The voices were always there. Snarling when they dare touch her brother- her precious, precious brother- Fondly sighing when her brother scratches his chin embarassed, Loving when her brother smiles- so gently- at her- his useless sister who can't do anything, anything because a single hair out of place and they would seperate the two of them, and she can't, can't allow that to happen because it would mean her -him - against the world and that would be bad because it was always them against the world. The day they turned 7, she made a decision, she won't allow her brother- that they have beaten black and blue, that they have criticized so brutally, and she would kill them by her bare hands, rip apart their bodies because they dared to hurt her brother- to continue living a life filled with darkness and bitterness, and that was unacceptable because her brother deserved much, much more than that, so she took his hand and together they ran under the streethlights, no moon tonight, a stray thought in her half dazed mind. She also noticed in her crazy plan that that would certainly backfire, but totally worth it a voice whispered to her, that her brother was smiling, like she normally dragged her brother outside to run from that hellhole and quite possibly maybe she did. Maybe in another world where she wasn't beside him, he would have been kicked out.

"Ne, imouto?"

"Yeah, nii-chan?" she asks somewhat distractedly, still looking for that road that should be here because that's what they're screaming in her mind anyway.

"I love you." the love and care in that voice made her want to cry, of what she didn't know, but it made her want to cry because it was always the two of them and she would move heaven and earth if it meant they would stay together, side by side.

"I love you too, nii-chan." she looks, and turns to face him fully because her nii-chan is her whole world and everything, everything will go down in frozen flames if somebody disagreed. Then her brother promptly fainted on her. The first time that happened she almost fainted herself, with a practiced ease a 7 year old can carry, she caught her brother before he fell. She sighed because while they never beat her as much as they did with her brother, they starved her from food and company of her brother- her brother who they bullied into thinking he was useless and worthless which couldn't be more untrue because he was her life, her world, her everything, the only person worth living for- because they never looked at the boys for signs of abuse naively thinking girls were the ones who would be suffering neglect and that made her rage because her brother was thin and hungry and selfless and nobody cared.

They were halfway there to the city. She was certain she couldn't carry her brother, but... take him to the port, there's one cargo ship leaving in ten minutes, turn right and keep going until you reach a dead end then turn left, it should be there. The voice randomly voices out their thoughts but they were never wrong before so she just shrugged.

Turning right and continuing on until reaching a dead end then turning left until they reached the port. She was gasping from exhaustion but managed her breathing to a hushed shallow breaths and promptly looked on the port to see how they could get it witout getting caught. The captain, three people were loading the ship, no guards, huh, this was easy, there was a certain amount of time where nobody was moving or watching granted that it was only about 30 seconds, but with all the sneaking around they did and the amount of adrenaline that's starting pump in her veins this was child's play. When she was sure that nobody saw her and that her plan has little holes simply because she believes that no plan is foolproof, she executes it. She carries her brother piggyback because that's the fastest they need to be. She inhaled slowly and just as slowly released it. She blinks and tensed her legs. Then, she ran.

26

She almost bumped into one, good thing it's windy.

20

She slipped but caught herself in time.

15

One person is walking towards her general direction. Body composure suggest that they have not yet seen them but appearances are deceiving.

10

Person suddenly stops and shhe stops two wondering if she needed to operate plan B but her decision was taken from her because the man walked away apparently called. She sighed in relief but ran as fast as she can without risking being seen and gets inside the cargo.

3

The cargo was honking, calling tge attention of some people, alerting that it was departing.

0

"Mission accomplished." She breathed, a smile in her face.

She noticed her brother shivering and frowns. She lightly checked her pockets and brightened, she dug her hands into her pocket and pulled out cards, she together with her brother made them, they were 5 when they learned she could take out anything she drew from her provided that she made those cards and that they use only one deck at a time, speaking of which that was also the time tget learned he can turn into a tiger- a beautiful white tiger. She quickly drew a blanket with her purple pen, she liked purple and loved their eyes, the sunset color she could always drown herself in, and muttered "Oh dear, grant my dream, I wish upon this card, let the shooting star fall." It was a chant she and brother made up, it was childish yes, but she loved it. A dim light surrounded the card and a purple blanket was at the place her card was. She made her movements quiet as possible because hiding in the middle of cargo boxes isn't the ideal choice but it was the best she could, she took her place beside her brother and put the blanket over them but not over their head she needed to here what was going anyway. She snuggled to her brother and intertwined their hands, to share body heat and because of habit because the people in the orphanage believed that they would die without blankets and they almost did if not for their abilities. Maybe in another world he would have been alone that he would've clutched to the first person ever to show him kindness. But this isn't that maybe, this was the reality that she won't allow him to think he's weak. She closes her eyes, and dreams.

"Love, you know staring at the paper won't make it disappear, right?"

"Not really, maybe it would, you know, get scared of my glare and run away?"

"You? Glare? Dream on love"

"I hate love you but I still do"

"Oh, a couplet, how nice"

"Oh damn it, why does this always happen"

"Haha, it's kinda cute you know"

"Shut it"

"Oh another one"

"I give up"

"On life or assignments?"

"The teacher seems to think that the latter is the former"

"Hmm, Touché"

A/N: First fan fiction to ever write, because suddenly reviewing for periodic test is overrated and positively a nest full of plot bunnies.