time I have and take her somewhere fun, just the two of us.

I hear a clatter in the kitchen and open my eyes. Miku stands before me, holding a giant kitchen knife. Her long hair had suddenly become disheveled and hung over her face as she stared at the floor. My heart races and I swallow.

"Miku? What are you doing?"

She says nothing, just stands there gripping the knife tightly. Her knuckles turn white and her chest swells and falls from her heavy breathing. I slowly stand up, making no sudden movements.

"Miku, knock it off. You know the creepy horror girl look doesn't sit well with me."

She slowly looks up at me, peering at me through her hair with cold dark eyes. She steps forward and I start to back away.

"Hiro... why, Hiro? Why did you have to go poking around?" Miku whispers hoarsely.

"M-Miku... w-what are you talking about??" I raise my hands, taking another step back.

Miku tilts her head back, her eyes gleaming as a sneer spread across her face. "You couldn't leave it alone. We could have had a lovely life together... but you... you took it all away from me."

"Miku...?"

"Come on, Hiro... don't you know your own true love?" She lurches forward, knife held to her side. "I'm not Miku... I am Ai."

"What are you...?" I stammer on my words, my hands fumbling behind me, looking for something, anything, to defend myself with.

"You loved me," she says, moving closer. "You promised we'd be together forever. But suddenly, you left me for Miku. I knew my bitch of a sister had a thing for you, but I never thought you would actually go for that slut."

My rear bumps into our piano and I remember I keep a gun stashed underneath the bench. If I can just get down and retrieve it without her noticing...

Ai shambles closer. "But something didn't seem right," she continues. "My Hiro would never leave me. My Hiro would never behave that way. So I did some digging, and I discovered the truth."

"The truth?" My heart races faster, threatening to crack my rib cage. I slowly, carefully stoop down, my fingertips caressing the piano bench. "W-what truth?"

She raises the knife, pointing it right at me. "You know the truth... Haru."

Shit. Our eyes lock as she mutters my twin brother's name. Time seems to freeze, our gaze intertwined. Silence falls, the only sound is the pounding of my battered heart. After what feels like an eternity, our eye contact shatters and she lunges toward me. I grab the pistol from under the bench, raise it up, and pull the trigger. A single pop echoes through the house as I feel the knife plunge deep into my heart. I look up, my body wracked in agony, and see Ai's face contort in not pain, but sorrow. Her sad eyes meet mine and she slowly pulls the knife out before collapsing onto me. We fall to the floor, our blood pooling together into a crimson tide. As we lay there, our dying hearts beating against each other, her final words as the room fades to darkness caresses my ears: "I love you, Hiro."