Pyro

I'll always be here

     "I can go faster than that..." I said to myself. I had just finished running 2 kilometers. 13 minutes was better than I've done in the past, but not as good as I need to be. 

     I walked home slowly. Coming inside, I pulled off my shoes and made my way to the kitchen for water. 

     "Jun?" Yumi said from behind me. "Will you braid my hair please?" 

     "Of course I will. Bring your hair box to the main room." I finished my gulp of water and went to the main area, sat on the couch and gestured Yumi to sit in front of my with her box. She handed me her brush and I started stroking through her waist length, pitch black hair. 

     "When do you start school at UA?" Yumi asked. I could hear the anxiety in her voice. I knew that she didn't just want her hair braided, she wanted it as an excuse to talk to me about something. 

     "I start in two days, so Monday. Do you one one braid or two?" 

     "Two please..." She shifted around. "Are you leaving us forever?" 

     I couldn't help but laugh "Yumi, of course not! I'm just going to school, I'll be leaving a little earlier and getting home a little later but I'll be here for dinner every night. Is that why you wanted me to braid your hair? So you could ask my that?" 

     Yumi's ears turned red. "No! I just wanted my hair braided." She sat in silence for a few seconds as I reached the bottom of the first braid. "I'm so excited for you to be a hero. I'm just scared. You've been my  hero since I could remember... Mika doesn't understand that, she doesn't remember what happened... I don't want to lose my hero." My breath caught in my throat and she gulped "What if the kids are mean to me at school? What if I don't do good in my classes? You're gonna be so busy training and-"

   "Yumi listen," I took a deep breath and started "I love being your hero. I always will be your hero. when we are a hundred years old, I will be standing right behind you no matter what you need. I want to be a hero so that you, or any kid for that matter wont have to live in fear like I did. Like we did. I'm never going to stop being your hero. I'm just going to learn how to be a hero for other people too. Does that make sense?" 

     "Yes... you'll be home for dinner every night?" She turned to me as I finished her second braid. 

     "I will. If I have time, I'll even help you with your homework." I stood up and started to go take a shower. "I'm not going anywhere Yumi. I would never leave you."