Baby Mukai was crying again.

Mob knew what to do. She had been doing this for a while now, or at least it felt like a while. In reality it hadn't even been a week yet. That wasn't a while. Well it could be. Waiting a week for a new episode of a show you liked to come out was a lot but when you weren't waiting for anything the time just sort of flew by. Well it had not been flying by now so maybe, yes, it had been a long time then.

Long enough to get used to a crying baby.

"It's ok Mukai. I'm here." Said Mob as she knelt down by the drawer baby Mukai slept in. She needed a crib, maybe, but a crib would not fit in her and Sho's room. They needed to share because there wasn't another bedroom besides dad's and also they had been sharing for their entire lives. Mob didn't know what she would do when Mukai outgrew the drawer though…

She didn't want to worry about that.

Now she had to worry about the baby crying in front of her. Mob didn't dare to turn the light on. She would only cry harder because her eyes would hurt. Also Sho would get upset. She was hungry, most likely, because she was always hungry. The internet said that babies needed a schedule but then the internet had also said that babies could self-regulate and set their own schedules…and Mob had no idea which part of the internet she was supposed to believe.

Mukai could tell her when she needed something.

"Let me see…I just changed you and your diaper doesn't feel full…and I opened the window for the fresh air because I know you like that…do you want your pacifier back?" asked Mob. If she tried to feed Mukai when she wasn't hungry she would just end up throwing up. She also didn't want to starve her pretend baby sister either. The pacifier test was a good one. The pacifier was Mukai's favorite thing in the whole world. If she sucked on it then that meant that she just wanted to suck on something. If she spat it out then that meant that she was well and truly hungry.

She spat it out.

Mob caught it with her powers before it could hit the floor. She wasn't as afraid of accidentally hurting Mukai. She just wasn't going to use her powers on the baby, that was all, but she was going to save Mukai's pacifier from the floor. If it touched the floor then it would have to be sterilized and Mob did not feel like boiling a pacifier in the middle of the night to kill off all of the germs. She was tired. She wanted to sleep. That didn't matter, though, because baby Mukai needed her.

She was needed.

"Ok, so you're hungry. I'll make you a bottle then. I don't think you like the formula in the blue can so I'll make the one in the yellow can. Maybe you'll like that one better." Said Mob. She really didn't want to make a new bottle in the middle of the night but she also really didn't want to have to clean up baby throw up either. Mukai was running out of clean clothes. They were all running out of clean clothes, actually, and Mob knew that she needed to let the Awakened come back into the house but she didn't want to. She didn't want to talk about dad but that was all that they wanted to talk about. They wanted to know where dad was and when he was coming back. She didn't have an answer for them. Dad didn't tell her anything at all. Nobody told her anything at all. Dad had just given her a baby and then left and now she had to take care of the baby…but that was fine. She was fine. She was in charge and she was handling this.

Everything was fine.

She could hear Sho turning over. It was too late for him to be awake. He was little and he needed his sleep. She wanted his help, she liked it when he helped, and she knew that he would try and help her again like he had been all day…but he could not help. He needed to sleep so he would have energy for tomorrow. Also dad had left her in charge of him and that meant that she had to only think about what was best for him, not what she wanted.

It was hard, sometimes, to be the oldest. But that didn't matter. She had this.

"Do you want me to feed her?" asked Sho as he turned over onto his side. Mob shook her head.

"No, go back to sleep. You can feed her in the morning. Right now you need to sleep." Said Mob. She wanted him to take Mukai from her drawer and to make her a bottle. Mob wanted to go to bed. She wanted to climb back into her bed and close her eyes and go to sleep…but that was not something that she could do. Not when the baby needed her.

"Come on, you look like you're going to pass out. Let me help." Said Sho. He didn't seem any better, Mob thought, since she knew for a fact that he had yawed for real when he said that. He had not been fake yawning and that meant that he was tired and she was not going to let him stay up all night with a hungry baby. Also she did not want to be up day with a grouchy, sleepy, little brother who she knew for a fact would refuse to take a nap no matter how tired he got.

"In the morning. Now go back to sleep. Please." Said Mob. The please was there to make sure that he didn't call her bossy. That was his favorite thing to do, call her bossy, even though she had not asked to be the boss of him or of anyone. She wanted dad to come back. She wanted him to come and be the boss of their house again because she just could not do it.

She wanted dad back.

Dad would have helped…well he would have made someone else help, which would have been helpful, and he would have known what to do, too. Even though taking care of a baby was the mom's job dad must have known something. Minegishi wasn't a mom or a dad but they had been right about burping Mukai and not filling the tub up all the way when they gave her a bath and a bunch of other stuff. Dad was very smart, he knew a lot of things about a lot of things, and he might have known even more about taking care of Mukai.

Like how to get her to stop throwing up.

The internet said that a baby her age should not have been throwing up all the time. The internet said all kinds of things, some of them scary, and Mob had no idea what to do. They had a bunch of different kinds of formula so she was trying to find one that Mukai could eat and not get sick from. She was probably used to the kind that came with her from Korea…but they were not in or anywhere near Korea so they could not get that kind.

Mob hoped that she could keep this kind down.

She pushed the drawer in front of her as she walked to the kitchen. Mukai was still crying but she cried less this way. She liked drawer rides. She also liked being carried but Mob was too sleepy to carry her. She was walking funny, that was how tired she was, and she knew that she could have dropped Mukai if she'd picked her up. She didn't want to drop Mukai. She didn't want to do anything to hurt her, only to help her.

She just wanted her baby sister to be happy.

She knew that Mukai wasn't her real sister…at least she thought that Mukai wasn't her real sister. Minegishi had taught her what half siblings were and also she had heard Shimazaki tell Shibata that Mukai was dad's 'love child' which, the internet said, was a child that came from two parents who were not married. Mob hadn't even known that you could make a baby without being married. Well she knew that people could do that thing with each other but she didn't know that people who were not married could have babies.

But they could.

But that was not who Mukai was. For Mukai to have come from dad then he would have had to cheat on mom. Mob knew what cheating was, it was when your husband or wife held hands or kissed or even did…the gross thing…with someone who they were not married to. That was not something that dad would do. Even if he didn't love mom anymore he wouldn't have just done that gross thing with some other woman. He still had his wedding ring, first of all, which meant that if he had done that with another then he would have been a cheater. Dad was not a cheater. Dad was a good person. Dad wanted to help people. That was why he had made Claw, to help people, and also everything he did he did for their kind. Espers. His whole life's work was for other people so of course he would not have done something to terrible to mom even if he thought that she was a traitor.

Also dad did not need another Daughter.

She was the Daughter. She was the Daughter and Sho was the Son and that meant that dad had one of each and he had no reason to want to have another kid…unless he was planning on replacing them. But he wasn't. She was a good Daughter. She did what she was told…most of the time. She had never betrayed him…well there was the time with Hanazawa but he had been kidnapped on accident so it was ok. Sho…Sho was a good Son even if he didn't listen to dad and caused trouble and wet the bed and said mean things and…and dad still wouldn't replace him. Dad wasn't going to replace either of them…

Maybe he had meant to get a boy and he had ended up with a girl.

Mob makes herself stop thinking about this. She turns on the itty bitty light above the stove with her powers and she mixes up a bottle that way, too. By hand she picks Mukai up and sits her on her lap. She's warm…sick? Or just warm. She stops crying when she's picked up. That was good. Mob kissed her head and rocked her back and forth.

"Let it go….let it go…don't hold it back anymore….let it go….let it go…turn away and slam the door…." Sang Mob as she rocked Mukai. She was making a bottle with her powers too but it wasn't hard. She was good at multitasking, dad had said, but Sho was better at control. Mob didn't mind. She liked it when dad said nice things to Sho. She hoped that he said nice things to Mukai…if she was allowed to stay with them. Mob loved her baby sister, her pretend baby sister, but she also wanted her to have a mom and dad who loved her very much. Dad…dad was very bad at showing love in the normal way and she knew that Mukai wouldn't like the way dad showed his love. Mostly through not being very mean, only a little mean, and Mukai…she needed someone who was nice to her. She deserved someone who was nice to her all the time.

And she deserved someone who could take good care of her.

"Let it go…let it go…do you even like this song? You're fussing again…I wished that you liked Frozen. It's a very good movie. Elsa is kind of like an esper who can't control her powers and then she's scared of herself because nobody can teach her how to use her powers but then it's a happy ending because she learns to control her powers and everyone loves her." said Mob. She hoped that Mukai liked Frozen when she got older. Elsa wasn't an esper, or maybe she was some people thought that powers came from magic, but she had trouble with control. If Mukai was going to be a prodigy like her then she would have trouble with her powers too.

But that was ok because Mob would be there to teach her like dad had taught her…but without being mean.

"Here, your bottle is done. I made it with a different kind so I hope you like it. Don't worry. The internet said that next month, well when you turn four months old, I can start feeding you baby food. You might like that better." Said Mob. Mukai was trying to suck on the front of her shirt again. Mob didn't know why, she didn't have any breasts to breastfeed with, and also the note said that Mukai liked formula. Mob put the bottle to her lips and it took her a moment to start sucking.

So far so good. She hadn't turned her head away.

"Maybe you don't like the water here. I don't know what distilled water is but tap water is healthy for you. Dad said so. The water here is good to drink, dad wouldn't have brought up somewhere with unsafe water, but you should only drink from the tap and never from a hose or a lake or a pond of a puddle. You could get sick." Said Mob. She whispered so that Sho didn't wake up. Mukai was looking up into her eyes. She was listening, maybe, or maybe not. It was hard to tell with babies sometimes.

"One time Sho tried to drink ocean water, also don't ever drink ocean water because of the salt, and then Fukuda had to help him because he got sick. We were at the beach then. We don't go anymore because Sho has Awakening scars…but you'll never need to worry about those. I think. You have an aura and you don't have any powers but…but you still have an aura and that might mean that you're a prodigy and if you're a prodigy like me then you won't need to go through that." Said Mob. She didn't know what she would do if dad did the same thing to Mukai as he did to Sho…she would lose control….like before. Before? Yes…she could remember being…scared…and then…

She doesn't want to remember what had happened to Sho.

"You might like the beach when you get older. It's like a bath with strangers and also there's sand and waves. You might like sand, me and Sho do, but dad doesn't. He says that it gets everywhere and it's annoying. He doesn't like anything though, it seems like sometimes, so you should take mine and Sho's word for what is and is not fun…and also never eat the sand. It's not a food. Never eat the sand or drink the water." Said Mob. Mukai was still looking up at her. She reached down and pressed her finger against Mukai's palm. She grabbed her finger tight. She wanted to know that Mob was there, it seemed, and Mob was of course there. She would never just leave her little sister. She would never just walk out the door. She would never made a baby or buy a baby or find a baby and then just leave Mukai all alone with it while she went off on some mission or-

She didn't want to think about that either.

"The water that comes from the taps is not water from the ocean. There's a big difference between fesh water and ocean water. Ocean water has salt and it's dangerous to drink because it dries out your insides. You're supposed to watch how much salt you eat. Sugar too. Minegishi says that sugar is poison but I've seen them drink soda. That was when we were smoking cigarettes though...but don't tell anyone that Minegishi let me smoke cigarettes with them and Shimazaki. It's a secret." Said Mob. Mukai was still looking at her. She was still holding on to her finger. Mukai trusted her and she trusted Mukai.

Siblings were supposed to trust each other.

"I have a lot of secrets. I know that I shouldn't keep secrets but I have a lot of them. Like…ok. You're too little to know what love is but when you get older you'll know what I'm talking about. You'll meet a boy and he'll make your heart beat funny and you'll be nervous and you'll forget words but then you'll suddenly remember all the words…and also you'll think about him a lot, too, more than you ever thought that you could think about another person." Said Mob. Mukai was still looking at her. She had no idea if Mukai even knew this much Japanese…but she decided to keep on talking. Mukai was a good listener and she trusted her…

And then maybe when Mukai got older she would share her secrets with Mob, too.

"The first time I ever fell in love I was seven and in the first grade. He got me chocolates for White Day and then he kissed me…just on the cheek but it was the most amazing feeling that I had ever felt in my life…enough that I almost floated away…but then my mom saw and she punished me. For losing control, not kissing, but I never told her about the kissing part. You can tell me, though, when you get older if you kiss a boy. I won't be mad at you." Said Mob. She couldn't imagine Mukai ever being old enough to kiss someone…but then again she had never imagined that she would ever kiss anyone either. Mukai would probably be prettier than her and less clueless than her. She would find lots of boys who she liked and who liked her back.

Mob wanted that for her.

"I won't be mad, too, if you kiss a boy who isn't an esper. I don't mind if you fall in love with a boy who isn't an esper. The first boy I ever fell in love with, Taro from my old class, wasn't an esper…but don't tell anyone because dad says that I'm only allowed to be in love with another esper. It's hard, though, because there aren't a lot of espers my age. The other boy I feel in love with is an esper, though, but I'll never see him again…but I think that I might be in love with him…and I think that he might love me…at least I hope that he does. He promised that he would never forget me too….and then he…um…" said Mob. Mukai's eyes were getting heavy. That was a good sign. She liked this formula, then, and she also liked being talked to.

And Mob liked talking to her. She was a good secret keeper. She couldn't talk yet.

"Ok….you've seen kissing on TV. Real kissing. That's what we did. He just…he leaned in and kissed me on the mouth…and it's the best thing in the world. When you get to be my age you'll probably kiss a boy and it'll be the best thing in the world…I still think about it sometimes…and him. I'll never see him again but…but that's ok. I saw in a book that Minegishi lent me that it's better to have loved and then lost than never to have loved at all…but the boy you kiss will probably stay with you. Remember, first kisses are important…and you don't have to keep yours a secret from me…but if you want me to keep yours a secret from other people then I will. You're the second person that I've told about this. You can tell whoever you want about your first kiss, though, but when you do have it make sure that the boy wants to kiss you. Never play catch and kiss. Boys hate that game, Sho said so." Said Mob. She was whispering extra quietly so that Sho didn't hear. He could not know about this. This was her secret and she would decide who she would share it with.

Even if the person that she was sharing it with was half asleep.

"You're very little, though, so you don't have to worry about this stuff yet. That's stuff to worry about when you get older. Like when you're closer to my age, not my age exactly but closer. There are a lot of things that you can worry about when you get older, you know. Not to scare you or anything, I would never do anything to scare you baby Mukai, but I will warn you so that things don't take you by surprise as you get older. Like your powers, whatever they will be. It's still very early and I don't know what you'll be able to do. You might have some trouble controlling your powers, whatever they end up being, when you get older and it can be very hard and very scary but you just have to remember that power is nothing without control. That's what dad says. It means the same thing as conceal, don't feel, which means that your powers are controlled by your feelings so you have to control your feelings to control you powers. My dad says so…and also he says that an ant has no quarrel with a boot…and that means don't use your powers against other people." Said Mob. Mukai was sucking more slowly now. Mob pulled on the bottle a little bit to get her sucking more. The bottle was almost empty, too. Mukai needed to be kept awake enough to burp or her stomach would hurt tomorrow. She couldn't control that so Mob had to help her.

Mob would always be there to help Mukai.

"You might have a lot of trouble controlling your powers if you're a prodigy like me. That's normal. Dad was a prodigy too and he said that when he was little he had trouble controlling his powers. The thing to remember is that you are in control of yourself and you have to try really hard…but sometimes you need a little help…and I have no problem with that. Just…ok. This is one of my biggest secrets. You cannot tell another human being for as long as you shall live. Cross your heart, hope to die, stick a needle in your eye. I know that sounds scary and I wouldn't say something so scary unless I meant it. This is a big secret and you cannot tell. That goes for now, until you learn to talk, and for the rest of your life. Ok?" asked Mob. Mukai opened her eyes and then closed them again. Ok. That was good enough for her.

Mob leaned in closer but not so close as to disrupt Mukai finishing up the last of her bottle.

"Ok. So sometimes I drink things that I'm not supposed to. Only adults are allowed to drink, not kids, but Minegishi shares with me sometimes so it's ok. Also sometimes I borrow, well I did borrow, from them. That was until I accidentally mixed it with a sleeping pill and I almost never woke up again. That's dangerous, Minegishi said, so never do that. I have a bottle, well it was to get you to stop crying but I know that you're too young to drink, and I drink sometimes but not that often. Also sometimes I borrow from dad's office…but you can't tell anyone. Remember, you swore, you really did. You can't have any, though, not until you're eight. That's when I started and I'm ok. Nothing bad happened to me…aside from when I did something stupid…so I won't stop you if you need to. It's…it's very hard to control your powers sometimes." Said Mob. The bottle was empty now. Mukai was sucking on air and Mob took it away fast. She would upset her stomach if she sucked down air like that.

She had to burp now.

Mob put her over her shoulder and started to bounced her up and down and pat her back. She hoped that Mukai didn't throw up again. She needed to keep food down or she would never grow up. Mob wanted Mukai to keep her secrets but she didn't want her secrets to die with her…and she would die if she couldn't keep food down…

She burped but didn't throw up.

Mob rocked her, slowly, to sleep. She made sure to watch her breathing and her eyes. When they started to move back and forth under her eyelids after her breathing got slow and deep then it would be time to put her back to bed in her drawer. Mob knew that putting her back was the most delicate part of it, putting her back to sleep, because it was so hard to get her to stay asleep and she could get back to crying at any minute.

Mob put her back in her drawer. She didn't cry.

"Goodnight Mukai. I'm going to bring you back to the bedroom, ok? I love you so much. Thank you for keeping my secrets. Don't worry, when you get some then I'll keep yours too. That's what sisters are for, right? Even pretend ones." Said Mob before she slowly pushed Mukai's drawer bed back to the bedroom.

She didn't cry. Not even once.