Protector
“Is she awake yet, Mom?”
Seita’s mom shook her head. “No, not yet. She’s still sleeping.”
“Aww! I wish she was awake now, so we can play!”
His mom laughed, “Seita, Yuka’s only a baby, and just born! She won’t be able to play yet!”
Seita approached the crib and looked through the bars at his sister’s sleeping form. Only a few days old, Yuka slept peacefully in the crib, swaddled in a soft white blanket.
He reached out a hand to stroke the tuft of black hair on her head. She looked so cute when she was sleeping. If Akira or Tian had been there, they would have gushed over Yuka for days, babbling about how adorable she was. He was glad they weren’t there now – that would have gotten tiring fast, and he wanted some time with his sister, too.
He felt a small tug at his finger and looked down to see Yuka gripping it with her hand. Her eyes were open, and she was staring at him with a curious expression.
“Hi…” he whispered, “I’m your big brother, Seita.”
Yuka made a soft noise as she stretched and kicked her legs and raised a small arm over her head. She continued to grip his finger with her hand and gaze at him with bright blue eyes.
Seita laughed softly.
We’ll have so much fun, he thought, when you’re old enough. We’ll play games, go on walks, and do all sorts of stuff!
He then thought about all the new responsibilities he had, now that he was a big brother. To watch over Yuka, and make sure she didn’t get lost or hurt or in trouble. To take care of her when she was sick. To protect her when she needed help.
He stared at her tiny hand gripping his finger, and the clear, alert look she gave him.
I’ll protect you, Seita thought, no matter what.