Chapter Text
That year was one of the most difficult in their lives, and it didn't seem like it would get better anytime soon.
Asuka woke up with the first rays of sunlight streaming through his window that bright dawn. He didn't use his Sapotama clock or any similar digital alarm clock to wake up. For several months now, he had ignored all the sounds and words his device emitted. He couldn't afford to be distracted by that thing now; the egg-shaped device seemed to follow him around, uttering words he didn't want to hear, as he put on his somewhat worn shoes and sweatshirt.
It was time for him to go out early to fish near the sea, the only way he could feed his small family, his only remaining family, his little brother Tomoro, a boy who had just turned 11. He took a bucket and a homemade fishing rod and climbed out the window of that abandoned house, barely adapted as a home, heading towards the sea.
He sat on the edge of a concrete ledge of a building destroyed by a cataclysm many years before, almost around the time of his birth. He cast his lure, hoping to catch something. It was 6 a.m. He felt a little tired, but he'd grown somewhat accustomed to this early-morning lifestyle. Tomoro was worth it; staying there for hours to catch enough fish to eat brought him satisfaction.
Amid the sound of the waves, he reflected that now, at 18, he had assumed the adult responsibility of caring for a child, providing for, educating, and looking after him. Asuka couldn't deceive himself; it was frightening at first.
Being with Tomoro and watching his parents being taken away, never to be seen again. He would never forget Tomoro's terrified face that day, but that face was also a sign that reminded him he had to be stronger than ever in that moment and be his brother's supporting pillar.
Tomoro never knew why, but some nights Asuka would cry and release the intense emotions of the day onto his pillow, which would become soaked with his tears and sadness. He missed his mother, his father, the happy family times like outings to the countryside or visits to amusement parks, hot chocolate during the colder months or beach days in the summer—his favorites.
He still remembered that day his mother was going to teach him how to cook grilled meat, just as his father was teaching him how to drive. Although he wasn't a child then, he was just a teenager who had lost the people he loved most, the people who represented a safe haven for him.
His thoughts drifted back to that past until something moved the fishing line. Asuka hoped it was a big, fat fish to cook. He pulled with all his might but only managed to fall backward onto the pavement. The line had lost the lure and hook, something that would doom him on his next fishing trips.
"Damn it" he muttered for a moment, annoyed by the pain of the hard blow to his back, his prey lost, his hook gone. But he composed himself instantly and calmed himself, breathing deeply in a meditative way. After all, the day had barely begun, and Tomoro wouldn't get up until 8 or 9 in the morning. He wanted to make sure he slept well. Thinking about it made him smile.
...
Two hours passed, and he had no luck. The makeshift hook he'd rigged up with a pin didn't seem to be working. The fish were taking the lures and avoiding the trap. Asuka felt a little frustrated; he needed the fish to have a nutritious breakfast with Tomoro. He had lunch covered, but... breakfast? It was the most important meal for a growing boy. Every minute that passed made him feel inadequate or clumsy for not completing the task. He blamed himself for not earning enough money or having enough time. The hunger he'd been feeling for a while wasn't helping him stay calm.
At that precise moment, he felt that everything was slipping out of his control.
"If I'm hungry, Tomoro must be much hungrier; he's a glutton and I haven't caught anything."
"What will I do about his studies once he starts classes?"
"I'm going to have a long day today, my plans to visit the band were canceled and I won't be playing drums today."
"What will become of us in the coming months, next year..."
It was swirling in Asuka's head; he was in a very vulnerable moment. He'd had similar moments before, but this one concentrated a lot of turbulent emotions, accumulated over a long time. He couldn't leave all of this behind; he couldn't go home without getting breakfast.
All that kept him there was... Love...love for his brother, his beloved brother who needed him more than ever.
"You need to eat; breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Based on your age and weight, you would need a diet of 2000 calories a day…"
"Shut up" he said to the device grudgingly. "What are we going to eat if there's no food? You're just algorithms and numbers. You're AIs that will never know what human feeling is. You're just..."
Asuka raised his hand against the sapotama "Just get out of here!" and with a punch sent the sapotama flying.
All of Asuka's tension had vanished in that blow, everything had disappeared, leaving only the feeling of protection and love for Tomoro, tinged with a little guilt.
"Sorry, Tomoro, it looks like we won't be having breakfast today" Tears streamed down his face as he knelt, clenching his teeth and hands. In that moment, he wished...he could be like both his parents.
¡ERROR ERROR!
His Sapotama began emitting an alert sound. Asuka, too, became alert. His Sapotama had never behaved like this before. The bright blue light emanating from his device was abnormal. He stared intently. "I knew these things could malfunction," he thought. "Most modern devices are so delicate."
He said this before seeing a much stronger blue flash that blinded him for a moment.
He felt as if time had stopped and the turbulent atmosphere had calmed. There was no need to keep his eyes closed. The light had vanished. But when he opened his eyes wide...
"Asuka... Tenma"
He heard his name, clear as the glimmer of water. There was something in front of him, something he couldn't easily describe. Its shape, what it was, and how on earth it came to be. He was simply in shock when he saw that creature speaking to him.
"Hi, Asuka Tenma, I am..."
He could never have imagined that from that day on his life would change forever.