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Kanao was sitting on the back porch, blowing bubbles, her hair a mess of tangles around her shoulders. The wind blew as she sat silently, and she only looked up when a shadow fell over her. The tall figure of Sanemi Shinazugawa and his shock of white hair was a familiar sight to the little girl. Still, his scarred face reminded her of her life before her sisters, even if his actions had always been gentle.
"Kanao," came his gruff voice, not unkind but still questioning, "Did you brush your hair before you came outside?"
The little girl just stared at him, pulling out her coin and flipping it. Tails means to speak . "No."
He sighed and sat down, "Why?"
She flipped the coin again, Tails . "Because I don't know how."
"Would you like me to teach you?" He asked, his light eyes soft and kind.
...
Kanao was sitting on the back porch, blowing bubbles, her hair flowing in waves around her shoulders. The wind blew as she sat silently, looking over at the shadows that crept next to her. The little figure of her niece and her rosy cheeks were a familiar sight to the young woman. Still, the shades of pink and purple in her eyes remind her of her life with her sisters, even if their personalities are quite different.
"Auntie Kanao," came the sweet voice of Shimizu, her lilac eyes so much like her father's it was almost startling. "Why do we have to brush our hair before we go outside?"
Kanao giggled at the small girl, turning to face her, "Because it makes it easier to brush at bedtime, and we look more presentable when we see other people."
"Oh." The little girl looked out at the garden, her long black hair tangled in knots.
"Shimizu," Kanao smiled gently, "Do you know how to brush your hair?"
The little girl shook her head tentatively, "Usually Daddy does it for me, but he's looking after Mommy and the baby right now."
"Would you like me to teach you?"
Her eyes lit up as she swung around to face Kanao, "Would you really?"
"Of course, Shimi."
After Shimizu was situated in her aunt's lap, Kanao began to brush out the girl's tangles. The gentle passes of the brush provide a comfortable rhythm for the gentle song Kanao began to hum. "My Daddy sings that song when he's brushing my hair."
"He does."
"How do you know it?"
"He sang it when he brushed my hair, too."
The little girl gasped, "He did?"
"He did." Kanao chuckled, her mirth infectious. After she finished brushing her niece's hair, she continued to hum, Shimizu enclosed in her embrace. She subtly rocked their bodies to and fro, the same way Sanemi did when Kanao had a nightmare and she couldn't sleep.
Shimizu sniffled a bit as she was held, "Auntie?'
"Yes, Shimi?"
The little girl turned to face her aunt, remaining in the embrace the two were sharing. Her little eyes were wide with sadness and tears. " Will Mommy and Daddy forget about me now that Kenta is here?"
Kanao petted the girl's head and hugged her closer to her chest, "Of course not, Shimizu."
"Then why have they gone away?"
Kanao pulled back to hold Shimizu's face in her hands, pink irises meeting lilac, "They haven't gone away, they're just a little busy, but they still love you."
Just before Shimizu was about to retort the gentle statements of her aunt, the sound of someone calling her name interrupted her. Kanao turned toward the sound to find Sanemi walking toward them, his face morphing from concern to relief upon spotting his daughter. "There you are, flower. I was looking all over for you." The little girl hides herself in her Kanao's chest, clearly upset with her father. Kanao sighs while petting her niece's hair, motioning for her brother-in-law to sit. She resumes her humming, waiting until Shimizu speaks to Sanemi again. The man joins in the humming, having caught on to Kanao's tactic.
"I don't like Kenta."
Sanemi lets the silence stretch before he responds, a sense of deja vu overtaking him as he waits for his daughter to look at him. "And why is that, flower?"
Shimizu sits up and stares at her father, a pout locked onto her features, "He's mean."
"Oh, he is, is he?" Sanemi raises his eyebrows in mock understanding.
"Yes, he is." Shimizu crosses her arms and nods vigorously. Her pout remained on her lips as she continued to explain her mood, "He steals Mommy and Daddy from me all the time, so he is mean, and Mommy says that we shouldn't like mean people."
Sanemi snorted, "No, Mommy says we should always be forgiving to mean people, but never condone their behavior." He sighs a little at the angered look on his daughter's face before he pulls her into his lap, stroking her hair and rubbing her tear marks off her cheeks, "And Kenta doesn't mean to take up all of Mommy and Daddy's time, but your little brother was born weaker than you were." Kanao watches as Shimizu softens in her father's arms, and how Sanemi manages to hide his fear from his eyes, "So that means he needs a lot of protection and attention, and your Mommy is recovering, too, which means she needs a lot of attention." Shimizu looks over at Kanao for confirmation, which she is given before Sanemi continues, "I'm sorry if you've felt like Mommy and Daddy aren't paying attention to you, Shimizu, but that doesn't mean we love you any less than Kenta."
"You promise?" Shimizu says sticking her pinky out.
Sanemi links their pinkies together, holding Shimizu's tiny hand close to his chest. "I promise, flower. Now," Sanemi says as he stands, with Shimizu in his arms, "Would you like to finally meet Kenta?" Shimizu nods, a curious excitement washing away any negative feelings about Kanao's nephew. Sanemi chuckles at the girl's excitement before looking at Kanao, a fondness in his eyes she has grown used to. "You wanna come with us, Kanao?"
"I'm alright." Kanao turns back to her bubbles, a sense of calm washing over her as she watches familiar figures approach the garden from a distance. Flame-red hair catches her keen eyes as she smiles, "Thank you for the offer and the company, though." Both Shinazugawas turn to look at what Kanao is staring at, a knowing look passing over Sanemi's features as Shimizu excitedly starts to wave them down getting waves back before she is taken inside by her father.
"Anytime, kiddo." Sanemi calls over his shoulder, a smile on his scarred face.
...
Sanemi had finished brushing Kanao's hair, when she spoke, no coin in sight, "Will Kanae and Shinobu forget me now that Aoi is here?"
"Why do you ask, butterfly?"
"Because they go away when she is near."
Sanemi sighed, adjusting the young girl in his lap, shielding her frail body from the harsh wind, "Well that's because she's weaker than you were when you arrived. That means she needs a lot of protection and attention. It doesn't mean they love you any less."
Kanao processed this, her mind fluttering back to when Kanae had introduced her to the pinky promise. Sticking her pinky out in front of her, turning to look at Sanemi, "You promise?"
Sanemi snorted, taking her pinky in his, "I promise, butterfly."