Kami, I wish I was stronger.
Nohara Rin sits under one of the many trees in training ground three. Covered in sweat and dirt and littered with bruises, the girl is taking a well-deserved break after a tough training session with her team. The late afternoon sun filters through the rustling leaves above her, and a calm breeze ruffles her sweaty hair.
She had spent the day either running laps around the village, using chakra to stick leaves to her arms and forehead the entire time, or practicing her iryo-ninjutsu on her two teammates. Kakashi and Obito could get pretty heated in their spars, though most of the time it was only the Uchiha coming out worse for wear. Practice was practice though, and Rin wouldn't turn her nose up at anyone willing to be test subjects for her while she perfected her medical skills.
The kunoichi of the team hadn't gotten enough chakra control to be able to use Mystical Palm effectively just yet, so it was mostly practicing field dressing of wounds. Rin hated it.
She hated feeling useless, of only being able to patch up her teammates wounds, unable to erase them all together. The girl had only begun her path in iryo-ninjutsu having wanted to be able to help her team. As an orphan, she had been told all her life that's all kunoichi are good for. To sit on the sidelines and patch them up after the fight's over. Rin hated it.
The feeling of helplessness that came from being unable to truly help her team. Currently not strong enough to actually heal any injuries, but also not strong enough to prevent them. The young girl felt a helpless rage at only being able to patch them up after they got hurt, never able to prevent the injuries in the first place.
Rin hated a lot of things to be honest. While she might be shy and sweet on the outside, she kept a lot of sharper emotions to herself. There wasn't a point taking her frustrations out on others, but that didn't mean she didn't get frustrated at all. It was just something she kept inside. The world sucked enough at times, with the war and all that recently, it didn't need more negative energy put out there.
When Rin had been introduced to Mitsuko, her prickly teammate's little sister, Rin had been envious of her skill. She found Mitsu-chan absolutely adorable, and the way Kakashi's prickly demeanor would melt into something softer around her was heartwarming. She doesn't have any negative feelings toward Mitsuko, but she still sometimes finds herself envious of the skill the young prodigy had in medicine.
Rin doesn't think she could ever be a medic of that caliber. Chakra control exercises were tiring, studying medicine was even more exhausting, and on top of all of this, she hadn't made almost any progress on her own. She wants to be useful to her teammates, to pull her weight rather than dragging them down. Even Obito is making more progress in his training, and it frustrates Rin to no end. It's not others she's upset with though, she was upset with herself more than anything. She needs to be better, so much better.
A shadow falling over her pulled the girl from her thoughts.
Kakashi was standing next to her, blocking what little sunlight fell her way. He slouched just the slightest bit, hands in his pockets. If you didn't know him, it would look like he was bored. Tired maybe. But Rin had gotten to know him better over the couple years they had been teammates.
Why is Kakashi so nervous?
His hands fidgeted with the cloth of his pockets, his lazy posture tenser than it seemed from a glance. The corner of his eyes were pinched, as if it pained him to even think about whatever had him like this. Rin found herself wildly curious.
For the longest time, before they had formed team 7, Rin had something of a crush on the Hatake boy. He seemed so impressive, his cool attitude and decent looks for their age being enough to draw her interest. Although it pains her to admit it, she had been a bit of a fangirl the first few months as a team. Kakashi had quite a few of those if she was honest.
Not long after becoming teammates though, she noticed some differences in her daydreams and reality. His 'Cool Attitude' was his inability to socialise like a normal human being, for instance. Everyone knew what happened to his father, and it became quite obvious that had left the boy with some issues interacting with people. When you truly got to know him, it was obvious he was a socially anxious mess.
They could be having small talk about the weather, and the boy would still be too unsure to speak up. The interactions that had led to his chilly reputation around the village stemmed from just plain hesitance to interact with those he didn't know. It was a horrid combination of social anxiety and his obliviousness when it came to interacting with people. He was rarely outright rude, but he didn't waste time talking to somebody if he didn't have something to say. Most ninja who had met him assumed Kakashi was dismissing them, writing them off as below him.
No, the boy just had nothing to say and didn't know what to do, so he would walk off at the first given opportunity.
Rin had lost any semblance of crush on him when Mitsuko had been brought to team training more often. The young medic had been introduced to her brother's teammates in the hopes of giving her more positive interactions with people her age. The poor girl was an even bigger ball of anxiety than her older brother. It didn't take much time at all for Rin to see the difference in her teammate when around his sister.
It was like Kakashi suddenly changed into a different person. Somebody with positive emotions and warm gestures, and quite obviously a doting older brother. When the two siblings were together, it was easy to see the sheer amount of affection between the two. It was almost tooth-rotting sweet at times.
It was obvious that Mitsuko meant the world to her brother. Having come to know the two better over the course of the first year as a team, Rin had definitely lost any remnants of that crush on Kakashi. He was something closer to a friend, maybe even a sempai if you consider how much earlier he graduated than her. She had more important things to worry about as a chunin kunoichi than silly crushes.
So when Kakashi had fidgeted silently in place in front of her, all Rin did was ask, "What's up Kakashi?"
The boy let out a sigh. "I need a favor, Rin." Shifting slightly and refusing to make eye contact, Rin just knew something was up.
Wait, that's new. It wasn't often Kakashi admitted he had an issue, much less actually reaching out to someone for help. He was stubborn like that.
"Oh, is there something wrong?"
"Mitsu-chan had her first out of village mission, and things got… messy." His eyes had narrowed, tone turned frosty at that admission. "She had to face a much older, stronger opponent. From how she described the situation, the only reason she made it out alive was the man underestimating her."
Her heart skipped a beat. Rin had to admit, she was fond of the girl. Mitsuko was a cute kid. The thought that she could have come home from her mission in a body scroll hurt. She couldn't imagine how much that must pain the older Hatake to think about.
"Is Mitsuko-chan okay? How is she handling it?"
"When Mitsu got home, she broke down for a bit. It took forever to calm her down." Kakashi's voice drops to a near-whisper. "She told me how scared she was… How she was so sure she was going to die. Not to mention the fact that the asshole was her first kill…"
The air was practically crackling at the amount of raiton chakra leaking out of the boy. Rin could feel the hair on the back of her neck prickling, goosebumps lining her arms. No wonder he was so upset, everyone in Konoha knew how protective he was of his baby sister by now. Rin felt a bit upset, thinking of Mitsuko being put in that situation.
Being a Kunoichi is hard. You have to work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously as a shinobi. The fact that Mitsuko only lived because her opponent saw a cute little girl first and kunoichi second... Rin winced at the thought of facing a similar situation herself.
"Mitsu-chan told me she wants to take advantage of that. Being underestimated. She decided that the first step would be adjusting how she dresses." Kakashi paused, and Rin could see the tips of his ears turn red. "I'm not exactly the most knowledgeable about fashion…"
No shit, Kakashi. The boy was a human disaster in most non-shinobi skills, and he hated to admit it to anyone. He must really be sucking up his pride, huh?
"Would you be willing to take Mitsuko shopping for new gear? I normally would ask Kushina, but she isn't in the village at the moment…"
Rin couldn't help but let out a small awww at that. How sweet! Big brother ignoring his pride to help his little sister. Even if Kakashi was wearing his ever-present mask, it was still easy to see the pink flush all over his face.
Maybe Mitsuko would have some advice about iryou-ninjutsu? The girl was a prodigy after all, and Rin would take what she could get at this point. She didn't mind helping the girl out either way. A happy smile spread across Rin's face.
"Sure! I don't mind helping out, us kunoichi have to stick together."
Kakshi let out a soft huff. Rin could just make out the 'thank Kami' that he breathed out. Poor boy probably had no idea what to do when it came to Kunoichi fashion trends, much less how to take advantage of them.
"I'll let her know. Tomorrow is her day off, any chance you'll be free?"
Rin wasn't exactly the busiest person. She lived alone in a genin-apartment, and all she really did was train with her team or study by herself. She may be snarky and irritable on the inside, but not nearly brave enough to express it on the outside. The girl was shy and quiet around other people, which led to her not having many people outside her team. It would be nice to make another Kunoichi friend. Definitely a change from reading alone in her quiet home. Kakashi continued after Rin's happy nod.
"I'll tell her to meet you here at noon tomorrow." Kakashi turned to leave, but paused. Quietly, he hesitantly whispered, "Thank you, Rin. I really appreciate you helping Mitsu-chan out." Poof.
Rin waved her hand out, trying to get rid of the smoke in her face. Her emotionally constipated teammate shunshined out rather than face the sheer horror of feelings. A soft sigh escaped her.
"Well, at least he's getting better. I think that's the first time Kakashi has ever said an actual 'Thank you' to me." Rin whispered to herself, before standing up on heavy legs to get back to work. There were still a few hours of sunlight left, and Rin still had some energy and chakra to spare.
She was going to need to work hard to become strong enough to protect her team. She may not be a prodigy like Kakashi, or come from a clan like Obito, but she does have motivation and hard work on her side. Rin is determined to be a strong kunoichi one day, one that can help and protect everyone under her care.
She just has to work for it.
A warm breeze makes Mitsuko's loose hair swish behind her. She's sitting on one of the stumps in the third training ground, waiting for her brother's teammate to show up. The medic is wearing one of her few 'girly' outfits for once, a white sundress with sunflowers lining the hem and blue sandals. If you didn't know she was a kunoichi already, she could be mistaken for a civilian girl. Idly swinging her legs back and forth, the girl lets her mind wander.
Kakashi had told her he would find someone to take her shopping a couple weeks ago. Mitsuko hadn't been expecting it to be Rin if she was honest. Not to say she wasn't excited, Rin was super nice and really pretty and Mitsu was looking forward to a day of shopping with her. But her brother didn't enjoy asking for help, and rarely asked anyone other than Mitsuko or his teacher. She had assumed he was waiting for Kushina-sensei to come back.
Maybe his therapy sessions are starting to help?
Her brother had been attending therapy twice a week with a Yamanaka for nearly a couple months now, and he had made some progress already. The bento's Mitsuko packs for him, which usually he only picks at, had been coming home emptier. He was slightly less irritable, every once in a while Mitsuko would notice him doing a breathing exercise when overwhelmed. The slight dark circles Kakashi seemed to always have these days had faded just the slightest bit.
Mitsuko was happy for him. Her brother deserved to be happier.
"Mitsuko-chan!"
A voice snapped the girl out of her thoughts, looking up to see Rin jogging into the clearing.
"Sorry I'm late, I was half-way here when I realized I had forgotten something at my apartment."
"No worries! It's such a nice day, I didn't mind enjoying it for a bit."
Mitsuko hopped off the stump she had been sitting on. Reaching for the older girl's hand, Mitsuko tugged her along. Rin had laughed softly, but didn't take her hand back. It wasn't far to the shinobi shopping district, she didn't mind humoring the smaller girl.
As the two walked, they discussed various events going on in their lives. The medic mentioned how her training had been going at one point, and it led to Rin sharing her own frustrations with medicine.
"I just feel like I'm not making enough progress, you know? I had started learning iryo-ninjutsu because I wanted to help my team, but I don't feel like I'm actually doing enough." Rin sighed.
"People underestimate how hard it is to be a medic. They think since our job isn't on the frontlines, that it has to be easy. That all medics are weaklings." Mitsuko said. "It requires a lot of hard work and studying to be able to heal people." She paused for a moment, before looking up at the older girl. "Do you think you are going to continue to pursue medicine? If you don't enjoy it, you could probably switch to a different specialty."
The brunette ran a hand through her hair. "I've been considering it, I don't think medicine is my calling. Unlike little miss prodigy over here." Rin had a small teasing grin as she said that. She laughed at the pout Mitsuko gave in response. "It's just I have no clue what I want to do now if not medicine."
Mitsuko took a moment to think before sharing her own thoughts. "Well, some of the skills you learned already do translate well. Have you considered genjutsu, or maybe poison? That's the combat specialty of most medics, since genjutsu requires fine chakra control and any medication can be a poison if used improperly."
The young girl had gained a strong appreciation for genjutsu, watching the older medics in the trauma bay use it to restrain struggling, flight risk patients. No ninja enjoyed a hospital stay, but when it was life and death, a medic does what they have to do.
"Hmm, I've never been one to focus on genjutsu, but I don't dislike it. I definitely don't think poisons are my kind of thing…"
"What about fuuinjutsu? Your sensei is a fuuinjutsu master, and so is Kushina-sensei. I don't think either of them would mind teaching you."
"Oh that's right! Aren't you learning fuuinjutsu from Kushina?"
Mitsu gave a sunny smile at that. "I've actually been acknowledged as a specialist recently! It will be a long time before I gain my mastery, but I have the tag on my files and everything!" The ivory haired girl chirped. "Nii-chan was so proud of me!" Sealing was a rare specialty afterall, and Mitsuko had been given a bump in pay for it too.
Rin beamed back at the younger girl. "Congratulations Mitsuko-chan! I'm so happy for you. Speaking of which, have you had any new seal ideas lately? Kakashi sometimes will brag about your fuuinjutsu, the stealth seal you designed was impressive."
Mitsuko could feel her face going red. Nii-chan brags about me? She tried to ignore how embarrassed and pleased she felt about that.
"Well, you know how we are shopping for not just new gear for me, but gear that looks extra frilly and girly? I've been trying to find ways I can add seals to make them even more effective. I've played around with a few methods on how I could do it so far, though the easiest seems to be engraving a part of them similar to Minato-sensei's Hiraishin kunai." Mitsuko checked to make sure Rin didn't look bored, and then kept going.
"I actually have several seal ideas, but I'm not sure how viable they'll be. I was thinking of sealing the ribbons in my hair to store some of my Raiton chakra, and to electrocute anyone who touches them when activated. That way if someone tries to grab my braids, they will get the shock of their life." Mitsuko giggled at how Rin groaned at the pun.
"Another idea I had was to seal some kunoichi heels to muffle any noise. That way, when they aren't active, people will associate the sound of my shoes to me. Then, when I am trying to be sneaky, I can activate the seals on them on top of my stealth seal. I'm not sure how well it would work on it's own, but it can't hurt, right?"
Mistuko paused. "The last idea I had is actually Nii-chan's birthday gift, so you can't tell him about it. Promise?" Rin looked amused at the request, but agreed and humored her nonetheless. "Nii-chan had mentioned how worried he had been when I was on my mission, and how future missions are going to be just as nerve wracking. So, I had the idea to make a seal that is split into two parts. When chakra is pushed into one half, it would make the other half of the seal start to glow. That's the simple explanation though. It would be really tricky to make, and involve some space-time fuuinjutsu, but I think it would be worth it."
"The two halves would be put on separate necklaces, and I wanted to give one to Nii-chan on his birthday next week… This way he would always know if I was okay or needed help. And I would know the same for him…"
The flush from earlier returned full force at Rins cooing answer.
"Awww, Mitsuko-chan, that is just too cute! I'm sure he will love it."
They kept up the conversation for another few minutes, before finally reaching the shinobi shopping district. The markets were split up into 'civilian' areas and 'ninja' areas. Supply shops for various pieces of armor and gear, the blacksmiths, specialty shops for things such as poisons or general use seals, all of those were kept separate for the sake of the non-ninja.
The particular shop they had chosen to go to was a kunoichi supply store. While it had everything from the standard shinobi sandals to treated wraps and bandages, to actual apparel such as the rather pretty battle kimonos displayed in the front window, Mitsuko had headed straight for the academy section.
The young girl was still on the smaller side at age eight. She could pass for a couple years younger if she tried. Mitsuko had been getting stronger with all her training, but she would always be smaller than her peers. If Mitsuko was going to have to deal with that, she might as well make it work for her.
The outfits made for Academy students were noticeably different from those meant for active duty. They had brighter colors, or small bits of trailing or loose fabric. Not being in life or death fights often made them an acceptable risk. It was okay if it made them stand out more, or if they would have handholds an experienced opponent could exploit. They weren't going on missions until they graduated anyways.
If Mitsuko wore these outside the village though, it would send one of two messages to an enemy. Either it was a little girl playing ninja, one who didn't know what she had signed up for. Or, a kunoichi who knew her abilities and was confident in them. The same message sent by having loose long hair, or wearing bright colors in the field. They sent the message that you were confident enough to work around the problems given by them.
With Mitsuko's luck, her opponents would assume the former. She ended up choosing an outfit similar to her current choice with just a few differences. It wasn't sleeveless first off, with long sleeves that flowed and rippled with her movements. Second, instead of her normal muted colors, it was a lovely purple shade with pale pink highlights. All together, it gave the appearance of a little girl playing dress up. Especially considering Mitsuko's hitai-ate looked two sizes too big for her.
However, Mitsuko saw it differently. The long flowing sleeves hid her hands, drawing eyes to the rippling movements of the fabric instead. It would be easier to hide weapons inside them too. The girl made a note to look into bracers to hold senbon up her sleeves. The bright purple and pale pink would normally be a hindrance when trying to hide, but Mitsuko usually used a stealth seal and henge to hide so it wouldn't matter as much.
She was also able to find some new sandals, the kind that had a small heel. Just enough to give some lift, but not enough to make their footing unstable. The downside to wearing these kinds of sandals was they made a small amount more noise than the normal flat sandals. Mitsuko knew she could work around that with the seal idea she had mentioned earlier to Rin.
Speaking of Rin, when the two had almost finished their shopping, the older girl had dragged her to the jewelry section of the shop. There was even jewelry and accessories made with kunoichi in mind, nothing loose or hanging, any metal unpolished, and absolutely nothing noisy. Rin had brought Mitsuko over to show her something she had found.
"Mitsu-chan, come look at these!" Rin pointed inside the glass case at a certain set of pendants. "Do you see the small quartz stones down there? You said you would need to engrave the seals, right?"
In the bottom corner of the display, were a few various sized quartz crystals that were a lovely pale green almost blue color. Mitsuko considered it. Didn't the Shodaime have a special necklace made with Quartz? Hopefully these won't be too girly for Nii-chan.
It didn't take much longer for the girls to finish shopping. Mitsuko made sure to thank Rin before they split up, having really appreciated the older kunoichis advice and company. The brunette had just waved her off with an offer to do this again sometime. The medic had enjoyed her time spent with her brother's teammate, and planned to take her up on it. Maybe we should get some dango and tea next time.
Three days before her brother's birthday, Mitsuko found herself helping Kaoru with his anatomy homework. It had been a while since he had been assigned as her kouhai. In the past months, Mitsuko had come to know him as a bright, cheerful teenager. Never seen without a smile or positive comment, always working hard and giving his all. That's why she was so confused at his glum, unfocused demeanour.
"Kaoru, are you doing okay?" Mitsuko softly asked. She had been in the middle of explaining the differences between a few different nerve clusters, but she couldn't stand how upset he looked. "Is something the matter?"
The ginger looked up from his work, dark circles below his eyes and with messy unkempt hair. "Nah, nothing you need to worry about Mitsuko-sempai." Even after working together for almost a year, he still called Mitsuko sempai. It had become an almost affectionate tag on her name. "I've just not been sleeping well recently…"
The white-haired girl frowned. "Is there something bothering you? I don't mind listening if you need someone to talk to…" Even if he was a good foot and a half taller, she still reached up to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
His posture slumped even further. Kaoru looked exhausted, and Mitsuko found herself worried. "It's just, in a few weeks it will have been a year since my brother died." His voice cracked on that last word. "I wanted to become a medic to honor him, to be able to send someone home to their family since I know how much it hurt when he couldn't… but I don't feel like I'm doing well enough. Nii-san would be so disappointed in me."
The girls heart broke to hear this. It hurt bad enough to imagine a world without her brother in it, but feeling like she had failed him too? She hopes she will never have to experience that. Mitsuko reached out carefully to give Kaoru a hug, giving plenty of time for him to pull back if he was uncomfortable.
"I don't think your brother would ever be disappointed in you. From the stories you shared, he didn't seem to be the type to get hung up on perfection. As long as you worked hard, I know he would be proud of you." She murmured. "If he got upset about anything, it would be if you quit now when you have come so far already."
Mitsuko reached for the homework he had been working on. Medics did a ton of self study, the program giving the option to work at your own pace. Kaoru had already blown through the first third of the bookwork assigned, where it would have taken the majority of students twice as long to do half as much. She told him that, pointing out the various sections he had been doing well on. Kaoru had given her a grim smile, before noticeably trying to shake off his somber mood.
"Speaking of brothers, doesn't yours have a birthday coming up soon? I remember you mentioning working on a gift for him." Kaoru asked, probably trying to change the topic.
"Mhm, I've been working on an emergency beacon seal for him. It's mostly finished so I can give it to him on his birthday this weekend, I'm just worried…" Her voice trailed off at the end.
"Did you have trouble with the seal? I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you needed more time to perfect it before giving the final product."
Mitsuko shook her head, "No, it works perfectly. It was easier than I had thought it would be, but that was probably 'cause I had Kushina-sensei help me a bit. I'm worried he won't like it. Necklaces are kinda girly, and boys don't really like jewelry much…" She bit her lip a small bit, nerves growing at the thought.
Kaoru let out a rough laugh at that. It didn't last long, but it was an improvement from the somber silence he'd had most of the day.
"Mitsuko-sempai, I think the fact you had spent so much effort trying to make him feel better is going to mean more to him than you think. The fact you had made it at all will make it the perfect gift, I doubt he would just throw it away because someone might call it girly. Everyone in the village knows how much he dotes on you by now."
He wasn't wrong, the Konoha gossip mill had quite a few stories of the siblings floating around by now. Mitsuko had no clue why they seemed to be such a common conversation topic. Kakashi had gained some notoriety for being the student of Minato Namikaze, even having made it into the bingo book already. Mitsuko had gained a reputation as a prodigal medic, and had been compared to a younger Tsunade-hime in her skills. It didn't make sense why all the gossip focused on mundane stuff like the super cutesy lunches she likes to make for the both of them, or how Kakashi would give her a hug or even a genuine smile every once in a while, big enough to tell even with his mask.
"Mitsuko. I think anything you make or give to your brother would make him happy. Not because of the gift itself, but because it came from you." The smile Kaoru gave as he said it was a fraction of it's normal size. It was still an improvement to the near tears he had been holding back the entire day.
Mitsuko was glad she had chosen Kaoru as her kouhai. She looked forward to seeing him become an official medic one day. While skill and talent is important, actually caring for those around you mattered more than you think. Mitsuko knew he would be a great medic in the future, and she couldn't wait.
September 15th. Kakashi's birthday had finally arrived, and the siblings found themselves at Ichiraku's ramen stand with his team, teacher, and Kushina. They were lucky nobody was out of the village for once, and they were able to be there to celebrate. Kakashi wasn't exactly a beaming birthday boy, but it was clear to see he was content, if not actually happy.
After they had all eaten, small gifts were given to the white-haried preteen from each person.
Rin had given him a few cheesy adventure novels, as his hobby of reading had taken off and he was never seen without some sort of book with him. She told him how they were some of her favorites and she hoped he enjoyed them. Obito had given him a few sets of various throwing weapons, including a rather nice set of kunai from one of the Uchiha blacksmiths.
Minato and Kushina had got him a full sized katana, with Minato giving a vague hint that Kakashi might need it soon. This was his eleventh birthday, and it was only a matter of time before he got his jounin promotion. Mitsuko found herself hoping that was what Minato had been alluding to.
Mitsuko's turn finally arrived, and she hesitantly handed him the necklace she had finished the night before. It had taken a bunch of time and effort, but she managed to perfect the seal just in time.
"I, um, remembered how anxious you said you had been while I was on my mission, and I tried to make something that would help…" Kakashi looked over the seafoam green crystal as she talked, the stark black of the seal standing out. "It's a seal that's actually split into two parts. When you feed a little chakra into one half, it makes the other one glow." Mitsuko had reached up to the paired necklace she had already been wearing. After just a smidge of chakra, the crystal in Kakashi's hand let off a warm glow. It almost reminded her of fireflies, but a soft green color instead.
"No matter how far we are from each other, these will let us know if the other needs help or if something is wrong. They also have a slight tracking feature, though not much. Just enough to give the general direction of the other half, just in case they fall into the wrong hands. I, um, hope you like it…" Mitsuko's voice trailed off into a whisper. Her brother had gone still, staring intensely at the necklace he held. She jumped when he reached out to give her a tight hug.
"I don't just like it, I love it, Imouto. Thank you, Mitsu-chan." His voice was a little bit rough, and his eyes suspiciously shiny. Mitsuko didn't bring any attention to that, returning the hug just as hard.
She was able to look over his shoulder to see the soft expressions on the other kunoichis faces and Minato's approving smile. Obito had even given her an approving thumbs up, as he had been trying to get Kakashi to lighten up since he had met the boy.
Mitsuko was glad that Ichirakus was so small, she didn't want to imagine the kind of gossip that would go around if anyone else had seen her stoic older brother hugging her and near tears. "Happy birthday, Nii-chan. Love you."
"Thank you, Mitsu-chan. I love you too." Mitsuko nearly cried hearing that. Therapy must be really helping, if he was willing to say that in front of anybody other than her. She can't help but wonder how the next year would go. Things were looking up, for once. She was excited to see what would come the siblings way next.
Authors Note: Hey y'all, sorry I took so long to update. My mental health went down the drain, and I struggled for a while with this chapter. I got a ton of motivation from the reviews y'all had left, and I appreciate every single one of them so much. Feel free to leave more, and hopefully there will be a short wait for the next chapter. I hope all of y'all are doing well. See you next time!