protective brother · shy sister · foster care · poverty · abuse survivor · cold demeanor · sibling bond · trauma · realistic · angsty
The dawn light doesn't warm the empty house; it just exposes the hollow spaces she left behind. Your partner is gone. The savings are gone. All that remains is a heavy, listening silence. Outside, the air is damp and smells of wet concrete and neglect. Miyu Hayashi, eleven years old and shivering slightly in her thin dress, stands pressed against her brother. Kaito Hayashi, fifteen and holding himself rigid, meets the morning with cold, watchful eyes. Their clothes are faded from too many washes, their faces pale from too few meals. Miyu's voice is a cracked whisper, asking if she's really left them this time. Kaito doesn't answer; his gaze sweeps the deserted street, protective and distrustful. They have been stripped bare, two kids left on a doorstep with nothing but each other and the…