I stood in front of the mirror ihroom, staring at my naked body with a critical eye.

  I was wearing a brand new sports bra, a matg set of cute navy boy shorts underwear, and nothing else, arms loosely ed around me.

  I wasn't the tallest girl for my age. I had to round up to 5'2", and my figure wasn't very feminine.

  It wasn't that I was butt ugly, per se, it's just that I was skinny and uhy.

  Skinny to the point that it made me look like a little kid, even though I wasn't a kid anymore. My legs were thin, and my hips were narrow and boyish. Even my butt was ent. I wasn't unattractive, but my ck of feminiures definitely didn't do me any favors.

  And then I looked to my side.

  My sister, Stel, was 5'7", with the body of a pinup model, and a faatch.

  She had an amazing, full, perfectly-proportioned chest that robably a C-cup. She had long, thick bck hair that flowed down to her midback, and her long eyeshes and full lips only highlighted her natural beauty.

  Even now, as she leaned against the sink in a matg set of workout clothes, I could see how attractive she was. The way her curves moved under her clothes as she breathed, and how her hips swayed as she walked... It was no wonder some criminals could spot her out of a crowd.

  I could already imagine all of the boys fawning over her at school, or the gym.

  She'd probably get more than her fair share of unwatention, and it wouldn't be just from the boys either.

  Stel could be an intimidating person when she wao be, and although we hadn't known each for very lo, she already seemed protective of me.

  I didn't mind, of course, because she was also so kind to me. But I could uand why some people would feel threatened by her.

  She'd even gottehis e of brand new workout clothes.

  A navy blue pair of boyshorts, a matg navy blue sports bra that was muicer and more fortable than anything else I owned, a pair of bck yoga pants with red stripes that felt like they'd been molded specifically for my body and atuated the little curves I did have, and a cute, loose-fitting bck tank top that matched the rest of my outfit perfectly. She'd gottewo sets so I had ara for ter.

  I frowned, looking over at the girl practically boung as she stretched her arms and folded up her gsses.

  Ichigo, oher hand, was somewhere between us, and was toned, lightly tanned, and looked like a typical spirl. Her thighs were thick, toned, and her abs were well defined.

  She had a pretty face, and her eyes had a sparkle to them when she was excited or having fun. She wasn't a plete knockout like Stel, but she had a approachably-pretty type of look, with an i and eic charm about her.

  Ichigo wore a bright red, form fitting tank top with a sports bra underh. Her lower half was covered in bd red pression shorts that reached just past her knees, with a thick waistband. The material hugged her skin, emphasizing the muscles underh and giving her an athletic, yet feminine look. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and her eyes sparkled with anticipation for the day's workout.

  She wasn't super duper muscur or anything like that, or 'jacked' as Al put it.

  Instead, her body looked more like a boxer, ymnast. Lithe, toned, and flexible, but with an impressive amount of visible pact strength firl e. Her legs were thid powerful, and her arms were visibly strong, but not overly so. Stel was built more like a gymnast dancer, with toned arms and legs, and impressive flexibility. Ichigo was more top heavy, with strong shoulders and short, thick legs.

  I looked down at myself, at my skinny frame.

  "Hey, you guys look great. I'm feeling a little ie here," I said, chug nervously.

  Ichigo g me, raising an eyebrow. She looked me up and down and gave me a thumbs up.

  "Uh, yeah! We look hot as fuck. I don't know why you're feeling insecure, you're adorable!"

  "I don't know..." I murmured, looking at my ft chest.

  "I mean, yeah you aren't big in the boob area, but that's okay!" she said cheerfully. "And besides, you have that whole i girl door look going on, which is pretty hot too. You should embrace it!"

  I sighed. "Maybe you're right... but it's just so frustrating to look at myself and not feel fident about it."

  Ichigo nodded sympathetically. She reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. "Well, let me tell you something, Sienna. These guns weren't built in a day."

  Ichigo lifted up her shirt, showing off her abs and the toned muscles in her arms. "These puppies took work to get where they are today! But if you work hard enough and stay sistent with your training, then you get them too."

  She was so bubbly and eic when she was fortable. Ichigo had a positive attitude and a smile that made you want to smile along with her.

  "See? Look at that, you're smiling now! You'll be fine. We're here to help, okay?"

  Stel giggled, colleg her hair into a high ponytail. "Just try to keep an open mind. I've been in the same shoes you were in once before, Sienna. You'll be shocked at how quickly your body ges if you stick with it, and how fast you grow," Stel assured.

  "I guess... I just don't want to get my hopes up," I said. I wasn't trying to be a downer, but I didn't want to set my expectations too high. "It'll be a nice surprise if I see some muscle definition, but I'll be just fih not having a super toned body like yours. I just want to be able to defend myself."

  "Well, that's a good goal too. But it doesn't have to be either or. Besides, Stel and I are here to help. I'll whip you into shape in no time!" Ichigo said, flexing her arms pyfully. "Just do your best, and I'll have you looking like a badass warrior queen in no time!"

  "I... I'll hold you to it," I agreed, feeling slightly more optimistic.

  Iiled, satisfied with my answer.

  I pulled my new pair of yoga pants on. I was shocked at how soft they felt and how well they hugged my legs. I tugged oop, and it was simirly fy. The whole outfit felt like it was ade just for me, but it was just a brand I reized as a higher-end one.

  It fit perfectly and it made me look and feel better about myself, but it wasn't so hat I was worried about ruining it.

  I threw the tank top on over my head, and pulled my hair back, only to feel Stel's hands gently swat mine away.

  "Let me hahis. It's a mess," Stel insisted, and I rolled my eyes.

  I sat on the edge of the bench, and Stel got to work.

  "By the way," Stel said as she started bing her fihrough my hair, gently tugging the knots free. "I know I be a little much, especially since we haven't known each other long. So let me know if I'm crossing any boundaries."

  Ichigo and I exged gnces, and I shrugged.

  "Well, you're already helpi so much, so it's not like I pin," I said. "I'm grateful for your help."

  Ichigo blinked, furrowing her brow as she looked between us.

  "Wait, how did you guys eve each other, anyway?"

  Stel froze for a split sed before quickly rec and tying up my hair.

  "Uhm, well, you were there. Wheacked the campus with a barbecue sauce on as Dark Princess Eris," I replied.

  "Really?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow. She looked between us suspiciously. She looked like she wao say something, but instead just shrugged and shook her head. "I guess that's fair."

  "What's wrong, Ichigo? You're not mad at me for that, are you?" Stel asked, a teasing grin on her face.

  "I'm not," she answered. "I'm a little ticked off that you're s and fast and stuff, but I'm not mad."

  "Ah," Stel replied. "Well, don't worry about it too much. We're all still in training, right?"

  "I guess. But I want to beat you ime we fight!" Ichigo insisted, raising a fist in front of her with a devilish grin.

  I chuckled, amused at her petitive streak. She really did remind me of Al, in the best ways. They both loved to push themselves to their limits and were determio achieve their goals. I could respect that.

  Stel reached for a red schie, and I shook my head, stopping her. I wasn't really a big fan of how I looked in ponytails, but Stel had a gleam in her eyes.

  "I'm not sure I like-" I started.

  "Oh e on Sienna. It'll be a perfect little cute look. It'll go with the rest of your workout clothes. It'll be great. You'll love it, I promise."

  Stel insisted. "It's just a little ponytail."

  "Ponytails make my head look too big, and the schie just highlights it," I pined.

  "Nonsense!" Stel excimed. ", just trust me, okay? I promise you won't look silly."

  "Okay, fine. But if I don't like it, yetting rid of the schie." I relented.

  "Yay!"

  I noticed her turning to get some sort of bottle out of her gym bag as I looked over at Ichigo, who was just watg our exge with a curious expression. I rolled my eyes as Stel sprayed my hair down with some kind of sweet-smelling spray, and I jolted as I felt a brush run through my hair.

  I gave Stel a fused gnce, and she just shrugged. "You need a little extra love, okay?" She replied, and she quickly began running the brush through my hair.

  "You have some split ends and it looks like your diet isn't great. You have a bit of a protein deficy that I'm guessing is reted to your eating habits," Stel expined.

  Ichigo snickered, and I grumbled.

  "I'm trying to eat more. I promise I am. But it's hard. I'm going from scrimping and saving to an all-you- eat meal pn."

  "Well, no harm in enjoying the buffet," Stel teased, but the serious. "But if you don't have enough protein, you get some serious hair breakage. That's bad for a number of reasons, one of the more important ones being that it's harder for your hair to retain moisture and nutrients. So, you want to avoid that as much as possible. Your appetite is probably pretty small so try to cram rotein you get in there."

  I closed my eyes for a sed, wing as she brushed a particurly nasty knot out of my hair.

  "Sorry! Sorry, sorry!" She squealed as I flinched.

  "It's fine," I grunted. "Keep going."

  She nodded, w the knots out with her brush as Ichigo watched. Ichigo looked at us with a thoughtful expression, and then shrugged, turning away.

  "What do you do to keep yours looking nice?" I asked her. She had beautiful, silky, shiny bck hair.

  Ichigo blushed a little and scratched her head.

  "Umm, nothing special, really. I get my beauty sleep, plenty of protein like Stel said, and... Oh! Biotin, a lot of Biotin," She added, nodding eagerly.

  "I... have no idea what that is," I admitted.

  "It's a hair and nail supplement," Stel expined, humming as she worked the knots from my hair. "A type of B vitamin."

  "Yup! I take a hair and nail multivitamin, which has Biotin and colgen and some other stuff. Wreat, I guess, so I never really thought about it much."

  Stel finished with my hair, and quickly pulled it ba a ponytail, ing it up with a bright red schie that matched the stripes on my pants. She beamed, looking at me and g her hands. "See, that wasn't so bad."

  She gently guided me back front of the mirror, hands on my shoulder as I took in my appearance.

  My face was still the same, I hadn't gotten any new features or anything, a...

  The girl in the mirror looked pletely different from the skinny, malnourished girl I'd seen in my refle before. Whatever Stel had put in my hair gave it some volume and a silky sheen. She had tied it up into a ponytail, and the red of the schie actually did pliment the red on the pants nicely.

  She looked healthier, stronger. Just from the ge in my hair and clothes, my cheeks seemed a bit rosier.

  And the outfit Stel had give perfectly, too. It was snug enough that I could feel the support it offered but not so tight that I felt stricted.

  Ichigo slowly walked behind us eyes furrowed in tration. I noticed she was staring at us with a thoughtful, almost critical expression on her face. Stel followed her gaze, frowning slightly as she did so.

  "What's up?" Stel asked, her tone curious but cautious.

  Ichigo shook her head, as if ing out of a trance. She looked up, and gave us a reassuring smile.

  "Oh, nothing," she replied, brushing it off. "You guys just look... so alike now that you've done Sienna's hair. Like, it's actually uny with the matg outfits and ponytails."

  Stel blinked, gng over at me as I tilted my head at Ichigo in fusion. I khat she was mixed and I was Caucasian, and I knew we had different body types, different hair color, and different skin tones. And of course, she was a total knockout. Even I could tell.

  But...

  With our hair tied up and with matg clothes, we really did share a visible resembnce.

  Our facial structures weren't that dissimir when you looked at them close enough. We both had hazel eyes and round, expressive faces. The shape of our lips and noses were nearly identical. If you ighe different plexions and body types, and well, our ethnic makeups, you could see the resembween us. Even the way our cheeks curved and dimples formed when we smiled.

  It wasn't obvious. But it was there if you squinted. Stel and I really didn't want to open that of worms in front of Ichigo though. Not that I wasn't sure if we could trust her or anything. But what we could piece together was already insane. Aill didn't uand our own history. We were in no rush t in outsiders.

  "Huh," I muttered. I couldn't think of anything else to say.

  I mean, what do you even say in this situation?

  'Gee, thanks for notig, Ichigo. By the way, Stel and I are long lost half-sisters, and the products of the most legendary Magical Girl rivalry of all time! We just didn't know about it because my mother faked her death and Stel was giveo a trusted family friend for adoption 16 years ago! Wan coffee sometime and I expin?'

  Yeah, that'd go over well. I'm pretty sure that was the kind of story you eased someoo. Like maybe after you'd known them for a few years or something. Not a week after you'd met them and after having a near-death experience.

  "Uh, well, I think it's safe to say that you both look cute as hell in your ponytails." She paused and g me. "And the matg fits, of course. You guys coordihem on purpose or something...?"

  I blushed and Stel smiled sheepishly, both of us avoiding eye tact with each other as Ichigo stared at us, brow furrowed in suspi. She opened her mouth, closed it again, shook her head, and shrugged. "Whatever, I'm just happy we're all training together today and that you don't look so mopey, Sienna."

  She turned around halfway, and gave us both a pyful grin.

  "Now, you dies ready? Let's head on over!" she called, walking out the locker room. "Al and Suguru probably already waiting on us!"

  I chuckled as we both watched her leave the room, and Stel let out a small giggle.

  "Shall we go then?" Stel asked me, raising an eyebrow expetly. "Or do you wanna hang out in the locker room for a while longer?"

  "Nah, let's get outta here. It smells like sweaty feet and bad decisions." I said, sg up my nose.

  We both chuckled and headed for the exit of the locker room.

  "Hey, uh, thanks," I said to her quietly.

  She smiled, bumping my shoulder gently as we left.

  "I know we're this whole thing, but you don't o thank me every time I do something nice for you."

  She looked me in the eye, before whispering in my ear as we walked. "It's what sisters are for."

  I smiled. I still had to process all of this, but she wasn't wrong. It was what sisters were for. And it's what friends were for. It's what family was for. I was still learning to navigate our retionship and how far we could go before we stepped over lines or crossed boundaries.

  But it was clear to me that Stel wanted me to lean oo rely oo trust her, to love her. She wanted me to know she would be there for me, that I wasn't alone anymore.

  It was overwhelming in the best ways, and I was grateful for it. Grateful to have a sister. To have someone who would look after me, support me, protect me, care for me.

  I could only hope that I could bee the sister that she deserved, that I could live up to those expectations brimmih the surface.

  I didn't know if I was capable of that, but I wao try. I owed it to her and myself to at least give it a shht?