Blood isn't family, but love is. That is something many people must learn the hard way.
The sun was barely rising over the mountain peaks, coloring the sky with a mesmerizing pink-ish glow as it slowly crept up into the sky. At a small house on the outskirts of a rather isolated town, a girl emerged. She paused, looking up at the sky for a moment, and then slightly smiled, sitting down on the front deck.
Her purple eyes glistened as they watched the sun rise intently. The girl was wearing a white, flower-patterned kimono. Her hair was a medium brown, the tips fading off into red. She looked no older than sixteen.
She sat there for a long time, until the sun was finally risen, when she heard a loud call from inside the home. She sighed and stood up, disappointed that her small moment of peace had been vanquished. Though, she hadn't been expecting it to last long, anyway. She opened the door, walking inside.
She was instantly met with the sound of someone screaming at her, though they were nowhere to be seen from the entrance of the house, "Mizuki Tanaka! Go make yourself useful and go buy us some food! We've been out for a day now!"
Mizuki closed her eyes, "Yes, Father." She looked around, trying to spot some money to pay with, before she spotted a small pile of coins on the floor and swiped them, walking out of the house once more.
Mizuki was silent as she walked along the path. It seemed unfair that she was constantly used for chores, but then again, Mizuki was used to it by now. But it wasn't always that way.
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When Mizuki was very young, her parents paid her heaps of affection. It was obvious that she was the favorite. What was also obvious was that a certain someone in the household was a tad bit jealous.
"Mizuki. Mizuki. Mizuki." A voice repeated over and over again.
"What do you want, Suki?" Mizuki whined, turning to face her older sister. She had gorgeous blue eyes, framed perfectly with her long, black hair. It would be impossible for anyone to look at her and not find her absolutely gorgeous.
"Why are you so stupid?" She snickered. Mizuki frowned, tilting her head. Though Suki herself was beautiful, her personality was... less so.
"Why are you so mean? No wonder Mother and Father like me more!" Mizuki shot back, narrowing her eyes. The moment she did that, she felt herself fall into the floor as she was hit sharply in the back.
"Mother and Father only like you and Midori now because you're little babies. Wait until you're older, they'll ignore you too!" Suki snarled, stalking away. Mizuki simply watched her in silence.
Was what she was saying true?
...
It turned out, maybe her words did hold some truth. A little over a year later, another child was born into the family. He was given the name Kano, and the attention balance had suddenly shifted to only take account of him.
"This is stupid!" A voice growled. Mizuki and her brother were sitting on the grass outside after being kicked out by their parents due to a crying Kano. "They only liked us because we were the youngest and now that we're not, we're ignored?"
"And only used for chores, as well." Mizuki scoffed, picking a blade of grass out of the ground, "What's the point of having multiple children if you're only going to cherish one?"
"Obviously to do their dirty work while they kick it back and relax all day." Midori shook his head, "It's all stupid."
Mizuki turned to look at her brother. Despite the meaning of his name, he did not look green at all. He looked similar to Mizuki, with red hair tips and purple eyes. The only difference was his galaxy-patterned kimono. Sometimes, Mizuki wondered if her parents were complete idiots.
