"Ryu-nii-san!!" Sakuma Mitsuko yelled to her older brother as she ran up to him, tears streaming down her face. Ryuichi wrapped his arms around his smaller sibling, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"Ne, Mi-chan… what's wrong? A crying face doesn't suit my beautiful little sister, no da." He said softly as the small girl buried her face into his chest, sobbing. He held her tightly until she was ready to tell him.
"Some.. some big boys.. they were picking on me.. they said I was ugly and a little brat, and a baby, and I should go find a daddy and and and and.." she trailed off between sobs. Ryuichi clenched his fists as he told her to calm down, that everything would be ok. He handed her her Kumagoro, which she had thought was a bear when she first got it at three years old. Ryuichi had since told her it was a bunny, but the name stuck. She clung to her bunny tightly, choking back her sobs, trying to stop crying. Ryuichi wiped away her tears with his shirt, and giving her a small kiss on the nose, asked her to please stop crying, for her nii-san.
"Ryu-nii-san.. I don't want to go back there tomorrow. Those meaniehead boys will tease me again." She said as tears began to well up again. Ryuichi looked at her firmly and told her "Mi-chan, you have to go to school. Otherwise you won't learn anything, and Momma would be really sad. You don't want to make Momma sad, do you?" The small girls' eyes sparkled brightly as she looked up at her brother. "Don't worry, Mitsuko-chan, Ryu-chan will make sure those bullies leave you alone. For good." He smiled at his sister as he clasped her hand. "Come on," he said with a smile. "Momma is waiting for us for dinner. She'll have my hide for getting you home late."
"Momma!! We're home!!" Ryuichi sang, his voice sweet and clear. Mitsuko ran through the house, looking for her mother.
"Momma! Momma! Where are you hiding, Momma!?" Mitsuko called. The two kids didn't see any sign of their mother anywhere, not a note, or a message of any sort saying when she would be back. Ryuichi surveyed the shabby apartment, looking for any signs of where his mother might be. He sighed, and when he didn't find her, sat Mitsuko down with her school work and began making something for their dinner before sitting down to his own school work. It got to be very late, and their mother still wasn't home. Ryuichi put his sister into bed, and just about as soon as he had settled down in his for the night, he felt her crawl into bed with him.
"Ryu-nii-san.. I'm scared. There's a monster in my room and it's big and scary and it wants to eat me and can I sleep with you tonight?" Ryuichi wrapped his arms around the small girl, holding her close as he kissed the top of her shining chestnut hair lightly. "You'll be fine, Mi-chan. I'll never let anything happen to you. I promise, na no da." He said quietly, as the small child drifted of to sleep. If only he had known.
Mother Sakuma didn't return home that night. Ryuichi woke up to the sun shining brightly in his face, and instantly sat up, rubbing his eyes. It was almost time for the Sakuma siblings to be in school, so he quickly got his sister dressed before getting himself clothed and dragged the small girl out the door. He threw her up on his back as he ran as fast as he could down to the school, dropping her at her classroom, giving her a kiss on the cheek, apologizing for not fixing her lunch. He promised to take her to get an ice cream sundae after school that day.
Ryuichi had thought nothing about his mother not being home when they left for school, as she often left early in the morning for work, trusting Ryuichi to get himself and his sister off to school. He knew his mother worked very hard to afford a place for them to live, and to eat, and be able to live fairly comfortably. He was very proud of his mother for being able to keep everything up so well, always with a smile on her face.
He never thought twice that anything could possibly be wrong, until after school that day, when he was walking along with Mitsuko down to the ice cream shop. He noticed the people watching them as they walked down the street, whispering to each other and pointing. Ryuichi and Mitsuko kept smiling, not knowing what was going on.
It wasn't until a few of his classmates apologized to him did he think anything was wrong. "Anou… Why are you sorry, no da? Mi-chan and Ryu-chan are very happy and having ice cream!" he beamed. His classmates looked sheepish. Finally, one of them spoke, ever so quietly.
"But.. you… your.. your mother.. aren't you sad..?" The color drained from Ryuichi's face. "What.." He began to choke out. "What… are you talking about, no da..? What about my Momma, no da?" His classmates looked disheartened. Neither of them could speak, until Mitsuko looked up at her brother, her aquamarine eyes sparkling brightly. She tugged on her brother's sleeve. "Ryu-nii-chan.. no da.. what's wrong?"
Ryuichi sank back into his chair as he looked at his friends in disbelief. "No… It.. it.." He began. "It can't.. be true.. Momma…." He looked at his classmates, who nodded dismally. Ryuichi felt sick. He clutched his stomach, grasping onto his younger sister in front of him and holding her tightly. Throwing some money onto the table, he grabbed his sister's hand and began to run, throwing her on his back as he ran as fast as his short legs could carry him. Upon returning to the Sakuma residence, he set his sister down and leaned on the doorframe, panting for his breath.
Mitsuko once again ran through the house, calling for her mother, more frantically this time than the night before. All she found was their neighbor, an elderly lady who had sometimes babysat the children. Ryuichi caught his breath and walked in slowly. He saw his neighbor, and choking back his tears as best as he could, he managed to spurt out, "It's.. not true.. is it Motoko-san? My.. our.. momma.. she's not.. …Is she..?"
The elderly woman looked up at the small boy, her eyes red with tears. Slowly, she nodded. "I am afraid so, Ryuichi-kun. Your mother.. she was hit by a speeding car while coming home late last night. She was pronounced dead on the scene."
Ryuichi's heart dropped, and his sister, after hearing this, began to scream. "MOMMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! I WANT MY MOMMA!!!!!" Ryuichi cradled his small and fragile sister, crying with all his might into her shoulder. The two brown haired siblings sat on the floor with nothing but the small pink bunny between them, crying for hours. "I want my momma…" Mitsuko whispered quietly into her brother's chest. Ryuichi closed his eyes tightly, willing it all to go away.
"I want momma too, Mi-chan.." he whispered into her hair. He leaned back against the wall, holding his tiny sister in a firm embrace. The last thing he heard before passing out right there, was the small, beautiful voice of his sister, singing softly to him and herself.
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"Ne, Mi-chan… what's wrong? A crying face doesn't suit my beautiful little sister, no da." He said softly as the small girl buried her face into his chest, sobbing. He held her tightly until she was ready to tell him.
"Some.. some big boys.. they were picking on me.. they said I was ugly and a little brat, and a baby, and I should go find a daddy and and and and.." she trailed off between sobs. Ryuichi clenched his fists as he told her to calm down, that everything would be ok. He handed her her Kumagoro, which she had thought was a bear when she first got it at three years old. Ryuichi had since told her it was a bunny, but the name stuck. She clung to her bunny tightly, choking back her sobs, trying to stop crying. Ryuichi wiped away her tears with his shirt, and giving her a small kiss on the nose, asked her to please stop crying, for her nii-san.
"Ryu-nii-san.. I don't want to go back there tomorrow. Those meaniehead boys will tease me again." She said as tears began to well up again. Ryuichi looked at her firmly and told her "Mi-chan, you have to go to school. Otherwise you won't learn anything, and Momma would be really sad. You don't want to make Momma sad, do you?" The small girls' eyes sparkled brightly as she looked up at her brother. "Don't worry, Mitsuko-chan, Ryu-chan will make sure those bullies leave you alone. For good." He smiled at his sister as he clasped her hand. "Come on," he said with a smile. "Momma is waiting for us for dinner. She'll have my hide for getting you home late."
"Momma!! We're home!!" Ryuichi sang, his voice sweet and clear. Mitsuko ran through the house, looking for her mother.
"Momma! Momma! Where are you hiding, Momma!?" Mitsuko called. The two kids didn't see any sign of their mother anywhere, not a note, or a message of any sort saying when she would be back. Ryuichi surveyed the shabby apartment, looking for any signs of where his mother might be. He sighed, and when he didn't find her, sat Mitsuko down with her school work and began making something for their dinner before sitting down to his own school work. It got to be very late, and their mother still wasn't home. Ryuichi put his sister into bed, and just about as soon as he had settled down in his for the night, he felt her crawl into bed with him.
"Ryu-nii-san.. I'm scared. There's a monster in my room and it's big and scary and it wants to eat me and can I sleep with you tonight?" Ryuichi wrapped his arms around the small girl, holding her close as he kissed the top of her shining chestnut hair lightly. "You'll be fine, Mi-chan. I'll never let anything happen to you. I promise, na no da." He said quietly, as the small child drifted of to sleep. If only he had known.
Mother Sakuma didn't return home that night. Ryuichi woke up to the sun shining brightly in his face, and instantly sat up, rubbing his eyes. It was almost time for the Sakuma siblings to be in school, so he quickly got his sister dressed before getting himself clothed and dragged the small girl out the door. He threw her up on his back as he ran as fast as he could down to the school, dropping her at her classroom, giving her a kiss on the cheek, apologizing for not fixing her lunch. He promised to take her to get an ice cream sundae after school that day.
Ryuichi had thought nothing about his mother not being home when they left for school, as she often left early in the morning for work, trusting Ryuichi to get himself and his sister off to school. He knew his mother worked very hard to afford a place for them to live, and to eat, and be able to live fairly comfortably. He was very proud of his mother for being able to keep everything up so well, always with a smile on her face.
He never thought twice that anything could possibly be wrong, until after school that day, when he was walking along with Mitsuko down to the ice cream shop. He noticed the people watching them as they walked down the street, whispering to each other and pointing. Ryuichi and Mitsuko kept smiling, not knowing what was going on.
It wasn't until a few of his classmates apologized to him did he think anything was wrong. "Anou… Why are you sorry, no da? Mi-chan and Ryu-chan are very happy and having ice cream!" he beamed. His classmates looked sheepish. Finally, one of them spoke, ever so quietly.
"But.. you… your.. your mother.. aren't you sad..?" The color drained from Ryuichi's face. "What.." He began to choke out. "What… are you talking about, no da..? What about my Momma, no da?" His classmates looked disheartened. Neither of them could speak, until Mitsuko looked up at her brother, her aquamarine eyes sparkling brightly. She tugged on her brother's sleeve. "Ryu-nii-chan.. no da.. what's wrong?"
Ryuichi sank back into his chair as he looked at his friends in disbelief. "No… It.. it.." He began. "It can't.. be true.. Momma…." He looked at his classmates, who nodded dismally. Ryuichi felt sick. He clutched his stomach, grasping onto his younger sister in front of him and holding her tightly. Throwing some money onto the table, he grabbed his sister's hand and began to run, throwing her on his back as he ran as fast as his short legs could carry him. Upon returning to the Sakuma residence, he set his sister down and leaned on the doorframe, panting for his breath.
Mitsuko once again ran through the house, calling for her mother, more frantically this time than the night before. All she found was their neighbor, an elderly lady who had sometimes babysat the children. Ryuichi caught his breath and walked in slowly. He saw his neighbor, and choking back his tears as best as he could, he managed to spurt out, "It's.. not true.. is it Motoko-san? My.. our.. momma.. she's not.. …Is she..?"
The elderly woman looked up at the small boy, her eyes red with tears. Slowly, she nodded. "I am afraid so, Ryuichi-kun. Your mother.. she was hit by a speeding car while coming home late last night. She was pronounced dead on the scene."
Ryuichi's heart dropped, and his sister, after hearing this, began to scream. "MOMMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! I WANT MY MOMMA!!!!!" Ryuichi cradled his small and fragile sister, crying with all his might into her shoulder. The two brown haired siblings sat on the floor with nothing but the small pink bunny between them, crying for hours. "I want my momma…" Mitsuko whispered quietly into her brother's chest. Ryuichi closed his eyes tightly, willing it all to go away.
"I want momma too, Mi-chan.." he whispered into her hair. He leaned back against the wall, holding his tiny sister in a firm embrace. The last thing he heard before passing out right there, was the small, beautiful voice of his sister, singing softly to him and herself.
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