Prologue
"Who's that?" Ryou pointed at the girl who'd come home with his dad, while his twin sister Rita peeked out from behind their mother's apron. Their father, Kei, smiled and pushed the little girl forward, saying, "Be nice, Ryou. She's a new friend for you and Rita. Her name is Ichikawa Akari, and she'll be staying with us."
Ryou eyed the girl curiously, somewhat disgruntled at the idea that there would be yet another child in the house. Already he competed for attention with his twin sister; he wasn't looking forward to having another person sharing their parent's affection, especially someone who wasn't related at all. Just as he was about to say something rude, the girl turned her dark eyes on him and said, "It's nice to meet you, Tanaka-san. I'll be in your care now."
Something about the words "I'll be in your care" seemed to stick to Ryou, and instantly the girl went from being a burden to being something to be protected. Stepping forward and sticking his chest out, Ryou said proudly, "Don't worry, I'll definitely take care of you!"
Later that night, when all was dark and quiet in the house, Ryou was surprised as Akari quietly crept into his room and stood by his bed. Leaning against his elbow to prop himself up, he whispered, "Ichikawa-san? What's wrong?"
The girl just shook her head before muttering, "I don't like the dark. It's lonely…it's lonely without Daddy and Mommy…" Ryou hesitated, before scooting over and saying, "Come here". Quickly, Akari climbed into the bed with him and snuggled up to him, throwing an arm around his stomach as she whispered, "Thanks, Tanaka-san…"
Ryou blushed a little bit, never having been that close to another girl but his sister, and he cleared his throat before saying, "I promised I'd take care of you, didn't I? That, and you can just call me Ryou."
"Mmmkay," Akari yawned, "Ryou-kun. Call me Akari then."
Ryou looked away before snuggling a little closer and saying, "Okay…Akari."
As the two lay there in silence, Ryou finally asked, "Where do you come from anyways?"
He was surprised when she frowned before saying, "I don't really know. All I can remember is a dragon…I remember waking up around some tunnel, and there was a paper with an address on it so I followed it and came here. "
The eight-year-old looked at his new friend, then asked, "But you remember your mom and dad, right?"
Akari hesitated before saying, "I don't…I don't really remember. But I know it was something important…I came here for a reason. But why?"