The life story of Makoto Niijima, through the lens of her big sister Sae.
[?]
The team had just finished one last mementos request for the night. Ace herself was exhausted, and looking forward to finally getting home and then fall down on her bed to sleep like the dead.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a small familiar chuckle that sounded like music to her ears.
Ace looked up and saw Queen smiling conspiratorially with Panther, who also had a glint of mischief in her eyes, hidden beneath her mask. Both girls schemed by whispering to each other and snickering together, thick as thieves.
Queen noticed her sister's attention and beamed at her. "Hey, sis!"
"What are you two conspiring about?" She asked, feeling amused for no reason.
"You'll see." Queen replied mysteriously.
The group gathered at the Monabus and got inside, but Queen and Panther stayed behind.
"You know, lately, it's been too cramped in the Monabus." Panther started as she threw a pointed look at Crow, who ignored her.
"Yes, so Panther and I will just go on our own. Sis, you can drive instead." Queen replied, smirking.
"You sure?" Joker asked, concerned.
"Yep. Don't worry." Queen said. Then did something that horrified and scarred Ace for life.
She blew a kiss in Joker's direction, then laughed as her twintailed friend whooped and dragged her by the arms towards the other side of the train tracks.
As Joker blushed and grinned at Queen's unusual, out of character antics, Ace felt the urge to gag, which doubled down when she saw Crow also gagging beside her.
Deciding to not question whatever shenanigan the duo was trying to pull, Ace took control of the steering wheel and was just checking everyone over, when she heard a loud sound and hurriedly glanced outside, only to see the most ridiculous scene ever play out.
Queen summoned Anat, and then the thing just transformed into its motorcycle form. Panther hopped on behind her friend, but both girls seemed to have a hard time keeping the balance as they tried not to laugh and failed.
Finally, after they got properly settled, Queen revved her persona in, making Anat roar its engine furiously.
She kept doing it for an unnecessary amount of time, and Panther cracked her whip theatrically.
"IT'S BADASS BITCHES TIME!" The girls shouted loudly in unison, then her sister sped up like the devil, leaving everyone behind to eat dust.
Ace was shocked momentarily, then decided to catch up, a mix of concern and amusement flowing through her veins.
She drove through Mementos like crazy trying to catch up with the girls, which she did, eventually. Just up ahead, the team spotted Anat running through the enemies, with Panther cracking the whip on any shadows that tried to get to them sideways, while Hecate materialized in and out in a pyrotechnic show.
It was incredibly irresponsible of the girls, but also amazingly fun to watch.
Soon, they reached the earliest floors of mementos, and slowed down to a stop. Ace and the team got out of the Monabus.
She spotted Panther and Queen still on top of Anat, making circular drifts on the tracks and laughing like madwomen.
Before she could call out for her sister to stop her silliness, Queen lost control of the bike and her persona disappeared. Both girls were sent flying to the ground, landing on top of each other.
"Queen/Panther!" The team shouted in unison.
Fortunately, the girls were sprawled on the ground, groaning and complaining, but seemingly unharmed.
Queen shrieked out indignantly. "Ann, get your boobs out of my face!"
"Well, you're not the one on heels, smartass, do you know how hard it is to get up like this!?" Panther retorted grumpily.
Then the blonde panicked. "Also, I think my hair is stuck in the train tracks! Help me up, guys!"
Ace shook her head and motioned to Noir, who was chuckling delightfully at the scene, to assist her in getting the girls up.
After the girls were untangled, and properly up, they all chuckled afterwards.
"Dude, that shit was effin hot and badass!" Skull shouted as he shared high fives with Panther and Queen both.
The group gushed over their performance, while Crow merely looked sour and irritated.
"That was a shitty idea, don't do that ever again." Ace scolded playfully as she fussed over her sis and ruffled her hair.
Queen smiled tenderly at her sister. "Okay, sorry. We just wanted to lighten the mood up a bit. We are all stressed and anxious, and I'm sort of tired of feeling that way."
Ace softened. "I get you."
Queen leaned her head on Ace's shoulder, mindful of the spiky shoulder pads, and embraced her big sis like she used to when she was a little kid, not caring if everyone else was watching the oddly affectionate display.
Ace shared a happy smile with Joker, who watched over them with a content expression on his face.
[April 23rd of 2016, Several Months Ago]
The click of the front door and its hinges groaning loudly in the empty silence as it opened signaled the arrival of the owner of the house.
Sae, miserable and grumpy from another stressful day at the job, carefully left her shoes at the door and quietly maneuvered her way inside. She set a delicately wrapped cake box and a small gift bag on the kitchen's counter, and went further inside in search of her baby sister.
Their home was deadly silent and dark with the exception of a corner table lamp that was left on for the sake of the couch's occupant.
'Is this girl ever going to stop passing out on the couch, waiting for someone to come home?'
Makoto had adopted a fixation of sleeping on the couch ever since their father died. She'd wait up for him all night, but he would never come back.
Sae felt a pang of bitterness hit her violently.
'Even now what does she cling to, but bitter remnants of the past?'
This was all their father's fault. He left them both alone and defenseless, with their uncles living so far away. Sae couldn't bring herself to lose the position she fought so hard for to return to Sumaru with her sister now.
They were on their own. It was too late. Sae made her bed, she was going to lie in it.
The living room's digital clock read 23:20. She only had a meager 40 minutes left.
The silver haired woman crouched in front of the sleeping Makoto. Then, she gently brushed the stray hairs away from the younger girl's face and sighed in defeat when the girl just continued to sleep.
"Hey, wake up kiddo." She muttered, trying to wake Makoto up.
Her baby sister's eyes fluttered open and they widened in delighted surprise as she took in the sight of her usually cold and stressed out sister gazing down at her tenderly.
"Hey, sis." The girl whispered sleepily, her face blooming with hints of happiness.
Sae felt a squeeze of pain in her heart at the pitiful sight of Makoto's entire face gradually lighting up, happy to just see her.
Makoto was 18 years old now, and Sae couldn't even provide a decent birthday for her sister. What the fuck was wrong with her, that couldn't even do the most basic of things?
'I sort of want to strangle someone for it.'
She shoved away her intrusive thoughts and tried her best to focus on her sister.
"Sorry I'm late. There was too much traffic…" She said as a shitty excuse, even though she knows she could've come home much earlier.
It was a half truth and she knew it.
Makoto however, was graceful enough to take her word for it and quickly sat up on the couch.
"It's okay, I imagined you had important things to attend to." She mumbled timidly.
They spent a few moments in silence with Makoto staring at her expectantly, the lights in her eyes slowly losing hope as Sae also stayed quiet, unsure.
Recovering from her bout of silent, awkward stupidity, Sae decided to carry on with her original agenda.
"Wait here." She said, and swiftly got up, determined, ignoring the horrible buzz she could hear inside her ears and the shadows of resentment trying to make her snap.
She ignored it with every fiber of her being. She just wanted this one thing to go right tonight, and then she could go back and deal with the rest of her burdens tomorrow.
'Please, not tonight.' She pleaded to her own intrusive thoughts as she swiftly unveiled the cake and lit up the two decorative candles that formed an '18'.
She quickly returned to the living room and helped Makoto up. "Come on. Close your eyes, no peeking."
At her suggestion, Makoto's entire face lit up in anticipation, clearly having her hopes renewed. She eagerly complied with Sae's instructions.
She carefully led her sister around in the dark, until she was right in front of the birthday cake and the wrapped present.
"You can open your eyes now, Mako." Sae whispered.
Makoto quickly opened her eyes and gasped, putting her hands to her mouth to stifle out a sob.
"I know that we only have about 35 minutes or so left, but… Happy Birthday, baby sis." Sae spoke honestly, trying to be as gentle and as earnest as possible.
Makoto let out a choked laugh. "Sis…"
The older sister put her hands on Makoto's shoulders and squeezed. "Now, make a wish, Mako."
The girl put her own hand upon Sae's on top of her shoulder, and squeezed her eyes shut as she thought of her secret wish. Then, she blew the candles out.
In that single, small moment between them, Sae briefly felt hope again as the simple act of trying to be there for her sister made her heart a little less colder.
If only she had held onto that thought in the following months…
[June of 2014, A Few Years Ago]
It rained and stormed violently outside. Makoto came begging at her to let her stay with her as the sounds of loud thunder clapped in the sky.
Sae thought she should stop coddling Makoto, because she was sixteen and a highschooler now, but she couldn't help herself so she let her baby sister climb next to her in bed to allow her to feel secure.
"Hey, sis…" Makoto whispered, just as Sae was close to dozing off.
"Hm?"
"Do you have any friends?" Makoto asked, her voice laced with a deep vulnerability that had Sae's heart clenching in pain.
"Of course. You're my best friend." Sae replied soothingly.
"No, I mean as in… Friends your own age, like, from school years… Or maybe work colleagues." The girl clarified.
"Hm… I'm afraid me and other people don't mix well at all. I'm apparently too much of a smartass, and I personally think they're all idiots anyways." She joked for Makoto's benefit.
The girl sent her a wan smile, still looking sad.
"I don't have any friends other than you, either… In school, the other girls and even the boys don't like me very much." She confessed, voice small.
"Tch. They're fools and simpletons, don't pay them any mind, Mako-chan."
"But…What if there is something wrong with me? Maybe this is my fault."
Sae lost any semblance of sleep, and contemplated her sister's words. Where did all this sudden insecurity that Makoto apparently carried come from?
"Makoto, you're beautiful, smart, well behaved, obedient, and an all around stellar child." Sae reassured her while soothing her sister by petting her hair with a maternal tenderness.
She looked Makoto in the eyes. "You're perfect the way you are. And you make your old sis very proud."
Makoto giggled, snuggling closer to her big sister, happy and secure with her praise and validation. "Thank you."
Sae smiled at her and closed her eyes, trying to sleep once more. Makoto cleared her throat again, and Sae resisted the urge to groan.
"But… How did you deal with this, back when you were in high school?"
Sae chuckled humorlessly. "What else, I ignored everyone. If they thought that it was beneath them to give me the time of day, then I reciprocated it because the feeling was mutual."
"That doesn't sound healthy, sis." Makoto said, concerned.
"It is what it is, baby sis. I'm not crying over it, and I can't say I live with regrets. After all, with the exception of maybe this really cool senpai that I hung out with sometimes, the other Shujin students were all idiots in my book. And the student council didn't care to make me feel welcome either, so I decided to be just as unhelpful to them all. Nothing of value was lost."
Makoto looked unsure. "That must've felt pretty lonely…"
"Of course not. I had all I needed right here." Sae replied with confidence while tapping Makoto in the forehead gently.
The younger girl gave her a sad smile, but then her eyes were filled with determination.
"Then… I'm going to bring change. I'm going to work hard to be a part of Shujin's Student Council, and make a difference. I don't want anyone to feel unwelcome ever again, so I will do my best."
Sae shot her an incredulous look. "That sounds noble little sis, but I'm afraid that school is beyond salvation."
"Not if I can help it." The girl fiercely protested.
And as she saw her baby sister with the same fire in her eyes as her late mother, ready to do the impossible, Sae's lips curled into an amused, proud smile.
She squeezed Makoto's hand, supportively.
"Then I'll be here with you every step of the way."
[January of 2011, Some Years Ago]
"Hey sis." Makoto greeted her awkwardly.
Sae's eyebrow's rose in amusement at Makoto's overly polite greeting. "Hey, little panda."
The young girl pouted. "I'm thirteen now, stop that."
"Oh come on, you love it." Sae said as she ruffled Makoto's hair. "Anyways kiddo, what is it?"
"Can we go to the movies tomorrow afternoon? There is this movie that I really, really, really, really wanna watch!" She asked eagerly.
"Sorry kiddo, but I was looking forward to spending the day relaxing and doing nothing tomorrow. I worked the entire week and my college night classes have been brutal." She responded, utterly tired.
Makoto deflated, clearly sad but understanding that Sae wouldn't have time for her. She hung her head and decided to make an exit, walking like a kicked puppy, but then like a sudden lightning, she spun around and stomped closer to Sae once more, determination in her eyes.
"Please? Pretty please with black forest cake and sugar on top!? I'll even cook for you, and do all the laundry and dishes for a whole week!" She said cutely and out of breath, in a rush.
Sae narrowed her eyes on her sister's seemingly innocent face.
"Hm I don't know. A week is kinda too little, don't you think? I have been working a lot, I feel like I deserve a better reward." The elder sister said as she crossed her arms smugly.
"A month then! No, two months! I promise I won't complain and I'll shut up, and not ask for anything ever again!" She said, on the verge of groveling.
Sae facepalmed. "Makoto… You truly are awful at negotiation. You surrender too early. What do I always tell you?"
"To always do what you say, and not what you do?"
Sae rolled her eyes. "No, not that."
"Rules for thee, not for me?"
"Ack, not that either!" She said, exasperated.
"Um, then I don't know, honestly." The younger girl concluded, scratching the top of her head in clueless confusion.
Sae gave her a serious look.
"We are Niijimas. And we Niijimas…?" She prompted, waving her hand for Makoto to continue.
"Um, Niijimas never give up, never let you down and never run around?"
Hm… that sounded vaguely familiar with an annoying song she heard in a department store once when she was trying to buy a pair of emergency heels.
"Yeah, something like that. Now, since your negotiation skills are so pitiful, I will help you out. You do the chores for 2 weeks, and space it out so you don't run yourself ragged."
Makoto eagerly nodded, foolishly agreeing with everything.
Then Sae shuddered. "Also, probably don't do the cooking ones, you burnt the kitchen last time you tried."
Makoto pouted. "Fine."
"Good, then it's a deal. I will take you to this godforsaken movie tomorrow. Just so we are on the same page, what is this movie even about?"
"Um, okay it's a uh, PG13 movie, I swear."
"That still doesn't answer my question, young lady."
"It's the new spacebattleshipyamato." She said in a rush.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?"
Makoto glared at Sae. "You heard it perfectly."
She heard Space Battleship Yamato, she knew enough. Nobody would shut up about the movie in her class.
Oh well, at least it wasn't Gantz. She knew Makoto would get traumatized watching that one.
"No I did not."
"Ugh you're the worst sister in this solar system…"
"I wasn't aware there were humans outside the solar system." Sae quipped.
"My point exactly!" The young teen said imperiously.
Sae chuckled. "Makoto, I dread to think what will happen when you are done with your space opera phase. What is it gonna be next, Yakuza movies?"
Makoto glared at her sister. "For your information, it's not a phase. You said the same thing last time with anime movies, and I still love Ghibli and the Buchi movies."
"That doesn't count, everyone in this household loves Miyazaki movies. And you're obsessed with Buchimaru."
Makoto just glared at her sister.
"But don't worry, I will take you to watch your movie. Honestly, spending time with you might do me some good as well."
"Really!?"
"Real- Hey, you rascal, watch it!" Sae said as her sister launched herself at her like a missile and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
[October of 2008, Several Years Ago]
"Makoto, what on earth are you doing?" Seventeen year old Sae asked, flabbergasted at the scene in front of her.
Makoto was determinedly studying advanced technical books on how to draw. How she got her hands on those, Sae had no idea.
"Hey, sis. I'm learning a new craft." The little girl said, her voice serious as she tried out some clever words that she probably heard from Sae herself.
Still in her Shujin uniform, Sae unbuttoned her blazer and tossed it away as she sat down near her sister to see what exactly she was creating.
She held in the urge to laugh.
Makoto's drawings, if you could call them drawings, were horrifying creations right out of a H.P. Lovecraft book. A disturbing, horrifying looking panda bear with beady eyes, horrifying grin and limbs out of proportion stared back at her as if ready to commit murder.
She wonders if her sister had finally gotten over her fears of horror and was going to become the next Junji Ito.
"What exactly is… This?" Sae asked diplomatically.
"This, big sis, is my next magnus opium."
Well, that is some opium alright.
"You mean, magnum opus." The elder sister corrected while trying not to laugh.
Makoto nodded several times. "Yeah, that!"
Sae resisted the urge to pinch Makoto's cute cheeks at her seriousness and dedication. She was growing up too fast.
"But seriously, what are you trying to draw here?"
Makoto sent her a patronizing 'are you stupid?' look and started to explain her grand plans.
"Since the creators of Buchimaru-kun decided to abandon us loyal fans, I'm gonna do my own continuation of Buchi-kun, with some fresh ideas. If everything goes well, I'll sell this manga and get the animation continued!" She proclaimed excitedly.
Right, that. Just three years ago, Buchimaru-kun's animation was discontinued. Makoto bawled her eyes out and mourned the end of her favorite series for weeks, until their father found all the Buchimaru VHS and DVDs he could get his hands on.
"Makoto, that's really nice of you, but that is not how copyright works." Sae explained, chuckling.
Makoto cocked her head to the side and sent Sae a puzzled look. "Copywhat now?"
"Copyright. You know, the right to reproduce and sell intellectual property."
"I have no idea what you're on about, sis." The girl told her big sis as if she was silly.
Sae was amused. "It means that your manga is an infringement. You cannot use it for large profits, nor to continue the series. That is up to its real creators."
"But, that is not fair! What if I want to see a really good new Buchi-kun story made by a fan!?"
"Then you do what most normal people do, and enjoy a fan made manga and support the story without trying to start a court dispute with the original creators."
"But where would I find Buchi-kun fan stuff?"
"I don't know, Akihabara?"
On second thought, Sae shouldn't be encouraging Makoto to enter in the world of disgusting otaku culture.
"Actually, please forget what I said. And please, never go anywhere near any weird otakus, okay?"
"Um, okay, but… What is an otaku?"
Sae let out a fond sigh.
[February 24th of 2004, Several Years Ago]
"Hey sis! Happy birthday!" An almost six year old Makoto shrieked out as she jumped up and down on Sae's mattress, waking up the now annoyed thirteen year old.
"Stop that!" The older girl scolded her, annoyed and grumpy. She put the pillow on top of her head but Makoto continued to call her out, which irritated the older girl.
She got up from the bed and scooped up her little sis and planted her on the ground.
"Fine, thank you, now shut up."
Makoto responded with an innocent grin. "Okay. Come on! Uncle Katsu and Uncle Tatsu are here!"
Sae sighed, and got ready for the day.
Later, you could hear the snickers of two adults and the exasperated sigh of another as the thirteen year old girl drank her coffee black, with no sugar.
Teenager Sae was a grouch in the morning, and only a good cup of coffee managed to smooth that out.
"Look at her," Uncle Tatsu started while trying to not show his mirth. "She has the spirit of an old woman."
Her father, Masayuki, just snickered along. "She's now an old woman plus one!"
Young Sae rolled her eyes. They were ridiculous. Uncle Katsu seemed to agree with her as he shook his head.
"Masa-kun, are you sure it's wise to let your thirteen year old daughter drink coffee this strong in the morning?" Her uncle asked her father.
Daddy just shrugged. "It's best that she does it while I'm supervising her. Can you imagine the headache if she starts doing things behind my back now?"
Sae feigned innocence. She already did, but he didn't have to know that. She has also been feeding Mako-chan ice cream and sweets before dinner when he wasn't looking.
Katsuya shook his head. "If you're sure."
Mako-chan swept her gaze across the room and scratched her head.
"When can I drink coffee?"
"When you're older." Replied the chorus of four in the room, Sae included.
Makoto pouted. "But I am a big girl!"
"No you aren't." Their father said as he wagged his finger. "But you can drink herbal tea if you want."
The little girl made a face of revulsion. "But tea is disgusting!"
The men chuckled. Sae smirked and poked Makoto on the sides. "Then wait until you grow up, silly."
"That's not fair! I want to be the big sister, can we swap?" She asked Sae seriously.
They all burst out into laughter again.
"I'm afraid that is not how life works, Mako-chan." Her uncle Katsu responded after they calmed down.
She pouted and huffed again. "That's annoying…"
Sae, who was now a lot more animated after having coffee in her system, grinned at her sister. "You know what? For today, I'm letting you be the big sis, and I'll be the little sis. Deal?"
Makoto's eyes widened and she beamed at Sae. "Deal!"
Then she adopted a stern posture and scolded her sister. "Now, Sae-chan! Eat all your rice, or you're not getting any dessert, young lady!"
Sae tried not to laugh. "Okay, big sis!"
Tatsuya broke down in laughter. "Sae-chan, I think she just wants some payback."
The silver haired teen winked at her uncle. "I guess I deserved that one."
Katsuya also laughed, but Sae noticed her father looking a little emotional off to the side.
"Are you okay, daddy?" She asked him.
He looked at her and just smiled, willing the tears in his eyes away. "I am. It's just that your sister reminded me a lot of Mi-chan just now."
Sae felt her heart clench. It's true, sometimes when looking at Makoto, it was as if Natsumi Niijima was still with them.
The teenager gave her father a tentative smile. "I get what you mean, daddy."
Her uncles listened to the exchange with slightly saddened smiles on their faces while Makoto looked confused.
Her father nodded, but then smiled again.
"Hey, let's not feel sad now. It's your birthday, my child. You're growing up too fast for your dad to keep up, my Sae-Sae." He said proudly.
She at first beamed at him, then glared. "Hey, old man, watch it! Don't use that silly nickname!"
"Oh come on, you love it!" He teased her.
"That's a Mako-chan exclusive!" She protested.
"But can't you make an exception for your daddy dearest?"
She glared at him. They kept bickering playfully, until uncle Katsu cleared his throat.
They all turned to him. Her uncle smiled.
"Now, young lady, uncle has baked you the biggest, most extraordinary cake. Do you want it now?"
Her eyes widened and she eagerly agreed. "Yes! Come on Mako-chan, we can blow the candles together."
"Yay!" The young child cheered as Sae picked her up and they both lined up in front of the delicious, well decorated black forest birthday cake.
"Make a wish, sis!" Makoto told her.
Sae closed her eyes, and held on to Makoto's hand.
'I want my family to always be happy, safe and sound.' She thought with hope in her young heart.
The sisters blew the candles together as the three men cheered for them.
[August of 2002, Several Years Ago]
"Hey, big sis…"
four year old Makoto tugged at her sister's pajama pants.
Sae herself, who was just eleven, crouched down to her sister's eye level.
"What is Mako-chan?"
"I'm scared." The younger girl said, her lips trembling.
Sae bit her lip. Makoto was afraid of the dark, and they were home alone, with no electricity thanks to a blackout, and no adult supervising them as their father had to run some errands, trusting Sae to supervise Makoto during his absence.
She waited until the sun had set, but nothing changed. She couldn't call her daddy or uncles because there was no power to utilize their residential phone. So the two had to wait, with Makoto getting progressively more scared.
Sae herself was afraid too, but she couldn't show it to Mako-chan.
"It's okay Mako-chan, daddy will be home soon." She assured her sister, but her heart was hurting painfully, because she wasn't sure their father would remember they were alone at home with no supervision.
'Please, daddy. Don't abandon us now…'
As if listening to her pleas, the front door clicked open. Sae put herself in front of Makoto in case it was a burglar, but her body melted in relief as she saw her father emerge, face pale with concern for his daughters.
"Daddy!" Makoto screamed with a teary face as she cried and ran over to him.
Masayuki, their father, crouched down and opened his arms to catch his youngest. He settled his daughter in his arms and walked forward, running comforting circles down the child's back.
Sae hung back awkwardly as she hugged her arms and watched her dad comfort her sister.
"Hey, come here too, Sae-chan." The man said, as he crouched down a little to let his other daughter come under his arm as well.
Sae didn't hesitate and swiftly embraced the safety of her daddy's arms too.
"It's okay my girls, I'm here. I'm home." He cooed.
Sae closed her eyes and embraced her daddy and sister, feeling safe and secure.
[March of 2000, Several Years Ago]
"Sae-Sae! Up!" A baby voice shrieked.
Makoto was a loud, happy toddler, and she had started speaking more coherently as of late, always using her cuteness and big crimson eyes to demand some affection from her family.
After having her first word being "fuh!" (because she accidentally heard their daddy say a bad word, provoking the ire of their mommy against him), she couldn't stop calling everyone's names in repetition, along with some simple commands.
Her first (and favorite) name was of course, "Sae-Sae", which made the little girl feel quite proud. Then she loved to say "mama", "dada", "unca" whenever she saw uncle Katsu, "Aya" whenever she saw auntie Maya and finally "Brrr" (because uncle Tatsu kept making realistic motorcycle noises to amuse her, so she only referred to him that way.)
Makoto was the happiness of the household, there was no person that would feel gloom or doom if they spotted the toddler, because she loved to laugh and to make others laugh, be it by finding delight in small things, or by creating the delight herself.
Sae extended her arms and happily caught the toddler. "Mako-tan!"
Their mother, Natsumi, sent Sae a fond look. "You two are adorable together. I think you're Makoto's favorite person."
Sae beamed. "She's my favorite person too! Um, no offense, mama!"
Natsumi laughed happily as she gently cupped Sae's cheeks. "None taken, hon. Now, be careful with your sister, she is very fussy, my little troublemaker."
"Mama!" Makoto protested when her mother tried to support her weight in little Sae's arms.
"I love you mama. And I love you too, Mako-tan!" She said as she kissed the toddler's cheeks, who gave her a huge smile and grabbed Sae's own cheeks with her chubby hands.
"I love you too, my Sae-chan. I love you both very much." Her mother spoke fondly.
[April 23rd of 1998, Several Years Ago]
Sae-chan obediently held the hand of her uncle Tatsuya as they walked across the pedestrian strip. Handsome and responsible, her younger uncle was careful to make sure he didn't lose his little niece.
"Are you excited, kiddo?" He asked as he fondly gave her a head pat.
Sae-chan beamed. "Yes uncle! I hope it's a girl! Boys are icky."
The teenage boy laughed at his cute little niece's declaration. "I hope it's a girl too, Sae-chan."
They continued walking towards the hospital. Something, however, caught her attention, and little Sae's eyes widened as she pointed up.
"Uncle, look!"
Her uncle looked at the sky in wonder. "A golden butterfly…? Huh, that's unusual."
"Pretty!" Sae exclaimed. Tatsuya laughed.
"Very pretty, kiddo. Come on, let's go meet the new family member!"
They entered the hospital hand in hand, and soon, they were ushered to the maternity ward.
Sae couldn't contain her excitement as she noticed the little bundle in her mama's arms.
"Mama! Is it a boy or a girl!?" She asked impatiently.
Her daddy, who was sitting just beside her mama, chuckled. "Shh, Sae-chan, you're gonna wake up the baby."
"Sorry, daddy!" She apologized, wary of making her new sibling uncomfortable.
Sae finally had a friend! She was just so excited to meet them.
'Please be a girl, please be a girl, please be a girl.' She chanted in her mind.
Her mother gently smiled at her. "Come closer, love. Come meet your new sister."
Her eyes widened and she felt huge excitement flood through her little body.
'Yes! A sister!'
She was just so happy. They were going to be best friends and Sae would be the coolest big sister, and teach the baby everything!
"Hello baby sis." She whispered in amazement.
The baby had a very funny face. Maybe it was because she was too small? She was also sleeping. Sae carefully touched the baby's soft brown hair. Pretty, like mama's.
"She looks like a potato." She said bluntly.
Her uncles and daddy both laughed. She saw her mama barely hold back a smug smile. "You were just like this too."
She pouted at her mother's response. But then shrugged.
Sae doesn't care. She has a sister now!
The little baby opened their eyes. They were a beautiful shade of crimson, like mama's.
Sae looked on in wonder. Nevermind, she wasn't a potato, she was the prettiest baby ever!
"What is her name?" She asked curiously.
"We were waiting for you to pick one." Her mother said cheerily.
Sae's eyes widened. "Me?"
"Yes. You're already good with your hiragana, yes? Here, pick a name from this book." Her daddy encouraged her.
Sae was excited. She gets to pick the baby's name!
Sae quickly skimmed through the namebook for the right name. She wanted something cool for her sister, so she kept looking until she found the perfect one.
Sae soon handed the name book back to her father, then she squeezed the newborn's hand.
"Hey, sis! My name is Sae." She said in greeting, whispering gently so as to not startle the precious little thing.
The baby squeezed her hand back, and slowly gave her a gummy smile.
Sae beamed back at her.
"Makoto. Your name is Makoto."
To be continued...
