Wandering

Chapter Three: Fleeting Memories

"Akihiro, Kiyomi, come here," Chiharu Saito called to her children, holding the latest addition to the Saito family. "Meet your little sister, Itsuko." The toddler stumbled her way to her mother's arm and looked in awe, blinking her curious eyes. "Akihiro, come here, why are you hiding behind the wall?"

The boy begrudgingly came out his hiding spot and slowly came forward. "...I don't want to see her. I already have a sister, I don't want another one..."

"Tell me, when we aren't here, do you ever feel lonely? Do wish someone would be here for you? Do you wish for someone to take care of you? I was an only child and I wished for an older sibling to be with me. No matter how troublesome they may be, you are the eldest sibling and they will always admire you. You have to protect them and give them love. Now, would you like to hold her?" Akihiro nodded. Chiharu smiled and carefully handed Itsuko to him. The baby giggled and looked at her brother.

"See, she likes you. You'll be a good brother, won't you?"

"...Yeah."

"Come back, Itsuko~! Let me love you~!" Kiyomi was currently chasing her frightened sister throughout the Saito house, knocking over expensive things and family heirlooms but she didn't care, she was focused on more important things like getting Itsuko to accept her love. She didn't understand why Itsuko was rejecting it in the first place, was she being too forward with her feelings? No, it must be something else.

"Kiyomi-nee, you're scaring me!"

"Just come into my arms and you'll feel better~!"

"I'd rather not!" Itsuko ran outside temporarily distracting her overly loving sister, before running back into the house, trying to find her brother.

"Aki-nii! Aki-nii! Help me!" An uncomfortable Itsuko ran up to her brother clinging onto his leg, almost out of breath.

He and the load of books in his arms nearly fell but he stabled himself in time. "Calm down, Itsuko! Tell me, what frightens you so?"

"Kiyomi-nee is scaring me! She keeps chasing me saying, 'Come here, little Itsuko! Come here, I'll take care of you! If anyone else puts their hands on you, I'll kill them!' She's being weird! It's creeping me out... I had to run outside and distract her before coming in..."

Akihiro set the books on a nearby table and sighed. "Well, Kiyomi has always been like that... Though she can be overzealous at times, she really does care for you. I'll go talk to her. Stay here." He walked off, looking for his overbearing motherly sister.

She ran and held his hand begging him to stay. "Wait! Don't leave me here alone... What if she finds me?!"

He smiled gently. "Relax. It's not like she's going to hurt you. I'll be right back. Promise." He patted Itsuko's head and disappeared outside.

'Wow... Aki-nii is facing Kiyomi-nee... He's like a hero...'

Eight-year old Itsuko limped carefully around the house to avoid being seen by her mother or just any member of her family in general. She had acquired multiple injuries throughout her body and if her mother saw them, she would forbid her from ever setting foot outside again. There were scratches on her arms and legs, bruises on her stomach, and a long gash on her right leg.

"Itsuko!" She heard a horrified gasp from behind and winced when she turned around to face her brother.

"Hi, Aki-nii... Don't mind me..."

"Don't 'Hi, Aki-nii' me. What happened? How are you still walking? Come on, let's get you fixed up." He carried Itsuko to his room and gently laid her down. "The scratches are minor, they should heal by themselves. The bruises, I'll put something cold on that and that gash... That gash! How did you even get that?! Stay here!" Akihiro rushed out the room and immediately came back in with cotton, alcohol, string, and a needle.