insouciant || ON HIATUS

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕖𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕠𝕗 𝕚𝕥 𝔸𝕝𝕝

Such a young child, burdened with the weight of the world.

The harsh words and watchful eyes of his parents became a norm from the day he was born.

But that was okay. He picked up the rules of the house much faster than his sister, who seemed lost in the sea of disapproving looks.

He would take the world and place it on his shoulders.

He would give his sister the innocent childhood, spared of the set expectations and the unfair scolding.

──── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────

It all happened so fast.

There was a stinging pain in his cheek and the way his neck ached from turning his head so fast. There was a distant noise in the background, shouting and screaming.

Someone was crying.

A cool hand soothed the burn on his face. A tug on the back of his shirt made his head turn slightly to see the cowering posture of his younger sister, her hand clenched on his shirt.

The one he took his father's hand for.

"Mamoru." The wrinkled face of his grandfather came into his view, eye level with him. "We'll take care of everything," he said gently, in that papery voice of his. "You can relax now."

His grandmother's hand slid into his view and he watched her hand hold his own, which he began to notice were clenched so tightly, his nails were cutting into his palm. "Everything will be alright now," she whispered. "Come here, Maiko."

He felt little Maiko's head shake, his head rubbing gently into his back. She was probably crying, judging by the shaking of her body and the tilted head.

The rest was a blur. He was told their parents were bad people, that they were going away for a very long time. In the meantime, he would be relocated to a new guardian that could support two children.

Neither of their grandparents couldn't take them.

A phone call was made while Mamoru and Maiko were sitting on the couch, nibbling away at the mochi their grandfather slipped past his wife's hawk eyes.

A wry smile came from his grandmother at the hands covered in flour. A frown came to her face when she saw Mamoru wiping his hands diligently with a napkin with the most serious face. She watched silently as he cleaned Maiko's hands gently and then proceeded to scan the couch for any possible crumbs or specks.

"Mamoru." She watched with a sad look as he stood up straight and looked her straight in the eyes. How could a child have such military-esque actions so young? His sister stumbled to her feet, trying to mimic Mamoru's stance. "Stop. You don't need to do that," she said, waving her hand. "Just listen to me carefully."

Mamoru's stance relaxed by a tiny margin. It scared her how broken he looked, his eyes devoid of any emotion other than wariness.

"Come here, sit next to me." She sat down on the couch and patted the sides next to her. When they did so, she wrapped her arms around his precious grandchildren and hugged them tight. In Japanese, she said, "I gave your aunt a call."

Mamoru looked at her, registering she switched languages. In the same language, he asked, "Aunt Claire?"

She nodded. For now, it was best to speak to them in Japanese now that their future was set in Japan. "Aunt Claire has offered to take you and Maiko in. She has enough money to support you two."