Hi, NorthernMage here with chapter 4, Difference. I don't really have much to say for this chapter, except that this was one of the first oneshots I thought of.

Renina: NorthernMage doesn't own Pokemon or FTL.

Difference: N always came to tuck Renina in, Ghetsis just being painful and ignoring them, but one night N gets sick, and Renina decides it's time to repay the favour.

Age:
N: 8
Renina: 7

General POV

Renina snuggled deep into her bed, trying to avoid the loneliness and silence of the Plasma Senate at night. It was late, about 8pm, and she felt more alone than ever. That night she and her brother N had had to sit through a massive meeting between tens of people. They both knew the rules: no making a sound or drawing attention to themselves. They were expected to be invisible, unheard and unknown. Even their father, Ghetsis, acted this way, completely ignoring the needs of the six and seven year olds. The only person who cared for Renina was N, and the only person who cared about N was Renina. She was quiet, shy and honestly was scared of most of the people they had to be around. She heard the soft pad of feet coming to her bedroom door, and when it opened, N came in. She relaxed. N always did this for her. Every night, without fail, he'd come in and tuck her in. Ghetsis never cared about them, so it was up to N to take care of his younger sister. Coming up beside her, he pulled the sheets over her better so she would feel safer. He reached over to her and gave her a cuddle.

'You okay, Ri-ri?' he asked, using his nickname for her. She nodded.

'Thanks N.' she said quietly. If it was possible, she would have worked out some kind of nickname for him, but a letter was hard to make a nickname out of. He gave her a grateful smile and left. She looked up to him a lot of the time, and honestly, he never turned it down. He continued on the way to his room, entered and slipped into his bed, falling asleep in a matter of moments.

In the morning the siblings got dressed and headed down to the main gathering area in the Plasma Senate. Today Ghetsis had to go out and was bringing them. Renina was wearing a thick jumper, as it was winter and very cold on Atiris, and N was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants. After waiting for a good fifteen minutes after Ghetsis was supposed to appear, he decided to turn up. He gave them nothing more than a cursory glance before walking past. Looking at each other, Renina and N followed.

It turned out that Atiris was bitterly cold, enough to make Renina pull the hood up on her jumper. Renina tugged on the cords hanging from the hood, tightening them to help keep her warm. Shivering, N stuck his hands in his pockets. They'd been out for a couple of hours, surely they'd be heading back soon. Renina looked at him.

'Are you ok?' He nodded.

'Just a bit cold.' She nodded.

'Me too.' They felt a glare, presumably Ghetsis angered at the fact they were stopping and talking, and quickly hurried along, not speaking for the rest of the walk.

Upon arriving home, they headed to their rooms. Sniffling, N grabbed a tissue. Today had been colder than he had thought, and given it was the start of flu season, he would have to hope he didn't catch anything.

At dinner, sitting next to Renina, the sniffling got worse and eventually resulted in two or three minutes of solid coughing. He got up and left, deciding it might be better to go and sleep earlier. Renina turned around and watched as he walked off.

Renina hadn't stayed long after N left. Without him, it was just Ghetsis, her, and an uncomfortable silence. She pulled the blankets around her tighter. Soon N would come and she'd be able to push away the feelings of loneliness and insecurity. That was when it hit her. N was sick, that much she had been able to tell. Maybe...maybe he wouldn't be coming. She felt scared at the thought for a moment, before she thought of something. Smiling to herself, she swung her legs out of bed and started heading to N's room.

It was surprising how dark the Plasma Senate got at night. Every light was off, and there was complete silence. No one made a noise. Renina was even a little scared of her home, but she continued along. Finally arriving at N's room, she opened the door and slipped inside.

Once in his room, she heard loud coughing. It sounded like he was almost struggling to breathe. Inwardly she cringed. She crossed his room in a heartbeat and entered his bedroom. He was lying on the bed in almost a foetal position, his arms hugging his chest and back curved forward. The movement from coughing had thrown the sheets off him. She went up to him and reached over to the sheets, pulling them over him. She reached over to him and cuddled him tightly. At this his eyes opened. 'Ri-ri?' She nodded.

'You okay N?' she asked him. He opened his mouth to speak, but started coughing again.

'Not really.' he said, eyes watering. Renina's face fell and she started to leave.

'Thanks.' She paused and looked back at N, who had managed to stop coughing for a little bit to talk. 'I'll probably be better in the morning.'

'You don't get sick that much.' Renina agreed, nodding as she left.

Back in her bed, she thought about what had just happened. If she had been sick, she knew that a hug would have made her feel better. So why hadn't it made N feel better? The answer came surprisingly fast.

They were different. She realised she had never really thought that they were different before. She felt a certain way about something, so she thought N felt the same way about it too. Now though, she knew that wasn't true. We're not the same person, so of course we act and react differently.