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It never failed, every little thing that Tsubomi could do was never good enough to earn any sort of praise from her mother or father. Then again, she had known from a very young age that the former wasn’t really her mother… As a matter of fact, that was one of the topics of conversation that always seemed to start whenever she was within earshot. How she was a bastard. How she shouldn’t exist, how she shouldn’t even be there--
It was painful to hear, but she never showed that it bothered her. There wasn’t anything that she could do about it, after all. It was all the truth. No one could ever care for her, she was only the byproduct of her father’s unfaithfulness to his wife. The only reason that she was so graciously allowed to live within his house was the fact that her actual mother had died whilst giving birth to her. The fact that she was his was… very well known at that point. And if he had turned her away, saying that he didn’t want her... ? It would only look bad on him. That much had been made very clear. The fact that he didn’t, really, want her there was even clearer.
And yet, despite the fact that he loathed having her around, it was obvious that he continued his old habits that had caused her to exist in the first place. From the way that Mother would get fed up and start yelling, causing the two of them to break into a harsh fight that could be heard from every part of the house… To the way that her elder sister would sigh as she stared out the window, watching as his car pulled out of the driveway, only for her to make a comment about some poor, unfortunate woman that he would be wasting his time with tonight. From a young age she knew that her father only stayed married for his own self image and honor. And that was the only reason that his wife never said anything about these affairs publicly.
It wasn’t hard for Tsubomi to learn that this dishonorable and unfaithful behavior was what had led to her conception in the first place.
His wife was tolerate, but that was about it. It was obvious that she would have preferred if she weren’t there, if she didn’t have to deal with Tsubomi… But there was nothing that she could do, because her husband valued his image above all else. She held this false kindness when dealing with her most times. Though if there was ever an issue, it wasn’t long until Tsubomi was facing her terrifying temper.
She was the one who called Tsubomi a worthless bastard the most, her father stepping in only to confirm what his wife was saying about the young girl who should have never existed.
In the family, there was only one person who truly cared for her. Only one person who would stand up for her, who would be there whenever she was scared or upset. Who actually took the time to be with her, despite clearly having a life all her own-- That person was Tsubomi’s older sister. Well, half sister. But she was blood related to her, nonetheless. Perhaps that was the only reason that she had anything to do with her? If it weren’t for the fact that they shared a father, Tsubomi was certain that the much older girl wouldn’t have anything to do with her at all. Of course, she was certain that she would eventually become more like Mother and Father. Eventually she would see Tsubomi as the worthless, useless bastard that she was.
If it weren’t for her sister, Tsubomi would have never gotten the attention that she really needed while that family was still alive.
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A crash echoed all throughout the house, which was quickly followed by a scream of almost pure rage. Without taking anything else into account, it was obvious that Tsubomi had been the one to cause the commotion from the opposite side of the house. And, almost as soon as the sounds had been heard, the sound of someone’s footsteps could be heard. First the sound of someone walking quickly, their feet hitting the carpeted floor of one of the halls with a quiet ‘thump--’
Though their pace quickened almost instantly as there was another crash, before they finally reached their destination and forced the door to Tsubomi’s bedroom open… Only to find the young girl with short, green hair to be having one of her tantrums. As was expected, from the screaming and sounds of things breaking.
“ Tsubomi. ” Her voice was harsh as she spoke, her eyes meeting with those of her younger sister’s for a short moment. That contact swiftly ending as the young girl, turned her head-- Though their gazes had been locked long enough for her to see the tears pricked at the young girl’s eyes… As well as the obvious rage that she was feeling at that moment.
Then again, she knew exactly how to handle a situation like this. After all, she had been the only one to bother to try and calm the girl down in the past. With Father usually gone, and Mother not caring about her in the slightest… She felt like she was the only one who even thought about Tsubomi’s well-being. And, in all honesty? That was probably the case. The way that the two of them always seemed to talk about the girl. The way that, every time something wasn’t going right, they’d either blame it or take it out on her. And she was so done with it. She was so tired of dealing with all of it.
Even if she wasn’t her full sister, even if it would have turned out that she wasn’t actually blood related to her at all… She still cared so much for her. If she didn’t… then who would? Sucking in a deep breath, she finally spoke again. “Tsubomi, you need to calm down.” Her voice was harsh and demanding. A fact that she was perfectly aware of. However, at the same time, it was also gentle. At least, much more gentle than the way anyone else ever spoke to her younger sister-- “Throwing a fit sure as hell isn’t going to fix whatever’s wrong, Tsubomi. So cut it out before Mother gets tired of it, and you get in trouble.”
She hated to throw that threat in there. She hated to use her mother against the girl to try and get her to calm down. However, she knew that if Tsubomi didn’t calm down soon.. That was exactly what would happen. Her mother would get tired of hearing the younger girl’s screaming. And, instead of comforting her and trying to work out the issue, it would turn out into a fight between the two of them. And would only end with Tsubomi getting into trouble for her ‘smart mouth’ and ‘inability to keep her emotions in check.’ And, oh god-- If Father came home to hear this, or even to hear about this, no one would ever hear the end of it. About how he should have never let that bastard into the house, how he should have left her to--
She shook her head. She couldn’t stand to think about how hateful that man could be towards his own daughter, who he should have loved unconditionally instead of treating her like some sort of disease. Like some sort of burden on himself and the entire family. Because Tsubomi was just the opposite of that. No matter what he said, she was still one of the sweetest girls that she had ever laid her eyes on. Even if her temper did get out of check at times, much like it had now.
At this point it was obvious that her harsh words had gotten to Tsubomi, as the young girl was finally starting to calm down just the slightest bit. However, she didn’t say anything to her at all-- Letting out a sigh, the teen moved over to her younger sister’s bed, patting the empty space next to her. “Sit and tell me what happened, Tsubomi.”
The younger girl obviously obeyed, timidly moving over to the bed and sitting down. Staring at the floor, it was obvious that she didn’t feel like saying much of anything.
“... Tsubomi-”
“... I tripped, Onee-sama.” Her voice was so quiet, to the point of being barely audible. “... A- and then some things fell, and I got so upset t- that I..--”
She couldn’t help but sigh and shake her head. “It’ll be fine, alright, Tsubomi? You won’t get in trouble. I won’t let you get in trouble.” There was a short, momentary pause. “... But you need to try and keep your anger in check, alright? You know how Mother and Father can get when you act out like that.”
“... I know..-” Her voice was still so quiet. She almost felt bad for what she had just said, despite it being the truth. “... I’m sorry, Onee-sama.” It was almost impossible to hear the last part, as it was muffled from the young girl leaning over, burying her face into her sister’s clothes as she wrapped her arms around her in an attempt at a hug. Anything to show that she was sorry for being such a disappointment due to her actions. The action itself was almost enough to bring tears to the elder girl’s eyes.
No child should ever have to apologize out of fear of her own mother and father.
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It was hard for her to breath. Tsubomi’s eyes finally fluttered open in a panic, the bright, white light of the hospital room almost blinding her as she tried to catch her breath. Even with mask on her face, pumping oxygen into her as she breathed, she still felt like she couldn’t get enough air. Coughing and sputtering, it was obvious that the smoke from the fire had gotten to her.
That wasn’t the only damage that Tsubomi had from the fire that had engulfed her home, either. Her back, neck, and shoulders were enflamed. While she had been given medicine to try and stop the sharp pain that the burns would cause her, she could still feel it. She could still feel how her skin was burned, almost melted together.
And, even with the medicine there in an attempt to get rid of the pain… She could still feel it. Even if it was only barely, it was still there-
Hearing footsteps come into the room, probably from someone outside hearing her coughing and gasping for air… Her mind only went to one person who it could possibly be. “O- onee-sama…?” she choked out, just barely before going into another coughing fit. Her throat was so scratchy from the smoke and the fire--
Her question got no response as the figure moved closer… Only proving that it was not, in fact, her elder sister. But one of the nurses at the hospital. Her voice was gentle as she spoke, obviously trying not to scare the poor girl-- “... I’m sorry, dear. But we weren’t able to find your sister.”
Tears starting pricking at her eyes as she heard the news… And, if she listened hard enough, just outside her room she could hear some of the other nurses talking about how her mother and father hadn’t made it, either. … And how he had been deemed the cause of the fire, due to a fit of rage from his business finally going bankrupt.
Barely understanding what she was hearing, there was still only one thought on Tsubomi’s mind at that moment- She missed her sister. I just want to be able to see her again.