Chapter Text
"Kai. Help me."
Nya had brought an old little bike home one day. "Found it on the way home from school", she had said. She told Kai to teach her how to ride it.
There was a problem with that. That being, Kai himself, had never learned how to ride a bike.
She had been so young when their parents went missing, and he had been taught so little before they did. Maybe she remembered watching him be taught by their father, and made the assumption that he knew everything already. Kai never did learn to go without training wheels and, unlucky, this old bike didn't have them…
Despite his fears of her getting injured, the fear of disappointing her was deeper. Besides, the nine year old was insistent, and refused to take no for an answer.
Once it was positioned towards the road in front of the shop, Nya climbed onto the bike. He stood behind her, holding the back of the seat.
"I wont get hurt, right…?" She whispered, trying to mask her fear, though Kai could always see right through her. He smiled at her, and patted her shoulder.
"You won't."
Nya nodded, and took a deep breath.
When he let go of her seat, she pedaled down the road, already getting the hang of it on her own, even if she swerved occasionally. Her nerves turned to laughter as she rode down the area between the rice paddies.
Kai watched, and while he was happy, he couldn't help but frown a bit.
He imagined, what if that was him? What if his dad was still around to finish teaching him how to ride a bike, tie a tie, craft a sword? What if his mom was still there to kiss his ouches, tuck him in at night, or make him dinner?
He shook those thoughts out of his head as he saw Nya running back to the shop with the bike, the same big smile on her face, the visible gap in her teeth, the summer wind blowing her hair into her face.
Right.
Whatever it was, it was too late to reminisce on those sorts of things anymore.
Whether he liked it or not, he was the adult now, at eleven years old. And it was her job to be the little sister, and his job to be the big brother. It was his job to be the parent, and her job to be the kid.
Nya tripped, falling forward, the bike loudly crashing against the road as well.
Kai rushed over, and Nya picked herself up, sitting up with her arms around her knees and pouting. He kneeled down in front of her.
"Are you alright?! Let me see."
She moved her arm, and he hissed, seeing the bloody wound on her knee.
"..You lied…" She mumbled.
"Huh?"
"You said I wouldn't get hurt…" she sniffed, and wiped her eyes off the tears that were starting to form.
His baby sister is strong. He knew that. She puts on a brave face, she does what she wants, she takes too much after him and gets into fights and causes trouble. He remembered back when she punched that boy who attempted to bully her for her lack of parents.
He also remembered how she tried to hide her tears from him when she told him about the incident, just as she was doing now.
Even if she was strong, she was still a child. A child he needed to protect.
He decided he needed to be stronger.
For her.
"I'm sorry." He said, genuinely.
Nya pouted still, and crossed her arms.
"I guess I can forgive you… my knee hurts…"
He laughed, and took her hands, standing up and forcing her up with him.
"I know, I know. Let's go get that cleaned up and bandaged."