Little Brothers
Authors Note: Just something somebody wanted me to do for them. And I have a little brother, and our relationship is pretty similar to that of Yumi and Hiroki, so this should be fairly accurate (although considering I've never done a back flip it may not be completely accurate). So, I'm making the main theme of this story this: Little Brothers-Hard to live with them, Can't live without them
"Now, just watch me. Let's start with that," Yumi said. Her black hair glistened on the side of her head from a previous swim. The clear blue pool was almost deserted, the pale tiles splashed with water that glittered under the fluorescent light. Her gray one-piece swimsuit was still damp. Hiroki remained dry and standing nearly at attention in front of his older sister, his swimsuit slightly damp from a previous swim.
"Alright, will that help me do it?"he asked eagerly. Yumi paused for a moment.
"Maybe," she replied. "Now, watch closely."
She walked away from her younger sibling and over to the diving board, making her way to the top. She took a deep breath and ran forward, leaping off of the end with all of her strength. In the air she curled back, displaying a perfect back flip as she hit the water with a small splash. Hiroki watched her wide-eyed as she dove.
"Great job, sis! Now, uh, what about me?"Hiroki asked as Yumi pulled herself out of the water. She trailed some water as she walked over to him.
"Now, it's your turn," Yumi said, looking from him to the diving board.
"What, are you joking? I could never do that!"Hiroki said, a slightly scared expression showing in his eyes. Yumi put a hand on his shoulder. He jumped a bit at this and she took her hand off.
"What'd I do?" Yumi asked.
"You just got my shoulder all wet!"Hiroki whined.
"Well then..."Yumi said with a playfully evil look in her eye.
"Sis, what are you doing?" Hiroki asked, taking a step back.
"Oh, nothing much…"Yumi said. She grabbed Hiroki's shoulders and yanked him toward the pool, then pushed him in. He submerged, his hair floating in the water, then surfaced a few seconds later, gasping for breath. He swam over to the side of the pool and Yumi helped him out of the pool by grabbing his arms and pulling him up onto the tile, laughing as she did so.
"You're mean. I'll rat on you for coming home late again," Hiroki threatened, although it was clear he was bluffing and his slight smile revealed he was laughing inside.
"Good luck with that. Now that you're already wet, let's continue with what we came here for," Yumi said, glancing to the diving board.
"Oh! Right, right," Hiroki said, focusing once again. Yumi shook her head slightly and continued her lesson.
"Alright, so here are the steps. Go ahead and get on the diving board," Yumi said. Hiroki followed his sister's commands.
"First, ready yourself," Yumi said. She stood next to the diving board and modeled a pose that resembled a runner about to begin a race. Hiroki mimicked her almost exactly.
"Second, visualize your actions," she continued. He closed his eyes in thought, then opened them again.
"Next, leap with all your might, then curve back until you flip, and watch the entire world spin until you face forward once again," Yumi explained. Hiroki took a deep breath, Yumi's walkthrough and demonstration running through his mind. He sprinted forward on the white surface of the diving board and pushed off as strongly as he could with his legs. His eyes darted around as he fell through the air, and he curled his body back. He was amazed at himself as he flipped completely and landed in the water. Yumi smiled from the side of the pool as she watched him. He surfaced and swam over to the edge, then held out a hand. She grabbed it and pulled him onto the tile.
"So, did I do it right, sis?" he asked, the eagerness in his eyes and tone showing that he longed for approval.
"Yes, yes you did," Yumi said smiling at him. A grin spread across his face.
"Yea!" he shouted. He ran over to the diving board. Yumi watched her little brother with a smile as he perfected the flip once again.