Ame
She was born during a storm, when Haruhiko was five years old. There was also a French couple in the hospital that day, bringing to the world another baby girl.
Once the visits were allowed, Haruhiko entered his mother's room accompanied by his father. The woman had brown hair, like the older child, but longer and brighter. His little sister had a few strings of auburn hair and was wrapped in a purple blanket.
"Hey, daughter!" His father, a bearded middle-aged redhead, had begun to cry the moment he saw the baby.
"Dear, do you want to hold Ame-chan?" The woman asked.
"Ame?" Haruhiko inquired.
"It's a rainy day, what's more appropriate than to call her 'Rain'?" The mother chuckled.
"Hello, Ame-chan!" The father greeted, gently taking his daughter into his arms. "You're so beautiful and I love you so much already!"
"Can I see her?" The little boy asked, getting on his tiptoes while grabbing his father's pants. The man sat on an arm-chair close to the woman's bed and invited his son to take a closer look. Excited, Haruhiko approached the baby and touched one of her tiny hands.
Ame, who had kept her eyes closed until that moment, opened them and looked at her brother. Then, she held one of his fingers and squeezed it.
Haruhiko's felt his heart racing as an irresistible smile made its way to his face.
"Hi, Ame! I'm your big brother, Haruhiko." The boy introduced himself.
The Fuyokawa family returned home later that day. The woman accommodated the baby in a crib next to the couple's futons and sang a lullaby that she had learned from her mother. She called the boy to pay attention to it, because one day he would sing that song to his children.
Haruhiko obeyed, putting his head on his mother's lap and listening to her beautiful voice. The father also stopped what he was doing and came to hear his wife. The family would indulge in that routine for almost a year.
Then, one day, a sudden sickness hit the woman and took her away from their lives.
The father vowed that he would take care of both his children and never allowed himself to cry in front of them.
After returning from his mother's funeral, Haruhiko saw his father placing the crying Ame in her crib and caressing her head. The man began to sing the lullaby his wife used to sing every day. His voice was not nearly as beautiful as hers but it was enough to calm the baby down.
Haruhiko went to his sister and held one of her hands, squeezing it gently.
"I'm going to look after you." He promised. "Dad and I will always take care of you. You have nothing to fear."
That night, a light rain fell. Its sound lulled both children and gave them peaceful dreams. The father stayed awake, looking at the raindrops through the window.
"I miss you." He whispered to the sky.