Author Notes - I wanted to write something that more directly addressed Oona's family situation in my fanfics, and now I've done it. If this happens to be the first fanfiction of mine that you're reading, welcome. In my stories, Oona has an older brother named Kian and two mothers. Her mothers are technically her aunts (one is her father's sister, the other married said sister), after something catastrophic happened to her parents. Now, I'm finally providing more details.

In hindsight, my backstory for Oona's family is quite similar to what ReaderandWriter9000 did for Zooli. I assure you, this was a coincidence. That being said, I have tried to make it different.

KIAN AND OONA

'NO!' Little Kian cried out, from the back of the car. 'I don't WANT a baby sister!'

Hiroshi, his father, could only groan. Driving to the hospital wasn't exactly the optimal time to address his son for his behaviour. So, he had tried ignoring him at first, as horrible as that might sound. Hiroshi cannot be blamed, mind you, because Kian had been screaming about this for months now.

Ever since he found out that he was going to have a little sister.

Hiroshi put on a smile. 'Come on, son! When she's born, that'll make you the oldest. That means you'll be able to boss her around.'

'But I don't want a sister!' Kian whined. 'You'll forget all about me…'

'Is that what you're worried about? Come on. That's nothing. I was worried about that too when Oba Kagami was born. But my parents never forgot about me, even when Kagami destroyed me in every game we played together.'

He chuckled, remembering the time she demolished him in a game of soccer. When she was two, no less. It still surprised him that a nice woman like her could be so powerful on the field.

'Why couldn't she be my little brother?' Kian asked, pouting a little.

'Because that wasn't what you got.' Hiroshi said. 'We're going to have a little girl. Well, the doctor says we will. You never know, but odds are you're having a sister. And you have to live with that.'

'But I don't wanna share my house with a girl.'

Hiroshi stopped smiling, and put on an expression of exaggerated suspicion. 'Oh. So you don't like your Mama? She's a girl.'

'No!' Kian pleaded. 'I love Mama.'

'Ah, so then you don't like Oba Kagami!'

The little boy frowned. 'No… o' course I do.'

'So what about Oba Sakura?'

'I love her too!'

Hiroshi nodded. 'So you think having another girl in your life is going to be too much.'

Kian had no response to this, and merely crossed his arms and pouted. Hiroshi could only chuckle again. He couldn't be that mad at his son; the kid was about four years old, and Hiroshi knew he wasn't so happy when his little sister was born either. Still, it was a relief when he saw the hospital just a few minutes away.

'We're almost there, anyway.' He said. 'So, I'll be with your mother while your sister is being born. You'll have to stay with your aunts, cos the process isn't exactly pleasant. In fact, Oba Sakura almost threw up just watching!'

'Oba Sakura?' Kian repeated, lifting his head up. 'But she's so tough!'

'Well, let that serve as proof that it's really awful to watch.'

It seemed like a lot of Guppy families were having kids this year. As early as late January, the Swimmers had a girl. Soon after that, the Andersfins had a girl of their own. And then came a boy, born to the Gillers. And now, it was the Takahashis' turn.

Kian was still pouting as he sat in the waiting room, surrounded by his aunts. Kagami kept her arm wrapped around him, as if there was any risk of him running off. No amount of soft smiles from her seemed to be making him feel any better.

'You're still acting like this?' Sakura asked, huffing. 'You've known this for months.'

'Sweetie.' Kagami said, giving her wife a look. 'He's four. Don't act like you were any better.'

'Well, I never complained about having a little brother or sister.'

'Yeah, that's because you're an only child.'

'Point being?'

It took a while - a long while - until anything happened. Kian had to sit there in his own boredom, with nothing but terrible and sensationalised magazines that he couldn't even comprehend. After what must've been hours, a snail nurse finally emerged from behind a door and approached them. And thank cods; if Kian had to wait another minute, he would lose it.

'Sakura and Kagami, is it?' She asked. 'You're the sisters of Hiroshi, correct?'

Sakura gave the nurse a glare. 'Sisters? I'm married to Kagami!'

The nurse appeared to blush. It was something Kian was used to seeing; so many people assumed that Kagami and Sakura were sisters. Or best friends. Or even mother-and-daughter, in one extreme (though brief) case. Just about anything but married partners. He never understood why so many people never got it.

'Oh. O-Of course.' The nurse said. 'I apologise for the mistake. A-Anyway, I'm here to tell you that…' She slithered over to Kian and lowered her head down to his level, giving him a warm smile. 'Kian, you're a big brother now.'

Kian knew this was coming, and had prepared himself to yell at no one in particular when he heard those words. About what, he wasn't certain. Perhaps just incoherent rage. But he couldn't quite bring himself to do it, so he just pouted some more.

'Ah, so you're not so keen on becoming an older brother.' The nurse said. 'I've seen that before. It wasn't too long ago that we had a baby boy born here, a Guppy just like you. The family already had two girls before him, and they weren't exactly happy about having a little boy running around. But you know what?'

'What?' Kian asked.

'I think they changed their minds when they saw him. Well, the older girl did at least. I think the younger one is still fussing about it now.'

'Hmph. I won't be like that. I don't want a little sister.'

Kagami laughed. 'Let's see how long that lasts for.'

Kian was sure - certain, even - that his mind would not change, no matter how much his aunts told him it would. Sakura practically had to drag him into the elevator and to the right floor, while he grumbled about it the whole time. It could've been a lot worse; he could've been throwing a loud tantrum the whole time. As it was, he was surprisingly calm.

They knew they arrived at the right door when Hiroshi was there to greet them. He smiled warmly, and tears of joy trickled down his face.

'You'll have to be quiet.' He told them, as they swam through. 'The little one is asleep.'

Kian hardly paid any attention to the warning. As soon as he entered the room and saw his mother laying in bed, he opened his mouth to voice his opinion on the matter. To rant about how unfair it was that he had to share his parents with a baby. Until his eyes fell upon the little baby tucked up asleep in Aiko's arms.

She was adorable.

His eyes sparkled, and he stared at the little sleepy girl so intently that you'd think he was in a trance. His aunts and father allowed him to swim all the way to the bed, getting the closest look he possibly could.

'Kian…' His tired mother said. 'Say hi to your little sister, Oona.'

All that rage that had been building up over months had evaporated like a summer time puddle. He reached out for the baby, until she moved in her sleep ever so slightly, then he retracted his arm immediately and ducked into hiding.

'Hello… Oona.' He whispered.

What a perfect name for such a perfect child. She looked just like Sobo Yukiko in almost every way, just a lot smaller and younger. And the way she slept in Aiko's arms would've gotten him squealing like a little girl if he wasn't totally speechless.

'I knew it.' Hiroshi said, crossing his arms. 'The moment he laid his eyes on her, he'd love her.'

Kagami grinned. 'Know that from experience?'

'No, actually. You were the ugliest little thing in the world when you were born.'

'Excuse me?' Sakura asked, glaring at him.

'Nah, of course you were adorable. Cutest little bundle of skin I'd ever seen. Until Kian and Oona came along.'

Kian leaned in a little closer, staring at his new little sister like she was the greatest treasure known to merman-kind. Which, of course, she was. The slight hullabaloo going on between the adults interrupted her little nap, and her tiny eyes began to open. Kian's heart almost exploded when he saw them; she had her mother's eyes.

'Hello.' He whispered, even though she probably didn't understand him. 'I'm your big brother. And I'm gonna keep you safe.'

Oona reached an arm out for him, to the best of her ability. Her tiny little arm couldn't quite reach him, so he had to meet her in the middle. As soon as his hand got close to hers, she grabbed it. He would never admit it, but happy tears came to his eyes.

He was going to keep her safe. No matter what happened.

'Come on, Oona! Say… momma!'

About six months had passed since sweet little Oona was born. In that time alone, she had proven herself to be quite a bubbly little girl. Much more so than Kian, who was rather reserved in comparison.

'I want you to say 'momma'. Can you do that?'

Always giggling and smiling at everything, only ever crying if she needed something. Attempting to sing along (decently so) at Kian's fifth birthday party a few days ago. Getting paint absolutely everywhere whenever she could. And Kian had to make sure, time and time again, that nothing could possibly hurt her. So determined to do so, in fact, that he had injured himself about three times doing so.

He still hadn't recovered from the carpet burns from the last incident.

'You can say 'momma'. I know you can!'

Kian sat down on the couch next to his mother, unable to take his eyes off the adorable baby in her arms. Oona had finally calmed down a little, though not quite enough to go to sleep. She continued to giggle and reach out to everything she could see.

'Bah-bah?' She asked, in the cutest voice you could imagine.

Hiroshi chuckled as he swam past them. 'I don't think that's working, Aiko. Maybe it'll work if you try getting her to say 'daddy' instead.'

Aiko couldn't help laughing. 'Still upset that Kian took forever to say 'daddy'?'

'What? No! Not at all. I got over that just yesterday!'

Kian could've sworn that Oona was staring directly into his eyes, like he was a collection of jiggling keys. Her intense focus on him was a consistent thing over the past few months. Even the television sometimes failed to bring her attention away from him.

'Maybe I should try!' He said, getting a little closer. 'Oona, I'm your big brother. Can you say 'brother'?'

'Bah-bah?' She asked again.

'Ooh, you're close. Try it again. 'Bro-ther'. If you can't manage those difficult sounds, you can just say 'bwud-der'.'

The little girl giggled. It was that little laugh that could kill Kian from cuteness overload if he let it.

'Bwu… bwu…'

Kian's smile widened. 'That's right, Oona! You can do it!'

'Big bwudder!'

And that did it for Kian. He was gone. His heart had exploded. Not even the finest hospital in the world could possibly save him now.

'She said it!' He yelled, bouncing around on the spot. 'She called me big brother, Mommy! SHE CALLED ME BIG BROTHER!'

Aiko laughed quietly. 'She must love you very much.'

'More than us, apparently!' Hiroshi said.

Kian's joy over hearing Oona's first words were ruined quite quickly the very next day, when his parents had to leave for something work related. Thus, he had to spend the day with his aunts instead. Now, he loved his aunts, but he preferred the company of his parents. He just felt closer to them, that was all.

'Big bwudder!' Oona cheered, hardly keeping still in Kagami's arms.

'Okay, we get it.' Sakura grumbled. 'You have a first word. Can you learn something else?'

Kagami gave her a soft glare. 'Sweetie, she's young. And she loves her brother. Don't be mean to an infant.'

'I've been mean to infants for years, and I don't feel like stopping now.'

'And this is why we never had kids.'

'And hallelujah for that.'

Kian had spent a large part of the day watching random cartoons on televisions. Thank cods that SpongeBob was on almost all the time, because it was his favourite. Even Oona seemed to find it quite funny, even if she could barely comprehend what was being said. She did seem quite upset every time Squidward suffered, though. Interspersed with the occasional ball game outside to keep him active, and time passed for Kian quickly.

It didn't take long until, after another great episode of SpongeBob, he got a glance at the clock. Eight o'clock… his parents were due to pick him up any moment now. Oona had already gotten sick of waiting, it seemed, and had fallen fast asleep in Kagami's arms.

'Come on, Oona!' He said, whispering as loudly as he could. 'Mommy and Daddy are gonna be home soon!'

'I hope she wakes up.' Sakura said, groaning. 'Because I'm not letting her stay the night.'

Kagami laughed. 'Oh, you love her to bits and you just don't want to admit it.'

'Hey, I did not give you permission to search through my head like that.'

Since Oona was asleep and his aunts were occupied with her, Kian got out of his seat and swam for the kitchen window. It gave him a wonderful view of the front yard, where he could easily see his parents' car when they finally got home.

He waited.

And waited.

And waited.

A yawn escaped his mouth after an unknown but certainly long amount of time. He glanced at the clock again - ten-past-nine. They were about an hour late. In the few years of his short life that he could easily remember, he couldn't recall a single time that his parents were this late.

'My Kyōdai seems a little late…' Kagami said, placing Oona into a crib they kept solely for her.

'What do you mean a little late?' Sakura said. 'He was supposed to get here more than an hour ago! I don't know him half as well as you do, but being so late isn't like him.'

'I should give him a call. Just to be sure.'

Kian watched her call up her brother from the kitchen window, refusing to move from his spot until his parents arrived. Or he fell asleep. Whichever came first. Kagami was on the phone, staying completely quiet, for several minutes before she put it down in defeat. Her eyes widened with fear and worry.

'He didn't pick up.' She said. 'And neither did Aiko.'

Even though sleep was slowly creeping up on him, Kian knew something wasn't right. It wasn't too strange if Hiroshi sometimes didn't answer the call; he had a habit of getting so invested in something that he didn't even hear the phone. But Aiko… she never failed to answer, outside of the worst possible circumstances.

Sakura put her hand on Kagami's shoulder. 'Don't worry, Gami. I'm sure they're just caught up with something. You know how work can be sometimes.'

'I know that.' Kagami said. 'But usually they-'

The phone suddenly rang again. What should've brought relief only brought more worry; Kagami had a particular song that she used only for her brother and sister-in-law, and that wasn't the song playing from her phone. Still, she answered it without hesitation.

'Hello? … Yes, this is Kagami Takahashi. Hiroshi's sister.'

Kian only heard one side of the conversation, but his stomach dropped. Kagami couldn't bring herself to say much at all, and the longer the conversation went on, the more distressed she seemed.

'No…' She murmured. 'Oh god, please no…'

'What's wrong?' Sakura asked. 'You gotta tell me!'

Kagami couldn't answer. The phone dropped out of her hand, and she fell to the floor in a heap. She tucked her head in behind her arms, but it didn't block out the sound of her weeping at all. Kian's heart broke from the sound alone.

'A-Auntie…?' He said. 'W-What's wrong?'

Sakura kept her hand on her wife's shoulder as she picked up the phone, hoping to get the answers to this situation herself. It didn't take long for her to stare into space, hardly able to process the rest of the news. She didn't cry - Sakura never cried - but Kian had never seen her so close to breaking down before.

'K-Kian…' She said, her voice uncharacteristically weak. 'I'm gonna need to get Gami up to her room. After I manage that, we're gonna need to have a talk.'

'About what?' Kian asked, frightened to know the answer.

'It's a talk, Kian. That's all you need to know, and you're gonna find out later.'

It took a while before Sakura could get Kagami up to their room, and Kian could've sworn that she was on the verge of tears the whole time. Once the bedroom door was closed, Sakura brought Kian over to the couch and sat him down.

'What's wrong, Sakie?' He asked.

Sakura took a deep breath. Never before had she needed to sit a kid down and explain something so serious. For a moment, she thought about what Kagami would do. Then she realised that she wasn't Kagami and had no reason to do things the way she would. Thinking about it, it seemed clear that the 'soft and gentle' way wouldn't cut it.

'Kian,' She said. 'That was a call from the police.'

Kian's eyes went wide. 'D-Did we do anything wrong?'

'No. It wasn't us. They just called us to let us know…' She sighed. 'That there was a car accident in Bubbletucky. While your parents were on their way back from Fishington.'

Despite being so young, Kian was already understanding what could've happened. But he didn't want to believe it, so he let Sakura continue.

'There was a… someone had a little too much 'adult drink', and he wasn't supposed to be behind the wheel. He lost control, and crashed his car into someone else's. And that car… your parents were in it.'

Kian's eyes widened more, and shimmered under the ceiling light. It was the first time in years that Sakura could feel her heart breaking. She wrapped her arms around the little boy and kept him close, like the world would take him away from her too.

'Your parents aren't coming back.' She said, softly. 'Kagami has lost her brother, and you…'

Kian sunk into her hug, burying his face in her chest. He couldn't hold back the tears, even if he tried. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the reality of the situation was slowly sinking in. His parents were…

'No…' He murmured.

'Kian, I know it's hard.' Sakura said. 'I-I don't know how we're gonna deal with it either. But-'

'NO!' The boy suddenly yelled, much to her surprise. 'THEY CAN'T BE DEAD!'

'I wish that was the case. God, you wouldn't even be able to comprehend how much I wish they were still alive. But they-'

'They're still alive! They… they can't be dead. They can't! W-What about Oona?'

Whatever response Sakura had to his question, he didn't hear it. Without thinking, he dashed outside the front door and peered out over the fence. The streets were dark, lit up only by the streetlights and the occasional headlights. The world turned into a blurred mess as tears clouded his vision.

They couldn't be dead. There was no way they could've died so easily and suddenly, with so little reason.

By the time Sakura rushed out the door, she found Kian lying on the ground. His poor tired body couldn't handle it anymore, and he went right to sleep.

Kian had hoped it was all a nightmare. That his parents would be there when he woke up, to tell him that they were okay. But that wasn't what happened. He woke up in the living room of his aunts' house, lying on the pull-out bed in the couch. Sakura sat next to him, worry clear on her face. He wasn't used to her seeming so frightened. Once he realised that it wasn't a nightmare, he began crying once again. This time, it had woken up Oona too, and now she was crying with him. It only made him feel even worse.

'Oh, Oona…!'

He swam over to her crib and reached his arm down to her. She grabbed onto his hand like her life depended on it. For a moment, he wondered if she knew.

'Big bwudder! BIG BWUDDER!'

'I-I'm here for you, Oona, a-and I always will be.'

But of course she didn't know. Not nearly to the extent he did, at least. She just knew that he was sad, and that was enough to make her sad too. Knowing that he was there, however, calmed her down.

'I don't get it…' He muttered. 'T-There are hardly any accidents in Bubbletucky… why did this have to happen to us?! Why did it have to happen to Oona?!'

Sakura placed her hands on his shoulders. 'Because. There is no reason. Why did my uncle die of illness long before his time? Because. There's never a reason for it. It was not the result of anything that you did. Sometimes, life sucks.'

'W-What are we gonna do now? With Mommy and Daddy… g-gone… where are we gonna go?'

Sakura sighed. She knew exactly what the answer was, and she couldn't believe what she was about to say.

'Well, we'll do what most people do when this happens.' She said. 'Someone else in the family has to take care of you, provided they've proven they can do it, and… well, that leaves Kagami and I as the only options, doesn't it?'

'Y-You?' Kian said. 'B-But you don't…'

'Yes, I don't really like kids all that much. But you and Oona are different. You need us right now. I'm an only child, and we're your closest living relatives. And I'll take care of you. We all will.'

Kian wanted to hug her, to be welcomed into a warm embrace. But to do that, he would need to let go of Oona, and he sure as heck wasn't going to do that.

He looked down at the little baby girl once again. Her eyes reminded him so much of his mother; it was strangely comforting to see a part of them staying with him. Even though he couldn't stop crying, he managed to smile; at least Oona was still alive. If he ever lost her, that would be the end for him.

'You can stay here.' Sakura said. 'The both of you. It'll be a while before Kagami is ready to have a real talk about this.'

'T-That's okay.' Kian said. 'A-As long as Oona is still here…'

It never got easier. Oona was the only reason why Kian could keep going, even after Kagami and Sakura officially adopted them. At least now, the worst that happened was that he would sometimes receive an unpleasant remark about having two mothers.

The only bright side to the entire situation, it seemed, was that one person managed to survive the accident. Not the driver who caused the whole thing; he didn't survive the impact either. No, it was the man's daughter. By some miracle, she survived with only minor injuries. Being in the backseat was likely what saved her. The only problem was that she didn't have a mother either, so she was orphaned. The good thing? She ended up getting adopted by the royal family themselves.

Seeing as her father had literally named her 'Demanda', it was certainly for the best.

Kagami and Sakura got full custody of Kian and Oona, even if it was a painful uphill battle. If Bubbletucky wasn't such an accepting place, it could have been even harder. Though they were technically his aunts, Kian saw them as his mothers and called them such. The scars were always there, and Kian did not deny it. It took a long time before he even felt comfortable watching certain cartoons again; seeing little kids playing games and hugging their parents would sting too much.

Oona kept growing without her parents. Kian watched it all. He cried happy tears when she stood up and swam towards him, all on her own. He squealed like a fangirl when he taught her how to read. He regretted every night that Aiko and Hiroshi never got to see any of it.

It wasn't until a week after Oona's fourth birthday that Kian had to face reality head-on again. The brother and sister were sitting on the couch, watching as the end credits to a SpongeBob episode passed by. Home Sweet Pineapple… a simple episode to be sure, but it was the one to feature SpongeBob's parents for the first time. Kian should've expected Oona's question.

'Where's Daddy?' She asked.

'Uh… you mean SpongeBob's dad?' Kian said. 'You saw him.'

'No. I mean our daddy.'

Kian's face went pale. His au- mothers were outside tending to the garden, since they had full trust in their almost-nine-year-old son to take care of the house and the little one. Which left him alone to deal with this.

'W-What do you mean?' Kian asked, grinning nervously. 'We have our moms. W-Why would we need a dad?'

'All the other kids I know have a mommy and a daddy.' Oona said. 'Or, they did. But we don't have a daddy. Where is he?'

Kian kept up a brave face on the outside, but on the inside he was screaming. He couldn't believe this was happening. Not now. Not yet. When he looked into her eyes, all he could see was his mother. If it wasn't for all the photo albums, those sweet brown eyes would be the only thing about her he ever remembered.

Photo albums…

'Oona,' He said. 'There's something you need to know. You love our mommas, right?'

Oona smiled. 'Of course I do!'

'Well, t-there's a little more to this, er, story. Come with me.'

Oona followed Kian to their mothers' bedroom. The boy swam up to the highest shelf on the bookshelf, bringing a fairly large book down with him. The words on the front of the book read 'PHOTO ALBUM'. He placed it on the bed (his mothers wouldn't mind), and opened it up. The first page almost made him cry.

'Sit down.' He said, softly.

Oona, unsure what he was doing, sat down on the bed next to him. The first page in the book depicted her big brother as a baby, looking absolutely adorable. Even though he was so much younger, she recognised him almost instantly. It was the two people around him that she couldn't recognise. The man looked kinda like Kian, but otherwise they seemed like total strangers.

'Who are they?' She asked. 'I know that's you, and you were a really cute baby! But what about the other two?'

Kian took a deep breath, only answering her question when he knew he could. 'Mom and Dad.'

He wasn't sure how she would react. Her response was a confused tilt of her head.

'Huh? That doesn't make sense.' She said. 'Gami and Sakie are our mommas.'

'Oona, I need to be honest with you. Gami and Sakie are our moms. And nothing is going to change that. But… they weren't always our moms. They used to be our aunts.'

This explanation just made Oona more confused. 'I… don't get it.'

Kian flicked through the pages, watching himself grow up in the photos. He couldn't pay much attention to the photos themselves; it was too much of a reminder. It didn't take long until he found one taken the same day that they brought Oona home. All of them were there - their grandmother, Kagami, a frustrated Sakura… their parents.

'You mean those two were my real parents?' Oona asked.

'Well, kinda.' Kian replied. 'Really, Gami and Sakie are our real parents. But these two were our parents at the beginning. Akio and Hiroshi. That's what their names were. They were very happy when you were born. They loved you, with all of their hearts.'

'If they love me so much, how come I've never met them?'

Kian sighed. 'Oona, what I'm about to tell you might be… upsetting. Are you sure you want to know?'

She nodded, staring at him with puppy-dog eyes. Kian was silent for a few minutes, trying to figure out the best way to explain it to her.

'Do… do you remember Bambi?' He asked.

She nodded. 'Yeah… that movie was really sad. Why do you ask?'

'Our… our mom and dad were going to work together one day. When you were just a baby. They left us with our aunts. T-There was a car accident.'

Oona's eyes widened. Despite being so young, she knew more than anyone realised. Even Kian.

'Mom and Dad…' Kian continued. 'They never came home.'

The little girl looked at the photo again. It felt so wrong that the two strangers before her were her parents. Were…

'We're like Bambi, Oona.'

Kian knew there was no way he could avoid this. The young girl would find out sooner or later what had happened, and he'd rather it happen as soon as possible. He still regretted his decision when he saw a tear falling down her cheek.

'Y-You mean… they're dead?' She asked, in a voice so fragile that it broke Kian's heart.

'I don't know what to say.' Kian said. 'There's nothing to say.'

'I… I never got to know them?'

'What's done is done. It happens sometimes.'

'B-But why?!'

Her voice increased in volume so sharply that it made Kian jump.

'W-Why does this have to happen?!' Oona cried. 'I never got to meet Mommy and Daddy because… b-because of an accident!'

'Because… because…' Kian sighed. 'Because. There is no reason. All we can do is move on. If I could change this, I would. Our parents were amazing people, and every day I wish you could have met them. It never changes.'

Oona couldn't say anything else. Any words she tried to speak were caught in her throat. All she could do was throw herself at Kian and allow his arms to grab her. He held her as close as he could.

'H-How do you deal with it?' She asked. 'I-I… I-I don't understand…'

'I can only deal with it because of you.' Kian said. 'Because I still have you. If I didn't have you, I-I don't think I could handle it. But I have to keep it all together for your sake. I'll deal with all the heartbreak so you don't have to.'

The little girl didn't make another sound, aside from the occasional sniffling, as she buried her head in her brother's chest. Kian wanted to break down much like her, but he couldn't. He wouldn't. Not until he was alone. That's what his mothers were for.

'K-Kian…' Her little voice squeaked out.

'Tell me.' Kian said. 'Anything in the world.'

'You… you won't leave me too, will you?'

This question left Kian lost for words for a moment.

'I… I can't guarantee that I'll be around forever.' He said. 'And… and I kinda hope I'm not, cos then I'd have to lose you. I don't think I can handle that. But I will try my hardest to make sure that you're never alone.'

She smiled. 'I never felt alone. I have you with me.'

He did not let go of her. Not until their mothers found them half-asleep in their bedroom.

Kian didn't let Oona see any of it, lest he ruin it for her, but he was terrified when she swam out the door. It was her first day of school, and - like most of the other students - she was to go by herself. There were only going to be five other students in the class: the other five Guppies that had been born that year. Still, Kian was petrified.

It had been the first time she was going somewhere without him.

He had spent the whole day pacing around his room, hardly able to enjoy anything. His thoughts were too occupied with his little sister. What if the same thing happened? What if another terrible accident happened, and Oona was the victim? What if she never came home, just like Mom and Dad? It happened once. What was stopping it from happening again? He was about ready to panic completely when he heard a voice at the door.

'Momma! Mommy! I'M HOME!'

All that fear and panic boiling inside him seemed to dissolve into relieved tears. With happy tears trailing down his cheeks, he dashed out of his room and embraced Oona as tightly as he could. Her giggling sounded a little restrained, thanks to the pressure on her lungs.

'You're back!' Kian said, practically yelling.

'Of course I'm back!' Oona said. 'I would never leave you.'

The hole his parents left was still there. As much as he loved his mothers, it just wasn't the same. He would always miss his mother tucking him in with a bedtime story, his father singing him a silly song to cheer him up, the warming hugs they would give him every day…

But he had Oona. And she was all he needed.

Author Notes - Inspiration was taken from a few sources. The most obvious one is probably Bambi, which I even brought up in the story itself. Another big one was Sesame Street, of all things. More specifically, the episode where Mr Hooper dies. That's where the 'because' scenes came from. If you haven't, you should watch that scene. You can find it on YouTube. Heads up, it's a very emotional scene.

The deal with Princess Demanda from S04's The Glitter Games came from how she's a totally different species to both of her parents. The Queen is a snail, the King is a crab, and she... is a lobster. Not to mention the fact that she needs to earn her princesshood instead of having it passed down to her. Her being adopted is really the only option.