The unusual rain was falling heavily, shaking the sakura flowers outside. A thunder crossed the skies and the 7-ýear-old boy crouched down, trying to deal with his fear. He had dark green eyes and fluffly red hair with bangs covering his forehead.
He looked through the windows one more time, waiting anxiously.
The electricity on the house was cut and the little food they had was spoiled on the refrigerator. The rent was due for a week and there was already a notification on their door.
The teenager girl rose from the ground between the shadows. She couldn't take it anymore. She was hungry and tired, but the worse thing was seeing her little brother still so hopeful. Only the lamp coming from the corridor outside was illuminating the place. She took a deep breath, before opening the wardrobe and picking up some clothes, putting them inside their backpacks.
"Nee-chan, what are you doing?" He asked, coming close.
"We are leaving." She responded, seriously. "Now."
"We can't! I'm sure Kaa-san is coming back any minute now!"
His words stopped when his older sister kneeled in front of him and touched his shoulders, making him look at her. She had scarlet eyes and long hair of the same color. She looked at him seriously.
"She is not coming back, Shinji! Kaa-san left us for good this time! She abandoned us!"
Big tears formed on the corner of his eyes.
"Don't cry." She cupped his face gently, trying to hold back her own tears. "We are going to be fine. We don't need her. I've always take care of you, right?"
"Ye...yes."
"We need to go away. The landlord is probably calling the police and child services if we stay here."
"Where are we going?"
"I will find us a place. But we really need to get out of here."
"Okay." He sniffed, before drying his eyes and starting to help her out with his clothes as well.
When they were finally ready, Sakuno fixed her brother's small jacket on his body, pulling the hood and took a last look on the place. It was a very small apartment with only one room, the only thing their mother could afford. There was no furniture except a small table and they had to sleep cramped on the small living room and share an even smaller bathroom. Even so, it was the last place they called home and her heart hurt a little before she closed that door for the last time.
#############
Their mother was always leaving her jobs out of the blue, drinking and spending time with shady guys. Sakuno still could remember when they were a happy family, many years ago. But, she cheated on their father when Shinji was not even two years old and he left them.
Sakuno tried to look for him many times, but it was in vain. He would never pick up his cell phone and completely turned his back on his children, so she was forced to become a replacement parent to Shinji.
She was the one who was there when he was sick or sad, missing their mother. She would hold him tight and caress his hair, singing lullabies to him. She was the one who took him for the first day at public day care, even though she was still a child herself.
As soon as she was fifteen, she started half time jobs and was able to help around the house when their mother forgot about food or paying some bills. She never had anything to herself, even when there was a little money left; she preferred to buy Shinji's new clothes or toys. She always tried her best to shelter her younger brother from their harsh reality.
############
It was already late at night, the rain still persisted. They ate some obento on sale on a convenience store and took a bath on a public house near. The little adventure had already brought back Shinji's smile and Sakuno was happy.
Sakuno was able to afford a room in a small hotel. She lied to the old lady, saying their mother would meet them there soon. Shinji was sleeping holding his sister tight and she was caressing his soft hair. It was just a small pause inside all the craziness of their life, but she was still so glad her brother was fed, warm and safe.
She looked at the white and green uniform hugging on the wall and smiled a little. After studying so hard, she was approved at Seigaku with a full scholarship for the second and third year of high school.
It was her prize after so much dedication. Sakuno was not able to make any friends during all her years at school. She was always too busy with Shinji to go play or have snacks at a friend's house. She didn't remember the last time she had a birthday celebration. She spent all her free time studying. The girl had set her mind on going to college, having a good job and supporting her brother and she was already on the right path.
"I will always take care of you." She whispered, before kissing his forehead and finally allowing herself to sleep as well.
##############
Nanjirouh yawned while he swept the front porch of the temple. It was almost 8 o'clock in the morning. He was so sleepy.
"Ah, excuse me." The polite voice made him look to the entrance. Sakuno was there, already with the Seigaku uniform and her back. She also had a flyer on her hand. "Good morning, I came because of the job."
She had woken up very early with Shinji. They had a bath, changed clothes and had breakfast before she took him to school, since it was a little far from Seigaku.
"Eh?" he was really surprise to see someone so young. Coming down the stairs, he analyzed her, standing in front of the girl. "I think there is a misunderstanding, I need someone to live here for six months and take care of the place, so…"
"I can do it." he noticed she was a little anxious. "I am really responsible and I need somewhere to stay, please."
"Are you running from your parents on a rebellious phase? I don't want any problems."
"What?! Not at all! I don't have any parents, it's just me and my little brother." She really didn't like to talk about her private, but she had no choice. "Please, you won't regret it. I will work really hard." She pulled a paper from her pocket. "This is the contact of my current employer at the part time job. You can use him as reference."
He took the paper and looked at it for a while, before looking at her again.
"How old are you? And your brother?"
"I'm 17, he is 7. He is a really good boy, he will not damage the place, I promise."
"You have school and already a part time job, how can you handle taking care of the temple?"
"I will do it at nights if I have to!" she was very determinate.
"And what time would you study and sleep?"
"I am already used to sleep late and wake up early, it will not be a problem."
Nanjirouh scratched his hair for a moment; thinking and then he looked at her with a grin.
"I will give you two weeks of trial. If you can really do it properly, you can have the job."
"Thank you so much!" she smiled happily. "Can we come by the evening?"
"Sure. I live on the house next door. Come and have dinner with us. My name is Echizen Nanjirouh. My wife is an awesome cook."
"Thank you for the invitation." She bowled respectfully.
"So, you go to Seigaku, right? My kid also goes there. Maybe you will see each other."
Ryoma woke up on his room with a sneeze. He scratched his black hair and moaned a little, before looking at the alarm clock and slowly getting up from his bed.