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“Hideaki, come here, meet your baby sister,” said Haneko as she sat in the hospital bed holding her new born daughter close.
The five year old turned to look at his father seeking permission from his place by the door. His father, Testuya, nodded and that was all it took for Hideaki to drop his father’s hand and tottle as quickly as he could to the bed.
Haneko giggled softly as her son pulled himself onto the bed next to her, ruffling his hair. How could she ever have doubted that her son would think negatively of having a younger sibling? She had worried with her husband late into the night, long after their son had fallen asleep, how he would react to no longer being an only child. She knew the older the child, the more likely they wouldn’t react as positively. Sometimes they saw it as the younger taking away everything that had belonged to them.
But here Hideaki was, sitting by her, looking at his younger sister with his eyes sparkling with his joy. How could she ever have doubted that he would do anything but adore her?
Tetsuya must have warned their son to be gentle before they entered the room because he was oh so careful as he moved his hand to touch her face. The little girl, Yuzu as she had named her a few hours prior, sleepily opened her eyes as if she was trying to see who had touched her. Hideaki pulled his hand back as quickly as he could without startling Yuzu, looking to his mother in worry.
Haneko just smiled.
“Would you like to hold her?” she asked her son.
His eyes widened.
“Can I?”
Hankeo nodded as she repositioned herself and her son and moved Yuzu into his arms, supporting Yuzu’s head since her son didn’t have arms large enough to do so himself.
The room was peaceful and quiet. Testuya had moved over to stand next to his wife and children. It was a calm that could only happen after the flurry of activity that was the birth of a child.
The two parents smiled at each other as they watched their son hold his sister for the first time.
They didn’t know it, but at that moment Hideaki made a promise to himself to always make sure Yuzu was happy and to protect her. It wasn’t a promise that any parent would expect of their child, but it was a promise that the eldest child makes willingly.
And Hideaki would do all he could in his power to make sure Yuzu was always happy. Their parents would find comfort in how much their son would do to entertain Yuzu when they themselves needed a brief rest from the stress from the world.
That promise was something that resurfaced in Hideaki’s mind as he stood next to his ten year old sister in the cemetery looking at the tombstone that now had his parents’ names on it.
Yuzu sniffled next to him and Hideaki pulled her closer into his side.
It was something that should never have happened. But it was an accident that no one had seen coming, one that claimed the lives of both their parents. Leaving a fifteen year old son and ten year old daughter alone in the world.
Hideaki himself had tears running down his face. He kept trying to imagine a different way things could have gone that day. But he knew that there was nothing that could have changed the trajectory of that day. And he knew that after today, he couldn’t allow himself to dwell on what could have happened.
In the eyes of the law, he was still a child and had no family to look after him. He would end up in the foster care system until he eventually aged out. However, due to his age and having inherited a decent amount of money from his parents, he was able to live on his own.
Yuzu however did not have the same options as him.
She was much younger than him and the government would not allow her to live on her own. She would be taken into the system and separated from him for the next eight years, unless he could manage to get custody of her once he turned eighteen.
But the social worker who was assigned to their case had let them know he could fight to stay with her.
He knew it was a risky plan. He was only fifteen.
But looking down at Yuzu crying by his side he was reminded of what he promised himself ten years earlier when she was born. He promised he would always be there to protect her.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Yuzu managed to ask through her tears.
As she asked him that, Hideaki made up his mind.
“We continue living. Mom and Dad may not be here any longer, but we’re still here.”