Nano Rain: Soooorrry! My computer was all messed up and I finally got it fixed. Not a lot to say except Happy New Year, for those of whom it is the new year. Enjoy the chapter.

Why was the ground shaking? In school they had called this an earthquake. They said you should get under tables to protect yourself from falling objects. I was panicked and hurried under the kitchen table. We never ate there anymore, and it was only used to set stuff on. One of the legs of it was loose and it had several bits of torn wood that was peeling off. But I figured it would be sturdy enough, after all, what was likely to fall on me in this clear area?

Where was my onee-san? She had gone out to get the mail, but would it be shaking out there too? I heard lots of cracking and loud noise around me. I was scared. "Kei!" I cried. Suddenly the door burst open and I saw my sisters bare feet running towards me. She grabbed my arm and yanked me out from under the table. Everything after that seemed to be in slow motion. I saw her face, it's expression of utter horror and wondered what was so terrifying my big and strong sister would be scared. I looked to see where she was taking me, the door was the other way. I saw an open window. "Kei..." I whispered feeling petrified. She yanked me up and threw me out the window. I rolled around on soft green grass and heard a sound like thunder. Turning my head up I saw the roof of the house cave in. Dust and filled the air and I felt the ground begin to stop shaking.

"Kei!" I screamed as loud as I could. The house had fallen on her. I heard no response, I tried to look through the crushed window but my eyes couldn't see passed the smoke. Hands grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. It was my neighbors.

"Ken get back. That building is still unstable. C'mon honey I know it's scary." I let them take me away, but still couldn't get the picture of Kei out of my mind. What had she done?

"Onee-san... She's still in there!" I finally managed to speak when we a few blocks away. Mr. and Mrs. Yoshida looked shocked.

Mrs. Yoshida put her hands gently on my shoulders and kneeled down so we were eye level. "Ken... Sweety. Your home, completely caved in. We called the ambulance, and your parents... But it's unlikely..."

"Shhh- don't tell him that," her husband interrupted quickly. Tell me what? "That's for his parents to tell him."

"Tell me what?" I yanked myself away from them and began running. Kei... She'd be okay, right? He'd seen her sad often, he'd seen her hurt, but whenever he came around she always put on a smile. She would be alright... Just like always. "Kei! Onee-san!"

When I turned around the corner I saw ambulances and fire trucks. Normally I'd be excited to get such a close-up view, but now I only felt horror. I ran up and saw them carrying someone on a stretcher, a white sheet over the person. No... "Kei!" A man stopped me.

"Hold it there.. You can't come, it's still too dangerous." Then he saw me looking at the person on the stretcher. "You know the people that live here?"

I nodded, not taking my eyes away from body. "It's my home..." The man had an expression full of pity and sympathy.

"It's her... It's my onee-san... Isn't it?" I finally choked out. The man slowly nodded. Tears poured out my eyes and I looked away as they loaded her into an ambulance. "She pushed me out the window right as it collapsed!" I shouted while crying. I sobbed hard and long, feeling horrible. She had died for me. I still couldn't quite comprehend what that meant, but I did know that it meant she wouldn't be around anymore to play video games or make me breakfast. She wouldn't be here anymore. Kei had often yelled at me for doing childish things, and she could be very stern. She'd once told me why; she just didn't like little kids. But still, she could be very warm and kind. She'd always tried to explain things to me, or help me to understand.

Not anymore.

And. It. Was. All. My. Fault.

Later that night my parents and I were staying at a friends house. I'd cried for a very long time, and now my parents were too. Officers had interviewed me, and I'd told them exactly what happened. They'd patted my shoulder and given me hugs, saying I was very brave. How had I been brave? I'd been scared the whole time, and now I was just sulking.

I had my own room. It was small and only had a sleeping bag, but it was enough. I looked out the window at the moonand stars. "Please," I whimpered. "I'll be a good boy forever now. I'll do everything I'm told... I make good decisions, I'll be smart. I won't be a little kid anymore... Just please... I just want my sister back," I asked a star. I wished with all my might that Kei would come back.

She didn't.

The next morning, my mom and dad got together with their friends and watched some TV. I had nothing else to do, I felt a little lost without her. So I watched too. I was surprised to see myself on the TV. And a picture of my sister. They were talking about her heroic act of saving me by sacrificing herself.

"She gave up everything for her little brother," One man said. I choked back a sob.

"She had been outside, she didn't have to come back for him," Someone else added. I jumped up and ran back to my temporary room.

"Ken!" My mother called. She opened the door and found me crumpled on my sleeping bag, crying my eyes out.

She sat down next to me and rubbed my back. When she spoke there was a crack in her voice. "Ken... I know it hurts... But she died, so you could live and be happy. So... For her... Please smile." I gave a short nod, and tried to cease my crying.

"It's just... That it's still! It's still all my fault!" She bit her lip and continued to rub my back. I cried in her lap for the rest of the morning.

A few days later the funeral was held. Lots of people arrived, people I didn't know. Reporters, her classmates, family I'd never met. Even a lady from the book store Kei had always gone to was there. But unlike a lot of people, the lady's eyes were red and puffy. She'd been crying. I went over and held her hand, giving her a comforting smile. "My sister was a great person. I'm sure she's still here, looking after us even now," he told her. He didn't know what else to say.

The woman gave a weak smile. "I'm sure she is. You must be Ken. She told me a lot about you. I'm Shizuka. It's too bad the weather's the way it is, I'm sure Kei would have loved a raging storm to be the kind of weather at her funeral." Ken grinned and nodded. Kei hated hot sunny days. She'd take a storm any day.

Then it was time to lay flowers for her. I ran over to my mom and she nodded, handing me something wrapped up. I had made it especially for Kei. Waiting for my turn I began to unwrap it, revealing a bouquet. A special bouquet. It was none other than a bouquet of fortunes. Kei had been collecting a few of them for whatever reason, and he'd found them in her room. The paper that wrapped around the fortune flowers was a note from him. He'd wrote it all by himself.

Finally he was standing in front of the grave. He bowed. "Thank you onee-san. Thank you for everything," was all he said as he laid the flowers down. "I'll never forget you," he whispered as he walked away.

He would keep that promise he'd made to the star anyway. Even if he couldn't get Kei back, he'd still be as best as he could, as if Kei was still there and watching him.